MSI's eye-tracking gaming laptop is now up for order (Summary)

Swedesh company Tobii Technology has been developing its eye-tracking technology for years and persons who are seeking a competitive edge - or at least a more convenient way to eat without interrupting gameplay - can now consider a new option.

Showcased at CES 2016, MSI's GT72S G Tobii gaming laptop includes eye-tracking technology that translates eye movements into commands for compatible apps and games.

At the bottom of the GT72S G Tobii's 17.3-inch 1080p display sits a trio of near-IR illuminators. This eye-tracking technology immerses users with intuitive hands-free navigation and control and is designed to maintain accuracy no matter the room type of lighting conditions.

Tobii's eye-tracking tech is currently compatible with over two dozen titles, including ArmA III, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Assassin's Creed Rogue and Elite Dangerous.

The MSI's GT72S G Tobii comes equipped with a 6th gen, 2.70 GHz Intel Core i7 K processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 900M GPU to maintain smooth video performance and high graphics quality. The notebook also has 32GB of DDR4 memory, combination 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD storage, Blu-Ray disc burner drive, and USB 3.0 with support for dual 4K external monitors. The laptop also has a pair of 3W speakers and dedicated subwoofer for added audio punch.

The MSI GT72S G Tobii gaming notebook is available to order now with prices starting at US $2,600. Each purchase ships with Tom Clancy's The Division.

Reference:

http://www.gizmag.com/msi-tobii-gaming-notebook/41717/

Samsung's brainBand to further understanding of concussion (Summary)

Samsung has developed the "brainBAND" to further our understanding of brain injuries and how they can be managed to avoid long term harm.  Picking up on the symptoms of concussion can be tricky at the time of an incident and measuring its effects thereafter aren't so straightforward either.

This device was developed with the aim of gathering data on head impacts across contact sports. Samsung received help from neuroscientist Dr. Alan Pearce and industrial designer Braden Wilson.

The prototype device comes in the form of a discreet band and is meant to be worn around the noggin like a regular sweatband. There's sensors embedded at the back of the head to measure the force of an impact with data able to be sent to medics, referees and coaches in real-time via a companion app.

On the brainBAND, there are LED lights that flash yellow, orange or red to indicate the severity of a knock, with red being the worst.

The team trialed the devices on professional rugby players to improve understanding and help avoid life changing effects in future players.

You can hear from a couple players in the promo video below. What are your thoughts on this device?

Reference:
http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-brainband-concussion/42438/

Apple says it won’t sue FBI to find out how San Bernadino iPhone 5c was hacked (Summary)

Apple revealed that it has no plan on suing the bureau to find out how it hacked the iPhone 5c used by San Bernadino shooter, Syed Farook. Apple’s officials said that they are certain the method used by the FBI would not be a security concern for its users.

Apple began implementing secure hardware enclave that makes it difficult to crack into passcode-locked iOS devices, beginning with the iPhone 5s and Touch ID. Because of this, FBI director, James Comey said “the hack used won’t unlock anything newer than the iPhone 5c”.

Comey also stated that, “this doesn’t work on 6s, doesn’t work on 5s and so we have a tool that works on a narrow slice of phones.

The FBI director is equivocal as to whether or not they would tell Apple about the method used because they may lose what little access they have to unlock locked iPhones.

Reference

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/04/08/apple-says-it-wont-sue-fbi-to-find-out-how-san-bernardino-iphone-5c-was-hacked

New anti-snore patch targets the science of sound waves (Summary)

There’s this new anti-snore gadget that could help in reducing the volume of snoring or any nasal noise, so that you can get a better nights rest.

“The “Silent Partner” snore patch addresses the sound rather than the cause of snoring” says co-founder Netanel Eyal. “The patch has two thumb print size parts that sit on either side of the nose and are connected through a bridge over the nose, detecting snoring sounds and emitting a counter sound that cancels out the original snores.”

The Silent Partner uses noise-cancellation technology that relies on the physics of sound-waves. So for example; if the snore wave looks like a bumpy line, the counter sound would overlay the wave with its bumps in between the bumps of the snore line, which will result in the two waves cancelling out each other.

