As drones get smarter, so must their owners

On Sunday, April 17th, British Airways flight BA727 from Geneva to London was coming in to land, when the pilot saw something — reportedly a drone — strike the front of the aircraft. The collision was said to have happened above Richmond Park, an area where drone flying is prohibited (but not because of its proximity to the airport). Perhaps, more worrying, was that the impact happened at 1,700 feet — well above the 400 feet height limit for all drone flights in the UK, even in permissible areas. Fortunately, BA727 landed safely and without incident. It was also probably a false alarm. But, with more and more amateur drone pilots taking to the skies, how long until it happens for real?

If the BA incident had involved a drone, I might have had mixed feelings. Last summer, I was testing a drone. To evaluate the device and its camera, I wanted to find a safe, yet picturesque place to fly. I chose a quiet stretch of beach, a short bus ride south of where I live in Spain. I say quiet: That was until two police officers rolled over the sand dunes on quad bikes and told me to stop. It turns out that I, too, was in a national park. How can I roll my eyes when I’ve done the same thing? (I never have, nor will ever fly at 1,700 feet, though). In my (weak) defense, I knew it was near a national park, but thought I was outside the boundary.

Almost a year later, I’m testing another drone: the FlyPro XEagle Sport. This time I want zero chance of encountering the police (or airliners full of people). But it’s no simple task. In fact, for a car-less city dweller, finding somewhere scenic and legal without plenty of planning is hard. But, tough noogies, right? As more drones fly themselves, filming us autonomously, we need to be more careful. A smart drone still needs a smart human.

The XEagle is one such drone — a “follow me” quadcopter for capturing sporting moments, similar to AirDog. The “Sport” edition has no ground station (controller). Instead, the XEagle follows a wearable that looks like an ’80s-era Casio for kids. You can buy a ground station for it, but all I have is the wrist-watch thing. All the more reason to find somewhere open and away from people.

With no “sticks,” you have less immediate control over a drone. The XEagle lands at the press of a button, and there are dials on the watch to move it up/down and left/right, but this is still hardly what I’d call “control.” Even then there are problems. If there’s a barking dog or an object below it, or it’s now unsafe to land where you took off, you don’t have many options. The main photo for this article is the XEagle landing in a pothole it obviously couldn’t see. In fairness, it righted itself, and returned to the spot where it took off; it just did a little gardening along the way.

When searching for a good place to fly, Google Maps is an obvious place to start. I used its measurement tool to draw a five-mile line from the nearest point of the airport (the distance Spain’s aviation authority requires). I then drew a circle with that radius in Photoshop. This gave me an easy view of the most important no-fly zone where I am (Valencia). Local laws also require you fly in unpopulated areas. That means nowhere residential, obviously.

This effectively means I must leave the city, as there are no parks big enough to comfortably avoid people. Valencia’s airport is to the west, meaning I must focus my search on the east — which is hemmed off by the sea. Beaches are off-limits if there are people, so it’s either gamble on an early-morning flight or look elsewhere. Given my experience last time, I decide to look elsewhere.

You might be thinking, aren’t there apps that make it easy to see no fly zones? There are. There’s the FAA’s B4UFLY and Air Map, among others. The problem is, knowing where you can’t fly isn’t the same as knowing where you can.

There are tools for this, too. But none seem to have nailed it. Drone Zones lets users add spots, but lacks a large community. DJI’s +Discover has the potential user base, but is relatively new, and flying hot spots are only a minor feature within the app. DJI compiles data from users’ flights to map these “hot spots” automatically. At least it does in China. The version for Europe and the US did offer this feature, but privacy concerns led the company to put the feature on hold. When I asked DJI why it removed hot spots, a spokesperson said: “While we initially launched the hotspot feature outside China, we weren’t satisfied with the experience it created and temporarily removed that functionality.”

For the brief moment it was there, though, I found two hot spots near me. One within my “airport circle” (it’s since disappeared), so that’s out. The second was near a town called Alboraia just outside the city. Google Earth shows the spot to be wasteland surrounded by fields. It’s not going to be scenic, but for testing the XEagle, it could be ideal.

The patch of land is a short metro ride from where I live, tucked away behind the town. It’s the sort of place where people dump old furniture and fridges (I determine this from the old furniture and fridges lying around). It’s otherwise barren — perfect for testing a drone that may or may not follow me around, as advertised.

