Technology
The latest in technology news, from advanced robotics to smartphones, digital cameras and home entertainment gear.
Britain's Dragonfire laser weapon engages first aerial targets
January 21, 2024
Britain has fired its Dragonfire high-powered laser weapon at aerial targets for the first time. The test of the Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) on the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range was designed to demonstrate its power and accuracy.
Photography
-
Motorized, self-leveling tripod takes the strain out of video shoot setup
February 02, 2024Photo and video gear company Edelkrone teased its "biggest launch in years" in October last year, and has now revealed all with the release of the "world's first" fully motorized, self-leveling tripod called the X. -
OM Systems OM-1 flagship 4/3 camera first to feature Live Graduated ND
January 30, 2024Back in 2022, OM Digital Systems celebrated the 50th birthday of the Olympus OM-1 film camera with a digital four-thirds model. Now the OM System flagship has moved to its second generation, though despite key updates much remains the same. -
Hasselblad launches fast-focus 100-MP medium-format camera system
January 24, 2024Imaging titan Hasselblad has announced the successor to 2020's 50-megapixel 907X 50C digital camera system. The 907X & CFV 100C model boasts a camera back featuring a 100-MP back-illuminated image sensor that can be used with legacy film cameras.
Load More
Military
-
DARPA's ground-effect X-plane will haul 100 tons of cargo
February 01, 2024Aurora Flight Sciences has updated the design of its Liberty Lifter seaborne military heavy-lift transport – a highly efficient X-plane the company is developing for DARPA that achieves bulk lift by using wing-in-ground effect. -
US Army's AMPV armored fighting vehicle takes on drones
January 24, 2024In a recent live-fire field test, BAE Systems' Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) prototype took out a small fleet of quadcopter drones in spectacular fashion using a Moog modular weapons system. -
US Army's latest reconnaissance aircraft is a Bombardier business jet
January 10, 2024The US Army is swapping out its Cold War fleet of prop-driven recon planes with ones based on a business jet. Under a new contract, the Army is buying a Global 6500 jet aircraft from Bombardier with options for two more for development prototypes.
Load More
Mobile Technology
-
Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard
January 25, 2024We've seen a number of handsets over the years that have been designed to cut down on over-stimulating distractions present on smartphones. The latest looks like a happy marriage between a Blackberry and e-reader, and goes by the name of Minimal. -
Samsung leans into AI power for S24 series smartphones
January 18, 2024Samsung has announced its latest flagship handsets overnight, the S24 series, while also revealing a bunch of AI-powered tools designed to help users with photos and videos, communication, online search and more. -
DJI's wireless mic gets audio quality bump and smart noise cancellation
January 17, 2024DJI has announced an update to its clip-on wireless microphone system launched in April 2022. The Mic 2 now comes with internal 32-bit float recording, noise cancellation and a longer battery life.
Load More
Drones
-
Auto-follow chopsticks grab flying UAVs from the back of a vehicle
February 04, 2024Mesmerizing video shows Teledyne FLIR's new autonomous drone-catching cradle matching the movements of a model helicopter and grabbing it the instant it's within reach. It'll allow soldiers to launch and recover drones from inside their vehicles. -
Huntress hybrid drone packs a 300+ mph turbojet core
January 30, 2024Connecticut-based WaveAerospace has announced "the world's fastest multirotor UAS," a "new class of aircraft" that's effectively a quadcopter drone with a raging jet turbine in the middle, capable of insane speeds and all-weather operation. -
DJI announces its first-ever delivery drone, the FlyCart 30
January 18, 2024Although DJI is probably the best-known manufacturer of consumer drones, it hasn't ventured into the world of delivery drones … until last week, that is. The company's FlyCart 30 (FC30) is now set to join the growing ranks of package-toting copters.
Load More
Home Entertainment
-
BenQ adds compact, flexible 4K projector to X gaming series
January 29, 2024Last year, BenQ launched a 4K gaming projector with a 4 millisecond input lag at Full HD and support for 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Now the company has added a more compact short-throw model called the X300G to the X gaming range. -
Portable projector features sealed optics and touch interaction
January 25, 2024China's Wejoy has returned to Kickstarter with a Full HD projector called the V1 Pro. As well as sporting similar touch interaction to 2022's Y2 model, the new outdoor-friendly unit boasts sealed optics for long-term picture clarity. -
See-through sound: Stunning Ferguson Hill speakers ride the Jetstream
January 23, 2024When it comes to loudspeaker design, looks are much less important than how they sound. There are exceptions that please both eye and ear of course, and the rather pricey Jetstream system from Ferguson Hill is a gorgeous example of that thinking.
