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Non-Invasive Spinal Cord Stimulation Gets Paralyzed Legs Moving Again

schwit1 writes: A new technique called transcutaneous stimulation has allowed five men with complete motor paralysis regain the ability to move their legs voluntarily and produce step-like movements. The treatment requires no surgery and adds to prior work to help paralyzed people gain voluntary movement through electrical stimulation (one completed in 2011, the other in 2014). Gizmag reports: “The new treatment uses a technique called transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, which involves strategically placing electrodes on the skin of the lower back. While receiving stimulation, the men’s legs were supported by braces that hung from the ceiling. At first their legs only moved involuntarily, if at all. But they soon found they could voluntarily extend the distance their legs moved during stimulation. They doubled their range of voluntary motion after four treatment sessions.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Non-Invasive Spinal Cord Stimulation Gets Paralyzed Legs Moving Again

BMW wants you to know when traffic lights change

Traffic lights are supposed to help keep driving orderly, but they often create more tension than they resolve. How do you know that the green light won’t turn yellow before it’s too late to slow down? BMW thinks it can help. It’s the first automaker to offer in-car support for Connected Signals’ EnLighten iOS app, which predicts when lights will change based on position and speed. All you need to do is keep an eye on your car’s infotainment display — it’ll tell you whether or not you should hit the brakes. The software is useful even if you’re stopped, as it’ll use your turn signals to show when a necessary light will return to green. This is the definition of a luxury feature when you need a BMW with ConnectedDrive Services just to give it a shot, but it could be entirely worthwhile if it spares you from an accident or a ticket. Filed under: Cellphones , Transportation , Mobile Comments Via: Gizmag Source: BMW , Connected Signals

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BMW wants you to know when traffic lights change

Microsoft now rolling out free Windows 10 upgrades

Today’s the day! Windows 10 is now available in 190 countries as a free upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1 owners. Replacing an OS is no one’s idea of fun, but we’re actually looking forward to this one. First off, we’ll be leaving behind the most hated version of Windows ever (sorry, Vista). In return, we’ll get one Microsoft was so confident in that they skipped version 9 altogether because hey, Windows 10 sounds better. So how to get it? We’ve got a handy guide , and Microsoft has info here , but if you already reserved your free upgrade, hang in there, as Microsoft says it’s rolling out in waves. Organizations will start to see the new version on August 1st. The computer you have should work just fine, as the minimum requirements haven’t changed much from Windows 7 and 8: A 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM (2GB for the 64-bit version) and 20GB of free space. The whole thing will take 30-45 minutes, according to Microsoft, not counting the 4-5GB download. Speaking of which, you’ll likely need to be patient, as the roll-out may actually break internet traffic records. As for what’s in it for you, the answer is plenty: you’ll get a much improved interface that takes the best of Windows 7 and 8.1, the new Edge browser, Cortana and better modern apps. You can read more about it in our Windows 10 review , but to cut to the chase, we gave it a stellar 91 rating. Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Microsoft

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Microsoft now rolling out free Windows 10 upgrades

LG made 1.2 cents in profit for every phone it sold last quarter

LG’s latest earnings report shows just how tough the smartphone market is getting. On the one hand, LG Mobile shipped 8.1 million LTE smartphones, its best result ever. On the other hand, it sold fewer premium models in Korea and spent a lot of money marketing its flagship G4 in the US against models by Apple, Samsung, et al. (The company singled out Apple , saying that iPhone sales hurt its earnings this quarter.) The net result was a mobile operating profit of just 200 million won ($172, 000) or 1.2 cents per phone. The good news is that the LG G4 has only been on sale in the US for two months , so it may have a stronger impact on LG’s bottom line next quarter. On top of a tight smartphone market, LG’s Home Entertainment division said that global demand for LCD TVs was “soft, ” as revenue dropped 22.7 percent to 3.93 trillion won ($3.59 billion). However, the company is bullish on its 4K OLED TVs , and plans to expand its lineup “with newer designs at more attractive price points.” For the quarter, LG saw an overeall drop in sales of 7.6 percent and earnings that were down 45 percent over last year to 226.4 billion won ($195 million). And if not for the company’s profitable Home Appliance division , that number would’ve been a loss. Filed under: Cellphones , Home Entertainment , LG Comments Source: LG

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LG made 1.2 cents in profit for every phone it sold last quarter

