From robot insects to human-sniffing sensors, this rescue tech could save lives

Elon Musk’s futuristic “mini-sub” ultimately wasn’t used in the recent daring rescue of 13 people trapped in a cave in Thailand. However, its much-publicized existence reminded the world of the important role similarly cutting-edge technology will increasingly have a role to play in similar disaster rescue efforts.

From inflatable vine robots to skin-sniffing smart sensors, read on for six of the high-tech tools which could one day save your life.

Search and rescue drones

We’ll start with the most common technology on this list: drones. Forget being tools of the future; examples of camera-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being employed by emergency response teams are already playing out.

Earlier this year, the technology was used to help guide emergency responders to the residence of a resident in Hawaii whose home risked being swallowed up by lava following a volcanic eruption. As drones’ flight time increases, these will only become a more widespread tool in the arsenal of lifesavers.

A growing vine robot

Created by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, this flexible, vine-like robot is capable of growing up to 236 feet in length by pumping itself full of air.

By doing this, it can snake through complex environments, lifting objects, and extending through gaps just 10 percent of its diameter. Because of its hose-like design, the robot could be used for moving materials from rescuers to whoever needed to be rescued.

“One of the areas we’re most interested in is search and rescue,” Professor Elliot Hawkes, lead researcher on the project, told Digital Trends. “We imagine growing the robots through rubble and debris to help find trapped survivors. The robot could deliver water or oxygen to the survivor, and possibly pry rubble off the survivor.”

Harvard’s insect rescue-bots

If you’re in need of a savior in a disaster scenario, what could be a more welcome sight than a rescue robot that’s literally capable of walking on water? That’s what Harvard researchers have developed with its ongoing insect-inspired Harvard’s Ambulatory MicroRobot (HAMR) project.

These miniature rescue bots may be diminutive, but they show off some impressive capabilities, including scampering over ground at high speeds, walking on top of and under water, and — in the future — hopefully climbing and jumping, too.

“Think about a scenario in which a building collapsed due to earthquake or tsunami,” Kevin Chen, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, told Digital Trends. “There are many people trapped in confined and cluttered environments. We can send in a swarm [of hundreds] of these small robots into the site to search for survivors. These robots should be able to overcome obstacles on land. In addition, when facing water puddles, the robots need to bypass these by walking on the water surface or dive down to avoid obstacles on the water surface.”

SmokeBot

Örebro University

No, it’s not a cigar-chomping automaton like Bender from Futurama. Instead, SmokeBot is a robot designed to assist firefighters when they enter smoke-filled buildings. The big selling point of SmokeBot is its ability to spot things firefighters may not — thanks to a combination of gas sensors, radar, a laser scanner, and a thermal camera.

It can then relay this information in the form of maps of its surroundings for assisting fire services or search-and-rescue teams. While the robot has to be remote-controlled by a human user, by way of WiFi, it possesses the smart ability to autonomously return to the last position it had good internet reception if this connection is cut off.

“[We were interested in using robots for] operating in low-visibility environments, a scenario where robots could be very helpful, but in which it was not possible to use them prior to SmokeBot,” Achim Lilienthal, project coordinator and professor of Computer Science at Sweden’s Örebro University, told Digital Trends.

Human-sniffing sensors

American Chemical Society

Finding survivors in the aftermath of disasters, such as earthquakes or bombings, is a major challenge — with serious time constraints. To help with this, researchers from Austria, Switzerland, and Cyprus have developed an inexpensive sensor designed to literally “sniff out” survivors who may be trapped.

The sensor is both light and portable enough that it could be carried by first responders or mounted onto a drone. It can detect a person’s chemical signature at even the tiniest, trace-level concentrations.

