Month: November 2023

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Cicadas Are So Loud, Fiber Optic Cables Can ‘Hear’ Them

https://www.wired.com/story/cicadas-are-so-loud-fiber-optic-cables-can-hear-them/


One of the world’s most peculiar test beds stretches above Princeton, New Jersey. It’s a fiber optic cable strung between three utility poles that then runs underground before feeding into an “interrogator.” This device fires a laser through the cable and analyzes the light that bounces back. It can pick up tiny perturbations in that light caused by seismic activity or even loud sounds, like from a passing ambulance. It’s a newfangled technique known as distributed acoustic sensing, or DAS.

Because DAS can track seismicity, other scientists are increasingly using it to monitor earthquakes and volcanic activity. (A buried system is so sensitive, in fact, that it can detect people walking and driving above.) But the scientists in Princeton just stumbled upon a rather … noisier use of the technology. In the spring of 2021, Sarper Ozharar—a physicist at NEC Laboratories, which operates the Princeton test bed—noticed a strange signal in the DAS data. “We realized there were some weird things happening,” says Ozharar. “Something that shouldn’t be there. There was a distinct frequency buzzing everywhere.”

The team suspected the “something” wasn’t a rumbling volcano—not in New Jersey—but the cacophony of the giant swarm of cicadas that had just emerged from underground, a population known as Brood X. A colleague suggested reaching out to Jessica Ware, an entomologist and cicada expert at the American Museum of Natural History, to confirm it. “I had been observing the cicadas and had gone around Princeton because we were collecting them for biological samples,” says Ware. “So when Sarper and the team showed that you could actually hear the volume of the cicadas, and it kind of matched their patterns, I was really excited.”

Add insects to the quickly growing list of things DAS can spy on. Thanks to some specialized anatomy, cicadas are the loudest insects on the planet, but all sorts of other six-legged species make a lot of noise, like crickets and grasshoppers. With fiber optic cables, entomologists might have stumbled upon a powerful new way to cheaply and constantly listen in on species—from afar. “Part of the challenge that we face in a time when there’s insect decline is that we still need to collect data about what population sizes are, and what insects are where,” says Ware. “Once we are able to familiarize ourselves with what’s possible with this type of remote sensing, I think we can be really creative.”

DAS is all about vibrations, whether they be the sounds of a singing brood of cicadas or the shifting of a geologic fault. Fiber optic cables transmit information, like high-speed internet, by firing pulses of light. Scientists can use an interrogator device to shine a laser down a cable and then analyze the tiny amounts of light that bounce back to the source. Because the speed of light is a known constant, they can pinpoint where along the cable a given disturbance happens: If something jostles the cable 100 feet down, the light will take slightly longer to return to the interrogator than something that happens at 50 feet. “Every 1 meter of fiber, more or less, we can turn it into a kind of microphone,” says Ozharar.

via Wired Top Stories https://www.wired.com

November 30, 2023 at 09:03AM

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Hyundai, Kia’s Uni Wheel electric drive system could revolutionize EV design

https://www.autoblog.com/2023/11/29/uni-wheel-hyundai-kia-electric-vehicle-design/


The massive worldwide focus on electric vehicle technology has already introduced noteworthy changes to automobile design, notably due to the flat floor design with one large battery pack popularized by Tesla and thereafter adopted by nearly every other major automaker. The reduction in size of drive components has made the term “frunk” part of our regular vernacular, as well. And now Hyundai and Kia have introduced the world to what they say is the next major paradigm shift in EV architecture: the Universal Wheel Drive System, or Uni Wheel for short.

Basically, the Korean automaker conglomerate has figured out a way to replace the standard constant velocity (CV) joint with an arrangement of gears that reside directly inside the wheel hub. We could do our best to explain the arrangement — the short version: a single sun gear transfers power through a pair of packaged pinion gear arms that can move independently to an outer ring gear in a unique and flexible planetary design — but it makes the most sense after looking at the pictures and especially the animated video that we’ve embedded just below.

Hyundai/Kia highlight many benefits to this Uni Wheel drive system. Claims include reduced packaging size, improved ride quality, greater durability and, importantly, increased efficiency. All of that means a smaller battery could provide similar range to today’s EVs, that a similarly sized battery could provide greater range, or even that the space that’s freed up by Uni Wheels would allow greater battery size and therefore range without requiring a larger vehicle platform.

In addition to electric cars and trucks, the automaker group says that Uni Wheels can be used for a large variety of mobility applications. These would include vehicles with fewer than four wheels, like scooters and motorcycles, and even wheelchairs and delivery robots. The automakers have reportedly applied for and registered eight patents related to Uni Wheel in South Korea as well as the United States and Europe.

