Fence-climbing robot could be priced within your reach

Four-legged, go-anywhere robots aren’t really affordable… not unless you’re willing to spend as much as you would on a used car, anyway. Ghost Robotics, however, thinks it can do better. It’s working on the Ghost Minitaur, a dog-sized quadruped bot that could cost $1,500 or less when it hits mass production. Its direct-drive electric motors both keep the cost down (since the springiness is dictated by software, not hardware) and let it pull off feats that you don’t see in far pricier machines. As Ghost Minitaur can sense contact with objects through the motors themselves, it can not only climb stairs, but scale fences and even open certain kinds of doors. Shades of Jurassic Park’s velociraptors, anyone?

It’s not certain just when costs for the robot will come down to Earth, and you’ll probably need some technical know-how to help it live up to its potential. It’ll likely be more for businesses and governments than everyday users. However, Ghost Robotics sees plenty of potential. The Ghost Minitaur could offer help in search-and-rescue or military operations where aerial drones aren’t practical, or cover rugged terrain on distant planets. Whatever the uses, it’s evident that quadruped robots could soon become relatively commonplace.

Via: IEEE Spectrum

Source: Ghost Robotics

A first look at GoPro’s foldable Karma drone

It finally happened. After months of teasing its first drone, GoPro today revealed the Karma. As we mentioned earlier, the quadcopter features a sleek and compact design, with foldable blades that’ll make it easy to fit into a backpack. We had the chance to check it out in Squaw Valley, California, where GoPro hosted a launch event for the drone itself as well as the new Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session. The Karma is quite easy to fly, thanks to its gamepad-esque controller and an easy-to-use interface.

GoPro says it didn’t want to complicate things, and that’s why the controller menus are simple and straight to the point. For example, you can set the Karma to go from point A to point B, for however long you want it to, with a couple of taps on the screen. There are also two main physical buttons on the remote, one to start and stop the drone and another to have it return to its original launch point.

We only spent about ten minutes testing the Karma, but that was enough to deem it as an impressive device. Namely because of how easy it is to fly and pair with either the GoPro Hero5 Black or the smaller Session. Speaking of which, GoPro’s pricing the Karma at $799 on its own, or $999 and $1,099 if you get it in a bundle with the Hero5 Session or Hero5 Black, respectively. It’ll hit in just a few weeks, on October 23rd.

Uber plans Detroit facility so it can collaborate with automakers

Following last week’s self-driving car news, Uber is preparing to open a new facility in Detroit. The ride-sharing company revealed a fleet of autonomous Ford Fusions a few days ago that are already taking passengers around Pittsburgh. Today, vice president of global vehicle programs Sherif Marakby said that the new outpost will be used to strengthen its collaboration with automakers that are headquartered in Michigan.

Ford Motor Company’s HQ is located in nearby Dearborn and Uber chose the automaker’s 4-door sedans for its self-driving pilot. Marakby went on to explain that Uber doesn’t have any interest in building its own hardware or vehicles, but it wants to work with companies on its plans for the future of the service. As we saw last week, that future definitely includes self-driving cars. The same can be said for Ford as it offered a glimpse at its self-driving plans just a few days ago. Those plans include fully self-driving cars without steering wheels or pedals by 2021.

Ford isn’t the only US automaker in Detroit working on autonomous vehicles. General Motors is testing self-driving Chevrolet Bolts and plans to start trials with Uber’s ride-sharing rival Lyft in the near future. Over the weekend, Lyft co-founder John Zimmer said self-driving cars will provide the bulk of its service within five years and all of its rides within the next decade.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

‘Cards Against Humanity’ re-opens STEM scholarship for women

Last year, the wildly popular potty-mouthed card game Cards Against Humanity channeled the profits from its $10 Science Pack into a full-ride college scholarship for women studying science, technology, engineering or math. With Science Pack sales still going strong, and gender equality in STEM fields still sorely lacking, Cards is ready to accept another round of applications for the scholarship’s second year.

