Persistent DIYer creates autonomous flying umbrella despite years of struggle

Back in early 2024, John Tse designed a flying umbrella controlled by a remote, which seemed a completely out-of-the-box idea. However, some users pointed out that the umbrella should follow the person using it, to make it more practical, come rain or shine. The hands-free option of using a flying umbrella is far more exciting than maneuvering it while walking.

Months later, John set out to design an upgraded version of the project. The thing is essentially an autonomous drone shading you from wet or dry weather on demand. The vital addition to the rig is a tracking system loaded with a camera that comes from drone parts. That said, the build was not a cakewalk, and it took him a couple of years to achieve the intended version.

Designer: John Tse

Things started off by creating a custom frame with a central hub for the umbrella, the locking mechanism, and the hinges to have a solid structure for the camera and sensors to mount on. Most of the components are 3D printed, either made out of carbon fiber or nylon. Once the design materialized, an ordinary umbrella was mounted onto the frame, and the arms attached to the mechanism, just like a tripod. After figuring out the GPS, flight controller, Raspberry Pi function, and other electronics, it was time for the first test flight. After a few glitches with the rotational direction and the flight anomalies, the troubleshooting mode kicked on. The rig finally held stable in flight, and John attached the umbrella housing to the thing.

The next step was to align the camera, sensors, and GPS function to make the autonomous flight possible, so that the umbrella doesn’t bump into the person it’s hovering over, or other people on the street. With help from his buddy Hinsen, the idea of creating a 3D map of the people nearby, even in low light, using complex light reflection tech, came to life.  Somehow, the thing didn’t work after replacing all the old components with the new ones. Eventually, after a lot of tinkering and tuning, the flying umbrella finally moved from the initial stage to the concrete prototype stage. A project that was meant to be just a few weeks finally took more than a couple of years.

Finally, the day arrived when the project materialized, and the floating umbrella hovered over John. Even when the sun went down, the thing managed to hover over him. Thereafter, it was time for the rain to come down and test the flying umbrella in wet weather. In heavy rain, the umbrella had zero glitches, and the painstaking ritual of going through numerous roadblocks felt sweet for him. The design of the umbrella doesn’t feel like there’s something off; it just feels like an everyday object. Sure, the high-tech accessory is heavy due to all the components, still it manages to do what it was intended for. In the end, a shout out to John for his patience and persistence that ultimately materialized this project.

The post Persistent DIYer creates autonomous flying umbrella despite years of struggle first appeared on Yanko Design.

YouTube adds more parental controls, including a way to block teens from watching Shorts

YouTube is rolling out some additional parental controls, including a way to set time limits for viewing Shorts on teen accounts. In the near future, parents and guardians will be able to set the Shorts timer to zero on supervised accounts. "This is an industry-first feature that puts parents firmly in control of the amount of short-form content their kids watch," Jennifer Flannery O'Connor, YouTube's vice president of product management, wrote in a blog post. Along with that, take-a-break and bedtime reminders are now enabled by default for users aged 13-17. 

The platform is also bringing in new principles, under which it will recommend more age-appropriate and "enriching" videos to teens. For instance, YouTube will suggest videos from the likes of Khan Academy, CrashCourse and TED-Ed to them more often. It said it developed these principles (and a guide for creators to make teen-friendly videos) with help from its youth advisory committee, the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA, the American Psychological Association, the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and other organizations.

Moreover, an updated sign-up process for kid accounts will be available in the coming weeks. Kid accounts are tied to parental ones, and don't have their own associated email address or a password. YouTube says users will be able to switch between accounts in the mobile app with just a few taps. "This makes it easier to ensure that everyone in the family is in the right viewing experience with the content settings and recommendations of age-appropriate content they actually want to watch," O'Connor wrote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-adds-more-parental-controls-including-a-way-to-block-teens-from-watching-shorts-151329673.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Why This Year’s AI Upgrade Might Actually Be Worth the Hype

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Why This Year’s AI Upgrade Might Actually Be Worth the Hype

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series introduces a suite of advanced technologies that elevate the smartphone experience to new heights. With significant strides in artificial intelligence (AI), camera systems, and processing power, the S26 lineup delivers a seamless, feature-rich experience tailored to modern users. Meanwhile, early insights into the Galaxy S27 Ultra suggest that Samsung is preparing […]

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The Nintendo Switch 2025 year in review is finally here

We’re almost exactly halfway through January, but Nintendo has clearly taken a better-late-than-never approach to its 2025 year in review feature, which finally went live this week for Switch and Switch 2 users. All you need to do is head here and sign into your Nintendo account to see your 2025 breakdown.

