Duelist neural networks. Artificial embryos. Artificial intelligence in the cloud. What other technologies did the MIT Technology Review identify as critical in 2018? An annual collection of technologies that can change the world of the future, collected since 2001. People often ask what is a "breakthrough" in technology? The answer to this question will not always be obvious, because some technologies have not yet become widespread, while others are not commercially viable. However, all of them in one way or another will have an impact on our lives.
This year, a new artificial intelligence technique called GAN is giving machines the imagination; artificial embryos, despite the fears of skeptics, are reconsidering the creation of life and open a huge window for research into the first moments of human life; a pilot plant in the center of the Texas petrochemical industry is trying to create completely clean electricity from natural gas - probably the main source of energy of the future. Go.
While 3D printing has been around for quite some time, it has remained largely in the hobbyist and designer realm of one-off prototypes. And printing an object from anything other than plastic - like metal - was expensive and excruciatingly slow.
However, it is now becoming cheap and simple enough to become a potentially practical way to manufacture parts. If accepted widely, it could change the way we make many mass-produced products (sorry for the tautology).
In the short term, manufacturers would not need to keep a large inventory - they could just print out an item, some kind of spare part for an aging car, if someone needed it.
In the long term, large factories that produce a small assortment of parts in large quantities could be replaced by smaller factories, but with a larger assortment to suit changing customer needs.
3D printing allows for the creation of lightweight and durable parts, as well as the reproduction of complex shapes that would be impossible to create using traditional metal processing methods. Also, more attention could be paid to the microstructure of metals. In 2017, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said they had developed a 3D printing method to create stainless steel parts that are twice as strong as traditional ones.
Also in 2017, Markforged, a small startup near Boston, unveiled the first 3D metal printer for just $ 100,000.
Another Boston-based startup, Desktop Metal, began shipping its first metal prototyping machines in December 2017. He plans to start selling larger machines specifically for manufacturers that will work 100 times faster than the old metal printing methods.
Printing metal parts also becomes easier. Desktop Metal now offers software that creates 3D print-ready designs. Users give the program the specifications of the object they want to print, and the software generates a computer model suitable for printing.
General Electric, which has long advocated 3D printing in its aircraft products, is working on a test version of its new metal printer that is fast enough to make large parts. The company plans to start selling this device as early as 2018.
Artificial embryos
In a breakthrough that could change the way we think about the creation of life, embryologists at the University of Cambridge in the UK have grown realistic-looking mouse embryos using only stem cells. No eggs. No sperm. They just took cells from other embryos.
Scientists carefully placed the cells in three-dimensional forests and watched, fascinated, as they began to communicate and line up in a well-defined form of a mouse embryo a few days old.
“We know that stem cells have magical powers and enormous potential. We did not think that they would be able to organize themselves so beautifully or even ideally, ”said the leading group of scientists Magdalena Zernika-Götz.
Zernica-Götz says her "synthetic" embryos probably couldn't have developed into mice. Nevertheless, this is a hint that we may soon see mammals born without an egg at all.
However, Zernik-Götz does not set such a goal. She wants to study how the cells of the early embryo begin to assume their assigned roles. The next step is to create an artificial embryo from human stem cells. This work is being done at the University of Michigan and Rockefeller University.
Synthetic human embryos would be a boon for scientists, as they would allow observing all events at an early stage of fetal development. And because these embryos come from stem cells that are easy to manipulate, laboratories could use a full range of tools, such as gene editing, to examine them as they grow.
Artificial embryos, however, make one ask ethical questions. What if they become indistinguishable from the real ones? How long can they be grown in the laboratory before they start to feel pain? We need to address these issues before the science race gets too far.
A city with feelings
A variety of smart city schemes have experienced delays, cancellations, impossible plans, or high costs. A new project in Toronto called Quayside aims to change this already established pattern of things by reimagining the urban environment from the ground up and building it around the latest digital technologies.
Sidewalk Labs, which is owned by Alphabet and is based in New York, is partnering with the Canadian government on this high-tech project for the Toronto industrial waterfront.
One of the goals of the project is to base design, policy and technology decisions on information from a vast network of sensors that collect data on everything from air quality to noise levels and human activities.
According to the plan, all transport should be shared and independent. Robots will scurry underground, performing routine work like delivering mail. Sidewalk Labs says it will open up access to the software and systems it builds so that other companies can build services on top of them, just as people build applications for mobile phones.
The company intends to keep a close watch on public infrastructure, and this, of course, raises questions about privacy and data. However, Sidewalk Labs believes that local government and the free community will work together to get rid of these worries.
“We're trying to make Quayside not only an ambitious project, but also a humble one,” says Rith Aggarwala, manager of urban planning at Sidewalk Labs. This humility can help Quayside avoid the pitfalls that have thwarted past smart city initiatives.
