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Lyft’s belated Pet Mode matches drivers to those traveling with their furry friends
Monday is National Dog Day, and Lyft seized the opportunity to catch up on a feature Uber has had for about five years. When heading somewhere with a furry companion, Lyft’s new Pet Mode ensures you’ll get a driver who will accommodate your dog or cat.
Awesome Games Done Quick 2024 raises $2.5 million for cancer research
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2024 has wrapped after a nonstop weeklong speedrunning marathon. This year’s charity raised over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation and featured the event’s first canine-assisted speedrun.
The next Awesome Games Done Quick will feature a speedrun by a Shiba Inu
A Shiba Inu called Peanut Butter will be the first dog to take part in a Games Done Quick speedrunning marathon. The pooch will play through the NES game Gyromite.
How Gen Z is pushing NES Tetris to its limits
For decades we all played Tetris the same way. Now teens are finding new ways to play and they're smashing long-standing records .
Researchers built an AI that recognizes and rewards good doggos
They trained NVIDIA’s Jetson edge AI using more than 20,000 images of very good dogs.
Aibo update lets you program your robot puppy's actions
Not happy with what Sony's reborn Aibo can do? You now have the power to make it do more. Sony has rolled out a 2.50 update for the robot dog that enables, among other things, a web-based interface for programming actions. Beginners can use a visual programming kit that uses blocks to create actions, while seasoned programmers can participate in a Developer Program. You can't modify the personalty of your Aibo, to be clear -- this is mainly for tricks and other activities Sony didn't envision itself.
Tesla rolls out fix for Dog Mode overheating bug
You don't have to worry about Rover roasting due to that Dog Mode bug. The company has confirmed to Engadget that it's rolling out a fix for a flaw that disabled the automatic temperature regulation if you manually set the fan. You can leave your EV knowing that your pooch should stay cool regardless of settings. The person who drew attention to the problem, Unikrn's Rahul Sood, has already received the patch.
China says it cloned a police dog to speed up training
It can be costly and time-consuming to train police dogs when each candidate might have different skills and personalities. China's solution? Make copies of the best-performing dogs. The state-backed China Daily reports that the city of Kunming, the Yunnan Agricultural University and Beijing Sinogene Biotechnology are about to train Kunxun, a two-month-old Kunming wolfdog cloned from a "great" canine detective. The aim, as you might guess, is to save time and money -- they'll know that Kunxun is more likely to learn quickly and perform well.
Fi's GPS pet tracker lasts three months between charges
From keys to luggage, smart technology lets us keep track of pretty much everything these days -- and that includes our pets. Whistle is perhaps the most prominent company in the pet tracking business, but now a new contender has entered the ring with a feature-packed dog collar that makes keeping tabs on our furry friends even easier. Fi's smart GPS dog collar monitors your pet's activity, tracks its location instantly and, most importantly, has a whopping three-month battery life.
Ford's noise-cancelling doghouse keeps pups calm during fireworks
Many dogs and other pets are terrified of fireworks, and for good reason -- their more sensitive hearing makes that pleasant popping turn into a cacophony of sounds. Ford, however, might provide some relief. The company (which is no stranger to high-tech beds) has built a doghouse that uses noise cancelling to minimize canine agony during fireworks shows. Like the technology in some headphones and Ford's own Edge SUV, the kennel detects explosions with microphones and counteracts them by pumping out frequencies that mitigate the sounds or eliminate them altogether. The body includes soundproofing cork panels, anti-vibration risers and even soundproofed ventilation, while an automatic door helps your pooch quickly take shelter.
Magic Leap in the living room: Alone together
"I wish I could see it." He's standing in the hallway, graphite-colored goggles strapped to his face and a small, circular computer sticking out of his front pocket. He laughs as the distant sounds of explosions and screams echo around his head. "I wish you could see it, too," he says, before crouching down to get a better angle on an inconspicuous bare spot on the floor. He twists and pulls back the hand holding a motion controller, then lets the trigger go. The quiet crashing sounds resume and he stands up, smiling. "Got it."
