Tag Archive for: gadgets
Domestic Robots – Do YOU trust them?
7 in 10 Americans would totally trust a domestic robot to do their chores, according to Yahoo.
Yet, what about Brits? How do we feel about domestic robots?
(A domestic Robot is an autonomous Robot that is primarily used for household chores)
Specops Software wanted to find out how we Brits felt about robots doing chores so surveyed 2,424 British consumers. They found out something quite the opposite to our American counterparts.
The survey consisted of the questions based on the characteristics of domestic robots. Specops wanted to identify the elements British people believe would make “ideal” robot for the home.
Some of their findings included:
- 61% of people do not want domestic robots to read emotion
- 88% of Brits would like the ability to modify their domestic robot
- 39% of Brits would be likely to purchase a domestic robot, if available now
- 82% of people would prefer a domestic robot with gender neutral characteristics
- 82% of people do not want domestic robots to have access to personal, private data
So it looked like us Brits don’t like the idea of Robots doing our chores for us! With many of the statistics being based around privacy based concerns such as reading emotion and access to private personal data.
So, 77% of Brits do not want human-like robots in the home and:
- 61% of people do not want domestic robots to read emotion
- 88% of Brits would like the ability to modify their domestic robot
- 39% of Brits would be likely to purchase a domestic robot, if available now
- 82% of people would prefer a domestic robot with gender neutral characteristics
- 82% of people do not want domestic robots to have access to personal, private data
Domestic Robots Emotion
The most interesting statistic that Specops found was that 39% of Brits agree that it would be an asset for domestic robots to be able to read emotion. With the most favourable emotions ranking as most favourable to be read:
- Stress (60%)
- Fear (40%)
- Happiness (40%)
Functionality wise, 59% of Brits would like domestic robots to memorise what they see and do. While 41% would prefer robots forgot what they see and did instantly.
Aesthetics
But how do we want our robots to look? Well us Brits want domestic robots to look:
- Mechanical (65%)
- Be neutral in colour (53%)
- Have round, soft edges (29%)
- Be small and compact (53%)
While, a whopping 82% of people surveyed would like a domestic robot to have gender neutral characteristics (male 6% / female 12%)
We would also like to be able to modify the domestic robot if it were to exist (88%) most favourable modifications:
- Ability to change its voice or noises (100%)
- Wipe its memory instantly (87%)
- Download apps to increase its knowledge and performance (80%)
- Extend or add different parts (60%)
- Change its “skin” / outer casing (27%)
- Zap or radiate when touched by something unknown (7%)
82% of us believe that the most effective use for a Robot is for security and surveillance.
Cleaning and use as a personal assistant came in a close second at 76%. Entertainment ranked 3rd at 65%, Cooking 53% in at 4th, companionship ranked 5th at 35%, furthermore guidance and advice 6th at 24%, healthcare 7th at 18% and Childcare came last at 6%
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How To Kill An Hour 2019What Technology Is Popular In Cars Right Now
A car can simply serve its purpose of getting you from A to B, or it makes commuting to work a lot more stress-free, and there’s not a chance you’ll have to spend your time under someone’s armpit on a cramped train. However, all cars have a certain amount of technology that makes driving that little bit more enjoyable. Here are some of the most popular technology features in cars right now.
Vehicle Tracking Software
When we lose something, or it gets stolen, it can be crushing when you have no way of tracking it. Now that phones and other electronic devices have the ability to be tracked, cars are now having this software installed into their hardware so that it’s possible for them to be trackable. This is not only good for drivers but for local authorities to help them spot stolen vehicles. There’s definitely a high amount of vehicles that get stolen each year, and if criminals are aware of these tracking softwares being in cars, it’s less likely to happen. Not only that, but they have less of a chance of getting away with it.
Rearview Cameras For Parking
Everyone has their strong points when driving and there’s the odd maneuver that perhaps aren’t so strong. A lot of the time, parking can be a difficulty for some drivers. Cameras are a great way to solve this problem, and now many cars have rearview cameras installed to help drivers navigate the tightest of parking spaces. It’s also good for when you’re reversing, and your viewpoint may not be as clear when looking at your wing mirrors. It’ll also help to provide footage of crashes and accidents when they happen. That’ll make your wheel repair that little more affordable if the damage wasn’t your fault.
Connecting Phone Apps
It’s no surprise that many of us are using our phones to control our lives. Not just ourselves but for our homes too. With apps that can control our lights to the heating of our home, even when we’re not at the property itself. So there are plenty of apps now that you can connect to your car, and that give you more features to use within the car itself. There are ones that can help you to lock your car doors remotely and to start the car so that it’s warm and ready on a cold winter morning.
