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ICYMI: Smart sweat detector, AI for gaming and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-261450").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Berkeley researchers developed a wearable sensor that can track the chemicals inside your sweat. The idea is that it can help identify dehydration, muscle fatigue and stress, though it could also help spot disease flare-ups for the diabetic.
ICYMI: UAV for land and sea, Boeing's super rocket and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-501148{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-501148, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-501148{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-501148").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The Drones For Good competition turned out a dual-purpose drone submission for use in search and rescue operations. The Loon Copter can both fly through the air and dive underwater -- a useful trait for evading other bad guy drones in any upcoming spy movies, we're certain.
ICYMI: California water woes, VR arcade life and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: California adjusted the details in the project to address the water crisis in the state by diverting water, called WaterFix. VR gaming is being visualized at Sundance as a multiplayer theme park paradise. And a new smart mirror designed to simply take photos of full outfits has us feeling a little crazy. Which is where this Japanese product to capture bad guys comes in for the laugh relief. Please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
ICYMI: Self-warming concrete, underwater robot and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-692596{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-692596, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-692596{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-692596").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Curling up with a fireplace and a bottle of whiskey is now a little less depressing, now that we know self-heating concrete is on the way. Still a research project in Nebraska, conductive concrete can operate on a low amount of electric current and de-ice itself. It's just what we've needed.
ICYMI: The death-proof car, rat gambling addiction and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Volvo just pledged to build a 'deathproof' automobile by 2020 that will include adaptive cruise control and pedestrian detection. By 'deathproof,' it means unless you are crazy stupid (ie: Go flying off the Golden Gate Bridge in it), you won't be able to die in one of the company's cars.
ICYMI: Mind-controlled prosthetics, architect ants and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-459334{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-459334, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-459334{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-459334").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Johns Hopkins University researchers surgically repositioned a patient's nerves and also implanted a prosthetic adapter to use mind control on his prosthetic arm. French researchers learned that common ants are able to communicate how something should be constructed by leaving pheromone-based instructions on whatever they're building. And the OneCook smart appliance works by having the fresh ingredients loaded into the cooker hybrid, then lets people control adjust the recipe and let it do the rest from an app. It just launched on Kickstarter.
ICYMI: Electrify your food and cleaning bubbles too
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-327950{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-327950, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-327950{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-327950").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Virginia Tech researchers found they can better clean fruits and vegetables with electrified water bubbles. Japanese scientists are also harnessing the power of electricity, but this time putting it into a fork to subtly zap food into having saltier flavors. Allegedly. And a new smartphone case features a crank to get that precious charge up when you need a hit of the juice.
ICYMI: DARPA Bots doing chores, VR fight action and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A team that placed in the most recent DARPA challenge is still testing its robot, only now the tasks are more house-related. The IHMC has found that they can best tell whether their bot is responding well to new software by seeing how it handles common chores around the garage.
ICYMI: Smart following suitcase, NASA wormbots and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-972012{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-972012, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-972012{width:100%;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-972012").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: NASA was just awarded a patent for a crawly, amorphous robot that can climb through rubble or dusty planets, theoretically more easily than rovers with wheels and gears to gunk up.
ICYMI: Tiny sperm motor, tablet for the blind and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Male fertility issues usually contribute to about half the cases of infertility in couples, which is why some German researchers invented a tiny little Spermbot designed to help sperm swim faster. The Spermbot is a tiny metal helix that uses a rotating magnetic field to help drive sperm towards fertilizing an egg.
Tracking the Engadget staff's vitals was a terrible mistake
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-164847{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-164847, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-164847{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-164847").style.display="none";}catch(e){} We challenged eight Engadget staffers to wear a biometric health-tracking shirt for the first few days of CES. In a word, it went terribly. For many of us, it was a struggle to set up a shirt, computer and bluetooth-connected app amid the general stress and distraction of the show. Especially since everyone was also overloaded with work on the first full day of CES coverage.
ICYMI: Delivery drone for humans, VR gaming and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-809076{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-809076, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-809076{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-809076").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The Ehang 184 is a Personal Flying Vehicle (PFV) that promises to deliver human cargo to its commuting destination in a way that has us intrigued and also, of course, mildly terrified. It can hold one person and fly anywhere within a 23-minute flight time radius. The person inside will use a very simple interface to take off and land, and be able to sit back and chill. Now we jsut have to wait while the at least $200,000 (but, probably more like $300,000) drone gets built, with a goal of reaching production by next year.
ICYMI: Aging exoskeleton suit, the biometric bed and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-726881{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-726881, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-726881{width:570px;display:block;} Today on In Case You Missed It: Applied Minds built an exoskeleton suit for insurance company Genworth and took it on the road to CES to give conference goers a dose of empathy for the elderly. The suit reenacts the physical ailments people often suffer as they age, from vision loss to hearing problems.
ICYMI: Smart dumbbells, robot car seat and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864{width:100%;display:block;} #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864{width:100%;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-471864").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: We are continuing our special Las Vegas coverage with a round-up of our favorite tech from Pepcom, a pre-CES event that showcases some of the technology at the show. Bowflex got our attention with a smart dumbbell that can count your reps and sync with an app over bluetooth. The dumbbells will cost $499 and are available later this month. But the stand that makes it fun to use is an additional $149.
ICYMI: Action sports drone, the future of shoes and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-364035{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-364035, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-364035{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-364035").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: AirDog took us on an adventure in the desert to showcase its nearly $1600 drone that can follow action sports junkies autonomously. While other action drones that follow users exist, AirDog claims this one is superior based on 40mph speed and software settings that change depending on the activity of choice. The major drawback for now is that one removable battery charge lasts only 14 minutes, which meant an attempted landing was more of a controlled crash when we took it for a spin.
ICYMI: A real hoverboard for 20K, the worm robot and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511213{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511213, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511213{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511213").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Scientists have built a robot that is controlled by software directly modeled on a worm's brain, near cyborg-style. ARCA has built a hoverboard they say can actually hover above ground for up to six minutes and is being sold for $20,000. Meanwhile the U.S. Marines are discharging a robot for being a bit too loud for stealthy applications: The LS3 is being put out to pasture.
ICYMI: Pollution sea vacuum, SpaceX's success and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: SpaceX successfully landed its reusable rocket, from a height of 125 miles-- then Elon Musk and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos traded Twitter jabs for our entertainment. Scientists from Cambridge University found that oil droplets change into artificial shapes like octagons when frozen in soapy water, then return to their normal shape when heated. And a nearly $4,000 gadget for sailors aims to clean up the dirty marinas where debris and oil spills often mar the seafaring beauty.
ICYMI: The best space, drone and car tech of the year
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-377507{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-377507, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-377507{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-377507").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are rounding up our very favorite transportation stories since launching ICYMI in June and it wouldn't be us if we didn't talk about NASA taking applications for astronauts again. Couple that with NASA's Pluto fly-by this year and it's clear that the space agency is on the upswing.
ICYMI: The best health innovations of the year
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-766185{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-766185, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-766185{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-766185").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: It's been a pretty magical year for medical innovation, with something for everyone but most especially Star Trek fans. The FDA approved 3D-printed medicine for the first time, prosthetic arms for kids got awesome and researchers helped a man with a severed spine walk, with sensor connections on either side of his spine.
ICYMI: The best robot news of the year
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-777059{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-777059, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-777059{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-777059").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We hit just over 120 episodes since our launch in June and from the beginning, we have been obsessed with robot innovation. That's why we put together a special year-end episode of ICYMI, rounding up our very favorite robot stories.
