Hyundai Sonata Hybrid gets a solar roof to help recharge its battery pack
The latest Hyundai Sonata Hybrid will get a solar roof that helps recharge its battery pack. While the new Sonata Hybrid will be sold in the United States, Hyundai hasn't yet discussed plans to offer the solar roof here. Hyundai isn't the first automaker to offer solar charging.
The Winston Privacy Filter hides your online activities from prying eyes
People are growing more conscious of the footprint they leave behind online and how private data can be leaked, sold, and used by unscrupulous companies. The Winston Privacy Filter is a box that plugs into your router and protects your online activities, making it impossible for anyone to snoop on you.
Japanese researchers are teaching tires how to generate electricity
Japanese tire company Sumitomo teamed up with researchers at Kansai University to develop an experimental tire that generates electricity. It uses an Energy Harvester to convert the friction generated as the car moves into a small amount of electricity used to power accessories like the tire pressure monitoring system.
Google Nest gives 100,000 Home Minis to people living with paralysis
Google Nest is giving away 100,000 free Home Minis to people who are living with paralysis. The company announced a partnership with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Friday to provide the devices to paralyzed individuals to help them gain some additional independence.
About a third of U.S. households lack broadband internet. 5G may change that
A new report from The NPD Group says that almost a third of U.S. households do not have access to broadband internet, and that many of these households are in rural communities. Broadband is considered to be a minimum of 25Mbps or greater. However, 5G could help bring broadband to underserved communities.
HomeStay Intelligent Home platform gives aging loved ones independence, security
The Australian company HomeStay's Intelligent Home smart home platform provides remote monitoring for senior citizens and allows them to continue living on their own. Motion sensors, door sensors, and an emergency pendant let loved ones keep an eye on seniors from a distance.
Clever new haptic vest could let rescue dogs take commands from miles away
Researchers in Israel have developed a haptic vest for dogs. It allows owners to communicate instructions to their pooch through specific vibration patterns. In doing so, it could be possible to communicate information to dogs in scenarios when other forms of communication are not available.
A.I. cameras could help stomp out wildfires before they become disastrous
This summer marks one year since California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire season ever. Could cutting-edge technology help avoid future incidents? The folks behind Bee2FireDetection certainly believe that it can. They’ve developed technology aimed at helping spot fires earlier.
Implant restores sight in blind patients by beaming images directly to the brain
Engineers have developed a new neural implant which could help completely blind people by bypassing non-functioning optical nerves and inputting images directly into their brain. It has already resulted in partial sight being restored to six participants in an experimental study.
Withings latest blood pressure monitors detect heart problems before they happen
Withings put innovation at the forefront with its new BPM Core and BPM Connect blood pressure monitors. The ECG-equipped BPM Core brings clinical-level heart monitoring to the comfort of your home, while the BPM Connect is a modern take on Withings' classic blood pressure monitor.
How gender questioning and transgender gamers found a safe space in VR
Virtual reality headsets started life as futuristic gaming peripherals. These days, they’re used anywhere from movies and entertainment, to design and military simulations. For trans and gender-questioning people, VR headsets are a necessary stepping stone for safe gender exploration.
Comcast lets people with physical disabilities control a TV with just a glance
It's hard enough when you have a physical disability, but watching TV shouldn't be one of those difficult activities. Comcast is now making it a little easier, by giving people a way to connect their existing assistive devices like eye-glance systems with their Comcast cable boxes.
Mastercard’s Digital Wellness program uses A.I. to make online paying safer
Mastercard has announced the new Mastercard Digital Wellness program -- with the goal of using artificial intelligence to make paying for things online a little easier. The new system makes use of "billions" of data points to authenticate users, enabling click-to-pay technology.
How Zvox soundbars use advanced tech to help the hard of hearing enjoy TV again
ZVOX audio has been credited as the maker of the first commercially successful soundbar, but the innovation didn’t stop there. Led by CEO Tom Hannaher and his team are working to help bring high-quality TV audio to the hearing impaired, from soundbars to affordable hearing aids.
At Collision 2019, technology finds its purpose: Doing good
Collision is ostensibly a startup show, with nearly 1,100 startups, 26,000 attendees, and conference tracks for pitching venture capitalists called Growth Summit and MoneyConf. But in 2019, another theme was clear: Fixing the world. Here are our takeaways from the event.
Twitter co-founder Ev Williams still wants to save the world
Social media has led to a mental health crisis in Gen Z and a rise in hate speech. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, according to Ev Williams, the co-founder of Twitter and Medium. But weaning ourselves off today's social media won't be easy, he told Kara Swisher at the Collision conference.
UV-activated superglue could literally help to heal broken hearts
Scientists at Zhejiang University in China have developed a potentially life-saving ultraviolet-activated adhesive glue that is capable of efficiently healing damage to organs, including the heart. Here's how its inventors have demonstrated its amazing abilities so far.