The latest ‘King’s Quest’ adventure starts today

In case Shenmue 3 and a Castlevania spiritual successor were a bit too recent and console-centric for your nostalgia kick, maybe the new King’s Quest will tickle your fancy. The hand-painted adventure game’s first episode is out today across a wide swath of platforms (PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 , Xbox 360 an Xbox One , Windows). Creative director Matt Korba writes on the PlayStation Blog that the aim was to make a family-friendly game in an effort to bridge the gap between players of yore and today. What’s more there are apparently quite a few references to the original games hidden here and there. Should you want to try and find ’em for yourself, it’s $9.99 per episode or $39.99 for the season pass. Filed under: Gaming , Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: PlayStation Blog

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The latest ‘King’s Quest’ adventure starts today

Lockheed Martin buys helicopter maker Sikorsky

Don’t look now, but Lockheed Martin just became an even larger aerospace powerhouse. The aircraft maker has acquired helicopter maker Sikorsky (best known for the UH-60 Blackhawk) for $9 billion. The two have already been partners on programs like the MH-60, but this gives Lockheed its very own rotary-wing team. If a customer wants something that flies, the company will have it covered. The buyout is poised to close by late 2015 or early 2016, provided everything goes smoothly. The union might come at a stiff price, however. Lockheed says it’s conducting a “strategic review” of both its information systems group and a chunk of its missile division — tough times in the market have led Lockheed to believe that these segments would be better-off either spun out or sold to someone else. That puts the future of more than 17, 000 workers in doubt, and that’s not including whatever jobs might be cut when the Sikorsky deal wraps up. [Image credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee] Filed under: Transportation Comments Source: Lockheed Martin

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Lockheed Martin buys helicopter maker Sikorsky

Spotify’s Discover Weekly uses your habits to recommend new music

Spotify just added a load of new features with a recent update and now it’s looking to help you find new music. To do just that, a new tool called Discover Weekly builds a two-hour playlist of suggestions based on your listening habits and those of folks with similar preferences. What’s more, the collection of tunes — basically a mixtape — is refreshed every Monday so that you’re greeted with new material on the regular. In fact, my collection was updated early this morning. Spotify says the more you use it, the better it’ll get, adapting as your musical taste evolves. Soon, Discover Weekly with appear at the top of your saved playlists for easy access. And yes, you can save individual songs you like or share the whole lot with your pals. I’ve had access to the tool for a few days, and based on the first set of tracks Spotify selected, I’m cautiously optimistic. Meek Mill, Run the Jewels, Of Monsters and Men and Miguel are getting the bulk of my attention these days, so the tool built my first playlist of songs from Caribou, Modest Mouse, Action Bronson, Flying Lotus and more. Understandably, this group of initial picks is a bit of a mixed bag — similar to my tastes — but I’m looking forward to seeing how the feature changes during weeks when I lean more towards one genre. In this morning’s update, for example, I received mostly hip-hop picks as my listening last week centered around that genre during workouts. While Apple Music touts its human-curated playlists, Spotify is relying on its software here, and it seems to work just fine. You’ll be able to try it for yourself soon enough, as the curated playlist should appear across all of Spotify’s apps shortly. Filed under: Portable Audio/Video , Internet , Software Comments

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Spotify’s Discover Weekly uses your habits to recommend new music

A Simple Magnetic Adapter Gives Your Charging Cables MagSafe Powers

A magnetic power connector didn’t seem that revolutionary when first revealed, but over the years the Apple MacBook’s MagSafe connector has proven itself to be an invaluable feature. And as the Znaps magnetic adapter shows, it would be just as useful for your mobile devices too. Read more…

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A Simple Magnetic Adapter Gives Your Charging Cables MagSafe Powers

Plastic roads may put asphalt to shame

The days of putting up with crumbling asphalt streets might just come to an end. Construction company VolkerWessels has revealed plans for recycled plastic roads that are both more sustainable and more practical than old-fashioned blacktop. Besides reusing material, they’d last about three times longer and survive greater temperature ranges (between -40F and 176F) — despite their fragile look, they’re less likely to crack under the strain of vehicles or the weather. You can pre-assemble them to lay them down faster, too, and their hollow structure is handy for cabling and pipes. This is just a concept at the moment, but VolkerWessels fully intends to test it and make sure that it holds up in the real world. That’s not idle talk, either. The Dutch city of Rotterdam is interested in trying out these plastic surfaces in its “street lab, ” and the company hopes to have an honest-to-goodness route in operation within three years. If the idea still sounds outlandish, look at it this way: it’s likely the closest you’ll ever get to driving a Hot Wheels track in real life. Filed under: Transportation , Science Comments Via: The Guardian , IEEE Spectrum , Slashdot Source: VolkerWessels

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Plastic roads may put asphalt to shame