The Japanese developed holographic buttons for smart toilets

Japanese toilets have long since gained in intelligence and have become more technological than some computers. The set of functions is striking, but there are a few nuances: you have to manage them by pressing buttons, and it is not always hygienic. To solve the problem, Murakami Corporation has developed a holographic interface system that does not require physical contact with the remote control.

Murakami specializes in car mirrors, some of the technology has migrated to smart toilet solutions. The system is a set of small reflective surfaces, light sources, and infrared sensors. The image is projected a short distance away from them and, thanks to a set of mirrors, allows individual controls to be displayed on the overhead “screen”.

Considering the current pandemic, there may be even more demand for the development of Murakami, as it can be used not only to control smart toilets but also, for example, in ATMs, cash registers, etc. Certainly, time will pass before commercial use, and before 2022, commercial versions of Murakami holographic displays should not be expected.

It should be noted that similar developments are being carried out by other companies.

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Apple's new AR patent: can identify food freshness and calories through AR glasses

 There has always been news about Apple's VR/AR devices. Although Apple has launched the AR software development platform-AR Kit, it is still uncertain whether Apple will launch VR/AR-related terminal products, but it is basically OK What is certain is that Apple is making considerable investments in VR/AR-related hardware.

Three new patents

According to detailed information from the US Patent Office, Apple’s three new patented technologies are infrared sensing technology for food detection, adaptive facial interface, and eye-tracking technology for head-mounted devices.

The first patent is an electronic device with beam-steered infrared light sensing. This system can use infrared sensors to collect the spectrum of the target object, by using infrared spectrum, visible light camera image, or Data from other sensors are used to analyze object information.

The potential use of this technology patent is in AR devices. For example, users can use AR devices with this system to recognize food images. Through AR recognition, food information can be analyzed, including the freshness, fat content, and Food type, sweetness, etc., so that the maturity and calorie content of the food can be evaluated.

Of course, the scope of application of this technology is not limited to food. Generally speaking, any type of object, including plants, animals, food, paint, housing construction, automobiles, electronic equipment, furniture, etc., can be analyzed using optical sensors. . In addition, the system can also be used to monitor certain physical indicators of the user, such as breathing conditions. The second patent describes an adaptive face interface system (Head-Mounted Display Unit With Adaptable Facial Interface) that can be used in head-mounted display devices.

According to the patent, Apple's head-mounted device may be divided into two parts, one part is a display device, and the other part is a head-mounted accessory similar to a mask.

The head-mounted accessory can well prevent the entry of external light sources, provide a good protection for the user's eyes to avoid interference from ambient light, and can form a complete set of VR/AR equipment after being connected to the display device. Through this interface system, the user's virtual reality or mixed reality experience will be further enhanced. The third patent relates to eye-tracking technology, which can also be applied to augmented reality and virtual reality devices. 

Apple has previously proposed eye tracking related patents, but this patent announced this time is still somewhat different from the previous patents. This patent has made some improvements to the previous research tracking technology. This patent for eye-tracking technology uses a diffraction grating to receive light based on the previous "hot mirror" technology.

The diffraction grating redirects or reflects part of the infrared light reflected from the user's eyes, while allowing visible light to pass through. The camera captures an image of the user's eyes from the infrared light redirected or reflected by the diffraction grating.

The device using the diffraction grating will be smaller than the device using the hot mirror and can improve the viewing angle of the infrared camera. The future of Apple VR/AR devices can be expected in the past few years. Apple has made frequent developments in VR/AR. In the past few years, Apple has applied for a large number of patents related to VR/AR glasses, many of which have been applied to iPad. Waiting for existing equipment.

In addition, Apple has invested a lot of human resources in VR/AR projects, including some important executives. A few days ago, major media reported that Apple announced that Dan Riccio, it's head of hardware engineering, was transferred to a confidential new project. According to various sources, this new project is related to VR/AR equipment and is responsible for the final supervision of the project. And Mike Rockwell, the vice president of Apple, who was in charge of Apple's VR/AR project before, is still responsible for the daily research and development of VR/AR equipment. It is reported that more than 1,000 engineers have worked hard for this project, which shows that Apple attaches great importance to the project.

According to The Information last week, Apple may be developing an MR head-mounted device that will have 8K ultra-high resolution and cash eye-tracking technology. In terms of hardware, this device has more than a dozen cameras that can capture The movement of the human hand completes the interaction between the human and the virtual world.

The Information said that this device will sell for as much as US$3,000 and will be launched in 2022.

Based on all the current information, it is almost certain that Apple's launch of AR/VR/MR headsets can be said to be on the line, only to be released.

Ten years ago, Apple's iPhone subverted the form of a new generation of computer equipment. This time, in the field of virtual reality, whether Apple can once again become a breaker is worth looking forward to.