Sound Alerts For Objects
Sound alerts for moving or stationary objects in the road are great for reducing the number of accidents that happen. Being on the road can be very dangerous, and a lot of accidents can happen from careless driving or just by not being attentive. So when you’re reversing back or trying to park, these beeping sounds that increase as you get closer to the object are very handy. It’ll certainly save you some money too!
Technology is only going to advance and who knows what will become of our cars in the future. Driverless cars exist after all!
Robot Guards will take your photo!
Robot Guards will now take your photo if you attack it. In various places in America robots are roaming about to monitor places such as banks, casinos, malls and hospitals. Earlier this month in Hayward California, a security robot captured video of an alleged attacker before it was knocked over.
Knightscope who make the robots say that they weigh a total of 398lbs. That’s alot! Knightscope tells The Verge that there are 75 robots deployed in 15 different US States, and a report at Vox suggests that they won’t be replacing human guards any time soon. Slack has two robots from Cobalt to help secure it’s offices, but real human guards are still there.
The bots do simple on-duty tasks such as scanning a doorway. While humans need to intervene if it detects some tomfoolery. Futhermore the bots from both Knightscope and Cobalt don’t have any weapons so won’t be able to use force.
They don’t have weapons now but we wouldn’t be surprised if things like tazers and batons where implemented into the robots at some point in the future.
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Why Second-Hand Cars Are Perfect For Tech-Lovers
Tech-lovers beware: you’re making a massive mistake. When it comes to the car in your life, there is always the urge to go with a brand spanking new model. After all, they have the best gadgets and gizmos, the things that keep you awake at night with excitement. Who cares if they’re expensive? They’re worth every penny! At least, that’s how you feel now. Usually, tech-lovers change their minds when the realisation hits – used cars are as appropriate as new motors, and they’re cheaper.
Here are the reasons you should start looking at the second-hand market the next time you need a whip.
Used Doesn’t Mean Old
Sure, it might be older than something that came out this year, but it’s not ancient. Looking 4 Car Finance has lots of models on their lot at affordable prices, and most of them aren’t as dated as 2012. Anything that came out post-2010 is fair game because all cars come with cool tech gadget these days. Whether it’s a 69 plate or a 60 plate, you’ll get everything from an ABS to an in-car sat nav with Bluetooth sync capabilities. And, because the registrations are almost a decade old, the cost will be significantly lower.
You Only Need Certain Tools
Car manufacturers have us in a tailspin with the way they market their products and services. As a result, it’s not uncommon to think you need everything they have and to fob the base model off as insufficient. Of course, the reality is different. There is only a handful of equipment you need, and you can find a list of our very own on this How To Kill An Hour post. The things that make a difference to the driving experience, such as dash cams and auto energy braking, should be on your list and everything else can go.
They’re Installable
Okay, you’re a tech-lover so the idea of only using the necessary car tech is laughable. That’s fair. Still, there’s no need to fork out a fortune for a vehicle that’s overpriced when there is an affordable base model. Once you have a chassis, you can add to the skeleton of the car by installing the stuff you love. New brakes and a better suspension aren’t cheap, yet they’re more affordable when you do it yourself. And, the electricals are easy to get hold of and to install in the car’s interior. Essentially, you can do an Xzibit and pimp your ride!
Sometimes, Basic Is Good
Remember that pimped out cars make bad drivers. The next time you get behind the wheel of one without parking sensors, you should note how many times you back up without looking. It’s crazy. Plus, you might be a tech nerd but you’re also a car-lover and that counts for something. It means, deep down, that you love the sound of an engine and hitting the open road without any mod cons because it takes you back to a simpler time.
Used cars focus on the basics, and they get petrolheads’ hearts racing.
CUE3: RECORD-BREAKING BASKETBALL ROBOT
Well, looks like Steph Curry better watch out! A record breaking basketball playing robot named CUE3, has been birthed by a team of Toyota Engineers. How good is it? Well it can land a free shot, perfectly hitting the target, more than 2,000 times in a row.
It originally was a spare time project, designed to demonstrate the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence. It may display some incredible sporting ability and accuracy. However, the same technical innovation is being applied to Toyota to create robots which help. Helping the injured and disabled rehab in their day to day lives at home.
CUE3, is as the name suggests, the teams third iteration of the concept. It was revealed at a pro-basketball match in Japan earlier this year. It stands 6ft 10″ tall and wears the #93 vest. A simple video of the robot landing a centre line, took the web by storm. As it was so popular online, the team bidded to set a Guinness World Record. A record for the most consecutive basketball free throws by a humanoid robot.
Earlier versions of CUE3 were unsuitable for such record attempts. Mainly due to the fact it took up to 3mins to reset the machine after each shot. The team got to work and 5months later CUE3 made the record bid a realistic possibility.
