Robotic skin: Researchers created a material twice as sensitive as human skin

Why it matters to you

Artificial skins like this one can help robots, and people with prosthetic limbs, better sense their surroundings.

Pit vipers have an organ between their nose and eyes that allows can detect prey in pitch dark at a distance of a few feet. This “pit organ” is the most sensitive in the animal kingdom, twice as sensitive as human skin and many time more precise than artificial thermometers.

But a team of researchers from ETH Zurich and the California Institute of Technology have now designed a material that exceeds the sensitivity of human skin and even matches the sensitivity of the pit organ. Used as an artificial skin, the material may provide hypersensitive feedback for prosthetic and robotic limbs.

More: This artificial skin can detect touch — and it’s made from tinfoil and sticky notes

After studies showed that pectin (a substance found in plant cell walls and in kitchens as a gelling agent for jams) could be used as an artificial sensor, project lead Raffaele Di Giacomo from ETH Zurich began to test the substance further. Pectin proved to be a remarkable material for high-sensitivity sensors, but it was too rigid until Di Giacomo and doctoral student Luca Bonanomi developed a thin film of pectin only 100 micrometers thick.

The researchers have since demonstrated that this film can detect detect slight changes in temperature and is responsive in a broad range of temperatures, including the operational range of human skin.

To test the artificial skin, Di Giacomo and his team used a stuffed animal heated to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the average body temperature of a mouse, and held it in front of the film. The material could detect the stuffed animal even at a few week away. “This demonstrated we have the same performance when you compare the snake membrane with our membrane,” Di Giacomo told Digital Trends. “If you measure the membrane of the snake and ours you have the same variation of electrical response and distance.”

“This is the first time that we’ve even exceeded the sensitivity of the human skin,” Di Giacomo added.

The researchers think their material will find applications in robotics and prosthetics, where it could be used as an artificial skin.

“It’s important for a person with a robotic arm to have complete sensory feedback from the artificial limb,” Di Giacomo said. “And it has been demonstrated that in order to move an arm correctly, sight is not enough. You need the sensory feedback from the limb.”

A paper detailing their work was published this week in the journal Science Robotics.

The best smartwatch you can buy

The smartwatch phenomenon began in earnest during 2015, but now it’s in full swing. Although we only saw a handful of new smartwatches in 2016, the latest and greatest smartwatches are a big improvement over the unsightly first-generation models. Now we have a number of attractive smartwatches from tech companies and fashion brands alike.

There is a smartwatch on this list for everyone, whether you’re a businessman or a woman. We’ve also included a variety of smartwatch operating systems on this list, so you can find the watch that works best with your phone.

Our pick

Why should you buy this: It’s the best smartwatch

Our Score

The Best

Apple Watch Series 2

It’s simply the best, by far. There’s little comparison at the moment.

$369.00 from Apple

Who’s it for: Anyone with an iPhone who wants a smartwatch

How much will it cost: $370+

Why we picked the Apple Watch Series 2

The Apple Watch Series 2 is beautifully made, comfortable to wear, comes in different materials to suit most pockets, and there’s a choice of straps that should ensure it can fit in with most people’s style. Plus, it comes in two different sizes — 38mm and 42mm — so it’ll look equally at home on male and female wrists.

The key to the Apple Watch’s success is the variety of styles, sizes, and price points. Watches are very personal and people want to customize them and make their watch unique. Apple even partnered up with fashion and sportswear brands like Hermes and Nike to make special versions of its Series 2 Watch. Now, it’s waterproof up to 50 meters, you can swim with it, and it has GPS onboard; it’s the ultimate smartwatch for active people.

Style isn’t the only thing we love about the Apple Watch Series 2. Its WatchOS 3 operating system is much easier to use than the original version of the OS. Also, apps load super fast, thanks to the new processor and dock feature, which stores your most-used apps for quick access. We love the unusual, fun messaging features, such as being able to send haptic taps directly to another Apple Watch. Add in fitness tracking, a heart rate monitor, an array of apps, a solid notification system, plus a growing range of accessories, and the Apple Watch sets the overall standard for current smartwatches.

As far as downsides go, it’s expensive at $370+ — particularly if you choose anything but the Watch Sport. You can get a number of third-party watch bands to help knock down the price though. Here are some of our favorites. It also only works with the iPhone, but it’s an Apple product, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. It’ll only work with iPhones, of course, but you probably already guessed that.

Read our full review

I got a new Places Live Case for my Pixel and it actually works!

Yes, a redemption story.

In case you hadn’t seen, I wasn’t a huge fan of Google’s own Places Live Case I ordered for my Pixel XL. Not only did fulfillment and shipping issues lead to it taking nearly a month to arrive, but when it finally showed up the notoriously poor case didn’t even work properly.

A refresher:

The idea of the “Live Case” series is that you install the My live Case app to pair up with your case. For the Places Live Case, it enables an exclusive wallpaper that changes as you move around, and can be customized to your liking. The case also includes a button on the back that interfaces with NFC on your phone to perform various actions.

