Once found only in science fiction, self-driving cars are about to show up on a street near you. Goldman Sachs estimates that the market for advanced driver assistance and autonomous vehicles is expected to grow from roughly $3 billion in 2015 to $96 billion in 2025 and balloon to $290 billion in 2035. When two giants meet and start planning together, the world expects great things. One such collaboration, between Daimler — the world’s largest maker of premium cars, and Bosch — the world’s largest automotive supplier, is poised to bring a major change to the auto industry. The two companies are teaming up to develop self-driving cars and speed up the normalization of “robo-taxis.” The fully automated vehicle is planned to be ready for use in urban markets in the early 2020s, the companies say. The autonomous driving system will be designed for city driving. The expectation is that self-driving taxis will improve traffic flows in cities and road safety. The development alliance is on a mission to create a system for fully automated Level 4 and driverless Level 5 vehicles. The Society of Automotive Engineers has defined five levels of driving automation: Level 4 means the car assumes all of the driving in many conditions — it could drive fully autonomously in specific geographic locations, such as a certain route in a city center, or in certain weather conditions. Level 5 is reached when the vehicle can operate in all conditions, without requiring any human intervention at any time. Daimler, through its passenger car brand Mercedes-Benz, has been working on autonomous vehicles for years. At the same time, the company keeps a close eye on the growing group of people who would rather use public transportation and car-sharing than own a car....

Late last month, Southern California Edison switched on its newest substations, an 80MWh lithium-ion battery storage facility that will manage peak demand and improve grid reliability. Just off Interstate 15, nestled in the heart of California’s Riverside County, one of the world’s biggest energy storage projects recently roared to life. Part of a collaboration between Tesla and Southern California Edison (SCE), the installation at the Mira Loma substation will be used to manage peak energy demand and stabilize the grid. “Upon completion, this system will be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world,” declares a Tesla blog post announcing the project. “When fully charged, this system will hold enough energy to power more than 2,500 households for a day or charge 1,000 Tesla vehicles.” Managing Peak Energy The Mira Loma project is one of the first to use Tesla’s new Powerpack 2 for utility-scale energy storage. With an 80 MWh capacity, the 400 Powerpacks will allow SCE to manage energy use during peak hours. The Powerpacks will be charged with electricity generated during off-peak hours and then supplement demand during periods of peak demand. This process will not only save energy; it will allow SCE to maintain grid reliability, deliver better power quality to customers and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. “The system will charge using electricity from the grid during off-peak hours and then deliver electricity during peak hours to help maintain the reliable operation of Southern California Edison’s electrical infrastructure which feeds more than 15 million residents,” explains the Tesla statement. “By doing so, the Tesla Powerpack system will reduce the need for electricity generated by natural gas and further the advancement of a resilient and modern grid.” Future Expansion Larger utility-scale energy storage projects are already in the works...

Back in November, Qualcomm was announcing the Snapdragon 835, a brand-new top-end, tiny chip that will be the heart of the most powerful smartphones to be launched this year. Its arrival will replace the Snapdragon 821 as the company’s flagship chip. The 835 is Qualcomm’s first 10nm chip. Let’s just sit here for a moment and understand what it means. A chip incorporates a circuit and transistors. Think about the transistors as of tiny electronic switches that allow computer systems to get things done. The more transistors you have, the more things you can get done simultaneously. In short, the more transistors you have on a chip, the more powerful the chip is. 10nm reflects a physical distance, but it is a hard size to imagine—1,000 times smaller than a strand of hair or about the size of a few dozen water molecules. What this distance describes is called in technical terms “device half-pitch” and it stands for the distance between a feature on one transistor and the same feature on the transistor next to it. In other words, it describes how far apart the transistors are, or how densely they are packed together. In addition, the device is 35 percent smaller and uses 25 percent less power than previous designs. Currently, Samsung and Taiwan’s TSMC are able to manufacture 10nm chips, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep packing transistors more densely. Rumors say that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Microsoft Surface Phone will carry the chip. LG G6, HTC 11 and OnePlus 4 might house it too. However, since Samsung also produces its own processors, the Exynos series, chances are that at least some of their S8 units will feature Samsung’s own custom-built Exynos chips. Qualcomm confirmed that the Snapdragon 835...