“We tested our sensors in a human entrapment simulation,” Sotiris Pratsinis, Professor of Process Engineering at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, told Digital Trends. “Volunteers were enclosed in a gas-tight chamber to accumulate their breath and skin emissions. The sensors rapidly detected human presence by sensing tiny amounts of these chemicals, at levels unprecedented for portable detectors — down to three parts per billion. The next step is to test the sensor array in the field with first responders under conditions similar to those expected in the aftermath of a calamity.”

MIT’s Cheetah bot

Certainly the coolest-looking robot on this list, Cheetah is a four-legged robot built by MIT engineers. Currently in its third iteration, the 90 lbs Cheetah can handle uneven terrain, make some impressive leaps, and even navigate effectively in pitch black darkness thanks to some smart spatial awareness tech.

The team behind the work hope that it can one day be used as part of rescue missions in disaster relief situations.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Harvard’s latest robot can walk on water. Your move, Jesus
• A lightweight sensor can help sniff out survivors in disaster zones
• SmokeBot robot can see things human firefighters can’t in smoke-filled rooms
• MIT’s Cheetah 3 robot doesn’t need sight to navigate stairs
• It sounds ridiculous, but these beaver bots are designed for disaster zones

A Japanese startup is planning an artificial shooting star show by 2020

Barcroft Media/Getty Images

Who says you have to wait around for a meteor shower? Certainly not ALE Co., a Tokyo-based startup that wants you to wish upon a shooting star anytime you’d like. The company is looking to develop a system that would offer paying customers “shooting stars on demand,” and as per a report by Japan Times, the first man-made meteor shower in the history of the world could take place in just two years.

The system depends upon two satellites, both of which are currently being developed. The first should be launched into orbit in March 2019, while its sibling would take flight sometime next summer. Each satellite will carry around 400 tiny spheres, each of which contain a proprietary chemical formula that would mimic falling stars in the sky. Think of them, in some ways, as extraterrestrial fireworks. Each of the little spheres could be reused, which means that they could be repurposed for between 20 and 30 artificial shooting star shows.

The satellites purportedly have a lifespan of around 24 months, and would be programmed to send the tiny fireworks flying in the right place, speed, and direction in order to achieve visible illumination even over an extremely crowded metropolitan area (think Tokyo or New York City). And because they would be shot out in space, millions of viewers could be able to enjoy the show from their own homes, ALE claims.

“We are targeting the whole world, as our stockpile of shooting stars will be in space and can be delivered across the world,” ALE CEO Lena Okajami told reporters.

Should all systems continue to operate smoothly during these planning and production phases, both satellites could be in place by February 2020, and an initial test run could be ready to go later in the spring. That means we’ve less than two years to think of all of our most pressing desires and make as many wishes as possible.

The first test is slated to take place over Hiroshima, which was chosen thanks to its weather, landscape, and cultural background, the company said. It’s unclear exactly how much you’ll have to pay in order to order a meteor shower of your own. The initial tests have a budget of $20 million, which includes the cost of launching a pair of satellites.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to take pictures of the stars
• ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ review
• You’re doing it wrong! Here’s the perfect way to watch every Star Wars film
• Here’s how to watch all of the Star Wars films and series online
• The best point-and-shoot cameras you can buy

Best Tempered Glass Screen Protectors for Google Pixel 2

Don’t scratch that Gorilla Glass.

The Google Pixel 2 is pretty amazing — and if you want to keep it in amazing condition, you should be sure to protect that screen with a screen protector. Tempered glass screen protectors are your best option for protecting your phone’s screen from drop damage and general wear and tear. And chances are you will see some wear over time.

Fortunately, there’s a number of great options out there for you to choose from. Let’s dive in!

• Whitestone Dome Glass Tempered Glass Screen Protector
• Power Support Tempered Glass Film
• IntelliGLASS Tempered Glass Screen Protector
• Supershieldz Tempered Glass Screen Protector [2-pack]
• ZeKing Tempered Glass Screen Protector [2-pack]
• InvisibleShield Glass+ Tempered Glass Screen Protector
• amFilm Pixel 2 XL Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Whitestone Dome Glass Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Top Pick

The Whitestone Dome Glass screen protector has quickly become one of the more trusted options for keeping your smartphone display safe. Sure, it’s absolutely the most expensive option but it has won over a ton of fans.

