Tag: NASA
Tech Digest daily round up: NASA instrument produces Oxygen from Mars
An instrument aboard Nasa’s latest Mars rover has produced oxygen from some of the Red Planet’s thin carbon dioxide rich atmosphere, an advance that could lead to new ways for future astronauts to produce breathable air on the planet. According to the US space agency, the breakthrough also opens new doors for future missions where oxygen…
Tech Digest daily round up: Ingenuity helicopter takes flight on Mars
A helicopter has made the first-ever flight on another planet, NASA has said. The Ingenuity helicopter took to the Martian skies this morning, the space agency said. It marks NASA's first attempt at a powered, controlled flight on another planet. Data from the flight will return from Mars to Earth in a few hours' time.…
Tech Digest round up: Elon Musk firm shows monkey playing Pong with mind
Neuralink, Elon Musk's computer to brain interface firm, has released a video it claims shows a monkey playing the video game Pong with its mind. Its brain signals were sent wirelessly via an implanted device. The hope is that the interface could eventually allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers remotely. One…
Tech Digest daily round up: Google wins legal battle with Oracle
A decade-long battle over copied code in Google's Android operating system has ended in the US Supreme Court. Oracle, another tech titan, had sued Google in 2010 for copyright infringement over what it said was copied computer code. Android is now used in an estimated 70% of global smartphones, and damages could have run into…
Tech Digest daily round up: LG to stop making smartphones
LG Electronics said on Monday it would close down its loss-making smartphone business. In January, the South Korean electronics giant said it was looking at all options for the division after almost six years of losses totalling around $4.5bn (£3.3bn). LG had made many innovations including ultra-wide angle cameras, rising to third-largest smartphone maker in…
Tech Digest daily round up: Facebook to allow you to turn off algorithm
Facebook is to allow users to turn off the algorithm powering its News Feed and control the order in which items appear amid growing calls for algorithmic transparency. The company will also provide more context on suggested content by expanding the "Why am I seeing this?" tab, as well as letting users control who can…
Tech Digest daily round up: Nintendo announces Pikmin mobile game
Nintendo has announced a new Pikmin mobile game from the developers of Pokémon Go. Created by Niantic, the Nintendo game will make use of similar AR features to bring the adorable, brightly-coloured Pikmin critters into the real world. Slated to launch later this year, the fun app will “include gameplay activities to encourage walking and make walking more delightful,”…
Tech Digest daily round up: Instagram to launch under 13 version
Instagram wants to launch a version for children under the age of 13, an age range that has previously been banned from the photo-sharing app. It comes as the photo-sharing social network promised to clean up its app after criticism of predatory behaviour against teenage users. An Instagram spokesman said: "Increasingly kids are asking their…
Tech Digest daily round up: Women’s Safety Apps see record download
Downloads for women's safety apps have surged following the death of Sarah Everard, with WalkSafe becoming the number one downloaded app on Apple iOS. The WalkSafe app scans the road ahead, notifying users of reports of sexual assault, knife attacks, mugging and pickpocketing. It has been downloaded 300,000 times in one week and is in the top 10 Android…
Watch stunning NASA footage of Perseverance Rover
NASA has just released stunning video of its Perseverance rover landing on Mars - see below. The footage covers the final minutes of last week's descent, up to the point where the robot's wheels make contact with the ground. The sequence shows a whirl of dust and grit being kicked up as the vehicle is…
