Robotic exo-shorts safely twist old folks out of falls

Robotic exosuits have already found use in a variety of medical applications from helping Parkinson’s patients walk more easily to letting kids with spinal muscular atrophy play again. Now a team of researchers from the EPFL have developed a pair of wearable “exo-shorts” (given they only cover the upper thigh and hips) which monitors the steps of the user and automatically jerks them upright out of stumbles and falls.

Trips, slips and falls hurt millions of elderly people every year and cause 95 percent of hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries in people over 65. And, while many old people will attempt to self-correct their stumble, they often lack the strength to do so.

This device, dubbed the Active Pelvis Orthosis (APO) is designed specifically to prevent that. The exoskeleton sits on a person’s hips and monitors their steps, quickly learning their normal gait. But if the suit detects a misstep, whether the hips are at the wrong angle or the user begins to tip over, it responds within 350 milliseconds, jerking the wearer’s hips into a neutral, upright position, while pushing the thighs down into a more stable stance and halting the fall. The APO is built to only engage when it actually feels a fall coming on, they don’t actively augment the user’s steps.

The APO system is only in the infancy of its development and won’t be coming to nursing homes near you any time soon. While the current prototype uses carbon fiber components, it still weighs about 9 pounds. That’s way too heavy for frail folks to be lugging around so some weight-cutting measures are certainly in order.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Scienctific Reports

Elon Musk’s underground traffic tunnel looks like hyperspace

Elon Musk works fast. Just last month the Tesla CEO was showing off a concept video for how his solution to gridlocked traffic: a giant underground tunnel where rapidly propelled cars travel point A to point B on car-carrying sleds. Now we have footage of a recent test, using real cameras and a real tunnel. Of the Instagram video, Musk warned that it might cause motion sickness or seizures thanks to the rapid acceleration and flashing lights.

It’s hard to gauge if the sled is traveling at Musk’s promised 125 MPH, but if the tunnel’s lights are any indication, it looks a lot more expedient than sitting on the freeway during rush hour. Musk says that a trip between Westwood in northern California to Los Angeles International Airport via his tunnel system would take all of five minutes.

So yeah, it’d probably take you longer to get through security than it would to actually arrive at LAX with one of these. The future is a wild place, y’all.

[Warning, this may cause motion sickness or seizures] This is a test run of our electric sled that would transport cars at 125 mph (200 km/h) through the tunnels, automatically switching from one tunnel to the next. Would mean Westwood to LAX in 5 mins.

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on May 12, 2017 at 5:48am PDT

Source: Elon Musk (Instagram)

Google Maps uses Street View to keep you on the right path

Google Maps for Android got a slight remake this week, with a couple handy new features on board. It still looks and functions basically the same as the Google Maps you know and potentially love, but Google has smartly integrated some Street View features directly into the navigation view. When you ask the app for directions, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to see the all the turn-by-turn steps as before. But now each step is accompanied by a Street View image of that exact turn.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Google added it to the web version of Maps many year ago, in 2008 in fact (as Android Police notes). Tapping on the Street View image opens it up full-screen, properly facing the direction you’re going on the route. Most people are probably happy enough with the info provided by the turn-by-turn navigation, but if you’re the type to get a little lost these images might help you prepare for the route.

The default view when you pop open the Google Maps app has changed a bit, as well. Now, the bottom third or so of the screen contains info relevant to the time of day and your location, like local lunch spots. Google’s had this location-specific info in Maps for a long time now; they’re just surfacing it in a more obvious way here. These changes should all be available in Google Maps for Android now, but they haven’t rolled out to the iOS app just yet. Given how Google is keen on keeping its apps in parity, these new features will likely hit the iPhone before long.

Via: Android Police

Apple Pay Negotiations Still Ongoing in Germany as Hints of Pending Italian Launch Increase

Apple is “working rapidly” to expand Apple Pay to additional countries in Asia and Europe, and there’s increasing evidence and reports that suggest the service may launch in Italy and Germany in the near future.

Apple recently updated its Apple Pay participating banks and card issuers in Asia-Pacific support document with a new image of Europe that has Italy highlighted. The change isn’t visible on the United States or Europe versions of the page, suggesting that it may have been added to the Asia-Pacific page prematurely.

MacRumors discovered a colored version of the image stored on Apple’s servers that makes it easier to see Italy highlighted.

Apple’s regional Italian website has listed Apple Pay as “coming soon” since March, so it’s only a matter of time—WWDC?—before the payments service launches in the country. At launch, Apple Pay will work with Visa and MasterCard in Italy through participating banks UniCredit, Boon, and Carrefour Banca.

