This robot can sweat like a human

The robot Kengoro looks and moves like a human - and he can even sweat. Scientists at the University of Tokyo have taken nature as their role model and developed a machine with an incomparable cooling system.

Bug or feature? Anyone who regularly starts to work up a sweat at work or during sports has certainly asked this question before. In fact, by sweating, the body regulates its temperature, thus ensuring that we do not suffer permanent damage, even under great effort. So it's clearly a feature. Scientists at the University of Tokyo have now transferred this principle to a robot, as BGR reports.

The humanoid robot Kengoro looks and moves like a human. For so much fine motoring, the machine needs more than 100 motors and they produce a lot of heat in continuous operation. So that Kengoro does not overheat and it comes to serious damage to the fine electronics or hoses and seals, the researchers had to come up with something. As so often nature provided the best plan.

Because just like a human or an animal, Kengoro starts to sweat when the engines are running too hot. However, to cool it, the scientists have placed small chambers of liquid on the outer shell of the robot. If Kengoro gets too hot, this liquid will leak and cool the machine from the outside. Thanks to this mechanism, the robot will last longer under full load.

It is noteworthy that in the case of Kengoro, this type of cooling works up to three times better than passive fan cooling. So it looks as if nature has provided the perfect blueprint - not only for humans, but also for robots.

'The price for' free 'digital technology'

Strikingly often I hear that the farmer himself does not want to pay for it. Indeed, digital innovation is largely financed by others. I think you pay a high price for that as a farmer.

If digital innovation is financed by companies that give technology to the farmer (almost) for free, then as a farmer you will almost certainly lose the opportunity to value the data. These companies rely on a strategy of maximizing access to data, followed by aggregation, analysis and sale of the results to the highest bidder. The power over the value in the data lies disproportionately in this model in the hands of the collector.

The price you pay for the free technology is that if something happens that is not in your interest, you can hardly do anything about it. As a farmer you are not the customer, but the product.

If digital innovation is financed with public money, the projects often develop in a parallel universe, with other players and their own dynamics. Outcomes seldom lead to tangible results in daily practice. If the farmer does not pay for himself, it lacks commitment and control. The involvement of the farmer forms the critical filter, so that there is no guiding principle that is technically possible, but what is needed in practice. The price that is paid here is a waste of public money and goodwill among all those involved.


To come to another type of digital innovation, the farmer will have to pay for technology himself. And especially take more control yourself. Working together with colleagues in new data partnerships in small, focused experiments. Building your own infrastructure step by step, and data about which you have complete control. With which you also enforce a negotiating position on large chain parties. That is another bargain.

Virtually Unbreakable MYMUG Is Perfect for Butterfingers Everywhere

Startup company Making Modern has launched a minimalist design with MYMUG, essentially a mug that is made of a virtually unbreakable advanced composite.

Billed as “the last mug that you will ever need,” it flaunts a sleek ceramic-like structure that incorporates notable features like an ergonomic grip with a “pinky groove” that provides comfortable control and an insulated lid to help keep contents hot or cold.

“Until now consumers haven’t realized the inconvenience of a common mug. The handle is bulky, it will burn your hand if put in the microwave too long, water pools when you put it in the dishwasher, it breaks, and is not ergonomic,” said Making Modern founder Jon McLaughlin. “We have taken your favorite coffee mug and given it an upgrade to truly bring it into the 21st century. We even offer a century guarantee, so that it can be your favorite mug for years to come.”

Materials used are 100 percent FDA-approved, which means it contains no chemicals like BPA or BPS that could harm you; the mug is also dishwasher and microwave-safe.


Proudly made in the USA, you can back MYMUG on Kickstarter now, as the 12-ounce model, out of the 4-, 8- and 16-ounce sizes offered, ships by Friday, December 15, right in time for the holidays.

When we excited about In-Vehicle tech but not understand it

Most owners still don’t completely understand and use all the technology available in their vehicles, according to the recent J.D. Power 2017 Tech Experience Index Study. Responses also showed confusion about low-speed collision avoidance and its usefulness. 