Electricity powers motorcycles, cars and boats, but how about planes? In recent years, research has been dedicated applying such technology to the aviation industry. Even though the price of oil per barrel has dropped lately, we still pay a hefty price for carbon-based fuels, and our planet absorbs ever-increasing levels of pollution. In 2011, the e-Genius, a two-seater aircraft built by the engineers at the University of Stuttgart, climbed more than 20,000 feet in under two minutes and reached speeds of 142 miles per hour. It flew uninterrupted for 300 miles. The aircraft burned no fuel and has zero emissions, because it was equipped with an all-electric motor powered by a single battery. Another fantastic component was the cost: during a 62-mile stretch of its historic flight, the plane used about 25 kilowatts of electricity for a total energy cost of just over $3. NASA has been investing heavily in electric planes, too—the agency has been focusing on designing and building the X-Series, a line of environmentally-friendly airplanes. Test pilots and engineers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. are “flying” a simulator designed to mirror exactly the specifications of the X-57 Maxwell, which will be NASA’s first piloted X-plane in two decades. The X-57 will be the first NASA X-plane to feature a fully distributed electric propulsion system, which researchers will use to demonstrate an increase in cruise energy efficiency, as well as reductions in carbon emission and aircraft noise. That is expected in early 2018. NASA isn’t the only one interested in the Tesla of the skies. Wright Electric, a U.S. startup, announced on their blog the “Wright One,” an electric 150-seater concept that runs on batteries and can handle flights under 300 miles. These short trips make up to...

Ruthless and unbiased, heart disease kills 610,000 people per year in the United States, amounting to one out of every four deaths in the country. A leading cause of death across both genders, the CDC estimates that over half of the nation’s deaths can be attributed to heart disease. Doctors say early detection is key, by the time significant warning signs like chest pain and shortness of breath are detectable, it might already be too late. Unfortunately, for many Americans, a trip to the doctor’s office can be complicated and costly. But what if an EKG could fit inside your wallet? A new mobile EKG device can monitor cardiac health and track the early warning signs of hearth disease and stroke. Mobile Monitoring AliveCor, the makers behind Kardia, a mobile, pocket-sized EKG monitor, believe they’ve found a solution. A little smaller than a business card, the Kardia comes outfitted with two metal plates designed to receive basic information about the user’s heart, including heart rate, blood pressure and – most importantly – atrial fibrillation. Users simply place their fingers on the device and wait for the data to be transmitted to Kardia’s mobile app. The focus on atrial fibrillation is significant because changes in this particular data set are often an early warning signs of stroke. Most hospital-grade EKGs measure 12 different aspects of the heartbeat, but focusing on atrial fibrillation, AliveCor was able to shrink their mobile electrocardiogram down to a gadget that easily fits in the palm of your hand. “[It is] the most common arrhythmia, the one that we need to detect, doesn’t need all 12 EKG leads,” AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra tells Wired. “And it’s not invasive at all, it’s just like brushing your teeth every day.” Comprehensive Reports The Kardia...

Floatovoltaics is the name given to the floating solar plants that have started to pop up all over the globe—Japan, the UK, Brazil, the U.S. and Australia. This type of system is relatively new, but seems to gain popularity. It’s easy to understand why, the floatovoltaics preserve land, while minimizing the aesthetic impact. Kyocera TCL Solar LLC is one of the pioneers of the technology; they state that the floating system is not only typhoon-proof (due to their sturdy, high-density polyethylene and array design), but also superior to their land-based counterparts because of the cooling effect of the water, which enables them to work more efficiently. Kyocera’s word is to be listened to as they are the developers behind the largest floating solar power plant in the world—in a joint venture with Century Tokyo Leasing Corp. In 2016, the company started developing a 13.7-megawatt floating solar power plant on the Yamakura Dam reservoir, managed by the Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture in Japan for industrial water services. The system will consist of approximately 51,000 Kyocera modules installed over a fresh water surface area of almost 2 million square feet. The project is expected to generate an estimated 16,170-megawatt-hours per year, enough to power almost 5,000 typical households, while offsetting about 8,170 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The planned launch date for the solar plant on the Yamakura Dam is spring of 2018. Japan was somewhat forced to find new surfaces on which to install photovoltaic panels mostly due to the decrease in tracts of land suitable for utility-scale solar power plants. Other countries and regions view solar power as the solution to the drought that’s been drying up their hydroelectric plans. In 2015, Brazil announced that it will build an overwhelming 350-megawatt...

