Like millions of other kids around the world, Jamieson Christmas, now in his mid-forties, was transfixed the first time he saw director George Lucas’ epic space opera Star Wars. “I’m a child of the ’70s,” he told Digital Trends. “I grew up when Star Wars was first released. [What really fascinated me was] this idea of . George Lucas set up this vision of little robots beaming three-dimensional pictures of people. R2-D2 and all that stuff. It had a really tremendous influence on me.”ContentsJump forward several decades and Christmas, the founder of a U.K.-based company called , believes that...…Like millions of other kids around the world, Jamieson Christmas, now in his mid-forties, was transfixed the first time he saw director George Lucas’ epic space opera Star Wars. “I’m a child of the ’70s,” he told Digital Trends. “I grew up when Star Wars was first released. [What really fascinated me was] this idea of . George Lucas set up this vision of little robots beaming three-dimensional pictures of people. R2-D2 and all that stuff. It had a really tremendous influence on me.”ContentsJump forward several decades and Christmas, the founder of a U.K.-based company called , believes that...WW…

Solicitors | A.I. Written Short FilmIn Solicitors, a new short film made by a pair of senior student filmmakers from Chapman University, the action begins with a woman sitting on a couch, reading a book. There’s a knock at the door. She gets up to answer it, finding a sweaty, slightly frenetic young man with wild hair standing on her doorstep. “I’m a Jehova’s Witness,” he says. The woman looks unimpressed. “Sorry, I don’t talk to solicitors,” she responds. The man scrambles, trying to keep her attention. “I have a great story,” he tells her.ContentsThere are two twists in Solicitors. One —...…Solicitors | A.I. Written Short FilmIn Solicitors, a new short film made by a pair of senior student filmmakers from Chapman University, the action begins with a woman sitting on a couch, reading a book. There’s a knock at the door. She gets up to answer it, finding a sweaty, slightly frenetic young man with wild hair standing on her doorstep. “I’m a Jehova’s Witness,” he says. The woman looks unimpressed. “Sorry, I don’t talk to solicitors,” she responds. The man scrambles, trying to keep her attention. “I have a great story,” he tells her.ContentsThere are two twists in Solicitors. One —...WW…

If you wanted to cover a large distance and had the world’s best sprinters at your disposal, would you have them run against each other or work together in a relay? That, in essence, is the problem , a biomedical engineer and director of the Neurobionics Lab at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has been grappling with for the best several years.ContentsRouse, an engineer, is one of many working to develop a control system for bionic legs, that use various signals from the wearer to act and move like biological limbs.Open-source bionic leg aims to rapidly advance prosthetics“Probably...…If you wanted to cover a large distance and had the world’s best sprinters at your disposal, would you have them run against each other or work together in a relay? That, in essence, is the problem , a biomedical engineer and director of the Neurobionics Lab at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has been grappling with for the best several years.ContentsRouse, an engineer, is one of many working to develop a control system for bionic legs, that use various signals from the wearer to act and move like biological limbs.Open-source bionic leg aims to rapidly advance prosthetics“Probably...WW…

Poop is often forgotten the moment it is flushed down the toilet, but Toto intends on making you more informed about your stools with a neat concept device that is being planned for the consumer market in the next several years. At Toto announced a slew of new touchless bathroom technology to help — along with the health-analyzing Wellness Toilet concept that will analyze your poop.That was arguably the most intriguing prospect from its announcement, which is a concept product that will scan a user’s body and waste to provide recommendations to improve their health. The analysis will be...…Poop is often forgotten the moment it is flushed down the toilet, but Toto intends on making you more informed about your stools with a neat concept device that is being planned for the consumer market in the next several years. At Toto announced a slew of new touchless bathroom technology to help — along with the health-analyzing Wellness Toilet concept that will analyze your poop.That was arguably the most intriguing prospect from its announcement, which is a concept product that will scan a user’s body and waste to provide recommendations to improve their health. The analysis will be...WW…

NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to make discoveries that challenge our understanding of the Martian environment. The latest strange puzzle taxing scientists is the variation of oxygen levels on the planet’s surface, as detected Curiosity’s portable chemistry lab, Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM).In its journey around the Gale Crater, Curiosity discovered the Martian atmosphere has a composition at the surface of 95% by volume of carbon dioxide (CO2), 2.6% molecular nitrogen (N2), 1.9% argon (Ar), 0.16% molecular oxygen (O2), and 0.06% carbon monoxide (CO). The nitrogen and argon levels follow...…NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to make discoveries that challenge our understanding of the Martian environment. The latest strange puzzle taxing scientists is the variation of oxygen levels on the planet’s surface, as detected Curiosity’s portable chemistry lab, Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM).In its journey around the Gale Crater, Curiosity discovered the Martian atmosphere has a composition at the surface of 95% by volume of carbon dioxide (CO2), 2.6% molecular nitrogen (N2), 1.9% argon (Ar), 0.16% molecular oxygen (O2), and 0.06% carbon monoxide (CO). The nitrogen and argon levels follow...WW…

