1. One thing that helps
A bionic hand directly fused to bones, muscles and nerves has changed the life of a 50 year old Swedish amputee. The prosthetic limb called Mia Hand has helped Karin get back to around 80% of her usual daily living and given her the ability to move all 5 fingers with a success rate of 95%!
A technique called osseointegration was used to achieve this fusion. The bone is made to grow around the prosthetics to attach it and achieve a fusion of body and electronics. A muscle graft from her leg was used to give her nerves and muscles something to attach to. Electrodes that amplify signals are also present in the implant.
Since the Mia Hand is directly attached to the bone, it’s more comfortable than conventional prosthetics. It is also more responsive, thanks to nerve signals being more consistent and reliable. The result is a fourfold increase in performance compared to ordinary prosthetics.
2. One to be wary of
Have you been Flipper Zero’ed?
If your iPhone has been receiving bulk random Bluetooth pairing requests, you may be near a malicious Flipper Zero. The Flipper Zero is a pen-testing tool (used to test that tech systems can handle a hacker attack) that can read and emulate a variety of radio waves like RFID, NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It looks like a harmless device but due to its open-source design, anyone is free to load their chosen firmware. And that’s how attackers can turn the Flipper Zero into flipping your phones.
The Flipper Zero can be used to send large volumes of random pairing requests that make your gadget – iPhone, Android or Windows – unbearable to use. Not only that, the device can cause iPhones running on iOS 17 (but strangely not earlier versions) to crash and lead to a reboot.
How can you protect yourself? Currently, the only way is to manually turn your Bluetooth off if this starts happening to you. This means you’ll have to forgo the convenience of instantaneous pairing with your usual accessories, but at least, your phone won’t crash!
3. One to amaze
“Fashion doesn’t have to be static. It can be dynamic and even interactive. And we’re excited for a future where there’s more ways to express yourself,” says Christine Dierk, Adobe researcher, as she demonstrates Project Primrose.
Don’t know what to wear today? That’s OK you can change your mind as you walk! Project Primrose is a “digital dress”. It is a sequin dress stitched with liquid crystals that act as mini-screens and it can change its design with the click of a button.
But it’s got more up its sleeve (ok no sleeves) with built-in sensors that allow it to respond to the wearer’s movements, changing based on the flow of how you move. This technology has many applications for dynamic style. It could be integrated into clothing, furniture, and whatever you need. A game changer for fashion and interior design.