Vespa’s creators just unveiled a personal cargo robot

The Vespa brand’s owner, the Piaggio Group, doesn’t have a reputation for cutting edge tech (it only just started making an electric scooter). However, it’s making up for that in style. It’s establishing a robot-focused company, Piaggio Fast Forward, and has unveiled that company’s first product: meet Gita, a personal cargo robot. The machine can haul up to 40 pounds of supplies either autonomously (if there are maps) or by following a human operator. It’s fast enough to keep up with you on a bike (22MPH), and its zero turning radius promises the “human agility” needed to navigate sidewalks. If you don’t like the idea of driving a car or pushing a dolly just to get your groceries home, this might be just what you were looking for.

Gita will first show up in business-to-business test programs, but Piaggio intends to release something you can buy for individual use.

A grander announcement is expected on February 2nd, and it might address some lingering questions about Gita. Will it be inexpensive enough that you can realistically buy the eventual consumer version? And is the range good enough that the robot can accompany you across town, or will it be limited to neighborhood jaunts? Those kinds of questions are important — while Gita looks good at first blush, it has to be both affordable and practical to be more than a novelty.

Source: Piaggio Fast Forward, BusinessWire

Netflix project lets you mind-control its interface

Netflix’s developers are at it again, using the company’s annual Hack Day to come up with clever, if sometimes wild, ideas on how to improve the streaming service. This year’s crop of hacks mostly focus on intriguing Stranger Things integrations, but the most interesting result is one named MindFlix, that lets you navigate and control Netflix with your mind.

In a video demonstrating MindFlix, the team showed how you can, with a Muse EEG-detecting headband strapped on, move your head up and down or side to side to scroll vertically and horizontally through Netflix’s interface. Then, when you’ve landed on a title you like, just think of the word or action “Play.” This worked in the clip, with the test subject happily proclaiming that he never had to move again. Of course, whether it works as well in real life can’t be determined, but if it does, it could make Netflix binging far more enjoyable.

Other Hack Day Winter 2017 projects run the gamut from noble to somewhat sinister. Netflix For Good lets viewers donate to related or well-known charity organizations after watching a socially conscious video, while Picture-in-Picture lets you monitor what other profiles in your account are watching at the same time.

There doesn’t appear to be plans to make these implementations widely available. In fact, Netflix states in a blog post that “they may never become part of the Netflix product, internal infrastructure, or otherwise be used beyond Hack Day.” Still, though, we can always hope that Netflix puts out the instructions on how to make these real, as it did for the sleep-detecting socks that pause your videos for you.

Via: Variety

Source: Netflix

Lyft now books rides based on your calendar

Uber isn’t the only ridesharing company to integrate your calendar and simplify booking trips. Lyft has added its own calendar syncing feature, making it easy to pick the address of your next meeting as the destination. It works on both Android and iOS — the only stipulation is that you use your native calendar app. It’s a simple addition, but important if you regularly hail rides around town.

Lyft is also teasing an upcoming feature that will let you save all your favorite places as shortcuts, not just the obvious “home” and “work” locations. If you have a favorite pub, you won’t have to type its name (or pull it out of your ride history) to pay a visit. There’s no mention of when favorites are coming, but it should be ready “soon.”

Source: Lyft Blog

SpaceX’s Hyperloop competition finally puts pods in the tube

“I almost cried the first time it went 50 kilometers per hour.”

Marleen van de Kerkhof is part of the Delft Hyperloop team from the Netherlands. It’s been an eventful 12 months for the crew. After qualifying as finalists at the Hyperloop Pod Competition Design weekend in Texas along with 26 other teams, they had to actually build a working pod. Those sketches, models and 3D renders filled the Texas A&M Kyle Field’s Hall of Champions this weekend, where they sped down the 1.25-kilometer tube SpaceX built next to its headquarters in Southern California.

The grand finale of of the event was the speed-run down the vacuum-sealed track. Each pod was carefully placed into the tube in front of a SpaceX-built “pusher” that helps get the vehicles up to speed. Then the door was closed and sealed, with the air pumped out to reduce friction. While the Hyperloop itself is supposed to be quick — Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes! — this process is not. The depressurization takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

But not all 27 teams got a chance to put their pod into the tube. Each vehicle had to pass a series of tests to determine if it was safe to launch down the tube. After structural, functional, mechanical, navigation and vacuum checks, plus an open-air run (riding down the track without it being sealed) only three teams qualified for a chance to do something they’ve been working toward for over a year.

It’s not surprising that MIT made the cut. The group was the overall winner of the design competition in Texas. The teams from Delft University of Technology and Warr (pronounced “Varr”) from the Technical University of Munich also got to test their pods in the vacuum-sealed track. And while Elon Musk’s original post about the Hyperloop envisioned cars floating on air, each of the finalists used magnets.

Because this event was originally supposed to be held in the late summer of 2016, each team had their pod ready to go months ago. The additional time gave them the opportunity to test and tweak their vehicles. Indeed, they continued to make adjustments right up until their runs. Marianna Avezum from team Warr told Engadget that her group decided to disable the magnets on their prototype and just use the wheels to reduce friction.

