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Apr 24, 2022

Someone left a prototype Google Pixel Watch at a restaurant

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, wearables

In 2010, Apple software engineer Gray Powell left a in a bar in Redwood City, California. In an era where nearly every device leaks before it’s officially announced, images of a new iPhone showing up online seem quaint. But at the time it was a big deal and the incident even came to. Now, more than a decade later, images of another highly anticipated device have made their way online in much the same way.

On Saturday evening, Android Central photos of Google’s long-rumored Pixel Watch. The outlet says it obtained the images you see throughout this post from someone who found the smartwatch at a restaurant in the US. The photos confirm the Pixel Watch will feature a circular face with minimal display bezels. If you look closely, you can see the wearable’s band attaches directly to its case, with a latch mechanism that looks proprietary to Google and reminiscent of the design employed by Fitbit on its Versa and Sense smartwatches (Google the company in 2021).

The watch features a single button next to its crown and what looks like a microphone or altimeter port. On the back of the device, you can see an optical heartrate sensor. Unfortunately, the watch wouldn’t go beyond its boot screen so there are no photos of it running.

Apr 24, 2022

Survey: Trust in science is high, but misinformation is a threat

Posted by in categories: climatology, health, science, sustainability

Trust in science is rising worldwide, according to a 3M-backed survey released Tuesday, and more people expect it to solve the world’s problems.

But the fifth annual 3M State of Science Index also showed many are worried that misinformation could lead to more , greater societal divisions and lack of action on climate change.

“It’s really good to see that trust in is high, and that’s true in America and around the world, but misinformation threatens scientific credibility,” Jayshree Seth, 3M’s corporate scientist and chief science advocate, said in an interview. “It’s not simply a matter of communicating facts, data and evidence. We need to build that relationship with the public.”

Apr 24, 2022

We can now tell how much CO2 in the air is due to fossil fuel burning

Posted by in category: sustainability

A way of distinguishing between natural carbon dioxide emissions and those from burning fossil fuels could help cities and countries monitor their progress in cutting emissions.

Apr 24, 2022

These Glasses for the Blind Can Read Documents, Scan Faces

Posted by in category: mapping

May was using a feature on the glasses called Ally, which lets him start video calls with friends and family to get help.

“I called up one of my colleagues, Evelyn, and said, ‘What do you see?’ and she described the environment to me,” said May, chief evangelist at accessible navigation company Goodmaps. “She told me where the tables were and just gave me the lay of the land.”

Envision Glasses are built on the enterprise edition of Google Glass. (Yes, Google Glass is still alive.) Google unveiled these smart glasses back in 2013, then touting them as a way for users to take calls, send texts, snap pictures and look at maps, among other things, right from the headset. But after a limited — and unsuccessful — release, they never hit store shelves.

Apr 24, 2022

Spanish Aquaer develops a machine that extracts drinking water from thin air

Posted by in category: sustainability

There is nothing more essential to life on Earth than water. It’s a cruel irony that the majority of the world’s surface is covered in water, yet only a fraction of it is suitable for human consumption. Around 785 million people globally still lack access to clean, safe drinking water.

With an aim to provide drinking water where no other sources of water are available, a Spanish company, Aquaer, has devised a machine capable of extracting drinking water from thin air. Invented by Enrique Veiga, the 82-year-old engineer, the machine can operate even in areas where humidity is low, as in the desert.

The machines utilize the same principle that causes condensation in air-conditioning units. It uses electricity to cool the surrounding air, and then it takes the process a step further by condensing the water vapor.

Apr 24, 2022

Electrostatic brakes make bendy robot arms a lot more efficient

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Replacing motors with electrostatic brakes can boost the energy-efficiency of robot limbs, although the robots are slower.

Apr 24, 2022

New “Electric Eye” Neuromorphic Artificial Vision Device Developed Using Nanotechnology

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, robotics/AI

Using nanotechnology, scientists have created a newly designed neuromorphic electronic device that endows microrobotics with colorful vision.

Researchers at Georgia State University have successfully designed a new type of artificial vision device that incorporates a novel vertical stacking architecture and allows for greater depth of color recognition and micro-level scaling. The new research study was published on April 18, 2022, in the top journal ACS Nano.

“This work is the first step toward our final destination–to develop a micro-scale camera for microrobots,” says assistant professor of Physics Sidong Lei, who led the research. “We illustrate the fundamental principle and feasibility to construct this new type of image sensor with emphasis on miniaturization.”

Apr 24, 2022

Air Protein creates fake steak from CO2 that replicates taste and texture of meat

Posted by in categories: biological, sustainability

California-based startup Air Protein has developed a meat alternative called Air Meat, which is made using microbes that turn recycled carbon dioxide into protein.

Described by Air Protein as “the meat of tomorrow”, Air Meat was designed to replicate the flavour and texture of real meat products such as steak.

Apr 24, 2022

Reconfigurable halide perovskite nanocrystal memristors for neuromorphic computing

Posted by in categories: chemistry, computing

Existing memristive devices cannot be reconfigured to meet the diverse volatile and non-volatile switching requirements, and hence rely on tailored material designs specific to the targeted application, limiting their universality. “Reconfigurable memristors” that combine both ionic diffusive and drift mechanisms could address these limitations, but they remain elusive. Here we present a reconfigurable halide perovskite nanocrystal memristor that achieves on-demand switching between diffusive/volatile and drift/non-volatile modes by controllable electrochemical reactions. Judicious selection of the perovskite nanocrystals and organic capping ligands enable state-of-the-art endurance performances in both modes – volatile (2 × 106 cycles) and non-volatile (5.6 × 103 cycles). We demonstrate the relevance of such proof-of-concept perovskite devices on a benchmark reservoir network with volatile recurrent and non-volatile readout layers based on 19,900 measurements across 25 dynamically-configured devices.

Apr 24, 2022

Ask Ethan: What’s the real science behind Google’s time crystal?

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics, science

Google has developed a discrete time crystal on a quantum computer. However, claims that it violates thermodynamics are untrue.