MIT’s tiny robot operates on your stomach from the inside
Imagine this: you accidentally swallowed a battery (!), and to get it out, you need to take a pill that turns into a robot. Researchers from MIT, the University of Sheffield and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a new kind of origami robot that transforms into a microsurgeon inside your stomach. They squished the accordion-like robot made of dried pig intestine inside a pill, which the stomach acid dissolves. A magnet embedded in the middle allows you or a medical practitioner to control the microsurgeon from the outside using another magnet. It also picks up the battery or other objects stuck inside your stomach.
This new design is a follow up to an older origami robot also developed by a team headed by MIT CSAIL director Daniela Rus. It has a completely different design and propels itself by using its corners that can stick to the stomach’s surface. The team decided to focus on battery retrieval, because people swallow 3,500 button batteries in the US alone. While they can be digested normally, they sometimes burn people’s stomach and esophagus linings. This robot can easily fish them out of one’s organs before that happens. Besides origami surgeons, Rus-led teams created a plethora of other cool stuff in the past, including robots that can assemble themselves in the oven.
Source: MIT
Tinder user kidnapped and beaten by a man she met via the app
A Kansas Tinder user was recently kidnapped, beaten and held against her will for six days by a man she met via the app. Shane Steven Allen faces one charge of kidnapping and four of aggravated battery. He’s currently in police custody under $100,000 bond, according to NBC News. Should the convictions go through, Allen could serve a 32 year prison sentence. The woman, a 20 year-old student at the University of Kansas, was kidnapped on April 12th and was returned to her sorority on April 18th with multiple injuries including a pair of black eyes, broken blood vessels in her eyes and multiple bruises and abrasions, according to local news outlet Lawrence Journal World.
The two had met up once before without incident, but the next time, Allen allegedly accused the woman of flirting with one of his friends, which set the abuse in motion. Apparently, Allen said he was holding her until the initial round of facial injuries healed. He took the victim back to the sorority house after she promised she wouldn’t contact the police.
Unfortunately, this is the latest in a string of crimes committed either via, or involving, social apps including a rape broadcasted on Periscope, a domestic assault streamed online via Twitch and a suicide that also played out on Periscope.
Via: NBC News
Source: Lawrence Journal World
Sega is ‘investigating’ a ‘Shenmue’ HD remaster
Shenmue fans may have some significant announcements to look forward to from Sega if all goes well. The company, when responding to a recent fan question about possible HD remasters of the Dreamcast’s seminal 1999 role-playing game Shenmue and its 2001 sequel, expressed that it’s “currently investigating” the idea.
Sega community manager Dan Sheridan addressed the question in a video, explaining that the company would “love to release” HD ports of Shenmue and Shenmue 2 “tomorrow,” but that it’s not as simple as porting the games over to current platforms. “With games as immersive as Shenmue 1 and 2 there are further complications from licensed products that were included in the original games.”
With a variety of promotional tie-ins and items that were altered for both North American and European releases, it’s easy to see why this might cause an issue as far as licensing goes. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating, but at the very least it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Of course, with Shenmue 3 on the horizon by way of series creator Yu Suzuki and a Kickstarter having raised a cool $6.3 million, the idea of HD ports isn’t so daft by any means, licensing issues or not. The demand is obviously there. Sega just has to figure out a way to make it happen.
Source: Polygon
Make your own Magic Eraser for 10 cents – CNET
Taylor Martin/CNET
Whenever I need to deep clean anything around the house, I usually grab a pack of Magic Erasers. They’re known for their effectiveness — they’re great at getting rid of stains or cleaning things other sponges or cleaners can’t.
However, even at just roughly $1 (£0.69 or AU$1.37) each, they’re not exactly cheap, as they completely break down and fall apart after just a few minutes of tough cleaning. You can go through an entire four-pack without leaving your kitchen or bathroom if it’s been a while since you last deep cleaned.
