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uHoo edges out other air quality monitors with extra sensors
We've now gotten to the point where we can rely on pigeons for monitoring outdoor air quality, and there are plenty of conventional options for indoor as well. But there's always room for improvement, which is why we're looking at the uHoo. Impressively, this pint glass-sized device packs up to five air pollutant sensors, thus allowing it to measure the usual dust and volatile organic compounds, as well as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone -- these three can't be detected by most other monitors in the consumer market. On top of that, the uHoo can also keep an eye on the temperature, humidity and air pressure, which comes in handy as these contribute to our wellness, too. The live data is fed to your iOS or Android device via Wi-Fi, and the app will alert you when the air goes bad in one of the rooms.
Raspberry Pi gets an 8-megapixel Sony camera upgrade
Although the Raspberry Pi has undergone numerous refreshes since it launched three years ago, its first official accessory -- a 5-megapixel Omnivision camera module -- has remained the same. That's mostly due to the Raspberry Pi Foundation and its partners buying a huge amount of sensors, which not only kept the price low, but also enabled it to have plenty of stock for years to come. According to CEO Eben Upton, those reserves are now running very low, so it's time to show off the new merchandise: two new $25 (£19) cameras powered a Sony IMX219 8-megapixel sensor.
Zepp's redesigned sport sensor tracks your swing more accurately
For Zepp Labs, a young startup from Los Gatos, California, the goal with its first multi-sport sensor was clear from the beginning: To help baseball, golf and tennis players improve their game. Now, more than two years after the introduction of that product, the second-generation Zepp has arrived. At its core, the new swing-analyzing gadget remains nearly the same, but there are notable developments both on the inside and outside.
Bionic finger makes amputee feel texture on his phantom hand
Someday, amputees might be able to get prosthetics that can discern shapes and feel texture, thanks to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Its scientists have succeeded in designing a bionic fingertip (PDF) that can make amputees feel textures and even differentiate between rough and smooth surfaces. The team asked Dennis Aabo Sørensen, who lost his left hand in an accident, to test it out. He said the sensations it gave him were almost like what you'd feel with your own hand.
Zepp and Old Hickory debut bat with integrated swing sensor
Zepp tipped its hand on integrated swing sensors for baseball bats and tennis rackets back at CES. With MLB Spring Training in full swing, now's as good a time as any to pull the wraps of the finished version. The sports-tracking company teamed up with wood bat manufacturer Old Hickory for the Mike Trout Old Hickory Smart Bat. If you're unfamiliar, Mr. Trout is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball over the last few years and a long-time fan (since high school) of Old Hickory's sticks.
You'll soon track Bluetooth devices directly over the internet
There are plenty of Bluetooth-based sensors and smart household items, but they have one big gotcha: they typically need an intermediary device to get internet access and offer control away from home. The Bluetooth standards group has unveiled an architecture that gives those devices an internet gateway without requiring a phone, tablet or another in-between gadget. Your internet-connected thermostat could control temperature sensors around the house and send that information online, letting you track them from wherever you happen to be.
Flexible sweat sensors monitor fluids while you exercise
Plenty of fitness wearables track fundamentals like your heart rate or step count, but there's so much more to your body than that. What about your fluid levels, for example? That's where UC Berkeley might help. It developed a flexible sensor that measures the electrolytes and metabolites in your sweat, along with your skin temperature. If you need to improve your diet, a quick run might reveal the truth.
Brain monitoring chips dissolve when you're done with them
By far the biggest danger of brain implants is rejection -- it can be just a matter of time before your immune system freaks out and makes a bad situation that much worse. That's where Washington University might come to the rescue. Its researchers have crafted tiny (smaller than a pencil tip) wireless brain sensors that dissolve. Their mix of silicone and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is sophisticated enough to transmit vital data like cranial pressure and temperature, but melts after a few days of exposure to typical organic matter.
'Xbox Fitness' no longer requires the Kinect
The Kinect, once such an integral part of Microsoft's Xbox One story, just lost a big toehold. You no longer need the depth sensor for Xbox Fitness, a key non-gaming app. The device brings gamification to workouts and forces you to think about form, so the app is more like a streaming service without it. However, dropping the requirement certainly opens it up to more users. Folks who compete with friends might also be disappointed to know that non-Kinect rivals still get a score just for watching the videos. Kinect users can score higher, though, and new workout titles will continue to support the camera. There's no word on whether Microsoft might offer smartphone body tracking like it does with Just Dance Now.
Rossignol and PIQ team up to track your skiing performance
PIQ has teamed up with Rossignol to give you all the skiing metrics you probably never thought you needed. The 13-axis ski sensor, which is identical to PIQ's golf and tennis models, comes with a special strap that attaches it to any ski boot. It can then measure stats like edge-to-edge speed, G-force and carving angle, while giving freestyle skiers air time, G-force at landing, rotation and more. As with other PIQ models, you can check stats immediately from your Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth, but if you don't carry a phone during mogul practice, it'll store the data for later.
Tiny wireless sensor never needs a battery
The internet of things is a nice idea, but there's one big catch: you have to power all those smart devices, which is no mean feat when some of them might not even have room for a battery. Dutch researchers think they have a solution, though. They've built an extra-small (2 square millimeters) wireless temperature sensor that gets its power from the radio waves that make up its wireless network. All it needs is energy from a nearby router -- once there's enough, it powers up and starts working.
