How Susan Kare gave Apple’s Mac its personality
When it comes to the most famous icon designers of all time, Susan Kare is, frankly, the most iconic. The designer of the icons and typefaces for the original Apple Mac, Kare helped give a friendly personality to computers at a time when most people still found them a bit scary.
When it comes to delivery drones, Google’s Wing is miles above the competition
The world has been waiting on autonomous drone deliveries seemingly forever. Google sister company Wing promises to make them a reality. Here's what it's achieved so far -- and some of the challenges it will face as it tries to get this technology off the ground. No pun intended.
Filter by positivity: This new A.I. could detoxify online comment threads
Internet comments frequently descend into toxic hate speech. Could an algorithm that instead focuses on highlighting 'help speech' be the answer? A.I. researchers from Carnegie Mellon University believe it could. Here's what they've developed -- and why they believe it may be so useful.
5 futuristic smart cities to keep an eye on through the 2020s
Whether it's embedded sensors or autonomous robots, cities are going to get a whole lot smarter in the 2020s. But some super ambitious developments are leading the way by building whole new city developments built around the latest tech. Here are 5 such projects to keep an eye on.
Meet the 9 Wikipedia bots that make the world’s largest encyclopedia possible
Wikipedia might be a utopian crowdsourcing example of how humans can come together to collaborate on something great, but it's bots that help the whole thing to work as well as it does. Meet the algorithms which enable the world's largest encyclopedia to function so effectively.
Here’s what all the movies set in 2020 predicted this year would be like
Life in the 2020s might be new to you and me, but it’s far from fresh territory for movies and TV. What did screenwriters think the world would be facing in the year 2020? Check out our rundown of the future that, well, is no longer quite as futuristic as it once appeared.
Wireless power over distance creeps closer to your home at CES 2020
The idea of wireless power over distance is attractive, and if CES 2020 is anything to go by, it's going to be available in real products this year. We spoke to Ossia, Wi-Charge, Powercast, and GuRu about their different approaches, what challenges remain, and to find out when we will see it in stores.
I met Samsung’s artificial humans, and they showed me the future of A.I.
Neon burst onto the scene at CES 2020 in a flurry of hype, but not much understanding of what the company wants to eventually achieve. It's a complex vision of the future, where we live alongside digital humans that look like us, move like us, and can think, learn, and remember.
Test riding Manta5: The unholy offspring of a boat, an airplane, and an e-bike
I took a break from the madness of the CES 2020 showfloor to test ride the Hydrofoiler XE-1: a hydrofoil ebike from New Zealand upstart Manta5. It was exactly as fun as it sounds.
Neuro-symbolic A.I. is the future of artificial intelligence. Here’s how it works
At the start of a new decade, one of IBM's top researchers thinks artificial intelligence needs to change. Welcome to the world of neuro-symbolic A.I., a fresh approach that could keep advances coming for long into the 2020s. Here's how it works -- and why it could be so important.
Where are they now? A look back at our past Top Tech of CES winners
For years, the tech sages of Digital Trends has been crowning the most impressive products at CES. How well have our picks held up? With CES 2020 on the horizon, it feels like a good time to look back at our favorite tech from years past, and ponder just how important they really proved to be.
Brain-reading headphones are here to give you telekinetic control
Would you want to try out brain-reading headphones? Brain-computer interface company Neurable is building technology that lets you control machines with your mind. Here's what it's got planned next -- and why everyone should be excited about this paradigm shift in the making.
From pizza to transplant organs: What drones will be delivering in the 2020s
Whether it's your Friday takeout, transplant organs, or books from Amazon, drone deliveries are coming. As we enter the 2020s, here's a rundown of the most exciting drone delivery companies -- and what they're promising to be right to your front door (or wherever needed).
Welcome to the 2020s. Here’s the tech that will shape the next decade
A new decade is here. So what technologies will shape the way we live in the 2020s? These seven technological advancements will change the way we look at the world and live in it, from space travel and tourism to the increasingly larger presence of technology in our lives.
These 3 transformative technologies will have the biggest impact on 2020
Three fields hold the most promise for the tech world in 2020: The Internet of Things (IoT); artificial intelligence (especially the most visible face of A.I., voice assistants); and 5G connections and devices. Here’s what it all means.
Revisiting the rise of A.I.: How far has artificial intelligence come since 2010?
In terms of the number and scale of its success stories, the 2010s have a good claim for being the greatest 10 years in the history of artificial intelligence. What were the biggest advances in A.I. over the past decade? Digital Trends takes a trip down recent memory lane.
Want to lift 200 pounds without breaking a sweat? Strap into this exosuit
Sarcos Robotics has spent the past 20 years building the ultimate powered robot exosuit. Early next year, its Guardian XO wearable robot will ship to the first customers. Here's what the company has built -- and why CEO Ben Wolff thinks it will change the workplace as we know it.
