Equine CT scanner can peek inside standing, conscious horses

Horses are majestic creatures, but one thing they are not is tiny. Well, not for long, anyway. That creates a problem for equine medicine. When an animal weighs just under an imperial ton and is six-foot tall at the shoulders, there’s only so much a veterinarian can do while the animal is still conscious. To that end, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (phew) is partnering with imaging outfit 4DDI to make free-standing CT scans a reality. Dubbed “Equimagine,” the setup uses a pair of robotic arms that can gather internal images of a horse while it’s awake and standing on all fours.

The school says that this will give doctors a glimpse at parts of the animal’s body that were previously unseen. Specifically, it could help preemptively diagnose stress fractures in racehorses before they result in a “catastrophic breakdown” during a race.

There’s a human application to this as well. Comparatively, children are an awful lot smaller than a pony, but getting one to not move outside of a traditional CT scan tube is pretty difficult. Putting a kid in one and expecting them to hold still is likely much harder. This tech could be used to scan little tykes too, without the need for anesthesia, in around 30 seconds.

Equimagine is already capable of gathering traditional, still 2D scans in addition to 3D imaging, moving images and X-rays at up to 16,000 FPS. But UPenn says the ultimate goal is to someday take these scans while a horse is trotting on a treadmill. To catch a glimpse of it in action, hit the source link below.

Source: University of Pennsylvania

Amazon launches a Prime Now website

Amazon’s Prime Now expedited delivery service finally has a standalone website. It was previously accessible only through a mobile app, but now Prime subscribers — those who live in areas where the one- to two-hour delivery option is available, at least — can access the service on their computers. The company didn’t integrate the option into their own e-commerce portal, but all customers have to do is go to PrimeNow.com, enter their zip codes and shop.

The service’s vice president, Stephanie Landry, said in a statement: “We have expanded the service rapidly over the last year to new cities and customers told us that they would want the option to shop on a browser as well as mobile — so we’re excited to expand the shopping experience to http://www.primenow.com.”

Since the service comes with people’s Prime subscription, they can avail of two-hour deliveries for free. In case they’re in immediate need of beauty products, or any of the health and household items available through Prime now, however, they can pay for one-hour delivery for $8.

Via: Recode, GeekWire

Source: Amazon Prime Now

New BMW i8 expected late next year

Introduced in 2014, the BMW i8 is due for its first update. The new version is expected to hit the dealers in late 2017, and the hybrid powertrain will receive a host of improvements.

Autocar reports the electric motor will get a 10 percent boost in power in the facelifted car; the 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine will also be worked on. The combined power output would reach 420 horsepower instead of the current car’s 362 hp.

With the six-speed automatic transmission also getting updated, the laundry list of upgrades would result in an even faster car. Currently, the i8 hits 62 mph in 4.4 seconds. As for the battery packs, the capacity of the new ones isn’t disclosed, but as the Formula E safety car swaps its 7.1 kWh battery for a 10 kWh one, the same might be expected of the facelift i8. And as the safety car has experimented with the Halo inductive wireless charging system engineered by BMW partner Qualcomm, expect that to appear in the production car as well.

Along with improvements ranging from revised suspension to 25 percent lighter carbon fibre wheels, the 2018 i8 should be an even better technological showcase of BMW’s hybrid capabilities.

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Source: Autocar

Europe and Russia move their ExoMars mission launch to 2020

While the first part of Europe’s and Russia’s ExoMars mission took off on time in March, the second phase has been delayed. They’ve decided to launch their Martian rover, which will be capable of drilling up to two meters (6.5 feet) below the surface, in 2020 instead of 2018 like they previously planned. According to the BBC, Roscosmos’ engineers have been having a hard time designing rover’s landing mechanism. At the same time, European Space Agency’s engineers are also having trouble putting together all the components and instruments ExoMars’ second phase needs.

In the statement the ESA released, the agency says they’ve assessed the situation and “concluded that, taking into account the delays in European and Russian industrial activities and deliveries of the scientific payload, a launch in 2020 would be the best solution.” The ExoMars project has been difficulties from the start due to the lack of a proper budget. As the BBC noted, the ESA even teamed up with NASA at one time. But like many relationships, that one ended when they found themselves with different priorities.

