Oh yeah! Robot joins Olympic torch relay, bashes through a wall on the way

Robots were the stars of the show during day 41 of the Olympic torch relay in Daejeon, as a robot created by the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) carried the torch for a leg of the journey “without fear of cold or even being out there in his birthday suit,” as seen in the above video from Apirang News.

Even more impressive, Hubo took time out from his duties to cut through a brick wall while still holding the torch aloft. Hubo then passed the torch through the hole in the wall to his creator, Professor Oh Jun-ho.

The professor then passed the torch along to another robotic creation, this one a human-controlled “walker” dubbed the FX-2. A joint venture between the Hubo Lab and Rainbow Robotics, the FX-2 was built for the torch relay and revealed to the world for the first time. FX-2 is six feet tall and features two fully articulated hands with five fingers each.

“We aim to be the most connected and technologically advanced Games ever,” Committee President Lee Hee-beom said in a press release. “Today was a chance for us to show the world some exciting technologies that will be showcased during the Games.”

Organizers say it’s the first time a humanoid robot has carried the Olympic torch in the relay, although an underwater robot carried the torch during an earlier leg of the journey.

Hubo won the Robotics Challenge in 2015, an international competition held by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to evaluate disaster response capabilities of robotic technology.

Another local celebrity also participated in the relay: baseball pitcher Park Chan-ho (he went by Chan Ho Park when playing in the U.S.), a former All-Star who played for seven different MLB teams during his 16-year career.

During the games, South Korea will utilize 85 different robots to assist attendees and maintain the venues, according to Business Insider. Some robots will roam the airport, directing visitors to the various attractions in four different languages. Robotic vacuum cleaners, delivery robots and fishing robots will be also utilized.

The robot revolution will certainly continue, as Japan hopes to have an entire “robot village” for the 2020 Summer Olympics, complete with self-driving cars.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Gomer is a soft-robotics A.I. hoping to bring some cheer to your life
• Counting down the 10 most important robots in history
• Honda just rolled out 4 of its cutest robot designs yet
• Like a mechanical shadow, Toyota’s new robot mimics your movements in real time
• Don’t call it a gimbal — Freefly Movi is a ‘cinema robot’ for iPhone shooting

Oh yeah! Robot joins Olympic torch relay, bashes through a wall on the way

Robots were the stars of the show during day 41 of the Olympic torch relay in Daejeon, as a robot created by the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) carried the torch for a leg of the journey “without fear of cold or even being out there in his birthday suit,” as seen in the above video from Apirang News.

Even more impressive, Hubo took time out from his duties to cut through a brick wall while still holding the torch aloft. Hubo then passed the torch through the hole in the wall to his creator, Professor Oh Jun-ho.

The professor then passed the torch along to another robotic creation, this one a human-controlled “walker” dubbed the FX-2. A joint venture between the Hubo Lab and Rainbow Robotics, the FX-2 was built for the torch relay and revealed to the world for the first time. FX-2 is six feet tall and features two fully articulated hands with five fingers each.

“We aim to be the most connected and technologically advanced Games ever,” Committee President Lee Hee-beom said in a press release. “Today was a chance for us to show the world some exciting technologies that will be showcased during the Games.”

Organizers say it’s the first time a humanoid robot has carried the Olympic torch in the relay, although an underwater robot carried the torch during an earlier leg of the journey.

Hubo won the Robotics Challenge in 2015, an international competition held by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to evaluate disaster response capabilities of robotic technology.

Another local celebrity also participated in the relay: baseball pitcher Park Chan-ho (he went by Chan Ho Park when playing in the U.S.), a former All-Star who played for seven different MLB teams during his 16-year career.

During the games, South Korea will utilize 85 different robots to assist attendees and maintain the venues, according to Business Insider. Some robots will roam the airport, directing visitors to the various attractions in four different languages. Robotic vacuum cleaners, delivery robots and fishing robots will be also utilized.