Load More
Deals
-
Reach new heights of fun with this $90 Epic Flight S89 4K HD Drone
February 05, 2024Gear up for a thrilling adventure with the Epic Flight S89 4K HD Drone, your ticket to high-flying excitement. Picture yourself cruising through skies, capturing breathtaking aerial views, and unleashing your inner pilot. -
Experience the benefits of Microsoft 365 Family or Personal today
February 04, 2024What to do if there is only one computer in the house that is running the programs needed by the work-at-home dad, the mom-on-the-go, and the energetic school-aged kids who must get their homework done? Subscribe to MS365—Family Version! -
This $70 game console makes each minute feel like a blast from the past
February 01, 2024My Arcade Atari Game Station Pro blends retro with modern gaming, featuring two 2.4 GHz wireless joysticks, dynamic RGB LED lights, and game save options, providing an immersive and fun gaming experience, and is now on sale for $69.99 (reg. $99.99).
Load More
3D Printing
-
Rapid liquid-metal 3D-printing process produces large parts in minutes
January 26, 2024Researchers have come up with a 3D printing method using liquid metal that's claimed to produce structures at least 10 times faster than existing metal additive manufacturing processes, though it does so at the expense of fine detail. -
New ultrasound tech could be used to 3D-print implants inside the body
December 08, 2023In order to keep surgeries minimally invasive, it would be great if implants could be injected into the body in liquid form, then solidified once in place. Well, a new ultrasound-based 3D printing process may one day make that very thing possible. -
Inkbit tech 3D-prints complex multi-material items in a single session
November 16, 20233D printing single objects out of different materials can be difficult, if those materials cure at different rates. The new Inkbit system addresses that problem, and has been used to print a complex functional robotic hand… in just one print job.
Load More
Computers
-
Neuralink fits its first human patient with a brain interface
January 29, 2024"The first human received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well." Elon Musk has announced a milestone moment at his brain-machine interface company, after a surgical robot successfully installed its first human brain chip. -
British spy agency releases previously secret images of Colossus computer
January 22, 2024Britain's hush hush Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence and security organization has released new images never before made public of Colossus, the world's first digital electronic computer, to mark its 80th anniversary. -
LG's latest gaming monitor boasts refresh rate quick switching
December 21, 2023CES 2024 is fast approaching, and some consumer tech companies are teasing stuff early. LG has announced new additions to its UltraGear line of gaming monitors, including one that allows users to switch between 240-Hz 4K and 480-Hz HD using a hotkey.
Load More
Games
-
AI robot buddy aims to teach gamers social skills
January 10, 2024This charmingly Japanese robot acts as a gaming buddy, taking the other controller and playing against you while chatting about what's happening on screen. It's designed to stave off loneliness, and teach increasingly isolated gamers to be social. -
Review: Spintronics uses mesmerizing mechanics to teach electronics
October 18, 2023Upper Story's second board game uses a gorgeous array of mechanical gadgets to give kids a physical, visual, fun way to understand electronics – and to give parents the feeling their young genius might be able to get them into a better nursing home. -
Sony slims down PlayStation 5, offers optional attachable Blu-Ray drive
October 10, 2023Right on schedule, Sony has unveiled a mid-generation refresh for the PlayStation 5. The update slims down both models of the console, beefs up the storage space, and adds an optional Blu-Ray drive that can be later fitted to the digital-only console.
Load More
Laptops
-
Dual-OLED Zenbook Duo laptop now available for pre-order
January 31, 2024Asus launched what it called "the world's first 14-inch dual-screen OLED laptop" at CES 2024 earlier this month, a similar but different proposition to its 17-inch folding model from 2022. Now the Zenbook Duo has gone up for sale. -
Lenovo teases laptop concept with animated color E Ink top
January 12, 2024That Lenovo launched a bunch of new laptops at CES 2024 is hardly surprising, but one of those new models has been transformed into a proof-of-concept that rocks an animated color E Ink outer lid. -
Tadpole hatches as a tiny webcam specifically designed for laptops
November 16, 2023Most laptops and Macbooks come with a webcam built in, but they can leave video-chatters somewhat wanting in terms of performance and image quality. Newcomer Opal Camera has addressed such things with a small-but-powerful model called the Tadpole.
Load More
Music
-
Gamechanger embarks on a voyage of sonic discovery with the Mod Series
January 29, 2024When Gamechanger Audio launches a new product, you can expect the unexpected. Previous outings have included the high-voltage Plasma Pedal and the Motor Synth. Now the quirky innovators are bringing dynamic modulation of effects using patch cables. -
Featherweight flat-panel guitar speaker now has a monster amp built in
January 28, 2024Eminent Technology has announced the Model Twenty Two – the "world's first flat panel active guitar speaker." Super-lightweight and about the size of a chunky picture frame, this 120-decibel oddity can now be your guitar amp, cab and FRFR speaker. -
Suzuki announces the return of the quirky Omnichord strum machine
January 26, 2024Way back in 1981, Suzuki Music released a rather bizarre electric instrument called the Omnichord – a kind of synth you could strum. Now the company has relaunched the an updated kidney-shaped oddity at NAMM 2024.
