It goes without saying that working with robots and heavy machinery is more than a little dangerous. While better practices and ethical companies are still..
It goes without saying that working with robots and heavy machinery is more than a little dangerous. While better practices and ethical companies are still less common than they should be (as this excellent Bloomberg Businessweek piece describes ), smarter robots are another, parallel solution. German research outfit Fraunhofer suggests an intuitive model for human-robot collaboration in industrial settings.
In many places where there are robots operating, there are basically two zones: a safe zone and an unsafe zone. Robots can move quickly and with great force, so basically anywhere within their reach is unsafe, and a designated area away from it is officially safe. Many robots won’t operate at all if someone enters the safe zone.
But when humans and robots need to interact frequently — to inspect parts, to hand things off, or just to get by — it makes sense for there to be a third zone, for friendship and jolly cooperation. The Kooperation Zonen, as the creators call it.
But if the person steps closer, into the red, the robot stops moving altogether. That close it’s not safe for it to be moving at all, and anyway the human is probably getting close in order to shut it down or mess with its innards.
“Our system is already fully functional and has been tested in the lab,” said Mathias Putz, who leads the research division. “This year, the goal is get the trade association to test an application and enable its implementation in the industry.”
Robots are definitely taking over in many parts of industry, but operating and maintaining them is still a very human job. Anything like this that promotes healthy human-robot interactions sounds like a good idea to me.

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The final chapter of Samsung’s lengthy Note 7 saga apparently has yet to be written. Following pressure from environmental groups that culminated with a..
The final chapter of Samsung’s lengthy Note 7 saga apparently has yet to be written. Following pressure from environmental groups that culminated with a on-site protester at the company’s Mobile World Congress press event , Samsung has confirmed its intentions to re-release the Note 7 back into the wild in refurbished form.
After announcing last year that it would simply “safely dispose of the phones,” the company today addressed plans to offer them back to the public in newer, safer form. The move is an attempt to address vocal environmental concerns over its initial plans to trash whole bunch of handsets all at once, no matter how safe it insisted the process would be.
“The objective of introducing refurbished devices is solely to reduce and minimize any environmental impact,” a spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch. Samsung is still hammering out the details of the resale, which will depend on, among other things, conversations with carriers and local authorities.
Though the company did hasten to add that it won’t be bringing the handset back to the States in refurbished form. “The product details including the name, technical specification and price range will be announced when the device is available,” the statement continues. “Samsung will not be offering refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices for rent or sale in the US.”
The device is rumored to be arriving with a smaller capacity battery, in order to avoid the mistakes that got the company in hot water with two separate recalls during the seemingly endless saga, though Samsung is also apparently still working on those spec specifics.
Of course, this is likely the last thing (or second to last , perhaps) the company wants to be discussing during such an important week for the brand. On Wednesday, Samsung’s set to announce the Galaxy S8 , its first major release since everything went down with the Note 7.
Samsung has spent the months in the lead up to the release of its new handset pushing its newly instituted safety precautions, starting with a global press conference in which it discussed its findings and culminating with an aggressive on-going ad campaign. At the very least, it’s likely managed to avoid a repeat of February’s press conference protester.

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Serial entrepreneur Elon Musk has a new company — Neuralink — focused on developing the capabilities of the brain through technological augmentation. It’s..
Serial entrepreneur Elon Musk has a new company — yes, another one — focused on developing the capabilities of the brain through technological augmentation. Neuralink, the new venture, officially broke cover thanks to a Wall Street Journal article today, though it’s been known for some time that Musk was working on brain-computer interface tech as a means to help ensure humans can keep pace with the accelerating development of artificial intelligence.
Musk at Code Conference last year brought up the prospect of a “neural lace” that would be surgically connected to a human brain and allow a user to interact with a computer without the bandwidth challenges that come with current input methods, including keyboards, mice and trackpads. He’s since tweeted that he has made progress on his own exploration of the tech, and more recently rumors emerged that he was planning to found another company with this project as its focus.
Neuralink isn’t going to be focused on upgrading ordinary human brainpower at first, however, according to the WSJ report. Instead, it’ll explore how brain interfaces might alleviate the symptoms of dangerous and chronic medical conditions.
These could include epilepsy and severe depressive disorder, according to the report. These efforts could build on existing therapies that use electrodes in the brain to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s, giving Neuralink a starting point with established science and an easier path to approval for human use. Clearing that lower hurdle would then set up the company for its longer-term goal of human augmentation.
It may sound far-fetched, but in fact this is basically the Musk standard playbook for building new companies based on big ideas. Both SpaceX and Tesla used the same model, starting with near-term products that weren’t nearly as ambitious as later efforts in order to crest a sustainable path to grand designs, like landing on Mars or affordable, mass-produced long-range EVs.
Musk will definitely have a full plate with Neuralink on top of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as his side venture The Boring Company, which is looking into solving urban transportation issues via tunnels. But the CEO sees AI as a risk that could potentially affect humanity at large, and his decision to pursue this potential solution likely seems as imperative to him as does the necessity of expanding our intergalactic colonial footprint, or weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels.