AI for everyone
Artificial intelligence has so far been the toy of big tech companies - Amazon, Baidu, Google, Microsoft and a few startups. For many other companies, AI systems are too expensive and complex to fully implement.
Decision? Cloud-based machine learning tools that will bring AI to a wider audience. Amazon currently dominates cloud AI with its AWS. Google is competing with it with TensorFlow, an open source AI library that can be used to build other machine learning software. Google recently announced Cloud AutoML, a set of pre-trained systems that make AI easier to use.
Microsoft, which has its own Azure cloud platform, is teaming up with Amazon to create Gluon, an open source deep learning library. Gluon will help build neural networks - an essential AI technology that roughly mimics the learning process in the human head - as easy to build as smartphone apps.
It is not clear which of these companies will become the leader in cloud computing offering AI services. But it bodes well for the winner of a huge business opportunity. Especially if the AI \u200b\u200brevolution hits different parts of the global economy.
Currently, AI is used mainly in the technology field, where it improves the performance of old and creates new products and services. But other businesses and industries are also looking to take advantage of artificial intelligence. Segments such as medicine, manufacturing, and energy are easily transformed if the latest technologies in the field of artificial intelligence are fully implemented.
Most companies do not yet know how to use cloud AI. Therefore, Amazon and Google are setting up consulting services. As soon as AI becomes available to everyone, a revolution will begin.
Neural network duelists
Artificial intelligence has learned to identify objects very well: show it a million images, and it will be able with enviable accuracy to find a pedestrian crossing the street. But AI is bad at creating images of pedestrians themselves. If he could, he would weave tapestries of realistic but artificial images of pedestrians in different sets. could use this information for training without ever going on the road.
The problem is that creating something new takes imagination. And for the time being this remains the prerogative of man.
Ian Goodfellow proposed such a solution in 2014. An approach known as a generative adversarial network, or GAN, takes two neural networks - the simplified mathematical models of the human brain that underlie modern machine learning - and pit them against each other in a digital cat and mouse game.
Both neural networks train on the same dataset. One neural network - a generator - creates variations of images that it has already seen - for example, an image of a pedestrian with a third hand. The second - the discriminator - must determine whether the example she considered will be similar to the snapshot she saw, or a fake generated by the generator - that is, can a three-armed person be real?
Over time, the generator will learn to create such good images that the discriminator will not be able to distinguish the fake from the original. In this way, the generator learns to recognize and then create realistic images of pedestrians.
This technology has become one of the most promising advances in AI in the past decade.
GANs have been used to create aurally realistic speech and photorealistic fake images. In one example, NVIDIA scientists tasked the GAN to create hundreds of trustworthy faces of non-existent people. Another group was able to make quite convincing fake images similar to those of Van Gogh. GANs can change images in different ways - turn a sunny road into a snowy one, horses into zebras.
The results are not always perfect. But as images or sounds come out realistic, some experts believe that neural networks are beginning to understand the inner structure of the world. Perhaps imagination is born in them.
Headphones "Babylonian fish"
In the cult science fiction classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you could stick a yellow Babylonian fish in your ear and get an instant translation. In the real world, Google presents a temporary solution: a pair of Pixel Buds for $ 159. They work with Pixel and Google smartphones as a translator, delivering almost instant translation.
One person puts on the earpiece and the other holds the phone. The person wearing the earphone speaks their own language - for example, English - and the app translates and plays the loud translation on the phone. The person holding the phone answers; this answer is translated and played in headphones.
Google Translate can already support conversation, and its iOS and Android apps allow two users to have a conversation by automatically detecting which languages \u200b\u200bare used and translating them. However, background noise makes it difficult for the app to understand what people are saying, and it also has a hard time detecting when people start talking and when they stop.
Pixel Buds solve these problems because the wearer presses and holds their finger on the right earbud while talking. The combination of interaction between the phone and the speakers allows for eye contact since there is no need to be distracted by the phone.
Pixel Buds look odd and don't fit well in your ears. They are also difficult to set up using your phone. But the hardware problem is the least of all. The main thing is the concept. And the fish is not needed.
Zero Emission Natural Gas
The world is probably stuck on natural gas as one of the main sources of electricity in the future. Cheap and affordable, natural gas energy currently provides up to 30% of electricity in the United States and 22% of the world's electricity. Although it is cleaner than coal, its carbon footprint is still substantial.
An experimental power plant near Houston in the center of the US oil and refining industry is testing technology that could make clean energy from natural gas a reality. Net Power, a 50-megawatt company, believes it can generate power as inexpensively as conventional natural gas plants and, crucially, capture all of the carbon dioxide that is released in the process.