Typically sold for $60, you can get one for the Pixel 2 for just $45. Check out this review and installation guide to get an idea of how this tempered glass screen protector uniquely adheres like no other screen protector you’ve seen before. If the worst case scenario has already occurred and your screen is cracked, think of this as a second chance screen before dropping hundreds of dollars on a proper replacement screen. The packaged UV light required to complete the curing process makes this a bit more of an involved process, but if you spend the time to install it right the first time you should have one of the most reliable screen protectors for your Pixel 2!

See at Amazon

Power Support Tempered Glass Film

Official Offering

Next, we’ll shift gears and look at the tempered glass accessory Google sells alongside the Pixel 2 on the Google Store. It has a black border at the top and bottom to help with lining it up during installation and also has cutouts around the front-facing speakers. Curved edges ensure a good in-hand feel, and the oleophobic coating will ensure you’re not constantly wiping fingerprint and grease smudges off of your screen.

Google is selling this screen protector for a whopping $39.95, but for that money, you can be sure that it’s a quality product and designed precisely for your Pixel 2.

See at Google

IntelliGLASS 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Thinnest Option

IntelliARMOR is a trusted brand in phone protection, and right now they’ve got a great deal on their IntelliGLASS 3D screen protectors. Regularly sold for $45, you can get one for just $20.

The IntelliGLASS screen protector is incredibly thin and features the ever-important oleophobic coating to prevent oils and dirt from sticking to your screen. It’s a great option that is super thin and lightweight but tough when it counts. IntelliGLASS uses a silicone-based adhesive that makes for an easy installation, and if you have any problem the IntelliARMOR customer service will work to make things right. It’s available with a white or black border, or you can opt for the IntelliGLASS HD that’s fully transparent and starts shipping the first week of December.

See at IntelliARMOR

Supershieldz Tempered Glass Screen Protector [2-pack]

Best Value

If you like screen protectors with a border around the screen (which helps with installation), you should check out this affordable offering from Supershieldz. This two-pack of tempered glass screen protectors includes all the features you’d expect, such as hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings to keep your screen clean.

The kit includes alignment stickers and Supershieldz guarantees a bubble-free installation. If you run into any issues, you can contact Supershieldz customer support as it offers a no-hassle lifetime replacement warranty on its products. Available for just $7.99, this is a premium option at a budget price.

See at Amazon

ZeKing Tempered Glass Screen Protector [2-pack]

Most Coverage

ZeKing offers a really good option if you don’t like leaving the top and bottom edges of your phone exposed. Opting to provide precise cutouts around the front-facing speakers instead, this two-pack of tempered glass screen protectors will offer good protection for the entirety of the display up to the curved edge of the screen glass.

It’s a basic kit but includes all the standard features including an oleophobic coating for fingerprints along with alcohol wipes for a clean installation. At just $5.99, you aren’t likely to find a better deal on a tempered glass screen protector.

See at Amazon

InvisibleShield Glass+ Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Trusted Brand

Zagg is a trusted name in phone accessories, and especially screen protectors.

The InvisibleShield Glass+ provides ample impact protection for your screen and is designed to withstand shattering itself. If it does, you can count on its limited lifetime warranty in which it’ll replace the screen protector if it gets worn or damaged for as long as you own the phone (you only pay shipping and handling costs).

It’s also smudge- and scratch-resistant, too, so it will hold up nicely to daily wear and tear — and you wouldn’t expect any less from a product that costs $39.99.

See at Zagg

amFilm Pixel 2 XL Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Best for 2 XL

One of the few options available for the Pixel 2 XL, this tempered glass screen protector from amFilm should do the trick. It’s been specifically designed for the larger model and claims to offer edge-to-edge protection with an improved adhesive gel. The glass has a black trim around the perimeter of the curved corner display, and notches cut out of the top and bottom to accommodate the front-facing speakers.