For many international business travelers, crossing a border means more than just a stamp in their passport. It also means making sure cell phones and laptops stay secure. Whether it’s an intrusion from foreign hackers or the evermore-invasive surveillance of customs officials, protecting sensitive data – both personal and business – has never been more complicated. As a result, more and more jet-setting corporate employees are making sure to secure their devices before their trip and while on the move. “Although mobile devices can facilitate connecting back to headquarters and maintaining workflow, the risk for exploitation of these devices and the information accessed can greatly increase on overseas travel,” warns the US Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). Before Departure The OSAC’s best practices guide for traveling with mobile devices suggests several steps business travelers should take before stepping out the front door. As a matter of course, all nonessential devices should simply be left at home. Data can also be kept local through a backup on an external hard drive or a secure cloud-based service. For travelling devices, it’s important to make sure all software and apps are up-to-date. That means upgrading passwords with stronger variables and initiating file encryption with tools provided by BitLocker, TrueCrypt or Apple Firevault. Bluetooth and GPS should also be disabled and available firewalls enacted. During Travel Once you’re on the road, there are plenty of ways for your device to be compromised. In addition to maintaining physical control whenever possible, the best way to protect your device in transit is to power down before entering customs. As an added step, Wired recommends disabling any biometric access – like Apple’s TouchID – and sticking to PIN accessibility. It’s good practice to disable automatic Wi-Fi connections and use a...

Throughout multifamily housing, managers struggle with resident package logistics. The problem spikes in student housing communities. Student properties receive 10-15 percent more packages than conventional multi-family properties. A Growing Problem The convenience of (often free) delivery appeals to busy students. Additionally, companies like Amazon target the student population with incentives. Amazon Prime offers six months of free service and 50 percent off of students’ subscription rate for the remainder of their student status. As a result, student housing staff gets swamped with packages. Leasing office staff juggle a myriad of responsibilities. Pausing potential sales or residents interactions to handle package delivery is not a viable option. Maneuvering guests around recently delivered armoires and mattresses is even less of an option. “We’ve seen communities spend up to 4 hours a day simply dealing with packages,” says Melody Akhtari, Director of Marketing & Communications at Luxer One. “Package delivery causes not only a problem of constant interruptions and wasted time, but it also causes space management issues.” Simple Solutions Luxer One provides storage solutions to address the growing needs of student housing managers. Luxer One’s storage solutions are designed to accept every package automatically and store them securely, without the need for management staff to intervene. This type of automation eliminates interruptions from parcel carriers and gives back time and energy to dedicate to the art of community management. Luxer Lockers are installed on the premises. The courier delivers the package to the locker and scans it. Residents get a mobile notification with a one-time-use access to retrieve their package on their own schedule. Leasing office staff can continue their workflows and other resident interactions without interruption. Locker sizes vary, permitting the storage of a range of packages. “Almost half of all packages delivered go into our small...

Sitting silently in the corner, Amazon’s Alexa awaits the next command, ready to place online orders, adjust indoor temperatures or even provide a weather update. For senior citizens, the ability to manage a variety of tasks through voice command can help bolster independent living and provide caregivers with the ability to remotely monitor the health and safety of older patients. Whether used in the home or at a senior living facility, voice technology has the potential to modernize and personalize senior healthcare. Specialized Software As part of the Internet of Things (IoT), voice recognition technology has entered the mainstream, with more and more households are adding computerized personal assistants. As the hardware becomes ubiquitous, opportunities to add software specialized for seniors abound. For companies keeping an eye on their bottom line, the ability to add voice-command technology software to existing hardware allows a senior living facility to upgrade services without needing to upgrade current infrastructure. Even multiple operating systems can be navigated with ease, with most emerging software applications designed to be compatible with everything from Apple’s Siri to Amazon and Google home. “I believe the future of senior-related technology is customizing existing products through software,” says Laurie Orlov, the founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, a market research firm that provides thought leadership and analysis on senior care technology. “We aren’t going to see senior living products that have their own hardware succeed [because] they can’t scale. Without the product being able to scale, you can’t make it work.” Virtual Caregivers For older adults, maintaining routines is essential, especially when it comes to medication management and other health-related tasks. While the plastic pill containers labeled with the days of the week can help keep seniors on track, the ability to preprogram voice-enabled...