If so, the world will produce carbon-free energy from fossil fuels at a good price. Such gas stations could be turned on and off based on demand, avoiding the need to supply renewable energy sources. Net Power unites several energy companies including 8 Rivers Capital, Exelon Generation and CB&I. The company has already started initial testing and will provide results in the coming months.
The plant contains carbon dioxide released by burning natural gas at high pressure and temperature, using supercritical CO 2 as the "working fluid" that drives a special turbine. Most of the carbon dioxide can be processed continuously; the rest will be easy to grab.
A key part of the cost reduction depends on the sale of carbon dioxide. Today its main use is to extract oil from oil wells. This is a limited market and certainly not the most environmentally friendly. But Net Power plans to eventually see increased demand for carbon dioxide in cement, plastics and other carbon-based materials.
Net Power technologies will not solve all natural gas problems, especially in terms of production. But as long as we use natural gas, we can try to make it as clean as possible. Of all the technologies that are being developed in the field of clean energy, Net Power technology is one of the most important.
Perfect online immunity
True privacy and online life can be made possible by a new tool that, for example, can prove that you are 18 years old without revealing your date of birth, or that you have enough money in your bank account without revealing your account balance. This limits the risk of identity theft.
What is this tool? A cryptographic protocol called zero-knowledge proof. Although researchers have been developing it for a long time, a lot of interest has shown in the past year, thanks to the growth of the cryptocurrency market.
Much of the practical application of proof of zero knowledge has been done by the team at Zcash, a digital currency that emerged in late 2016. The Zcash developers used the zk-SNARK method, allowing users to make anonymous transactions.
In Bitcoin and most other public blockchains, this would not be possible, since transactions are visible to everyone. Although these transactions are theoretically anonymous, they can be combined with other data to identify users. Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, the second most popular blockchain network in the world, described zk-SNARK as "a completely revolutionary technology."
Banks could use it in payment systems without disclosing personal data of customers. Last year, JPMorgan Chase added zk-SNARK to its own blockchain-based payment system.
And yet, despite all the advantages, zk-SNARK is a complex and slow algorithm. However, alternatives are being actively developed and will one day replace existing options.
Genetic prediction
One day, all newborn babies will receive a DNA test card. It will describe the chances of getting a heart attack or cancer, getting hooked on cigarettes or becoming a child prodigy.
The science that made this possible came about unexpectedly, thanks to powerful genetic research. Some of them were attended by over a million people. It turned out that the most common diseases and abnormalities, as well as personality traits like intelligence, are the result of the work of one or more genes, trapped in the right place or in the wrong place at the right time. Using data from large genetic studies, scientists create “polygenic risk assessments”.
While the new DNA tests provide probabilities rather than diagnoses, they can be of significant help to medical professionals. For example, a woman with an increased risk of breast cancer will have more mammograms and more visits to the doctor.
Pharmaceutical companies can also use risk assessments to create preventative drugs for diseases like Alzheimer's and heart attacks. By gathering volunteers who are most likely to get sick, they will be able to more accurately determine the quality of drug work.
And yet the forecasts are far from ideal. In addition, polygenic assessments are also questionable, since they predict traits, and not just the possibility of disease. For example, they now predict the IQ of a person with a 10 percent probability. But how will parents and caregivers use this information?
Quantum Leap in Materials
The prospect of powerful new quantum computers is full of uncertainties. They will be able to perform calculations unattainable with the power of modern machines, but we have not yet fully realized what can be done with such power.
One possible application: precise molecular design.
Chemists already dream of creating new proteins for more efficient drugs, new electrolytes for better batteries, compounds that can directly convert sunlight into liquid fuels, and more efficient solar cells.
We don't have this, because molecules are incredibly difficult to model on a classical computer. Try to simulate the behavior of electrons in a relatively simple molecule, and you run into complexities far beyond the capabilities of modern computers.
But quantum computers can do this because instead of digital bits representing zeros and ones, they use “qubits,” which are quantum systems in themselves. Recently, scientists at IBM used a quantum computer with seven qubits to simulate a small molecule of three atoms. Very soon, accurate modeling of larger and more interesting molecules and better quantum algorithms will be possible.
Amazon Echo Dot 3. Photo: androidcentral.com
Amazon Echo Show 2 (left) and Amazon Echo Show. Photo: theverge.com
Apple HomePod. Photo: fortune.com
Yandex.Station. Photo: RIA Novosti / Kirill Kallinikov
Lenovo Smart Display. Photo: androidcentral.com
Samsung Galaxy Home. Photo: samsung.com
Google Home Hub. Photo: Greg Mombert / Digital Trends
The world's first smart speaker called Echo - a dual speaker computer with a microphone, Internet access and a virtual voice assistant Alexa - was presented by the corporation in 2014. The third generation of the Amazon Echo Dot, a more compact single-speaker version of the Echo, was released in September this year. With its help, you can find out and generally any information, listen (there is support for streaming services), use an alarm clock and a calendar, and when connected to compatible devices, control lights, locks, thermostat, TV, etc. In September, the second generation of the smart display was also presented The Amazon Echo Show is essentially the same speaker, but with a 7-inch touchscreen that lets you look at, Vimeo and other services and make video calls.