This article references:

https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/02/11/apple-refining-ar-and-vr-tech-including-sensors-to-detect-food-freshness

https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/8/22272555/apple-dan-riccio-ar-vr-developmen t

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/new-apple-mixed-reality-headset-details-swappable-headbands-eye-tracking

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An exclusive service to verify fake reviews of products before shopping them in online stores

When we buy a specific product from e-commerce stores, the first step we take is to review written reviews about that product to ensure its reliability and whether it is good and free from defects, and if you are not careful enough, these reviews may deceive you as some are designed just for the buyer. They are of high quality and in fact, are of poor quality products, so you may ask what can I do to avoid falling victim to fake reviews, fortunately, there is fakespot, which is a service for analyzing the reliability of reviews on the Internet stores, and it uses our intelligence algorithms. From false reviews, it quickly determines the reliability of reviews of products or not, especially those that receive a greater number of views, in addition to some practices that every customer must perform upon reaching the purchase stage to verify the quality of the product, especially in the reviews section, including verifying the personal photos of the owner's Ratings are the people who give the ratingsFake reviews often do not put their real pictures, but rather pictures of animals and well-known personalities, and also check the veracity of the spelling in writing the review as the fake reviews lack this feature, and the owners of fake evaluations also find that they exaggerate the praise of the product greatly, it is highly recommended to rely on A free fakespot service that detects real reviews from fake ones so that you are not taken by the poor quality of products and the fake positive reviews that you may encounter in the rating section.

All you have to do to verify the authenticity of the products in your favorite shopping stores is to select one of these products, then click on the "Share" option and choose the Fakespot application from the list as in the picture.

Fakespot service will analyze the product and tell you how good it is as found in the reviews section or vice versa

The app will show you some positive reviews that are verified for making the right decision about the product.

In the overview section, you will get acquainted with the full information about the product, by giving a full review of the product and whether or not it is recommended to buy it

The application also displays an illustrative chart for entering valuations and changes in the product price after the period

The fakespot service supports all known operating systems, and the application for the service can be downloaded on the Android or iPhone system, and even a special add-on for your Google Chrome browser

FakeSpot Service Link.

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Hackers almost succeeded in poisoning the water in an American city

An unknown man nearly poisoned the water in a small American town in Florida. The hacker was able to connect to the computer network of the Oldsmare Drinking Water Management System by increasing the sodium hydroxide ("caustic") supply from 100 units per million to 11,100 units. The substance is believed to regulate the pH balance of drinking water, however, in large proportions, it is toxic to humans.

The incident took place last Friday. One of the employees noticed a moving cursor on the computer screen, but did not attach much importance to it: remote working has become a practice, and authorized personnel have the right to control functions from the station.

However, after some time, the employee again drew attention to the activity of the computer. This time, an unknown person changed the sodium hydroxide feed level to an unacceptable level. The operator quickly stopped the process and returned it to normal. Despite the fact that the substance supply began, water poisoning did not occur - it would take about a day and a half.

Due to the high degree of danger, the FBI is likely to get involved.

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More terrible than a pandemic: Gates spoke about new challenges for humanity

Billionaire Bill Gates gave an interview in which he shared his prediction about life after the pandemic. The philanthropist is rather pessimistic: according to him, COVID-19 is far from the worst thing that humanity could face. What threats does Gates warn about?

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was interviewed by Veritasium YouTube owner Derek Mueller, in which he detailed that prophetic 2015 TED Talks when the philanthropist actually predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as shared his predictions about new threats that may face. planet in the near future.

Six years ago, Gates, speaking at a conference, said: "If something kills 10 million people in the next few decades, it will be a highly contagious virus, not a war." Now, recalling his speech, the billionaire regrets that he "was not convincing enough" for the world to be able to prepare for the current pandemic.

According to Gates, there are a large number of respiratory viruses that are highly contagious, and from time to time they cause global epidemics in the world, as was the case, for example, with the Spanish flu, so there was nothing revolutionary in his prediction. However, pandemics do not happen often enough to convince people to invest in protection against them. 

“We are lulling with a sense of false security, we do not think that this will happen in the next ten years, so we do not consider it necessary to invest in it,” the billionaire said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the importance of such investments.

Derek Müller suggested that humanity has learned its lesson with the new coronavirus, and therefore will be more prepared for the next outbreak of the infectious disease. However, he was interested in the question of what new threats with destructive consequences the world might face in the near future.

“One of them is climate change. Every year it will lead to a much higher number of victims than in the entire current pandemic, ”warned Gates.

Another challenge for which the world is not yet ready, according to the billionaire, is bioterrorism. 

“Anyone who wants to cause damage can create a virus artificially, which increases the chances of encountering it than in a natural pandemic,” said the philanthropist. 

Vivek Wadhwa, a technical expert and assistant professor at the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, said earlier about the real threat of bioterrorism, reports Business Insider. In his essay on this issue, Wadhwa points out the high likelihood of an artificial pandemic due to the emergence of disruptive and inexpensive technologies in the field of genetic engineering.

According to the expert, COVID-19 did not appear in the laboratory, but the next pandemic "may well be" a consequence of the cultivation of artificial pathogens. Wadhwa added that the new coronavirus should be considered a "dress rehearsal" before the spread of infections that will be deliberately created by humans in order to use them against the population.

