Technology category, Page 32
This robot can make 300 pizzas in an hourVideo
Watch out pizza world: this pizza robot could shake things up. Seattle startup Picnic announced Tuesday that it has a developed a unit that can make 300 12-inch pizzas per hour and 180 18-inch pizzas per hour. We are excited to unveil our first-of-its-kind intelligent food assembly platform. See us...
Sidewalk delivery robots coming to Pitt this fallVideo
The sidewalks in Oakland may soon be getting even more crowded. The University of Pittsburgh and Starship Technologies, a robotics company that makes 50-pound robots resembling coolers on wheels, plan to launch a delivery service this year. “We are working with the city and our Oakland neighbors toward a launch...
Uber adds more services to its app in its quest for profit
SAN FRANCISCO — Uber is cramming more services into its ride-hailing app as it explores ways to generate more revenue and finally turn a profit. The makeover announced Thursday includes force-feeding its food delivery service, “Eats,” into the Uber app that millions of people use to summon a ride. That...
Alexa users will have Samuel L. Jackson’s voice as an optionVideo
Samuel L. Jackson is set to be the first celebrity voice that can be swapped out for Alexa on Amazon’s Echo devices. For 99 cents, Alexa’s Jackson “voice pack” will be available later this year at that discounted price. After that, the price jumps to $4.99, according to Geek Wire....
Facebook says it isn’t fact checking politicians on the site
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook says it does not fact check politicians’ statements on its site, even if they might be false. The social network operator says that’s because such statements could be newsworthy — and it doesn’t want to act as a “referee” for political debates. Facebook works with third-party...
McDonald’s using Alexa, Google Assistant to aid in hiringVideo
Finding a job can be hard. But starting the application process just got a whole lot easier for McDonald’s. As of Wednesday, the fast food chain will now let job seekers begin the process by using Alexa or Google Assistant, according to the Associated Press. To get things going, users...
Google wins case over EU’s ‘right to be forgotten’ rules
BRUSSELS — Handing Google a major victory, the European Union’s highest court ruled Tuesday that the EU’s “right to be forgotten” rules that allow people to control what comes up when their name is searched online do not apply outside the 28-nation bloc. Over the past five years, people in...
Can a new space race connect world to internet?
NEW YORK — It’s a 21st century space race: Amazon, SpaceX and others are competing to get into orbit and provide internet to the Earth’s most remote places. And like the last century’s battle for space supremacy that was triggered by the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, this one...
Australia uses new technology to catch drivers on phones
CANBERRA, Australia — An Australian state is attempting to persuade people to put down their smartphones while driving by rolling out cameras to prosecute distracted motorists. New South Wales Roads Minister Andrew Constance said Monday that Australia’s most populous state is the first jurisdiction in the world to use such...
Google plans to invest 3 billion euros in Europe
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Google’s top boss said Friday the tech giant is planning to invest 3 billion euros to expand its data centers across Europe in the next two years. Google will bring the company’s total investments in the continent’s internet infrastructure to 15 billion euros since 2007, Chief executive...
Twitter launches ‘hide replies’ feature to give users more control
Twitter wants to tailor users’ experiences and give them more control with a new feature. The service is now giving tweeters in the U.S. and Japan the ability to hide replies on their tweets. Twitter launches its controversial ‘Hide Replies’ feature in the U.S. and Japan by @sarahintampa pic.twitter.com/NrKwl24rAo—...
Huawei debuts phone without Google apps as U.S. sanctions bite
MUNICH — Huawei launched a new flagship smartphone Thursday, but it comes without popular Google apps such as Chrome or YouTube after U.S. sanctions kicked in, limiting its appeal to consumers. The Chinese tech giant’s Mate 30 phone series, including one for new 5G networks, runs on an open source...
