DesignThe Chroma shares some DNA with the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K. The two aircraft use the same CGO3 4K camera and gimbal, and both are controlled using the ST10+ remote control. The Chroma and its accessories are finished in white, and the aircraft is a bit smaller, as are its propellers. The power switch is on the top of the body (a definite plus), and the GPS module sits on a hinge that needs to be raised from the body before flight, presumably for a stronger signal.
Tuesday 19 April 2016
Medical experts hope surgery live-streamed in VR will make healthcare fairer and boost training
Stretched out on a table in a large, bright operating theatre at the Royal London hospital, a patient is awaiting Shafi Ahmed’s first incision in a procedure that will remove cancerous tissue from his bowel. Around the table a team dressed in blue scrubs and face masks are gathered, exchanging the odd word, while cumbersome machines bearing bundles of wires hum gently in the background. Everyone is focused on the task in hand, getting ready to play their part. Except me.
Scrubless and without so much as a scalpel to pass to the surgeon, I am a mere spectator to this intricate event, a bystander gazing around the room in fascination while others labour at a life-changing task.
Not that the surgeons are bothered. Because although I feel like I am standing at the edge of the operating table, in reality I am sitting in my office chair.
The iPhone SE
shahid ibrahim 04:06 mobiles, others, Smartphones No comments
Update: The iPhone SE is a curious little phone - it packs all the power of the iPhone 6S with the teeny stylings of the older, more palm-friendly 4-inch handsets. Where has it landed in our top 10? Read on to find out!
- Read our in-depth iPhone SE review
So we're well into 2016, and the big phones have begun to arrive. The LG G5, with its modular design, was one of the darlings of MWC 2016 (alongside theSamsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, of course) and with the HTC One M10 less than a week away - and likely to be called the HTC 10 - there's a lot coming down the line.
If none of those take your fancy and you want the best phone right now, well, this is the place to be (although we would recommend waiting for the new phones to emerge to see if you can save some cash on 2015's models).
2020 vision: how the Mac will evolve over the next 5 years
Apple's line-up of computers was one of the things that put the company on the map. Back in 1984, Apple released the Macintosh, much to the amazement of the world. In 1998, the firm introduced a PC with a colourful body – a revolutionary idea amongst a sea of beige.
And in 2005, Apple started on its new design revolution which, over the past decade, has spread to almost every corner of the PC market, especially within PCs. Driven by the MacBook Air in 2010, Apple started a 'race to thin,' with manufactures designing new bodies of ever decreasing depth while their all-aluminium unibody desktops have spawned copies across the board.
Over the next five years through to 2020, it's clear that Apple isn't going to give up on the Mac line. Sales have, by and large, been outperforming the industry – which, overall, has been shrinking – for the past few years thanks to a slew of new hardware and software on a regular basis.New versions of OS X are unveiled annually at various Apple events, usually to coincide with releases of iOS. Apple held a 'Back to Mac' event in 2010, showing the company's continued commitment to the platform in an age that was rapidly becoming post-PC, to use a term coined by late CEO Steve Jobs.
The best GPS running watches
The best running watch or GPS sports watch is a personal choice and much depends on the amount of detail you want from your runs. Beyond just simple tracking and pace information, the latest watches will feed back everything from heart rate information to detailed observations of your running style. In short, GPS watches are becoming powerful tools in the runner's arsenal.
Essential reading: How to use your watch to be a better runner
Some are pricey, some more affordable, most have GPS and a few have full mapping. There's a handful with heart rate monitors built in and a clutch that'll even help out with your swimming and cycling needs too.
Of course, there's no one perfect watch, so we've highlighted our top pick below but followed up with other devices that have impressed during our tests and that might suit different budgets and preferences.
30,000 drones are patrolling the skies of America
In 2012, the FAA Reauthorization Act passed into law in America. This legislation was the result of a huge push by lawmakers and defence companies to massively expand the use of drones – making it far easier for federal, state, local police and other agencies to fly them in U.S. airspace. Not only that, but commercial entities would also have drone authorisation from 2015 onwards.
These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used extensively in Afghanistan and other military operations. In domestic U.S. airspace, they are deployed mainly for border and counternarcotics surveillance, but also in a variety of other public safety missions, such as disaster relief efforts, locating missing climbers or hikers and combating forest fires.
However, concerns are raised over issues of privacy and civil liberties. Many drones feature highly advanced monitoring equipment, infrared, heat sensors and radar. Some have cameras able to scan entire cities and read a milk carton from 60,000 feet away. Others can intercept mobile texts and phone calls. There are even models equipped with tasers and rubber bullets.* In some cities, they are being used to monitor protests and to spy on citizens with no warrant or legal process.*
In 2012, there were already 7,000 operating drones in U.S. airspace. By 2020, this number has more than quadrupled to over 30,000.* Various other countries have been expanding their surveillance in recent years – Britain, for example, has seen a nearly 30-fold increase in high-definition CCTV cameras.*
The 5G standard is released
By 2020, the next major cellular wireless standard has been adopted.* This continues the trend seen since 1981 in which a new mobile generation has appeared roughly every decade. The 5G family of standards is a major leap from previous generations in terms of power and functionality. Among its key features are:
- Pervasive networks providing ubiquitous computing. The user can simultaneously be connected to several wireless access technologies and seamlessly move between them. These can be 2.5G, 3G, 4G or 5G networks, Wi-Fi, WPAN or any other contemporary access technology. Multiple, concurrent data transfer paths can be easily handled.
- Group cooperative relay. High bit rates are now available in a larger portion of the cell, especially to users in an exposed location in between several base stations. This is achieved by cellular repeaters, together with macro-diversity techniques (also known as group cooperative relay), as well as beam-division multiple access.
- IPv6, where a visiting care-of mobile IP address is assigned according to location and connected network.
- High-altitude stratospheric platform station (HAPS) systems, delivering high-speed Internet service to very large geographical areas.
- Wearable devices with AI capabilities, offering greater levels of user interaction and personalisation.
- One unified global standard with full compatibility, no matter what brand or model.
Texting by thinking
In addition to 5G, phones are now available with the option of texting by thought power alone.* This is achieved by a combination of eye-tracking technology and a sensor-mounted headset worn by the user. The headset contains a brain-machine interface which detects electrical brain waves and converts them into digital signals, then displays the resulting letters on-screen.*
Some high-end models can be used with glasses or visors featuring displays built into their lenses. This enables completely hands-free texting, creating a form of virtual telepathy. The process is rather slow at this stage, requiring a high degree of mental concentration. It is more of a novelty for now. However, advances in the coming years will enable smooth and fast interactions, revolutionising the world of communication.