My issue is that the case’s button is finicky at best and demonstrably broken at worst. For the first few days of using the Live Case, the button would activate every single time I unlocked the phone — by default launching the “places near me” interface of Google Maps. Being frustrated but hoping to mitigate the problem, I turned the shortcut button off … but unfortunately all that does is stop the app from starting an action; it still triggers a confirmatory beep and vibration that the button had been “pressed” when it hadn’t.

Loving the look of the case and hoping it was just an anomaly, I took a plunge and ordered another Places Live Case, this time for my Pixel. To my enjoyment, the case not only showed up on time but it also worked exactly as intended. This is the proper experience you’d expect to get when buying a case (particularly directly from Google), and let me evaluate it without the extra headaches.

Since Google has these cases made in China one by one with custom artwork on the back, it’s bound to increase fulfillment time. And indeed, with default shipping Google claimed that my order on January 17 would arrive between January 24 and 26. And unlike my horrible experience last time, the case was sent out the next day and arrived on January 25. Still not super fast, but for a custom-printed case coming from Asia with free shipping, I call that a logistics win.

Even when the case works flawlessly it may be tough to justify its price.

Now, the case itself. My first Places Live Case had major issues with its customizable NFC-based button on the back. At first it automatically triggered each time I unlocked the phone, and then switched to not activating at all. The one truly unique feature of the case didn’t even work. Thankfully, all works as intended this time around on my Pixel. Speaking with a Google representative I’m told there was a manufacturing issue related to the button that was identified and fixed — and at least in this sample size of one, that holds true.

You can still easily say that the selection of Live Cases from the Google Store isn’t worth your hard-earned $40. When the case material itself is on par with one you can find online for around $10, you’re paying a huge premium for that custom design and not-super-valuable customizable key on the back. But if you do spend that kind of cash on a hard plastic case, you want it to show up on time and work right — Google seems to have figured out those basics, and in the end I have a completely unique case that keeps my Pixel safe.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

Best Android 7.0 Nougat features for the Samsung Galaxy S7!

One of the best Android phones of the past year is getting its biggest software update yet. Android 7.0 Nougat for the Samsung Galaxy S7 overhauls the phone’s UI, and adds new features which offer some hints at the direction in which Samsung is heading for the Galaxy S8. A new, lighter UI is joined by a revamped Settings app, redesigned quick settings and a host of other useful features.

Whether you’re just getting started with Nougat on your GS7, or you’re still waiting on the update, we’ve got a full rundown of what’s new in the latest firmware in our video feature.

• Android Central on YouTube
• Galaxy S7 Nougat Top 10 features!
• What the GS7’s Nougat update tells us about the Galaxy S8
• More on Android 7.0 Nougat

How to fix display issues in your Gear VR

What do you do when the Gear VR display is messed up?

One of the cool things about how Samsung’s Gear VR platform works is the total take over once you connect the phone to the dock. The Oculus software launches, and the dividing line between your Gear VR and your phone is live. The separate set of settings kicks in, so you don’t need to worry about adjusting anything before stepping into VR.

That doesn’t mean the Gear VR is without display problems, but it does mean they’re fairly easy to track down when they happen. Here’s what you need to know about fixing these display issues!

Read more at VR Heads!

Pick up an unlocked HTC One A9 for just $249 today only!

Brought to you by the Thrifter team

Right now you can pick up a 32GB HTC One A9 for just $249 at Newegg, a savings of $250 from its regular price. Featuring a 5-inch 1080p display, the One A9 comes equipped with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a microSD card. This is an unlocked variant of the smartphone in the topaz gold color, so it will work on any U.S. GSM carrier, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Tracfone, and others. HTC has also already pushed the Android Nougat update to the phone which brings a number of great new features to it.

Newegg is offering free 3-day shipping with all purchases right now. This deal is only good for today, February 3, so be sure to act quickly if you are interested!

See at Newegg

For more great deals on tech, home goods, everyday essentials, fashion and everything in-between, head over to Thrifter now!

Honor 6X to receive Nougat update sometime in March

The Honor 6X is soon getting the update it needed from day one.

The Honor 6X will be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat and EMUI 5.0 sometime in March, according to an email sent to Android Police and confirmed by us (not saying they were lying, but we like to get confirmation on these things, you know?)

The device, which we think is objectively one of the best mid-range devices you can buy in the U.S. right now, was hobbled out of the gate with an older version of EMUI based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow — the same build that Honor 8 users have been clambering to update since last summer. And given that, thanks to beta tests for the Honor 8 and shipping software on the Huawei Mate 9, we know how much of an improvement it is, we’re excited for Honor 6X users to play with it.

The best Android phones under $300

How to control your TV with Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo can replace your remote control, with a little help.

As nice as it would be for every television to include a simple local network access function, most TVs still rely on good old fashioned Infrared (IR) to receive commands. This isn’t the best news for someone looking to convert the living room into Smart Home 2.0, but there are some tools available that make this a little easier to deal with than you’d think.