The reason DJI doesn’t want to include flight hot spots in the new edition of app is that there’s not enough data to safely anonymize things. If I saw a DJI pilot at this piece of wasteland, for example, there’s a statistically high chance it’d be the person from the app. That said, the feature’s success in China shows what can happen when the location data is used wisely. If there were an app that offered the same thing for all drones, it’d be the perfect discovery tool. As you can see from the screenshot above (Shenzhen left; Valencia right) good use of data is the key to finding safe, scenic places to fly.

Of course, there’s a broader, more serious point to be made here. I’m just flying for fun and photos. But many of the same problems I face apply to more serious applications. As Drone Advocate, Peter Sachs, reminds us. “Unlike traditional model aircraft, drones are useful. To be useful, drones will (and should) be used in urban areas.” Sachs points to journalists, or first responders that are using drones in the city for good. “If populated areas were to be considered off limits, it pretty much defeats the whole purpose of them using drones.”

In that context, I’m suddenly more happy with my little patch of dirt. And I’m pleased that technology helped me find it. It’s perfect for testing the XEagle. I’ve learned that the drone follows you well, but it’s prone to random adjustments. It offers decent battery life (about 20 minutes flying time) and while it comes with a camera, you’ll probably want to upgrade it to a GoPro (the included one is a cheap clone). When it goes on sale for $489, it will make for a decent introduction to autonomous flying, though it lacks the polish of its pricier rival, AirDog.

More importantly, I enjoy the peace of mind knowing I can legally fly it. That’s especially true as I continue to master the drone’s quirky controls. For example, rotating the dial on the watch-thingy’s face moves it around you in a fixed circle. But, in practice, that only works if you’re moving (I guess so it knows which way is “front”). Occasionally the drone realizes it’s behind me, when it should be in front. Dutifully it flies over me to correct that. This kind of behavior would be perilous if there were trees or power lines around.

And that’s the thing. With autonomous flying comes an uneasy feeling. Perhaps it’s healthy nerves. Perhaps it’s a reaction to relinquishing control. Perhaps it’s unreasonable fear that a “BA727 incident” could happen to even the most well-intended drone pilot. As apps like Drone Zones and DJI +Discover show, the smarts to solve these problems are already there; it’s up to the drone community to apply them. They don’t just apply to urban flyers, either. Everyone wants to find that literal sweet spot. Don’t just tell us where we can’t fly: Help us find the places we should fly.

Source: Kickstarter, FlyPro

Uber can’t dodge assault lawsuit because of contract drivers

Uber drivers may legally be contractors rather than employees, but that doesn’t absolve the company of liability in assault cases. A federal judge in California has denied the ride-sharing company’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit for attacks against two riders. One of Uber’s main arguments was that the drivers aren’t employees, so it isn’t responsible for his actions. However, the judge ruled that “plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to claim plausibly that an employment relationship exists.”

Uber also argued that in one case, the driver wasn’t using the Uber app when he picked up the female victim. However, the judge shot that down too, because the passenger still believed the attacker “was acting in his capacity as an Uber driver,” since he had picked up her group earlier.

It’s one more judge independently agreeing that at least as far as it appears, Uber is treating these drivers more like employees than like independent contractors.

The ride-sharing firm argued that it can’t be held liable because “sudden sexual assaults by employees are outside the scope of an employee’s duties and cannot support employer liability.” However, the judge pointed out that for the purposes of the case, Uber is a “common carrier” like a taxi company, and duty-bound to protect passenger from assault. In addition, the company allegedly failed to spot an assault conviction of one of the drivers in 2003, because its background checks only go back seven years.

The case brings up more questions about the safety of Uber’s service — the company recently admitted it had 170 complaints of sexual assault between 2012 and 2015, including five rapes. Jeanne Christensen, the lawyer for the plaintiffs told Buzzfeed that “I would hope now that when claims are brought to lawyers they’ll head to the internet and see this decision and feel more confident bringing a lawsuit.” Furthermore, she feels that the despite the decision that drivers aren’t employees, law courts aren’t necessarily seeing it that way. “It’s one more judge independently agreeing that at least as far as it appears, Uber is treating these drivers more like employees than like independent contractors.”

Via: Buzzfeed

Source: Wigdor Law

‘Pocket’ for iOS Updated With Like and Repost Actions in Recommended Feed

Pocket, a popular iOS app that allows users to save, discover, and recommend stories to read later, has been updated this week with the ability to like and repost recommendations from other people they follow.