That could pose problems for a future in which owners are expected to trust technology enough to take their hands off the wheel and let cars drive themselves.
The experience that a consumer has with technology today has an impact on what they want tomorrow, said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & HMI research at J.D. Power, in a telephone interview.

“A positive experience with technologies like a back-up camera, blind-spot warning and adaptive cruise control is very important because they are the foundational building blocks, the introductory technologies to lower levels of automated systems,” she said.

Whether consumers are comfortable with the technology in vehicles taking over lower levels of control, whether they like the experience, trust it and find it useful will determine whether they like, trust and want fully self-driving vehicles.

“If they do not have a positive experience, the likelihood that they’ll want a greater level of automation is really very low,” she said.

Apple's iPhone Edition Release Has HUGE Implications For Mobile Space

This year is the iPhone’s 10th birthday and fittingly Apple has one hell of an update waiting in the wings. Up to now, though, most believed it would be called the iPhone 8, with the standard models called iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus respectively.
However, all is not what it seems, after a couple of sources chimed in claiming that Apple’s high-end iPhone – the one with the OLED display – will actually be called the iPhone X or iPhone Edition.

The standard models of Apple’s new iPhones, the ones that will look quite a bit like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, will be called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The reason? Simple: Apple feels an “s” update doesn’t do the handsets justice, as a lot has been changed.
"Behind the scenes, I’ve been discussing the upcoming iPhone launch on September 12th with many case vendors," notes 9to5Mac.
"At least two have heard, and have moved on, knowledge of the upcoming iPhone nomenclature and some details which they’ve separately learned from sources in Shenzhen who claim to have seen the new iPhone packaging."
"These people believe the names of the iPhones will be: iPhone 8, iPhone 8, Plus, iPhone Edition."

This means 2017’s iPhone lineup will look something like this: iPhone X or (iPhone Edition) and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Apple will unveil all of the handsets on September 12, potentially alongside a new Apple Watch (series 3) and a brand new 4K-compatible Apple TV unit.
The iPhone X (or iPhone Edition) will be super pricey, likely £1000+, pack in a brand new design, specs, and features, while the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus should be a little closer to what’s already available in the form of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Speaking personally, I feel iPhone Edition is the more likely candidate for the final nomenclature for Apple’s new flagship iPhone, as it already uses this term on its Apple Watch.
X is a bit, well… naff as well, and I think Apple would rather go with a branding convention it has already used, rather successfully, to communicate high-end luxury than something completely untested and used by C-List rappers in their stage names.

Canadian Court: Google must remove certain search results globally

According to foreign media reports, the Canadian Supreme Court said on Wednesday that Google must remove some of the global search results, the ruling may threaten the freedom of speech on the Internet.

The case originated from a Canadian network equipment maker Equustek Solutions, Equustek previously filed a lawsuit with Datalink Technologies, a product produced by Datalink, and then sold it on the Internet as its own product and acquired The company's trade secrets to design and produce a competitive product.

Equustek asked Google to remove Datalink related search results, Google did do so, but only in the Google Canada website to clear the relevant search results.

Thereafter, the Supreme Court ordered Google to stop displaying search results related to the Datalink site in any country. But Google believes that this involves the issue of freedom of speech, then filed an appeal.

Cannabis guidelines seek to minimize use risks

Canadian medical and public health organizations are backing the recent release of Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, which are recommendations enabling cannabis users to reduce their health risks.

Officials said the guidelines, published in the American Journal of Public Health, are based on a scientific review by an international team of experts and address the fact that despite the health risks of cannabis use, the rate of cannabis use in Canada is among the highest in the world.

“Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health,” Benedikt Fischer, leader of the development guidelines and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), said.
It is estimated more than 10 percent of adults and 25 percent of adolescents report cannabis use over the past year, with health risks ranging from problems with memory and physical coordination, to motor vehicle accidents and mental health or dependence problems.
While the first guideline recommendation is to abstain from cannabis use to avoid all risks, the remaining recommendations address the elevated potential of risks related to initiating use at a young age, high potency products, alternative delivery systems and heavy use and driving.

