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Latest by Luke Dormehl

ces 2018 power outage casio

Power outage at CES plunges thousands of exhibitors and attendees into darkness

Bad news for attendees at CES: The Las Vegas Convention Center's Central Hall was plunged into darkness following a power outage.
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Graphene-based wearable could help save babies from ‘crib death’

Researchers have developed a graphene-based smart sensor which could help keep babies safe from sudden infant death syndrome.
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This A.I. eavesdrops on emergency calls to warn of possible cardiac arrests

In Denmark, a voice recognition A.I. is being employed by emergency services to diagnose possible cardiac arrests when a person calls up.
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Swallow this ingestible gas sensor to spill the secrets of your angry gut

This tiny pill-sized device is actually an ingestible gas sensor -- and it could one day help save you from gut-related irregularities.
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The PowerDolphin underwater drone is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds

PowerDolphin is a water-based drone that can record video, deliver life preservers, use sonar to map the ocean floor, and catch fish.
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The Taro camera stabilizer tracks your movement to keep you in the frame

The Taro camera tripod uses smart image-recognition technology to make sure that its intended target never strays out of frame.
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This bionic hand has an extra trick up its sleeve — a sense of touch

Bionic hands are all kinds of awesome, but most lack one thing: a sense of touch. Well, all except for this innovative creation, that is.
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MIT’s new ultrafine, ultrastrong fibers could make future body armor tougher

MIT researchers at MIT have developed nano fibers, which possess impressive levels of toughness, but are just billionths of a meter thick.
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Whill’s new electric wheelchair is fast, light, portable, and available now

Power mobility device maker Whill is kicking CES 2018 off in style with the debut of its stylish new Model Ci electric wheelchair
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Our latest weapon in the fight to save dying coral reefs is … a concrete pod?

Coral reefs are degrading around the world. Marine ecology group Secore International has a smart way to help change that.
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A.I.-powered guitar gadget ‘hears’ what you play, backs you up in real time

OneManBand is a smart guitar device that 'listens' to what you’re playing, adapts to it, and then generates a real-time backup track.
da Vinci Nano 3D printer

XYZprinting’s da Vinci Nano is a cute plug-and-play 3D printer for the masses

XYZprinting is using CES 2018 to announce three new products. We're particularly excited about the $229 da Vinci Nano 3D printer.
A.I.

Truly creative A.I. is just around the corner. Here’s why that’s a big deal

The issue of whether A.I. can be creative is actually among the field's most important questions. Here's why.
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Blasting your brain with sound, pulses can help quiet the din of tinnitus

Researchers have developed a device to fight the effects of tinnitus by using sounds and electrical pulses to reset nerve cells in the brain.
myfirstfone smartphone kickstarter myfirst fone

Child-friendly wearable smartphone gives parents a direct line to their kids

MyFirst Fone is a 3G smartphone, worn like a watch, that kids won't easily lose. And that's not its only advantage.
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It won’t power the Matrix, but these suits use humans to mine cryptocurrencies

Looking for a new way to mine cryptocurrencies? You could do so by harvesting the excess heat your body generates. Seriously.
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Want to help bail people out of jail with spare change? There’s an app for that

A new app lets you give your spare change to help bail people out of jail by rounding up your purchases to the nearest dollar.
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3D-printed optical illusion tricks your eyeballs into perceiving a cube

YouTuber 3DSage has created an optical illusion that looks like a 3D cube, but turns out to be anything but.
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3D-printed lipstick applicator means perfect makeup every time

Researchers in the U.K. have developed a 3D printed makeup applicator, which means perfect lipstick every time -- minus the mirror.
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New DNA vaccine could lead to a one-dose universal vaccine for the flu

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a DNA vaccine, which could have the makings of one-dose universal flu protection.
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Listening to their own brain waves could help PTSD sufferers battle affliction

PTSD can be debilitating. Researchers have found a new way to help treat it -- by letting patients listen to their own brain waves.
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Panasonic built a robot gentle enough to pick tomatoes, but not exactly graceful

Planning on finding a new job for 2018? You can cross “tomato picker” off the list now that a new tomato-harvesting robot has made its debut.
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Instead of stealing jobs, what if A.I. just tells us how to do them better?

The 20th century theory of Taylorism suggested a workforce could be made more efficient through science. Now A.I. is picking up that mission.
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Watch this coordinated drone swarm fly in tight formation — without GPS

Researchers have created the world's biggest drone swarm that doesn't rely on either GPS or external motion capture in order to fly.
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Lifesaving app lets users share their location even if there’s no cell signal

Spanish researchers have developed an app that’s capable of transmitting a person's GPS coordinates even if they don’t have cellular signal.
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Watch a hybrid drone break records by hovering for more than four hours

Quaternium's Hybrix.20 fuel-electric quadcopter just broke drone flight records by staying aloft for a massive four hours, 40 minutes.
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No batteries. No wires. No friction. These bike lights are powered by physics

Now available on Kickstarter, these amazing smart bicycle lights promise to work via a completely contactless dynamo-powered battery.
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New disease-finding electronic nose sniffs poop so scientists don’t have to

Your physician may soon have impressive new tech for diagnosing colon-related illnesses. The secret? An electronic nose to sniff your stool.
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Free vending machines for homeless people are coming to the U.S. in 2018

A charity in the U.K. is trying to help homeless people by trialling vending machines that dispense essential items like food and clothing.
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Forget lithium-ion — this graphene-based power pack recharges insanely fast

The world’s first portable USB-C power bank which works using graphene-based composite packs will recharge in just 20 minutes.
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Helli helmet automatically calls an ambulance if you crash your motorcycle

Helli is a smart motorcycle helmet that promises to call an ambulance for you if you're involved in a crash.
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The next thing for treating Parkinson’s symptoms could be … laser shoes?

It may sound unlikely, but special shoes equipped with laser pointer guides can help patients with Parkinson's disease to get moving ahead.
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Rest in pieces: The biggest tech demises of 2017

Here are nine examples of once-promising tech products or companies that sadly won't be seeing the light of 2018.
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Year in review: The best crowdfunding projects of 2017

What were some of our favorite crowdfunding projects to grace Indiegogo and Kickstarter over the course of 2017? We're glad you asked!