Like last year, the scholarship offers full, four-year tuition to any woman seeking an undergraduate degree in any STEM field and applications will be reviewed by a board of over 60 women working in places like NASA JPL, Harvard Medical School and the National Science Foundation. Ideal candidates will be “an ambassador for their field” and are asked to submit a three-minute video lecture on a science topic they are passionate about. Applicants must be enrolled or planning to attend college in United States during the 2017 academic year, but any STEM field is fair game. (Sorry, no graduate students, however.) The deadline for submissions is December 11th at midnight and ten finalists will be asked to submit additional materials.

“I’m so excited that we’re able to offer another scholarship for a woman studying STEM. A lot of us at Cards Against Humanity have backgrounds in science and tech, and the underrepresentation of women in these fields is staggering,” Cards Against Humanity’s community director Jenn Bane said in a statement.

To date, the scholarship has raised over $975,000 on the profits of that aforementioned Science Pack. More details about the application process can be found at the Science Ambassador Scholarship website, and for prospective applicants who need a little inspiration, here’s last year’s winning submission from Sona Dadhania, who studies Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania:

Source: Science Ambassador Scholarship

Best leather cases for the Galaxy S7

The Galaxy S7 is a sophisticated phone. It demands a sophisticated case.

Many cases that are meant purely for protection aren’t necessarily the prettiest. Leather cases are a great and durable way to protect your Galaxy S7 while maintaining a sense of upscale style and really making your phone stand out.

We’ve rounded up the best (and sexiest) leather cases we could find, just for you.

• Piel Frama FramaSlim
• Leather wallet case by Sarac Leather
• Leather wallet case by Jinapple
• Leather wallet case by Istanbul Leather Shop
• Leather wallet pouch by Benittorre
• Samsung leather cover

Piel Frama FramaSlim

Piel Frama’s line of FramaSlim leather cases for the Galaxy S7 are the epitome of haute couture. The height of fashion also means top price, with these cases starting at 60€ (around $70 US).

That being said, you get what you pay for, which is one of five types of handcrafted genuine leather cases made in Spain. You have your choice of cowskin, cowskin-crocodile, iForte Style (a more rugged cowskin), lizard, and stingray. These are all blends of calfskin and other material that add a truly personal touch to your S7. “Oh, your case is from Best Buy? Mine was hand-made by an old man in rural Spain.”

Piel Frama has been making leather cases for cell phones since 1984, so if anyone knows how to craft a case that fits your phone perfectly, offering a bit of protection and maximum style, it’s Frama. Form meets function, in that there is no need to open your case when you want to talk, so that you don’t have the cover awkwardly flapping away.

Something to note is that your phone doesn’t actually sit in these cases, rather it sits on them via an adhesive pad. This pad, however, has deep “craters” in it so that no residue is left on your S7.

See at Piel Frama

Leather wallet case by Sarac Leather

We mined Etsy for leather cases because some of the finest craftspeople in the world sell their good there. This leather wallet case by Sarac Leather is a gorgeous and stylish cover that offers your S7 some solid protection, while accenting it with personal style.

Hand-made of genuine leather, this unit comes in either brown or purple suede and has two slots on the inside for debit or credit cards. The cover also flips back and folds to provide a handy stand for hands-free video watching or calling.

Since these are hand-made items, no two are alike, so if you want a case that’s truly unique to you and your S7, then consider Sarac Leather’s offer.

See at Etsy

Leather wallet case by Jinapple

Jinapple’s handmade leather case for your GS7 is one of rustic beauty and somewhat rugged protection. It’s made of the type of leather that you’re not worried about scuffing up, since that would just add to its appeal.

The leather comes in a few different shades of brown and then you have your choice of brown for the thread. You can make everything uniform or your can make the thread pop by choosing a dark leather and light thread. There are many combinations, meaning your case will truly be yours. For an extra five bucks you can even have your initials etched into it.

