1)Google Smart lense
Google’s smart contact lenses partner Novartis has abandoned plans to start testing its autofocus contact lens on people this year.
Despite assurances that its product with the search giant is ‘progressing steadily’ a spokeswoman for the brand revealed in an email that it was “too early to say when exactly human clinical trails for these lenses will begin”.
Novartis and Google teamed up two years ago with the lenses now being developed with Google parent company Alphabet Inc.’s life sciences unit. In 2014, Novartis chief executive Joe Jimenez said the company hoped the lenses would be on the market within five years and stated last year the product was on track to begin testing in 2016.
“This is a very technically complex process and both sides are learning as we go along,” claimed the spokeswoman adding, “we will provide updated at the appropriate time.”
Two kids of smart lenses are in development, an autofocusing lens for those with long-sightedness and another for measuring blood glucose levels in diabetics.
2)APPLE IS REPLACING IPHONE 6S BATTERIES FOR FREE
Although it's only been a few days since Apple launched a pricey repair program for the iPhone 6 Plus' "touch disease" flaw, it looks like the tech giant has launched another repair program in response to iPhone 6s devices that randomly shut down. This time, however, the repair is free.
Apple said the issue, which causes some iPhone 6s handsets to unexpectedly shut down, is limited to "a very small number" of units manufactured between September and October of 2015, according to a report by 9to5Mac. If you think your iPhone 6s is plagued by the problem, the company suggests you visit an Apple retail store or authorized service provider to check your eligibility (based on your phone's serial number) for a free battery replacement repair.
Apple also notes the battery bug is "not a safety issue," which is a bit reassuring after the rash of problems with a certain competitor's phone, but doesn't make the unexpected shutdown problem any less annoying.
3)The HTC Vive will soon be used to prepare patients for human head transplants
On Saturday during the annual Glasgow Neuro Conference, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero revealed a virtual reality platform developed by Inventum Bioengineering Technologies of Chicago, Illinois, to prepare patients for what lies ahead after their head is attached to a new body. That’s right: it’s to help with the psychological and physical changes that will take place after a human head transplant, the first of which will be performed next year.
“We are combining the latest advancements in virtual reality," said Inventum co-founder and CEO Alexander Pavlovcik, "to develop the world’s first protocol for preparing the patient for bodily freedom after the transplantation procedure.”
Prior to the transplant, the patient will undergo several months of training through virtual reality. These doctor-prescribed “experiences” will be tailored so that the patient uses full body movement for getting accustomed to voluntary motor functions. The first patient to use this VR platform will be Valery Spiridonov, who currently suffers from a muscle-wasting disorder called Werdnig-Hoffman disease.
The first part of the procedure will consist of attaching the patient’s head to a new body, also known by the acronym HEAVEN (head anastomosis venture). The second part will consist of infusing the head’s portion of the spinal cord to the body, a procedure known by the name Gemini. If the two procedures are successful, Spiridonov will already know how to use his new limbs thanks to what he learned through the VR system. In the words of Canavero, it will be a new world for the patient.
The VR system appears to be based on the HTC Vive headset and the Virtuix Omni, the latter of which features a concave surface and a stationary brace so that users can lock themselves in and physically move around in virtual reality without pacing the room and bumping into walls. The VR system also includes a cage-like structure with an attached, stationary vest to help keep the patient standing and in one place.
Canavero claims to have already completed successful trials using a monkey and a dog. The former reportedly took place in January, with the surgeon attaching a monkey’s head to a new body. The head was previously drained of all blood and cooled at 15 degrees Celsius, but did not suffer any brain injury during the transplant. However, the dog underwent a different procedure in that its spinal cord was over 90 percent severed and reconnected using a chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG). The dog reportedly could walk again three weeks after the procedure.
Canavero first made his plans known to carry out the first human head transplant in 2013 when he was part of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy. The attempt then became public knowledge in February of 2015 in an interview with New Scientist. However, the very first head transplant was successfully completed on a monkey by Robert White at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970. The monkey only lived for nine days because the body’s immune system rejected the head.
Obviously, there are a lot of factors surrounding the transplant of a human head. One of the biggest concerns is over the proper fusion of the spinal cord. But both Canavero and Spiridonov are willing to go all the way with the transplant, including using the HTC Vive to prepare Spiridonov (in the event the operation is successful) for what is to come with a brand new, healthy body.
4)Fresh blow to China's troubled tech giant LeEco
4)Fresh blow to China's troubled tech giant LeEco
The Cool1 Dual smartphone is a collaboration between Coolpad and LeEco
The Chinese smartphone-maker Coolpad has unexpectedly warned of a sales slump, causing its shares to fall by nearly 10%.
It blamed tougher economic conditions and "fierce competition in the domestic smartphone market" for its troubles.
The news is a fresh blow to its biggest shareholder LeEco, which had recently increased its stake in the business.
Earlier this month, one of LeEco's co-founders warned of its own financial problems following a push into the US.
