MIT scientists built a 3D-printed robot ‘skin’ that changes color with stimuli

Why it matters to you

We’re not yet at the point where a robot could change its skin color to camouflage itself when needed, but we may be getting there.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a 3D-printed robot “skin” capable of changing color according to the physical stimuli that it receives. The work was inspired by the so-called “goldbug,” a golden tortoise beetle, which changes color in the wild.

“I was googling online about two and a half years ago, looking for creatures that change their color, and found out about this beetle,” project leader, Subramanian Sundaram, an MIT graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, told Digital Trends. “The golden tortoise beetle is incredibly interesting. One of the things it does is that, when it’s disturbed or scared, it drains out the fluid in its shell which is normally golden in color, but becomes a reddish-brown. I was interested by the idea that this beetle was able to respond to mechanical disturbances by changing the color and transparency of its outer shell. I thought we might be able to replicate that.”

More: Shape-shifting flower demonstration shows off material science breakthrough

To create a similar effect in their robot “skin,” Sundaram and colleagues used 3D-printed flexible circuitry on a plastic substrate. The substrate was printed using an MIT MultiFad 3D printer, with the color-changing part being prompted by electrodes that are attached to the T-shaped object. The printed circuit board boasts two printed transistors and a so-called “pixel,” referring to a semiconducting polymer.

Subramanian Sundaram

In all, it serves as a neat proof of concept for scientists’ newfound abilities to print flexible substrates made up of multiple materials that are capable of demonstrating unique behaviors. Right now, there are no obvious useful applications for the robot skin, but it fits into a broader research theme of materials capable of drastically changing when outside stimuli are applied.

“Going forward, I think that adding actuation to this would be very interesting,” Sundaram continued. “I don’t know how long it will take to reach that point, but it would also be interesting to add elements of communication so that you could have it transfer data to a larger computer. All of this will require key breakthroughs to take place, but these are definitely the directions we’re interested in.”

A possible future robot that could change its skin tone to camouflage itself at a moment’s notice? Color us interested — no pun intended.

If you define day cruising as equal parts sun and speed, choose Wallytender X

Why it matters to you

When you want to take a half dozen sun and speed-loving friends for a picnic, hop aboard the Wallytender X.

You can imagine there are days superyacht owners would rather just drive one of their yacht’s tenders around for fun. If buzzing around the bay, port, lake, or the ocean on a day cruiser sounds like fun as long as it’s fast enough, check out the Wallytender X.

The outboard version of Wally’s Wallytender line, the “X,” is built for people whose preference is always “faster.” At 13.7 meters in overall length (about 45 feet) with a 4-meter beam (just over 13 feet) at the widest point and a high-riding 2-foot-7.5-inch draft with the outboard engines down, there aren’t too many places the Wallytender X can’t go.

More: The biggest, baddest, most extravagant superyachts ever conceived

Regardless of where you pilot the Wallytender X, you can get there fast, especially with its most powerful engine configuration. The high-end setup encompasses three Mercury 400 Verado RCD2 outboard racing engines.  Those 6-cylinder engines produce a combined 1,200 horsepower and can propel the Wallytender X to about 69 miles per hour. The least powerful engine option uses two Mercury 350 Verados, which top out at a still respectable 46 miles per hour.

The Wallytender X’s fuel tanks hold 396 gallons of fuel. Range at its 35 mph cruising speed is approximately 414 miles. This day cruiser doesn’t exactly sip fuel, using almost a gallon of fuel for every mile, and that’s at cruising speed. You can figure fuel consumption will be a lot greater at higher speeds.

Buyers can customize Wallytender X interiors, but however it’s set up, the boat’s freshwater tanks hold 240 liters, about 63 gallons. As you can see from the photos, common configurations entail loads of topside sunning cushions.

The Wallytender X is certified as a European Union CE Category B recreational craft, which refers to design standards for vessels from 8 to 79 feet long seaworthy for operating offshore with winds to 40 knots and significant seas to 13 feet. The standards are the expectations for construction strength, stability, freeboard, reserve buoyancy, resistance to down flooding, deck drainage, and other criteria.

ThreadRobe is a real-life version of the wardrobe from ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Why it matters to you

The worst part of doing laundry is the time it takes to fold, sort, and store clothing. ThreadRobe does all of that itself.

