Monthly Archives: June 2024

The Pet Piano turns your furry friend into an amateur pianist to dispense treats!

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This takes Pavlov’s bell to a completely different level!

Pets react to different music in different ways. For instance, my doggo would curiously nod his head from left to right and right to left at every note he heard. But he would instantly forget it all and run for the bowl on the first note of his food dropping into it.

Food is dearer to music, but music is a certain entertainer: this is not only true for humans, but for cats and dogs as well. If you agree, there is a musical way to keep your pet entertained and fed when you’re at home or away with the Pet Piano, a cross of an automated pet feeder and a piano.

Designer: The Pet Piano

Essentially a DIY project carried out by YouTube channel Smart Solutions for Home on the behest of YouTuber Aaron’s Animals, the smart piano pet feeder is now a buyable product, available on preorder from the pet piano website. If you’re a DIYer, you can still follow the step-by-step instructions to build a piano for your cat (as it was initially intended to be), otherwise, you can buy a ready-to-ship product and get your pet trained to play Beethoven while keeping her fed even when you are away.

The interesting pet piano is created to release a measured quantity of food whenever the pet presses the key(s). Treat from creating music will be a phenomenal experience for your pet considering that a reward mechanism inculcates a behavioral change in a dog or cat’s cognitive development and mood. So, a reward (food) in return for pressing keys – that make melodious sounds – a positive behavior can in inculcated. As a safety measure, the Pet Piano is created to dispense treats at a moderate pace, which also promotes healthier eating habits.

Further, your pet can also leverage the auto tutoring mode of the pet piano, which automatically trains your pet to level up her piano skills over time. And for days when the pet is not in the mood to play the instrument, the feeder can be scheduled to dispense food – at a scheduled time – through the dedicated mobile app which can also be used to control and monitor the meal portion and other features.

In comparison to other plastic and visually jarring pet feeders, the Pet Piano is made from durable MDF wood in a matte black finish so it can easily merge with your home aesthetic. Usable with cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes, it is provided with a locking mechanism to prevent break-ins and runs off batteries or can be plugged into a power source for nonstop functioning. We can’t guarantee your pianist pet will trend on TikTok, but it’s worth a shot, no?

The post The Pet Piano turns your furry friend into an amateur pianist to dispense treats! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Nothing Headphones with physical glyph interface let’s you display your mood

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Nothing as a transparent brand reflects its vision in the see-through aesthetics of each of its offerings. The intricate working of the tech is visible, highlighting the beauty of simplicity which has resonated with many fans of the Carl Pei. They’ve focused on audio products, mainly earbuds with an official pair of headphones not far from fruition.

The inspirational transparent design of their phone and earbuds has captured the imagination of designers who’ve mustered up their thoughts on presenting what a pair of Nothing headphones would look and feel like. Case in point, the concept AIAIAI Headphones, Headset 1 and head (1). Now yet another concept pair dubbed Head.Phone (1) caught my attention for all the right reasons.

Designer: Niloy Lahiri

Where this concept design sets itself apart from those other iterations is the smart use of the Glyph interface in the headphones. It’s more aggressive looking with physically moving Glyphs that can be customized to send cool messages to the on-lookers. The texture is very nice, something that Nothing would love. The color and finish of the materials are impressive with detailing in the right places. Transparent design elements flow down to the headbands which give it the typical DNA of the brand.

The ANC, transparency and normal modes can be toggled from the physical glyph interface. The ANC mode is represented by the closing Glyph lights, while transparency has a more open representation. This way, anyone talking to you can visually understand whether you are open to conversations or just in your zone, preferring not to be disturbed. Features and specifications apart from these over-the-ear headphones will freshen up the otherwise predictable market led by consumer-centric options from Sony, Apple, Sennheiser and Bose.

Although the designer didn’t intend to create a pair that is inspired by the Teenage Engineering elements, this concept has telltale good looks. So why wear a pair that seems more or less contemporary, when you could (in the future) get the option to sport a one from Nothing?

The post Nothing Headphones with physical glyph interface let’s you display your mood first appeared on Yanko Design.

The AI prison of the future is just an Outer Limits episode

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According to the Prison Policy Institute, the US has a higher incarceration rate per 100,000 people in its population than any other NATO country and it’s even higher than the next five member states combined (the UK, Portugal, Canada, France and Belgium).

So what’s the solution? Hashem Al-Ghaili, a molecular biologist and science communicator from Yemen, claims he’s got it in an interview with Wired: build a virtual prison instead. He’s not talking about stapling a bunch of Meta Quest 3’s to prisoners' heads for years at a time, but it’s also not far off from that concept.