Via: BBC

Source: ESA

Three Earth-sized planets exist in the Aquarius constellation

It’s the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Well, the discovery of three planets orbiting a cooler-than-the-Sun dwarf star located in the Aquarius constellation, according to NASA. A number of telescopes, including the TRAPPIST at the La Silla Observatory in Chile were used in this trio, and the star itself bears the name TRAPPIST-1 for pretty obvious reasons. The planets are Earth-like in size and two of them orbit the star roughly every 1.5 and 2.4 days. The third one has proven a bit harder to track, with NASA saying its orbit is anywhere between 4.5 to 73 days.

From the sounds of it, though, none of them are in the habitable zone for their orbits because of how close they are to TRAPPIST-1. The inner two? They might have habitable regions, and the outermost (with the unknown orbital period) might be habitable considering that it “probably” gleans less radiation than Earth does from our sun.

Come May 4th, astronomers will be able to get a better look at TRAPPIST-1 and measure two of the planets as they transit the star via the Hubble telescope, analyzing their atmosphere and seeing if there are any bits of water vapor present. An extended campaign will give NASA a chance to study these with the relatively new James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared capabilities to further study their atmospheres.

Source: NASA

Uber adds Android Pay support, dropping Google Wallet on May 9

After being one of the most recognizable apps using Google Wallet for payment processing, Uber is making the switch to using Android Pay as the old Wallet system is closing in on its sunset. Though Android Pay is most notably taking over as the NFC tap-and-pay system for Google, it is also ready to handle in-app and online payments that were once handled by Google Wallet as well.

As you may remember, Google has dramatically scaled back the capabilities of Google Wallet since Android Pay was announced; the older of the two services now simply works as a person-to-person money transferring system.

Uber is sending out emails to customers reminding them that Google Wallet support will be officially discontinued from the app on May 9, and in order to continue paying for rides in the app you’ll have to move along to Android Pay or input a credit card manually. If you’ve already set up Android Pay with a card, you’ll be able to simply tap on the Android Pay button in the payment settings of the Uber app and choose a previously-entered card from the list.

What’s on your HDTV: ‘Battleborn,’ ‘Marseille’

This week Netflix premieres its first French original production with Marseille, starring Gérard Depardieu in a political drama. For gamers, the week’s biggest release is Gearbox Software’s Battleborn, aka the game that definitely is not Overwatch (which, coincidentally, just allowed early access to its open beta) and has an episodic plan for its single player mode. Meanwhile the Xbox One and PS4 swap exclusives as Superhot and Shadow Complex Remastered make their respective platform debuts. The Good Wife is ready to call it a series, and Netflix has season two of Grace and Frankie. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• Independence Day (20th Anniversary Edition)
• Top Gun (30th Anniversary Edition)
• The Choice
• Joy (4K)
• The 5th Wave (4K)
• True Crime
• Easy Rider
• The Last Ship (S2)
• Battleborn (PC, PS4 & Xbox One)
• SUPERHOT (Xbox One)
• Shadow Complex Remastered (PS4, PC)

Monday

• Mike & Molly, CBS, 8 & 8:30PM
• Reign, CW, 8PM
• Gotham, Fox, 8PM
• Dancing with the Stars, ABC, 8PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• American Dad, TBS, 8:30PM
• Houdini & Doyle (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah, HBO, 9PM
• 12 Monkeys, Syfy, 9PM
• Bates Motel, A&E, 9PM
• The Odd Couple, CBS, 9:30PM
• Turn, A&E, 10PM
• Hunters, Syfy, 10PM
• NCIS: LA (season finale), CBS, 10PM
• Damien, A&E, 10PM
• Blindspot, NBC, 10PM