Meanwhile, German blog iPhone-Ticker reports that Apple Pay should launch in Germany in the fall or winter. As in some other countries, however, the negotiations between Apple and German banks allegedly continue to be challenging, likely as both sides struggle to reach an agreement over fees and control.

Last October, Germany was similarly highlighted on the Apple Pay availability map, but only for a brief period of time.

Apple Pay launched in the United States in October 2014, and it has since expanded to 14 other countries and regions: Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. There was also a rumor that Belgium could be added this month.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tags: Italy, Germany
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Review: ExoLens’ Wide-Angle Zeiss Lens is Bulky, but Takes Distortion-Free Photos

ExoLens and Zeiss have teamed up to create some high-quality lenses designed to take iPhone photography to the next level. At $200, the ExoLens PRO with Optics by Zeiss Wide-Angle Kit for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is almost the price you’d pay for a standalone camera, but the lens is distortion free, compact, and enhances the range of images you can capture with your iPhone.

There are dozens of inexpensive lenses on the market, but most of the cheaper options are unable to measure up to the quality you get with the $199 Zeiss/ExoLens combo.

Design

The ExoLens PRO comes in a padded box and ships alongside several mounts to fit different sized iPhones, including the iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus.

Right out of the package, the ExoLens PRO stands apart from other lens options. It’s over an inch tall and similar in circumference to a standard pill bottle, with a solid weight to it. The outside of the lens is made from aluminum, and the glass of the lens itself is protected with caps on each side when not in use. Zeiss branding is on the side of the lens, which looks more like a small DSLR lens than a standard iPhone lens.

Inside the box, there are two carrying bags for the lens and any accessories, along with an aluminum lens hood and an installation guide.

The lens mount, which fits over the camera lens on the iPhone 7 Plus, features two pieces — an aluminum outer mount and a softer gel liner. The two pieces are combined and then slipped over the camera side of the iPhone, a process that’s quick and easy.

Once the lens mount is in place, the ExoLens PRO can be screwed in place and it’s ready to use. Despite its weight, the ExoLens PRO feels stable and secure on the back of the iPhone.

While the lens feels secure, it adds a lot of weight to the iPhone and changes the balance of the device. It’s unwieldy to hold and I needed to use two hands when taking a photo. Even then, I was worried it would slip out of my hands.

The ExoLens PRO can’t be used with a skin or a case on the iPhone, so there’s no real way to add extra grip. The extra weight and bulk of the lens also makes it more difficult to carry — it’s not going to fit in a pocket, and it’s awkward to use for other purposes with the lens attached.

It’s not difficult to pull the lens off when it’s not in use, but it’s worth noting that this is a lens that you’re only going to want to have on the camera for the express purpose of picture taking. There’s a lot more on and off action needed than with smaller lenses like the Olloclip.

The ExoLens PRO lens mount covers up the telephoto lens, so the lens itself only works with the standard iPhone lens. Since this is a wide-angle lens, that’s not a surprise, but it does prevent 2x zoom and Portrait mode from being used while the lens is attached. It does not work with the front-facing camera and it also prevents the flash and the microphone from working properly when attached.

ExoLens has other lens mounting solutions for the iPhone 7, including the newly released $50 ExoLens Case, but the lens mount is the only option for the iPhone 7 Plus at the moment.

Lens and Picture Quality

The lens is a Zeiss Mutar 0.6x Asph T* wide-angle lens, which is an 18mm equivalent. That’s wider than the default iPhone camera, which Apple says is 28mm.

Without ExoLens on left, with ExoLens on right
At 18mm, the Zeiss wide-angle lens is ideal for capturing landscape shots or more of an indoor area, and there’s an anti-reflective coating on the lens that seems to improve image quality when it’s bright outside.

ExoLens example shot
Pictures captured with the lens are as sharp and clear as those taken without the lens, and there is no distortion at the edges, a common issue with wide-angle camera lenses designed for the iPhone. I also saw no artifacts or color aberrations.

ExoLens example shot

Bottom Line

This is something of a niche product, and to be honest, I’m not sure who it’s targeted at. The average iPhone user isn’t going to want to shell out $200 for a wider-angle iPhone lens, nor should they, and photographers who need a wide-angle lens likely have better camera equipment.

It’s a well-built lens that produces high-quality images, but it isn’t a whole lot wider than what you get with the built-in camera (18mm vs 28mm) and it’s bulky and heavy, so it’s not a great solution for most iPhone users.

That said, it takes excellent photos, so if you’re a person with $200 to spare and you take all of your photos on the iPhone and want to extend your range, this is a lens worth considering.

