Screenbox is an open-source, LibVLC-based media player built specifically for Windows (UWP/WinUI) that aims to combine VLC-level codec support with a modern, Fluent-style Windows UI, picture-in-picture, media-library browsing, network playback and Xbox compatibility. It’s actively developed on GitHub, distributed through the Microsoft Store (and winget), licensed under GPL-3.0, and has become a popular “VLC alternative” for users who prefer a sleeker Windows-native experience. Modern Fluent ...

machine learning and real-time audio tools now help pick tracks, beatmatch, isolate stems (vocals/drums/bass), create seamless transitions, and even speak or respond like a radio DJ. Some tools are aimed at casual listeners (auto-mixing your playlists), others add AI as creative assist to working DJs and producers (real-time stem separation, automated transitions, tempo/key matching), and a few are hybrid systems that let you perform or run background mixes with minimal effort. Better real-t...

A tiny wireless subretinal implant called PRIMA—a photovoltaic microchip placed beneath the retina and used with a camera-equipped pair of glasses and a pocket processor—has been shown in a multicenter clinical trial to partially restore functional central vision in patients with geographic atrophy (advanced “dry” AMD). At 12 months many trial participants could read letters, numbers and words using the system; mean gains on a standard ETDRS chart were large and clinically meaningful. A reti...

Determining where a photo was taken from pixels alone — image geolocation — is one of the most exciting and practical computer-vision tasks. It’s useful for OSINT/GEOINT, content moderation, user-photo enrichment, heritage/archaeology, wildlife tracking, and fraud detection. Historically this field used huge databases or heavy models; in recent years researchers and engineers have shown that small, efficient models — or small pipelines combining lightweight models with clever retrieval — can de...

Imagine you’re chatting with ChatGPT: you say “I’d like a durable hiking backpack for weekend trips, under $150” or perhaps “surprise me with a thoughtful birthday gift for my aunt who loves gardening and reading”. Instead of just listing links, ChatGPT presents tailored product recommendations, helping you compare features, read summaries of reviews, evaluate price-versus-value, and then (here’s the kicker) lets you go from conversation → click to buy without ever leaving the chat. That’s the ...

Helps design, control, and scale AI workflows (prompts, APIs, usage) with governance built in. Promptetus Routing of prompts, integration of APIs, monitoring of usage.Why it stands out: Focused on the workflow/orchestration side (rather than just infra). Good if you need to coordinate multiple models, tools, and agents.Potential trade-offs: May be less focused on low-level infrastructure (e.g., GPU scheduling) and more on the orchestration above that.Use-case fit: If you are building multipl...

AI-native commerce lock-screen platform turns passive device surfaces (phone lock screens, idle TV screens) into proactive, inspiration-first shopping experiences by combining generative visual models, personalization engines, visual search, and commerce orchestration. Companies such as Glance have productized this idea by embedding generative, shoppable visuals directly onto millions of devices via OEM partnerships. AI-native commerce and lock-screen platform use generative visual models, p...

Monitoring stress from the surface of the body Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are exploring how wearables and surface sensors can provide insight into human stress — mental, emotional, physiological — by measuring signals from the body surface. The work is part of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, with interdisciplinary collaboration spanning bioengineering, health & kinesiology, neuroscience, and beh...

Nature-inspired robots from DGIST students — what they built and what they can do Students and researchers at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) in South Korea have produced a string of small, clever biomimetic robots — from snake-like crawlers to a slow, motor-driven tortoise — as part of hands-on student projects and research lab work. These systems are usually built as research and teaching platforms to explore locomotion, perception, and real-world use case...

The Ultra Mobile Vehicle (UMV) is a research robot from the Robotics and AI (RAI) Institute that looks at mobility in a new way: combine the efficiency and speed of wheels with the jumping and obstacle-clearing abilities usually reserved for legged robots. The result is a two-wheeled, self-balancing “robot bike” that drives, hops, flips, holds sustained wheelies, and performs dramatic precision balance moves like a track-stand — and it learns most of those behaviors through reinforcement learni...

littleBits was founded in September 2011 in New York City by Ayah Bdeir, with the mission of making electronics and invention accessible to everyone — of democratizing hardware the same way software and 3D printing have become accessible. The idea was to create modular, snap-together electronic building blocks (called “Bits”) that don’t require soldering, wiring, or deep electronics experience. The goal: let novices, designers, educators, and tinkerers invent and prototype without getting bo...

Generative UI is an emerging design and engineering paradigm where user interfaces are not fixed layouts but are dynamically generated by AI models based on context, user intent, device form factor, and application state. Instead of manually crafting every screen and state, developers define higher-level rules, design tokens, and interaction patterns; the system then generates UI elements on demand. This approach is being pioneered in research, by big tech companies (Microsoft, Google, OpenA...

Moflin is a robotic companion pet with soft fur, minimal visible features, and “emotional” behavior. The idea is not to mimic a full, animate animal like a dog or cat, but to provide a comforting presence, reacting to human interaction in ways meant to feel tender and companionship-oriented. It is marketed toward people wanting some emotional support or companionship without the responsibilities of owning a live pet. It learns over time: its behavior, responses, personality traits change...

Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated actress created by Eline Van der Velden and her company, Xicoia, sparking significant debate in Hollywood regarding the future of acting and AI's role in the industry. Tilly Norwood is a synthetic, AI-generated performer introduced in 2025 by Xicoia (the AI/talent arm of Particle6). Marketed like a rising screen star — with an Instagram, publicity shots, a satirical sketch called AI Commissioner, and a Zurich Film Festival debut. Particle6/Xicoia have ...

