suitX launches lightweight and affordable exoskeleton
suitX, the robotics company out of University of California, Berkeley’s Human Engineering Lab has launched its first exoskeleton after years of development. It’s called Phoenix, a relatively lightweight and affordable device that can help people with mobility disorders walk again. The wearable robot is adjustable according to size and can be put on and removed piece by piece. Its battery can power four hours of continuous walking (at a max speed of 1.1 mph) and up to eight hours of intermittent movement. Best of all, the Phoenix weighs only 27 pounds and costs $40,000.
Now, 40k is nothing to sneeze at, but its competitors cost much, much more than that. ReWalk, the most familiar one, will set you back $77,000. Even Ekso Bionics, which was also founded by suitX CEO Dr. Homayoon Kazerooni, sold exoskeletons for over $100,000 apiece. Dr. Kazerooni was involved in many other exoskeleton projects in the past, but he and some graduate students “started suitX out of [their] passion to develop low-cost consumer bionic products to improve the quality of life for people around the world.” suitX is now accepting pre-orders and aiming to ship out the first units in March.
The company, by the way, is competing for the grand prize at the Robotics for Good Competition. It submitted a proposal for an exoskeleton model for kids with neurological conditions like cerebral palsy and spina bifida. This pediatric model will teach children how to walk, as you can see below:
Source: SuitX
Apple to Begin Testing Dual-Lens Camera Samples for iPhone 7 Plus
Taiwan-based Largan Technology as well as Japan- and China-based camera lens makers have sent dual-lens camera test samples to Apple for potential inclusion in its next-generation iPhone, according to sources from the upstream supply chain (via DigiTimes).
The same source notes that Largan currently supplies over 60 percent of Apple’s smartphone cameras, leading some market analysts to believe Apple is seeking dual-camera products from other makers to lower potential risks.
iPhone 7 mockup with dual-lens camera system (Image: Computer Bild)
Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, but its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past.
The report also follows predictions by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that two 5.5-inch versions of the “iPhone 7 Plus” are in development, one with a single iSight rear-facing camera and another boasting a dual-camera design.
The rumored iPhone 7 Plus model with a dual-lens camera system would take advantage of imaging algorithms that Apple acquired through its purchase of Israeli camera technology company LinX Imaging last year.
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Guess which smartphone company used the most chips in 2015
With questions like these it is always a case of Apple or Samsung – that much is a given. But you might be surprised by the margin between these two telecommunications giants when it comes to semiconductor consumption in 2015. The difference between the two rivals is so close it’s only just over 2.5% (note the decimal point). So, who dominated global semiconductor consumption in 2015?
See also: Flashbacks and Forecasts: Samsung in 2016
Was it Samsung, the world’s largest producer of smartphones, the company that sold 40% more smartphones than Apple in 2015? Or was it Apple, with its massive spike in sales in China, thanks to its borrowing of the large-screened device idea from its arch rival Samsung? Between the two companies, they represent 17.6% of the world’s semiconductor business, purchasing $59 billion worth of chips in 2015.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, it was Samsung that took the number one spot yet again. But for the company that out-sold iPhones by 40% to only consume 2.5% more chips is surprising. The culprit? The iPad. While Samsung has more tablets than anyone knows what to do with (including those trying to sell them), Apple’s iPad is still performing quite well, despite hitting its peak in popularity two years ago. Well enough to make up for a 40% shortfall in phone sales.
See also: Snapdragon 820 vs Exynos 8890: the 2016 mobile SoC battle begins
But the real kicker to this story is who is making all the money off those massive semiconductor sales. You might recall that Samsung uses its own Exynos chips as well as chips sourced from Qualcomm in its Galaxy series. But guess who’s making Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 820 SoC this year? Samsung. And guess who makes almost half of the A series chips used in the iPhone? Samsung again.
Of course, other chip makers like TSMC are making bucketloads of cash out of the semiconductor market too, but only Samsung is making processors for the two largest chip consumers in the world as well as producing this year’s must-have Android chip for Qualcomm. Even as the semiconductor business is at risk of decline – topping $335 billion dollars in 2015 but dropping by 5% YoY – Samsung still stands to make a huge amount of money from it in the immediate future.
Samsung’s consumption is already on the decline. At this rate, Apple will be the world’s largest chip consumer by the end of the year.