The robot revolution will certainly continue, as Japan hopes to have an entire “robot village” for the 2020 Summer Olympics, complete with self-driving cars.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Gomer is a soft-robotics A.I. hoping to bring some cheer to your life
• Counting down the 10 most important robots in history
• Honda just rolled out 4 of its cutest robot designs yet
• Like a mechanical shadow, Toyota’s new robot mimics your movements in real time
• Don’t call it a gimbal — Freefly Movi is a ‘cinema robot’ for iPhone shooting

Best Verizon Wireless Deals of December 2017

No matter what T-Mobile says, you can actually find some pretty great deals on Verizon.

Verizon Wireless has some of the largest coverage for customers in the United States, and although T-Mobile likes to continually poke fun at the carrier for having high monthly rates, there are actually some really solid deals to be found if you know where to look.

You can typically find quite a few deals being run by Verizon at any given time, but if you only want to look at the best of the best and don’t have time to sift through the garbage, that’s where we come in.

These are best deals on Verizon Wireless right now.

$300 off Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL

Thanks to its practical design, buttery smooth software, and downright fantastic camera, Google’s Pixel 2 is easily one of 2017’s best phones. However, all of that greatness comes at a cost. The regular Pixel 2 starts at $650, and if you want to get its larger brother – the Pixel 2 XL – you’ll need to hand over a minimum of $850.

However, if you’re on Verizon, the carrier is currently offering a pretty incredible deal that’s almost impossible to pass up. As long as you purchase a Pixel 2 or 2 XL on a monthly installment plan, you can get $300 off the total cost. There’s no need to trade-in your current phone and you don’t even have to add a new line of service. Just buy a Pixel 2, pay for it month-to-month, and save 300 bucks.

The $300 discount is paid over the course of 24 months as a monthly bill credit, but once all is said and done, you could end up paying just $350 for a brand-new Pixel 2. Not too shabby.

See at Verizon

Get an Asus ZenFone V Live for free

Verizon’s Pixel 2 deal is tough to beat, but what if $350 is still more money than you’re willing to spend on a phone? What if you want to spend around, oh, $0.00? Some carriers might tell you to kindly excuse yourself from the store if you ask them this, but Verizon will gladly give you an Asus ZenFone V Live.

The ZenFone V Live obviously isn’t the best Android phone ever made, but it’s also not the worst. It’s got a metal body and 2.5D curved glass, front-facing fingerprint scanner, 5-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, Snapdragon 425 processor, 3,000 mAh battery, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat. You’d typically need to spend $168 for the ZenFone V Live, but when switching to Verizon or adding a new line of service, you get it for absolutely nothing when purchased through a monthly installment plan.

See at Verizon

Buy two cases, get one free

After you’ve got your shiny, new phone, you’ll probably want to get a case to protect it. Verizon carriers a surprisingly extensive selection of cases for a lot of its most popular devices, and if you purchase two of them, you’ll be able to get one for free.

You’ll find cases from Otter Box, Incipio, Tech21, and many others, and Verizon even sells Google’s live and fabric cases. I’m absolutely in love with the fabric case for my Pixel 2, and being able to get three of them for $80 is actually a great deal considering just how well they’re made.

See at Verizon

Fitbit Charge 2 and Alta HR for $129

For a lot of people, being more active will be at the top of their new year’s resolutions. Smartphones are awesome tools for logging your calorie and water consumption throughout the day, but if you really want to keep an eye on your physical activity, the best way to do this is with a fitness tracker.

Fitbit’s line of activity trackers are some of the most popular around, and Verizon is currently selling the Fitbit Charge 2 and Alta HR for $129. Both of these wearables typically cost $149, and you don’t need to be a Verizon customer to take advantage of these savings. Just add either Fitbit to your cart, checkout, and you’ll be good to go.

