Category: Tech

New materials may soon make it possible for damaged electronic components, such as in space crafts, to mend themselves. The materials recently developed by scientists can repair their own mechanical damages with the electrical charges generated by the mechanical impact on them. Devices that we use daily often break down due to mechanical damage, forcing us either to repair or replace them. This decreases the life of the equipment and increases maintenance costs. In many cases, like in space crafts, human intervention for restoration is not possible. Keeping such necessities in mind, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education ... Read more

The Indian research community will soon be able to pursue industry-relevant research opportunities in the areas of deep technologies that are novel, transformative, and can have a ground-breaking impact on a national scale. The opportunities will be offered by the first-of-its-kind research initiative called ‘Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE)’ launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in collaboration with Intel India on June 29, 2021. It will increase research opportunities in the space of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), platform systems, circuits & architecture, ... Read more

An integration of 3D printing and pharmaceuticals has resulted in a novel type of mask which attacks the virus when viral particles come in contact with it. Developed by Pune-based start-up firm Thincr Technologies India Private Limited, these masks are coated with anti-viral agents known otherwise as virucides. The virucidal mask project is among the earliest projects to have been selected for commercialization, by the Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, as part of the Government’s fight against COVID-19. The project received financial support from TDB as part of ... Read more

On the occasion of World Environment Day, a new product category of Green Room Air Conditioners was launched on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). The Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Anup Wadhavan  launched  it. The launch event was organized in association with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Shri Anup Wadhavan said on the occasion that Public procurement spend in India is nearly 15-20% of its GDP. Introducing SPP to this huge quantum of government procurement will further complement the country’s climate policy objectives. The addition of Green Room Air Conditioners on GeM is another example of GeM being a futuristic and ... Read more

A farmer from Himachal Pradesh has developed an innovative self-pollinating apple variety that does not require long chilling hours for flowering and fruit setting. This has spread to plain, tropical, and subtropical areas in various parts of India, where the temperature is as high as40 -45 ºC during summer. Commercial cultivation of this apple variety has been initiated in Manipur, Jammu, low lying areas of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, and fruit setting has been expanded to 23 states & UTs so far. Shri Hariman Sharma, a progressive farmer, hailing from Paniala village of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, who ... Read more

Four telecom companies have been given central approval to test 5G (fifth generation). Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and MTNL will launch the 5G test. Chinese technology has been completely eliminated. The technology will be provided by Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-Dot. Reliance will use its own technology. 5G technology provides ten times faster internet access than current 4G. 5G technology is revolutionizing various fields, including telemedicine and tele-education.

For those who love to travel, the covid pandemic is a huge challenge. Lockdowns, traffic restrictions, and the closure of entertainment venues are all part of the problem. Google says it has recently increased the number of searches on its search engine, such as “travel restrictions” and “where to travel”. But Google has found a way out of the traveler’s problems. The company is going to add some new features in Google search and Google Maps. In a blog post released yesterday, the company describes the travel tools it introduces in search engines. Google Search includes features that provide Covid ... Read more

Accor hospitality group has announced it is collaborating with Microsoft to launch All Connect, a new hybrid meetings concept supported by Microsoft Teams. This new concept will enable guests around the world to adapt to the new ways of working that are expected to be an enduring legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, 55% of Accor hotels with meeting rooms are already providing hybrid meetings solutions to their clients. Launching in April 2021, the new All Connect concept will ensure Accor hotels can provide an enriched full experience, which resets the bar on the hybrid meeting experience. Accor’s ambitious target ... Read more

Staff at Hotel Sky in Johannesburg’s wealthy Sandton district adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols, wearing masks and physically distancing from guests as much as possible; all, that is, except Lexi, Micah and Ariel. For the three concierges couldn’t breathe germs on you even if they wanted to: they’re robots. Robot hospitality is not new – Japanese hotels have been deploying them for years and in 2015 Tokyo’s Henn’na, or ‘Strange’, hotel became the first to be fully staffed by machines. Several robot-staffed Tokyo hotels are now using them to serve guests with mild COVID-19 symptoms. But Hotel Sky, which launched ... Read more

Amazon.com Inc announced that it would spend more than $500 million on one-time bonuses for its front-line employees in the United States who are working the holiday season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Full-time operations staff in the United States who are employed by Amazon from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 will receive a bonus of $300, while those in part-time roles will get $150, the online retailer said in a blog post. Several retailers, including Walmart Inc and Home Depot Inc, have spent millions in bonuses to compensate staff for catering to a surge in online shopping during the pandemic. In ... Read more

Munich-based start-up pleycs has announced the launch of its location-based social network platform www.pleycs.com. The free website enables users to network worldwide, with regard to places of interest or places already visited. Travelling to new places, working, or even living abroad involve many uncertainties. It is always great to have a contact on the ground that can help with suggestions and insider’s tips. pleycs makes these connections happen, the company said in a press release. Access to photos and information about places of interest make it fun to explore new destinations. The experiences of the user can also be collected and ... Read more

Now 3D animals are at your beck and call, via Google. Just a simple Google search will take you there. For example, to find a Lion in AR you will need to type “Lion” in the Google Chrome app, then go to the “View in 3D” option and just click on it. And whoa, you will have your 3D lion in your living space. Google’s 3D animals aren’t available on all devices yet. It’s only available on smartphones and not on the computer or laptop. Android smartphones or tablets running Android 7.0 or higher and iPhone or iPad running iOS ... Read more

Top-selling smartphone manufacturers are asking the government to classify handsets as an essential commodity which can be delivered to customers through e-commerce platforms amid the 21-day national lockdown in India. Industry bodies Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology (MAIT) and India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) have written to the government seeking concessions in the delivery of smartphones among other electronics devices and removal of restrictions on the movement of components for inland and export purposes. In its letter dated March 27 to the government, MAIT, the apex body of electronic product makers, suggested that ecommerce companies be listed under essential ... Read more

While the launch of the iPhone 12 is still months away, information about the device is already here. Last month saw new leaks that reveal information about a new design for the iPhone 12. The latest leaks around the product indicate Apple could enhance the iPhone 12’s Augmented Reality capabilities, by equipping these series with a new iPad Pro with LiDAR ( short form for Light Detection and Ranging) sensor. Interestingly, the sensor was first seen on the iPad Pro launched earlier this month, and will now make its way to the new iPhones in 2020. This information comes courtesy ... Read more

Now you can scroll Instagram together with friends, helping you to share the experience your near and dear ones. Instagram has started Co-Watching, which lets friends on a video chat or group video chat browse through feed posts that a user has liked or saved, or one that Instagram recommends. Co-Watching could let people joke and talk about Instagram’s content instead of just consuming it solo and maybe posting it to a chat thread so friends can do the same. That could lead to long usage sessions, incentivize users to collect a great depository of saved posts to share and ... Read more