Google's Self-Driving Car Learns To Honk
Beep, Beep Google is teaching its self-driving cars how to honk, but in a "polite, considerate" way says the tech giant in the latest report on its autonomous car project. First, Google only allowed its cars to honk inside the vehicle. But now they can honk their horns at others or even make, what the company calls, "pips" which might let other drivers know the self-driving car is behind them. Although Google is clear they want their autonomous vehicles to behave "like a patient, seasoned driver"—they also want to see how others respond to it laying on its horn (perhaps when trying to move into traffic as below), and what the self-driving car may do in return.
The Wal-Mart Drone Wal-Mart is developing drones that could be put to work in its distribution centers within the next six to nine months, according to a story from the Associated Press. The drones will reportedly be used to manage inventory doing work in as little as a day that would normally take a month. The drones will actually fly through Wal-Mart's warehouses, noting items that are misplaced.
Gear Fit 2 Samsung's latest fitness band, Gear Fit 2, drops next week, with GPS, heart-rate monitoring and a giant curved screen—nearly the entire width of a man's wrist. Priced at $179, the wearable enters a crowded market, but early looks make this device worth noting. (Via Android Central)
Notion For IoTNotion, the smart home start-up with devices that senses shifts from temperature fluctuation to water leaks, just raised a $3.2 million seed round. Notion, which runs on both iOS and Android, has sold thousands of its $129 devices to consumers to date. But the market potential is much larger: 112 million homes, estimates Notion, who is still selling the small, round devices on Kickstarter.
VR Goes To School Who says virtual reality can't be educational as well? Sure, summer vacation is almost here. But if you have a headset—and a kid—consider putting GearBrain's line-up of top educational VR apps to work, and help them, or you, avoid that summer slide.
