Heidi Hoopes
Gizmag
Denver, CO, United States
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Past articles by Heidi:
Google's neural network to compose email responses for you
Gmail users are set to benefit from Google's machine learning research with Smart Reply. The system will use a deep neural network to analyze incoming emails and propose three likely replies, with the end result enabling mobile users to respond quickly to emails. → Read More
GoPro releases sneak peek aerial footage from its upcoming quadcopter
Actioncam manufacturer GoPro has just released unedited aerial footage from its prototype quadcopter. The company announced its entry into the quadcopter scene in May of this year, with a finished product expected in 2016. → Read More
Full-color imagery created from black and white prints, a prism, and a little math
An intriguing photo projection system uses only black images and a prism to project full-color imagery. A Dartmouth University and Disney Research Zürich study could result in future systems that dynamically trade off color fidelity, efficiency, and resolution to create full-color projections. → Read More
Tesla's live Autopilot upgrades give the Model S parallel parking and lane changes with the push of a button
Tesla announced on Wednesday that Autopilot is now live for Model S vehicles produced since late September of 2014. Traffic-aware cruise control, automated parallel parking, and lane change at a push of a button are some of the new features in the Model S. → Read More
Open Bionics adds superhero appeal to prostheses for kids
Open Bionics, with support from Disney Accelerator, transforms prostheses that kids would rather hide into those that Iron Man or Frozen's Elsa would wear. The company says that for kids it transforms being different into being cool. → Read More
Cost-effective "mini brains" create accessible neural model
For 25 cents apiece after fixed costs, researchers at Brown University have found a way to create "mini brains", realistic 3D arrangements of neural tissue that are able to transmit electrical synapses and more closely resemble the structures of real brains than do 2D tissue cultures. → Read More
Claws-on with the self-balancing Miposaur robot
We test a MiPsaur robot that balances on two wheels like a Segway. It has several different ways to play, including its own interactive moving ball, a battle mode with other robots, and varying moods. → Read More
Pokémon and Niantic collaborate to bring augmented pocket monsters to the real world
Pokémon in your backyard and downtown is the promise of Pokémon Go, designed in collaboration with augmented reality game developer Niantic, Inc. Niantic brings its experience developing sci-fi game Ingress, to create one of the first Nintendo mobile games. → Read More
"Autobiographical memory" lets robots act as knowledge go-betweens on ISS
With the design challenge of retaining important experiential information between rotating crews of astronauts, French researchers used the popular Nao robot to form an "autobiographical memory" of human interactions and pass on the know-how to new crew members. → Read More
Infento offers transformable transportation for kids as they grow
Infento, which is inspired by the Latin for "infinite makes," is a collection of creative ride-ons for ages 0-13. With just a hex key and a couple of hours, an adult and child can make a sledge, a scooter, a recumbent bike, a trike with a cargo box, and more. → Read More
StoreDot to scale up nanodot battery tech in pursuit of five minute-charging EVs
After completing a round of funding for a new electric vehicle business unit, StoreDot – which last year revealed a smartphone battery that charged in 30 seconds – might just be able to deliver on its vision of EVs that can receive a full charge in just five minutes. → Read More
DEF CON focuses on vehicle security and beyond in wake of Jeep hack
Last month's Jeep hack is only the tip of the iceberg and consumers face bigger problems if manufacturers don't take some lessons on board. Security researchers at DEF CON described the many attack surfaces of today's connected vehicle and pointed to potential improvements to protect consumers. → Read More
Review: Parrot MINIKIT Neo 2 HD, a hands-free phone system for your car
Gizmag tries out the Parrot MINIKIT Neo 2 HD, a sleek hands-free calling and speaker system that simultaneously manages two mobile devices for in-car calls. It's an upgrade over previous MINIKIT Neo models, with always-listening voice commands, a new smart phone app, and sound improvements → Read More
Samsung's newest monitor can wirelessly charge your Galaxy S6
Samsung has introduced a new computer monitor that makes use of the Qi wireless charging standard for mobile devices. The offerings have a circular charging station at the base of the monitor that allow compatible phones such as a Galaxy S6 or Nexus 6 to be casually tossed down to power up. → Read More
Mcity opens as a first-of-its-kind sandbox for autonomous and connected vehicles
A landscape of fake buildings and unusual roads could tax any human driver. In Mcity, however, the simulation is designed to test the university's fleet of connected and autonomous vehicles as they interact with a research facility that's the first of its kind. → Read More
Review: Parrot Bebop drone and Skycontroller
We put Parrot's Bebop drone in the hands of several quadcopter neophytes, tested it indoors (which is supposedly one of its strengths), and enlisted its 14-megapixel camera to capture some aerial footage. → Read More
Carnegie Mellon to form "living lab" of internet of things through Google initiative
Google has awarded US$500,000 to Carnegie Mellon to create a "living lab" to turn its campus and Pittsburgh into a testing grounds for Internet of Things technology. Millions of cheap sensors and user-developed scripts will facilitate Google's mission of innovating interoperable IoT tech. → Read More
Restored Spitfire fetches record £3,106,500 at auction
One of only two Mk.1 Spitfires still able to fly today has sold for a record amount at Christie's auctions. The gavel fell at £3,106,500 (US$4,784,010) on the painstakingly restored RAF Spitfire P9374, far exceeding pre-auction estimates of £2.5m. → Read More
3D-printed materials that change texture on demand
When it comes to creating surfaces, it's a simple task to either make ones that are smooth or ones that are bumpy. But now researchers at MIT have created one that can be both, with the ability to dynamically change texture through the application of pressure. → Read More
Eagle-eyed robot can catch the common fruit fly
Machine vision and robotic precision have combined in a new way to further fruit fly research. Scientists at Stanford's Bio-X program have developed a robot that can catch and sort the tiny creatures much faster than a human can, though to the flies themselves it must seem like an alien abduction. → Read More