There are three slots for cards on the inside and a larger cash slot that can fit cash. The thin leather won’t add a ton of bulk to your S7 and you won’t be able to fill it with credit cards so no worry of bulk there either.

If you want a splash of rugged style and like the feel of leather but don’t want a case that you have to preen over and worry about scratching, then give Jinapple’s offer a look.

See at Etsy

Leather wallet case by Istanbul Leather Shop

This is the type of leather case that you’d associate with a glass of 12 year old scotch and a deep leather chair, with a roaring fire next to it and a portrait of Ron Swanson on the mantle – refined.

This elegantly designed case has three slots inside for credit and debit cards, with a little more room that some of the other cases in this roundup. So, the front cover is a little bulkier, but it’ll still fit comfortably in your pocket.

There are speaker holes on the front so that you can talk with the cover closed. You can also fold the cover back to create a stand for hands-free video watching.

There is only one choice for color, but it’s a deep and rich brown that will suit any Galaxy S7 color.

See at Etsy

Leather wallet pouch by Benittorre

This case is a little different from the others in this roundup in that it’s a pouch rather than a folio. Your S7 easily slide in and out of this handsomely crafted pouch without being scratched up, since the inside is made of soft microfiber. Heck, it might even clean your screen as you slide it out.

The front pocket is only really designed to fit one card, but you might sneak two in if you don’t mind a bit of stretch. You have the choice of a bare case, one with the Benittorre logo, or a monogrammed case, which makes this one an excellent and personalizable gift idea for someone special.

This is the best-reviewed case in our roundup, so Benittorre is clearly doing something right. If you’re looking for a case that easily flips open and stands when you want to watch videos, this isn’t for you. However, if you’re wanting more of a sheath to protect your S7 while it’s in your pocket or purse, then this pouch is beautifully ideal.

See at Etsy

Samsung leather cover

This still isn’t available on Samsung’s website, but you can find it on Amazon for around $35. Looking more like a textured bumper case, Samsung is joining form with function in a sophisticated-looking package. It’s made from genuine leather that’s hardened to make your Galaxy S7 feel substantial, though it likely won’t protect your phone from a big drop – you do compromise protection for style.

However, it will indeed protect your Galaxy S7 from scratches and bumps and the raised bezel on the front will protect the screen should you lay your phone face-down.

See at Amazon

If leather cases just aren’t doing it for you, check out our roundup of the best cases for the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Huawei Nova + Nova Plus review: Lean and mean

Huawei’s new pair of mid-rangers boasts impressive build quality and flagship-beating battery life.

Expensive, top-tier phones are all well and good. But over the past year, the £300-400 mark is where some of the most meaningful innovation has been happening. Huawei has dabbled in this market through its Honor brand, and its answer to this for the mainstream market is Nova, a new series of mid-tier phones. The Huawei Nova and Nova Plus bring similar specs to two different screen sizes, with a particular focus on camera performance and battery life.

So how do they measure up? Let’s find out.

About this review: We’re publishing this review after three weeks using the Huawei Nova and Nova Plus, on and off, in Berlin, Germany and Manchester and London, UK. Throughout our travels, we used the phones on the EE, Vodafone and Telekom.de networks. The regular Nova (model CAN-L11) was running firmware version B005, while our Nova Plus (model MLA-L11) was running firmware version B130. For part of our time with the Nova Plus, it was paired with a Huawei Watch.

Huawei brings its metal expertise to the mid-range.

Huawei’s been making attractive metal smartphones for a few years now, and its design expertise is plain to see in the Nova and Nova Plus. Externally, the 5-inch Nova and 5.5-inch Nova Plus don’t immediately strike you as being part of the same family of phones — but both share a few common design flourishes: subtly curved brushed metal backs, lustrous chamfers that add visual flair without making the corners sharp, and a generally slim profile that makes them pocket-friendly.