Related video:

via Autoblog https://ift.tt/M0rs7kx

November 29, 2023 at 08:16AM

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Ikea Just Announced Smart Home Sensors for Under $10

https://gizmodo.com/ikea-smart-home-sensor-1851052794


Ikea just announced a set of smart home sensors all for under $10. The set includes a door and window sensor named Parasoll, a motion sensor called Vallhorn, and a water leakage sensor called Badring. These are set to be globally released in the first half of next year.

Like It or Not, Your Doctor Will Use AI | AI Unlocked

Parasoll is a standard door and window sensor. It can be mounted on any of the two and will let you know when it detects an open or closed action. The cool thing about this sensor is that it can be paired with an Ikea light bulb right out of the box without any additional hassle of investing in and programming a whole Ikea Home smart hub. Parasoll is priced at €9.99 in Europe, and the US pricing hasn’t been announced yet. In fact, the US pricing for all three sensors is yet to be announced.

Vallhorn works like a typical motion sensor and turns on lights or performs other activities when it detects movement. The IP44 splash protection against rain on the Vallhorn means it can be used indoors and outdoors. It is dirt cheap, and its overall setup is extremely economical and simple. It uses three AAA batteries to function and can be paired with up to 10 Ikea smart bulbs straight out of the box.

That’s pretty impressive, considering its €7.99 price tag. Even though we don’t know how much it costs in the US, you can still get an idea of what a good deal you’re snagging when you take into consideration Ikea’s existing motion sensor, which costs $14.99 and senses less room than the Vallhorn, is only usable indoors, and requires its batteries to be replaced more often.

Badring has the potential to be nothing less than a lifesaver for just €9.99. By alerting you as soon as it senses a leak, it can end up saving you a lot of money at its very reasonable price. Badring works by featuring a built-in siren that goes up to 60 dBA upon sensing a depth of at least 1m.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

November 28, 2023 at 10:57AM

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NVIDIA sued for stealing trade secrets after screensharing blunder showed rival company’s code

https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-sued-for-stealing-trade-secrets-after-screensharing-blunder-showed-rival-companys-code-063009605.html

NVIDIA is facing a lawsuit filed by French automotive company Valeo after a screensharing blunder by one of its employees. According to Valeo’s complaint, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, an engineer for NVIDIA who used to work for its company, had mistakenly showed its source code files on his computer as he was sharing his screen during a meeting with both firms in 2022. Valeo’s employees quickly recognized the code and took screenshots before Moniruzzaman was notified of his mistake. 

To note, Valeo and NVIDIA are working together on an advanced parking and driving assistance technology offered by a manufacturer to its customers. Valeo used to be in charge of both software and hardware sides of the manufacturer’s parking assistance tech. In 2021, however, the the bigger corporation won the contract to develop its parking assistance software. Valeo wrote in its lawsuit that its former employee, who helped it develop its parking and driving assistance systems, had realized that his exposure and access to its proprietary technologies would make him "exceedingly valuable" to NVIDIA. 

Moniruzzaman allegedly gave his personal email unauthorized access to Valeo’s systems to steal "tens of thousands of files" and 6GB of source code shortly after that development. He then left Valeo a few months later and took the stolen information with him when he was given a senior position at NVIDIA, the complaint reads. He also worked on the very same project he was involved in for Valeo, which is why he was present at that video conference. 

Valeo said its former employee admitted to stealing its software and that German police found its documentation and hardware pinned on Moniruzzaman’s walls when his home was raided. According to Bloomberg, he was already convicted of infringement of business secrets in a German court and was ordered to pay €14,400 ($15,750) in September. 

In a letter dated June 2022, NVIDIA’s lawyers told the plaintiff’s counsel that the company "has no interest in Valeo’s code or its alleged trade secrets and has taken prompt concrete steps to protect [its] client’s asserted rights." Valeo still sued the company earlier this month, however, and said that NVIDIA has "saved millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of dollars in development costs, and generated profits that it did not properly earn and to which it was not entitled" by stealing its trade secrets. 

This is but another proof that competition continues to heat up in the autonomous driving market. Back in 2017, Waymo accused Uber of colluding with its former employee, Anthony Levandowski, to steal over 14,000 confidential and proprietary design files. Levandowski was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but he was pardoned six months later by then President Donald Trump. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/1ydDPNj

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 24, 2023 at 12:36AM

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Google admits YouTube’s war on ad blockers is resulting in ‘suboptimal viewing’ experiences

https://www.engadget.com/google-admits-youtubes-war-on-ad-blockers-is-resulting-in-suboptimal-viewing-experiences-115041371.html?src=rss

Some YouTube viewers who use Firefox or Edge instead of Chrome have reported having to wait around five seconds every time they try to load a video. In screen recordings shared on Reddit and other online forums, users show how their screen goes blank for a short period when they click on a YouTube video before the page loads. But when they switch to Chrome, that waiting period seemed to be non-existent. Android Authority and 404media, which reported on the users’ complaints, weren’t able to replicate the phenomenon. We also didn’t notice any difference in loading times when we accessed YouTube on different browsers. 