See at Verizon

Carriers

• Which unlimited plan should you buy?
• Verizon’s Unlimited plans: Everything you need to know
• Everything you need to know about the T-Mobile ONE unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about the AT&T Unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan
• Join the Discussion

Hackers shut down plant by targeting its safety system

Hackers have already attacked critical infrastructure, but now they’re launching campaigns that could have dire consequences. FireEye reported that a plant of an unmentioned nature and location (other firms believe it’s in the Middle East) was forced to shut down after a hack targeted its industrial safety system — it’s the first known instance of a breach like this taking place. While the digital assault was clearly serious in and of itself, there are hints that it could have been much worse.

The malware, nicknamed Triton, hijacked a workstation using Schneider Electric’s Triconex safety technology (typically used in power plants). The culprits hoped to modify controllers that could pinpoint safety problems, but some of those controllers entered a failsafe state in response and shut down the plant, leading operators to conduct the investigation that caught the hostile code. Triton was otherwise fairly sophisticated. It would try to recover failed controllers to avoid raising alerts, and would even overwrite its own programs with junk data if it couldn’t salvage a controller inside of a given time window.

The hack wasn’t made possible by a flaw in Triconex itself, FireEye noted. Instead, it appeared to be an “isolated incident.”

While it’s not certain who’s responsible, FireEye said the hack was “consistent” with a “nation state” readying an attack. And that’s concerning, especially if the perpetrators learn from their mistakes. While shutting down a power plant would be bad enough, it’d be worse if the malware could fool a safety system into allowing attacks that would damage the facility and lead to a long-term shutdown or an environmental disaster. In short, companies and governments alike may have no choice but to prioritize defending critical infrastructure if they want to avoid crippling attacks.

Via: Reuters

Source: FireEye

Tesla discourages commercial cars from using Superchargers

Tesla’s Supercharger network was originally designed to enable long-range trips and offer a viable charging option for people who can’t usually top up at home or the office. They’ve quickly become all-purpose stations, however, which can be a pain when it leads to overcrowding and abuse. And Tesla has had enough. As of December 15th, it has implemented a new Supercharger Fair Use policy that discourages commercial EV drivers from topping up, whether they’re ridesharing or delivering goods. Tesla’s not banning use as such, but it might ask you to “modify your behavior” and has warned that it might limit or even block Supercharger access to ensure that chargers are open for personal use.

The policy covers all Superchargers, and any car (new or used) bought from December 15th onward. There may be exceptions to the policy for the sake of “specific local circumstances.”

This isn’t to say that Tesla frowns on commercial uses of its cars. A spokesperson told The Verge that it does “encourage” business use and will cooperate with drivers to find alternative changing locations. With that said, the move is bound to leave some companies scrambling. In many cases, they’re using Superchargers for the same reason you would — to extend their effective range beyond what they can get with slow conventional chargers. If a ridesharing driver has to take several hours to top up their new Model S instead of an hour or less, they may have to scale back their operations. Simply put, this could put a chill on certain commercial uses unless there’s either a large-enough Supercharger network or third parties offer a viable alternative.

Via: Electrek, The Verge

Source: Tesla

Tango vs. ARCore: Which is the future of augmented reality on Android?

Mere weeks after announcing Project Tango was out of beta, Google revealed its software-only augmented reality program, ARCore. Google’s announcement followed the release of Apple’s ARKit, which brought AR to millions of Apple devices via a software update, giving developers plenty of options to run their programs on.

Currently, there are only two devices that utilize Tango: The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and the Asus Zenfone AR. They are both optimized with extra hardware — such as a barometer, motion-tracking camera, and an infrared depth-sensing camera — which improve the function of various AR applications. ARCore, which will run on many Android phones and doesn’t require specific hardware components, has made these two phones redundant.

Tango has been around in some capacity or another since 2014, but the number of AR apps on its devices are limited. Both the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and the Asus Zenfone AR are severely underrepresented in the smartphone industry. ARCore is smart move for Google considering the reach and implications of its competitor’s platform, which is why Google decided to shut down Tango come March 1, 2018.