Walgreens, Google affiliate to launch drone delivery test
Walgreens and a Google affiliate are testing drone deliveries that can put drugstore products on customer doorsteps minutes after being ordered. Snacks like Goldfish Crackers or gummy bears as well as aspirin for sick kids will be delivered starting next month in Christiansburg, Virginia, by a 10-pound drone flying as...
Don’t have anywhere to sit? Wearable chairs are now a thingVideo
Standing room only may now be a thing of the past. A tweet Wednesday afternoon from Tech Insider revealed a wearable chair that would allow people to take a seat basically anywhere. The seat, also known as LEX, is designed as “an extension of your body” by way of “aerospace-grade...
Researchers: AI surveillance is expanding worldwide
A growing number of countries are following China’s lead in deploying artificial intelligence to track citizens, according to a research group’s report published Tuesday. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says at least 75 countries are actively using AI tools such as facial recognition for surveillance. The index of countries...
Siri, Alexa sing ‘Rapper’s Delight’ for its 40th anniversaryVideo
If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if a trio of virtual assistants did karaoke, here’s your answer. YouTuber Steven Rosenthal made a video of Siri, Alexa and Google Assisant singing Sugarhill Gang’s famous “Rapper’s Delight.” The single was release by the group Sept. 16, 1979 and just...
New iPhone 11 Pro triggering trypophobia in some
The iPhone 11 Pro isn’t available yet but it’s already making some people uncomfortable. Apple’s latest flagship mobile device has a cluster of three cameras on the back side. While these represent the cutting edge of pocket camera gear, they also form a miniature constellation of trouble. Trypophobia is the...
Threat of mass shootings give rise to AI-powered cameras
Paul Hildreth peered at a display of dozens of images from security cameras surveying his Atlanta school district and settled on one showing a woman in a bright yellow shirt walking a hallway. A mouse click instructed the artificial intelligence-equipped system to find other images of the woman, and it...
Pitt researchers develop marijuana breathalyzer
With more and more states legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, sooner or later some bright scientist had to invent a marijuana breathalyzer. Now it appears researchers at the University of Pittsburgh may have just walked to the head of the class. A Pitt spokesman said a team from the university’s...
Major carriers, state AGs will work to combat robocalls
NEW YORK — Major phone companies have pledged to do more to fight robocalls plaguing Americans, the country’s state attorneys general say. It’s the latest step from government and industry to combat the growing problem. Americans get nearly 5 billion automated calls from scammers, telemarketers, debt collectors and others every...
Vandalized robot may solve mystery of its own attack
HAYWARD, Calif. — A 400-pound security robot that was knocked over by a vandal last month in Northern California may help bring its attacker to justice. The Hayward Police Department on Tuesday released images of the suspect that the Knightscope K5 robot captured before it was damaged. The 5-foot-tall robot,...
Colorado OKs electric car requirement to fight air pollution
DENVER — Colorado tightened its air quality regulations on Friday, requiring that at least 5% of the vehicles sold in the state by 2023 emit zero pollution. The state Air Quality Control Commission, which passed the rule on an 8-1 vote, said the requirement applies to auto manufacturers, not buyers....
The Raconteurs plan phone-free concert at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE
The 21st-century concert experience largely means having one’s focus on the stage compromised by the glow from someone’s cellphone, or having a view obscured by people taking photos or making video recordings of their favorite song. That won’t be the case at Stage AE on Tuesday night, however, when Jack...
With AI and other tech, researcher focuses on helping people with disabilities
SEATTLE — While walking beneath a canopy of trees on the winding Burke Gilman trail, artificial intelligence researcher Anat Caspi pointed to the evenness of the terrain along the University of Washington campus periphery. “A lot of times we don’t want the shortest path,” Caspi said over the din of...
Google crushes second quarter earnings expectations
SAN FRANCISCO — Google parent Alphabet beat analyst expectations for the second quarter Thursday, sending its shares up sharply as it bounced back from a rough first quarter. The company comforted investors with advertising revenue growth that edged out last quarter and assurances that video streaming site YouTube and the...
