Most art galleries are closed, but you can still tour this one — with a robot
An art gallery in the U.K. has teamed up with roboticists to continue giving tours while it's shuttered due to coronavirus. Here's what they've developed.
Dozens of mayors want a green pandemic recovery
C40 Cities is a group of mayors dedicated to tackling climate change. They think the coronavirus should transform cities into car-free, mass transit utopias.
UPS and CVS will use drones to deliver prescription drugs
UPS and CVS Health are teaming up for a drone delivery service that will transport prescription medicine from nearby CVS pharmacies to a Florida community.
The world needs a drone traffic control system, so AirMap is building one
For drones to truly take off, the world needs a drone air traffic control system. A startup called AirMap is helping to build one. Here's why it's so important.
This awesome drone station could be coming to a hospital near you
Matternet has just unveiled a unique drone station for its advanced delivery system designed for medical facilities. A video shows the station in action.
Inside the mind of an autonomous delivery robot
Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots have driven thousands of miles. Here's how its bots experience the world -- and why it matters for our future.
Automatic Labs succumbs to COVID-19, will soon shut down connected car service
Automatic Labs, which offers hardware and services to turn vehicles into connected cars, is shutting down on May 28, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus Review: Coasting on success
The Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus gives you a lot of control over how it detects what's around it, but it's missing a few things that its competitors have aced.
Apple releases mobility data to show if people are social distancing
Apple is releasing mobility data gathered by Apple Maps as part of the effort to fight COVID-19. The data shows stats for walking, driving, and public transit.
A $1 billion investment will bring more EV charging stations to rural America
ChargePoint and NATSO plan to install electric car charging stations at 4,000 rural highway travel plazas. The project has a $1 billion price tag, and a targeted completion date of 2030.
Apple patent foresees a smart home that can ID you by reading your heartbeat
An Apple patent would make your home an actual smart house in every sense: From reading your heartbeat to telling who you are to coordinating smart devices.
Brown goes autonomous: Waymo and UPS partner on package-delivery pilot
Waymo is partnering with UPS on a package-delivery pilot program in Arizona. Waymo's modified Chrysler Pacifica minivans will ferry packages between UPS Stores and a distribution hub in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The program will use the same vehicles as the Waymo One ridesharing service.
5 futuristic smart cities to keep an eye on through the 2020s
Whether it's embedded sensors or autonomous robots, cities are going to get a whole lot smarter in the 2020s. But some super ambitious developments are leading the way by building whole new city developments built around the latest tech. Here are 5 such projects to keep an eye on.
Harman wants to harness 5G to make streets safer for pedestrians
Harman wants to use 5G connectivity to allow cars to scan for signals from nearby people and objects. This could help prevent collisions between cars and pedestrians, Harman claims. The company unveiled this concept at CES 2020, but was light on details about production potential.
Ford’s bipedal delivery robot can walk straight up to your doorstep
Autonomous wheeled delivery robots are seemingly everywhere in 2019. Oregon-based startup Agility Robotics has a different idea, however. Its cutting edge Digit robot carries out deliveries while walking on two legs. Here's why Agility thinks that's a necessary innovation.
Amazon is building a fleet of autonomous robots to deliver packages to your door
Amazon has announced the launch of a new delivery robot service called Amazon Scout. To start with, a fleet of six of these robots will be deployed on a trial basis in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington. Should all go well, other locations will presumably follow suit before too long.
The Rev-1 delivery robot is fast enough to hit the bike lane
Tootling into view is yet another wheel-based delivery robot, this one from U.S. startup Refraction A.I. The autonomous Rev-1 robot is designed for last-mile deliveries, has enough space for around five grocery bags, and is said to be faster and cheaper than many of its rivals.
Ericsson is rolling out 5G right now, CEO Ekholm says at MWC
Wondering about the status of 5G? This is no pipe dream, Ericsson's CEO Börje Ekholm explained during a press event on Monday morning< february 25, at Mobile World Congress 2019. It's real. And it's happening now.
AT&T is bringing LTE-speed 5G to customers in five cities next month
AT&T is finally ready to release 5G to the public -- though the version of 5G that the carrier will roll out to customers will only be around as fast as high-speed LTE networks. The tech will roll out to five cities in the first half of December, with a further 10 cities coming by February.