After the drudgery of running the washing machine, few people are eager to fold their clothes and put them away. However, people leave clothes in the hamper, they quickly become wrinkled. What if your wardrobe could handle that instead? ThreadRobe is a real-life product that does exactly that.

This automated piece of furniture sorts and hangs each item. When someone requests a piece of clothing, it returns it wrinkle-free and ready to wear. Better yet, each item is steamed fresh to a user’s specifications.

More: If you need a wardrobe of watches, the Guess Connect Touch is for you

In order to properly sort clothing, a small, flexible RFID tag is attached to the item. Instead of attempting to fold different articles of clothing, ThreadRobe hangs every item and operates more like a high-tech vending machine. After retrieval, an optional steam cycle helps ensure that the clothing is wrinkle-free.

While the inside of the ThreadRobe is futuristic, the exterior complements traditional furniture in a variety of bedrooms. It comes in two different sizes, a variety of colors, and optional trim and molding. Users won’t have to modify their homes either. ThreadRobe draws power from a standard 110-volt power outlet and does not require venting or plumbing.

The magic behind ThreadRobe goes beyond the hardware itself. To complete the experience, a mobile app allows users to digitally manage their clothes and control the wardrobe. From the app, users can view, create, and schedule their outfits. Want clothes ready first thing in the morning? ThreadRobe can have them ready before the alarm goes off. ThreadRobe will also suggest outfits based on any given item of clothing. Out shopping? Taking a picture of an item at the store and the app will match it with clothing back at home.

One models of the ThreadRobe carries about 100 items of clothing, while the other carries about 200. Both are available for pre-order and are priced at $3,750 and $4,250, respectively. Deliveries are expected to release mid-2018.

From drone cake baking to rooftop jumping, check out the best drone shots of 2017

Why it matters to you

Just what can a drone do? Taking a look at this year’s NYCDFF winners offers a pretty good glimpse from flight tricks to drones decorating a cake.

From an aerial view of the Dakota Pipeline protests to flying with the eagles, camera drones have enabled some incredible views — and the third annual New York City Drone Film Festival (NYCDFF) brought the best drone views all in one place. A panel of judges selected the top views from the sky on March 18 and 19, creating an incredible, inspiring list of drone cinematography.

The event launched in 2015 as the first festival to focus solely on drone cinematography. The event crowns winners in 10 different video categories and one still image award. “[Drones] can go anywhere you want — and that’s amazing — as long as the operator is good enough to put it there,” Randy Scott Slavin, NYCDFF founder and festival director, told CBS News. “…people are just starting to understand the creative power of drones and starting to incorporate them.”

More: Biggest aerial photography competition shares impressive worldwide drone shots

32 films battled for the category titles and overall Best in Show award — here’s the footage that came out on top.

Best In Show and X-Factor Category Winner

This mixed motion project (featured above) from Ilko Iliev and Marin Kafedjiiski, of Bulgaria, follows an athlete through a wide variety of environments, mixing in rooftop jumping and scaling buildings with wakeboarding in an urban canal. The drone offers a bird’s eye view while keeping the athlete in the center of the frame through multiple scene changes, impressive stunts and even some Super Mario humor until he crawls to a stop at the end — which is the same place the footage began.

News & Documentary

Drone operators covered the Dakota Pipeline from the skies, displaying the scale of the protests from the sky. Watch the views from the protests — and watch police attempt to keep the keep the drones from documenting the protest by taking shots at the quadcopters, from category winner and YouTube channel AJ+.

Narrative

Drones can be powerful storytelling tools — even if that story is fiction. This small-scale Star Wars from U.S.-based Corridor Digital won the NYCDFF narrative category.

Landscape

UAVs bring in the possibility of going beyond simple panning and zooming — watch Wild Pacific Media’s winning landscape video capture aerial views, then fly upside down and reverse it into a new scene with some impressive flight and editing effects.

Extreme Sports

In Cala d’En Serra by the U.K.’s Giles Campbell Longley and Kie Willis, watch how drones offer both high and low perspectives to create this action video.

Freestyle FPV

In drone cinematography, flight skills are often just as essential as videography skills. Watch this drone fly through even the narrow gap in a bicycle in Robert McIntosh’s freestyle category winner.

Architecture

Drones tend to favor the outdoors — but there’s no reason why they can’t capture impressive shots inside a historic building with the right pilot. Check out the views of the Byzantine by Joris Favraud of France.