Not settling for 5 successive shots that were needed to set the record, the team wanted more! However, they were a little unsure of how much repeated movement would affect the robot. Plus the air pressure in the balls and the angle of the hoop also needed to be accounted for. Plus they also had to retrieve the ball and place it accurately in CUE3’s hands for the robot to be able to pot successfully.
CUE3 Completing The Task
CUE3 landed 5 shots with easy. Then 200. 3 hours later that number was set at 1,000. That’s 1 every 12 seconds. The team stopped at 2,020 shots. The same number of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics date. It accomplished this feat in 6hrs and 35mins.
“For the record attempt, we remained members of Toyota, but also collaborated with a professional sports team to embark on a challenge no one else had undertaken. We would be delighted if as many people as possible developed an interest in basketball, robots and manufacturing as a result of watching our efforts.” – Project leader Tomohiro Nomi
The CUE team are now looking to take part in an all-stars match in January 2020, which could see CUE3 evolving yet again.
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Are we ready for 5G? A look at 4G
While many of us are enjoying the speeds of 4G and soon to be 5G there is many parts of the UK that don’t even have access to 4G. If they do have access to 4G it’ll be incredibly slow too. Analysis that has been undertaken by comparemymobile.com, a mobile comparison and recycling website have revealed that Yorkshire and Humber have the lowest download speeds. However, it is still one of the best perfoming regions for 4G availability!
Their research has discovered that Yorkshire and Humber have an average 4G download speed of 20.28Mbps. Furthermore the region comes 3rd on the leaderboard for how often users can access 4G. With an availability rate of 86%. This is according to data reports by OpenSignal. While no regions, at present, even meet the recommended download speeds of 25Mbps for watching 4K content on Netflix!
Each regions averages are based on the 4 big network providers in the UK. That’s EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three. There has been some improvements in the download speed of 4G networks, as the North West of the UK has an average of 23.05Mpbs. Yet this is still below Netflix’s recommended speeds of 25Mbps for 4K viewing content.
Futhermore there’s been little improvement on the availability of 4G. 95% 4G mobile coverage target in the UK was set by the government for Ofcom by the end of 2022. The region closest to this target is 87.09% is London. While many rural communities struggle to get a good connection at home or at work.
Connectivity Quality
Please see a table below of the best/worst performing regions:
| Best Performing | Worst Performing |
| North West (23.05 Mbps) | Northern Ireland (19.13 Mbps) |
| London (22.89 Mbps) | Yorkshire and Humber (20.28 Mbps) |
| West Midlands (21.87 Mbps) | South East (20.54 Mbps) |
When looking at availability the best and worst performing regions are:
| Best Performing | Worst Performing |
| London (87.09%) | South West (79.06%) |
| North East (86.99%) | Wales (80.17%) |
| Yorkshire and Humber (86.01%) | Eastern (81.42%) |
Availability wise,Yorkshire and Humber are doing really well. Yet they sit at the bottom of the table for download speeds. Which indicates there is a long way to go before everyone can get the best connection available.
Now 5G on the way
With plans to roll out 5G later this year, it’s unsurprising that many rural areas are growing frustrated at the lack of 4G signal in their area, let alone the promise of a faster network. Despite this, the UK does remain one of the leading countries in the world for 4G adoption. This is largely due to there being such fierce competition between the four big network providers, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone as well as heavy private investment.
However, there is still a long way to go to ensure that people in rural areas have good access to 4G networks, both in terms of high download speeds and availability. Ofcom’s plans to sell new mobile airwaves in 2020, with coverage obligations attached in its bid to achieve 95% 4G coverage in the UK by 2022 is promising, but it does mean that those with little or no coverage still have a while to wait until they have reliable 4G network access.” Rob Baillie, Mobile Expert at Compare My Mobile
More information available here.
The analysis uses Opensignal’s data to compare 4G download speeds and availability in each UK region
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Best Pool Gadget?!
Summer’s going to be right here in the UK eventually which means lots of BBQ’s and using swimming pools! However, we think we have found the best pool gadget! A motorised inflatable pool lounger, thats MOTORISED!!
The Splash Runner Motorized Inflatable Swimming Pool Lounger by Poolcandy is a pool lounger that you’re able to move about on by pressing a simple button. This genius invention has two motors on the bottom of it. Therefore allowing it to glide across the swimming pool. The lounger even has joysticks on each side of it. This lounger, the best pool gadget ever, is available for $199.99 and is deemed “the most feature-rich pool lounger ever made” by its official website.
The technical parts now and the motor runs off simple 12D Batteries and can hold people up to 300lbs. Aswell as having joysticks the best pool gadget has a cupholder on it. So you can glide around in the pool without even having to hold your drink. Being able to move around means you can easily get a top up too without having to move a muscle.
Unfortunately the sunlounger is only available to buy in the US. However, if you’re in the US you can buy one by clicking here!
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