This is a case-friendly screen protector that features an invisible dot matrix to simulate fingerprint contact most accurately. It also has an olophobic coating to prevent fingerprints which is always important.

There may be cheaper options to come, but for $12.99 you’ll get everything you’ll need to ensure a clean installation and quality protection for your new phone.

See at Amazon

Which screen protectors do you trust?

Are you going to grab something off our list? Eyeing a different brand? Let us know in the comments!

Update July 2018: These are still the best options for protecting your Pixel 2 screen.

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

The Pixel 2 XL’s still got it, which bodes well for the Pixel 3

If you can avoid paying full price, the Pixel 2 XL is still worth it.

We’re sometimes guilty of being a little fickle when it comes to older phones. As new toys arrive, and release cycles grind on, phones from years past are left to collect dust.

The Google Pixel 2 XL is an exception. It has unquestionably aged better than just about any Google phone before it, be it a Nexus or a Pixel. For a phone that had a tumultuous launch, thanks to some concerns around the display, the Pixel 2 XL stood the test of time better than I could’ve imagined.

We’re still a few months away from the next generation of Pixel phones, and with the final version of Android 9.0 dropping very soon, plus price drops on the Google store and elsewhere, this phone is still a tempting proposition. If you care about having the latest Android software and Google features, then the Pixel 2 will be running software in August that other flagships like the Note 9 probably won’t get until at least a couple months into 2019.

Of course, there’s more to a phone than the version of Android it runs. The Pixel 2 XL is a generation behind the current crop of high-end Androids if you just look at the spec sheets. You get last year’s Snapdragon 835 instead of this year’s 845. 4GB of RAM versus the increasingly standard six.

Real-world performance, though, is basically on par with many of the Snapdragon 845 phones we’ve been using over the past few months, with only tiny differences in app load speeds. Even then, it’s pretty much a coin toss as to which one feels faster to use. The only downside I’ve really seen has to do with that four gigabytes of RAM. Compare it to the OnePlus 6, for instance, with its monstrous eight gigs of RAM, and it’s clear OnePlus’s phone is the superior multitasker.

Having the latest version of Android is all well and good — the Pixel 2 XL will have Android 9 comfortably before any other phone. And it’s guaranteed for platform updates through until Android R in 2020. But the real strengths of the Pixel comes from the extra stuff Google’s layered on top. Features like “Now Playing”, which identifies music playing when you’re out and about, are things that still delight me whenever I switch back to the Pixel. And then there’s the legendary Pixel camera, which is so good mostly because of the HDR+ processing that Google’s developed over the past few years.

Sure, there are ports of the Pixel camera for other phones, but none work as well as the real deal on a Pixel 2.

Pixel 2 camera’s still got it. pic.twitter.com/W1Nz4UyZbG

— Alex Dobie (@alexdobie) July 18, 2018

This is still a top-three camera. Although it’s beaten in one or two areas by the Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20 Pro, the Pixel’s camera is absolutely a reason to recommend it over other flagships. It’s not quite the best anymore in low light, but it still captures a ton of color detail in the dark. And dynamic range is spectacularly good. Photos from the Pixel 2 have a magical quality that’s hard to replicate on any other handset. And it’s still the camera, more than anything, that lures me back to a Pixel now and again, even when reviewing newer and shinier things.

Something else that’s held up surprisingly well is this phone’s battery life. Even after around nine months of use, with hardware that’s a generation old, my Pixel 2 XL’s longevity compares favorably to the Galaxy S9+, OnePlus 6, LG G7, HTC U12+ and just about any other 2018 flagship you might care to mention. (The only exception being Huawei’s Mate 10 and P20 Pro, with their extra-large batteries.)