Tuesday

• The Mindy Project, Hulu, 3AM
• New Girl, Fox, 8 & 9PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• The Flash, CW, 8PM
• Grandfathered, Fox, 8:30PM
• Real O’Neals, ABC, 8:30PM
• Containment, CW, 9PM
• Deadliest Catch, Discovery, 9PM
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC, 9PM
• Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
• America’s Greatest Makers, TBS, 9PM
• The Grinder, Fox, 9:30PM
• Person of Interest (season premiere), CBS, 10PM
• The Night Manager, AMC, 10PM
• Stitchers, Freeform, 10PM
• Awkward, MTV, 10PM
• Chicago Fire, NBC, 10PM
• Beyond the Tank, ABC, 10PM
• Faking It, MTV, 10:30PM

Wednesday

• The Path, Hulu, 3AM
• Survivor, CBS, 8PM
• Rosewood, Fox, 8PM
• Heartbeat, NBC, 8PM
• Arrow, CW, 8PM
• The Goldbergs, ABC, 8:30PM
• Maron (season premiere), IFC, 9PM
• Catfish, MTV, 9PM
• Empire, Fox, 9PM
• Criminal Minds (season finale), CBS, 9PM
• Rogue, DirecTV, 9PM
• Supernatural, CW, 9PM
• Black-ish, ABC, 9:30PM
• The Real World/Road Rules Challenge (season premiere), MTV, 10PM
• The Americans, FX, 10PM
• The Last Panthers, Sundance, 10PM
• Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, CBS, 10PM
• Nashville, ABC, 10PM
• Underground, WGN, 10PM

Thursday

• Marseille (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
• The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
• Strong, NBC, 8PM
• Bones, Fox, 8PM
• WWE SmackDown, USA, 8PM
• DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW, 8PM
• The Odd Couple, CBS, 8:30PM
• Live from Daryl’s House (season premiere), MTV Live, 9PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9PM
• The 100, CW, 9PM
• The Blacklist, NBC, 9PM
• The Eighties, CNN, 9PM
• Mom, CBS, 9PM
• Alone, History, 9PM
• 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 9:30PM
• Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central, 10PM
• Archer, FX, 10PM
• Rush Hour, CBS, 10PM
• The Catch, ABC, 10PM
• The Real World, MTV, 10PM
• Orphan Black, BBC America, 10PM
• Gigolos (season premiere), Showtime, 11PM
• Adam Devine’s House Party (season finale), Comedy Central, 12:30AM

Friday

• Grace & Frankie (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• Ali Wong: Baby Cobra, Netflix, 3AM
• Tumble Leaf (season premiere), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• The Amazing Race, CBS, 8PM
• The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
• Beyond the Tank, ABC, 8PM
• Adele Live in NYC, NBC, 8PM
• Brand: A Second Coming, Showtime, 9PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
• Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
• Blue Bloods (season finale), CBS, 10PM
• Banshee, Cinemax, 10PM
• Vice, HBO, 11PM

Saturday

• The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story, Lifetime, 8PM
• Twinsters, Freeform, 8:30PM
• Outlander, Starz, 9PM
• Party Over Here, Fox, 11PM
• Saturday Night Live: Brie Larson/Alicia Keys, NBC, 11:30PM

Sunday

• Once Upon A Time, ABC, 8PM
• Little Big Shots, NBC, 8PM
• Call the Midwife, PBS, 8PM
• Madam Secretary (season finale), CBS, 8PM
• The Girlfriend Experience, Starz, 8PM
• Game of Thrones, HBO, 9PM
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN, 9PM
• House of Lies, Showtime, 9PM
• Fear the Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
• The Family, ABC, 9PM
• The Carmichael Show, NBC, 9PM
• The Good Wife (series finale), CBS, 9PM
• Wallander (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
• Dear Mama, VH1, 9PM
• Crowded, NBC, 9:30PM
• Dice, Showtime, 9:30PM
• Penny Dreadful, Showtime, 10PM
• Silicon Valley, HBO,10PM
• United Shades of America, CNN, 10PM
• Mr. Selfridge, PBS, 10:30PM
• Elementary (season finale), CBS, 10PM
• Girls, HBO, 10PM
• Quantico ABC, 10PM
• Veep, HBO, 10:30PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM

(All times listed are ET)

One-handed typing is a reality on the stock Android keyboard

Competition is good for everybody. Case in point: Google recently dropped a massive update for the stock Android keyboard that brings in a ton of new features that we’ve seen from the likes of the now-Microsoft-owned SwiftKey and the Redmond company’s multiplatform Word Flow apps. For starters, there’s a one-handed mode and quicker access to the number pad and emoji. If you’d rather have a taller keyboard for your phablet now, that’s an option as well, in addition to finally having an option for borders on individual keys.