Al-Ghaili is proposing a new neurological prison system that he calls Cognify. He posted a proposal video of the virtual justice system on his Instagram and YouTube channel and it looks downright horrifying.

Here’s how Cognify works in a theoretical nutshell — Instead of locking prisoners up for long periods of time, prisoners would be subjected to artificial memories in a virtual environment. The system creates customized AI-generated content that’s converted to visual information and delivered to the prisoner’s brain as well as the parts of their DNA and RNA linked to memory formation to establish a long term memory pattern.

Currently, such technology does not exist and Cognify is only a proposal. However, Al-Ghaili claims that experiments conducted on animals prove this process could work on humans at some point in the future. For instance, a study published in March in the scientific journal Nature in March that used mice as its test subjects found that memories are possibly formed by broken and repaired strands of DNA.

Of course, there are ethical implications and effects that would need to be addressed if such a system were to become a reality. Al-Ghaili says Cognify could happen within a decade from now but only “if we could overcome the ethical restrictions that limit testing such technology.”

If that doesn’t send a shiver up your spine, then check your wrist for a pulse. Horror anthology fans like me will remember an episode from the 1990s reboot of The Outer Limits on Showtime called “The Sentence” in which a scientist played by David Hyde Pierce invents a very similar virtual prison system that simulates an entire life sentence within a matter of minutes. He, of course, subjects himself to his own invention that makes him believe he committed a murder and served an entire lifetime in prison. He wakes up only to start denouncing the very system he championed just a few minutes earlier.

You can watch the whole thing on YouTube for free. Someone should send it to this guy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-ai-prison-of-the-future-is-just-an-outer-limits-episode-200937257.html?src=rss

New patent offers glimpse of what Microsoft’s canceled Surface Duo folding phone could be

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Microsoft killed its foldable smartphone adventure in 2023 after two iterations of its unique idea of a folding phone. The Surface Duo and Duo 2’s two-screen design didn’t pan out too well with the consumers. While the competition in the foldable Android phone market perfected the creaseless form factor, Microsoft – though having outsmarted Apple to the foldable phone category – lost out with its unprogressive design.

A new patent shared by Patently Apple shows that Microsoft, most likely, had made peace with the demanded form factor and may have been working on a design codenamed Neon (supposedly the now-canceled Surface Duo 3). The unreleased device detailed in the patent, shows how the phone would have looked with improvements like an external cover display, single folding screen without a crease, and Apple MagSafe-esque magnetic accessories.

Designer: Microsoft / Patently Apple

The uncanny two high-resolution touchscreens of the Surface Duo 2 couldn’t open the users’ minds to adoption and Microsoft felt the pinch of it. A reason why the patent of a never-released phone suggests that the device was being visioned with a concealed hinge folding inner display – like in Galaxy Fold models – instead of two separate displays with a noticeable distinguishing hinge.

The new 180-degree hinge design of the device, in the patent, is accompanied by a cover screen on the outside, which was missing in the previous surface models. Interestingly, the design suggests the cover and inner folding screens with edge-to-edge, and a camera in the cover display for selfies and video calling. A larger camera array on the back – spanning the entire width of the device – features a triple camera module that looks identical to the iPhone’s camera array with lenses placed on the top left-hand side.

A standout feature revealed in the patent is support for magnetic accessories. This is an Apple MagSafe-style feature, which shows a kickstand attached to the device to prove its functionality and usability in different orientations. Additionally, the foldable phone featured a power button updated to pop open the phone – like a book – on a press, saving the user the effort of manually opening the two halves of the device. I know, Microsoft is not going to release a folding phone based on this revealed patent anytime in the future, but I think it did have the mettle to compete I presume.

The post New patent offers glimpse of what Microsoft’s canceled Surface Duo folding phone could be first appeared on Yanko Design.

FCC chair asks telecoms companies to prove they’re actually trying to stop political AI robocalls

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FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has drafted a series of letters to nine major telecom companies, including AT&T and Comcast, to ask if they’re actually doing anything about AI political robocalls. AI-generated voices are getting pretty good at mimicking humans and we’ve already seen this technology in action, when an audio deepfake urged voters to skip the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

“We know that AI technologies will make it cheap and easy to flood our networks with deepfakes used to mislead and betray trust. It is especially chilling to see AI voice cloning used to impersonate candidates during elections. As AI tools become more accessible to bad actors and scammers, we need to do everything we can to keep this junk off our networks,” wrote Rosenworcel.

It’s worth noting that all AI robocalls were banned back in February, political or not, but the big telecom companies have yet to announce any enforcement plans. The mandate, however, does give State Attorneys General the ability to prosecute those involved in the robocalls.