Featuring Drones

Who says drones are only good for flying? In this video featuring drones (instead of one shot by them), the UAVs work to decorate a cake — and it certainly doesn’t look like a piece of cake.

Dronie

Of course, drones are also pretty good selfie stick replacements. Check out the Dronie winner by Florian Fischer of Germany.

Showreel

Meshing the best shots of the year into one showreel, this category winner by Koptercam of Finland showcases some pretty neat drone footage.

Still Photography

The winners also included a still photograph by Wellington Rodrigues of Germany called Sea and Salt, shot in a pink salt lake in Torrevieja, Spain.

High-res Galaxy S8 Plus leak shows more of Samsung’s new software

Mexico launch for Samsung’s new flagships slated for early May, with prices starting at 17,699 pesos.

Ready to kick off the weekend with a fresh Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus leak? Mexican site AndroidMX has bagged eight new images of the larger S8 model, with its 6.2-inch, “18.5:9” display.

The new images show off more of the Galaxy S8 Plus’s almost bezel-free design, along with a quick size comparison with the LG V20, but mostly we’re looking for clues about what’s next in Samsung’s software. These high-res shots offer some clues — for instance, one image shows that the double-tap home shortcut for launching the camera has been replaced with a double tap of the power key. Not a total shock given the lack of a physical button in the GS8 — but the power key is undoubtedly a harder target to hit in a hurry.

The Galaxy S8’s camera UI also offers a few clues. In addition to the usual photo controls, there’s an “eye” icon 👁 in the lower left corner (for Bixby’s rumored visual search, maybe?). As for the teddy bear icon 🐻 on the bottom right of the camera UI… well, any guesses? Let us know in the comments.

AndroidMX reports that Mexico will be getting the Exynos version of the GS8 when it goes on sale there in early May. (The U.S. and some other countries are said to be getting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip instead.) Prices purportedly start at 17,699 pesos for the regular GS8, rising to 18,999 pesos for the Plus, with availability due on all major operators.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

• Latest Galaxy S8 rumors!
• Galaxy S8 announcement coming March 29 in NYC
• Galaxy S8 release date set for April 28
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Digital downloads killed 150 GameStop stores

It’s game over for at least 150 GameStop stores. The retailer has announced that it’s shutting down 2 to 3 percent of 7,500 shops across the globe after sales and earning plummeted last year. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company was affected by the shift to digital downloads. More and more people now prefer installing their games straight from their console’s online store instead of buying physical copies, that GameStop’s sales dropped 14 percent in 2016. It did especially bad this past holiday season when its sales dipped 19 percent. As a result, its fourth-quarter profits fell 16 percent and its shares went down by about 12 percent, as well.

The video game retailer didn’t say which stores are shutting down. Its US stores were affected by the sales slum the most, though, so expect quite a few outlets Stateside to bid farewell.v From now on, the video game retailer will start expanding its non-gaming businesses. It plans to open 35 more collectible stores this year, bringing the total number of locations to 121. Unlike its core business, the company’s collectibles division has been doing very well — its sales were up by 59.5 percent in 2016, and GameStop expects sales to go up by another 30 to 40 percent this year.

It’s not giving up on its gaming business, though: it’s hoping the latest generation of consoles, particularly the Nintendo Switch, can help it regain its former glory. Chief Executive J. Paul Raines told the WSJ that “The Switch has provided a dramatic lift in traffic in stores and has real potential to be Wii-like in its ability to expand the gaming category from core to broad audiences.” Nintendo’s hybrid console is its fastest-selling ever, and it plans to double production to 16 million units for 2017, which sounds like good news for GameStop. For now (and probably until it’s doing much better), the retailer will no longer publish quarterly financial projections to “reduce investor distraction.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Letter from the Editor

There’s something about the internet that turns grown-ass adults into sniveling, name-calling adolescents. We make dick jokes, start flame wars and lol so hard when others fail. In my six years at Engadget, I’ve learned the hard way why they say “Never read the comments.” I’ve been called a “lady guy,” a “perverted piece of shit” and a “pathetic and icky chronic wanker” by commenters with screen names that are about as original as a JanSport backpack on the first day of school.