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Apple began offering a « free app of the week » back in 2012 as a means of highlighting some of the App Store’s best titles and encouraging users to start..
Apple began offering a “free app of the week” back in 2012 as a means of highlighting some of the App Store’s best titles and encouraging users to start downloading. Google, belatedly, is following in Apple’s footsteps with its own newly launched “free app of the week” section on Google Play. However, we understand that Google has not yet committed to make this a full-time feature.
Instead, Google Play’s “free app of the week” is something the company is testing only in the U. S. for a four-week time period. Internally, it’s being considered a pilot program.
The feature was initially spotted by Android Police , which noticed the section had begun appearing on the Play Store on both desktop and mobile, featuring a free download of the normally $2.99 game Card Wars – Adventure Time from Cartoon Network.
VentureBeat reports the section was introduced last week, but Cartoon Network says that it’s not aware of any app being promoted before its app. The current promotion runs from Thursday to Thursday, ending on March 30, 2017.
We also understand that Google Play approached Cartoon Network to ask if it wanted to participate in the pilot program. The company was not planning to run a sale at the time, but agreed.
This also means there is more of an editorial selection process for those apps that are showing up as the “free app of the week,” rather than some algorithm that’s parsing Google Play for popular apps that were already on sale.
Though Cartoon Network is now giving its app away for free as part of this program, Google is not compensating the publisher for the downloads.
This is not the first time Google has offered a free app of the week. Google had previously tested the model back in 2015, when it rolled out a “free app of the week” in the family section of Google Play. At the time, it was offering a free app from PBS Kids.
It’s also not the first time that Android users have been able to download paid content for free — Amazon in 2015 launched Amazon Underground, a section on its own Amazon Appstore where premium apps are offered for free. Its model compensates developers based on how long these apps are used, the company said.
And, of course, app publishers also often run their own sales in an effort to boost downloads and their Google Play ranking.
Google declined to comment on the business model around its “free app of the week,” however.
A company spokesperson instead offered the following statement, “We are always making improvements to Google Play to offer to the best service possible to our consumers.”

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The PlayStation 4 Pro just got an update that makes it an even better companion for a 4K TV set. An update to the native PlayStation Media Player app will..
The PlayStation 4 Pro just got an update that makes it an even better companion for a 4K TV set. An update to the native PlayStation Media Player app will enable 4K video playback, for files in mp4 format saved on either a USB drive or kept in a home server the PS4 Pro hardware con communicate with.
Not that if you’ve got a drive attached to your PS4 Pro that’s formatted to act as an extended drive for storing your PS4 games and apps can’t also host videos for your PlayStation to play back, but thumb drives with standard formatting for shuttling media back and forth from your console will work.
The update to the Media Player will also allow for the playback of 4K VR video content, but this is going to be down sampled to 1080p video because of PSVR’s native resolution limitations. Sony says this will still appear better compared to standard HD VR videos, however.
PS4 Pro also already supports 4K streaming from Netflix, YouTube and Hulu via those apps on the platform, so this is a strong contender for the best all-around 4K companion for your ultra HD TV.

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Following a series of beta trials, Microsoft officially announced this morning that it’s bringing its virtual assistant Cortana to the lock screen of Android..
Following a series of beta trials , Microsoft officially announced this morning that it’s bringing its virtual assistant Cortana to the lock screen of Android devices. Initially, Microsoft had tested putting an overview of your day on the lock screen – offering information like the day’s weather, commute times, flight or meeting information, and more – where it could be seen at a glance.
The feature was designed to compete with Google’s own Assistant technology, which also offers similar information.
During the beta, users could head into the Cortana’s Setting menu to switch on lock screen integration. This would place a floating Cortana circle logo with “Swipe to Open” on the screen. If you swiped it, you’d be shown your personalized feed, schedule and the other information Cortana offered.
The Cortana lock screen integration was rolled out earlier this month, Microsoft confirms, but it’s now widely available.
Today, you’re also able to interact with Cortana above the lock, the company says. That means you can ask questions to their virtual assistant, as you could with Siri or Google Assistant, for example, as well as perform various tasks like setting reminders.
This functionality could further challenge Google on its own platform. As Google’s only entry in the PC space is Chrome OS, it may be more useful for Windows users to add Cortana to their phones, given its interoperability across desktop, laptop, and mobile – including iOS and Android, not just Windows 10.
Microsoft says it has also improved the Cortana home on Android, making the information easier to read, along with other improvements like the ability to quickly add reminders and new calendar items, plus easier access to viewing, editing and adding items to lists.
Cortana in December rolled out an updated design on iOS and Android, Microsoft reminded users in today’s announcement. This upgrade had been focused on making it easier to get things done by putting the most important tasks more towards the center of the experience. The default experience is very purple, instead of the blue-and-black of the earlier Cortana look and feel. However, Microsoft added more color options in the weeks after the upgrade, including blue, green, and black.
In addition to its U. S. and U. K. availability, Cortana for iOS and Android is also launching in Australia today.

