Cell Phones That Listen and Learn
New software tracks a user’s behavior by monitoring everyday sounds.Researchers are increasingly using cell phones to better understand users’ behavior and social interactions. The data collected from...
View ArticleSensors for Tracking Home Water Use
Sensors track devices’ electricity, water, and gas consumption from one spot.When a cell phone or credit-card bill arrives, each call or purchase is itemized, making it possible to track trends in...
View ArticleMacArthur Award for Smart Home Innovator
TR35 winner Shwetak Patel has developed sensors that could change the way we live.If one day we find ourselves living in much smarter homes, we will likely owe a debt to the work of Shwetak Patel, an...
View ArticleSmart-Phone App Warns Pedestrians of Oncoming Cars
WalkSafe beeps and vibrates a phone when its owner is in the path of a fast-moving vehicle.
View ArticleThis Fitness Wristband Wants to Play Doctor
Startup Quanttus is developing a device that monitors heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure from your wrist.Plenty of fitness tracking gadgets and related apps can tell you how many steps you’ve...
View ArticleA Chip for Longer-Lasting Wearable Computers
Batteries for smart watches and other wearables never last long. A new microchip design could change that.Existing wearable devices such as Google’s head-mounted computer Google Glass require battery...
View ArticleSmartphone Movements Could Reveal Empty Parking Spots
Researchers say “pocketsourcing” could let you find parking spots easily, without requiring cities to add spot sensors.Researchers have come up with a novel way to find parking spots with your...
View ArticleYour Smartphone Can Tell If You’re Bored
A group of researchers looked at how people used their phones to figure out when they were bored, then suggested they go read a BuzzFeed article.Add “boredom detector” to the seemingly endless list of...
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