Other Tech 

Redbox is getting back into streaming and downloads

Redbox’s ill-fated attempt to take on Netflix and Hulu shut down in 2014, but Variety reports that it’s ready to try again. From the ashes of Redbox Instant rises Redbox Digital, which ditches the subscription element entirely in favor of all-video on-demand all the time. It’s focused on the rental and purchase experience, although for now only invited users can try it out. The app is already live on iTunes, and the screenshots show off the possibility of downloading or streaming videos, and support for Google’s Cast feature. The only problem with video on-demand is that…

Read More
Other Tech 

Wound-plugging Device Saves a Soldier’s Life

A simple technology meant to stop major arterial bleeding has passed its first field test on the battlefield. The device, called XSTAT, was put to the test recently when a soldier with a gunshot wound to the thigh remained in critical condition after a seven-hour surgery failed to staunch the bleeding from his femoral artery. As a last resort, the forward medical team operating on the soldier decided to use the XSTAT, an oversized syringe filled with absorbent sponges that are injected directly into a wound. The treatment worked, the company says, halting the bleeding in…

Read More
Other Tech 

Insect-Inspired Eyes Give Sight to Mini Drones

Buzzing may not be the only thing drones have in common with insects. Tiny drones of the future might “see” their world with tiny, artificial sensors inspired by flying insects’ compound eyes. The experimental sensors are small and light enough to fit on the tiniest drones, which could give them the ability to sense and avoid collisions in cluttered spaces. Smaller and Smaller Like most other gadgets, scientists are looking to make drones smaller and smaller for a number of reasons. For one, a tiny drone is far stealthier and…

Read More
Other Tech 

How Trucks Can Make Delivery Drones a Reality

Delivery drones may still seem a ways off because of new U.S. commercial drone regulations requiring drones to stay within sight of their human operators on the ground. But such rules pose no problem for a U.S. startup that developed a drone capable of launching from delivery trucks and dropping off packages within the driver’s line of sight. The HorseFly drone developed by Workhorse Group, an electric vehicle company in Cincinnati, Ohio, is an octocopter designed to ride aboard a delivery truck. Once it gets a delivery mission, the drone can take off through the truck’s roof with a…

Read More
Other Tech 

We hereby announce Tech Innovation Today’s Spring 2018 Technology Essay Contest!

We hereby announce Tech Innovation Today’s Spring 2018 Technology Essay Contest! Technological innovation is occurring at a pace faster than ever before. We awake to news of some breakthrough medical technology or success in next-generation computers or smartphones. Massive advances in the transport sector is giving us a clearer glimpse into what the future holds. It is simply awe-inspiring to witness the reusable rocket booster by SpaceX land safely back on earth on a tiny platform floating on the ocean. And each month we are greeted by the discovery of…

Read More
Other Tech 

ARmKeypad Air keeps your grubby mitts off the interface

Making interfaces touch-free is a problem with a number of solutions, such asvoice control to hand gesture recognition. NEC’s ARmKeypad brings augmented reality (AR) into the mix to display a virtual interface onto the user’s arm, with input registered through vibrations from the tapping of fingers on the arm. Now the company has announced a new, tap-free version called the ARmKeypad Air that provides a completely contact-free interface. After we first heard about the ARmKeypad back in 2011, things kind of went quiet until November last year, when it resurfaced in the form of…

Read More
Other Tech 

New Gorilla Glass Smartphone Screens Promise To Be Stronger Than Ever

Imagine this: It’s late, you’re tired. You reach for your phone in your pocket. You go to grab it and before you realize it, your grip has loosened and your precious cargo is on the ground ― facedown. That next moment, before you turn it over to assess the damage, is terrifying. Is it shattered? Have I broken it? Have I just ruined everything? Well, the glassmaker behind Gorilla Glass is about to make those moments a lot less scary. Corning, the company behind the chemically strengthened glass known as Gorilla Glass that’s…

Read More
Other Tech 

New tech boosts 3D printing of metal objects

The prospects for 3D printing may have just become a little bit stronger, literally, thanks to a new way of using metallic powders to create structures. A Northwestern University team has shown a new technique using liquid inks and common furnaces rather than more expensive lasers or electron beams. In addition to being cheaper, the researchers say the process is also faster, more uniform and works with a wide variety of metals, alloys and compounds. “Our method greatly expands the architectures and metals we’re able to print, which really opens the door for a…

Read More