Scripps Research is pioneering a new model for nonprofit research institutes to address the significant health challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, from pandemic threats to the aging of the global population. Founded 100 years ago, Scripps Research is renowned in the life sciences and chemistry for scientific excellence and for training the scientific leaders of tomorrow. Building on this solid foundation, we have established a unique model that seamlessly combines world-class fun...

Embrace2 was a wrist-worn medical device developed by Empatica for people living with epilepsy. It is FDA-cleared (for ages 6 and up) to monitor and alert for generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), also known as convulsive seizures. It uses sensors on the wrist to detect certain physiological signals and motion patterns, triggering alerts to caregivers when a seizure is detected. EpiMonitor is the next generation epilepsy monitoring system Empatica is promoting, intended to replace/upgrad...

Withings is a health-tech company that produces a suite of smart health devices designed to monitor various physiological metrics, integrate with mobile apps, and help users track or improve well-being. Withings is known for combining elegant design with clinically validated sensors. Their goal is to bring medical-grade or medically inspired tracking into everyday life. The devices usually sync to the Withings Health / Health Mate app, which aggregates data, shows trends, offers insights, an...

Gamma.app (often referred to simply as “Gamma”) is a modern AI-powered content creation platform focused on enabling users to rapidly generate presentations, documents, and web-style “cards” from simple inputs — without needing design or coding expertise. Gamma positions itself as a “design partner” that handles the heavy lifting of layout, formatting, and visual polish so the user can focus on ideas and content rather than slide mechanics. Key Features of Gamma App AI-Powered Cont...

The Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science — one of the major research institutes within the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) — develops advanced materials, photonics, and functional devices that bridge fundamental solid-state science and practical applications. A recent high-profile outcome from ISSP is the work led by Professor Jiang Changlong and his research team: a wearable fluorescent eye-patch sensor that noninvasively detects lysozyme in hum...

Oshkosh Corporation (noted for building heavy vehicles, emergency equipment, etc.) unveiled a prototype robot named HARR-E (short for Hail-able Autonomous Refuse Robot – Electric). It’s an electric, autonomous robot designed to collect refuse and recycling on demand—think of it like “Uber for your trash.” HARR-E was developed by Oshkosh’s Pratt Miller unit. The goal is to complement traditional waste collection services—especially in planned communities, business parks, or campuses—by offeri...

Tacit is a wrist-mounted device that uses sonar to measure the distance to objects and provide users with a 'view' of their surroundings through haptic feedback. It consists of four ultrasonic range finding sensors connected to a microcontroller that calculates the distance to objects by reading how long it takes for the ultrasonic pulses to return to the device. The distances are then translated into force feedback on the back of the user's wrist through servo motors, with the force of the pre...

Dubai International Airport (DXB) has launched what is being called the world’s first AI-powered immigration corridor that allows travelers to clear immigration without showing passports, boarding passes, or stopping at traditional counters. Known informally as the “Red Carpet” smart corridor, this initiative—led by the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and Dubai Airports—marks a significant step toward the vision of frictionless, document-free travel. Dub...

SONOFF Zigbee Dongle is a compact USB device that acts as a Zigbee coordinator for your smart home ecosystem. By plugging it into a computer, Raspberry Pi, or smart home hub, it enables you to connect and control a wide variety of Zigbee devices—such as smart bulbs, plugs, switches, and sensors—under a unified automation system. There are two main variants: SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus (ZBDongle-P) – based on CC2652P chip, known for stability and large device support. SONOFF ...

Zefiro is a compact physical device (dongle) that plugs into a USB-C port on your smartphone (or other compatible device). It acts as a breath controller — meaning it senses airflow (how strongly (or softly) you blow), lip/air pressure, and in the “Pro” version, motion (via accelerometer) — to generate MIDI input that’s interpreted by a software app to produce musical sound. It’s designed to let anyone, from casual users to professionals, turn everyday breathing and blowing gestures into...

In an era where people use multiple devices—smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops—file sharing across platforms has become a daily necessity. While proprietary solutions like AirDrop (Apple), Google’s Nearby Share, or Microsoft’s Phone Link offer device-to-device transfers, they often come with ecosystem lock-in or privacy trade-offs. Open-source alternatives provide a free, community-driven, cross-platform, and privacy-respecting way to share files seamlessly between phones and PCs. T...

The rapid rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has fueled the demand for wireless technologies that can connect billions of devices efficiently. Traditional connectivity solutions like Wi-Fi and cellular networks offer high bandwidth, but they are often power-hungry and limited in coverage. This gap has been filled by Low-Power, Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs), with LoRaWAN® emerging as one of the most widely adopted standards for long-range, low-power IoT communications. LoRaWAN® is a leading L...

Global trade is increasingly dependent on smart, AI-driven ports that optimize logistics, reduce turnaround times, and minimize environmental impact. The Middle East has become a pioneer in port digitization, with the UAE’s Jebel Ali Port (Dubai) and Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi) leading the charge. These ports are transforming into autonomous, AI-powered trade hubs by deploying robotics, IoT, and big data analytics at scale. Jebel Ali Port – Dubai (Operated by DP World) Jebel Ali is the l...

The agricultural industry is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in its history. Rising food demand, labor shortages, and climate change pressures are driving the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in farming. At the forefront of this change are AI-powered tractors and smart farm equipment—machines that combine computer vision, robotics, and machine learning to automate core farming tasks such as planting, spraying, and harvesting. The Role of AI in Modern Farming Equip...

iZotope Ozone is a mastering suite widely used in music production. Over the years, it has integrated multiple machine learning–driven modules that act as a “co-pilot” for musicians, producers, and engineers. Musician-Friendly AI Assistant Guided Workflow: Instead of deep technical tweaking, Ozone suggests intelligent starting points. Reference Matching: Lets musicians lean on pro recordings without needing advanced engineering knowledge. Adaptive Processing: Stabilizer and Impact...