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Uber works with NASA to get flying taxis ready by 2020
They say the best revenge is living well, and so in the midst of its ongoing and messy breakup with London, Uber has proven it's doing just fine thank you very much by signing an agreement with NASA to develop software for its proposed flying taxi project, Elevate.
Antelope Club is a Slendertone for full-body workouts
German startup Antelope Club is looking to make fitness training more effective with its new electrical muscle stimulation suit. It's essentially a giant Slendertone that will work on more than just your abs, ideally getting you fitter and happier much faster. The company has built a t-shirt with stimulators on the stomach, pectorals and biceps, while a pair of accompanying shorts will help your quads. Additionally, calf simulators can be hooked up to a separate battery to help tone your lower legs.
Hyperloop co-founder 'very serious' about California secession
In the wake of the election result, Hyperloop co-founder Shervin Pishevar (pictured, right) began tweeting about his desire to see California secede from the United States. Naturally, it was dismissed as emotions running high after the highly divisive campaign, but Pishevar isn't backing down. At the Web Summit conference today, the billionaire was asked if he was serious about "Calexit*," to which he said that he was "very serious." He added that there would be "announcements" about his plans to implement the program coming in the near future.
The ambitious plan to help blind people get around
There have been many attempts to help blind people see, but none of them — so far — have managed to make it to mainstream users. It's a trend that Budapest-based startup EVA is hoping to buck with its eponymous product, EVA (Extended Visual Assistant). Essentially, it's a pair of sunglasses with cameras embedded up front that, with the help of a smartphone, converts the written word into audio. That sound is then broadcast to the wearer with bone-conduction "headphones" that are built into the glasses' arms.
Can VR help to reduce police shootings?
VR is already used to help juries understand crime scenes, so it's no surprise it could also be used to better educate police officers. That's the idea behind BEST, a VR police training simulator that's been built to try and reduce police-related violence. The company's Jed Merrill explained that on average, in 2016, close to 2.6 people are shot by officers every single day. His hope is that, with more immersive training, those incidents can be avoided.
Twinkl is a friendship bracelet for the 21st century
Telling people that you're thinking about them is so much of a chore for energy-deficient millennials that something had to be done. That's the idea behind Twinkl's charm bracelet, a wearable that lets you send positive thoughts to your chums at the push of a single button. Each device comes with five slots that you can buy charms for, each one identifying a family member, close friend or your favorite content creator. When you want to let 'em know they're in your mind, simply hit their corresponding button and their wrist will buzz.