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Scientists have named a new cause of the coronavirus pandemic

 

They like to make fun of the “greens” and those who regularly raise the issue of global warming. And, it seems, completely in vain. Scientists from the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom concluded that climate change affecting China and neighboring regions could play an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers revealed their findings in an article published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

As you know, the risk that a particular coronavirus (CoV) will acquire pathogenic properties for humans depends on the species diversity of bats in the region. In turn, biodiversity depends on the climate, which forces animals to move from one territory to another. Bats begin to interact with other mammalian species, which opens up new transmission routes for viruses and the potential for developing virulence.

Researchers identified the geographic ranges of various species of bats around the world in the early 20th century and today and compared them with global vegetation patterns for specific climates. Land cover maps were compiled based on data on average monthly temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and minimum temperature from 1901 to 2019. The validity of this approach was previously confirmed by empirical data.

Then the maps were combined with two more sets of known data: the dependence of bats on certain plants and how widespread a particular species of bats might be (this area is wider than the actual habitat of animals). As a result, the researchers obtained a grid, for each cell of which the species richness of bats is known.

It is worth noting that this approach does not take into account the actual disappearance of vegetation due to human activities. At the same time, the southern Chinese province of Yunnan and neighboring regions in Myanmar and Laos have turned into a hot spot with a high number of bats over the century, which researchers associated with climatic changes, due to which tropical bushes have been replaced by tropical savannas and deciduous forests. As a result, the number of coronaviruses carried by bats has increased by about 50-150 species (each bat carries 2.67 CoV), which is not observed anywhere else in the world.

In order to reduce the risk of future spread of zoonoses, the authors note, it is important to take measures to protect natural habitats, impose strict rules on hunting and trade in wild animals, and discourage risky food and medical practices.

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Four Ways To Protect Your Wi-Fi Router From Being Penetrated For All

We all agree that there is no network of non-porous, with programs dedicated to smartphones able to penetrate Wi-Fi network there are also dedicated to getting free Wi-Fi and computer applications are available on Windows platforms and Mac and Linux, waits for hackers any security loophole through which they can access your system Profile The use of these programs enables the owner to uncover the vulnerabilities that the routers suffer from on the one hand and to break the network’s protection and display the device’s records on the other hand. Provided by IBM Security, a free service that protects you from accessing websites that spread malware, steal personal information, and be exposed to phishing and phishing activities... 

The regular and automatic router updates   

When your router receives an update, you probably won't know about it. Modern routers can download it automatically and almost every router has options to update the firmware manually. So if it is not an automatic process, you will need to check it every three months at least and to access the Control and Management page of the router, you will need the IP address the device uses and the administrator password, you may find it written in the router branding user manual. Your own, but if you don't have this information there are sites that can help you find it just by entering the device name.

Once you open the control page, look for a section called "Advanced" or "Management" to search for firmware updates and download any updates if available. If there is an option in your router settings that allows downloading automatic updates, turn it on

 Stronger encryption

  

Most routers include encryption by default, if you are required to enter a password to connect to the device's Wi-Fi network, that means that you have already set it up, and there are different types of Wi-Fi encryption, some of which are weak in terms of protection, and many routers come with options for settings. Ancient encryption

 Buil

WPA3 encryption is one of the latest wireless encryption signs available in routers now. If you are considering buying a new router, make sure that it supports the WPA3 feature. To check the encryption settings, go to the Router Management option, under the "Wireless" menu or “Security” you will find the type of encryption adopted in your device, if you find that your router is incompatible with WPA3, “WPA2-PSK AES” is the next safest option, if your main network is securely encrypted, it will be safe to use, and most importantly, Never choose "unlock", which means no security whatsoever, and the same goes for WEP, which is a very old standard that can be easily compromised

t-in firewall  

The firewall is one of the best security tools included in modern routers, almost every router includes a certified and good firewall, no device names its firewall the same way, and you usually find this feature within the advanced settings for your routers such as NAT Filtering, Port Forwarding, Port Filtering, or Services Blocking

These settings allow you to modify the incoming and outgoing data ports of your network and protect it from strangers, but be careful with these settings, your default firewall is usually sufficient, and a misconfiguration of the ports can drive you off the web or make it easier for hackers to penetrate, in case you make a mistake While configuring the settings for your device, it is best to contact your internet service provider.

Disable remote access option   

Remote access technology is commonly used while communicating with technical support in order to solve a problem, and it is an option that allows the support body to enter the control panel of your devices in order to fix the defects in it remotely, and phishers and hackers find remote access an easy way to penetrate your Wi-Fi network, When it comes to your router, it is best for you to disable these settings completely. You can find this option in your router settings under the heading "Remote Management".

There are a lot of reasons why your Wi-Fi connection may slow down and it appears that at the worst of times it is not working, the reason may be physical location coverage, firmware issues, hardware limitations, or even some sneaking into the network and connecting to it without taking permission, It is very possible and must be paid attention to.

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