With the ability to collect, analyze and communicate real-time energy information, Pulse Energy adds the power of data to Yardi Energy arsenal. The Power of Data Over the last few years, Jeff Rambharack and the Pulse Energy team have worked to collect data on over a million businesses throughout the US and Canada. That data drives the company’s overall approach and helps provide Pulse clients with strategies tailored to their unique challenges. The company works with utilities and individual businesses, focusing on solutions specifically for different industry segments. “We provide personalized messaging for individual businesses,” explains Rambharack. “We support over 130 different verticals for businesses segments, and we provide personal messaging within each segment. We recognize that every business is different, and we work to identify sources of energy consumption and provide targeted recommendations layered on top of our in-depth analytics we’ve developed to analyze each business’s energy consumption.” Rambharack believes the biggest benefit of this data aggregation is that it allows an energy usage analysis at every level of a company’s organization. By being able to provide personalized insights about of those levels of aggregation, Pulse clients can pursue more effective energy management policies and procedures to reduce energy waste and improve energy efficiency. “Just being able to provide insights and say ‘Hey, you should go look at building X, because we think it has some efficiency problems,’ is so valuable to our clients,” says Rambharack. “Maybe we discover that they are leaving their systems on at night or running their AC and heating simultaneously. Our analytics and extensive database help us detect these sorts of oversights and provide valuable energy consumption insight to our customers.” Tracking Usage against the Baseline One of the most valuable tools for energy management involves developing an accurate...

The world has three major personal computing platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux kernel-based. Though there is no reliable way to know the exact usage share of each of these operating systems, there are estimates. A recent stack overflow web developer  survey says that usage among English speakers is broken down as follows: Microsoft Windows – 52.02 percent; Apple macOS – 26.2 percent; Linux kernel based – 21.7 percent. Despite benefits as an independent, open-source platform, Linux is the orphan child. Unlike Apple, which is dedicated to making sure hardware and software work in sync, and unlike Windows’ licensing fees and requirements to ensure that hardware providers come up with proper drivers and support, Linux users can go through hoops to get running on different hardware. The usual method to get Linux on a computer typically involves digging for information on multiple forums, using how-to-guides and hoping that at least one other member of the community has experienced the issue that you’re facing. You’re probably familiar with this scenario: desktop Linux user buys a Windows laptop, wipes the hard drive and installs Linux on it. Afterwards, he realizes that he is on his own, with no support from the laptop manufacturer. That’s the life of a Linux user— solitary as a trade-off for safety. This segment of users has seen an ever-rising interest from manufacturers—Dell has been selling Ubuntu versions of their XPS laptops for a few years now, as has System76 and Lenovo. More recently, the KDE community in collaboration with Spanish laptop retailer Slimbook launched their very first KDE laptop. Their goal is not (just) to make a lot of money, but through its homogenized hardware to bring Linux to more users. KDE is an international team cooperating on development and distribution...

Fairness and transparency are essential to every decision a public housing agency makes to determine which households receive housing assistance. Waiting lists, though often loathed by potential residents, are an important piece of keeping that process transparent. PHAs follow complicated rules set by the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to maintain waiting lists, which includes information like household income, veteran status, age, disabilities, and more. Depending on regional circumstances, it could be years before an applicant will be considered for housing assistance. PHAs typically open waiting lists to applicants for relatively short windows, since they could quickly become unmanageable if left open in perpetuity. To make waiting lists more manageable, PHAs periodically correspond with households to confirm their interest in remaining on the waiting lists for public housing or voucher assistance. Without routine maintenance, waiting lists would be perpetually clogged with households that have had a change in status, which may affect their eligibility, or are no longer interested in that particular waiting list. As important as waiting list maintenance is, it is also costly. PHAs have historically spent significant time and money on staffing, forms, and postage to keep waiting lists updated. Yardi PHA clients can now take advantage of a cost-cutting solution. It’s called Save My Spot, and it is a new standard feature of RentCafe PHA. Yardi is the only PHA software provider offering a modernized waitlist management solution, bringing relief to a longstanding industry issue. A RentCafe PHA Primer RentCafe PHA gives public housing and voucher applicants, residents and participants, and landlords online access to communicate with their local PHA, without having to visit the agency’s office. Households can sign up for a waiting list, submit applications, complete eligibility forms, upload documentation and more, all from a personal...