The new Like and Repost actions can be found next to the Save action within the Recommendations feed on Pocket version 6.3.0 or later.

Pocket users can also find out when someone Likes or Reposts their own recommendations by way of push notifications, which can be customized through the Settings app.

The update contains additional bug fixes and improvements, including a fix for an issue with the “Alex” voice speaking too slowly when listening to articles.

Pocket is free on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad.

Tags: App Store, Pocket
Discuss this article in our forums

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: What’s the story so far?

The original Samsung Gear Fit launched in 2014 and at the time, it was a lovely device with a good design, beautiful display in the right conditions and a simple and fluid interface.

Take a look at the Gear Fit two years on however, and you’ll probably see a dated and chunky device. Don’t worry though, because rumour has it Samsung has an update for the Gear Fit up its sleeve, aptly being referred to as the Gear Fit 2, as well as some wireless ear buds.

Here is everything we know so far about the Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX. As usual, we will be updating this feature as more information and leaks appear so keep checking back for the latest.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Release date and price

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 has appeared in a couple of different leaks over the last couple of weeks, accompanied by smart wireless earbuds going by the name of Gear IconX.

VentureBeat first leaked the devices at the end of April and this leak has since been followed by Samsung itself in an accidental leak on its official S Health website.

There has been no word on when we can expect the Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX earbuds to arrive, but we suspect it will be sooner rather than later given the leak on the company’s website. The original Gear Fit was announced on 11 April 2014 so we are over the two-year mark now for the Gear Fit update.

In terms of price, Venture Beat claimed the Gear Fit 2 could be priced similarly to its predecessor, which would make it around $200. The Gear IconX ear buds are also expected to cost around this or more.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Design

The original Gear Fit features a 1.84-inch curved AMOLED display and it sits around 12mm off the wrist. There is a metal rim around the display to provide a premium look and it features a textured rubber strap that is secured with two metal pins.

The Gear Fit 2 is rumoured to be “slightly more curved and ergonomic” than the original model. Leakster Evan Blass recently tweeted three colours which he claims is the Gear Fit 2 comprising black, pink and blue. The pink looks a little more like purple to us though.

A 1.84-inch AMOLED display is expected again, which we are fine with as it worked well on the original model. Based on the leaked images, Samsung appears to have done away with the metal frame surrounding the display, as well as introduced another button to the right-hand side.

Evan Blass

The body of the Gear Fit 2 also appears to be a little slimmer than the previous model, although none of the leaks show a good enough angle to tell for sure. The rubber textured strap appears to remain, as does the pin fastening mechanism but Samsung seems to have added an extra loop for the strap to go through, which should mean it won’t fall off as easy as the Gear Fit did.

In terms of the Gear IconX ear buds, it is rumoured they will be touch-controlled, with the touch aspect working like the Gear Circle Bluetooth headset. Based on the leaks, it looks like the earbuds will come in a charging case, as well as several colours and be Bluetooth-enabled.

Rumours claim the Gear IconX ear buds will be dust and water-resistant, which we would expect the Gear Fit 2 to be as well given its predecessor was.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Hardware and specs

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 is rumoured to come with 4GB of internal memory, a heart-rate monitor and the ability to track various fitness-related things. This wouldn’t make it too different from the original model, especially with smartwatch functionality which we can’t see Samsung missing off the list for the Gear Fit 2.

There have been suggestions of built-in GPS however, which is something the original device doesn’t offer using your Samsung smartphone instead so this would be a step up, putting it in Sony SmartWatch 3 territory.

The Samsung Gear IconX earbuds are also claimed to be a fitness tracker, as well as a standalone digital music player thanks to one of the bud’s having 4GB of internal memory. Details on how they will work on what other features they will offer are still thin on the ground at the moment though.

Samsung Gear Fit 2: Software

The original Gear Fit runs on Samsung’s own wearable platform called Real Time OS (RTOS) so not Android or Tizen as it uses in other devices. It’s a smooth running device and although apps are downloaded slightly differently than the rest of the Gear family, we didn’t face any issues in our time with it.

Whether the Gear Fit 2 will also run on the same wearable platform or switch to Android Wear or Tizen is not yet clear. What we do know is that it will link to S Health again, like the previous device. We wouldn’t be too surprised to see a similar experience to the original.