Waymo and Renault eye Paris for full-fledged robo-taxi service
Waymo and Renault are exploring the idea of launching a robo-taxi service in Paris for a route between Charles de Gaulle Airport and a major business district about 20 miles away. If it goes ahead, it would mark the first time for Waymo to take its autonomous-vehicle technology overseas.
New Orleans targeted by ransomware attack, forced to shut down city network
The city of New Orleans has been the target of a cyberattack which lead to city officials shutting down the city's network and declaring a state of emergency, as reported by Forbes. This follows a number of high-profile attacks against city infrastructure in the U.S.
Audi taught cars to talk to traffic lights, and they’re set to be even chattier
Audi started teaching its cars the language of traffic lights in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2016, and it has continued to expand the reach of this technology ever since. Digital Trends talked to one of the company's connectivity experts to find out how traffic light information technology works, and what's next for it.
Saudi prince is planning a futuristic city with robot dinosaurs and flying cars
Want to live in a city featuring drone taxis, A.I. maids, glow-in-the-dark beaches, artificial rain, and robot dinosaurs? It sounds like something straight out of a Michael Crichton techno-thriller, but it’s actually a real proposal by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Hitching a ride in Audi’s AI:Me, the autonomous city car of the future
Audi completely re-imagined the car interior by going electric and autonomous, and Digital Trends took a ride in the AI:Me to check it out. Its steering wheel tucks under a wood table, its infotainment system tracks your stare, and it's compatible with virtual reality technology.
Toyota’s smart city will be full of autonomous cars, smart homes, robots
Toyota plans to build an entire city to test out different technologies. Called Woven City, it will house 2,000 people in sustainable buildings, with streets crisscrossed by self-driving cars. Toyota also plans to integrate robots and smart home tech in Woven City, which will be located in Japan.
Who needs 5G? In Japan, this smart city does what its citizens need, right now
Smart cities are often seen as hives of future tech, only made possible with high speed connections and autonomous cars. In the Japanese city of Fukuoka, messaging app Line is already operating a smart city -- just in a different way than you may expect. Instead of focusing on the future, it concentrates on helping its citizens right now.
Today, hacks are annoying. In future smart cities, they could kill
Corporate security breaches are becoming so common that people now accept them as part of a digital future. But for smart cities, system hacks could prove far dangerous for citizens, potentially causing havoc to municipality services. Here’s what companies and cities are doing to secure their systems.
Driverless cars can only take you so far. This is how smarter cities are being built
At the annual Smart Mobility Summit, companies and municipalities came together to share new technologies for building smarter cities. They also share insight on the successes and challenges. Here are the highlights from the 2018 meeting.
Has Columbus, Ohio raised its IQ yet? A progress report from the mayor
The city of Columbus, Ohio, won $40 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to pursue smart city initiatives, beating 77 other U.S. cities. We spoke with its mayor, Andrew Ginther, to discuss progress and what’s ahead, and why Columbus is the best place to test new technologies.
Smart city planners are rethinking parking by getting rid of it
What will parking look like in smart cities of the future? Will we even need parking spaces? With the rise of autonomous cars, it’s anticipated that fewer people will own cars in the future, forcing planners to reimagine concepts for parking — or getting rid of parking lots and structures altogether.
Singapore uses its smart city tech to help citizens cut through the red tape
Like many governments, Singapore’s puts citizens through plenty of red tape. But as part of its smart-city initiatives, the government is using tech to help guide residents through “moments of life,” such as enrolling kids in schools, obtaining a driver’s license, or even dealing with bereavement.
Smarter cities need smarter addresses. And you just need 3 words
In a smart city of drones and self-driving cars, the address systems of yore aren’t good enough. What3Words is a company that devised a smarter version that uses just three words, yet is far more precise. And it’s already in use now.
Where Toronto sees smart sidewalks, residents see ‘1984.’ So what now?
Citing personal data and privacy concerns, consumer advocates in Toronto are raising alarm about Alphabet’s plans to transform a derelict neighborhood into a smart city. Here’s what you need to know about the Sidewalk Toronto project.
Intel wants its fleet of drones to monitor America’s aging, unsafe bridges
Intel has signed a deal with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to use its Falcon 8+ drones to carry out bridge inspections. The hope is that these drones will be useful in spotting potential problems before they become serious.