Gesture typing has a few new tricks, too, involving how you delete and edit any typo’d words. Android Police says the update is rolling out right now, so if it isn’t available on Google Play for you, the publication is hosting a download for the APK file.

Via: Android Police

Source: Google Play

Why Nintendo chose ‘Animal Crossing’ over ‘Mario’ for mobile

Last week, Nintendo announced that it will bring popular titles like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem to its new smartphone game lineup. While this was good news for fans of those franchises, it still raised some questions, like why those franchises specifically? During a special Q&A session after Nintendo’s latest earnings report, current president of Nintendo Tatsumi Kimishima chose to shed some light on the situation, explaining that Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem were selected to “follow Miitomo from the viewpoint of increasing the diverse types of consumers interested in Nintendo, and widening opportunities for gameplay.”

Kimishima specifically noted that “The Animal Crossing series has been played by a wide range of consumers including children and women. I think there is a good chance that those consumers would enjoy this.”

In short, Animal Crossing is a great choice since it’s played by a wide range of consumers. On the flip side, choosing Fire Emblem was as simple as making the decision to reach out to the franchise’s “diehard fans” and bring in as many consumers as possible.

Unfortunately, there are scant details as to what we can expect from these games just yet. While Nintendo says the mobile versions of both franchises will be “more accessible” takes that offer “great value,” there’s still a bit of a gray area as to what we can realistically look for in terms of gameplay or how the apps will tie into possible console versions for both Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing. Either way, it’s easy to appreciate Nintendo’s strategy considering both series are well-loved by fans across the globe.

Source: Nintendo, Gamespot

iPhone 4s Inspired Fitbit to Redesign Fitness Trackers With Bluetooth 4.0 Support in 2011

In a wider piece on Fitbit and its efforts to escape from the shadow of Apple, The New York Times shared an interesting anecdote about the way the iPhone 4s influenced the features in Fitbit’s line of fitness trackers back when it debuted in 2011.

The iPhone 4s was the first iPhone to include support for Bluetooth 4.0 to allow accessories to connect to the device, and following the introduction of the new phone, Fitbit CEO James Park decided to re-engineer Fitbit products to support Bluetooth. It was a decision that set Fitbit’s product releases back by six months.

When [Phil Schiller] introduced the iPhone 4S in 2011, for example, Mr. Park had a realization.

At the time, the new iPhone added a capability to synchronize with wireless accessories using the standard called Bluetooth. Fitbit trackers back then lacked Bluetooth connectivity, but Mr. Park wanted them to be able to synchronize data immediately with the iPhone.

“It could enable a lot of possibilities in terms of real-time feedback,” he said.

Announced in 2012, the Fitbit One and the Fitbit Zip became the first Fitbit devices to support Bluetooth 4.0, syncing data like steps tracked, distance, floors climbed, calories expended, and sleep quality to iOS and Android phones. According to The New York Times, the two devices were highly successful.

Since then, Park says Fitbit has made an effort to stray away from Apple’s approach to product design, focusing on simple devices to make wearables more approachable.

“We look at it from a consumer point of view,” Mr. Park said. Apple Watch “is a computing platform, but that’s really the wrong way to approach this category from the very beginning.”

Fitbit’s simplicity, and its lower price point, has allowed it to thrive even after the launch of the Apple Watch. Fitbit sold 21.4 million devices in 2015, earning $1.86 billion in revenue. While Apple doesn’t break out sales of the Apple Watch, IDC and Strategy Analytics estimates put sales at approximately 11.4 million.

Going forward, Fitbit plans to add additional features to compete in the wearables market, but Park says the company is going to be “very careful” to avoid the feature overload mistake he sees being made with smart watches.

Tag: Fitbit
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