remotecontrol
Latest
IKEA's super-sized bath toys collect trash on the water
IKEA's latest effort to improve its environmental footprint has taken a decidedly aquatic bent. The company has designed a remote-controlled boat, the Good Ship IKEA, that clears trash from the water. It may look cutesy (it's modeled after the SMÅKRYP bath toy), but it's very much functional. They use environmental cleanup boat technology that can collect up to 44lbs of debris at a time -- a small fleet could keep a river relatively pristine. Like some aerial drones, the remote control provides a first-person view thanks to a camera.
DJI built a drone remote with an HD display
To date, steering one of DJI's more accessible drones has usually meant using your smartphone as a screen. You now have a better option -- DJI has released a Smart Controller with its own 5.5-inch display. The remote gives you both more tactile flight controls as well as a view of what the drone sees in 1080p. It might be a better choice if you regularly fly under bright sunlight, too, thanks to a 1,000cd/m2 screen brightness that should remain visible outdoors.
Toyota untethers its T-HR3 humanoid robot thanks to 5G
Toyota just brought your dreams of an Avatar-like proxy one step closer to reality. Teaming with NTT Docomo, it remotely controlled its T-HR3 humanoid robot over a 5G network from a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). So far the bot, first unveiled a year ago, has only been controlled over a direct wired connection. "This time, with an eye toward improved use in practical environments, the T-HR3 was successfully controlled wirelessly," Toyota said in a press release.
A cheat sheet for the new Galaxy Note 9 S Pen
In its quest to lure more users to the flagship Note 9 phones, Samsung imbued its S Pen with many new powers. Now in addition to letting you scribble on the screen, the stylus serves as a remote trigger for the Note's camera, letting you launch the app, switch lenses and snap pictures from a distance. However, the new S Pen is not only a camera remote control but also a presentation clicker, a track skipper, a pointer and, at its heart, a very good stylus. Thanks to Samsung's helpful on-screen tips when S Pen remote controls are available, you don't have to dig deep to learn how to use them. But there are a few controls you might not even know exist without a trip to the settings menu. For those who want to get the most out of their S Pen, here's a quick guide.
Yale's Nest-controlled smart lock arrives in early 2018
Yale, the lock company that recently purchased August, recently joined forces with Nest on a new smart lock, and we now know more about the product and when it will arrive. The Nest x Yale lock gives you a key-free, touchscreen deadbolt with a lot of options for remote unlocking and granting access to family or guests. For one, you can unlock it by entering a passcode (it holds up to 250), which can be limited to specific times of day for cleaners or others who need limited access.
Hilton plans to offer a smart hotel room system next year
From a Watson-powered concierge to in-room VR porn, hotels are getting more and more tech-savvy and connected. There's an Amazon Echo in every room when you stay at Wynn's Las Vegas hotel, and more destinations are adding ways to watch your own Netflix and Chromecast when you stay. Now Hilton is ready to roll out a new mobile-centric connected room. The smart room system is currently in beta at one Hilton hotel and set to deploy to several more in the coming weeks. A full deployment to all Hilton hotels is planned for next year.
Control your home with a gorgeous wooden remote
If you're looking for an attractive way to control your smart home, this minimalist, carved-wood multipurpose remote might fit the bill. It's called the Turn Touch, and it's pulled in almost twice the Kickstarter funding requested. The project has almost reached its first stretch goal to add IFTTT support, with plans to add Apple's HomeKit down the line.
Epson and DJI team up for POV drone goggles
Phantom owners will soon be able to pilot their drones with a fresh perspective -- that of the UAV itself. DJI and Epson announced on Thursday that they are teaming up. Together, they'll expand DJI's SDK to allow Epson's Moverio BT-300 AR glasses to integrate with DJI's Phantom, Matrice and Inspire lines of remote-controlled flyers.
Dish's new TV remote listens to your voice commands
Nowadays, you can save energy by talking to your gadgets and letting them do the work for you. So it's no surprise that Dish wants to help you with that, too. The satellite provider has introduced its aptly named Voice Remote, which lets Hopper 3 and 4K Joey customers search for content with spoken commands. Results populate based on movie or TV titles, genre as well as actor names. Additionally, the new remote features a clickable touchpad for easier navigation, backlit keys and support for two IR devices. If you're a Dish subscriber with one of the aforementioned boxes, you can get the Voice Remote starting today for $30.
Roku puts your laptop in control of movie night
Roku already had a Windows 8 remote control app for phones and tablets, but to keep up with the times it's released a new Windows 10 version. Aimed at tablets and laptops, it makes controlling your Roku player as easy as tapping the screen or clicking a mouse. Like Roku's apps on Android and iOS, you can pop open channels, control playback, search for content or easily play photos and music from your computer to the TV. It's a universal Windows app, but at least for now there's no word on a new version for Windows phones. That said, it does have Cortana support, so even if your hands are otherwise occupied, voice control is also an option -- grab it from the Windows Store for free here.