Load More
Robotics
-
Shock video shows Atlas robot training for automotive work
February 05, 2024It's a shock video because Atlas is unboxing and racking shocks – sorry about that. But it's also a shock because Atlas has always been a humanoid robotics research platform, not a commercial product – and this new video has us wondering. -
Resin-slinging robot could repair gas pipelines from the inside
February 02, 2024Ordinarily, when there's a leak in an underground natural gas pipeline, the affected section of pipe has to be excavated and replaced. Soon, however, a pipe-inspecting and -repairing modular robot may make doing so unnecessary. -
Avocado robot swings from trees to gather canopy data
January 31, 2024Swiss researchers are working on an environmental monitoring robot named Avocado that's been inspired by abseiling spiders. The fruit-shaped bot uses a winch and rotors to lower itself through the canopy and gather data on life in the treetops.
Load More
Smartwatches
-
Coros PACE 2 review: A lightweight, long-lasting smartwatch
July 04, 2021If you want a wearable to track workouts, runs, sleep and plenty more, then there's no shortage of devices to pick from – and after a couple of weeks of testing we can tell you that the Coros PACE 2 has a few features that might make you choose it. -
The budget TicWatch E3 shows off Wear OS at its best
June 16, 2021Google has promised big improvements for its Wear OS wearable platform later this year, but in the meantime Mobvoi has launched a new device that could be the best value smartwatch on the market right now: the TicWatch E3. -
The newest Casio G-Shock smartwatch is the first to run Wear OS
April 01, 2021Google's Wear OS platform could certainly use some more actual smartwatches to run on, and Casio has obliged with the GSW-H1000 – the first G-Shock smartwatch from the brand to come with Wear OS on board.
Load More
Telecommunications
-
Lightweight woven antenna could replace field-deployed dishes
January 22, 2024Ordinarily, in order to establish communications at disaster sites, rescuers have to transport and set up relatively bulky, costly satellite dishes. Soon, however, a simple tubular antenna made of woven strips of material may get the job done. -
Record-breaking fiber transmits 20x global internet traffic per second
December 03, 2023Everybody wants a faster internet connection, and now engineers in Japan have shattered the record for data transmission. The team managed to transmit more than 20 times the global internet traffic per second through a single optical fiber. -
LG sets new real-world-ready distance record for 6G data transmission
September 26, 2023While 5G feels pretty new and flashy, the industry is already making preparations for the next generation. LG Electronics and the Fraunhofer Institute have now conducted a test that set a new distance record for data transmission using 6G technology.
Load More
Wearables
-
AiSee wearable tells blind users what they're holding in their hand
February 05, 2024There are many situations in which blind people don't necessarily have to see what they're holding, they just need it described to them. An experimental new wearable device, known as AiSee, is designed to do that very thing. -
Artus exoskeleton keeps users' fingers from doing what they shouldn't
February 01, 2024Most exoskeletons are big, expensive, wearable devices designed to reduce the load on body parts such as the shoulders, arms or back. The Artus is different, in that it's made to protect the fingers … and it costs less than US$110. -
ExoM armored exoskeleton takes a load off – and stops bullets, too
January 26, 2024Soldiers and tactical unit police officers often have a lot of heavy gear to carry, including the ballistic body armor that they're wearing. That's where the ExoM Up-Armoured Exoskeleton is intended to come in, as it's load-reducing and bulletproof.
Load More
Virtual Reality
-
C-Infinity VR platform designed to keep gamers from losing their lunch
February 01, 2024Realistic and immersive as VR gaming may be, it produces feelings of motion sickness in many people. The C-Infinity platform is claimed to keep that from happening, by better engaging the user's body in their avatar's actions. -
Phantom VR glove delivers a sense of touch, but leaves fingers free
January 29, 2024There are now a number of gloves that deliver tactile sensations to VR users' fingertips when they touch virtual objects. The Phantom glove is unique, however, in that it doesn't cover the fingers, leaving them free for real-world interactions. -
AR vacuuming app makes sure you don't miss a spot
January 23, 2024As VR/AR headsets become more and more common, they'll open up all sorts of opportunities to "gamify" what's happening in the real world. Here's a fun example: an app that tracks your vacuum, showing which bits of floor you have and haven't done.
Load More