gizmag emerging tech

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Review: Apple iPod touch (6th generation) It's almost surprising that Apple bothered to update the iPod touch in 2015. With most people already having a smartphone in their pockets, what place does a Wi-Fi only smartphone have in today's marketplace?  read more SPACE The Breakthrough Initiatives: Galvanizing the search for life in our Universe Earlier this week Professor Stephen Hawking, Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees, and entrepreneur Yuri Milner announced an ambitious 100 million dollar initiative aimed at galvanizing the search for extraterrestrial life.  read more SCIENCE Fossil fuel emissions threaten to reduce radiocarbon dating reliability A new study from Imperial College London suggests that fossil fuel carbon emissions may be so diluting radioactive carbon isotopes in the atmosphere that within decades it will difficult to differentiate between modern artifacts and those over a thousand years old. read more MEDICAL Mussel-inspired surgical glue shuts down bleeding wounds in 60 seconds A team of Korean scientists have developed a new surgical glue inspired by mussels, claimed to be cheaper, more reliable and incur less scarring than existing solutions.  read more AUTOMOTIVE Hackers remotely take over Jeep Cherokee Two skilled hackers have made a terrifying demonstration: an exploit that lets them remotely take control of just about any electronically controlled part of your internet-connected Chrysler, including the steering, throttle and brakes.  read more ENVIRONMENT New production process makes PLA bioplastic cheaper and greener Researchers at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis in Belgium have developed a Polylactic acid (PLA) production technique that is cheaper and greener and makes the bioplastic a more attractive alternative to petroleum-based plastics.  read more MUSIC Lineage: Digital axe or tactile MIDI controller? Originally crowd-funded as the YRG-Pro Midi Guitar on Kickstarter back in 2012, Inspired Instruments' flagship MIDI guitar has been reborn with a new name and improved functionality.  read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Bigbelly's Wi-Fi-enabled, solar-powered bins could lead to smarter cities With the help of New York city-based Downtown Alliance, Bigbelly has been conducting a pilot test in which two of its solar-powered recycling/garbage bins were turned into free public Wi-Fi hotspots.   read more ENVIRONMENT Robotic swans designed to look nice ... and to monitor water quality If you're enjoying a serene natural area, you might not appreciate seeing a very techy-looking pollution-hunting robot putting along the surface. That's why scientists have developed an alternative – water-quality-monitoring robots that look like swans.  read more AUTOMOTIVE 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 ENVIRONMENT "Horn-cams" could protect rhinos from poachers The Protect project is aiming at catching rhino poachers in the act. Amongst other things, it would involve putting video cameras in the horns of living rhinos.  read more ELECTRONICS Paper4Everyone puts teamwork on the table and screen No matter how many new forms of technology we come up with for writing, pen and paper always seems to have a place. Now, a new device called Paper4Everyone aims to take the idea of a connected pen a step further by adding in a collaborative element.  read more OUTDOORS RoguePak replaces the hydration bladder with disposable hydration "cartridge" If there's one knock on hydration packs, it's that the reservoirs inside can be difficult to clean. Texas company APK Gear has a solution: disposable, self-sealing bladders that you never have to clean.   read more MOBILE TECHNOLOGY The octa-core Ubik Uno is another would-be Android flagship with budget pricing While mega names like Samsung and Apple still dominate the smartphone world, another upstart is trying to play David to the techno-Goliaths and fund its own flagship phone via Kickstarter.  read more ARCHITECTURE Conceptual homeless shelters would hang from London buildings As well as facing the dangers of exposure to bad weather, homeless people are more likely to be victims of violent crime, theft and abuse from the public. A new conceptual shelter is aimed at tempering these dangers. Homes for the Homeless proposes cheap pods that attach to the sides of buildings.  read more AIRCRAFT Terrafugia unveils new design for TF-X autonomous flying car Flying-car developer Terrafugia has released new designs for its TF-X model. The TF-X is a planned autonomous flying car that was announced back in 2013. The new design shows a sleeker body shape, a one-tenth scale model of which will be tested in a wind tunnel.  read more AROUND THE HOME PaperJohn puts a sustainable shopping bag on your back Plastic carrier bags are typically petroleum-based, take a long time to decompose and are often imported from distant countries. They're also tricky to carry when cycling. The new PaperJohn tackles all of these issues. It's a backpack made of biodegradable, 100 percent recycled paper.  read more AIRCRAFT Home-made handgun drone attracts FAA investigation An 18-year-old mechanical engineering student has affixed a semi-automatic handgun to a custom-built drone and demonstrated its firepower in a video that has quickly attracted the attention of the authorities.  read more OUTDOORS Chammock offers a simple way of hanging around in trees What do you get when you cross a chair and a hammock? Why, Chammock, of course. Chammock is a small and compact chair that takes up very little room in your backpack, but which offers a comfortable chair when unfolded and hung between two trees.  read more SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS A Quick Start Guide to the iPhone Camera The iPhone is still the most popular point-and-shoot camera on the planet, but many users still aren’t aware of all that the camera can do. By downloading this free guide, you agree to receive regular updates on the latest cool apps, product reviews, and giveaways from MakeUseOf.  read more