The Pixel 3 is just around the corner. Nevertheless, if you can find the Pixel 2 XL with a reasonable discount, it’s absolutely still worth picking up. The phone was briefly discounted on the Google Store, but most outlets have reverted back to the $849 base price, which you definitely shouldn’t pay. If you are buying outright, Amazon has a few refurb options at a more palatable price point.

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

Other odds and ends for a lazy Sunday:

• Am I the only one having deja vu around the new proactive Google Assistant? This new feature essentially recreates many of the capabilities of Google Now when it debuted back in 2012 with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. We’ve come full circle.
• Hopefully this is the death knell for the current Google Feed, which as I mentioned here is currently little more than a below-average news aggregator. Surely the new proactive Assistant is poised to replace the Feed on the next round of Pixel phones. The new Google News app leaves little reason for the Feed to continue to exist in its current form.
• Looks like the Samsung Galaxy Watch (probably) won’t run Wear OS after all. Makes sense, for the reasons I laid out in this video. Samsung shipping a Wear OS watch could only happen if Google were to essentially buy Samsung’s cooperation. Even then, there’s the question of what would happen with other Tizen gadgets like the Gear Fit series, which are a poor fit for Wear OS’s UI. Either way, in the absence of Google bucks to sweeten the deal, Tizen is the far more likely bet.
• Google got slapped with a $5.1bn fine this week, and Russell Holly has a great explainer of the issues involved. The company has always walked something of a tightrope with “open” Android. AOSP Android is still open-source, but progressively less and less of what you or I might think of as Android on a phone is available without playing by Google’s rules. Realistically, you need to cooperate with Mountain View and work within the Google ecosystem to get anywhere with Android in Western markets — which is the crux of the EU’s argument around how Google has competed unfairly. Google will appeal, of course. But if it loses, significant structural changes could be coming to Android, particularly around Google Play Services, which ties app compatibility and device security into reliance on Google services.
• Fuchsia is exciting, and we got a tantalizing look at a potential timeframe for Google’s next-gen OS this week. Fuchsia is supposedly an OS for everything from smart speakers to laptops, and on phones it’ll allow Google to solve some of the big built-in problems with Android — fragmentation, security, slow platform updates — from the get-go. Developers will need a long lead time to prepare for Fuchsia, and even after it arrives, you can bet it’ll run “legacy” Android apps just fine. This should be an orderly transition if/when it happens.
• A lot has been made of Android as we know it potentially going away in five years. (Which, amusingly, would make Android U the last version, just before we start to get to the more problematic letters for “sweet treat” nicknames.) But let’s remember that Android is ultimately just a brand. When Fuchsia comes to phones, Google can call it whatever it wants. I’m also willing to bet Fuchsia won’t be a user-facing brand in the same way Android is today.
• We’re still waiting on that HTC U12+ OTA. So far only Taiwan has received the update to “fine-tune” the problematic digital buttons. It’s apparently due in the U.S. by the end of the month. I genuinely hope something can be salvaged from this phone, which aside from its crappy buttons is actually pretty good.
• (After a month with the aforementioned crappy buttons, though, does anyone besides me still care about the U12+? Surely, at this point, the damage is already done.)
• Another update that has actually arrived this week: The OxygenOS 5.1.9 OTA for the OnePlus 6, which brings a big, noticeable improvement to dynamic range, sharpness and low-light performance in the camera. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen so far, and will hopefully have more to share very soon.
• Quick protip for anyone thinking about leaking a photo of an unannounced phone: Blanking out the IMEI is a good start, but if you forget about those barcodes, holograms and other identifiers, you’re still likely getting fired:

Yeah we can probably just blank out the serial number. Don’t need to worry about those barcodes or holograms pic.twitter.com/D7Z8lcf0Iw

— Alex Dobie (@alexdobie) July 20, 2018

That’s it for now. I’ll be back with another Editor’s Desk post-Note 9 launch with a number of takes at varying temperatures.

-Alex