Welcome to the BYTE, where we serve up the latest home and tech news from the last week for you to sink your teeth into.
This week we’re taking a BYTE out of a Google’s way to battle phone addiction, electric mopeds, AR in the operating room, a bathroom assistant, and a pocket printer. Dig in!
Generally
Phone Addiction Can Be Managed
Technology has taken over the world, especially now that we can email, talk, shop, pay bills and more from a device that fits in our hands. Can you go a day without your phone? Probably not if you’re honest with yourself. Most people need to spend less time on their phone and here’s the catch… Google agrees! Which is why they created a few apps to help you manage your time better. Dubbed Digital Wellbeing, these experiments are comprised of apps such as Desert Island – as the name implies, you can only keep a select few apps on your phone… the rest are hidden – and Post Box, which helps you manage your notifications better. The whole purpose of these apps is to limit phone usage, thus making users more productive during the day.
Could Moped Sharing Become a Thing?
You’ve probably heard of ridesharing (Uber, Lyft) and scootersharing (Lime), but what about mopedsharing? Scoot, a sub-brand of parent company Bird, launched a line of electric mopeds for shared use. These mopeds top off at 20 mph, feature hydraulic disc brakes, and an LCD display. Could this be the new mode of transportation in big cities? Possibly. In fact, the Scoot Moped is currently being tested out in Los Angeles.
Take Notes
A New Superpower for Surgeons
… x-ray vision. Augmented reality is heading to the operating room. Startup company, MediView XR, plans on using AR goggles along with their own developed technology to create a way for surgeons to see their patients’ internal anatomy better. The technology itself provides a 3D view for surgeons as well as advanced positioning (how instruments will intersect with the patient’s anatomy). According to Karl West, Director of Medical Devices at Cleveland Clinic, “It didn’t make sense that with all the other improvements in medicine that we were still using 2D imaging.” Along with this developing technology, the medical field has also seen robots and VR training systems implemented as a way to vastly improve the way the medical field is operated.
Keep Your Bathroom Clean with a Toilet Bot
Probably everyone’s least favorite thing to clean is the toilet – which is why the Shine Bathroom Assistant was created. This bot attaches to the toilet bowl and can clean the bowl when it’s dirty and let you know when problems arise – clog, leak, and much more. The best part? No cleaner needed! Shine uses electrolyzed water that is as powerful as bleach. After the cleaning is done, the water turns into a saline solution.
Say Goodbye to Your Clunky Printer
… and hello to a pocket printer. Startup company, TheGodThings, is making printing more convenient on the go with their pocket-sized printer – PrinCube. PrinCube is a one-line color mobile printer that works by having the user move the cube across the paper one line at a time. Time consuming? Maybe, but the PrinCube is the first color printer of its kind and the lightest.
Totally Unrelated
NASA is Hunting for Aliens
Does evidence of intelligent life exist? SETI scientists and NASA think it’s possible and that’s why they’re teaming up.