Pros:

• Distortion free
• Easy to put on/remove

Cons:

• Expensive
• Doesn’t work with cases or screen protectors
• Heavy
• Adds a lot of bulk to the iPhone

How to Buy

The ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle Kit with a Zeiss Lens can be purchased from the ExoLens website for $199.95.

Note: ExoLens provided MacRumors with a ExoLens PRO with Optics by Zeiss Wide-Angle Kit for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tags: review, exolens
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Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money, and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Alarm Clock

Alarm Clock turns your iPhone into a beautiful nightstand clock. Don’t fiddle around with the default alarm app — use this elegant version instead.

Available on:

iOS

VisualSignals

Display great and easily visible signal effects on your iPhone with VisualSignals. No more gesticulating wildly to get someone’s attention — just hold up your phone instead.

Available on:

iOS

Recapify

Recapify is a mobile collaboration app that allows users to elegantly recap, communicate, organize, save, and measure high value meeting results, all in two minutes or less.

Available on:

iOS

Easy Translation

Easy Translation, as its name suggests, is an easy to use yet powerful full-text translation tool for iPhone users. With support of around 32 languages, this top-of-the-line app, offers the best possible translation for your text.

Available on:

iOS

ThemeKit

Get access to custom Live Wallpapers that will animate your lock screen and bring it to life. Select a Live Wallpaper from our catalog, and when you 3D Touch your screen it will start animating.

Available on:

iOS

Write for iPhone

This app features automatic Dropbox syncing so you can jot down whatever is on your mind, and rest assured it’ll be safely stored for later use.

Available on:

iOS

Learn to write like a tech-savvy caveman with this Emoji dictionary

Human linguistics began with pictograms. At some point, a particularly enterprising Cro-Magnon decided to dip his finger into the ashes of a smoldering fire — ouch! — and wipe it against the cave wall; thus, language was born. Soon, this new form of communication (a step up from the previous method of indecipherable grunts) began to evolve alongside the creatures that had invented it; in Asia and Mesopotamia, crude drawings of animals soon progressed into logograms and hieroglyphs, and eventually into fully realized alphabets.

Language is always moving forward; venerable institutions like Oxford and Merriam-Webster consistently update their dictionaries to include new words and turns of phrase — for example, this February’s edition of the Merrian-Webster dictionary includes “net neutrality,” “binge-watch,” and “truther”). Recently, though, a funny trend has appeared: Language is also moving backwards. Emoticons, popularized in Japan in the 1980s, use computer-generated punctuation marks to express emotions. As computing devices — specifically, smartphones — became more powerful, a more complex set of pictograms arose, called “Emojis.”

Emojis are tiny, colorful images, made to represent specific objects, emotions, or concepts. Currently, the standard Emoji library (supported on several mobile and desktop operating systems) consists of more than 1,000 different emoticons. Some of these emoticons look extremely similar, especially for those new to the concept, or for those with impaired vision. To that end, we’ve decided to put together a short Emoji dictionary, so you’ll never have to wonder exactly what the younger generation is trying to convey.

Emojis look different depending upon which platform you’re using; since iOS and Android are the most prevalent, we’ve chosen to include images for those two. Visit Emojipedia for a full list of Emojis by platform (links located at the bottom).

Faces

Apple/iOS

Description

Google/Android

This Emoji is smiling. It’s happy!


This Emoji is also happy, and possibly excited.


This Emoji is even happier than the happy Emojis preceding it.


This Emoji appears to be smiling for a photograph, perhaps?


This Emoji is laughing.


This Emoji is laughing so hard that a bead of sweat is rolling down its face. Perhaps it’s a bit awkward now.


This Emoji is either laughing extremely hard or crying tears of joy. Possibly both.


This Emoji is rolling on the floor laughing (ROFL).


This Emoji is smiling; the iOS version seems to imply contentedness, though the Google version isn’t as detailed.


This Emoji is also happy and contented, despite the mysterious disappearance of its eyebrows.


 This Emoji has a halo. Maybe it’s in heaven? Maybe it just performed a good deed. Who knows?


 This Emoji is smiling, but deep down it’s not so sure.


This Emoji is smiling upside down. Use this Emoji only while riding roller coasters.


This Emoji only has one eye.
Or it’s winking.


This Emoji is… asleep? Relieved? Concerned because it’s starting to rain?


This Emoji is in love — probably with the CoCo.


This Emoji is actually eating one of the heart-eyes of the Emoji above, in hopes that its missing eye grows back. Metal.


This Emoji is making a reference to Rick and Morty. Emoji references are always out of control.