Cleanyst imagines a new mix-at-home paradigm for cleaning products
Just like Keurig offers coffee junkies a quick and clean solution to making a cup of joe, a new Miami-based startup called Cleanyst is offering a new smart home solution that enables users to mix and match high-quality concentrates to create home cleaning products that are organic, clean, and efficient.
Google’s Street View cars are helping build a giant map of global air pollution
For the past several years, a growing number of Google’s Street View cars have been doing more than just taking photos. They’ve also been measuring air quality. Here's how they've been doing it -- and what this could mean for solving the global problem of air pollution.
Chicago’s trash-eating river robot is a glimpse into the future of crowdsourcing
From controlling a trash-picking robot on the Chicago River to helping discover new planets, our hyper-connected world is giving the public a host of new tools to help solve some giant problems. Here's why it's so exciting -- and what this all means for the future as we know it.
Drone delivers lifesaving kidney for transplant patient in world first
A medical facility in Maryland has become the first to use a drone to deliver a kidney for transplant into a patient. The specially built drone is capable of maintaining and monitoring a viable human organ during flight. The transplant operation was deemed a success and the female patient left hospital this week.
The world is switching to eco-friendlier fridges and A/Cs, leaving the U.S. behind
Refrigerants used in U.S. fridges are terrible for the environment. Many other parts of the world use hydrocarbons instead of HFCs for refrigerants, but bipartisan legislation requiring the switch is stalled, and the Trump administration has yet to sign the Kigali Amendment, which requires similar changes.
George Clooney and Microsoft’s TrialWatch hopes to put a spotlight on injustice
Microsoft and The Clooney Foundation for Justice unveiled the TrialWatch app Thursday during an event at Columbia University — a new tool in CFJ’s ongoing effort to shine a light on injustice in courts around the globe.
Amal and George Clooney want to change the world. Can Microsoft help?
Microsoft and The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) unveiled the AI-powered TrialWatch app Thursday morning, a new tool in CFJ’s ongoing TrialWatch effort to shine a light on injustice in courts around the globe – which too often are simply barbaric.
A battery-free pacemaker harvests and stores energy from heartbeats
Researchers in China and the United States have developed a new battery-free pacemaker which gathers its required electricity from the energy of heartbeats. While not yet ready for humans, it was recently demonstrated successfully in pigs. Here's why that's so important.
Inside the high-tech lab that makes the world’s safest bike helmet
Trek and Bontrager have developed a new cycling helmet technology that looks to dramatically improve performance and safety. Dubbed WaveCel, the new tech uses three processes – flex, crumple, and glide – to disperse the energy absorbed on contact in an accident, providing up to 48 times more protection against head injury.
Geoengineering is risky and unproven, but soon it might be necessary
From light-scattering aerosols in Earth’s upper atmosphere to artificial chemical sponges created to suck carbon-dioxide out of the air we breathe, geoengineering aims to purposely change the world's climate using technology. Here's why its proponents think it must happen.
How 3D printing has changed the world of prosthetic limbs forever
When he was 13 years old, Christophe Debard had his leg amputated. Jump forward to the present day, and his experiences have led him to create the startup Print My Leg. It offers open-source designs for 3D printed leg prostheses to whoever needs them. Welcome to a growing revolution.
Climeworks wants to clean the atmosphere with a fleet of building-sized vacuums
Using machines that resemble jet engines, Climeworks wants to fight climate change by extracting CO2 from thin air. The gas can then be sold to carbonated drink and agriculture companies, or sequestered underground.
Inside the Ocean Cleanup’s ambitious plan to rid the ocean of plastic waste
In 2013, Boyan Slat crowdfunded $2.2 million to fund the Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization that builds big, floating trash collectors and sets them out to sea, where they’re designed to autonomously gobble up garbage. The organization has since raised over $35 million and a lot of questions from incredulous experts.
The grid of the future will be powered by … giant subterranean bagpipes?
In order to transition to a more renewable-focused energy system, we need to scale up our grid storage capacity -- and our existing methods aren't going to cut it. Could compressed air be the key?
Lyft is offering free bikeshare rides to highlight Earth Day
To highlight Earth Day and promote its own green efforts, Lyft is offering free rides with its bikeshare programs in six cities across the U.S. on April 22. Lyft expanded into bikesharing in 2018 when it acquired Motivate, the largest provider of bikesharing services in the U.S.
Puro’s kids headphones don’t just sound great, they help prevent hearing damage
Puro Sound Labs' PuroQuiet headphones are a pair of noise-canceling over-ears that are designed for young listeners, allowing them to jam out to their favorite tunes, but limiting volume to the avoid long-term hearing damage. For parents, they're a great way to provide great sound and peace of mind.
Adidas has created a running shoe that’s made to be remade
Adidas has unveiled the Futurecraft Loop running shoe that it claims is the first performance footwear to be 100% recyclable. The shoe is part of a growing list of green initiatives by the sportswear company and will be tested over the next 18 months before hitting stores in 2021.