I had a one-night stand with a sleep robot

How well do you sleep? Do you toss and turn, read for hours, or count sheep in the hopes of visiting the land of nod, but to no avail? If so, perhaps you should try sleeping with Somnox’s sleep robot.

Although its name suggests otherwise, the Somnox sleep ‘bot doesn’t resemble Maria from Metropolis, or The Terminator — thankfully — and actually looks more like a massive peanut. Hug it, and you feel the soft rise and fall of its body, mimicking someone’s breathing. This calming effect is supposed to lull you to sleep, as your own breathing begins to match the slower pace of the robot’s own, while soothing sounds help relax your mind.

Sounds a bit weird, right?

We thought the same, so we arranged with Somnox to spend the night with a prototype of its new creation to really find out. When it arrived, the robot — which had already been affectionately dubbed “spoonbot” —  attracted plenty of attention ahead of our one and only night together.

Strange bedfellows

“Is that what you’re sleeping with?” people would ask, bringing back upsetting memories I’d heard people ask some of my old girlfriends. To appease their concerns, I’d give a quick demonstration. Once people cradled the robot, puzzled expressions turned to surprise, and even happiness. Most who initially thought the breathing would be creepy changed their minds. It was compared to hugging a kitten, which is decidedly better than treating it like a tiny, limbless torso.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The sleep robot is decidedly unlike a kitten elsewhere. It’s solid, heavy, and although there is a soft fabric shell, it’s very obviously a piece of technology. It also doesn’t feel particularly big once you’re in bed with it (again, upsetting memories flooding back) despite a bulky look. It’s a very non-threatening design, which is important when you’re trying to convince regular people to take a robot to bed. In addition to the kittenish breathing, the sleep robot has a speaker inside that plays various lullabies. The volume is low, even when maxed out, and having the music playing at all is an option.

An app configures the breathing patterns and the music, plus the length of time the sleep robot stays active during the night. It’s very basic, but we didn’t experience any connectivity problems. Interestingly, for a device you sleep with, it doesn’t provide any sleep tracking data at the moment. It doesn’t have a smart alarm, either. These are two features we consider essential here, especially as sleep data would help us understand if sleeping with the bot was making a difference.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

According to Somnox’s website, the smart alarm is being worked on, and all of the sensors required to enable sleep tracking are inside the robot, ready to be activated in a future update. At the moment, the robot’s functionality is basic, and firmly built around the unusual breathing action. Somnox claims this is all based on scientifically proven techniques that reduce stress and promote good sleep. Members of the team were insomniacs, prompting the development of the sleep robot, so there’s genuine passion behind making it work effectively.

Does it work?

I slept through the night, waking only very briefly once, and certainly felt refreshed in the morning despite only resting for a few hours. However, I tested the sleep robot during CES 2018, in a hotel room, and on a different time zone to usual. None of these things make judging good sleep very easy, as exhaustion may have been a large contributing factor to me remembering nothing about my night’s sleep.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Does this mean sleeping with the robot was disappointing? No, because what the Somnox sleep robot didn’t do was disturb me. The breathing action is very subtle, almost to the point where you can’t feel it. I shifted the robot around several times to establish where the breathing could be felt most, but there really wasn’t one. If you’re expecting it to feel like you’re in bed with some kind of slumbering wild animal, it won’t. No-one needs reminding how pleasant it is to feel the breathing of another person, which makes it easy to see the value of a device like Somnox’s. Even if it’s not for you, we envisage some young people, the sick, the lonely, or the vulnerable, getting real value from it.

Although a sock-like pillow case covers the robot, this won’t stop you from feeling the plastic control panel on the side of the prototype we tested. Somnox told us it’s still working on the final look and feel of this piece, which is 3D printed at the moment. Its controls, we’re told, may end up being made from fabric. At the moment, for all its sleep-promoting tech, the sleep robot doesn’t look like a typical lifestyle item to leave out on the bed either. We do think the design could be enhanced to make it more attractive.

