Technology Review

Robots learn to balance The humanoid robot LOLA, created by German researchers, is able to repeat the movements of people in a cluttered space. To do this, the bot, much like the human hand, uses upper manipulators to provide additional support (multipoint movement). LOLA is able to calculate when it’s necessary to use its "hands" and when it is not.

Sentient Audio - headset that applies bone conduction technology Bone conduction technology allows you to transmit sound via vibrations directly to the ear, bypassing the eardrum. Thus, the user still hears the surrounding sounds, but no one else hears what is being played through headphones. To control the headset, touch panels supporting 6 gestures are installed on the outside of each earphone. You can use Sentient CONNECT or third-party applications to assign functions.

Millo is the world's first smart extra—powerful blender. The Milo blender looks like a flying saucer, so it will look just right in the kitchen. Replaceable bowls with cutting edges are magnetized to the wireless stand. The magnetic motor rotates the blades, accelerating them to 14,000 revolutions per minute. With Milo, you can make anything you made with a regular blender: smoothies, ice chips, ingredients for a dish. But Milo is more convenient to wash, store and use.

Superconducting hydrogen propulsion system for airplanes Airbus specialists, facing the challenge of sustaining hydrogen in a liquid state at a temperature of up to -253 degrees Celsius, applied this feature as a cooler on an aircraft's power plant. This solution will help reduce the weight of the installation itself by half, reduce voltage and electricity losses. This will also allow hydrogen-powered aircraft to compete on an equal footing with traditional models.

The first videos of Musk's Boring Company tunnels under Las Vegas The Boring Company has revealed the first videos of underground tunnels for fast moving Tesla electric cars under the city of Las Vegas. It's worth noting that the tunnel's design concept has changed slightly – there are no rails, so the cars move at a speed of only 55 km/h and not autonomously yet. At the moment, 2.4 km of underground roads have been completed. Subsequently, they should be extended to the airport and the city center.

Xian'er - Robot monk This funny robot monk works at one of the Buddhist temples in Beijing. The Xian'er bot, which has received the guise of a cartoon character, it’s only 50 cm tall, however, it moves quite actively, all the while answering questions and showing emotions through a small screen. Also, through the touch screen, you can browse and offers the temple has for its visitors, like a historical excursion.

Cradlewise is a smart cradle with specific features The Cradlewise smart cradle is an attempt to top the SNOO cradle that won at CES-2017. This is also smart children's furniture, which rocks the child, but does it — as the creators say — better and more efficiently. Cradlewise is suitable for children up to 2 years old, the baby does not need to be swaddled so that he can swing in it, and it also remotely monitors the baby's condition. It's quite pricey. However, the race has started, and now it's a matter of time until the same Xiaomi releases a similar, affordable product.

Unieco - exoskeleton for the paralyzed The credit for this invention goes to a Ukrainian student who wanted to help his grandmother move her paralyzed arm. This modular exoskeleton allows you to raise and lower your arm and rotate it at any angle, thereby gaining muscle power. You can control it using a remote control or an application on your smartphone. It is worth noting that UniExo is much smaller and lighter than its counterparts.

PR2: dresser bot for patients This robot was created by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in order to make it easier for patients of hospitals and hospices to put on a bathrobe. The robot, focusing on gravity, the weight of the fabric, the size of a person, as well as extensive experience, is able to dress a patient in 10 seconds.   It is worth noting that the PR2 experience was gained through trial and error during thousands of iterations of dressing a real person.

Enthusiasts have developed a hologram projector — it just got real In 2018, a group of researchers from Brigham Young University presented a unique Optical Trap Displays system, with which you can project holographic images. After three years of studying and refining this system, scientists have found a way to animate holograms — now the 3D installations show moving objects that react to the touch.