Rosenworcel has also been trying to force political campaigns to disclose whether or not they used AI in TV or radio ads, as reported by US News & World Report. The proposed plan, however, has faced opposition from the Republican chair of the Federal Election Commission. Chairman Sean Cooksey wrote in a letter to Rosenworcel that the plan would overwrite the authority of the FEC to enforce federal campaign law, prompting a legal challenge.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fcc-chair-asks-telecoms-companies-to-prove-theyre-actually-trying-to-stop-political-ai-robocalls-184227549.html?src=rss

This e-trike with full suspension strikes the right balance between riding in city and beyond

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Electric bikes have their own environmental and health advantages. However, riding for long distances – if you’re not a pro – or when planning to go off the tarmac, an e-bike is not the best companion. Before you look for a capable pickup truck – that’ll never be the first choice for a city commute later – spare a thought for an electric trike; a three-wheel genius that strikes the right balance between the comfort of a car and the environmental and health benefits of a bike.

In the past, the shape and design of electric trikes have centered around driving pleasure, speed, and range. To present a commuter of the future, one that’s equally capable of riding within the city and on paved roads, California-based Addmotor has introduced the Grandtan X electric priced competitively at $3,299.

Designer: Grandtan X

For most of us, it’s a breathtaking new design, but actually, the Grandtan X is a feature-rich version of Addmotor’s previous Grandtan e-trike, with a new high-capacity battery, powerful motor, fat tires, and front and back suspension that makes riding the uneven roads a smoother experience. The full suspension system means comfort for the rider, while the trike’s 750W rear-mount motor ensures up to 1,400W of power, translating into 90 Nm torque to take the rider at 20mph top speed.

The Grandtan X, for robustness on any terrain, has a frame made using 6061 aluminum alloy. The rear-mounted motor adds to the stability and provides a better balance whether cruising through the street or riding over gravel with equal comfort and exhilaration. For a convenient journey uphill or down the hill, the trike has more than seven pedal assistant levels, and also has a mechanical disc brake featuring an automatic motor cutoff sensor to slow or stop it instantly.

The 127.9 lbs trike is powered by a 960-Wh Li-ion battery pack comprising Samsung 21700 cells, which take eight to ten hours to complete a full charge from a 30A output. The battery offers 85 miles of range per charge, while the IPX6 water resistance allows the Grandtan X to drive hassle-free through the elements. As off-roading enthusiasts will love to ride beyond the city roads courtesy of the bike’s rear differential that permits the wheels on the back to adjust to different speeds and terrains, the city explorers will like the trailer attachment, which enhances the trike’s cargo hauling capacity with a trailer in tow.

The post This e-trike with full suspension strikes the right balance between riding in city and beyond first appeared on Yanko Design.

Lego made bricks out of meteorite dust and they’re on display at select stores

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There are plenty of Lego sets that feature astronauts, but now there are Lego bricks made out of the stuff that astronauts find out there in the void. The Danish brickmaker has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to make Lego pieces from actual meteorite dust. Pretty cool, right? They are on display at several Lego store locations until September 20, including the big 5th Avenue branch in Manhattan.

This project isn’t just for giggles, though it is pretty fun. It’s a proof of concept to show how astronauts could use moondust to build lunar structures. Consider the sheer amount of energy and money required to haul up building materials from Earth to the Moon. It would be a game changer to, instead, build everything from pre-existing lunar materials.

There's a layer of rock and mineral deposits at the surface of the Moon, which is called lunar regolith. It’s long been thought that regolith of some kind would be required to build our first off-world colonies. It’s readily available and there are several prospective methods to transform it into building materials. After all, humans have been making structures out of dirt, soil and sand for thousands of years.

An image showing the making of a brick.
Lego

However, there isn’t too much lunar regolith here on Earth for folks to experiment with. ESA scientists made their own regolith by grinding up a really old meteorite. The dust from this meteorite was turned into a mixture that was used to 3D print the Lego pieces. Voila. Moon bricks. They click together just like regular Lego bricks, though they only come in one color (space gray obviously.)

A case filled with Lego bricks.
Lego

"Nobody has built a structure on the Moon, so it was great to have the flexibility to try out all kinds of designs and building techniques with our space bricks. It was both fun and useful in scientifically understanding the boundaries of these techniques,” said ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley.