Our one-night stand with the Somnox sleep robot was a fascinating experiment.

It’s also really expensive. It’s sold through Indiegogo at the moment for 500 euros, which converts over to nearly $600. That’s a lot of money for a gadget that may or may not help you sleep better, and doesn’t provide any quantifiable data to establish how much difference its making. You just have to trust it. The final version is expected to ship in September.

Our one-night stand with the Somnox sleep robot was a fascinating experiment. We’re not convinced it’s the ideal sleeping partner, but definitely don’t think it should be written off as just another bizarre piece of useless tech with ambitions beyond its ability either. There are still several months to go before it’s ready for sale, and the team has some very ambitious plans for the future, including artificial intelligence, voice control, and the ability to link more than one robot together.

It’s one to watch, and should our paths cross again, I’d be happy to welcome it back into my bed.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Somnox is a robotic pillow that lulls you to sleep by ‘breathing’
• Somnox, the peanut-shaped sleeping robot, ‘breathes’ to help you sleep
• Best sleep gadgets
• Pepper is everywhere in Japan, and nobody cares. Should we feel bad for robots?
• Apple nabs ‘Serial’-inspired true-crime drama ‘Are You Sleeping’

Dell XPS 13 (2018) hands-on review

Research Center:
Dell XPS 13 (2018)

Dell released the first XPS 13 four years ago. Since then, it has reigned as Digital Trend’s favorite overall laptop, without exception – yet it never saw a complete redesign. The XPS 13 sold at the end of last year looked and felt the same as one sold in January 2015. Its dominance of best-of lists is a testament to the original design, but it was starting to show its age as competitors became thinner and lighter.

Thankfully, Dell hasn’t left the XPS 13 to wither. It came to CES 2018 with a full redesign that slims down its flagship 13-incher. The new model is no more than .46 inches thick, down from .6 inches. It weighs a few hundredths of pounds less at 2.67 pounds – not the kind of difference you’ll notice. The new XPS 13 is technically smaller in width and depth but, again, we’re talking small fractions.

Whatever color you choose, the XPS 13 is a looker.

It does feel refreshed. That has less to do with the dimensions, and more to do with how they’re distributed. The original XPS 13 was an aggressive wedge, much thicker in the rear than the front, while the new model is subtle. It’s a minor change, but it’s easy to notice when the XPS 13 is handled.

While it’s received a nip-tuck, the overall look hasn’t changed. The XPS 13 still has aluminum exterior panels alongside a distinctive, woven carbon-fiber interior. Well, there is one change – it’s now available in white, with a rose gold exterior. Dell says that model doesn’t technically use carbon-fiber, but a fiberglass that’s similar in weight and strength. The change in materials is not just about color, but also wear, as the fiberglass is meant to withstand years of use – and stay perfectly white. It’s impossible to say if Dell’s claim will hold up, but the white model’s interior felt stiffer.

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Whatever color you choose, the XPS 13 is a looker. Its woven interior is distinctive, instantly setting the laptop apart from others, even if that’s all you glimpse. Flattening the design has only helped the already sleek profile, and it once again looks thoroughly modern. I can’t think of a laptop that looks better.

The screen bezels are even thinner than before. Dell is very close to having no bezel at all, and it looks stunning. The excellent screens help seal the deal. While 1080p is standard, as before, the upscale option is now a 4K panel instead of 3,200 x 1,800. On a sadder note, Dell has ditched the matte, non-touch option.

Dell XPS 13 (2018) Compared To

Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe…

HP Spectre 13 (2017)

Asus ZenBook Flip S

Huawei Matebook X WT-W09

Toshiba Portege Z30-C1310

Razer Blade Stealth

Toshiba Portege Z20t

LG Ultra PC 14Z950

HP Spectre 13t

Samsung ATIV Book 7

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5

Acer Aspire S5

Lenovo IdeaPad U310

HP Folio 13

Asus Zenbook UX31

Whether you’ll notice the 4K screen’s extreme sharpness is debatable, but it looks great all the same, and it helps define the XPS 13 as a leader in displays. Even many of Dell’s more expensive competitors, like the HP Spectre 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 13, have opted not to embrace 4K.

