3 Latest News Breaks in Emerging Tech – Sept. 15, 2014

Turn Regular Bulbs into Smart Lights

Imagine being able to turn any dimmable light in your home or office into a smart light that enables you to control your lights from anywhere in the world. Emberlight gives you the ability to do just that using only a simple plug and play adapter. According to TechCrunch, a new company called Emberlight has developed an application that works with your existing light bulbs, so you don’t have to spend money on expensive smart bulbs, nor does it require a wireless hub needed by many existing smart bulbs. The device is screwed in with the bulb and rests between it and the light fitting. It connects to the Wi-Fi network so the light can controlled remotely via computer, tablet or smart phone.

Google Glass Adds Mind Reading App

Google intends to make mind control a thing of the present by introducing a new app for Google Glass. Daily Digest News announced that the company has collaborated with UK tech startup The Place in the development of a new app that allows users to take photographs and share them online simply by thinking. The aptly named MindRDR, receives information from an EEG headband and translates it into instructions, which are sent back to Google Glass. As the user focuses, a white line appears on the display screen. The line grows as the user concentrates, when it's full, the built-in camera will take a picture.

Autonomous Vehicles to Join the Army 

According to a report at Gizmag, the US army is set to deploy a number of unmanned tactical vehicles. The vehicles have already made a test run at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The convoy of seven different vehicles kept up a pace of over 40 miles per hour. The robotic vehicles utilize two distinct forms of technology. One is known as an "autonomy kit," and utilizes sensors such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology to construct a map of the geographic location and keep the vehicle on course. The other known as "by-wire drive," is the technology that controls the driving mechanisms. The vehicles should be joining soldiers in the field by 2025.

Google Unveils Driverless Vehicle

Google unveiled the latest version of its driverless car last week at the Code Conference in California. According to Google's website, the unconventional vehicle has no need for any driver controls, such as a steering wheel. The company has spent a number of years equipping conventional cars with special equipment to drive themselves, but this prototype has no human controls other than emergence stop switch. Within the next year, Google aims to build a hundred of these models for further testing on the streets. Google hopes that the introduction of electric-powered, self-driving cars will increase safety and provide a more environmentally friendly mode of transport.

PowerLoader Exoskeleton for Super Strength

If you've seen the movie Aliens, you are familiar with the exoskeleton suit that Sigourney Weaver dons to fight the predator. A team at Activelink, one of Panasonic's subsidiary companies has developed a PowerLoader exoskeleton suit reminiscent of Hollywood. According to a report from Reuters, the PowerLoader exoskeleton has been dubbed the "Ninja," and is designed to give the user extra strength. This translates as being able to life around 90 kilos (three times its own weight). Strength is added specifically to the arms and legs as the suit is designed for daily use in factories, farms and warehouses where repetitive lifting is a necessity. This suit is an advancement on Activelink's heavier predecessor, which was designed in 2009 specifically for military and disaster relief use.