10 Incredible technologies that didn’t exist a decade ago
Technology sure has come a long way in the past decade. But what would you expect from the 10-year stretch that included the year Blade Runner was set in? Here's our rundown of the top 10 pieces of tech excited gadget-lovers got to try out for the first time in the 2010s.
Ten years in space: Remembering a decade of achievements in the final frontier
As we approach the end of 2019, we can look back and celebrate a remarkable set of achievements in our understanding and exploration of the universe beyond our planet. Here are ten of the finest achievements in space of the last 10 years.
Think your house is smart now? Here’s a peek at what it’ll be like with AR
Want to see how the world is going to look when augmented reality technology is everywhere? Researchers from the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University have created LightAnchors, a technology for marking up the real world in AR, to give us a sneak preview.
CES 2020: Mobility tech will go the extra mile to nix your need for a car
Based on some early clues from the CES 2020 lineup, it seems that micro-mobility might not be so micro moving forward. More and more, personal electric vehicles aren't being built to fill the gaps in your commute -- they're being built to complete it. We'll give a preview ahead of next month's show.
How a lesson learned from lotus flowers could give us self-cleaning solar panels
Dust can be a massive problem for solar panels. Borrowing from a neat evolutionary trick found in lotus flowers, researchers have developed a new material that could help keep future solar panels dust-free. Here's how it works -- and why this is an issue that needs to be solved.
Meet CIMON-2: The floating A.I. brain that lives on the ISS
The International Space Station recently received its newest resident: an artificial intelligence-powered flying robot called CIMON-2. Here is how it can be used to help out astronauts aboard the ISS -- including carrying out tasks and even understanding their emotions.
Inside the weird, wild, and wondrous world of quantum video games
Since the 1980s, scientists have dreamed about using the hypothetical power of quantum computers to solve some of the biggest problems known to humankind. IBM researcher James Wootton wants to use them to create computer games. Here's what you need to know about quantum gaming.
Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Robot arms and keychain-sized hard drives
Every week, Digital Trends combs through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to round up all the best gadgets, gizmos, and gear currently in preproduction.
We tested over 1,000 products in 2019. These are the best.
2019 was an awesome year for consumer tech. We tested over 1,000 of the best products, devices, and gear put out in 2019, including smartphones, laptops, and TVs. Our top tech is not just the best of the year, but the culmination of an innovative decade.
Exosuits for everybody: Meet the company that’s making wearable robots mainstream
San Francisco-based Roam Robotics has a dream to take wearable robot exosuits out of the lab and into the real world. Here's how it is planning to do so -- and why its founder believes that the company has solved the 'suck test' which has plagued so many attempts in the past.
Scientists tracked billions of migrating ocean animals using a giant space laser
Scientists used a NASA lidar satellite to track the world's biggest animal migration -- which just so happens to take place underwater. Here's what they did, how they did it, and what new types of imaging technology will make possible for similar research in the near future.
Surveillance on steroids: How A.I. is making Big Brother bigger and brainier
In an age of artificial intelligence, surveillance technologies are becoming a whole lot smarter. Skylark Labs has developed a drone-based system that identify behavior from the skies. Here's how it works -- and what it says about the bigger questions surrounding surveillance in 2019.
Elon’s Cybertruck smash and more: The biggest on-stage screwups in tech history
It’s a brave person who steps onto a stage to show off a new piece of tech. When it goes wrong, it can go spectacularly wrong, leading the incident itself to become the star of the show.
Six theories on why the Cybertruck’s bulletproof glass cracked so easily
Elon Musk smashing two of the windows of Tesla's divisive pickup, the Cybertruck, was the most commented-upon moment of the futuristic vehicle's unveiling. But why did the armor glass windows let him down? Here are several theories which might explain the breaks heard around the world.
Dr. Cecilia Bitz tracks sea ice as it disappears at unprecedented levels
Dr. Cecilia Bitz is an atmospheric scientist who studies sea ice. She's watched it melt and retreat in the Arctic Ocean and knows the trend is harmful for the planet. Melting ice is part of a climate change feedback loop that's causing big problems for polar bears, Native Alaskans, and others.
Straight flush: How next-gen smart toilets could revolutionize health tracking
Smart toilets may sound like a weird gimmicky novelty. However, they could turn out to be the health-tracking revolution that people have waited for. Here's why smart toilets could prove to be the internet-connected device that might one day just happen to save your life.
Here’s an A.I. preview of what climate change will do to your neighborhood
Researchers are using machine learning to help the public visualize the impact of climate change and inform policymakers on what to do.