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Facebook Messenger wants to be an offline social gathering tool, not just an online chat app. Today it’s adding a new Live Location feature that lets you..
Facebook Messenger wants to be an offline social gathering tool, not just an online chat app. Today it’s adding a new Live Location feature that lets you share for an hour within a private direct or group message thread your real-time location on a map. The recipients can then see an estimate of how long it would take you to reach them by car.
“Live Location is super helpful when trying to coordinate with friends, telling people how close you are when you’re on your way to an appointment or even sharing where you are with your roommate when you’re on your way home at night,” writes the feature’s product manager Selena Wang. It’s rolling out for all iOS and Android Messenger users today. Messenger could now challenge location apps like Foursquare Swarm and meetup apps like Down To Lunch.
Live Location is Facebook’s second big attempt at maps in Messenger after its first one blew up into a privacy scandal and was scrapped in 2015. Many users were sharing their momentary exact location with each message, which a Harvard student found could be scraped into a Marauder’s Map through a Chrome extension he built showing exactly where a friend had been. Facebook rescinded the student’s internship offer , made him take the extension down and switched to only letting users send their one-time current or future location.
That static location feature is still available, but now there’s Live Location, too. This time, though, you can’t leave it on by default. Head of Messenger David Marcus posted that “Many of us make plans on Messenger that involve finding each other, or letting friends and loved ones know we’re on the way. Sharing your location will also help some of you feel safer on the way home.”
To use Live Location:
Of course, battery life is a big issue with location features as GPS can drain your device’s energy quickly. But Facebook tells me it feels confident that Live Location uses a standard amount of battery, and Marcus writes “We put a lot of time and effort into … minimizing battery consumption to the point you wouldn’t even have to think about it.” Though it’s still worth keeping an eye on it.
Alongside the Active Now status indicators and Messenger Day’s “Who’s up for?” filters , Messenger is becoming a much more full-featured utility for getting together with friends. That could give it an advantage over strict chat products and dedicated visual communication apps.
Offline gathering is still a largely unsolved problem. It’s tough to know who is available to hang out and close enough for that to be convenient. To win in this space, a product needs social graph ubiquity, location sharing, to be a place users already check frequently and to have a messaging component for planning. Swarm, Down To Lunch and a graveyard of other apps have always missed a critical piece.
But as I wrote last year, Messenger could succeed because it piggybacks on Facebook identity and is already where people are organizing meetups. For all our fancy apps, we still need a way to fight the loneliness and get face to face in person. Remember, though, now if you say “on my way” you better not be lying while still home in your pajamas.

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It’s patch day at Apple. The company just released four new versions of its four operating systems for all its devices — iOS 10.3, macOS 10.12.4, watchOS..
It’s patch day at Apple. The company just released four new versions of its four operating systems for all its devices — iOS 10.3, macOS 10.12.4, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2. Some of those updates are more important than others.
Let’s start with iOS 10.3. The new version adds Find my AirPods and we already covered what you can expect from the new feature. You can see them on a map if they’re connected to an iOS device or you can play an alarm if you have an AirPod hidden below a stack of magazines. And if they’re not around, you can see the last location when your phone was connected to your AirPods.
With iOS 10.3, Apple is rethinking ratings in the App Store with native review prompts and the ability to reply for developers. iOS 10.3 also adds a couple of new Siri features, such as cricket sports scores. There are also various improvements, such as a thread view in Mail and dynamic app icons.
Finally, Apple is secretly updating all iOS devices to APFS, a new file system. This should be completely transparent for the user, but it’s a major change as this new file system has been designed from the ground up to work with mobile, always-on devices with flash storage.
In watchOS 3.2, Apple is finally updating Siri to let you use Siri with third-party apps just like on your phone. For instance, you could order a Lyft or call someone using Whatsapp from your Apple Watch. There’s also a new Theater Mode button so that the screen remains dark in a movie theater.
On macOS, Apple is bringing Night Shift. Just like F.lux , it favors warmer colors at night. This should allegedly improve your sleep. Real time collaboration in iWork on macOS and iOS is out of beta.
tvOS 10.2 doesn’t add much except the ability to rent a movie on an Apple device and watch it on another, such as your Apple TV. This is a long overdue feature.
As always, you should backup your device to iCloud or your computer before updating. This is particularly true for your iOS device as the new file system is a big change.
Head over to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad to update. Open the Mac App Store for the macOS update. Open the Watch app on your iPhone for the Apple Watch update.

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