So if you’re tired of dropping a buck every time you want to clean something in your home, there’s an even cheaper way to use Magic Erasers. Make your own.
No magic required — it’s just a sponge
Mr. Clean would have you believe they poured tons of money and time into research and development to create special sponges specifically for cleaning. The truth is, Magic Erasers are just tiny rectangular pieces of melamine foam with a cleaning agent inside.
That said, it’s not the cleaning agent that makes them so effective, it’s the material. A melamine sponge is more dense than your average cleaning sponge and its tiny pores make it a light abrasive, not unlike that of an extra fine sheet of sandpaper.
The best part is, you can find melamine sponges — very similar to those that Mr. Clean uses — on eBay and other online stores in bulk. I ordered a pack of 100 for just $7.99 (£5.53 or AU$10.92) shipped. They’re a tad smaller than the real deal, but I bought 100 for the price of an eight-pack.
Taylor Martin/CNET
How to make a Magic Eraser
Once you’ve received the sponges and you’re ready to clean again, you’re going to need a cleaning solution. The solution I tested and used comes from Heather Schisler’s blog Passion for Savings, which requires two common cleaning solutions: borax and baking soda. And you only need a tiny bit of each.
Taylor Martin/CNET
Here’s how to prep your sponges for cleaning.
- Heat up some water. For a single sponge, 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) will be plenty.
- Add 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of Borax and 1 tablespoon (15g) of baking soda to a bowl. Add the water to the mixture and stir.
- Place a sponge in the bowl and allow it to soak up the solution.
- Squeeze out some of the excess and begin scrubbing.
Alternatively, you can wet the sponge with a small amount of water and pour the borax and baking soda solution into a spray bottle to spot clean.
You now have 100 DIY Magic Erasers at your disposal that cost you approximately $0.10 (£0.07 or AU$0.14) each to make. Like the real Magic Erasers, these won’t last very long, but being just a fraction of the price definitely makes them more tolerable.
Mark Zuckerberg chimes in on Facebook’s trending topics
The swirling debate over how Facebook chooses stories for its trending topics section — and whether it is muffling stories from politically conservative sources — refuses to go away, and now the company’s leader has spoken up. In a post on Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that soon he will invite “leading conservatives and people from across the political spectrum” to talk things over. He says the site is building a platform for all ideas, and says the company has found no evidence that an anonymous report of bias in its process is true.
Source: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi
In a bid to better understand China, Apple has announced a $1 billion investment in Chinese Uber-like service, Didi Chuxing. The country’s homegrown ride-hailing service already has plenty of cash, and was recently valued at over $25 billion. According to Reuters, it has 87 percent of the market of private car hailing across China. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the investment would help the company better understand the Chinese market — oh and it’s about cars.
“We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market,” he said. “Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well.” In case you forgot, Apple is also looking into cars, making several moves in auto technology — this could help in this regard. A major investment by Apple in a Chinese-based company could also help ameliorate the issues it’s had dealing with the country. Like this, this, or this.
The Chinese ride-hailing firm said it was the biggest single investment it’s ever received. Didi itself is the result of China’s two biggest ride-hailing services, Didi and Kuaidi, merging together. The company has also invested in Lyft.
Source: Reuters
Apple Invests $1 Billion in Chinese Ride-Sharing Company Didi Chuxing
Apple has invested $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing company and Uber competitor Didi Chuxing, reports Reuters. The move is a strategic investment that will help the Cupertino company better understand the Chinese market, CEO Tim Cook told Reuters.
“We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market,” he said. “Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well.”
Didi Chuxing, which has raised several billion dollars in funding, says the investment from Apple is the largest it’s ever received. Didi Chuxing dominates the ride-sharing market in China, completing more than 11 million rides a day and owning 87 percent of the market in the country.
Although Apple has hired many employees in recent months with automotive backgrounds, likely for its secretive Apple Car project codenamed Project Titan, Cook insists Apple is currently focused on the in-car experience. However, he did not deny what the future may have in store for a potential Apple Car. “That is what we do today in the car business,” he told Reuters. “So we will have to see what the future holds.”
