The man with the Bionic eyes
In yet another case of reality catching up with science fiction, an elderly man in the UK has had his sight partially restored thanks to a cutting-edge, bionic retinal implant which converts images from a miniature camera worn on a pair of glasses like a far more impressive (and useful) pair of Google Glasses. Ray Flynn, who received the world's first successful implant of the Argus II retinal device from Second Sight, is reportedly delighted with the results. The device has been used previously to partially restore vision to those suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, but the successful operation on Flynn marks the first time the device has been used to treat age-related macular degeneration, which is a condition that takes sight from the centre of a person's field of vision due to the deterioration of muscular tissue in the eye.
An elderly man in the UK has had his sight partially restored thanks to a cutting-edge, bionic retinal implant
The retinal implant works by converting the images picked up by the camera into electrical pulses, which are then transmitted wirelessly to electrodes attached to the user’s retina. The electrodes stimulate the retinal cells, which then send the information to the brain. Two weeks after receiving the implant, Flynn could detect a pattern of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines on a computer screen, something he had been unable to do before the surgery. While the implant doesn't provide the sort of vision clarity present in normal vision, it does allow for the recognition of patterns such as door frames and other shapes, and marks another significant advance in the tech world’s eventual goal of eradicating physical maladies.
Chrysler recall over a million remotely hackable cars
Chrysler recalled around 1.4 million vehicles this week following the news that many cars installed with the Uconnect feature are subject to hacking. This means that third parties could gain access to the vehicle and theoretically use the hack to remotely disable the breaks, cut the transmission, or take control of the steering, effectively bringing the world of the recent video game “Watch Dogs” to terrifying life! The initial hack was developed by a couple of security researchers, who also helped the brand develop a patch, but Chrysler is taking larger steps to ensure more owners get the fix as soon as possible. One silver lining is that the exploit was reportedly found before anyone could take advantage of it for nefarious purposes, as Chrysler issued a statement noting it’s currently: “Unaware of any injuries related to software exploitation, nor is it aware of any related complaints, warranty claims or accidents.”
Google can trace your movements via Google Maps
The Google Maps team launched a new feature dubbed “Your Timelines” this week, which (on paper at least) is all about showing you where you’ve already been (quite literally), but many people have already decried the feature as a further invasion of our privacy. The feature works alongside Google Photos by tagging pictures at the places they were taken, which is a neat feature, but does come across as more than a little “Stalky.” It’s a solemn reminder of just how much data Google have on us, and how easily they can build something into the default settings on their products that many of us might take umbrage with.
The Google Maps team launched a new feature dubbed “Your Timelines” this week, which effectively tracks a user’s movements
According to a statement made by Google, the feature works as follows: “We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year. Your Timeline allows you to visualize your real-world routines, easily see the trips you’ve taken and get a glimpse of the places where you spend your time.” Of course it all sounds rather benevolent, but if you’re having second thoughts, you can easily disable the feature under the “My Account” tab on your Android phone or computer. On the other hand, if you fancy retracing your steps, Your Timeline could be a nifty way to do just that.
Xbox Live down for the count
Xbox Live experienced some serious issues over the weekend, with users reporting problems accessing certain services and logging in. At the time of writing, the Xbox Live status page on Twitter currently lists Purchase and Content Usage and Social and Gaming as having limited services. According to the website, Xbox Live Core Services, Website, and TV, Music, and Video services are "Up and running” as normal. Server issues were reportedly to blame for the problems, which affected Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners in both the UK and North America.
Nintendo wants to watch you sleep
It wouldn’t be a “Week in Tech” without some crazy news from Japan. This week, it was discovered that gaming giants Nintendo have filed a patent for a unique sleep monitor device. Images revealed in the patent provide an early look at the device, which appears to be about the size of an alarm clock, and comes equipped with a docking station, speakers, and even a ceiling projector. It is unclear whether the device plugged into the docking station in the provided images is a Nintendo product or simply the user's phone.
Nintendo have filed a patent for a unique sleep monitor device
The device is a portable terminal, which detects sensor information for assessing a user's emotions. The patent also notes that it would be permissible, as an example, for the sensor information to be sound information which is detected by a microphone, or image information which is captured by a camera. The sensors are designed to detect the user's pulse rate, temperature, and other related body measurements, at which point the data is uploaded to Nintendo's servers so that a sleep score can be calculated. The ceiling projector is then used to display these results when the users wakes up. This is just one of the many new devices Nintendo is rolling out as part of its new “Quality of life” initiative, with other, similar devices expected to be announced between now and 2016.
Play Half Life on your watch
We end with a fun bit of tech news this week, with the recent announcements that the classic first person shooter Half Life, is now available on certain smart watches, thanks to a tutorial by a modder called Dave Bennett. According to the tutorial, the game is running on an Android-powered LG G Watch using the SDLash app that emulates Valve’s GoldSource engine. Bennett notes that the exercise is a proof of concept and is far from ideal control-wise. Performance was better than expected, hitting a high of 60 frames per second down to a low of 2. We wouldn’t recommend playing it on the tube though.