“These guidelines are an important tool supporting a public health approach to cannabis use,” Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, said. “Through their widespread adoption, the guidelines will provide people who use cannabis with the information they need to manage their use and protect their health and well-being.”

The Definitive Guide to Apple Stock Dividends

Technology stocks have historically been slow to embrace dividends, and until recently, Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) dividend history was no exception to that rule. After discontinuing a token payout in the mid-1990s, Apple went more than 15 years without making any dividend payouts at all. Yet now, the tech giant has not only started paying dividends but has increased them regularly, giving it a respectable yield even after a big run higher for its stock. Moreover, its modest payout ratio gives it plenty of room to boost scheduled quarterly dividends further in the future. Let's look more closely at Apple's dividend history to get a better sense of how the tech company has come to be a giant in the dividend world as well.

 

Apple's history of dividend payments

Apple has a long history of paying dividends, but it also has a long gap in the middle of its dividend history. From 1987 to 1995, it paid quarterly dividends that ranged from $0.06 to $0.12 per share, but that was before three subsequent stock splits that have given longtime investors 28 Apple shares for every one share they owned during that time span. Then in 1995, Apple suspended its dividends, choosing instead to focus on growth initiatives.

Image source: Apple.

But in 2012, Apple decided to bring back its dividend. The company started with a split-adjusted payout of about $0.38 per share quarterly as part of a broader package to return $45 billion in capital to shareholders over a three-year period. The payout represented a yield of slightly less than 2% at the time, but it began a process by which Apple could look at further dividend growth over time.

AAPL Dividend data by YCharts. Note: The line between 1996 and 2012 represents a discontinuity in Apple's dividend history during which Apple paid no dividend at all, rather than the gently sloping increase represented in the chart.

Those increases indeed did come with regularity. In 2013, the company made a roughly 15% increase to bring the dividend to about $0.426 per share, and 2014 brought Apple's latest 7-for-1 stock split and a boost to $0.47 per share. Roughly 10% annual increases have followed ever since, culminating in its most recent increase to $0.63 per share on the dividend Apple declared on May 2, with a record date of May 15 and paid out to shareholders on May 18.

What's next for Apple dividends?

Yet some investors are unsatisfied with what Apple has done with its dividend. With a huge nine-figure cash hoard, it has plenty of capital to return to shareholders, and in that light, a current yield of just 1.6% seems lackluster at best.

There's no doubt that Apple could afford to make greater dividend payments. Currently, the tech giant pays out only about 28% of its projected earnings for this year, and less than 25% of its forward earnings projections for the next year. It's true that a lot of those earnings are generated outside the U.S. and would therefore be subject to repatriation taxes if used to pay dividends. But even within the bounds of current tax law, Apple would have more latitude to make higher dividend payouts if it so chose.

The key question is what happens with tax policy. The Trump administration has proposed tax reform measures that would make it far easier for U.S. companies like Apple to bring overseas cash back into the U.S. for investment, but the details aren't yet clear. Whether Apple would be able to use repatriated money to pay a higher dividend or would instead have to demonstrate a commitment to more active investment within the U.S. remains to be seen.

Still, investors have to be aware that because of its size, even the relatively low dividend yield that Apple pays is enough to make the company the largest payer of dividends in the world in terms of raw dollar payout. In addition, it has emphasized stock repurchases over dividend increases, with more than two-thirds of its most recent $50 billion increase in capital return going toward buybacks. That has two negative impacts on dividends in that it both leaves less money for dividend payments and tends to boost the stock price, which makes the dividend yield weaker. Nevertheless, investors aren't complaining about the strong total returns that Apple stock has produced lately.

For dividend investors, Apple has gone from a nonentity to a leader in just five years. If its business continues to thrive, then Apple could see even more success in growing its dividend over time and satisfying its shareholders with strong total returns.