However, you can see that Samsung’s consumption is already declining, while Apple’s is rising. Samsung’s demand declined by 3.6% in 2015, while Apple’s increased by 7.1%. So it was Apple that was responsible for the $800 million increase in consumption over 2014, not Samsung. At this rate, Apple will be the world’s largest chip consumer by the end of the year.
Did you guess right? Would you ever have guessed the margin was so close?
Hybrid Polymer breakthrough could lead to self-repairing materials
Today’s high-end smartphone customers may whine at the very thought of plastic cases, but in the future plastics may be very much back in fashion, albeit with far more interesting properties than what we are familiar with today. A completely new class of material called a hybrid polymer has been developed by researchers at Northwestern University, which could open the door to a wide range of new practical uses.
The researches envision new materials with properties ranging from self-repairing and regenerating through to strong artificial muscles that can flex and contract. The end result could be synthetic materials that behave in very life-like ways.
“We have created a surprising new polymer with nano-sized compartments that can be removed and chemically regenerated multiple times … Some of the nanoscale compartments contain rigid conventional polymers, but others contain the so-called supramolecular polymers, which can respond rapidly to stimuli, be delivered to the environment and then be easily regenerated again in the same locations.– Samuel I. Stupp, director of Northwestern’s Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology.
The hybrid polymer has a hard core and a softer material that can be animated and refreshed in between the “arms”.
The breakthrough seems rather versatile and the exact properties possessed by the material depend up its nanoscale structure. In other words, how individual molecules of varying types are structured. This hybrid polymer is formed from two different types, one with strong covalent bonds and supramolecular polymers with weak bonds that contain nano-sized compartments. It is in these compartments that chemists and materials scientists can get to work implementing a wide range of useful features, and, depending on its function, these can even be regenerated by adding small molecules.
“We can create active or responsive materials not known previously by taking advantage of the compartments with weak non-covalent bonds, which should be highly dynamic like living things.” – Stupp
Potential applications include a smart drug patch delivery system with compartments that can be emptied and refilled as needed without having to dispose of the patch, a replenish-able energy source, and even artificial muscles. For gadgets, the technology could also form the basis for self-repairing and even self-assembling materials. This might act something like our skin, healing cuts and scrapes automatically while also offering up a strong protective surface. Of course, none of this comes cheap in the early stages and there is still plenty of research to be done, but it’s a very promising breakthrough.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is getting a LEGO video game
Frustrated that The Force Awakens won’t feature in any Star Wars: Battlefront DLC? No matter. While the graphics won’t be quite the same, LEGO and developer TT Games will soon have you covered with a button-mashing adventure inspired by Episode VII. The upcoming title was spotted on the Xbox Games Store and through a trailer leaked on YouTube, revealing yet another brawler-platformer that’s chock-full of gags and family-friendly fun. Whether it’s Poe Dameron using a windscreen wiper on his X-Wing, or Rey driving a speeder with a “BB on Board” sticker, there should be plenty to keep both children and adults chuckling.
According to the Xbox product page, the game will launch on June 28th and feature a ton of playable characters, including Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, Kylo Ren and Han Solo. There will also be some new gameplay mechanics, namely Multi-Builds, which allow players to open new paths by continually building and destroying their handiwork. The most passionate Star Wars fans will also be intrigued by the prospect of “exclusive playable content” that “bridges the story gap” between Episode VI and VII. A crucial piece of lore or a throwaway level? There’s only one way to find out.
Sainsbury’s is prepared to pay £1.3 billion for Argos
Sainsbury’s mission to expand its non-food empire has been given a big boost after it agreed terms on a £1.3 billion bid for Argos owner Home Retail Group. With its latest proposal, the supermarket, which had an earlier offer believed to be around the £1 billion mark turned down, now has until February 23rd to decide whether it wants to make everything official.
The grocery chain is buying Argos to serve customers “wherever and whenever they want to shop.” Sainsbury’s already hosts a small number of Argos outlets inside its stores, but wants to capitalize on its partner’s same-day delivery network to fight back against supermarket rivals like Ocado, but also Amazon, which is said to be readying its own fresh food delivery service.
If a deal is agreed, Sainsbury’s believes it could reduce costs by as much as £120 million. However, it forecasts that it would need to spend £140 million converting stores and merging the brands (like Dixons Carphone is now doing with the Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse brands). There’s also the possibility that Sainsbury’s will ditch the Argos brand altogether, giving it a bigger footprint than both John Lewis and M&S on the High Street.
