Time to read: 3 min
Your source for hardware insights.
May 27th, 2016.
Products
The Latest From Pebble On Kickstarter
Pebble is joining the leagues of fitness tracking wearables by adding a heart rate monitor and microphone to the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 watches (the Pebble 2 will be phased out soon). The new watches have battery life of a week or more and app integration capabilities.
Better Air via Chemistry
A new air purifier made by Molekule both purifies, removing pollutants and allergens, and disinfects, neutralizing viruses and bacteria. In contrast to a HEPA filter, which catches particles in a filter, Molekule claims its purifier can remove particles 1,000 times smaller than those caught by a HEPA filter.
+ Sprimo has developed an air purifier with sensors that monitor and clean the air via a multi-layer filtration system.
An Even Speedier Desktop CNC Machine
Other Machine Co.’s new Othermill Pro is even faster than the company’s first desktop CNC machine, with greater precision. It can cut features down to 25 microns, thanks to a spindle that turns at 27,000 rpm, and can create a printed circuit board in about 20 minutes.
Free Your Eyes, and the Rest Will Follow
Created to allow commuters to stay entertained and productive without dangerous distractions, O6 can handle the type of complex interaction and browsing we do on our phones, acting as an eyes-free remote control.
Xiaomi Releases a Fully Loaded, Affordable Drone in China
Xiaomi’s first drone, the Mi, features foldable landing gear, detachable rotors, a three-axis gimbal for image stabilization, GPS position tracking, and a smart battery that conserves enough power to return the drone to its controller.
Industry
Study Finds Fitbit’s PurePulse Technology Inaccurate
A new study by researchers at CalPoly Pomona found an average difference of 20 beats per minute between an electrocardiogram and Fitbit’s Surge and Charge devices, when used at moderate to high exercise intensities. The study was commissioned by lawyers for a group of customers who are suing Fitbit over the accuracy of its projects.
Google Modular Smartphones Set to Ship
At Google I/O, Google announced plans to start shipping its modular smartphone, Project Ara, to developers later this year and to sell models of the phone in 2017. The phone’s base can fit six modules at a time that can be swapped for others, in order to configure the phone for different types of use.
+ Google’s Project Jacquard and Project Soli, which were unveiled at Google I/O last year, aim to create fabrics that allow users to control electronics.
Intel Acquires Computer Vision Company
Yesterday, Intel announced its acquisition of Itseez Inc., an expert in Computer Vision algorithms and implementations for embedded and specialized hardware that contributes software tuning and integration to cars and security systems. The acquisition reflects Intel’s commitment to making strides in IoT market areas like automotive and video.
ReMake Helps Design Professionals Create 3D Meshes
Autodesk released ReMake, originally launched in 2014 as Memento, for Windows users this week (a Mac version is in progress). Design professionals with no CAD experience can use ReMake to create high-definition 3D meshes from laser-scan data or sequences of photos, then edit, scale, and align them.