At the beginning of the year, it began selling its smart speaker for the first time (the announcement was made in the summer of 2017). HomePod offers an automatic audio calibration system, Siri virtual assistant and Apple Music with access to 50 million tracks and podcasts.
In the summer of 2018, Yandex.Station went on sale with the first Russian-language voice assistant. The column allows you to get answers to questions and search for information in, listen to music from different devices via Bluetooth and use the "Music" service, connect to TV and control the video display. Also in the summer, sales of the Lenovo Smart Display started - with an 8- or 10-inch touch screen, virtual assistant Assistant, the ability to watch videos, make video calls, monitor traffic congestion on Google Maps and manage more than 5,000 compatible smart devices throughout the house. , from an air purifier to a coffee machine. In August, the company announced its smart display with a proprietary assistant Bixby - but the Samsung Galaxy Home has not yet entered the sale of an unusual shape, reminiscent of both a spaceship and a boiler.
In October, Google released a smart display, the Google Home Hub - and soon the corporation was accused of problems with information security (it denied everything). However, violation of privacy and security of personal data is one of the obvious disadvantages of most of these devices: devices connected to the network are susceptible to hacker attacks, and the privacy policy of manufacturers may provide for recording conversations and transferring data to third parties.
Virtual reality headsets from Oculus and HTC
Oculus Go. Photo: dgit.com
The Oculus Go helmet - a joint development of the companies (it owns Oculus), Xiaomi and Qualcomm Technologies - appeared in May 2018. It's wireless and completely autonomous: you don't need a laptop or a phone, as a computer with 32 or 64 GB of memory is already built into the device. But with the help of a smartphone based on or iOS and the Oculus mobile application, you can customize the helmet, download content and games.
HTC Vive Pro. Photo: NurPhoto / Getty Images
In the spring, HTC Vive Pro also went on sale - a helmet with a dual OLED display with a high density of dots per inch (615; for Oculus Go 538) and a refresh rate of 90 Hz (for Oculus Go 60–72 Hz), detachable headphones with Hi- Res Audio, SteamVR Tracking and Gesture Control. Additionally, you can buy a WiGig-based wireless adapter from.
Jabra Elite Active 65t Wireless Headphones
Jabra Elite Active 65t. Photo: jabra.com
Jabra Elite Active 65 is a smart wireless earbud with a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and an IP56 rated water and dust resistance, optimized for active sports. Allows you to listen to music, talk on the phone and quickly get information through the virtual assistants Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. The battery can work for 5 hours, when using the pocket charging case - up to 15.
Anki Vector home emotional mini-robot
Anki Vector. Photo: anki.com
Anki released the Vector HD camera miniature robot in September 2018. allows him to move and avoid obstacles when moving, see, distinguish and remember faces. Vector also understands when it is discharging - and goes to the charger itself. And he is able to “feel”: he recognizes sounds and touches, reacts to them - for example, he can make displeased or sad “eyes” if he is shaken too much.
Source: Emily Prapuolenis / The Wall Street Journal
At your command starting with “Hey Vector!”, He will set a timer, take a 360-degree photo, tell the weather, answer a question (for example, how much vitamin A is in carrots or who won the FIFA World Cup) and even play blackjack. And with the next update, the virtual assistant Alexa will be added to it - and then it will be possible to set reminders, manage the shopping list, lighting, thermostat, etc.
SKIIN smart fabric
SKIIN stand at the IDTechEx Show. Photo: idtechex.com
Smart clothes and shoes are gaining momentum: the world creates technological jackets, swimwear, sneakers, etc. The Canadian company Myant for the first time officially presented the technology of "digital second skin" - smart fabric with sensors under the SKIIN brand - in January 2018 at the consumer electronics exhibition CES in Las Vegas. Such textiles are intended for monitoring and analyzing human biomarkers, which will make remote diagnosis and even therapy possible. The company is currently funding and pre-orders for smart thermal clothing.
Smart refrigerator Samsung Family Hub
Samsung Family Hub. Photo: tradeway.co.za
Samsung Family Hub 3.0 also debuted at CES 2018. This is the third generation of this model and the first with the built-in virtual assistant Bixby - so now you can actually talk to your own refrigerator. And also watch videos and TV, listen to music and radio, surf the Internet, set a timer. The refrigerator will select the recipes for you depending on the availability of products - and if something is missing, it will help you purchase it in the online store. Family Hub can be combined with other devices and control lighting, thermostat, video surveillance systems, etc.
