At the Oppo Find 7 press conference,
Oppo announced the O-Band wearable fitness device, their contribution
to the host of existing wearable fitness devices on the market. Functionality
includes a pedometer, a sleep monitor and an alarm clock. As well as
the regular bells and whistles, the O-Band works as a phone locator, and
a remote shutter so you can take photos with your phone from a
distance.
Epilepsy affects over 3 million people in the US alone. Not as many as Asthma (25 million people), or Diabetes (26 million people),
but more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s
combined with 50,000 people dying from epilepsy causes each year. Dialog is
"a concept to help people with epilepsy gain a deeper understanding of
their condition and make better decisions about their care".
Students at Carnegie Mellon University have put together a robot that’s capable of playing scrabble – and trash talking its opponents as it does so. Victor, as its known, has been installed in the computer science lounge for the last 18 months, where it’s battled – and berated – countless foes.
Plaid Enterprises, Inc., the company behind classic crafting goodies
like Mod Podge, FolkArt paint, and Gallery Glass, are searching for the
next big thing in do-it-yourself consumer products. If you’ve got an
invention that will make crafting easier and more fun, they might pick
up your product!
Samsung have just released an Ultrasonic
Cover that works as a virtual white cane for smartphone users who happen to be blind or visually impaired, so users can detect obstacles
and navigate unfamiliar places. With
90% of the world’s 285 million blind people living in developing countries, it’s no surprise Samsung have
built this Ultrasonic Cover for their low-end Galaxy Core Advance.
You can add puzzles to the long list of things robots are already better
than us at doing. A Lego robot called Cubestormer 3 just solved a
Ruik’s Cube puzzle in 3.253 seconds, shattering the existing world speed
record. Yes, a robot constructed out of a children’s toy is a
world-class puzzle champ.
A group of video game and technology companies have banded together to found the Immersive Technology Alliance. This nonprofit group is dedicated to developing games for augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D, and gesture controls. Curiously, Oculus VR is not part of this coalition; no one seems certain why.
Doctors in the United Kingdom are advancing medical 3-D printing at a rapid pace, and have just announced the first facial reconstruction using all 3-D printed parts.
The way human infants learn motor skills – by grasping continually at whatever object they can get their hands on – is being used as a design inspiration for a new generation of robots. A German engineering firm has created a bionic elephant trunk that can learn – and be taught – like a baby.
Video games about war always seem to have players step into the shoes of an iron-willed, strong-jawed soldier. They don’t usually address the impact war has on its victims – ordinary men and women. That’s what 11 Bit Studios hopes to do with This War of Mine, a game more about survival than gunplay.
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