Daily Tech News

Sometimes it would be useful, or even just cool, to be able to illuminate a whole wall. That is the principle behind the Helios modular LED lighting system, where hexagonal units can be joined together magnetically to cover any area and turned on or off individually by touch. The Helios system is similar to the  Nanoleaf Aurora Smarter Kit , which uses 8.25 x 9.4 in (21 x 24 cm) triangular panels in a similar way. The hexagonal Helios modules are smaller, though, at 4.3 in (11 cm) across their longest span and 0.4-in (1-cm) thick, and do not feature the smart and color changing properties of the Nanoleaf system. They are designed less for eye-catching aesthetics and more as a functional and elegant means of lighting a room. Dyena, the firm behind the Helios system, explains that the aim is for users to be able to turn the interior architecture of a space into a light source. A few of the modules could be use together at a desk to provide light when working or a whole wall could be

Most of us find it difficult to travel abroad where we don't know their native language. If we are in a city then English will do just fine but what if we have to travel to a village or less developed area and we need to talk sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s embarrassing. And sometimes it’s downright disastrous. But thanks to a new translation device that easily fits into your ear, the days of struggling to speak the local language might soon be a thing of the past. The device is called "The Pilot system" and Waverly Labs is the company behind this brilliantly simple yet potentially groundbreaking idea. When it hits the shelves in September, the system will allow the wearer to understand one of several foreign languages through real-time in-ear translation. A handy app will allow you to toggle through the languages you want, and the selection includes French, Spanish, Italian, and English.   The gadget comprises two earpieces that easily fit into your ears It

Harvard engineers have come up with a robot octopus that is made entirely of soft materials, is autonomous, and requires no tether to operate. The Octobot combines 3D printing, mechanical engineering, and microfluidics to create what could be the first in a new generation of soft, autonomous machines. If you're going to make a  soft robot , you could do worse than choose an octopus as inspiration. The most intelligent of the molluscs and one of the most advanced invertebrates, its dexterity and ability to manipulate are all combined with a body completely without hard parts save for its beak, which robots don't need. This makes it an ideal model for soft robots that strive to go beyond  mechanical worms , but there's more to making a soft robot than choosing an animal to mimic. The current generation of soft robots are limited in that they aren't entirely soft. Many of them include hard components, such as  heating wires , batteries, and circuit boards for c

China  has started  a test with a possibly revolutionary straddling bus, also known as  the Transit Elevated Bus. The basic idea is that the vehicle straddles multiple lanes of traffic, moving over cars without any worries about traffic jams or other delays. The test track is 300 meters long, from a factory building to an elevated station. The track is located in the great beach town of Beidaihe , Qinhuangdao City, in Hebei Province. The fully electric test vehicle is called TEB-1, 巴铁1号 in Chinese, best translated as ‘Rail Bus Number 1’. It measures 22 meters long, 7.8 meters wide, and 4.8 meters high. The passenger deck has space for 300 people; 245 standing and 55 seated. The height of the ‘tunnel’ under the bus is two meters, and it straddles two lanes. There are traffic lights on each side. The eventual production vehicles will be much bigger, able to straddle four lanes and to carry 1200 passengers. The test vehicle is piloted but the real thing will be autonomous. The T

Small Intro About Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with the past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one play presented in two Parts, which are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings. Vide

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH? AI has been making great strides in the past few years, beating humans at our  own game , as well as augmenting and even replacing human controlled systems. However, some are still not impressed with these developments and feel more should be done. Such is the view of Professor Alexi Samsonovich, who announced that Russia “is on the verge” of a  major AI milestone —robots that can feel human emotion! The announcement was made during the 2016 Annual International Conference on Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICA) in New York City. Specifically, Samsonovich pointed to free thinking machines capable of feeling and understanding human emotions, understanding narratives and thinking in those narratives, as well as being capable to actively learn on their own. However, Samsonovich did not go into the specifics of the Russian AI advances, merely saying that the breakthrough will come in several years and that more funding will be needed to

AeroMobil  unveiled its latest version of its (rather remarkably) futuristic vehicle, which is designed to be both driven on the road and flown through the air. Yes, that’s right—a flying car. The  AeroMobil 3.0  is one of several new experimental prototypes that the company hopes to launch by the end of the year. The current prototypes are all two-seated vehicles, but it could undergo some changes and may be able to quickly accommodate more passengers, as the AeroMobil 3.0 is only the “first product in a series of  innovative vehicles ,” according its CEO Juraj Vaculik. The AeroMobil team says their vehicles are not frivolous or unrealistic fabrications, but assert that it can do far more than cut commuters’ travel time. Most notably, it could be used by first responders and law enforcement in areas with poor road infrastructure. The company plans to commercialize the AeroMobil 3.0 car by 2017. Source: Inhabitat