Smacircle S1 folding electric bike
Smacircle S1. Photo: smacircle.com
If you're tired of getting stuck in traffic or looking to stand out from the hoverboard and electric unicycle crowd, check out the S1, which Smacircle claims is the smallest and lightest electric bike in the world that can reach speeds of up to 20 km / h. It also folds in several movements and fits in a backpack. The S1 supports Bluetooth, it has a holder and a USB charger for a mobile phone. Through a special application, you can track the route and battery status, set the maximum permissible speed, adjust the lighting and block the bike.
Hypervsn Wall 3D holographic wall projector
Hypervsn Wall. Photo: gitex.com
The British company Hypervsn (formerly Kino-mo) introduced the Hypervsn Wall technological solution at the beginning of 2018 - a set of synchronized devices with adjustable RGB LED backlighting. They create a volumetric image up to 3 meters in length in 3D format, which the viewer perceives as a hologram. Currently, you cannot buy Hypervsn Wall - only lease it. The developers focus primarily on the -sector and believe that the device will perfectly help in business hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, event organizers, nightclubs and bars, as well as insurance institutions, hospitals, banks, real estate agencies and airports.
loreal.comIt is a miniature circular sensor designed to inform the user about the intensity of UV radiation. It attaches to your thumbnail just like any sticker. Sensors hidden inside allow assessing the harmful effects of sunlight, and an NFC chip provides data transfer to a smartphone in a special mobile application. Accordingly, the smartphone must support NFC.
UV Sense is only 9mm long and 2mm thick. The adhesive base allows it to be used for two weeks, but the additional glue included will extend the life. Such sensors will appear on sale closer to summer, their price is still unknown, but it is unlikely that it will be too high.
theverge.com Merge showed off a virtual and augmented reality blaster at CES. It looks like a toy machine, the color scheme is appropriate, but in fact it is a kind of gamepad for a smartphone. It supports major positional tracking technologies, including ARKit on iOS and ARCore on Android. A smartphone is required to use the Merge Blaster, it is inserted into a special slot.
The accessory is synchronized with a smartphone and allows you to immerse yourself in VR / AR shooters. With the help of four buttons on the case, you can instantly interact with objects, quickly reload virtual weapons, jump and so on. The main thing, of course, is that the games and applications support Merge Blaster, the developers are ready to help this in every possible way.
3. Helite Hip'Air
engadget.com The Hip'Air pedestrian airbags were shown for the first time at CES. They are designed to protect not from careless drivers, but from simple falls. That is why they are primarily focused on the elderly or fans of traumatic sports.
The pillows are hidden in a special belt, which weighs about 1 kg. A set of built-in sensors allows you to instantly recognize a person's fall and react by deploying two pillows around the waist. If on average even a quick fall of a person takes about 400 milliseconds, then Hip'Air will accurately recognize it in 200 milliseconds and will deploy the pillows in 80 milliseconds. This will be enough to avoid serious injury.
asus.com Asus showed off a solution for gamers using three monitors for a fully immersive gaming experience. Modes for stretching a picture onto three screens have long existed and are actively used by many, however, monitor frames at the joints have always violated the integrity of a large picture. The manufacturer decided to fix this with simple strips with lenses that refract light at the edges of the displays. As a result, the bezels between the screens practically disappear from the field of view.
Called the ROG Bezel-free Kit, these bars connect monitors at a 130-degree angle. They do not require any additional manipulations with software or other settings. The main thing is that all three monitors are the same size. The price of such a solution is still unknown, but sales will begin this year.
theverge.com Matrix Industries showcased its second wrist-based gadget. If earlier it was a PowerWatch fitness tracker, now a full-fledged smartwatch called PowerWatch X has been announced. Their main feature is an improved technology for converting human body heat into energy for recharging. That is, the battery is fed directly from the contact of the watch with the skin.
The watch is capable of displaying notifications from a smartphone paired via Bluetooth and, of course, tracking physical activity. Moreover, the calculation of expended calories is carried out with maximum accuracy, the same proprietary heat conversion technology is responsible for this. The pre-order price of the gadget is $ 249.
nokia.com Finnish Nokia brought an unusual gadget with the self-explanatory name Sleep to CES. As you might guess, it is designed to track the quality of sleep. It is enough to place it under the mattress of the bed, connect to the network and synchronize with the smartphone via Wi-Fi. In the special mobile application Health Mate, you can view statistics on the duration of various phases, as well as receive tips to improve the quality of sleep.