Mobile World Congress is in full swing in Barcelona this week. Strangely enough, the most popular device is far from being the smartest or most innovative, instead it is all about nostalgia. Yes, Nokia 3310 holds the spotlight once more, 17 years after its original release. If I asked you to close your eyes and remember your first cellphone, a midnight blue and grey device might pop up in front of your eyes. Chances are you’re picturing a Nokia 3310, a device originally presented to the world in September 2000. Obviously, the model presented at MWC is a remake, but not much was really redone. The dumbphone is limited to 2G connectivity for calling and texting, has FM radio and MP3 player for music, 16MB storage (yes, megabytes, this is no typo) expandable up to 32GB through a MicroSD card slot, new UI with plenty nods to the original model and that massive battery life coming from a removable 1,200mAh battery. More precisely, it offers up to 22 hours talk time and up to a month of standby time, 10 times the original’s capabilities. And how can one spend all that juice? Playing Gameloft’s updated version of the original Snake game, of course! Its design is also pretty similar to the Nokia 3310 launched at the millennium. They’re roughly the same size, but the new one has a 2MP camera with flash and a bigger display—a 2.4-inch QVGA with a resolution of 240×320 pixels. The 2017 model has slimmed down over the last 17 years, just like most models. In case you’re wondering what operating system keeps it going, it’s Nokia Series 30+. The new model boasts more rounded edges, subtler buttons—eye-candy for the retro phone fans. And it sells for just $52. The...

Tight-lipped Apple is finally opening up on its tech advancements and is turning heads: the company’s recent developments explore how a combination of solar energy and artificial intelligence can further reduce energy consumption. Solar Energy The California-based tech company has joined forces with utility provider NV Energy. Together, they will increase the solar power to Apple’s Reno data center by 200MW. In a press release, NV Energy president and CEO Paul Caudill stated, “We are proud to play a role in helping Apple meet their energy needs with Nevada’s abundant solar resource.” He continues, “In partnership with our customers, we continue to develop a more balanced fuel mix in a way that benefits the local economy by providing hundreds of jobs for Nevadans, particularly those in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local 357 and 396, and advances the state’s policy goals.” Apple will dedicate 5MW of power towards their partner’s solar program for residences and businesses. “Our partnership with NV Energy helps assure our customers their iMessages, FaceTime video chats and Siri inquiries are powered by clean energy, and supports efforts to offer the choice of green energy to Nevada residents and businesses,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives. She adds, “Investing in innovative clean energy sources is vital to Apple’s commitment to reaching, and maintaining, 100 percent renewable energy across all our operations.” Artificial Intelligence When it comes to AI, casual Apple users think of Siri, the (more-often-than-not) intelligent assistant. But Apple’s new approach to machine learning explores how AI can reduce energy usage in data centers Google was one of the earliest major tech companies to blaze the trail for energy-saving AI.  As early as July 2016, Google announced that AI reduced data center energy...

