When two interlocking parts of a product are joined together in a factory, they typically make a satisfying “click” sound. By listening for such noises, a newly-developed system can detect when faults have occurred on robotic assembly lines. Created at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT), the technology incorporates audio sensor units that can be mounted either directly […]
AI-Based Quality Control System
Viral Quarantine Recipes
The COVID-19 pandemic has left people with a lot of extra time on their hands — time that many are using to get in the kitchen and bake. And over the past few weeks, a bunch of recipes have gone viral (no pun intended) on the internet, as it’s become a trend to make them while home in quarantine. The best […]
Built In Air Mattress
It can be uncomfortable, using a sleeping bag that’s laid directly onto the floor of a tent. Utilizing a cushy sleeping pad helps, but that’s one more thing you have to pack along … and that’s where the inflatable AirBag is designed to come in. Invented by New Jersey-based outdoorsman Matt Turcina, the AirBag sleeping bag incorporates an air mattress […]
Portable UV Sanitiser
According to this Time article, the average smartphone is about 10x dirtier than a toilet seat. That may or may not be a surprise to you; either way, it should make your rethink how you interact with your favorite smart device. The UV Shield: Portable Smartphone Sanitizer helps you stay healthy by eliminating any harmful bacteria on your phone, as […]
Quick Release Bike Tech Keeps Thieves Away
Even when a thief can’t steal a complete bike, they’ll still pilfer parts off of it – and that includes components such as the saddle. That’s where the Quick Release Seatpost comes in, as it allows riders to quickly remove and replace the saddle themselves. The problem with saddles is that while they can be taken off of the seatpost […]
Sprayable Sensors Makes Interactive Sufaces
Imagine touching the armrest of your sofa to change the channel on your television, or pressing against a lightbulb stencil on the wall to turn on your smart light – these functions and many more like them are now possible thanks to research from a team from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT, and the University […]
Optical Guitar Pickup
Rather than use magnets and coils to convert string motion into an analog voltage for amplified output, the ?Pik uses infrared light to capture the vibrations of the strings above it. It first appeared online in 2017, and after much tweaking, testing and refinement, the optical pickup has now been launched on Kickstarter. The humbucker-like pickup features two strips of […]
Phase Change Fabric
The more clothing that you wear, the warmer you are … right? Well actually, scientists have developed a new textile that both warms wearers in cold environments, and cools them down when things heat up. The experimental material was developed at China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology, by a team led by Prof. Guangming Tao. It’s made by first […]
Self Tracker Chatbot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a COVID-19 assessment bot, a chatbot that people can turn to for advice about whether they may be infected with coronavirus, officially called COVID-19. The tool is available on the CDC website, by clicking on the Coronavirus Self-Checker option. The bot asks questions like the location of the patient, their […]
Sustainable Toothbrush
Mexico City-based NOS has come out with a design to address one of the many causes of plastic pollution that consumers tend to overlook: toothbrushes. The company’s Everloop toothbrush combines a reusable, recycled plastic handle with replaceable bristles made from compostable bamboo. The sheer number of plastic toothbrushes that end up in landfills every year is a much larger problem […]