Nokia Sleep has also received an integration with the service, which allows it to be linked to some smart home systems. For example, the gadget will be able to give commands to automatically turn on the light when the user gets out of bed, or turn off the TV if he falls asleep. The price of such an assistant is $ 100, the start of sales is scheduled for the near future.
cnet.com This conceptual development visually resembles a laptop, but in fact it is a docking station for a branded smartphone. The latter is installed in place of the touchpad and displays the image on a 13-inch QHD-display. At the same time, the screen of the smartphone itself can also remain active and serve as an auxiliary one.
The operation of this entire system is provided precisely by the filling of the Razer Phone, while the docking station itself has only a 200 GB drive and a built-in 53.6 Wh battery inside. The keyboard supports Razer Chroma backlighting. It is worth noting the ability to connect a mouse, as well as USB Type-A and USB Type-C ports on the case. Pricing and launch dates are vague, Project Linda is still a concept.
8.Xiaomi 90FUN Puppy 1
As part of the 90 Minutes sub-brand, Xiaomi has shown a self-propelled suitcase that can independently follow its owner. The device moves when you press a button on the miniature remote control. The operating range is up to 20 m. The built-in drive allows it to move both forward and backward, while overcoming possible obstacles. The suitcase will be able to go around people on the way, overcome irregularities on the floor and even drive on an inclined surface (up to 30 degrees).
You can open the suitcase with your fingerprint. It is extremely difficult to open or seriously damage it, since the frame is made of high strength aluminum alloy. The internal compartment has a capacity of 30 liters. The lithium battery can be removed if necessary to avoid potential problems with shipping companies.
moviphones.com The idea of \u200b\u200bplacing a projector in a smartphone case formed the basis of the Moviphone gadget, which looks like an ordinary phablet. Its not quite usual purpose is given only by the thickness of 10.2 mm. It became the price to pay for a laser capable of projecting images in HD resolution up to 100 inches at 50 lumens brightness.
It displays exactly the image that is shown on the 5.5-inch screen, that is, it can be films, presentations, games, whatever. Moviphone runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. Inside, it has an eight-core MediaTek processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz, 3/4 GB of RAM and 32/64 GB of internal memory. The 4000 mAh battery can provide 4 to 6 hours of operation in projector mode. The price of the device is $ 599.
doisongphapluat.com Myant decided to develop the idea of \u200b\u200bsmart clothes by developing underwear with a number of sensors to track various indicators of the human body. Skiin's briefs, bras and trunks can track heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, body fat and hydration. The sensors for all of these metrics, of course, require recharging. The manufacturer decided this issue due to miniature batteries that are easily removed and powered from the mains.
Myant promises that clothing can be integrated with smart home systems. This will allow, for example, to automatically adjust the room temperature depending on the body temperature. The price of such a dubious pleasure is $ 279 (for four sets of underwear).
The CES in Las Vegas has just ended, leaving all technology fans impressed by the many new products.
This is the first major exhibition of the year, and as usual, not all devices featured here will be a real success with the public.
After reviewing the reviews and ratings of each of the presented devices, we have collected some of the most interesting ones that have potential on the market.
Vive Pro is the next step in the line of VR headsets from HTC. It is surprising in it both how strongly and favorably it differs from its predecessor, and how far the technology itself has advanced. The Vive Pro now has two OLED displays with an increased resolution of 2880x1600 and 615dpi. Plus, the helmet now comes with headphones.
I must say that all these characteristics are already setting the direction for the rest, but for now it is safe to say that if you want a high-quality VR experience, then HTC Vive Pro is definitely the product that you should pay attention to.
The helmet is still wired, but according to the manufacturer, some time after the Vive Pro itself appeared on the market, it will be possible to transfer it to wireless control. In order to appreciate it at its true worth, of course, you will have to wait.
The design of the Vive remains true to the classic look, and is distinguished only by the presence of additional cameras on the front panel. Nothing is known about the purpose of these cameras, but the announcement, according to the representatives, will appear later (however, the guess suggests itself). The price is also unknown so far, and this is what for many VR fans can play a major role in choosing a helmet.
In any case, so far HTC Vive Pro has managed to surprise and not disappoint.
Lenovo's brand new and completely unique Windows 10 S tablet is the Miix 630. Powered by the Snapdragon 835, this brings Windows tablets back to the mainstream market.
What should be noted right away is that the tablet was presented with a keyboard cover with a stylus mount. And all the accessories are included in the starter kit. This is a decisive step that most competing manufacturers hesitate to respond to.
The display has a diagonal of 12.3 inches and is of course covered with Gorilla Glass. The GPU that powers the Lenovo Miix is \u200b\u200bthe Adreno 540 graphics.
Specifications include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, upgradeable to 8GB / 256GB.
The price of the device is still a secret.
Lenovo's tablet weighs 1.33kg, and considering that it functions almost like a laptop, it's a great portable alternative for even the most comfortable netbooks.
