Disney Drones Make Their Own Airbag

Disney's Airbag Disney has filed a patent for a type of airbag that would form a protective bubble around its rotors and body in the event the drone fails or goes into free fall. With Disney planning a new holiday drone show at its Disney World park this winter, the patent may point to safety features Disney wants to implement to protect its visitors. The company just did a 5-minute demo this week of its holiday light show which it is producing in collaboration with Intel. The Federal Aviation Administration had to approve the park's request to fly the drones, which are not to be flown over people. (Via Orlando Sentinel)

Security Boost Z-Wave, one of the protocols used to connect smart home devices to another, is getting serious about cybersecurity. The Z-Wave Alliance, which puts its stamp on products that speak over its network, is now requiring a new level of security to earn that certification. The requirement goes into affect after April 2, 2017. With hackers learning how to crack smart home products, turning them into zombie botnets that attack other devices and the internet, companies, the government and consumers are asking for more ways to protect average users.

Voice Control Researchers have built a sensor, smaller and thinner than a bandaid that can read vibrations in your body from your heart rate to your voice. During trials, the device was even able to detect blood clots. The team of students and professors from the University of Colorado at Boulder and Northwestern University, also showed that by placing the sensor near the throat, they could detect vocal cord vibrations which could control other devices—and showed how that worked with a Pac-Man game.

Eero + Alexa The eero mesh router is boosting its software so you can control the system through Alexa. And what does that mean? You can talk to the router, ask which devices are connected to it and even control the speed those devices connect to the internet. (Via The Verge)

What Runs Your Home? In your smart home of the future—or right now—your devices need to work over the same platform or protocol. Which one? Well, there are many: from Zigbee to Bluetooth. We have a bet on the one that will rule them all—and you may be surprised.