When it departs for its journey to Mars later this year, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover won’t only be armed with an array of scientific instruments — it will also be toting a high-powered laser.The laser is part of the for analyzing rocks and minerals found on the Martian surface. The laser beam sends out pulses from the end of the mast, which you could think of as the rover’s “head,” vaporizing rocks from up to 20 feet away. Once a rock is vaporized, the instrument can analyze the material to search for particular elements or chemical compounds.The laser heats its targets to around 18,000 degrees...…When it departs for its journey to Mars later this year, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover won’t only be armed with an array of scientific instruments — it will also be toting a high-powered laser.The laser is part of the for analyzing rocks and minerals found on the Martian surface. The laser beam sends out pulses from the end of the mast, which you could think of as the rover’s “head,” vaporizing rocks from up to 20 feet away. Once a rock is vaporized, the instrument can analyze the material to search for particular elements or chemical compounds.The laser heats its targets to around 18,000 degrees...WW…

Skip to main contentJust because your smartphone is a couple of generations old doesn’t mean it can’t be put to good use. When you get down to it, even the most outdated phone is still a palm-sized computer stuffed with advanced sensor tech. So instead of throwing it away or reselling it for less than what you paid originally, why not repurpose the device and turn your old smartphone into a security camera?ContentsThere are dozens of incredible Android and iOS apps that can transform your phone into a useful smart home fixture and surprisingly smart security camera (especially if you are...…Skip to main contentJust because your smartphone is a couple of generations old doesn’t mean it can’t be put to good use. When you get down to it, even the most outdated phone is still a palm-sized computer stuffed with advanced sensor tech. So instead of throwing it away or reselling it for less than what you paid originally, why not repurpose the device and turn your old smartphone into a security camera?ContentsThere are dozens of incredible Android and iOS apps that can transform your phone into a useful smart home fixture and surprisingly smart security camera (especially if you are...WW…

Samsung wants to turn your next smart car’s cabin into a digital cockpit. At , the South Korea tech giant is showcasing a concept tech that imagines equipping smart cars with both swiveling screens and 5G connectivity.Simply called the Digital Cockpit, the new tech is Samsung’s attempt at securing a spot in the next generation of smart and largely driverless cars. The group of wide, high-resolution displays lets you perform all sorts of tasks you wouldn’t normally expect to accomplish from the cramped interior of your vehicle, like turning it into a mobile office, watching movies, and...…Samsung wants to turn your next smart car’s cabin into a digital cockpit. At , the South Korea tech giant is showcasing a concept tech that imagines equipping smart cars with both swiveling screens and 5G connectivity.Simply called the Digital Cockpit, the new tech is Samsung’s attempt at securing a spot in the next generation of smart and largely driverless cars. The group of wide, high-resolution displays lets you perform all sorts of tasks you wouldn’t normally expect to accomplish from the cramped interior of your vehicle, like turning it into a mobile office, watching movies, and...WW…

Everyone knows how much damage plastics are doing to the environment, from the plastics comprising the Great Pacific garbage patch to the microplastics infesting the ocean, to landfill sites that are overflowing with plastic waste. , but the resulting products are often low-quality and not that useful. This means that only a small percentage of all the plastic we create and use ends up being recycled.Now, chemists from the University of California Santa Barbara and other universities have come up with a new way to recycle plastic into something more valuable, which could help reduce the...…Everyone knows how much damage plastics are doing to the environment, from the plastics comprising the Great Pacific garbage patch to the microplastics infesting the ocean, to landfill sites that are overflowing with plastic waste. , but the resulting products are often low-quality and not that useful. This means that only a small percentage of all the plastic we create and use ends up being recycled.Now, chemists from the University of California Santa Barbara and other universities have come up with a new way to recycle plastic into something more valuable, which could help reduce the...WW…

Blendid in ActionYou know that robots are going mainstream when they pop up in Walmart. That was the case for startup which debuted its fourth Bay Area location at the Fremont Walmart in California this week. The kiosk, open seven days a week, allows customers to place contactless orders for a 12-ounce smoothie, which will then be whipped up by an on-site autonomous robot. Each smoothie is made to order, exactly how the customer wants it, within three minutes.“Consumers use their cell phone to order by scanning a QR code at the kiosk or via the Blendid app,” Vipin Jain, Blendid’s CEO and...…Blendid in ActionYou know that robots are going mainstream when they pop up in Walmart. That was the case for startup which debuted its fourth Bay Area location at the Fremont Walmart in California this week. The kiosk, open seven days a week, allows customers to place contactless orders for a 12-ounce smoothie, which will then be whipped up by an on-site autonomous robot. Each smoothie is made to order, exactly how the customer wants it, within three minutes.“Consumers use their cell phone to order by scanning a QR code at the kiosk or via the Blendid app,” Vipin Jain, Blendid’s CEO and...WW…