The announcement of Tesla’s solar products caught the media off guard, instantly capturing our attention with their draw-dropping beauty and simplicity. We held a collective breath—how much are these going to cost, exactly? Are they scalable? Endless Energy The sun is a free and relatively endless source of energy. The Tesla website reminds us that, “The sun provides more than enough energy in just one hour to supply our planet’s energy needs for an entire year.” Harnessing that power simply makes sense. To help consumers utilize that power, Tesla finalized the acquisition of SolarCity for roughly $2.6 billion in November 2016. Together, the entities aim to  “provide customers with full-stack solutions for owning their own energy production, storage and consumption.” To date, that stack includes solar tiles, Powerwalls and Powerpacks. Solar Tiles Tesla solar tiles create stunning, energy efficient roofs that are also affordable. Fortune estimates the solar cell costs to be $0.40 per watt, comparable to commodity solar panels. The difference comes in their efficiency: Tesla’s solar tiles are nearly 15 percent more efficient. The solar roofs can also be less expensive. Tesla CEO Elon Musk states that he aimed for an installed cost that is less than the cost of a conventional roof and the electricity bill for a home. Some of the cost savings come in the form of shipping. Tesla’s tiles are one-fifth the weight of similar products. That makes the lightweight and ultra durable material easier and less expensive to transport. They are also harder to break than asphalt shingles or terra cotta tiles, reducing the cost of wasted materials. The durable tiles will not need to be replaced or repaired as often as conventional roofing or competitors’ solar panels. Where traditional roofing shattered under impact, the Tesla glass...

CES in Las Vegas was yet again a groundbreaking tech event, but aside from self-driving cars, next-gen TV’s, drones and virtual reality, there was one item that made waves —Razer’s Project Valerie. A couple of years have passed since the PC gaming peripheral brand brought something bold to CES (Project Christine in 2014), but this year the company went all out and unveiled the world’s first automated triple-display laptop. Founded in 1998, the innovative tech company once only known for its gaming accessories, like keyboards and mice, has quickly become an industry leader with its Blade series laptops, and Razer Edition PC’s. The newest addition to the Razer family, Project Valerie, which is just a prototype as of now, is quite different from any other laptop currently on the market. The firm showcased the device at CES and it was available for testing as well. In fact, it attracted so much attention, that two of the laptops were actually stolen and later popped up in China, listed for around $22,000, but I’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s see Valerie’s specifications. Besides the three obvious screens, each 17.3-inch wide with 4K displays, making the laptop actually 12K (I know, right?), Project Valerie weighs approximately 12 pounds and is 1.5 inches thick. It boasts lighting strips under the two side monitors, a low-profile mechanical LED keyboard which features 16.8 million colors with vibrant lighting effects, and a touch pad and roller on the right side of the device. At its core, Project Valerie features the top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card and Intel’s 6th generation i7-6700HQ quad-core processor. Since it is a concept design, the rest of the specifications and battery life have not yet been released. Moreover, the price tag and...

Mark Zuckerberg recently unveiled his personal AI assistant, Jarvis. It seems to be one of his most curious inventions. In addition to his work at Facebook, Zuckerberg takes on self-development challenges, like learning Mandarin. In early 2016, he committed to an even more ambitious project: to build an Iron Man-inspired artificial intelligence (AI) system to help him around the house. The transition from database software creation like Facebook to AI is a massive leap, even for a mind like Zuckerberg’s. AI is intelligence exhibited by a machine. It is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal. Zuckerberg’s creation resembles Marvel’s Iron Man Comics and Movies’ J.A.R.V.I.S, and not just by name. Like Tony Stark, Zuckerberg aimed to build a system that could control his home, including lights, temperature, appliances, music and security. He also wanted Jarvis to learn his tastes and patterns, new words and concepts. Zuckerberg brought J.A.R.V.I.S to life–basically. The video above is intended for presentation proposes rather than an actual demo of the AI robot. It’s a bit unclear what is actually real and what is overproduced. Here is what we know: Zuckerberg’s Jarvis comes with a variety of impressive features, not the least of which is the voice of God, Morgan Freeman. Natural language processing, speech recognition, and face recognition software make interacting with Jarvis as natural as carrying out a conversation with a friend. He even has a sense of humor. The AI includes smart home features. His vision (via cameras and customized software) can tell people and objects apart, and detect movement. Zuckerberg also installed unique features in the house and connected them to Jarvis, including the toaster and a t-shirt cannon that dispenses clothing...