Humanity is actually getting closer than ever before to our first real lunar base. NASA has teamed up with the Italian Space Agency and the Thales Alenia Space Corporation to build the first permanent human outpost on the Moon, though it won’t happen until at least the 2030s. Recent designs for lunar habitats have ranged from something resembling a mobile home to full-fledged inflatable villages.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lego-made-bricks-out-of-meteorite-dust-and-theyre-on-display-at-select-stores-161440194.html?src=rss

Galaxy S25 Ultra design rumor claims it will lose its distinctive boxy look

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Since 2011, Samsung has been launching two flagships a year, one under its premium Galaxy S brand and another with the Galaxy Note name. The latter has mostly been defined by its large screen and S Pen stylus, though now large screens or phablets are the norm rather than the exception. By now, the Galaxy Note is pretty much history, but it seems that it might be making a comeback in an unexpected and perhaps unwelcome way. We’re still half a year away, but rumors about the Galaxy S25 Ultra have already started to attract attention, both good and bad, especially on how its design will be throwing away what has made it look unique in exchange for what is both a throwback to the past and a nod to its stylus-less siblings.

Designer: Samsung (via @Wvisioncreation)

Galaxy S24 Ultra

Although Samsung retired the Galaxy Note name, its legacy lived on in the Galaxy S Ultra series. Not only does it have an S Pen stowed inside its body, it also retains the design that set the previous Galaxy Notes apart from the Galaxy S phones. Specifically, it had a rather boxy design, especially when viewed from the front. Not only are the top and bottom edges flat, the corners are also sharp and angular, a design that you’ll rarely see on other phones these days.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

According to the first rumors to come out for Samsung’s 2025 flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be losing that design DNA. The design is described as having more rounded corners, similar to the Galaxy Note 7 from 2016 with one important exception. The screen is still flat, something that Samsung did for the first time in this year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, rather than the heavily curved display of yesteryear’s Galaxy Notes. In not so many words, it’s going to look like the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, and presumably the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+.

Galaxy Note 7

On one hand, this change makes sense from a branding perspective, especially if you consider how the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip are also transforming. Samsung’s foldables are becoming edgier, so to speak, taking on an appearance similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The company, therefore, needs to differentiate the two product lines, and making the Galaxy S25 Ultra look like its siblings from the same Galaxy S line makes the integration of the Galaxy Note complete.

Galaxy S24+

On the other hand, response to the rumored change has been generally negative so far. That boxy and squarish design has become the visual identity of the Galaxy S Ultra, especially for fans of the Galaxy Note. In fact, they probably wish the Galaxy S to adopt the design rather than the other way around, if only to set Samsung’s flagship apart from the sea of phones with flat edges, flat screens, and rounded corners.

Galaxy S24 Series

The post Galaxy S25 Ultra design rumor claims it will lose its distinctive boxy look first appeared on Yanko Design.

Genesis X Gran Racer Vision Gran Turismo Concept Unveiled

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Genesis X Gran Racer

The Genesis X Gran Racer VGT Concept has made a stunning debut at the Busan International Mobility Show, signaling a new era in high-performance luxury mobility. As part of the Genesis Magma program, which focuses on pushing the boundaries of safety, comfort, and a cruisable driving experience, this concept car represents a significant step forward […]

The post Genesis X Gran Racer Vision Gran Turismo Concept Unveiled appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

EU competition chief jabs at Apple from both sides over AI delay

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It's safe to say Apple and the European Commission aren't exactly bosom buddies. The two sides have been at loggerheads over Apple's compliance — or alleged lack thereof — with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law designed to rein in the power of major tech companies.

Apple said last week it would delay the rollout of certain features in the European Union, including Apple Intelligence AI tools, over concerns "that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security." As it turns out, the EU is not exactly happy about that decision.

The call to push back the rollout of Apple Intelligence in the EU is a "stunning, open declaration that they know 100 percent that this is another way of disabling competition where they have a stronghold already,” EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said at a Forum Europa event, according to Euractiv. Vestager added that the “short version of the DMA” means companies have to be open for competition to keep operating in the region.

Not to leap to the defense of Apple here, but these comments are sure to raise an eyebrow or two, especially after Vestager also said she "was personally quite relieved that I would not get an AI-updated service on my iPhone." Apple does intend to bring Apple Intelligence to Europe more broadly, but it's taking a cautious approach with the tech in that region due to "regulatory uncertainties" and ensuring it won't have to compromise on user safety.

As it stands, the European Commission is carrying out multiple investigations into the company over possible violations of the DMA. This week, it accused Apple of violating the law's anti-steering provisions by blocking app developers from freely informing users about alternate payment options outside of the company's ecosystem. If it's found guilty, Apple could be on the hook for a fine of up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue. Based on its 2023 sales, that could be a penalty of up to $38 billion. The percentage of the fine can double for repeated violations.

Earlier this year, before the DMA came into force, the European Commission fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) over a violation of previous anti-steering rules. According to the Commission, Apple prevented rival music streaming apps from telling users that they could pay less for subscriptions if they sign up outside of iOS apps. Apple has challenged the fine.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-competition-chief-jabs-at-apple-from-both-sides-over-ai-delay-140022585.html?src=rss