Based on the code found by some YCombinator and Reddit posters, YouTube has implemented an anti-adblocker mechanism that’s causing the delays. We did find the snippet of code cited in those threads, but it’s not quite clear what it does. In a statement that Google has provided Android Authority, it admitted that it has implemented a system that’s meant to urge viewers to uninstall their ad blockers. The company said that users who have ad blockers installed "may experience suboptimal viewing" no matter what browser they choose to use

"To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube, we’ve launched an effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience," the spokesperson said. "Users who have ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing, regardless of the browser they are using."

YouTube started cracking down on ad blockers earlier this year, but it went all out earlier this month when it prevented viewers around the world from watching videos unless they disable their apps, add-ons and extensions. The video hosting website is hoping to entice users who couldn’t stand watching ads to subscribe to its $14-a-month YouTube Premium service. Multiple ad-blocking companies have since reported experiencing an elevated number of uninstallations per day since then, but Google has yet to reveal whether YouTube Premium subscriptions have also gone up as a result.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Gl6fN28

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 21, 2023 at 06:00AM

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Why Teslas Totaled in the US Are Mysteriously Reincarnated in Ukraine

https://www.wired.com/story/why-teslas-totaled-in-the-us-are-mysteriously-reincarnated-in-ukraine/


This summer, a Vancouver car mechanic named Max got a perplexing ping on his phone: Betty White was in Ukraine and needed his help. This was surprising because she had died on a Canadian highway back in January.

When Max last saw Betty White, his nickname for his Tesla Model Y Performance, they were both in rough shape after getting sideswiped on the highway. Max’s rotator cuff was torn in several places. The small SUV had bounced off multiple concrete barriers at high speed and was bashed in on all four corners, its wheels ripped to pieces. Coolant appeared to be leaking into the battery chamber. From his own work on EVs in the garage, Max knew that Betty was done for. “No auto shop would put a repair person at risk with that kind of damage,” says Max, whose last name isn’t being used out of doxing concerns. A damaged EV battery can become dangerous due to the risk of shocks, fire, and toxic fumes. His insurer agreed, and Betty was written off and sent to a salvage yard.

Months after he had last seen the car, Max’s Tesla app was now telling him that Betty needed a software update. It showed the car with an extra 200 kilometers on the odometer, fully charged, and parked in Uman, a town in Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast, midway between Kyiv and the front line with Russia’s invasion force. Minutes after that first ping, the app showed the car in service mode, suggesting Betty was undergoing repairs. “I thought it must be a mistake,” Max says.

There was no mistake. WIRED tracked Betty down to a Ukrainian auto auction website, looking good as new, maybe even better, with newly tinted windows and rearview mirrors wrapped in black. Betty 2.0 was being sold by “Mikhailo,” who wrote that the car had suffered “a small blow” in Canada and been repaired with original Tesla parts. The price, $55,000, was roughly the same as a new Model Y Performance costs in the US.

Courtesy of Max

Early this year a Tesla Model Y nicknamed Betty White got into a high speed crash in Vancouver.

via Wired Top Stories https://www.wired.com

November 17, 2023 at 05:09AM

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What is RCS and how is it different from SMS and iMessage?

https://www.engadget.com/what-is-rcs-and-how-is-it-different-from-sms-and-imessage-202334057.html?src=rss

In a dramatic reversal, Apple announced this week it would offer RCS support starting in 2024. The decision effectively ends one of the most protracted and confusing conflicts between iOS and Android. If you’re not sure what any of that means, don’t worry: We’re about to lay out what could change with Apple’s adoption of the GSMA’s next-generation messaging protocol. 

What is SMS?

Short Message Service (SMS) is one of the most ubiquitous messaging protocols on the planet. It dates back to the early days of mobile technology. In December 1992, Neil Papworth, at the time an engineer at Vodafone, sent the first SMS text message when he wished his boss “Merry Christmas.” By the start of 2011, approximately 80 percent of all mobile phone users globally — an estimated 3.5 billion people — were sending SMS messages every month.

In 2023, however, the standard has some notable drawbacks. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters, and texts you send can’t include photos, videos, audio or GIFs. For that, cell phones have long turned to a supporting protocol known as Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), but it too has its share of technical limitations, including woefully small message size limits. SMS also doesn’t support end-to-end encryption.

But for all the ways SMS feels dated in an era dominated by instant messaging platforms, it has one defining advantage: SMS messages are routed through your carrier’s mobile network, meaning a data plan isn’t necessary to use the technology. That fact has meant SMS has often served as a fallback for more advanced protocols, including iMessage.