The wearables trend shows no signs of abating, and for older adults suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, a simple “smart sock” could be a lifesaver. For sufferers of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, foot issues abound, from swelling to numbness and tingling in the toes. Unfortunately, because of the nerve damage triggered by the disease, some foot injuries go unchecked, leading to painful and dangerous complications, including infection and amputation. For older adults, these types of issues are all too common, which is why Siren Care’s Siren Smart Sock could be a game changer. “Diabetic foot ulcers are serious problem,” says Podiatric Surgeon Alexander M. Reyzelman, Co-Director for the UCSF Center for Limb Preservation, in a video about the Siren Sock. “1.5 million patients will develop foot ulcers in the United States, and 20% will develop amputations,” he warns, “and 50-70% will go on to lose their life within five years.” A Different Kind of Wearable While fitness trackers and smart watches grab the spotlight, a quiet revolution is afoot. The number of wearables designed for medical use is growing every day, especially in the senior care market. For the 11.8 million senior citizens suffering from diabetes, using test strips and blood pricks can be complicated. Because self-monitoring can be difficult for older adults, specially designed wearables can help with compliance and improve overall health by flagging small issues before they become a big crisis. Be it socks or wristbands, the simplicity of the system is one of the main advantages. “…it is simply not possible to design a device that meets the expectations of a millennial while being operable by an octogenarian,” explains Thor Schrock, developer of the Allen Band, a wristband that helps detects falls. “The most important thing to...

For caregivers in economically depressed communities, even the simplest tests can be too expensive. But thanks to the Paperfuge, spinning biological samples for testing just got a whole lot more economical. The Paperfuge allows health care workers to perform important diagnostic tests in just a few minutes, all for less than a twenty-five cents. Understanding the need to provide low-cost, and low-tech, testing and diagnosis options to the developing world, Stanford Bioengineer Manu Prakash alighted on the idea of modifying a children’s toy into a cheap, functional centrifuge. It’s all a part of Prakash’s commitment to improving healthcare across the globe by pursuing the art of Frugal Science. “To me, Frugal Science is really designing with constraints in mind,” says Prakash in a video about the Paperfuge. “When we say ‘bringing tools the masses,’ we truly do mean the billions of people on the planet.” Low Energy, High Results Traditional centrifuges are bulky, expensive and require a robust energy supply, making them almost impossible to operate in far-flung reaches of the world. A StatSpin MP centrifuge, for example, can cost thousands of dollars and runs on electricity. For many economically challenged communities, standard medical equipment is too costly and resource intensive. Prakash and his team took on the challenge of making a more accessible – and affordable – version of this valuable diagnostic tool. “We told ourselves, we can design one, but it cannot require any electricity, and it needs to be light and portable – I need to be able to carry it in my pocket – and it needs to cost less than a dollar in parts.,” explains Prakash in the video. “By boxing ourselves in with constraints, we were able to think outside the box.” The Paperfuge fits all of those...

In many ways, 2016 will be known as the year of the hack. Between Russian Hackers, DDoS attacks bringing down the eastern seaboard, or the little matter of over a billion compromised Yahoo! Accounts, last year marked the moment “cyber” security went mainstream. While there’s no doubt more of the same is on the way, Wired has put on its prognostication cap to ponder what new security threats will emerge over the next 12 months. After all, as they say, forewarned is forearmed. “It’s hard to know for certain what lies ahead, but some themes began to present themselves toward the end of 2016 that will almost certainly continue well into next year,” begins Wired. “…the more we can anticipate them, the better we can prepare.” Dawn of the Drones Military drones have been fighting proxy battles across the globe for quite some time now, but private, commercial drones could soon turn deadly. Though they’re smaller than their battle-worn counterparts, commercial drones have existed in an unregulated, wild west-type no-man’s-land. Though the FCC currently requires drone owners to register their devices, internationally, there’s little oversight. Wired reports small drones have already been used for terrorist activities and guerrilla warfare, including an attack on US-allied Kurdish soldiers in October of last year. “What better way to deliver deadly ordnance across enemy lines or into secure zones of cities than with remote-controlled accuracy and off-the-shelf hardware that offers no easy way to trace the perpetrator,” Wired asks. “The US government is already buying drone-jamming hardware. But as with all IEDs, the arms race between flying consumer grade bombs and the defenses against them will likely be a violent game of cat-and-mouse. iPhone goes to Court Wired predicts the conflict between federal authorities and mobile-phone providers, which hit...