Consumer Tech
The technology of the next decade could remake the modern world, from AI agents to virtual worlds and beyond. The real question is what today’s gadgets mean for tomorrow’s world.
Featured
Indie developers may save the video game industry from itself
Indie developers continue to push the video game industry forward as big-name publishers focus on safe bets and machine-pressed sequels.
Today’s wearables track your body. Tomorrow’s could treat it.
Wearables that treat health issues, track countless biomarkers, and last far longer than today’s devices are on the horizon.
How tech is turning science into a hobby
From astronomy to video games, consumer technology is helping people pursue their interests while also advancing community science.
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Closed caption glasses: A new way to watch theater
London’s National Theatre made performances more accessible to patrons with hearing loss by creating a smart set of glasses that recognizes spoken words and adapts to stage cues to provide real-time captions.
Nature is good for you. What about VR nature?
Nature has the power to reduce stress and enhance our moods. Can VR nature experiences be a substitute for physically spending time in the outdoors?
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Through the Looking Glass
VR trips help treat depression in the elderly
In the U.S., about six million people over the age of 65 experience late life depression. So one organization is providing virtual reality excursions for seniors to help them experience life to the fullest.
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Through the Looking Glass
Conquering fear with virtual reality exposure therapy
Whether a patient fears spiders or flying, VR technology allows therapists to treat anxiety disorders by simulating these experiences in a safe environment.
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Through the Looking Glass
AR in use: NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan
With a keen curiosity to learn more about how life formed on Earth, NASA has plans to send a spacecraft called the Dragonfly to Saturn’s largest moon, and they’re using augmented reality to make it happen.
Dad builds amusement park for daughter
This dad couldn’t find a theme park that worked for his daughter with special needs – so he built one.
Could we end earthquake deaths?
Thousands die in earthquakes every year – even though we know how to build safely. This engineer is working with people in the most vulnerable places to figure out why.
For the disabled, using virtual reality for education opens up new possibilities
His daughter couldn’t go on school field trips with her classmates, so Craig Chaytor designed a virtual reality…
Is the future of therapy… virtual? A look into virtual reality therapy
The immersive world of VR may have therapeutic benefits for people combating phobias, anxiety, and PTSD.
Helping people with disabilities become working artists
Only 20% of people with disabilities participate in the workforce; Art Enables helps those with special needs turn art into a career.
Bringing virtual reality to brain surgery
Virtual reality is helping surgeons and patients prepare for complicated, life-saving surgeries in ways never before possible.
The first “telepathic” social network is used to play tetris
Researchers claim that BrainNet is “bringing us a step closer to a ‘social network of brains.’”
How a video game helped the Cajun Navy save lives
When lives are on the line, inspiration can come from the most unlikely places.
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Superhuman
Using virtual reality to help kids with autism
A virtual world offers a new way to engage with kids on the spectrum.
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Superhuman
Can virtual reality help fight the opioid crisis?
VR has long been seen as an escape from the real world. But recently researchers have been putting an unexpected twist on that. They’re now exploring how VR could provide an escape from an unfortunate reality many face everyday: chronic pain.
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Superhuman
How 3D printing is revolutionizing heart surgery
When a young boy was facing a complicated and dangerous heart operation, his doctors created an exact model of his heart to plan the surgery. And it probably saved his life.
Esight lets the legally blind see
This legally blind man is seeing his wedding for the first time. 15 years after he got married.
How virtual reality is changing medicine
From virtual hearts to immersive battlefields, doctors and scientists are using virtual reality to transform medicine
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Superhuman
Father makes 3D heart for daughter
When a father’s daughter was diagnosed with a heart disease, he set out to design an innovative 3D model of a heart that doctors could explore in virtual reality to save her life and thousands more.
Four crazy uses for virtual reality (that aren’t video games)
We’re now starting to scratch the surface of the true potential of virtual reality.
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