Source: Sainsbury’s (PDF)
Politician rallying against SWATting falls victim herself
Writing about SWATting victims is as depressing as writing about data breaches, but this is the future we live in. In regards to the former, the politician who’s come out strongest against the potentially deadly prank found herself on the receiving end of it recently. As her Boston local CBS station reports, Congresswoman Katherine Clark had a smattering of police officers with “long guns” on her front lawn Sunday night. What’d she do, broadcast some Counter-Strike? No, She’s rallying behind the Interstate Swatting Hoax Act, a bill that’d make prank calling the SWAT team on someone a federal offense. Currently, the law states that faking a bomb threat or terrorist attack via telecommunications and across state lines is illegal; SWATting is not.
The Boston Globe writes that at 9:57 PM a computer generated voice left a tip left saying that there shots had been fired and there was an “active shooter” in Clark’s home. Police were dispatched, but an actual SWAT team wasn’t. Clark and her family luckily made it through unscathed, but from the sounds of it, this incident had the exact opposite result of what its perpetrators likely hoped — for her to give up. She told the Globe that this will only strengthen her resolve.
I’m thankful no one was hurt & grateful for the timeliness and professionalism of the #Melrose Police Dept. https://t.co/Zq2LYfdGTE
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) February 1, 2016
Source: Katherine Clark (Twitter), CBS Local, The Boston Globe
Opera adds mute tab option and better download interface
Opera may be lagging behind the more popular browser choices today, but it hasn’t given up on rewarding its loyal users with new features. Version 35 for computers has just been released, and with it comes the ability to mute tabs easily, so you don’t have to hunt for the one that has randomly starting playing a video. If you are playing one video and want to mute all others, you can also do that via the menu that pops up when you right click on a tab.
The latest version also comes with a better download interface with quick links to common file types like PDF, documents, images, music and video. Plus, the browser now notifies you if your download’s done. Finally, Opera has added the ability to change themes and startup behavior, among other elements of the browser, right from within the Settings page.
Source: Opera for computers
Opera adds mute tab option and better download interface
Opera may be lagging behind the more popular browser choices today, but it hasn’t given up on rewarding its loyal users with new features. Version 35 for computers has just been released, and with it comes the ability to mute tabs easily, so you don’t have to hunt for the one that has randomly starting playing a video. If you are playing one video and want to mute all others, you can also do that via the menu that pops up when you right click on a tab.
The latest version also comes with a better download interface with quick links to common file types like PDF, documents, images, music and video. Plus, the browser now notifies you if your download’s done. Finally, Opera has added the ability to change themes and startup behavior, among other elements of the browser, right from within the Settings page.
Source: Opera for computers
Nintendo’s profit slump shows the NX can’t come soon enough
Nintendo didn’t do too bad in 2015, but its latest financial report highlight’s one thing: while the company’s not struggling, it’s depending too much on a handful of legacy titles. Overall, profits reported for the period ending last December were 40,558 million yen (about $336 million), down around a third from last year’s 59,515 million yen ($493). A downward trend, but given Nintendo had struggled to make a profit since 2011, the company will be happy to have stayed in the black.
Nintendo will have hoped a revised 3DS, will continued to introduce new buyers to its games (and of course tempt upgraders). It was old favorites such as Animal Crossing and Super Smash Bros., though, that kept its handheld machine moving, with the former shifting 2.93 units alone — that’s a lot of Happy Home Designers.
The company also continues to profit from Splatoon and Super Mario Maker on the Wii U side of things, with both titles accounting for almost a third of all sales on the platform for this reporting period. Again, Nintendo admits the evergreen glow of franchises like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. also help keep the blood flowing — although interesting initiatives like the cross-buy scheme, which rewarded owners of both the Wii U and the 3DS with free games, might not have stirred sales as much as hoped.
Nintendo also trimmed back a few services over the year, with TVii, and of course, Club Nintendo, being put out to pasture. The biggest blow to the company last year is, of course, not related to its products or services, but the unexpected loss of popular CEO Satoru Iwata.
While other arms of the business such as Amiibo and, of course, the new mobile gaming wing should provide vital revenue streams, Nintendo has other positives to look forward to in 2016. Next month sees the 20th anniversary of Pokémon, which will be celebrated with a Pokémon day (Feb 27) and a new 3DS bundle. Not to mention, a whole new platform in the form of the mysterious NX. Let’s just hope it lives up to the Nintendo hype, whatever “we’re not building the next version of Wii or Wii U” actually means.
Source: Nintendo
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