But we’re all adults here — or at least that’s what our analytics team tells me — and, as our latest themed week shows, the internet isn’t always the digital equivalent of an eighth-grade locker room. Over the course of the week, our editors have offered advice on how to stay cool in a connected world, clean up digital clutter, keep all your things safe online and do a little good from your desktop. They’ve also delved into some uniquely adult issues like online dating after 40, using the internet to dress your age, oversharing as a parent and never learning to drive in the age of automation.

One need look no further than this past year’s alt-right ascent to see that the man-baby is alive and well. We live in a world where cartoon frogs are tools of oppression, and finger-pointing on a short-form social network is the preferred diplomatic tactic of world leaders, but we can all try a little harder and do a little better at pulling up our big-kid britches every once in a while. So here’s to all the grown-ass folks out there. You might have a few more wrinkles and a little more debt, but you’ll never have to diagram another sentence as long as you live.

— Christopher Trout, Editor-in-Chief

Uber’s bad 2017Uber’s bad Friday night

We don’t know what you did last night (you stayed in and watched Netflix — we know), but it probably went better than Uber’s evening. First The Information reported that CEO Travis Kalanick was present at a 2014 trip to a “karaoke escort bar” that led to an HR complaint by one of Uber’s managers. The source of this revelation? Kalanick’s ex, who was present for the trip, and received a call from Uber VP Emil Michael suggesting her story about that night remain vague. And all of that happened before a self-driving Uber Volvo rolled over after colliding with another car in Arizona.

This would’ve been a great VineEnjoy this six-second clip of a prototype Tesla Model 3

Elon Musk tweeted a brief video showing the first drive of a “release candidate” of his company’s first mass-market EV. There aren’t really any conclusions to draw from the video, but it is a good sign that things are coming together so it can start shipping later this year. In other tweets, Musk mentioned that a dual-motor AWD performance version of the Model 3 would probably follow next year, along with an RHD version for markets like the UK. The Model S is expected to remain Tesla’s acceleration champ thanks to its larger battery, at least until the company revisits its Roadster model in a few years.

Hope you liked ‘Ridiculous 6’Netflix commits to four more Adam Sandler movies

The Netflix strategy to have something for everyone applies to Adam Sandler, as the service just cut a deal to get four more of his movies. Those will add on to the four movies it bought from him in a 2014 deal, which has produced Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over and upcoming release Sandy Wexler. It’s been a while since we anticipated a Sandler movie, but the company’s closely guarded data seems to suggest he’s worth the investment.

iStuffApple tweaks its iPhone, iPad lineup

Tuesday morning Apple refreshed a few items, by upgrading the storage on the iPhone SE (the 16GB iPhone is officially dead) and iPad Mini 4, and dropping in a limited edition line of Project Red iPhones. The new 9.7-inch iPad got most of our attention, but mostly because of its compromises.

But wait, there’s more…

• MIT’s 3D-printed robot is inspired by the goldbug beetle and changes color when it’s poked
• Samsung unveils its AI assistant: meet Bixby
• Google announces Android O and launches a developer preview
• The Engadget Podcast Ep 33: Losing My Edge
• Critical exploits found in LastPass browser extensions — grab those updates
• Trump’s quiet war on data begins

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

Uber CEO linked to escort bar visit that resulted in an HR complaint

In case you were counting, it has been more than a month since Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced an investigation into claims of sexual harassment and discrimination within his company. Tonight The Information reports that in 2014, Kalanick senior VP of business Emil Michael and several other employees visited an “escort-karaoke bar.” Within minutes of that article being published, another report from Arizona revealed that one of the company’s self-driving cars has been involved in an accident.

In a story recounted by Gabi Holzwarth, a professional violinist and business development manager who was dating Kalanick at the time, four other men in the group picked out their favorites from a group of numbered women and proceeded downstairs to sing karaoke. Holzwarth and Kalanick left the rest of the group behind after about 45 minutes. A female Uber manager in the group was “visibly unhappy,” quickly left and made a report to HR about it a year later.

All of this has become news now, apparently, because in the last month Michael contacted Holzwarth in an attempt to stop the trip from becoming public knowledge, telling her to simply say they went to karaoke and had a good time. His statement, which is quoted in the article, reads: “Given the intense news cycle I thought it was the right thing to do to reach out and let her know that reporters may try to contact her directly. I have known her for a long time, consider her a friend and did not want her to be taken by surprise. Her recollection of this conversation was different from mine and I am very sorry if the purpose of my call was misunderstood.”