Fast hardware, with one sacrifice

Despite its size, the XPS 13 manages to squeeze in Intel 8th-gen quad-core processors. That’s paired with up to 16GB of memory, and up to 1TB of PCI Express solid-state storage. This is serious hardware, and it presented Dell with a problem. How could they squeeze it in without making the laptop too hot to handle?

Unlikely assistance was found in Gore fabric, a material used for light, durable, yet well-insulated athletic gear. Dell uses it in the cooling system to help direct heat without greatly increasing size or weight. That means the heat goes out the exhaust instead of radiating through the case and then, uncomfortably, onto your lap. I can’t give a final verdict on it yet, but noticed the demo units felt very cool to the touch.

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Most the new laptop’s features are a clear step forward, but Dell did have to make a concession with the battery. The new model has a 52 watt-hour unit, while the older version had 60 watt-hours of juice. That’s about 15 percent less – yet the battery life is estimated at more than 19 hours. That figure, if correct, would be enough to nearly double the MacBook Pro 13.

Look closely at Dell’s website, though, and you’ll see the 19-hour figure is actually less than the old model, which was quoted at up to 22 hours – an absurd figure, to be sure. Still, the difference acknowledges the obvious. Intel’s new 8th-gen processor is more efficient, but it also has more cores. Our testing has shown that most laptops drain their battery more quickly under full load, relative to a 7th-Gen dual-core. Throw in an upgrade in display resolution for the top-tier model, and you have the perfect recipe for reduced battery life.

I should also note that the XPS 13 completely abandons USB-A in favor of USB-C and Thunderbolt. DisplayPort is still available, though, along with a card reader and a headphone jack. The Thunderbolt/USB-C ports are used to charge the laptop, which no longer uses a proprietary jack. I have no doubt that lack of USB-A will disappoint some, but on a laptop this thin, there’s just no room.

Our brief time with the new XPS 13 left us impressed. It even retains a great keyboard with good key feel, something the XPS 15 2-in-1 sacrificed to shave off a few pounds.

You can purchase the Dell XPS 13 now, starting at $1,000.

More details emerge of Facebook’s rumored Echo Show competitor

Facebook’s debut device may have crashed and burned back in 2013, but a few years away from the game has apparently given it time to build its team and give hardware another shot.

But instead of a smartphone, this time around the company is thought to be developing a video chat device similar in some ways to Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo Show. Rumors about such a product have been swirling around for many months, but a new report from live news and entertainment company Cheddar suggests the social networking giant is just months away from the big reveal.

Insiders told Cheddar this week the device is likely to be called “Portal” and cost $499 — that’s $270 more than the Echo Show. The sources said Facebook wants to show off the device in May, 2018, at its annual developer conference, and start shipping it before the end of the year.

The report says nothing of the size of the device, though last year Bloomberg suggested it would have a display of between 13 and 15 inches, around double that of the Echo Show.

While it could well incorporate some smart-speaker functionality, to separate it from the smart-speaker market Portal is expected to act more as a video chat device to help families and friends stay in touch. So how will Facebook separate it from the plethora of messaging apps with video chat features? Well, the tablet-like device will reportedly respond to voice commands and have the social networking site at its heart, with facial recognition technology working to automatically connect users to their accounts.

If and when Portal sees the light of day, it’ll be the first product to emerge from Facebook’s secretive Building 8 lab.

The lab launched in 2016 and, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is pursuing “augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, connectivity, and other important areas.”

A Facebook job ad speaks of Building 8 launching “seemingly impossible products that define new categories that advance Facebook’s mission of connecting the world.” Whether Portal fits that lofty description remains to be seen.

