Contact Lens Binoculars Are in Sight
Researchers revealed their latest prototype contact lenses that magnify vision almost three times with the wink of an eye. Larry Greenemeier reports
Feb 19, 2015•2 min
60-Second Tech
Scientific American Online associate tech editor Larry Greenemeier provides a weekly minute commentary on some of the most interesting developments in the world of technology
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Episodes
Keurig Coffee Drinkers Hack Back
Users of the K-cup coffee company’s products have counterattacked against its efforts to restrict the brands that their new machines can brew. Larry Greenemeier reports
Feb 13, 2015•2 min
Radar Makes All Houses Glass
Law enforcement agencies have handheld radar that can “see” through walls via RF signals, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. Larry Greenemeier reports
Feb 05, 2015•2 min
Smart Keyboard Gets a Charge out of You
Researchers have made a secure, waterproof wireless keyboard that gets charged by the action of your fingertips as you type. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jan 30, 2015•1 min
Rival Space Internets Vie for Sky Pie
SpaceX’s Elon Musk and fellow tech mogel Greg Wyler both have plans for low Earth orbit satellite networks that could fill in many of the world's current gaps in Internet coverage. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jan 23, 2015•2 min
Gestures and Eye Movements Will Control Cars
Carmakers are working on ways to let drivers interact with their cars using presumably safer hand gestures and eye movement in addition to voice controls and touch screens. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jan 16, 2015•1 min
Facebook Puts Its Money Where Your Mouth Is
The social media behemoth buys voice-recognition start-up Wit.ai to prepare for the impending Internet of Things. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jan 12, 2015•2 min
Teen Inventors Connect DVR to Your Zzzs
British students made a wrist monitor that senses if you nod off and sends a signal to your DVR to record whatever you were watching. Future such devices could control additional household functions. Larry Greenemeier reports
Dec 24, 2014•1 min
Future Smartphone Could Fall Smartly, Too
Apple got a patent for a system to adjust your falling device in flight to minimize the damage on landing. Larry Greenemeier reports
Dec 19, 2014•1 min
Recycled Laptop Batteries Bring Light to Power Poor
IBM scientists in India developed an experimental power supply from reusable lithium ion cells salvaged from three-year-old laptop battery packs. Larry Greenemeier reports
Dec 11, 2014•1 min
NYC School Computers Are MIA
New York City public schools are missing hundreds and possibly thousands of computers, due to poor record keeping, theft, corruption or some combo. Larry Greenemeier reports
Dec 08, 2014•1 min
Cats Teach Robots to Land on Feet
Training rescue robots to land safely from falls like cats could give them nine lives in the field. Larry Greenemeier reports
Nov 21, 2014•1 min
Solar Roadways Take Baby Steps
Dutch cyclists can now pedal a path paved with solar panels. Larry Greenemeier reports
Nov 18, 2014•1 min
Smartphone Case Furthers Unplug Movement
Yondr’s locking gadget-case aims to keep digital distractions down during live performances. Larry Greenemeier reports
Nov 06, 2014•1 min
Apple Pay Perturbs Prying Personal Prospectors
Law enforcement agencies and retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy balk at Apple's operating system and payment app privacy efforts. Larry Greenemeier reports
Oct 28, 2014•2 min
Tapping the Twitterverse for Meaning
Twitter and M.I.T. have teamed up to launch the Laboratory for Social Machines to analyze the impact of social media messages on society. Larry Greenemeier reports
Oct 10, 2014•1 min
Drivers While Voice Texting Are Still Distracted
Drivers in a simulator reacted slowly to sudden traffic emergencies regardless of whether they were thumbing texts into smartphones or dictating them to Google Glass. Larry Greenemeier reports
Oct 02, 2014•1 min
App IDs Other Battery-Eater Apps
More than a million volunteer users of the smarthphone app Carat have helped researchers identify those apps that really suck battery power in both the Android operating system and Apple's iOS. Larry Greenemeier reports
Sep 29, 2014•1 min
Jet Pack Keeps You Grounded, but Faster
Mini-jet backpack for runners could help military personnel and others get home faster. Larry Greenemeier reports
Sep 19, 2014•1 min
Bike Helmet Meets Black Box
A future smart bike helmet can track the rider's motion, determine if a crash was likely and call for help if the rider is incapacitated. Larry Greenemeier reports
Sep 12, 2014•1 min
Apple Expected to Set Its Sights on Wearables, Mobile Payments
The rumor mill surrounding the company's latest is in high gear, with possibly a wearable device and smartphone wallet capabilities to be announced next week. Larry Greenemeier reports
Sep 05, 2014•1 min
We're All Hawking Products Now
Software start-ups getting big bucks to write code that can identify, find and link logos and brands in the billions of images posted daily. Larry Greenemeier reports
Aug 24, 2014•1 min
Robotic Exoskeletons Giving (and Gaining) Support
Hydraulic-powered, mind-controlled support suits aren’t just for superheroes. Soon you might have to wear one to work. Larry Greenemeier reports
Aug 17, 2014•1 min
Medical Workers Page Google Glass
The Internet-connected headset is drawing interest in the medical community as a video consultation tool. Larry Greenemeier reports.
Aug 03, 2014•1 min
Moth Eyes Inspire Different Solar Cell
Moth eyes absorb almost all incident light, thus reducing reflection that predators would notice. Researchers have now used the moth eye structure as the basis of a highly efficient solar absorbing cell. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jul 25, 2014•2 min
Feline Facial Recognition Overcomes Kitty Overconsumption
A multicat feeder system incorporates facial recognition so that owners can tell if individual cats are eating too much or too little. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jul 18, 2014•2 min
Hacked E-Cigs May Get around Regulations
Some users are modifying electronic cigarettes to produce stronger flavors, more impressive vapor clouds and to deliver even more nicotine. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jul 10, 2014•1 min
Software Finds Best Parts of Boring Video
Machine-learning researchers are developing software that automatically searches through long videos to create edited summaries, or personalized trailers. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jun 27, 2014•1 min
Apple, Google Say "Drop That Doughnut!"
Tech companies are offering an ever-increasing number of health monitoring and promoting apps, to keep you in shape and interesting in buying more gadgets. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jun 20, 2014•1 min
Microsoft Bets on Gestures to Buoy Windows Phones
Microsoft is allegedly adding Kinect-for-Xbox–like gesture recognition to the next generation of Nokia’s Lumia smartphone. Larry Greenemeier reports
Jun 15, 2014•2 min
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