This Emoji is pretending to be a duck. QUACK!


This Emoji fell asleep while pretending to be a duck.


This Emoji smells something delicious and mouthwatering.


This Emoji is paralyzed on one side of his body. It’s very sad.


This Emoji is in the middle of a KISS cover band performance.


This Emoji is obviously a dog. [Pant. Pant.]


 This is a premium Emoji. Download it for just $1.99!


 This Emoji loves doing jazz hands. Jazz hands!


This Emoji represents Michael “Squints” Palledorous from The Sandlot.

This Emoji is blind, but still loving life.


This Emoji is a clown. In case you need to freak people out.


This Emoji is a cowboy. It only works if your phone senses that you’re on horseback.


This Emoji thinks it’s smooth.


This Emoji does not think the above Emoji is smooth.


This Emoji is sad, because its eyebrows disappeared — again.


This Emoji got into the trash while you were out of the house. Shame on you, Emoji!


This Emoji just saw something horrifying. Or it’s sleepishly lazy.


This Emoji is tired of hearing about your Crossfit regimen.


This Emoji is unhappy.


This Emoji is even more unhappy.


This Emoji is unhappy, because it has boomerangs for eyes.


 This Emoji is about to cry. Aw.


This Emoji has been traumatized. Treat it with care.


This Emoji is extremely frustrated, because he can’t figure out what all the other Emojis mean.


This Emoji is so mad that he’s blowing steam out of nonexistent nostrils.


This Emoji is gathering energy to activate Super Sayian 2. Stay tuned for several more episodes.


Emoji MAD. Emoji SMASH!


 That’s not an Emoji. It’s a pig’s nose.


 A software update is available for EmojiBot. Restart now?


This Emoji means “no comment.” Or, it means Iron Man. Either way.


This Emoji is surprised.


This Emoji is surprised and a little bit dismayed.


This Emoji just caught its significant other in bed with an ASCII face, and it feels betrayed.


This Emoji is singing. Probably Coldplay’s Yellow.


This Emoji is drunk. Go home, Emoji.


This Emoji is unconscious. Take it to an Emoji Center to have it revived.


You don’t want to know what this Emoji was doing before you walked in.


This Emoji is getting the Violet Bauregarde treatment.


Everything is blue for this Emoji, and himself, and everybody around. Cause he ain’t got nobody to listen.


This Emoji is nervous.


This Emoji is crying.


This Emoji is… crying harder?


This Emoji is drooling. Maybe it smelled some food?


This Emoji is crying even harder than the other crying Emojis. Life must be hard when you have no body and no limbs.


This Emoji is either sweating or getting rained on.


This Emoji is blowing snot bubbles in its sleep. That’s not a joke.


 This Emoji is also asleep, but has the common courtesy to keep its snot to itself.


 This Emoji is worried about a safe falling on its head, Looney Tunes-style.


This Emoji is deep in contemplative thought.


This Emoji definitely doesn’t think that dress makes your butt look big!


This Emoji is grimacing. Not smiling. Stop using it to represent a smile — that’s confusing.


This Emoji had an unfortunate encounter with Jigsaw.


This Emoji is about to throw up.


This Emoji is frustrated because his nose is a ghost.


This Emoji is visiting Beijing.


This Emoji has a fever, and the only prescription is… more cowbell.


This Emoji is slowly becoming a mummy. How scary!

Eat up! Insects may truly be the sustainable food source of the future

Why it matters to you

By cutting back on beef and eating more (yummy?) insects, you can limit your carbon footprint.

We may prefer to squish them in the West but insects are a staple food source in many cultures around the world. They’re cheap, nutritious, some say delicious, and they’re exceptionally sustainable, according to a new study from the University of Copenhagen.

“A lot has been said about the ‘sustainability’ of eating insects, but in reality, there is little research to support these claims,” Afton Halloran, lead author and entomophagy advocate, told Digital Trends.

Cricket farming has taken off in Thailand over the past two decades, with around 20,000 small farms spread throughout the country. Companies have now emerged in Europe and the United States specializing in edible insects. With this in mind, Halloran and her team wanted to test claims that cricket farming could be a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock operations, which have a been shown to negatively impact the environment.

“More consciousness about the environmental impacts of livestock production has been created, and there are many people who are looking for alternative production systems,” Halloran said. “Insect farming has a huge potential and it is only just starting.”

University of Copenhagen

Using data about fifteen different environmental impacts (from global warming potential to resource depletion), the researchers compared chicken farming in Thailand with broiler chicken farming, a process that Halloran said is already relatively efficient and environmentally friendly compared to beef or lamb. The study showed that cricket farming indeed earns its sustainable title.