What is RCS?

RCS is short for Rich Communication Services, though sometimes it is also marketed as “Advanced Messaging.” Either way, it’s often positioned as a next-generation replacement for SMS and MMS. RCS allows users to take advantage of many features that were previously exclusive to over-the-top messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

For instance, the RCS Universal Profile includes full support for read receipts and typing indicators. It can also facilitate proper group chats, and allow users to send high-resolution images, video and audio clips. As of earlier this year, Google’s implementation of RCS also offers by default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both one-on-one and group chats.

Unlike SMS texts, RCS messages are routed over a mobile data connection or Wi-Fi link, with SMS functioning as a fallback. For that reason, the older protocol likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

One thing that’s important to remember about RCS is that it is not and has never been envisioned as a replacement or competitor to instant messaging apps. At its heart, RCS is a communication protocol between mobile telephone carriers and between a phone and carrier. Taking advantage of RCS does not require signing up for a new service. As long as your phone and carrier support RCS, and you’re using a compatible app such as Messages by Google, you can take advantage of everything the protocol has to offer — provided, of course, the person or people you’re messaging meet those same requirements.

How does iMessage fit into all this?

Apple announced iMessage in June 2011, a few short months before Steve Jobs died later that same year. Unlike RCS, iMessage is a proprietary messaging protocol controlled exclusively by Apple and available (barring some unofficial workarounds) only on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac devices. Starting in 2024, Apple plans to integrate support for RCS in its Messages app. However, at the moment the two protocols do not communicate with one another. As such, Apple’s Messages app will default to SMS/MMS when users attempt to send texts and media files to someone with an Android phone.

From the perspective of an iMessage user, it can feel like Android users are stuck in a bygone messaging era — even though the latter is not at fault for the situation. Due to iMessage’s reliance on SMS/MMS for Android communication, media files end up pixelated, there aren’t any read receipts or typing indicators and forget about trying to involve multiple iPhone and Android users in a single group chat.

How did we get here?

Although work on RCS began before Apple announced iMessage, the protocol had one major disadvantage that doomed it to a slow rollout. RCS is a multi-stakeholder project that includes the involvement of the GSMA, a trade body that represents the interests of the mobile communications industry at large. In 2015, Google took a more active role in the proliferation of RCS when it acquired Jibe Mobile. With Jibe’s technology as a base, it’s effectively Google that provides the glue that binds the RCS ecosystem together, but for a long time, the company did a poor job of aligning everyone involved in RCS toward a shared goal.

In fact, the early days of RCS were marked by false starts, with some carriers, including a group made up of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon forming a short-lived joint venture to push the protocol forward before eventually aligning themselves with Google. Even Samsung did its own thing for a while before it too eventually agreed to make Messages by Google the default messaging app it ships on phones in the US.

For that reason, Apple has had little reason to adopt RCS. After all, why would it give a bumbling competitor a freebie? And as recently as last year, it seemed there was little to no chance the situation was going to change anytime soon. "I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy into that," Apple CEO Tim Cook told the Code Conference in 2022 when he was asked about RCS messaging. “Buy your mom an iPhone” was his final word on the matter.

But it was also last year that the European Union passed its landmark Digital Markets and Services Act (DMA). The legislation requires “gatekeepers” to not favor their own systems or limit third parties from interoperating within them. Gatekeepers are any company that meets specific financial and usage qualifications. Apple, according to the law, is one such company. 

At the start of November, Google sent the European Commission arguing that iMessage violates the DMA. It’s probably not an accident that Apple’s RCS announcement coincided with the deadline for companies to file challenges to the DMA at the EU’s General Court. On Friday, the EU announced Apple is contesting its DMA assignments. The details of the company’s complaints aren’t public, but Bloomberg reported last week Apple was planning to challenge the gatekeeper designations of both iMessage and the App Store.

Does Apple’s support of RCS mean the end of green text bubbles on iPhone?

It’s too early to tell. On Thursday, Apple provided precious few details about how it plans to display and treat RCS messages on its devices. What’s more, the company did note that iMessage “will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” That said, even if you take that statement to mean iMessage will continue to display texts from non-Apple devices differently from those sent from an iPhone, iPad or Mac, Apple’s adoption of RCS will lead to a better user experience for both iOS and Android users.

Again, Apple needs to provide specifics, but it’s easy to envision a future where its Messages app, thanks to RCS, properly displays high-resolution images and videos sent from Android phones, and allows both iOS and Android users to take part in group chats without something breaking. On Thursday, Apple also said it would work with GSMA members to improve the existing Universal Profile protocol, with a focus on adding end-to-end encryption to the standard.

Of course, whether that interoperability ends the stigma around green bubbles is harder to answer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/9deSCFt

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 17, 2023 at 02:30PM