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Boeing gave $20,000 to these ten wacky personal flyer designs
Last year, Boeing announced the GoFly Prize, a new competition that will award one winner $1 million for a successful personal flying device prototype. It has to take off and land vertically, carry a human 20 miles without the need for refueling or recharging and be quiet, safe and compact, but otherwise, the design is completely up to those building it. Phase I of the competition just wrapped up and GoFly has announced the top 10 designs, each of which will be awarded $20,000.
Innovative wheelchair design isn’t for all wheelchair users
You'll often see positive news stories coming out of the tech press involving robotics projects that are designed to help people with mobility issues. Exoskeletons, like Toyota's WelWalk, ReWalk, and Ekso Bionics' eponymous walking frame, help people regain the use of their legs. Sit-stand wheelchairs are currently gaining lots of attention, and they do offer, for many people, much greater freedom and independence than standard chairs. But more often than not, they're designed for people with specific disability requirements -- and that means not everyone will get to use them.
Xbox Adaptive Controller first look: A new, necessary gamepad
Microsoft stumbled into the accessibility market about three years ago, with the launch of the Xbox One Elite controller. The Elite wasn't designed to help people with disabilities play video games -- in fact, it was built for hardcore players who wanted more mapping options by adding rear paddle buttons, more sensitive triggers and interchangeable analog sticks to the classic dual-grip Xbox gamepad. It just so happened these features were also in high demand at organizations like AbleGamers, whose goal is to make gaming accessible to anyone with disabilities via education, community support and the creation of custom controllers.
Self-striping smart cloth is HyperColor for the 21st century
The debate over whether "the dress" is blue and black or white and gold now has a third answer: it can be both. At least it is when using a new color-changing fabric developed by a team from the College of Optics & Photonics (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida. This chameleon-like cloth is embedded with micro-wires that can shift the color of individual threads based on the amount of electrical current running through them.
Meet the dominatrix living inside an Echo Dot
NSFW: This article contains links to and descriptions of explicit sexual acts including BDSM play that some may find uncomfortable. The individuals included in this report are consenting adults who observe proper safety procedures in their play. A dining room table in a quiet British town is the birthplace of one of the most interesting developments in sextech. It's here where a hobbyist has built the world's first digital, voice-controlled dominatrix capable of delivering very real punishment, and she sounds weirdly familiar. Say hello to 'Mistress Alexa'.
Maybach Ultimate Luxury EV brings its own tea service
If an automaker wants to succeed in China, they need to electrify their cars. The country has strict EV plans and for anyone looking to buy a car in a city like Beijing, going electric means not having to apply for the license lottery to own a car. So it's no wonder that Maybach (the ultra-luxury arm of Mercedes) unveiled a concept crossover built specifically for the country's ultra-rich that's all electric.
In pursuit of the perfect AI voice
The virtual personal assistant is romanticized in utopian portrayals of the future from The Jetsons to Star Trek. It's the cultured, disembodied voice at humanity's beck and call, eager and willing to do any number of menial tasks. In its early real-world implementations, a virtual receptionist directed customers ('To hear more menu options, press 9'). Voice-typing software transcribed audio recordings. It wasn't until 2011 that Apple released Siri and the public had its first interactions with a commercially viable, dynamic personal assistant. Since Siri's debut with the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple's massive customer base has only gotten larger; the company estimates that more than 700 million iPhones are currently in use worldwide.
Sushi robots, AI pianos and jump jetpacks on SXSW's show floor
The SXSW show floor hosts a treasure trove of strange, innovative and ridiculous experiences from around the world. A vast array of industries are represented in the heart of the Austin Convention Center, including virtual reality, 3D audio, medical technology, sustainability, interplanetary rockets and rovers, and even bespoke, branded socks. This year, some of the most eye-catching installations are all about robotics and artificial intelligence.