Like most annual gaming wrap-ups, Nintendo's shows how many games you played over the calendar year, as well as your total playtime. It also shows you your most-played titles for each month, your preferred genres by percentage, and if you scroll all the way to the bottom you can choose your favorite game of the year. You can also download a shareable image that shows off your taste, but there’s no way to directly share your results on social media through the website.

2025 was a massive year for Nintendo, with the Switch 2 launching in early June. If you bought one, the year in review site will naturally congratulate you for doing so, but it doesn’t separate your results by games you played on the original Switch versus its successor.

Nintendo’s rivals went live with their own 2025 recap features in December. First came Sony’s, which is unfortunately no longer live, and Steam followed shortly after. That one is still available to view if you want to see how your Switch 2 playtime stacks up against your Steam Deck hours. Microsoft decided to skip a 2025 wrap-up altogether, which Windows Central’s Jez Corden previously suggested could be due to a reallocation of marketing budget towards a number of significant anniversaries happening this year, including the 25th anniversary of Xbox.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2025-year-in-review-is-finally-here-145810913.html?src=rss

Apple’s 2026 Roadmap: From the Budget iPhone 17e to the Ultra-Thin iPhone Fold

Apple’s 2026 Roadmap: From the Budget iPhone 17e to the Ultra-Thin iPhone Fold

Apple is gearing up for an ambitious year in 2026, with plans to release over 20 new products spanning iPhones, Macs, iPads, wearables, and entirely new product categories. The company is focusing on innovations such as foldable devices, advanced chips, and innovative features designed to enhance user experiences and redefine the tech landscape. Below is […]

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A Granny Cart That Looks Like Luggage: Someone Actually Built It

Walking to the grocery store with a wire granny cart has always been practical but never particularly pleasant. The wheels rattle over every sidewalk crack, the wire basket looks like it escaped from a hardware aisle, and your tomatoes inevitably get crushed under a bag of potatoes. As more people ditch cars for walkable neighborhoods, the tools for hauling groceries haven’t really kept up with how design-conscious those people actually are.

That’s where Roulette Cart comes in. The Manhattan Blue version looks less like something you hide in a closet and more like a piece of luggage you wouldn’t mind leaving in your entryway. A padded navy bag sits on a slim aluminum frame with four small translucent wheels, the whole thing reading as upright and intentional. It’s built for people who walk to the store regularly and want something that feels considered, not just functional.

Designer: Futurewave for Roulette Carts

The interior actually makes a bigger difference than you’d think. Unzip the front, and the bag opens into a bright orange compartment with vertical bottle sleeves, small pockets for eggs or berries, and a wide cavity for everything else. You can slide wine upright without worrying it’ll tip, tuck leafy greens into their own space, and stack cans without turning your bread into a pancake. The 40-liter capacity feels more like organizing a rolling pantry than just dumping bags into a void.

Of course, none of that matters if the cart falls apart on cracked sidewalks. The lightweight powder-coated aluminum frame stays rigid when loaded, while the skateboard-style TPU wheels roll more quietly than cheap plastic ones that sound like you’re dragging a shopping cart through a parking garage. The four-wheel stance lets you push it like a stroller instead of tilting and dragging behind you, which helps when you’re navigating crowded aisles with 15kg of groceries.

Living with it in a small apartment feels surprisingly well thought out. The slim footprint and upright posture make it easy to park in a hallway without it sprawling into your living space, the way folding chairs tend to. The padded handle sits at a comfortable height so you’re not hunching on the walk back, and the detachable bag means you can lift just the soft part up a few stairs without wrestling the entire frame into a narrow elevator.