The included Bluetooth keyboard ensures fast response times and generally leaves only the best experience. Manufacturers promise up to 20 hours of battery life and of course an LTE modem, which is almost the best on the market so far.
As for the rest of the specs, we have yet to reveal them when the tablet goes on sale.
Lenovo Miragе Solo
Lenovo presented quite a few devices at the show, but one of the most impressive is perhaps the Lenovo Mirage Solo - a Google Daydream device, without the need for a smartphone to use VR. All it takes is just a Mirage Solo.
What is especially interesting is that World Sense technology allows you to move in the virtual world in much the same way as in the real one. What allows the device to work autonomously? The presence inside it is almost a flagship smartphone, that is, all the filling is built right into the Mirage Solo.
The helmet fits completely and comfortably to any size, and fits very comfortably and tightly on the head. There are two cameras on the front that could be designed to combine VR and AR capabilities. But the likelihood that they will be used for shooting is much higher. There is also a remote control included with the device, which is necessary for interacting with objects inside the game.
The Mirage Solo is powered by Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM and Daydream OS.
There is nothing to add, the device is ready to work with the latest VR applications and games right out of the box.
Lenovo Mirage camera
There were almost no cameras as such at CES, after all, photo producers prefer other events, but this does not mean that the market leaders had nothing to brag about. An unexpected novelty again came from Lenovo and turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
In keeping with the trend towards virtual reality development, the company introduced a VR camera capable of capturing video for VR. All this time, as it turned out, Google has been working with major manufacturers to ensure widespread access to VR180 technology.
Lenovo Mirage is not the only camera of this kind, we expect a similar one from Yi Technology later.
The camera from Lenovo includes two 13MP fisheye cameras with a 180x180 degree shooting angle. It will be possible to shoot both photos and videos. Unlike the Yi camera, Lenovo does not have a display on the back, but comes with an app that lets you watch Live-View from your smartphone.
Already last year, by the way, Youtube announced support for VR180, but due to the lack of appropriate cameras, things didn't go much further than the announcement. Now the situation finally has a chance to change. We just have to wait for the devices to come out.
Much has been said about how the year began with two main themes - VR and smart assistants. LG introduced many products in the second area, one of which was the LG ThinQ smart speaker. While so many are focusing on smart display technology for the home, LG has chosen to fill the audio gap with a smart home speaker. So, maybe she is the same as any home assistant - playing music, doing errands and answering questions.
What is especially noted by the manufacturers themselves, the premium sound of the speaker will provide excellent quality when playing files in lossless format, since the built-in Meridian Audio technology is able to. At the very least, we are promised better sound than Google Home.
LG has given a lot of attention in 2018 to the audio field, with the SK10Y soundbar, PK series Bluetooth speakers, new headphones and, interestingly, entire party systems that include karaoke, lighting circuits and much more, coming later this year. Well, let's see.
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
The first watch from Garmin that allows you to listen to music offline from your smartphone. Now you don't need to take your smartphone for a run to fully enjoy the music and freedom. But is there really something new in this?
I must say that despite the frenzied popularity of the Apple Watch and, in particular, the capabilities of battery life, we have not yet seen such a successful combination of a smartwatch and a fitness tracker.
Garmin focuses on fitness features while ensuring compatibility across multiple devices.
For example, if you want to go to a store on the run, you can use Apple Pay, Android Pay, and FitBit pay.
The watch design combines retro features with modern features. That is, it is not just a fashionable device, but quite a classic round watch with a stylish metal frame.
Of course, the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is not only suitable for running, but also for cycling, swimming, etc. There will also be a version of the watch without the ability to listen to music, as for prices, they still vary between $ 540 for Music and $ 475 for the budget version.
Sony headphones WF-SP700N
Definitely, we will not remember this name quickly and simply, but this does not make the headphones themselves less attractive. Sony's new wireless headphones are great for sports, music and more.
The WF-SP700N headphones have a bright and, I must say, attractive design. They are available in four colors.
The first thing worth noting is a rather convenient attachment that prevents the earphone from falling out; for this, a silicone hook is even specially added.
Later, the headphones will be equipped with Google Assistant support, which is quite natural, but the ability to suppress ambient noise is really impressive and pleasantly surprising.
The set also includes a stylish charging case of a very small size and matching in color with the headphones themselves.
Perhaps, the Sony WF-SP700N is perfect for those who are afraid of losing wireless headphones, since the company has followed all the precautions.
The Chinese-made Vivo smartphone itself may not have particularly surprised anyone, but has definitely secured a place in history by showing us all the long-awaited technology - a fingerprint scanner built right into the screen. It should be noted right away that this finally and irrevocably brings us to the era of smartphones without screen bezels, and manufacturers can save time and money without trying to find a new convenient place for the sensor.
