Google revealed a technology that’s not quite ready for primetime but promises to make the other person on a video call seem like they’re sitting right in front of you.As much as video-calling technologies like Facetime and Zoom have helped the world stay connected over the past year, they’ve also demonstrated their severe limitations, as it’s hard to feel emotionally connected to someone t...

Young Chinese consumers have been demanding brands step up their efforts surrounding mindfulness, health, and discretion, but COVID-19 has accelerated this process. Key Takeaways:Generation Z is bringing “woke” culture to the forefront in China.With consumers becoming increasingly invested in mindfulness, leading brands like JD.com and Alibaba have begun investing in sustainable technologies...

Cornell is pioneering an innovative approach for the wireless charging of electric vehicles, forklifts and other mobile machines, while they remain in motion.Why bother with charging stations, when you could just drive your electric vehicle over a road that has embedded charging strips?That’s exactly what researchers at Cornell University are developing right now, which not only saves time for...

Russia may still have the fifth-highest per capita alcohol consumption level in the world, but according to a newly published OECD report, it is also the country which saw the largest decreases between 2010 and 2018. For men in Russia this amounts to a drop of 7.4 percent, while for women there was a fall of 2.4 percent.Russia isn't alone in recording a downward trend, either. Of the 55 countri...

Not for the faint of heart, a new skyscraper gracing New York City’s skylines will be offering two exhilarating experiences this fall.The SUMMIT One Vanderbilt will open to the public on October 21, and will allow visitors to experience ‘Ascent’, an all-glass elevator ride up the facade to 1,210 feet.There’ll also be a ‘Levitation’ area where you can peer out at Madison Avenue from transp...

Future humans grown in artificial wombs could replace the embrace of a parent with Heavy Duty Love, a machine created by sci-fi designer Lucy McRae for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021.The cushioned machine completely surrounds its occupant in a supportive embrace, helping them to become more comfortable with contact and intimacy.Los Angeles-based McRae imagines it could compensate for a l...

In a play on smartphone design that would make them much more like traditional cameras, Xiaomi has patented a modular smartphone that would accept interchangeable nodes, each one with different functions.Xiaomi is no stranger to unusual smartphone designs. Just a few days ago, PetaPixel reported on the recently resurfaced Xiaomi patent for a rotating under-display camera, and the company contin...

The 2021 Gartner CEO Survey shows that CEOs are placing their growth bets on new segments and increasing investment in digital initiatives.For most of 2020, CEOs focused their energy and resources on their response to the COVID-19-bred business operations emergency. Those that could repurposed operations and supply chains to provide needed supplies and services: Clothing manufacturers made mask...

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to help clinicians care for patients and treat disease — from improving the screening process for breast cancer to helping detect tuberculosis more efficiently. When we combine these advances in AI with other technologies, like smartphone cameras, we can unlock new ways for people to stay better informed about their health, too. Today at I/O, we s...