“That being said, cricket production systems in Thailand are relatively new compared to broiler farming,” Halloran said. “So we believe that cricket farming still has the potential to be optimized both to the benefit of the environment and rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.”

Sustainability is a big plus but it won’t necessarily make crickets catch on with consumers. “Hands down it needs to taste good,” she said. “There is an overabundance of food in the West, and we select the foods that give us pleasure and that we think are delicious.” That shouldn’t be a problem though — Seattle Mariners fans certainly enjoyed them, devouring over 18,000 crickets in three days at Safeco Field in April.

A paper detailing the study was published this week in the Journal Cleaner Production.

Snap TV to host short-form, original content from major networks

Why it matters to you

Snap is readying a platform that’s designed to complement — not compete with — traditional television.

The future of television might be on Snapchat. According to the Wall Street Journal, Snap, Snapchat’s parent company, is in talks with NBCUniversal, Vice Media, and ESPN to produce original, short-form shows for its upcoming streaming service, Snap TV.

Unlike Twitter’s recently announced TV platform, which focuses on live videos, Snap TV will serve up curated, short-form content that will complement traditional television. It will consist of “two to three episodes” of three-to-five-minute original programming from Turner, A&E, ABC, Fox, Discovery, Vice Media, the NFL, and others when it launches in the coming months. The content will stream each day from Snapchat’s Stories section, which currently shows photos and videos from media companies and other Snapchat users.

Snap is reportedly being choosy about the pitches it’s approving, going so far as to give guidance to studio executives. It wants “true original content” instead of promotions, the Wall Street Journal Reports, including scripted dramas, animated series, and daily news shows.

Dennizn / 123RF

NBCUniversal was a test case. A Snapchat spin-off of The Voice tasked users with submitting a 10-second audition clip, which was judged, and the winner went on to make an appearance on the live TV version of The Voice. 

Snap won’t pay for the material upfront. Instead, it will give content creators a cut of the ad revenue — up to 70 percent if they sell the ads themselves, and a a 50-50 split if Snapchat does it for them.

Snap TV is a win-win for Snapchat and content creators. More eyeballs on Snap’s videos (and its ads, by extension) means more revenue to justify the startup’s $25 billion valuation. And Snap’s media partners are betting Snapchat’s more frequent users — the roughly 158 million people who spend about 30 minute using the app daily — will help spread the word.

Nielson reports that media companies that publish Snapchat content see “notable audience growth” on TV and other platforms, and that the app delivered a 16-percent boost to the average monthly reach.

Despite the renewed attention on video content, though, Snap is not abandoning its core strengths anytime soon. In April, it launched Word Lens, which adds augmented reality text, graphics, and animations to real-world scenes. And in May, it debuted a universal search feature that makes it easier for users to find friends, users, emojis, and stories.

See your friends and family in a whole new light with Google Contacts 2.0

Why it matters to you

Organizing your contacts can be tough for someone as popular as you are. Luckily, a revamped Google Contacts is here to help.

Keeping tabs on your contacts is getting a little easier — that is, if you have an Android phone.

After a big update back in August of 2016, Google Contacts for Android is being revamped once again, with Version 2.0 of the mobile app rolling out to users eager to clean up their address books. A number of changes are present in the latest iteration of the app, like an improved account switcher and a new design for your people view.

Perhaps the most obvious change between 2.0 and the previous version of Google Contacts is in the display of individual contacts. Once you click into a name, you’ll no longer be greeted with an edge-to-edge square profile photo. Instead, you’ll see a small circular picture, much like Apple’s Contacts app. Information field are also in a new order, with the phone number first, then email addresses. Once again, this mirrors Apple’s design.

There’s also a newly designed navigation drawer that takes after Android’s standard account switcher. If you tap the drawer, you’ll see a drop-down of accounts with the number of contacts associated in each account. As for moving contacts among accounts, that’s gotten a little easier too, as Google has introduced a “Move” tool to save and transfer contacts.

Otherwise, things haven’t changed all that much. The main list view now features an overflow menu that will let you select multiple contacts at once to share, delete, move, or apply labels to. And there is a new Floating Action Button (FAB) to help you make edits to various contacts. Overall, Google Contacts 2.0 is a bit less colorful than the previous iteration — gone are the colored status bars and icons. Instead, the whole thing looks a bit more streamlined.

You can go ahead and download the newest version of Google Contacts (2.0.7) by heading over to the Play Store. Note that the app is currently only supported on Nexus, Android One, and Google Play Edition devices running Android Lollipop and above.