Tesla's future 'dog mode' would prevent humans from panicking
Tesla already has a feature to prevent its electric car interiors from overheating. Not everyone knows that, though, and that's a problem when people may call the cops or break into your ride to rescue a pet that's actually quite safe. You might not have to post a please-don't-worry sign on your window for much longer, however. Elon Musk has signaled that he'll implement a "dog mode" in future Tesla software that would tell passers-by not to panic. While he only just agreed to the idea (it's likely a long way off), it could include both a message and the current cabin temperature to assuage jittery humans.
Sony's reborn Aibo robot is available for pre-order in the US
Sony's relentlessly adorable Aibo robot is finally ready to return to American shores. After months of waiting, you can pre-order a First Litter Edition of the robo-pup in the US ahead of an expected mid-December ship date. You'll be spending a staggering $2,900 to play with the limited-run mechanical canine. The kit includes everything you'll need to get started, however -- you'll get a bone (sorry, aibone), a pink ball, paw pads and three years of AI cloud service to help Aibo learn.
Google Lens can identify dog and cat breeds
Now that the Android-first Google Lens feature has finally rolled out to the Photos app on iOS devices, nearly all mobile users can appreciate a recently-added feature: Identifying pet breeds. Also, a new wrinkle added this week will have Google Photos automatically create a book starring your pet. Yes, the might of artificial intelligence has been mustered to determine what kind of dog or cat is in the photo you just took. The only thing left for humans to decide is if they prefer a hardcover or softcover edition.
Insta360 One update adds 'pro-level' video stabilization
The Insta360 One made quite an impression when it launched about half a year ago, but even with its 4K 360 capture and bullet-time trick, there was always room for improvement. Today, this camera is receiving a major update that adds a much improved "FlowState" video stabilization, along with two new tools that should make fix-frame video editing more intuitive. The company went as far as calling this "pro-level" package a "gimbal killer," and indeed, the official video does show some impressive sample clips, but it wasn't until I tried it myself -- thanks to the help of my dog -- that I was convinced.
Sony Aibo first impressions: old robot dog, new tricks
Sony revived its robodog series late last year, offering a limited first run of next-generation Aibos for keen Japanese fans. Despite a killer $1,800 price-tag, the company apparently sold plenty, and those preordered Aibos are finally on their way to their new owners. Finally, the company has brought the new robotic pet over to Vegas for the week from Japan, and while I could coo in Aibo's general direction, unfortunately, no petting was allowed. Regardless, it was disarmingly cute.
Sony's new Aibo pet robot goes on sale tonight in Japan
After more than a decade away, Sony's Aibo pet robot is making a return. The original dog-like robot launched in 1999, while Sony says its followup is "capable of forming an emotional bond with members of the household while providing them with love, affection, and the joy of nurturing and raising a companion." Its OLED eyes allow for "nuanced" expressions, fisheye cameras see and recognize individual faces while new actuators allow its body to move smoothly along 22 axes. The array of movements and sounds are intended to make Aibo more lifelike, while it's also capable of responding to voice commands and petting to learn what makes its owner happy.
Sony's first robot in years will be an Aibo sequel
Sony hasn't been shy about promising a return to robots, but just what will this revival look like? We now have an idea... and it'll seem remarkably familiar. Nikkei reports that Sony's first device will be an Aibo-like robotic dog made with the help of the former Aibo team members who still work at the company, such as AI guru Masahiro Fujita. While there aren't many details at this stage, you could think of it as a canine Amazon Echo. While it would behave like a pup, you could use it to control your smart home devices -- imagine if you could tell your dog to turn on the lights and expect it to respond.
Sometimes, all you need in life is a cat tail cushion
You may not instantly recognize the name "Yukai Engineering," but you may have already come across its earlier products like the Necomimi brainwave cat ears or the Bocco "family robot" at some point. At CEATEC, the Japanese company unveiled its latest wacky product, the Qoobo "tail therapy" robot. This is essentially a cushion with a realistic cat tail that reacts to stroking and patting, such that it's able to comfort its "owner" like a real pet would simply through tail wagging. To make it more lifelike, Qoobo also wags its tail randomly when it is left alone for too long.