That gamble paid off when the team was awarded the prize Sunday for the fastest run.

Delft, on the other, hand focused on the overall design with a eye toward safety and efficiency. Their run ended with the pod not quite making it to the end of the track, but that didn’t matter: The team’s vehicle, which housed miniature passengers (including one named Elon), notched the highest overall score.

When each winner was announced, there was excitement, laughter and even a few tears. Other awards recognized innovation, construction and performance. The MIT team walked away with one for safety and reliability. And while it’s fun to watch what could be the future of transportation unfold before your eyes, frankly, walking around looking at the pods and watching the teams behind them was more inspiring. Despite being a competition, teams talked shop with one another about their prototypes and technology.

Rocket scientists were inspired as well. SpaceX director Steve Davis, who spearheaded the event, told the audience during the awards ceremony, “to build something that gets released, is levitating and doesn’t doesn’t go side-to-side and crash and maintains control is an absolute feat. When we first did this we didn’t know if anyone would get in this tube.”

That says a lot about what all these teams have accomplished. But it’s not ending here: SpaceX is putting on another competition weekend this summer. If the teams are anything like the ones I saw this past weekend, Hyperloop might become the next big thing in high-speed ground transportation.

Apple Highlights Ways Siri Can Get Involved in Super Bowl Sunday

Apple today announced that Siri has been updated with some new Super Bowl-specific features ahead of Sunday’s game, making Apple’s virtual assistant more useful for sports fans.

With Live Tune-In support, Apple TV users can ask Siri to play the Super Bowl live by saying “Watch the Super Bowl.” Introduced last year, Live Tune-In is designed to make it easier for Apple TV users to find live television content more quickly, and for the first time, it can be used for one of the biggest sports games of the year.

Apple also highlights other ways Siri can be used on Super Bowl Sunday, for everything from team and player statistics to reminders to purchase snacks.

Whether you’re at home, at a local sports bar or at a friend’s party, Siri is available everywhere you are and provides even more football insights including team rosters, player comparisons, historical stats, season records and more. Siri can also help with game day planning by telling fans where to watch the game, who’s performing during the halftime show and reminding them to pick up snacks as they head out the door.

A long list of example questions Siri can answer are included in Apple’s announcement, such as “What is the Patriots record?” or “Who has more rushing yards this season, Tom Brady or Matt Ryan?” Super Bowl fans may want to check it out to find new ways to engage with Siri.

The Super Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 5 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The New England Patriots will be facing off against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Tag: Siri
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How drones are being used in public safety

From entertainment to surveillance, drones boast a multitude of applications. But one of the most useful is in the public safety sector. Manned at a distance, drones can go where people can’t to survey an unfolding emergency or disaster scene. They can make drops of valuable devices, food, or medicine, and can monitor the movements of dangerous criminals. Here’s a closer look at some of the latest uses of drones in public safety.

Benefits of drones in public safety

Drones are a cost-effective alternative to costly helicopters. Powered by batteries, lightweight drones can access remote areas quickly to survey a situation and report back to its monitor. Today’s drones are equipped with sensors and infrared cameras to provide both visual feedback as well as other valuable data. They can construct emergency equipment or create detailed maps of terrain. These devices can be built to withstand extreme temperatures, and go where humans cannot such as the thick of a forest fire to survey the damage. Drones may not be able to physically rescue stranded people, but they can drop supplies. In recent floods in Texas, drones were used in such a way, to help supply flotation devices to stranded citizens.

Technology’s place in search and rescue

It’s not just drones that are used in emergency situations. If a natural disaster or other emergency situation is unfolding, technology can now be used to fill in the gaps. Most first responders now use apps and alert systems to communicate with one another and gain real-time information in swiftly unfolding situations. From the Red Cross to FEMA, most agencies now have their own mobile apps.

There’s no time to lose in a true emergency, so any data gleaned from sensor-equipped drones can be vital. When networks are down and responders need to communicate, Nokia Networks public safety equipment is another example of technology’s uses. They offer a portable network-in-a-box that can power safety apps and bolster communication if the usual networks are down. Drones are an important part of this puzzle as well.

Overcoming regulation concerns

Because drones can be used for so many different types of applications, many people still have an aversion to them. Often used for surveillance, there is the concern that a drone hovering overhead could be manned by an unsavoury organization. Many law enforcement agencies wish to use drones in their rescue organizations, whether it’s searching for missing persons or surveying traffic accidents, but there is still public mistrust to overcome. There’s the idea of “big brother” watching the public that many are concerned about.

Yet these attitudes seem to be changing, slowly but surely. In a 2013 poll by the Institute for Homeland Security Solutions, 88% of responders supported using drones in search and rescue operations, while 63% supported using drones to help fight crime. In the USA, the Federal Aviation Administration is working on new drone regulations, including a potential registration system for all drone operators. In the meantime these devices are a top tool for emergency responders to help keep the public safe.