Samsung's 2016 Smart TV remote controls all your devices
It's not too hard to simplify your home theater if you get a Harmony remote or the right HDMI-CEC gear, but Samsung wants the experience to be even simpler than that. Its 2016 Smart TVs are launching with a Smart Control remote that can recognize and control all kinds of devices, including game consoles, dedicated media hubs and your service provider's set-top box. Theoretically, you only need the one Tizen-powered remote to steer your whole media setup -- a big deal if you're tired of shuffling multiple remotes to start a movie.
Researchers use the Force (in an Apple Watch) to fly a drone
Taiwanese tech researchers at PVD+ created an app for the Apple Watch that remotely controls a drone with arm movements, briefly turning pilots into Jedi. Reuters caught the motion-controlled drone in action and you can check it out in the video below. The team also created an app that controls light levels and colors via hand movements, and a spherical robot resembling BB-8, the adorable rolling droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. PVD+ is working on securing a patent for its software, which it calls "Dong," Reuters says.
Disney's robot car drives up walls
As clever as robotic cars may be, they have one obvious disadvantage over flying drones: their journey stops the moment they run into a wall. Disney Research and ETH Zurich have a clever workaround, however. Their prototype VertiGo robot uses two tilting propellers to drive up walls, adjusting its thrust to stick to the surface even if it has to travel over uneven surfaces like bricks. The result, as you'll see below, is uncanny -- all it takes is a quick push from the propellers to have this machine defying gravity.
GoPro brings Apple Watch control to its cameras
While it's possible to control a GoPro camera using a smartphone or remote, the company just added a device option that might be simpler: the Apple Watch. You can now use the wearable to start and stop recording, review clips and add "HiLighted" moments to clips, as shown below. GoPro also updated its iOS and Android apps, helping you extract still photos more easily and filter media to display only photos, videos, tags or clips. All of that is a boon for folks who chronically share GoPro's mini-movies on social media, and the Apple Watch feature will be particularly useful to one-man-band producers.
Watch a 4-year-old drive a dump truck by remote control
To prove the toughness of its latest FMX truck, Volvo turned it into an RC racer and handed the "keys" to the luckiest 4-year-old ever. The results were what you'd expect: Pure chaos. To be fair, young Sophie probably guided the vehicle better than we would have at that age (or even now). However, steering a multi-ton rig from afar ain't easy, so she managed to hit obstacles, roll the vehicle into a pit and (safely) crash through a house. At the end of her trip, the vehicle emerged relatively unscathed and was still driveable.
NASA Spacebot, what big eyes you have
Space isn't exactly the safest of places for squishy meatbags like us, what with the lack of atmosphere and all. But when satellites in orbit break, somebody's got to fix them. That's why NASA is developing a robotic remote viewing system called the VIPIR (Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot). It leverages an articulating borescope as well as a zoom-lens camera to help Earth-bound engineers troubleshoot external issues aboard the ISS, launch vehicles and satellites. NASA is currently in the second phase of operational testing with the VIPIR. Eventually the space agency hopes to eventually pair these eyes with Dextre, Canada's dual-armed spacebot that is currently serving aboard the ISS.
The PS4 universal remote hits stores later this month
Sony America announced on Thursday that the wait for its PS4 universal remote is nearly over. The much-anticipated accessory is set to go on sale for $30 "later this month," according to a company post. The remote will serve to replace the DualShock controller for non-gaming applications. It will communicate via a Bluetooth connection and be able to control up to three additional AV devices. What's more, it will also be compatible with a number of existing streaming apps including Crunchyroll, HBO Go, Netflix (obvs), Twitch and YouTube. If you can't wait to purchase it in person when it actually hits store shelves, Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop and Toys R Us all have it available for pre-order.
The Army wants to protect its bases with gun turrets, not guard towers
Maintaining perimeter security in a forward operating base (like Bagram "Rocket City" AFB in Afghanistan) is a full time job. In fact, it normally takes teams of four to six soldiers to man each weapons system on the perimeter over a 12 hour shift. But with a new prototype perimeter protection system currently being tested at Fort Bliss, Texas, a single soldier sitting safely within the command bunker -- instead being of up on the wire -- can potentially do the work of 10.
Only Sony could make this TV remote and speaker hybrid
We love Sony's penchant for crazy products like the P clamshell Android tablet, and who can forget the Rolly music player slash robotic, LED flashing... thing? Judging by a new speaker, the company still has a whimsical side despite falling profits. The SRS-LSR100 pairs a TV remote with a wireless speaker, which receives a 2.4GHz signal from dongle attached to your TV or stereo. The idea is to bring the TV sound closer to you, whether you're in the living room, exercise room or kitchen. And since you're there, why not have a channel-changer?
Apple wants to put Touch ID on your TV remote
Apple has reportedly applied for a patent that incorporates a biometric scanner into the Apple TV remote control. This fingerprint reader could serve a variety of functions such as adjusting the volume and display based on each household member's personal preferences or automatically logging users into their personal streaming accounts. It could also serve as a means for authorizing iTunes downloads. Plus, if Apple begins pushing Apple TV as a hub for future home automation systems, as has been speculated, the biometric remote could act as a universal controller for those features as well. [Image Credit: Robert S. Donovan/Flickr]
