Assorted Tech News
A Revolutionary Selfie Drone Has Been Launched in Australia
A flying drone that includes a camera isn’t exactly news, right? Well, if you take a good look at the Roam-e Flying Selfie drone, you may change your perspective. This new drone is capable of following you around and recognizes your facial traits, taking amazing shots. The drone can fly around you and take shots for up to 20 minutes, and then needs to be recharged, a process that takes about two hours.
The pictures have a 1080p quality; the drone can also take 360 degrees, panoramic pictures and even stream live video.
Facebook and Suicide Prevention
People worldwide will soon get access to Facebook’s suicide prevention tools. These tools are already available in the US, being of great help for people who think about suicide or hurting themselves. They are also a valuable resource for family members or friends who are concerned about the wellbeing of their loved ones.
The tools were built using help from mental health specialists. People can find various useful resources on the site: links to suicide prevention hotlines, help for family members, links to professionals that can help them, and more.
Facebook has stated its intentions to help people in distress, no matter the crisis they are going through, and the first steps in this direction were made back in 2011. About 800,000 persons die of suicide every year, and Facebook has close to 2 billion users in the entire world.
New Advances in Wi-Fi Performance
Wi-Fi Alliance’s “wave 2” set of features helps increase speed by allowing routers to intelligently handle several devices that are connected to the network at the same time and need a high bandwidth.
The new technology named Multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) helps more devices to share the same Internet connection without sacrificing speed or performance. The reported download speed can reach up to 300% in comparison with “wave 1”. It is estimated that over 80% of the devices will use MU-MIMO by 2020.
“People need more bandwith these days, and a lot of it has been wasted until now. MU-MIMO is a great solution, because it boosts speed and also increases security”, according to Mr. George Hardesty, CEO of Data Alliance.
People Delivery Drones – Dream or Reality?
Amazon is already using drones to deliver packages door to door. But will there ever be drones carrying persons from one point to another? Some companies have started to design drones that are supposed to get their passengers to a given address using the fastest and safest route possible, avoiding other flying objects.
The first prototypes look like small planes, and are deemed to be safer than helicopters. These devices will probably have a price that’s similar to high end Tesla cars. The first drones will be able to fly with speeds of up to 200…300 mph.
IBot, the Wheelchair that Climbs Stairs
DEKA Research and Development has announced its interest in helping disabled people with new mobility solutions. As a direct consequence, their iBot was resurrected, and it utilizes a new balance technology which is similar to the one that’s being used by Segway.
People using the iBot will be able to climb stairs, making use of two sets of wheels which rotate to perform the action. Toyota is going to license DEKA’s balancing technology for medical purposes.
Read MoreGoogle News – June 2016
Google plans to launch its own phone
Google wants to make a new phone from scratch, and it’s not a Nexus! The search engine giant wants to become the main competitor of Apple’s iPhone. Some sources set the end of 2016 as the approximate date for the release of the new device.
Right now, Google is looking for a solution to produce its own chips, because that would significantly simplify the phone making process. To accelerate the process, Google has recently started to hire professionals for its new hardware division.
EU to complain against Google AdWords
Europe’s antitrust authority is planning to launch the third set of complaints against Google AdWords. Several companies have submitted evidence to the antitrust investigation, and they have been already asked to remove any confidential information from their documents. If Google is found guilty, it may be asked to pay a fine which may be as big as 10% of the worldwide revenue. Last year, the figure was close to 8 billion dollars. Google AdWords is the biggest revenue source for its company.
New technology limits injuries in car-pedestrian accidents
Google has recently invented a system that will help save more lives. The invention includes an adhesive layer, which is covered with a membrane that makes the colliding objects or people adhere to the vehicle.
In other words, when a car hits a pedestrian, the person gets stuck to the front of the car, instead of being thrown in the air. This way, the damage will be limited to the one caused by impact; people will no longer fall off the vehicle, and will no longer be run over by it.
Jaguar and Volvo have already invented systems that try to protect the pedestrians after the initial collision. Nevertheless, these systems are expensive, so the price of the cars would grow quite a bit. Google’s invention can be used on any car model, provided that the adhesive coated hood layer is refreshed a few times per year.
Live broadcasting using YouTube
YouTube will launch this new service for all its users. People will be able to broadcast live using their smartphones. The new feature will be incorporated into Google’s YouTube Android and Apple apps.
With this addition, YouTube will become a real competitor to Facebook Live and Twitter Periscope. Since YouTube is one of the most visited websites in the entire world, Google hopes that by making this move, it will attract even more people.
Google creates new tools for teachers
Google plans to expand its presence in schools, and its specialists have recently created new tools to help teachers and kids worldwide. Quizzes is a set of features in Google Forms, which is similar to Google Cast for Education, an app that proved to be effective as a classroom projector.
The tools have been developed in close partnership with teachers and professors, and will be free.
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