The production of the sensor itself is a merit of Synaptics. In fact, the sensor lights up the finger and reads the information. So far, the processor recognizes 300 different key characteristics of the fingerprint.
Of course, we can expect this feature to appear primarily on premium devices, its production is still expensive, but it may well create competition for Face ID, certainly in terms of price.
Analysts record an incredible increase in buyers' interest in modern multifunctional gadgets. So, this year, customers of large stores 6 times more often preferred smartphones than personal PCs, laptops or tablets. We invite you to find out what new the market is preparing to offer the consumer and what innovative technologies of the future can be found in the novelties of 2018.
In this article we will tell you:
Every year smartphones surprise with more and more new functions. Today, large screens and high-quality cameras, high-speed access to Internet technologies and the ability to work with documents have become commonplace. But, manufacturers do not stop there and, perhaps already in 2018, new gadgets that will appear on the market will have not only a radically new design, but also such functions as:
- visualization of 3D holograms;
- contactless screens that read commands without direct contact;
- the possibility of the longest possible autonomous operation and fast charging of high-capacity batteries;
- high level of protection against dust, moisture and other negative external influences;
- unprecedented means of protecting personal information.
In terms of design, the most anticipated on the market are the new flexible devices Samsung Galaxy X1 and Lenovo CPlus. Both smartphones will use innovative screen models. But, the new Galaxy X1 most likely received a folding case-book, and Lenovo CPlus - the ability to bend at several points, turning from a mobile phone into a stylish bracelet.
Also in 2018, frameless monoblocks promise to become a trend. It is this design that Apple, Xiaomi and Meizu promise to implement in their new models.
Samsung is announcing a new Galaxy S9 Edge for 2018 with a curved screen that will fill the entire front panel.
New 2018 for gamers
The computer games industry is demonstrating a rapid pace of development, which requires manufacturers to significantly improve the technical parameters and expand the capabilities of game consoles. So, in 2018, new gaming electronics are expected from the largest corporations Sony and Microsoft.
Sony PlayStation 5
The most anticipated device in the gaming world is without a doubt the 5th generation PlayStation. It is expected that the console will receive such innovations as:
- new powerful AMD processor;
- performance at the level of 10 Teraflops;
- even higher quality virtual reality rendering;
- new models of functional game add-ons, such as virtual reality helmets and a wide variety of game controllers.
Most likely, the new gaming stations from Sony will be available for purchase in the second half of 2018.
Xbox one x
Microsoft plans to offer gamers the Xbox One X console. But, unfortunately, the device will not support virtual reality simulators, providing players only with high quality rendering in ultra-high definition Ultra HD, 3840x2160.
We suggest watching a video of the presentation of the new console:
Virtual reality glasses from Apple
In addition to the standard features that have already been tested in the latest VR glasses, the device developed by Apple engineers will be able to offer its owner:
- full synchronization with the IPhone;
- mixed reality, the essence of which is the adaptation of the game situation to the terrain surrounding the user;
- high-quality built-in photo and video camera, for the use of which you do not need to shoot a gadget.
Personal PC innovation
Along with classic models of personal computers, powerful gaming laptops and compact tablets, hybrid models will appear on the market throughout 2018, because consumers today are interested in new gadgets that combine the advantages of different types of PCs.
The Lenovo Blade and Microsoft Surface Pro 5 laptops, which are slated for release in 2018, are prime examples of new convertible computers.
If you are more interested in the new gaming electronics, using which it will be possible to run the most TOP games that will be released in 2018 on a stationary PC, we recommend paying attention to such market innovations as:
- innovative 10nm Intel Cannonlake processors;
- video cards with GDDR6 memory;
- a new generation of NVIDIA Volta GPUs, which may appear in late 2017;
- dual-chip Vega 10 graphics cards from AMD.
What will be the price of computers equipped with such new products, one can only guess. Only one thing can be said with certainty - their cost will be in the premium segment.
Individual vehicles in 2018
In 2017, individual vehicles such as:
- segway;
- gyro scooters;
- unicycle.
In the coming year, interest in such new products on the market will grow rapidly. It can be expected that prices for personal electric vehicles for moving along the streets of the city will decrease, and the technical parameters of models will improve. Among the expected characteristics of the new segway and hoverboard scooters:
- increased cross-country ability due to increased wheel diameter;
- more powerful batteries, allowing for longer battery life;
- fast charging system integration;
- protection from moisture, which will allow the use of transport not only in warm and dry weather;
- full integration with gadgets running iOS or Android.
It is worth noting that today the same rules apply to people moving along the streets of the city in such models of electric transport as to pedestrians. But, it is quite possible, in the near future, this issue will be revised, because the maximum permissible speed of electric transport is rapidly increasing with each new model.