The smaller of the two has echoes of the Nexus 6P, with its wraparound “visor” up top, housing the rear camera. (Which tapers at the edges to match the curvature of the metal.) The Nova’s lines are softer than the 6P’s however, and the phone is generally less bulky, even aside from its smaller overall size. The Nova’s edges are slightly curved, and have a polished, brushed finish which breaks things up visually.

Aside from the orange accent around the power key, the Nova’s design is pretty understated: The front is featureless except for the earpiece and Huawei logo, and the metal frame isn’t unlike that of many comparable phones. Nevertheless, it’s a simple, classy look, with tight tolerances and impressive build quality.

The step up to Nova Plus changes things up a bit — you’ve got a more traditional camera bulge around the back, on account of the beefier camera module, while the fingerprint sensor has been redesigned to match the shape of the camera. As such, you lose the cool Cylon-style glass section up top, and the overall look of the device is a bit more generic as a result. The entire body is traditional brushed aluminum, with fewer visual accents to break things up. From a distance, the Nova Plus could easily be a OnePlus 3, or Mate 8, or any other slightly larger Android slab.

On the inside, both phones pack Qualcomm’s latest mid-range wonder, the Snapdragon 625, along with an ample 3GB of RAM. The 625 is legendarily fast and efficient, as we’ve discovered recently through phones like the Moto Z Play. Thanks to the new 14nm manufacturing process and a beefier GPU, the 625 can (unlike its predecessor, the Snapdragon 615) handle Android 6.0 on a 1080p display with ease. There’s only a small difference in perceptible performance compared to high-end Huawei phones running Kirin 955, and you basically need to have both side-by-side to be able to see the difference.

In terms of casual gaming performance and benchmark scores, the larger Nova actually outclasses the Nexus 6P on Nougat, which probably says more about Snapdragon 810’s thermal/throttling issues than anything. (As well as the lower screen resolution.)

In any case, there’s more than enough performance to go around, and both Novas run remarkably cool compared to previous-gen phones using Snapdragon 615.

You’ll also get 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM in both models, along with micro-SD expansion through Huawei’s hybrid slot, which lets you load a second SIM or an SD card, but not both at the same time.

The other advantage of a cool, efficient CPU is battery life. The Nova sports a 3,020mAh battery, while the Nova Plus steps up to 3,340mAh. Huawei’s own numbers give mixed usage numbers of 2 days for the smaller model and 2.2 days for the larger one, and to our surprise, we’ve found these numbers are more or less on the money.

With our usage patterns jumping between LTE and Wi-Fi throughout the day, streaming music and using social apps like Twitter, and browsing the web in Chrome, we were finishing the day with at least 50 percent battery remaining on the Nova Plus, with around four hours of screen on time.

Both phones are battery champions — largely thanks to big power packs and an efficient new CPU.

We didn’t push the regular Nova quite as hard, but using the device as an LTE hotspot in areas with mixed coverage drained the battery by about 10 percent per hour, which is impressive. You’re looking at essentially a full day of tethering per charge from a relatively svelte handset.

When it comes to display quality, both Nova and Nova Plus boast 1080p panels, at 5 and 5.5 inches respectively, and both are comparable in terms of brightness, vibrancy, and daylight visibility. (Which is to say they’re pretty good across the board, if not as spectacular as the P9’s 1080p IPS NEO panel.) The default white balance levels for both phones have colors appearing slightly noticeably cooler than other phones, but levels can be adjusted under Huawei’s display settings.

The only noteworthy hardware disappointment is the lack of 5GHz Wi-Fi support in both models — a bizarre omission considering many cheaper phones offer this capability. It’s not a deal-breaker, but if is disappointing to miss out on (potentially) faster connectivity in a €400+ device.