What we do know is that any new hardware effort from Facebook has to be a serious improvement on the smartphone it launched in 2013. The HTC-made, Facebook-focused device received underwhelming reviews and disappeared from view just months after launch.

Editors’ Recommendations

• British boy finally gets his camera back after it drifted all the way to Germany
• Facebook says no thanks to Apple, new feature will only be on Android platforms
• Amazon Echo Plus review
• Facebook Workplace upgrades target popular office chat apps like Slack
• Harmon Kardon Invoke review

Samsung Galaxy A8+ with Infinity Display and dual front cameras debuts in India for ₹32,990

The Galaxy A8+ brings the Infinity Display to the mid-range category while introducing dual selfie cameras.

After teasing an imminent arrival last week, Samsung has launched the mid-range Galaxy A8+ in India. The phone will be available exclusively on Amazon India for ₹33,990 ($530), with sales set to kick off from January 20.

The highlight of the Galaxy A8+ is dual cameras at the front, a first for the South Korean manufacturer. Samsung has always stated that the Galaxy A series is aimed at a younger audience, and therefore the A8+ is the first phone to get the dual 16MP + 8MP camera configuration up front with an f/1.9 lens.

The addition of dual front cameras also means the A8+ features Live Focus, Samsung’s take on portrait mode that made its debut last year on the Galaxy Note 8. Round the back, the phone features a 16MP f1.7 shooter that Samsung says is optimized for shooting in low-light conditions. We’ll put that to the test later this month.

Another feature that trickled down from Samsung’s 2017 flagships is the Infinity Display, and while the A8+ doesn’t sport a QHD panel, it does offer a 6.0-inch 18.5:9 Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2220 x 1080. The minimal bezels should make it easier to use the device one-handed.

The Galaxy A8+ is a direct competitor to the OnePlus 5T.

The Galaxy A8+ is also the first in the Galaxy A series to support Samsung’s Gear VR headset, which allows the company to lower the barrier to entry for mobile virtual reality. As we’re on the subject of making features more accessible, the A8+ comes with Samsung Pay, which is the only mobile payments system currently available in India.

Samsung is launching the Galaxy A8+ variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory in India, making it a direct competitor to the OnePlus 5T. Elsewhere, you’ll find an Exynos 7885 Octa with two 2.2GHz Cortex A73 cores and six 1.6GHz A53 cores, IP68 dust and water resistance, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, and a 3500mAh battery.

There’s certainly a lot to like about the Galaxy A8+, and it’ll be interesting to see how the device fares next to other phones in this segment. The phone is going up for sale starting January 20 for ₹32,990, and will be sold in black and gold color options.

Will you be picking up the Galaxy A8+? Let us know in the comments below.

See at Amazon India

Hulu’s latest exclusive is an indie-horror anthology series

Recently, Hulu’s efforts to bolster its stable of exclusive programming (original and otherwise) has been in high gear. That trend continues with an as-of-now untitled horror anthology series from the macabre-centric Blumhouse Productions according to Variety. Rather than release an episode a week or all at once, they’ll be released once a month for 12 months, starting this October. From the sounds of it, Hulu might be interested in targeting horror fans beyond this series.

This month alone, Hulu has picked up streaming rights to Lost and announced it’ll stream old episodes of classic cartoon Animaniacs in addition to producing new ones. The streaming service also picked up a Golden Globe for its original show The Handmaid’s Tale. In its quest to pick up more subscribers, Hulu will have to start appealing to a wider base. Horror fans are plenty passionate, and if the right names are attached to this project, could help push Hulu beyond the current 17 million subscribers it currently enjoys.

