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BMW Motorrad has announced a new Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) technology that operates the clutch and gearbox of a motorcycle to offer a smoother, faster, more precise gear shift. If you’re thinking “what for”, then you’re probably an existing motorcyclist. That was my first reaction when I saw BMW’s press release, but as I read onwards, I changed my mind.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: BMW Motorrad
The Earth’s magnetic field is vital for life – without it, the Sun’s radiation would sterilize the planet. But a new study suggests we wouldn’t be here at all if that magnetic field hadn’t almost completely collapsed half a billion years ago.
Tags: Earth, Magnetic, Magnetic field, Life, Evolution, University of Rochester
Huge advances in medical technology have led to increasingly advanced implanted neurological devices, such as deep brain, vagal nerve, and spinal cord stimulators. Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI), is one of the more well-known devices. China recently unveiled its own BCI implant, indicating that it’s quickly catching the US in the neurotechnological space.
Category: Technology
Tags: Brain-computer interface, Retinal Implants, Implant, Deep Brain Stimulation
If there's one thing that needs to be antibacterial, it's the public touchscreen displays that everyone paws at with their filthy fingers. Well, help is on the way, in the form of a newly developed copper coating.
Tags: Antibacterial, Corning, Touchscreen, Coatings
Even though snails are slow and slimy-bottomed, they've inspired a new type of robot that could be quite useful. Groups of these bots can operate independently or join together in order to perform tasks that would otherwise be impossible.
Category: Robotics, Technology
Tags: Chinese University of Hong Kong, Biomimicry, locomotion, Swarm Robotics
Though OpenAI is yet to make its Sora text-to-video model available to the public, it's ability to produce realistic, high-resolution video clips already has movie makers worried for job security. Now the tool has moved into the world of pop music videos.
Category: Technology
Tags: Open AI, Creative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Video, pop music
For the first time ever, a wild male orangutan in Sumatra has been spotted tending to a wound on his face in an ingenious way. The technique worked, adding even more cred to the intelligence of this striking and endangered species of great ape.
Tags: Orangutans, Apes, Self-healing, Wound, indonesia, Wildlife, Animals
One of the challenges of downsizing is that it's very awkward to have friends over. However, despite its compact size, Baluchon's latest model, the Mirasol, ensures its owner's social life won't suffer thanks to a guest sleeping area and a kitchen that opens onto an outdoor bar.
Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle
Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home, Baluchon
Over the years, we've seen a number of suggested replacements for gasoline to fuel motorcycles – including steam, hydrogen, water and batteries. Now a moto maker is getting ready to launch what's billed as the world's first CNG motorcycle.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: Gas, Motorcycle, India
We've been pretty busy testing cameras over the past few weeks, and these days, camera testing usually includes shooting video samples to evaluate video quality.
Recent VideosYou can find these samples in our recent or upcoming camera reviews, but here's a quick roundup of video test reels we've shot recently for those who may have missed them.
Sony a9 IIISony's a9 III is the first mirrorless camera to feature a global shutter, which is exciting to many videographers. But what about video quality? Check out this sample reel by former DPReview editor Carey Rose to see how it performs.
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Buy at Amazon.com Fujifilm X100VIFujifilm announced the much-anticipated X100VI rangefinder-style camera at an event in February. DPReview editor Richard Butler was present at the camera's launch in Japan and shared this overview of the camera from the streets of Tokyo.
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Buy at Amazon.com Panasonic S5II / S5IIXThe Panasonic S5II landed on our doorstep just as we learned of our parent company's intention to close DPReview in 2023, and we've been looking for an opportunity to shoehorn it back into our testing calendar ever since we joined Gear Patrol last summer. The good news: we finally managed to block out time to finish our review of the camera.
For this video test reel, shot with the S5IIX, editor Dale Baskin picked a maritime theme and took the camera to Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal, Fisherman's Terminal and Ballard Locks to capture samples in a variety of of settings.
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Buy at Amazon.com Panasonic G9 IIThe long-awaited Panasonic G9 II is an impressive camera for both stills and video. Former editor Jeff Keller, who still writes for DPReview and authored our Panasonic G9 II review, took the camera to the Bloedel Reserve, a forest garden near Seattle, to capture this video reel.
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Buy at Amazon.com Nikon ZfThe Nikon Zf may look like a film camera from the 1980s, but it's a capable video tool. For this sample video, Richard Butler followed a friend on a ferry trip across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island to visit a favorite haunt for fish and chips.
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Buy at Amazon.comPersonal flight is currently undergoing a renaissance thanks to the rapid advancement of so many requisite industrial technologies. The next phase of personal flight is poised to begin and the production version of this aircraft could well mark the occasion in history.
Tags: Pivotal Aero, eVTOL, Personal eVTOLs, Electric Aircraft
Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive technique that uses low-intensity light from lasers or LEDs to produce a therapeutic effect. It’s been used to treat medical conditions as varied as heart disease and wounds. Transcranial PBM, using light on the head, has also shown promise in treating psychological disorders.