Even less has been said regarding the Gear IconX earbuds but if the idea of them working as a fitness tracker is true then we suspect they will also link up to S Health, or even have their own app.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear Icon X: Conclusion

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX have only been leaked a couple of times but they are pretty strong leaks, especially the accidental spill on Samsung’s S Health website.

We suspect the images are a pretty good indication as to what we can expect these two devices to look like so we’d put the salt down for this area.

When they will arrive and the specs they will feature are still a little up in the air though so we’ll keep the salt close by for now, but we don’t expect to be waiting too much long before we find out for sure.

Help! The sun is shining! Why can’t I see my smartphone screen?

The sun is shining, the sunglasses are out. You go to tweet that perfect sunny picture and … wait … you can’t see a thing on your smartphone display!

It’s not necessarily the phone that’s a fault, but how it behaves with your expensive polarising sunglasses.

Polarising lenses on glasses are popular because they reduce the glare, or reflected light, coming off surfaces. They are particularly useful for skiers or drivers for reducing eyestrain, and pretty common on good quality sunglasses.

However, LCD displays also contain polarising filters and it’s the alignment of display and glasses that can cause the problem. At a particular orientation, the display will be extinguished, leaving you looking at a black surface, as all the light is filtered out.

Or, in some cases, you’ll find everything dims and looks very purple.

Of course, this varies from device to device, and you can easily experiment with your own device – be that smartphone, tablet, or even your laptop – just by holding your polarised glasses out in front and rotating them. At some point, it will just black out.

The MacBook Air, for example, extinguishes at 45 degrees, an angle that’s unlikely to be problematic when using a laptop.

Your giant TV extinguishes when viewed in a portrait orientation, again, not likely to be a problem unless you’re lying down watching in sunglasses.

For smartphones it’s a bigger problem, because they are designed to be used in both orientations, landscape and portrait.

HTC phones unfortunately tend to dim drastically in landscape when viewed through polarised glasses – exactly at the angle you might want it for taking photos. You can cock your head, or hold it at and angle to get round that, but it’s hardly convenient. The Sony Xperia range usually also extinguishes entirely when in landscape.

The Samsung Galaxy S7, however, does a better job, as does the iPhone 6S. Both remain visible in both orientations. You might sometimes see a shimmer, but nothing like the blackout you get elsewhere.

Be aware that it’s not only polarisation that causes problems on a sunny day: the display has to have the power to remain visible in brighter conditions, so always remember to try turning the brightness up before you start swearing.

The moral of the story is this: if you have a penchant for polarised sunglasses, be warned, your favourite phone might not like them so much.

And before you ask, most Ray-Ban glasses aren’t polarised, unless you’ve specifically bought polarised lenses. Pair your Ray-Ban aviators with your iPhone and you’ll likely be fine.

Pair your Oakleys with your HTC, you probably won’t.

One-rotor drone is equal parts awkward-looking and adorable

Who says that drones need to be hugely complicated, multi-rotor jobs? Regardless, they never told that to the folks behind the Monospinner, a one-rotor drone that’s been entered into the ETH Zurich Flying Machine Arena. Unlike, say, a quadrocopter, this one can’t fly by itself and needs some help getting into the air. It hits an “unconventional equilibrium” in part by counterbalancing the rotor spins with the torque of the motor itself. The resulting movement almost reminds me a little of Zui Quan (drunk-style martial arts): awkard-looking on the surface, but really impressive in practice. Take a peek for yourself in the video below and you’ll see what I mean.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: Robohub

EE’s Power Bar chargers aren’t coming back

A little more than a year ago EE decided to give its customers free portable battery packs in the UK. The idea was solid enough — everyone gets a “Power Bar” for free, and can swap them for a new, fully charged replacement in any EE store. Except, they were soon deemed a fire risk after one exploded while charging, leaving a medical student with a nasty burn. All of the Power Bars were eventually recalled and we were left wondering whether the scheme was gone for good. Turns out, it is.

An EE spokesperson told Mobile News:

“Our EE Power Bar promotion had a hugely positive response from our customers, however after careful consideration we’ve decided not to bring it back. We still sell a wide range of chargers and power packs to keep our customer connected. We’ll share news shortly about ways to stay connected at Glastonbury and the summer festival season, as well as some exciting new loyalty offers throughout the summer.”

So there you have it. If you haven’t already, t’s time to stock up on some personal battery chargers of your own.

Source: Mobile News