When it comes to home surveillance cams there are two kinds of cams – low-end, highly-motorized, wireless IP cams that are (typically) fairly insecure and higher-end cloud service systems like Dropcam that offer secure but more expensive cameras. SpotCam seems to land squarely in the middle with their SpotCam Sense Pro line. I tested two models and found them more than acceptable for… Read More
Home robotics is an area of intense interest, with many large companies exploring how they might best address the potential market. Bosch subsidiary Mayfield Robotics has Kuri, and automakers including Toyota and Honda have their own approach, which a focus on independence for people continuing into our senior years. Startup OhmniLabs thinks that human connection is what will convince people… Read More
Nintendo will offer a special battery grip accessory for its Joy-Con controller accessory, which will be offered in sets of two and add more life to the already considerable 20-hour runtime of the Joy-Cons using their built-in power. Nintendo is also going to add a new color option for Joy-Cons, a Neon Yellow that will make sure everyone knows you’re using a Switch and can’t… Read More
You don’t have to be an ornithologist to know that birds are pretty good at flying. But while we know how they do it in general, the millimeter- and microsecond-level details are difficult to pin down. Researchers at Stanford are demystifying bird flight with a custom camera/projector setup, and hoping to eventually replicate its adaptability in unpredictable air currents. Read More
Flybrix first dreamed up a drone that kids could build with LEGO bricks in 2015. At the time, the co-founders debated the merits of launching with a crowdfunding campaign. They craved the exposure that brands attracted on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but they knew consumers were growing suspicious of promises made by crowdfunding hardware startups. Read More
Chinese electronics giant LeEco will not acquire U.S.-based TV maker Vizio as announced, the two companies said today. The deal has been hitting roadblocks according to recent reports, and now it’s officially ended as a result of “regulatory headwinds,” according to LeEco.
The companies are quick to note that this isn’t the end of the relationship between the two. Read More
Some babies won’t sleep unless they get a nighttime cruise around the neighborhood, as many parents (my own included) can attest. That’s why Ford’s latest creation isn’t a car at all – it’s a small cot for babies called Max Motor Dreams (via CNET) that simulates a drive using sound and motion, along with LED lighting designed to mimic yellow-hued… Read More
Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could make a lighter guitar, they didn’t stop to think if they should. As TC’s resident guitar lover I have to take all the high-tech in git-fiddles I can get. To wit, I present the Enlightened Collection of electric guitars. These guitars, made by Michael Kelly, are 30 percent lighter than standard solid-body guitars,… Read More
NASA has announced the recipients of its most recent round of highly experimental projects it deems promising enough to fund. These NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts aren’t guaranteed to go all the way, but are rather sort of low-risk, high potential reward moonshots — science fiction they hope will be more the former than the latter. Read More
