While many kids do like pushing grocery carts, they can get kind of over-enthusiastic about it, and often run into things as a result. It was with this supermarket hazard in mind that Ford recently created the one-off Self-Braking Trolley. The trolley is equipped with sensors similar to those in Ford’s Pre-Collision Assist system, which utilizes a forward-facing camera and […]

Over recent years, the threat of robots replacing humans in the workplace has become less of a Sci-Fi fantasy and more of a looming reality. But (fortunately for us humans) this shift towards automation hasn’t resembled scenes from George Orwell’s 1984 or The Terminator. Far from it. Instead, we’re seeing how technology – from machines to intelligent software – can […]

Already deployed in over 50 stores around Japan, the VaakEye system constantly monitors security camera footage, detects suspicious activity and alerts staff, who can instantly review the footage and act on it. And the company is getting ready to launch Amazon-style auto-checkout as well. Vaak is the third startup company for Ryo Tanaka, who spoke to New Atlas over the […]

Utilizing tape to repair or reinforce concrete structures may seem like some hillbilly fix-it joke, but in fact that’s just what fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets are used for. Now, scientists have developed what they say is a better FRP, that halves the number of people and amount of time required for application. Ordinarily, when FRP sheets are applied to […]

While there are already electronic devices that detect toxic gases, they can be expensive, and require training to properly use. Soon, though, there could be a cheap and simple alternative – threads woven into washable clothing, that change color when nasty gases are present. Led by Prof. Sameer Sonkusale, a team at Massachusetts’ Tufts University infused regular pieces of thread […]

Business optimization is a crucial component for success in any industry. Optimizing business processes makes a business faster, leaner and better able to compete. This is particularly true in a highly competitive and modern manufacturing industry, such as the ecommerce industry. Ecommerce businesses who manufacture and sell their own products online should always seek to optimize the manufacturing process to […]

Forget large arrays of sensors and radars. Forget hard-coded road rules. British startup Wayve taught a car to teach itself to drive, and using only some cameras, a sat-nav and 20 hours’ worth of experience, it’s already driving itself short distances on unfamiliar UK roads. When these guys first put their control hardware, camera, computers and AI learning software into […]

Drowsy drivers kill, which is why we’ve seen a number of technological solutions take aim at the problem, from established automakers and idealistic startups alike. Currently on Kickstarter, the Vezo 360 is the latest to roll onto the scene and serves as a 360-degree dash cam first and foremost, but with the ability to pick up on tired drivers and […]

If you’re training to be a concert violinist, you don’t want your technique to be merely “good enough.” A new computer system may soon be able to help, as it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify a user’s bow technique, and could perhaps even tell them how to improve their performance. Created by scientists at Spain’s Pompeu Fabra University, the […]

The world’s introduction to Google Duplex — technology both impressive and a bit on the creepy side — featured a human-sounding robot having a conversation with a person who couldn’t even tell that they were talking to a robot. The demo during Google I/O 2018 freaked some people out, but it impressed our Mobile editor, Julian Chokkattu, who got a […]