Imaging is another point where the two devices diverge. The regular Nova has basically half of the Huawei P9’s camera loadout — a 12-megapixel sensor behind a f/2.2 lens with 1.25-micron pixels — but with no secondary monochrome lens, nor laser autofocus. The Nova Plus bumps things up to a 16-megapixel sensor with smaller pixels, but behind a brighter f/2.0 lens with OIS (optical image stabilization.) On paper it’s identical to the camera of the OnePlus 3 and Huawei Mate 8.

It feels like the two halves of the phone’s software are at odds with each other.

Both cameras perform similarly in daylight, though the Nova Plus pulls ahead slightly with superior dynamic range. HDR mode irons out some of those kinks, but it’s still disappointing to see no auto-HDR mode in Huawei’s camera app. The camera’s capable Pro and Super Night modes come into their own in low light, particularly in the Nova Plus, which handles itself well in darker conditions. Pro mode gives you full control over white balance, ISO and shutter speed, among other things, while Super Night mode combines several exposures into one clear image for night photography.

Bottom line: The Nova’s camera is decidedly average overall — decent in daylight, but disappointing in the dark considering the price. If photography is a top priority, the Nova Plus’s OIS-equipped shooter is far more dependable in a variety of lighting conditions.

The Nova Plus boasts superior low-light performance.

OIS also helps in video recording, where the Nova Plus produces smoother footage with fewer jitters. That said, neither performs spectacularly as a video camera, with noise creeping in in darker conditions. You do at least benefit from Snapdragon 625’s 4K video support, so Ultra HD video recording is possible on both devices.

As patchy as the Novas’ rear cameras can be at times, it’s great to see that the front camera adapts far more easily to darker conditions. And Huawei’s range of beauty options will let you pretty up yourself, sometimes to terrifying extremes.

On the software side, both Novas run EMUI 4.1, as we’ve seen on several previous phones — Honor 8, P9, P9 Plus — and Huawei’s interface layer adds a feature-dense suite of capabilities atop Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Huawei’s software is highly customized, with an iOS-style home screen, lock screen notifications that’ll seem weird and unwieldy to most Android users, and a notification pulldown that straight-up breaks some apps. EMUI remains fast, and full of some genuinely useful features — like the ability to tweak color balance directly, see how much data tethering is using and set specific limits accordingly, and use fingerprint scanner gestures to swipe down notifications, launch calls, and take pictures.

But make no mistake: EMUI still takes some getting used to. It’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be, and themes make it easier to live with, but until we hit EMUI 5 and Android Nougat, it’s still one of the more obnoxious Android “skins” out there. It’s not necessarily that it looks bad, just that many of Huawei’s design decisions clash with the way Google does things, which leads to a feeling that two halves of the phone’s software are at odds with each other.

Two excellent, if slightly overpriced, mid-range phones.

Overall, the Huawei Nova and Nova Plus are two excellent, if slightly overpriced mid-range phones. As always with Huawei, the build quality is excellent and performance is just fine, but software remains a sticking point. If you can get past (or even learn to like) EMUI, both phones deliver exceptional battery life, pretty good cameras and a choice of two form factors: The regular Nova is svelte and pocket-friendly, while the Nova Plus packs in a significant camera upgrade and a small battery bump alongside its bigger display.

It’s the price tag which gives us pause, though. At €399 for the Nova, and €429 for Nova Plus, you’re butting up against the OnePlus 3 and Honor 8, both of which give you more performance for your money. But if battery life is a top priority — or you can pick up either phone at a discount — both the Nova and Nova Plus are worth considering.

Supercharging Google Cardboard with VRidge

Your smartphone-based VR has another trick.

There’s already a lot you can experience with Google Cardboard. Quick horror experiences to make your friends jump, exciting trips on roller coaster you may never go on yourself, and concerts to watch as though you’re in the audience top a surprisingly long list of possibilities. There are hundreds of Google Cardboard apps available for anyone to try, but if you’re looking for something to try that is just a step above your average app the folks behind VRidge want you to see what desktop-class VR is like without relying on Oculus or Valve for anything.

Read more at VR Heads!