The problem with tiny robots, if there can really be said to be one, is that you can’t put enough stuff on them. Cameras and motors don’t shrink down very well, meaning if you want your robot to grab something, you’d better come up with a new way to see it and hold onto it. And that’s just what Finnish researchers have done with this bio-inspired, super-small gripper! Read More
Sony’s mammoth 13-inch Digital Paper tablet, essentially a huge Kindle you can write on, is still a pretty rare sight, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it. So I’m glad the company is doubling down on this unique device type and making some significant improvements with a new model. Read More
“Alexa, how do you hide a body?” Vocal identification is a complicated thing. Alexa doesn’t identify individual users; all us humans are the same. And because Echo has no user identification process, this actually means that anyone within talking range can get access to Echo users’ sensitive emails, documents and other personal data. Read More
The Minibrew is a little keg with a big brain. When we first met the company in 2015 they offered a whiff of high tech to the brewing process, adding a monitored brew vessel and mobile app to the age-old technique of slopping a bunch of wheat, yeast and hops together until something tasty came out. Read More
What do people actually want in luggage? A phone charger, unbreakable exterior, and maximum packing space at a resonable price is what Away discovered. So it built a line of sleek but expansive polycarbonite suitcases equipped with battery packs, and sold them direct-to-consumer. Now after selling nearly 100,000 suitcases and generating million in revenue, Away has raised a million… Read More
According to the watch press, this year’s Baselworld in Switzerland was a graveyard. “The Baselworld show, ended March 30, was grim,” said Joe Thompson in Watchtime Magazine, an enthusiast publication. In short, a once might industry is contracting at an alarming rate. A further harbinger of death is far simpler to understand. Swiss exports have fallen for the third year in… Read More
Kuri, the robot companion being developed by startup Mayfield Robotics, is getting closer to production and gaining some new abilities ahead of its planned release later this year. The adorable little bot, which looks like something ripped from a Pixar movie, now does self-charging, topping up his powerhouse when needed. The robot can also map its home environment better, has improved… Read More
Google has announced it’s working on a service to offer detailed indoor location positioning using its Tango 3D sensing computer vision tech. Read More