Cook also used the deal to underline Apple’s confidence in the market, saying that it reflects the company’s “continued confidence in the long term in China’s economy.” Apple’s sales fell 26 percent in Greater China in the second quarter of 2016, causing Carl Icahn to sell his full stake in the company. Apple was also recently forced to take down its iTunes Movies and iBooks stores in the country. Cook will visit China and meet with government officials this month.
Related Roundup: Apple Car
Tags: China, Didi Chuxing
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BMW to launch ‘i Next’ autonomous electric car in 2021, says CEO
Gimme, gimme!
BMW is working on a luxury flagship based on its BMW i8 Roadster, a plug-in hybrid sports car. We know this because the company’s CEO revealed the news during a shareholding meeting. Harald Krueger said BMW’s upcoming autonomous car will be an electric vehicle called i Next. He also said that it will launch in 2021. Keep in mind several automakers have targeted the 2020s as a launch window for their self-driving automobiles.
Here’s what Krueger said, specifically:
“In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster. This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.”
The CEO didn’t provide any other details, but we can assume the i Next will also include some features from its Vision Next 100 concept. To commemorate its 100 years of existence earlier this year, BMW showed off a glimpse of the future of driving with the Vision Next 100 car. It’s a showcase of everything that is coming to BMW vehicles, including self-driving functionality and a smart-learning AI called Companion.
Materials on the Vision Next 100 ranged from carbon fibre for the shell to recycled or renewable fabrics for the inside, meaning the car is much more sustainable than existing cars that use materials like leather and wood. It’s unclear if BMW i Next will be more like the i8 Roadster or Vision Next 100, but one thing is for sure: BMW can go ahead and take our money now.
DrinkMate has your BAC: The smallest breathalyzer in the world
To best monitor your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), you need a device that’s simple and easy to use.
The DrinkMate Breathalyzer prides itself on being your reliable BAC-measuring assistant, plugging directly into your smartphone to determine your blood alcohol content with a custom-made, semiconductor-based sensor.
For a limited time, you can pick up the smallest breathalyzer in the world for just £20.79 ($30) from Pocket-lint Deals.
Designed entirely from scratch, DrinkMate is small enough to fit easily in your pocket or bag, and doesn’t require batteries. Just plug it into your iPhone or Android, and the app will launch immediately. You then blow into the end and your BAC displays right on screen, with results at an accuracy of +/- 0.01 per cent BAC, at a BAC of 0.02 per cent.
DrinkMate is an investment in your personal health and safety, as well as an easy way to ensure you’ll be responsible while having fun. You can even connect with friends to share your readings, helping yourself and others make smart decisions in social situations.
Think ahead and stay safe with DrinkMate – it’s got your BAC! Now just £20.79 ($30) from Pocket-lint Deals.
Disney Research uses RFID tags for low-cost interactive games
Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a way to use RFID tags to make interactive games and controllers so cheap, they’re “essentially disposable.” Their system called “RapID” can sense if you’re moving or touching objects attached with cheap, battery-less RFID tags in near real time. RFID readers typically take up to two seconds to read tags on luggage or other items, but RapID can recognize movements in as little as 200 milliseconds.
The team made a bunch of interactive toys to demonstrate the system’s capabilities, including a tic-tac-toe board that displays the game on a computer screen and plays sound effects. They also made a physical audio control board you can use to mix music and a toy spaceship whose movements are animated on screen.
Since you can slap a cheap RFID tag on pretty much anything, the system can even be used to create interactive storybooks. As Disney Research scientist Alanson Sample said, “By making it easy to add RFID-based sensing to objects, RapID enables the design of new, custom interactive devices with a very fast development cycle.” The team demonstrated all the toys we’ve mentioned above (and more) in the video below.
Via: The Verge
Source: Disney Research, Carnegie Mellon University
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