But how different are the two technologies? Despite its limitations, Tango’s refined hardware makes it faster and more accurate than ARCore. Instead of tracking planes in a video feed like ARCore and ARKit does, Tango uses its hardware to compile a 3D map of a designated area, one that allows you to leave objects in space and return to them later.

While ARCore and ARKit work well on a table and other flat surfaces, Tango is much more successful in mapping larger or irregular shapes, specifically rooms and buildings.

But even though Tango is objectively a better system than ARCore, the new augmented reality program will be able to bring AR to more devices. That’s exciting for consumers and developers who are interested in the budding technology, and gives us opportunities to see more content.

Google will likely take what it learned from Tango and use that knowledge to improve ARCore, which is still in beta. Moving forward, however, we might see elements of Tango’s hardware incorporated into devices running ARCore.

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google kills augmented reality project Tango to focus on ARCore
• Google taking ARCore to next level with AR Stickers, more on Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
• Google wants to bring augmented reality to your smartphone with ARCore
• Insert Stormtroopers into your life with Google’s new AR stickers for Pixel
• Google Poly API, a 3D object and scene repository for developers, rolls out

Best new songs to stream: Future Islands, Ramin Djawadi, and more

Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click — you want the best new songs to stream right now.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Here are the best new songs to stream this week. And don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post. Not sure which streaming service is best for you? Check out our post about the best music streaming services, or go in depth and learn the differences between Apple Music and Spotify to better weigh your options.

Tyler, the Creator — Boredom (and more, live at NPR)

California rapper Tyler, The Creator curated a very memorable experience during his recent appearance at NPR’s offices in Washington D.C., bringing in a full lighting team to illuminate his band during their recent live set. The tones of pink and blue perfectly complement his music, with jazzy drums, upright bass, and keyboards joining elegant background vocals below the rapper’s hyper-personal lyrics.

Future Islands — Beauty Of The Road

Sweaty, energetic live performances are a hallmark of indie-electro band Future Islands, so it seems appropriate that they take center stage in the group’s recently released music video for Beauty Of The Road. The track begins with a simple keyboard and drumbeat, eventually evolving into the a classic four-on-the-floor anthem in the same style that fans have long loved from the Baltimore band.

Ramin Djawadi — Game Of Thrones Main Title (live on KCRW)

Fans of HBO’s smash-hit Game Of Thrones will enjoy this recent live performance on California’s KCRW radio, as composer Ramin Djawadi presents the theme song he composed for the show with a full, live band. Viewers will be interested to see the strings and massive drums that help fuel the famed title track, as well as watch the composer himself play the harpsichord line that acts as its cliffhanging conclusion.

Guided By Voices — Space Gun

Legendary indie rock band Guided By Voices provides your workout track of the week with Space Gun, a heavy-hitting bit of rock ‘n’ roll that will fuel you through any strenuous exercise you take on. Gritty guitars and a heavy beat permeate this gritty new jam, offering the same lo-fi appeal that helped drive the band to prominence in the first place.

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah — Freedom Is A Word

Freedom Is A Word by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Featuring Vic Mensa

Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah has released three incredible albums this year already, but even that’s not enough for the prolific musician. The jazz-pop songwriter recently released this collaboration with Chicago Rapper Vic Mensa, a slow-rolling jam with trumpet and flute solos, as well as passionate, politically charged verses from Mensa.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more songs to stream, and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

Editors’ Recommendations

• Best new songs to stream: Porches, Alvvays, Feist, Grizzly Bear, and Goon
• Best new songs to stream: Arcade Fire, Mac Demarco, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Benjamin Booker, King Krule, Ty Segall, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sufjan Stevens, and more
• Best new songs to stream: Big K.R.I.T., MGMT, Curls, and more

Google Inbox will let you unsubscribe from mailing lists you’ve been ignoring

Like most people, our Gmail accounts are full of promotions we don’t remember signing up for, but luckily, Google now has a fix for that. AndroidPolice reported that Google has released a new feature that makes it easy to unsubscribe from promotional emails you haven’t checked on in at least a month.