Via: AV Club

Source: Variety

‘PUBG’ update makes it easy to report cheaters from replays

Cheating in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is getting to be a problem. What started on the third-person servers has started invading first-person ones as well. As such, PUBGCorp is releasing an update for the battle royale game that gives additional options for reporting nefarious players. “Starting with the current test build … you will be able to report players directly from the replay feature of our game,” according to the Steam Community page. “This means that you no longer need to be killed by a suspected cheater for you to be able to use the in-game reporting tool.” As Polygon writes, when you right-click on a name in the player list or while observing them in follow mode, you’ll find the new report button.

More than that, the update brings new types of crates and a couple of new outfits.

When we spoke to Minkonet last month, the replay feature’s developer, the company’s Gilbert Kim said that curbing cheating was one of the ultimate goals for the feature.

“We can’t prevent a hack completely,” Kim said. “But because of what we do with the 3D death cam … sometimes our technology can find out how they died. Is there something a little bit suspicious, maybe something we should be looking at?”

With further testing, the new reporting tools will make their way into the live servers, and PUBGCorp promises it’ll announce when that happens.

Via: Polygon

Source: Steam Community

Razer’s Hyperflux wireless mouse is powered by its pad

Pads that wirelessly charge mice aren’t new, but they are difficult to pull off, especially when appealing to the high-performance gaming crowd. We found Logitech’s effort — its PowerPlay system of mat and companion mice — hit the right mix of reliability and ultra-low signal delay to be a viable choice. Not to be outdone, Razer introduced its own attempt at CES: The Hyperflux suite.

At $250 for the bundle, the Hyperflux Firefly (pad) and Mamba (mouse) aren’t cheap, but they’re priced identically to Logitech’s PowerPlay mat and pricier mouse. And that’s kind of the point: If you dig Razer’s style, this is the wireless combo for you: Like its other peripherals, both boast high-precision (the Mamba mouse’s optical sensor boasts 16,000 DPI and up to 450 inches per second, or 50 G of acceleration) and lights around the Firefly pad light up in 16.8 million colors. Just make sure you’re comfortable using both parts of Razer’s kit: Unlike Logitech’s PowerPlay mice, the Mamba doesn’t include a battery and relies on the Firefly for power.

In short, once gamers are satisfied with these products’ performance, then the miracle of wireless mat & mice may enter the mainstream and we’ll never have to worry about manually charging a mouse again. Razer’s Hyperflux system (available only in the $250 bundle) will be available at select retailers in Q1 2018.

Source: Razer

Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 in February

You won’t see Samsung’s upcoming flagship phone before CES 2018 ends, but you won’t have to wait that long to get a peek either. DJ Koh, the Korean conglomerate’s mobile chief, has announced at a press conference in Las Vegas that the company will launch the Galaxy S9 and S9+ at Mobile World Congress. Samsung will also reveal when the phone will be available for purchase at the annual trade show, which will take place at the end of February in Barcelona, Spain.

Previous reports claimed Samsung will offer a peek at the Galaxy S9 at the Consumer Electronics Show, but a company spokesperson quickly squashed that rumor. At least you won’t have to wait until the customary spring event Samsung typically holds to launch its flagship devices like it did with the Galaxy S8. What can you expect from the S9? Well, Samsung’s next-gen phone chips point to the possibility of face detection, though supposedly leaked images also show a fingerprint scanner on the device’s rear side.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: ZDNet

Furrion Robotics’ 8,000-pound Prosthesis mech takes a big step toward the future

Many a child grows up dreaming of the day when they can pilot a giant robot (or mech, to be precise), only to discover that, like flying cars and blaster pistols, such a thing remains in the realm of science fiction. Naysayers will claim giant mechs aren’t feasible, but that pessimism hasn’t dampened the dreams of inventors who hope to one day make a colossal, walking suit of armor capable of defending the Earth against alien invasions — or even more mundane tasks. Furrion Robotics is going full-steam ahead with research into mechs. Its Prosthesis mech was one of the coolest things at CES 2017, and although the first test run was brief, to say the least, it’s still an exciting project.