Dear friends,Let me present to you an excellent Hindi Image Editor app made by a few friends. They are the same Android developer team from Thrissur,Kerala namely ‘Four Big Brothers’ who developed the application WhatsTools last year and received huge media attention. Click Here To Download From Play Store Main Features Of this App 200+ Downloadable Hindi And English Fonts Pick Images from your Album to Generate Trolls and Greetings 5 Greetings Templates  Collection of Stickers, Memes, Clip arts, Frames Can draw your own pencil sketch Easy share in WhatsApp, Facebook, email, and other installed apps Share your trolls and greetings as public Mark your favorite trolls and greetings Water mark option Adjust text color and size Easily create complex Trolls and Greetings Move Images, captions anywhere you want and add your own Image Cropping Choose background as Patterns Add and adjust color of borders for texts  SEARCH / Filter – you can find you favori

Engineers from South Korea developed very thin, flexible solar cells that can wrap around an average pencil.  Photovoltaics  like this could be used to power wearable electronics such as fitness trackers and similar products. The photovoltaic cell they created is 1 micrometer thick, or just about a millionth of a meter. It is thinner than the average human hair. The engineers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea used the semiconductor  gallium arsenide . They directly stamped the cells into a flexible substrate without addition of any adhesive. It was then “cold welded” to the electrode on the substrate. Then the photoresist was removed to have direct metal to metal bond. The metal bottom also serves as a reflector for stray photons. Tests show that it is as efficient as thicker solar cells and that it could wrap around objects with radii up to 1.4 millimeters small, and are comparably less fragile. Source: Latest Science

The stylish Smartflower  Solar Panel  uses two-axis tracking to follow the sun during the day, resulting in up to 40% more efficiency than traditional solar panels. In the morning,  Smartflower unfolds itself completely automatically. It directs its solar modular fan (with a surface area of 18 m2) towards the sun and begins producing electricity. Thanks to dual-axle sun tracking, the fan moves reliably along with the sun throughout the day. In comparison with the static rooftop system, the unit starts earlier to produce the exact amount of electricity you need. It consistently maintains the electricity supply and even uses the energy from the last sun rays efficiently enough to cover your early evening electricity requirements. Only then, does it close up automatically to its secure place. Thanks to its extraordinary construction and the perfectly synchronised components, the system delivers, on an average, approx. 4,000 kWh per year, thus fulfilling the complete average electr

Video game company Square Enix and its subsidiary  Eidos-Montréal  teamed up with low-cost prosthetic company  Open Bionics , Intel, and Razer to give amputees two Deus Ex-inspired prosthetic arm designs: the Adam Jensen Arm, based on the hero of Mankind Divided, and the Deus Ex Universe Arm. The Adam Jensen Arm is fully functional with flexing fingers and a rotating wrist, while the Deus Ex Universe arm is sharper, geometric, and more sinister-looking. Video game-inspired prosthetics  have been making a huge buzz recently, and have been giving amputees a renewed outlook on their condition. This could be a mainstream opener for human augmentation, especially in the midst of controversies over AI– whether or not they would be a threat to humanity, or if we should try to achieve symbiosis with machines. And the best part–these designs are royalty-free. Anyone can 3D print their own bionic arms using the designs and be a  total  badass.

Last year, Dr. Sergio Canavero created quite the ruckus (to put it mildly) when he vowed to be the first person to transplant a human head onto a deceased donor’s body. Yes, he is planning on attempting the world’s first human head transplant (or body transplant, depending on how you look at it). In fact, it has been about a year since his initial proclamation, and the Italian neurosurgeon still stands firm on his declaration, despite claims from other experts that it is nothing but a PR Stunt (at best) or a  hoax. Some have even hypothesized it’s all just a plot  meant to promote Metal Gear Solid . This last claim is due to the doctor’s uncanny resemblance to one of the game’s main characters (it must be noted that there is scant evidence to actually support this hypothesis beyond this). Honestly, it has been a story full of drama and sensationalist publicity. This whole mess went so far that  talks of lawsuits  were flying all over the place. But Canavero stands firm, insisting t

Harvard Professor of Energy, Daniel G. Nocera, was able to genetically engineer bacteria so that it absorbs hydrogen and carbon dioxide to convert into alcohol fuel. The goal was to achieve a significant level of efficiency that could surpass plants. And this month, Nocera announced that his bacteria can convert sunlight 10 times more efficiently than plants. “Right now we’re making isopropanol, isobutanol, isopentanol,”  Nocera said  in a lecture to the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. “These are all alcohols you can burn directly. And it’s coming from hydrogen from split water, and it’s breathing in CO². That’s what this bug’s doing.” The bacteria , called ralston eutropha, takes hydrogen and CO² then converts it into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by inserting genes that will allow the ATP to convert to alcohol fuel. The practical applications of a bacteria that can breathe in CO² and produce energy are unlimited. With the results of the study soon to be published, Nocera i