The materials are chosen for durability without shouting about it. The bag uses tough nylon, the frame is aluminum, and the wheels are high-quality TPU, the same stuff in skateboard wheels. These feel less like features to brag about and more like insurance against wet sidewalks, weekly grocery runs, and those trips where you bought way more than you planned and need everything to survive another six blocks home without collapsing.

Roulette Cart doesn’t reinvent walking or shopping, but it does make the annoying parts less annoying. The hauling, the packing, and the storing all get a little easier, and the whole thing looks deliberate enough that you’re not embarrassed rolling it through your neighborhood. It treats a routine errand with a bit more respect than a wire basket ever could, which turns out to matter more than you’d expect.

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How AI Models Generate Text : Explained In Simple Terms from Prompt to Reply

How AI Models Generate Text : Explained In Simple Terms from Prompt to Reply

What makes a large language model like Claude, Gemini or ChatGPT capable of producing text that feels so human? It’s a question that fascinates many but remains shrouded in technical complexity. Below, the team at Learn That Stack breaks down how these models generate text step-by-step, revealing the intricate processes behind their seemingly effortless outputs. […]

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NVIDIA rolls out DLSS 4.5 to all RTX GPUs

Just a week after announcing the latest version of its image-upscaling tech at CES, NVIDIA is rolling out DLSS 4.5. The company released a beta version of the update last week. Starting today, all NVIDIA app users with a GeForce RTX GPU will be able to upgrade to the full release of DLSS 4.5.

NVIDIA says DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution (to give its full name) delivers sharper visuals and improved temporal stability. The 2nd Generation Super Resolution Transformer reduces ghosting and improves anti-aliasing in more than 400 games and apps, the company claims. "This second-generation model is our most sophisticated yet, utilizing five times the compute power of the original transformer model, having been trained on a significantly expanded, high-fidelity dataset," NVIDIA added.

The company plans to bring an upgraded frame generation feature to DLSS 4.5 sometime this spring for those with GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. It says the Dynamic 6x Frame Generation feature can generate up to five extra frames for each traditionally generated one, delivering up to 4K 240Hz path traced performance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidia-rolls-out-dlss-45-to-all-rtx-gpus-140000322.html?src=rss

Fender’s guitar lessons are coming to Samsung TVs later this year

We’ve all heard of couch surfing, but Fender and Samsung have made it their 2026 mission to make couch shredding a thing. Samsung TV users will soon be able to take guitar lessons from the comfort of their living rooms, with the first TV edition of the Fender Play app set to arrive in the first half of this year.

Debuted at CES, players can choose from video-based lessons for both electric and acoustic guitar, as well as bass and — for all the wannabe Jake Shimabukuros or George Formbys (one for the Brits) among you — the ukulele. There are on-demand courses for different levels of skill, with each lesson built around a wide spectrum of well-known songs, everything from The Beatles' "Blackbird" to Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License". 

If you’re a bit more confident in your axe-wielding prowess, Jam Mode allows you to play along to genre-specific playlists. Call in the kids to watch and you’ve got your very own Woodstock.

Fender Play is already available on a variety of screens via the App Store and Google Play, but with your TV likely being the largest one you own, you won’t have to squint to make out those chord progressions. You can already use the app on a TV by pairing your iPhone or Android device to your Apple TV or Chromecast, but Samsung’s native TV app is more immediate.

Fender Play first launched way back in 2017 and has a number of virtual instructors who teach all levels of guitar players. A subscription costs $20 per month or $150 annually, and there’s a seven-day trial if you want to see what it’s all about. It will, for some reason, only be available on Samsung TVs released in 2025 or later (no word on support for older models at a later date) in the coming months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/fenders-guitar-lessons-are-coming-to-samsung-tvs-later-this-year-134551816.html?src=rss

Open Source Al Video is Here LTX-2 : Speech, Ambiance & Motion on Consumer GPUs

Open Source Al Video is Here LTX-2 : Speech, Ambiance & Motion on Consumer GPUs

What if creating stunning, synchronized 4K videos was no longer the domain of expensive software or high-end studios? Matt Vid Pro AI walks through how the new LTX-2 model is redefining open source AI video generation, making it accessible to creators with even mid-range hardware. This isn’t just another AI release, it’s a bold leap […]

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