The new feature, which works with the web client and mobile app, consists of a new “Inbox Tip” card that asks if you want to unsubscribe from a particular sender’s emails. The card features options to unsubscribe or ignore the tip card.

This new feature doesn’t appear to be available to all users yet, and we’ve seen no reports that it is available on the iOS app, though that doesn’t confirm anything regarding the feature’s place on Apple’s OS. It’s unclear as to when Google plans to roll out the feature to all users, but we imagine it will be coming fairly soon, as it doesn’t appear to be an overly complex addition to Gmail.

Aside from the limited rollout, the other major limitation of this feature is that it only seems to work on emails that Google is able to flag as promotions, so you’ll still need to keep an eye on your inbox.

This is only the latest new feature to be added to Google’s email service. Recently, Google announced that its smart reply feature, which automatically generates email responses, was being used in about 10 percent of all emails sent via the mobile app.

“What this does is it takes an incoming email message and then, given the text of the email message, it tries to predict what are likely responses you might want to give,” Google’s Jeff Dean said. “Now, 10 percent of mobile responses on email on the Inbox product are generated with this Smart Reply feature, so it’s saving people a lot of time.”

Smart replies and inbox monitoring aren’t the only ways that Google is working to save users time. In September, the company rolled out an update which allowed Gmail to automatically convert phone numbers and email addresses into automatic hyperlinks,saving users the trouble of copying and pasting.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google will delete your Android device backups if you’re not diligent
• You can finally do more with the Fitbit Ionic thanks to an OS update
• Google Assistant now lets you subscribe daily to news briefings, weather, facts, and more
• Like that restaurant pic on Snapchat? Now you can book a table within the app
• You can now control Sonos smart speakers directly from the Pandora app

Google starts using more secure packaging for trade-in program

Who’d of thought cardboard was better than a plastic sleeve?

Leading up to the launch of the Pixel 2, Google started a trade-in program to help drastically lower the cost of its shiny, new phone. Quotes for the trade-in program are more than reasonable, but it hasn’t been without its fair share of hiccups. One of the main complaints we’ve heard is that the trade-in kit Google sends out is pretty flimsy, but it looks like this is now being addressed.

The new kit for Google Store trade-ins.

Rather than sending out plastic bubble wrap-lined sleeves, the Google Store is now shipping actual cardboard boxes for people to send out their phones in. Google initially stood behind the plastic sleeves, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t glad to see this change.

The new cardboard box is relatively slim, but the inside is padded with foam on the top and bottom to keep your device safe and secure during its trip.

Most people on the Reddit thread where photos for the box were shared seem to be quite happy with the new packaging, and this should hopefully help to keep headaches during the trade-in process to a bare minimum.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

Best Buy
Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi

Jacquard by Google app gets Illuminate and Find My Phone features

Making your jacket even smarter.

If you’re one of the ten people that decided to throw down $350 for Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket with Google’s Jacquard technology, you’ll be happy to know that the companion app is receiving its first major update with a couple new features to keep your jacket as smart as can be.

The latest version of the app is now 1.1.1(5), and the two biggest additions are Illuminate and Find My Phone. Illuminate lets the Jacquard snap tag blink or shine so you can either show it off at a party or use it as a little flashlight when making your way through town at night, and Find My Phone allows you to tap your jacket to, well, find your phone.

In addition to these two features, there’s also an update to What’s Playing that allows it to work with every music service that’s supported by Jacquard.

The Commuter Trucker Jacket is still a very niche product even with this update, but it is cool to see the thing gaining a couple more tricks to help users get the absolute most out of it. Google’s Jacquard technology isn’t meant to replace your Pixel 2 or anything along those lines, but Illuminate and Find My Phone do seem like smart and useful additions for this platform.

Levi’s will sell its Google-powered connected jacket this fall for $350