Alexa Gets Wings

Alexa Gets Wings

Gear up on five IoT news bites for Wednesday

Like GearBrain on Facebook

Alexa Drone Amazon recently won a patent for a "unmanned aerial vehicle" that can be controlled via voice or use voice itself to report on details from locating a child that has been lost, to a car when you forget where you parked. Also, Amazon notes the device could be used "during routine traffic stops" with a drawing of a drone hovering over an officer's shoulder which could presumably fly closer to a driver if ordered. Amazon's Alexa is used to power both Echo and Dot, two devices that IoT brands are eager to link to today. Voice-control, as an app, is expected to only grow in popularity in smart homes. And Amazon clearly believes this kind of app has wings in other devices, like drones, as well.

Sweaty Robot Kengaro does something we don't necessarily want in our robotic devices: sweat. The human-sized robotic actually expresses water from its system, allowing the liquid to cool motors inside Kengaro through evaporation: exactly how human cool themselves down as well. Perspiration is one thing we consider unique certainly to humans, and most mammals. But a sweating robot may cause some to see an electronic being closer to being alive.

Hacked City Smart cities—those linked with smart grids and security camera networks for example—are vulnerable to hackers, says a new survey from Tripwire, a security solutions company. The group surveyed 200 people who work in IT for state and local governments—and 98 percent believe that "...smart cities are at risk for cyber attacks."

Tesla 2018 Placing an order for a new Tesla 3? Consider buying a second car, now, while you wait. The carmaker says that any new orders won't be delivered until mid-2018—or even later. For those who have already put their orders into the Tesla, you're still on target to get your car sometime in the summer of next year. The rest of you? Probably not the best idea to gift a Tesla 3 for the holidays this year. (Via CNBC)

Smart Baby Looking for a baby gift that will wow some new parents? We have our annual holiday guide of infant gear sure to bring a gurgle of joy to an infant—and a smile to sleep-deprived parents.

Like GearBrain on Facebook
The Conversation (0)

GearBrain Compatibility Find Engine

A pioneering recommendation platform where you can research, discover, buy, and learn how to connect and optimize smart devices.

Join our community! Ask and answer questions about smart devices and save yours in My Gear.

Top Stories

Weekly Deals