A statement from Uber says that “This all happened about three years ago and was previously reported to human resources. In early March it was referred to Eric Holder and Tammy Albarran as part of their review.”

As far as the accident, a picture posted on Twitter showed one of Uber’s self-driving Volvo SUVs laying on its side in the road. It’s next to a Ford Edge showing serious damage along the passenger side. The Arizona Republic spoke to a policeman who says that a vehicle failed to yield while making a left turn and collided with the self-driving car before a third car was hit by one of the first two vehicles. Thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported. The company is aware of the incident, but so far we don’t have any other information and don’t know if the car was in self-driving mode at the time of the accident.

As I noted the last time Uber had two negative stories break almost simultaneously, a slew of self-inflicted wounds have already damaged the company’s credibility. Emil Michael is the same exec who openly discussed hiring investigators to dig up dirt, and these Volvos are on Arizona streets because California temporarily banned them.

We keep hearing that Uber and its executives — including Kalanick, who just met with Jesse Jackson on an apology tour — will change, but the bad stories seem to stay the same, whether they’re about internal obliviousness about the problems with its workplace culture or making sure its self-driving cars are safe before they’re let loose on public streets.

Source: The Information, The Arizona Republic

How the Dot braille smartwatch could keep the visually impaired connected

Why it matters to you

It should help the visually impaired to stay more connected and independent.

A smartwatch with a unique interface is able to translate basic notifications for blind users by dynamically reproducing braille on its specialized surface — helping them stay connected in our modern digital world. The Dot has been in development for the past couple of years, but mass production has finally begun, with the first orders set to ship out in April.

Although braille has been a useful tool for those with limited vision for close to 200 years, in an age of touchscreens and smart devices, many of the world’s millions of visually impaired can be left out of the loop. Among a few other pioneering devices, the Dot is designed to fix that with a clever interface that combines modern computing with an intuitive, touch-sensitive braille interface.

The display has four braille cells, made up of 36 magnetically actuated ‘dots’ designed to convey information, along with 24 touch sensors to allow input by the user. That means that as the user reads the letters displayed by the braille cells, they can automatically refresh to keep the flow of text coming.

More: How the Bonx Grip walkie-talkie helps a blind athlete take on the toughest terrain

All of that is contained within a 1.7-inch watch display, giving users the ability to tell the time and set alarms like a normal watch. This being a smart watch though, it also has social features. It can receive notifications from social media and text messages, give directions, and send other information using its companion application.

There are also two buttons on the side of the device that allow more advanced control and the ability to send messages of their own.

The Dot is designed as an open system, so the developers hope that other companies and individuals will develop new abilities for it, expanding its function for its growing user base. As of now, 140,000 people have already pre-ordered the Dot (thanks BigThink), with the first shipments of the English and Korean language version shipping out on April 1.

Potential buyers in the future can expect to spend $290 on each Dot.

Support is likely to continue in the years to come, as we’re told that parent company Dot Inc. has received more than $5 million in developmental funding from interested parties and has secured more than 30 related patents.

Already looking to the future, the Dot developers have created a braille reading device designed to sell for under $200 called the Dot Mini, aimed at developing markets where support for the visually impaired is far less robust than in developed nations. To that end, it has partnered with the Korea International Cooperation Agency to supply 8,000 of its Dot Mini reader devices to the visually impaired in Kenya.

Movado’s Android Wear device looks like its regular watches

Movado has revealed its first Android Wear watch at Baselworld 2017, a few weeks after it announced its first solo foray into smartwatches. The American watchmaker calls its creation Movado Connect, a timepiece with edge-to-edge, always-on display specifically designed for Wear 2.0. It will come loaded with over 100 watchfaces, but they’ll all look familiar if you’ve ever had one of the company’s creations: they’re all variations of the brand’s iconic single dot design. Not surprising really, since even Movado’s collaboration with HP also featured a single dot watchface.

Connect also comes with all the features you’d expect from an Android Wear device. You can use it to make purchases with Android Pay, and you can ask it to perform tasks, answer questions and give you directions through Google Assistant. It has access to all Wear 2.0 apps, can integrate with Google Fit and Health apps and receive push notifications. The company will release styles for men this fall with straps and bracelets. Unfortunately, it didn’t say whether it plans to release smaller versions for women — we’ll just have to wait for Movado to reveal more info.

Via: Wareable

Source: Movado