Pop-up sensor would give robot surgeons a sense of touch
Robotic surgery is no longer the stuff of science fiction. However, these robots can't really feel their way around -- the need for super-small mechanisms rules out existing approaches to touch. That's where Harvard researchers might come to save the day. They've developed a pop-up sensor whose four layers collapse to a tiny footprint (just a tenth of an inch) when necessary, but expand into a 3D sensor thanks to a built-in spring. The design is extremely sensitive, too, with a light intensity sensor that can detected mere millinewtons of force.
Toshiba is reportedly selling its camera sensor business to Sony
Toshiba's accounting scandal may cost it a lot more than just a CEO and a wad of cash. Sources for Bloomberg, the Japan Times and Reuters all claim that the tech giant is expected to sell its camera sensor business (specifically, its manufacturing plant) to Sony for about $165 million in a bid to raise funds. Neither company is confirming anything, but the talks are reportedly far along enough that you could see an official announcement as soon as next week. The reported selloff would mark the end of an era for Toshiba, although it wouldn't come as a total surprise if you knew the histories of both sides.
This sensor knows if you like anime a little too much
At some point in life, you may have wondered: would you prefer dating an anime character instead of an actual human being? If you're unsure, ROHM's here to help. At CEATEC, the component maker paired up with TECHMAC to show off a dating game featuring a "Tokimeki Sensor" -- "tokimeki" is a Japanese word for "palpitation" that's often associated with dating simulators. The player places his or her hand on a board, with the index fingers placed on an optical palpitation sensor on the back. The subject then faces a flirty anime boy or girl on the left screen for about a minute, followed by its human counterpart on the right, and then the game will determine whether you're into 2D romance instead of 3D. We didn't dare to face the truth, because you know, the heart never lies, but our friend Tim Stevens wasn't so sure about this machine's accuracy.
Sensor-equipped plant pods take the guesswork out of indoor gardening
Have you been thinking about trying your hand at gardening, but lack the green thumb to keep those plants alive? There's a new Kickstarter project that may be able to lend a hand. Plug & Plant is a wall-mounted system of pods that not only neatly organizes the indoor plants, but each one is equipped with Bluetooth room, humidity and light sensors. That tech gathers data from the environment and offers tips for optimum plant growth. A Smart Water Tank also uses the collected info to vary the watering regimen as needed for up to 30 days. Details are beamed to a companion app that displays the stats for each senor independently as well as analyzes the data and providing suggestions for care.
Wilson's connected basketball helps hone your skills on the court
Connected sporting goods are nothing new, and Wilson's a smart basketball that tracks every shot you take on the court is adding to the fray. The Wilson X, which was first announced last year, uses an embedded sensor to tally makes and misses in real time alongside a companion app for iOS devices While it'll only play nice with Apple gadget right now, it'll be available for Android this fall. The mobile software also offers four modes for shooting drills. There's a Buzzer Beater mode that offers the challenge of making the game-winning shot as the clock winds down, for example. Wilson says that this high-tech ball and app combo is made for shooters as it isn't designed to track shots within seven feet of the basket.
Canon has a 250-megapixel sensor that fits in a DSLR
Canon has announced a "250-megapixel" image sensor that would fit into a consumer-grade DSLR camera. The Japanese camera maker says the new APS-H CMOS sensor enables "distinguishing of lettering on the side of an airplane flying at a distance of approximately 18 km [11 miles] from the shooting location." As well as being the densest sensor of its size, it's also extremely fast. It has a readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second, meaning it can shoot its super-high-res images at up to five frames per second.
LG sensor adds smarts to your 'dumb' home appliances
Sure, it's easy to find connected home appliances, but what if you want to add a dash of intelligence to many of your existing appliances (not just one or two)? LG might come to your rescue before long. It's launching a SmartThinQ Sensor which uses feedback like temperature and vibration to tell you what your devices are doing. It can tell when your washer has finished by waiting for the shaking to stop, for instance, or tell you if someone left the fridge door open while you were out. In some cases, you can even remotely control those older machines. There's no word on when the sensor arrives, but it'll be joined by the smartphone-controlled Smart Lightwave Oven and Smart Air Conditioner at the upcoming IFA trade show.
Prana: an LED exhibit that breathes with you
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-462590{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-462590, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-462590{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-462590").style.display="none";}catch(e){} As you step into the shimmering globe of 13,000 LEDs, a sensor detects your presence. It reacts to the rise and fall of your lungs and illuminates the sphere of suspended lights called PRANA. The signal from the chip works its way to a computer that's loaded with custom javascript. The program triggers a variety of light effects – from pitch dark to sparkling lights – that fall in sync with your breathing to wrap you in a hypnotic glow. "Breathing is something that powers the body but you can't see it or detect it in very many ways," says Ben Hughes, managing creative director of B-Reel New York, the creative agency that created the experience. "PRANA is an attempt to visualize the unseen energy of our bodies and augment it in a really interesting way."
Google's Life Sciences division to build a miniature glucose tracker
A pin-prick from a finger stick is a daily ritual for about 10 percent of the American population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes. In most cases, the condition requires long-term medication and lifestyle changes that are based on the patient's daily glucose levels. Dexcom, a California-based company known for its diabetes-management devices, has partnered with Google's Life Sciences division (now a subsidiary of the much-talked about Alphabet) to develop a miniature product line of its existing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. The new disposable version of the slap-on sensor could potentially replace the bulk of blood-monitoring devices.