Furrion co-founders Matt and Aaron Fidler stopped by Digital Trends’ CES 2018 booth to talk about their creation. Last time Digital Trends checked in with the Prosthesis, it could only tremble. New footage from Furrion now shows the mech taking full steps across a desert landscape. That’s good progress, especially since the Fidlers intend the mech for use not in war, but in racing.

“Once we’re happy with the level we’re at with the technology and the human training … the next step is to build a second mech or a third mech, and then within two years, hopefully, we launch the first X1 mech racing league,” the Fidlers said.

The idea for Prosthesis originated with inventor Jonathan Tippett, whom the Fidlers teamed up with to bring the concept to life. It stands 15 feet tall, and weighs aboau 8,000 pounds. Given its mass, it should come as no surprise that it doesn’t move too quickly, topping out at around 20 mph. That doesn’t mean Prosthesis is easy to pilot, however. The mech eschews computers, relying on the human pilot to move the limbs; as such, pilots will need to be athletic to keep the mech moving.

Prosthesis gets about 90 minutes of power from its batteries, depending on the terrain, and so the Fidlers envision “long-haul, A to B races, where you have energy stops along the way, almost like a pit stop in a Formula 1 racing league.”

Prosthesis is still very much a prototype, but its development so far is remarkable. Mechs may seem a pipe dream, but every so often, a dream comes true.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Pepper is everywhere in Japan, and nobody cares. Should we feel bad for robots?
• High 10! This bionic prosthetic gives you an extra hand on each arm
• Here’s how to watch the epic USA vs. Japan giant robot battle to the death
• The 12 best PSVR games available today
• Doctors will help end hearing loss by 3D printing tiny prosthetic ear bones

The Ember Ceramic Mug makes sure your coffee never, ever gets cold

You may not know the name, but electric mug manufacturer Ember has actually been around for a while. In 2015, we wrote about the Ember Smart Mug, a 12-ounce travel mug (really, a thermos) outfitted with a microprocessor-controlled, dual-band heating system capable of keeping your coffee hot (or your cold beverage cold) for hours.

Then, last November, Ember went ahead and blew our minds by launching the Ember Ceramic Mug, an actual ceramic mug imbued with the same incredible heating powers. When we found out Ember’s team had a booth at this year’s CES in Las Vegas — specifically, at the Pepcom media event — we knew we had to pay them a visit and see this bad boy for ourselves. Digital Trends’ very own Jake Rossman spoke with Ember representative Jolene to learn more about Ember and its magical mugs.

“We’re a design-led temperature-control brand,” said Jolene. “The Ember Ceramic Mug will keep your drink at the perfect drinking temperature, exactly how you want it.” The Ember app allows users to choose a temperature anywhere from 120 degrees to 145 degrees, and once you’ve set a preferred temperature, the mug will “remember” and automatically activate when it detects hot coffee (or tea!) being poured in. The mug comes with a charging pad, where you’ll want to keep it at night so you never run out of juice. The mug sports a minimalist design; you probably would never guess its capabilities without looking closely.

The travel mug, meanwhile, has a digital readout on the side and a twist control ring at the top, which you can spin to adjust temperature to your liking. According to Jolene, Ember is even considering expanding into the cooling market (is there a cooling market?): “We’re definitely exploring some other products and expanding into new markets. We’re even considering dishware.” If you’re in the market for a plate that keeps your food warm — and who wouldn’t be? — keep your eye on Ember in the future.

For now, the Ember Ceramic Mug will run you a cool $80, and you can get it from Ember’s website or from most Starbucks cafes across the country. The travel mug/thermos will cost $150, and you can only find it on the Ember website.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Elegant Ember Ceramic Mug keeps your coffee hot through the long, cold winter
• Ember’s Temperature-Controlled Ceramic Mug Keeps Coffee Hot for Hours
• The best coffee makers you can buy
• Develop better hydration habits with the DrinKup water bottle
• Nearly indestructible Mymug is the dream of butterfingers everywhere