For example, you can pair a Logitech Harmony Hub and an Amazon Echo to create a totally voice controlled television. Here’s how you set it up!

See Logitech Harmony Hub at Amazon

The Harmony line from Logitech has been the best option for universal remotes for a long time, but recently the company has moved from baking all of those smarts into a better remote control to building a hub that controls way more than just the TV. On its own, Harmony Hub can give you the ability to control just about anything connected to your Wi-Fi network as well as anything you can control with IR in a single app. You can even build little scripts inside of Harmony, so a single button press turns on the TV, sets the input you want to be on, and can even be activated on a schedule. It’s an impressive setup, made all the more impressive when you add an Amazon Echo.

Starting your smart living room conversion is fairly easy. Set up your Harmony Hub anywhere that lets you mount the IR sensor pointed right at the television. It doesn’t have to be close, but if you want to set Harmony up with your entertainment center you can. After it is set up and connected to your network, you can add Harmony to Alexa just like any other skill.

Open your Alexa App.
Go to Home –> Skills.
Search for Harmony.
Select the blue icon that appears.
Enable the Harmony Skill.
Log in to Harmony from the Alexa app.

Once Alexa is connected to Harmony, you have the ability to turn the television on and off automatically. Just about everything else requires a little bit of extra work. Harmony is aware of what channels are available with your provider, but you can’t just ask for a specific channel out of the box unless your television is connected directly to cable. If you use an HD cable box that connects via HDMI, or something like a Tivo, you have to create actions in Harmony under the Smart TV settings.

Volume control isn’t available through Alexa because Harmony doesn’t have it set as an Action function. Alexa also doesn’t have the ability to switch inputs through Harmony without actions, but an IFTTT trigger can be set up to allow this. Harmony and Alexa absolutely can be better integrated, but right out of the box this is a great way to control your television with your voice.

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

Amazon

Fukushima radiation skyrockets after possible fuel breach

Radiation levels inside the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor are over 100 times fatal levels, the highest they’ve been since the triple meltdown in March, 2011, according to operator Tepco. The company recently sent a camera-equipped robot into the reactor, which relayed images showing a meter-wide hole in the pressure vessel (above), with possible melted uranium fuel on a grating below. “It may have … melted and made a hole in the [containment] vessel, but it is only a hypothesis at this stage,” a company spokesperson told the AFP.

Since the accident, the highest recorded level in the plant was around 73 sieverts per hour, but a new reading, estimated from a camera that was sent in on Monday, shows an “unimaginable” 530 sieverts per hour, according to an expert. A dose of one sievert can cause radiation sickness, while 10 sieverts would kill you in a few weeks.

Tepco and its partners had been unable to locate the exposed low-enriched uranium fuel (LEU), a prerequisite to decommissioning the plant. So far, the levels of radiation made it impossible to get cameras and robots in close in close enough to gauge the damage — of the five sent in, none returned.

Until Monday, it was believed that the radioactive fuel was contained within the reactor’s pressure vessel. However, if it broke through into the larger containment vessel, the situation could be much worse than previously thought. The company had planned to deploy a robotic camera in March that can withstand 1,000 sieverts per hour, but the latest readings indicate it would last less than an hour.

Authorities are supposed to figure out a plan to remove the fuel by 2018, but the latest discovery could delay that. In December, the Japanese government pegged the plant decommissioning cost at 21.5 trillion yen ($190 billion), nearly double the original estimate.

Via: The Guardian

Source: The Japan Times

The Engadget Podcast Ep 27: American Tune

Managing editor Dana Wollman and reviews editor Cherlynn Low join host Terrence O’Brien to discuss the biggest tech news of the week. First they’ll debate OnePlus’ benchmark scandal, then try to sort out why the ACLU is partnering with startup incubator Y Combinator and take the “artists” behind the Tinder for baby adoption Kickstarter to task. Finally it’s another week of Trump talk as the panel addresses the impact of the recent immigration ban on the tech industry and how the political climate is impacting our social media habits.

Relevant links:

• OnePlus 3T caught cheating on benchmarks
• ACLU signs on with Y Combinator after $24 million donation
• Kickstarter shuts down sketchy Adoptly campaign
• Sketchy adoption app Adoptly is a hoax after all
• Using Tinder’s swipe UI isn’t always a good idea
• Mark Zuckerberg lightly criticizes Trump order on immigration
• Apple, Microsoft and Uber help staff stranded by Trump ban
• Lyft donates to the ACLU in response to Trump’s immigration ban
• Uber sets up $3 million fund for drivers hurt by immigration ban
• Google gives $4 million to pro-immigrant causes
• New York City tech leaders object to Trump immigration ban
• GitHub rallies Silicon Valley companies to oppose Muslim ban
• Game developers take a stand against Trump’s immigration ban

You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on Facebook

Subscribe on Google Play Music

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Subscribe on Pocket Casts