The device can be worn in any sleeping position and is effective from distances as close as 8 inches away (20 centimeters).

Eyal and his team received positive feedback from doctors about the Silent Partner.

Reference:

http://www.livescience.com/54021-anti-snore-device-targets-sound-waves.html

Response on Facial Recognition Drone Gives Your Selfie Stick Wings

Are we serious? What next I ask? I must admit that I was a little turned off when the phrase “selfie” was coined. As if that was not enough, now we have selfie drones.

Am I the only person raising alarm bells? I mean, there are starving persons in Africa, millions of displaced people in Europe and the Middle East and right in America a myriad of problematic issues that no one seems to have handle on. Yet we see merit in developing drone powered selfie sticks.

Pardon me for being a simpleton and a yes I am all for technological advancement, but at times I think we take it too far. Let’s keep it real. The cell phones are good, the remote, the dishwasher and even the lazy boy couches. But we would all readily admit that they have come with a host of attendant problems – one such being that they take away from the “naturalness” of life.

Have we not come to realize also that these innovative ideas have had a debilitating effect on our traditional areas of employment, for example the security camera replacing the security guard. I fear that with the advent of the drone selfie stick, the day of the professional photographer is numbered.

Finally, has IoT group done due process in considering the safety implications of operating another propeller driven autonomous craft in our already cluttered air spaces? The America Federal Aviation Authority (AFAA) is already struggling to enact an appropriate legislation to safe guard their airspaces and by extension protect human lives.

I’ve realized that in our technologically intoxicated era, this innovation may be hailed as yet another testimony of mans greatness and his unique ability to manipulate, for his enjoyment, the environment around him. I wish to however declare myself as the voice of reason and humbly ask; is this technological advancement necessary? Would it add value to your everyday living? Ask yourselves these questions.

Reference:

http://www.gizmag.com/roam-e-drone-selfie-facial-recognition/42600/

Summary on Boeing’s Newest Fighter Aircraft Makes First Flight

Boeing, arguably the most prominent and successful manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense space and security systems has successfully completed the first test flight of the lethal F-15K Strike Eagle.

The war bird was flown by Boeing’s chief test pilot and weapons specialist. It flew at March 2, doing aggressive turns among a list of other systems check.

The test crew had only high praise for the craft declaring that it will be the dominant multi-role fighter for the Korean Air Force and that its handlers will be in high praise of it.

Boeing is contracted to deliver 40 such aircrafts to the ROKAF with final delivery in 2008. The F-15’s program manager has touted the successful flight as a great success and he highly acknowledged the cooperative effort if the several stakeholders.

The F-15K is the most advanced variant of the world acclaimed F-15E. Industry experts view this bird as superior to all other aircrafts in its class having no equals.

The F-15K certainly carries an impressive array of capabilities.

Reference:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/3820/

"Spotlights" - Skimming Software - Summary

When doing online research, how hard is it having to read all these articles? I know, very difficult. This can in turn result in eye strains, fatigue and tiredness etc. Most persons do not even read every detail rather they tend to skim through these online texts. Because of this, researchers at Finland's Aalto University created a program that lets people skim even faster, while retaining more information.

According to the online article "New software will let you skim this article even quicker" (Ben Coxworth, March 29, 2016), this spotlight software automatically detects "visually important" contents such as headlines, tables and/or images on the pages that are scrolling by. Then, this content will briefly be superimposed over top of the scrolling text, drawing the users' attention to it. With this, it is possible to get a sense of what is being said without scrolling slowly to pick out important stuff manually.

"Browsing of long texts speeds up by 60 percent and less than half as much time is spent locating the desired locations in the text" says researcher Byungjoo Lee. "In addition, the probability of noticing points of interest in the text is increased by 210 percent compared to normal scrolling technique."

"Spotlights" is still in prototype form. However, it is hoped that it will soon be integrated into applications such as browsers and PDF viewers.

Reference:

http://www.gizmag.com/spotlights-skimming-software/42537/