Category: Health & Wellbeing, Lifestyle
Tags: Light, Microbiome, Brain, University of Barcelona
The first land plants burst forth from ancient algae onto the Earth about 550 million years ago. This one-off evolutionary event, known as plant terrestrialization, fundamentally changed the planet’s surface and atmosphere and made possible the development of all other terrestrial life – including humans.
Tags: Genome, Algae, Plants, Evolution, University of Nebraska
Two years ago, sodium-ion battery pioneer Natron Energy was busy preparing its specially formulated sodium batteries for mass production. The company slipped a little past its 2023 kickoff plans, but it didn't fall too far behind as far as mass battery production goes. It officially commenced production of its rapid-charging, long-life lithium-free sodium batteries this week, bringing to market an intriguing new alternative in the energy storage game.
Tags: Sodium battery, Battery Technology, Energy, Batteries
Space launches have become so common in recent years that even crewed missions don't get a lot of coverage, unless it's some sort of 'first.' But with Monday's Starliner mission, there's good reason for a heightened level of interest.
Tags: Starliner, Boeing, NASA, Launch, Space exploration
If you're an avid camper who drives a Tesla Model Y or a Rivian R1S, chances are you'll love Fruble's new Camper Kits for those EVs. Both kits feature pullout drawers for meal preparation and gear storage, along with optional in-vehicle sleeping platforms.
Tags: Tesla Model Y, Rivian, Kickstarter, Camping
Leeches may be creepy, but many people find hypodermic needles even creepier. That's one of the reasons why scientists have developed a new leech-inspired blood collection device, which draws blood samples without the need for a big jab.
Tags: ETH Zurich, Blood, Biomimicry
Preparing for the rise of 8K movies in the home cinema, JVC Kenwood has announced new additions to its high-end D-ILA laser projector family, with the new models able to input and display 8K/60p visuals with boosted brightness and contrast.
Category: Home Entertainment, Technology
Tags: JVC, home theater, Cinema, Laser, Projectors, 4K UHD, 8K
Dubai already boasts the world's tallest skyscraper, with the world's tallest residential tower on the way too. Now local firm Urb envisions transforming its shores with the world's largest coastal regeneration project. The ambitious development would involve planting over 100 million mangrove trees, safeguarding the city from erosion and rising sea levels.
Category: Architecture, Lifestyle
Tags: Tree, Dubai, sustainable design, Building and Construction
Fujifilm's X-H2 cameras both gain a series of improvements, including tap-to-track AF in movies, improved AF tracking performance in stills mode and direct Frame.io connectivity.
Photo: Richard Butler
Fujifilm has issued a series of firmware updates for its GFX100 II, X-T5, X-H2, X-H2S and X100VI.
Recent VideosAll five cameras gain some bug fixes and the ability to upload Raw files using the Xapp smartphone app, along with promises of more consistent Wi-Fi connections.
The X-H2S, X-H2 and X-T5 gain more, though, with the addition of AF tracking and the ability to tap-to-track in movie mode. The company also promises improved stills AF performance, with AF tracking less likely to lose focus.
They also gain the ability to upload files directly to the Frame.io platform (the X-H cameras previously required the File Transmitter FT-XH accessory grip.
Firmware can be downloaded from your local Fujifilm website or via Xapp.
SonyThe Sony a9 III gains some features promised at launch, including the ability to use its full shutter speed range when shooting 120 fps bursts.
Photo: Richard Butler
Sony has released the promised firmware v2.0 for the a9 III, adding a series of features including the ability to use the camera's full shutter speed range when shooting at 120fps.
It's also re-released an updated version of the firmware for the a1, which it announced in March and then withdrew. Firmware v2.01 fixes a networking bug that was present in firmware v2.00.
Firmware for both cameras can be downloaded from your local Sony support website.
The company has also started selling the paid-for licenses that allow users of the a7 IV, a1, a9 III and a7S III to install custom grid-line displays on their cameras. The feature is aimed at professional photographers who produce large volumes of photos and need a high level of consistency between shots to speed-up their workflow. The $150 license fee can be paid at Sony's professional products website.
NikonNikon has released a series of firmware updates this month, including ones for the Z5, Z8, D7500 and D850. These primarily resolve a minor bug relating to the handling of Wi-Fi passwords when the cameras are reset.
Zf owners gain a more extensive series of bug fixes, with firmware v1.20 ensuring details such as consistent white balance in images shot in pixel shift mode.
These updates can be downloaded from the Nikon website for your region, or via the Snapbridge app.
PanasonicPanasonic's Lumix DC-S5II and S5IIX received updates adding camera-to-cloud connectivity, some additional subject recognition modes and pre-burst shooting.
Coincidentally, Panasonic North American has also released a paid-for firmware option for professionals generating high volumes of images. This can integrate with several workflow tools and Panasonic's own barcode/QR code scanner and also offers framing masks to aid consistent composition. This $199 upgrade is available now.
Any we've missed?We've searched around for firmware updates but if there are any significant ones we've missed, please let us know in the comments.
