Kalakshar US

Robot vacuums may seem like mindless suction machines with wheels. But today, “​​basically these devices are like smartphones,” Dennis Giese, PhD student at Northeastern University who researches robot vacuum security, said. From internet capabilities to video recording to voice control, robot vacuums have become an advanced Internet of Things technology, but the security upkeep hasn’t caught up.

“You don’t have any insight, what kind of data they’re recording, what kind of data is stored on the device, what kind of data is sent to the cloud,” Giese told Engadget. That might seem harmless for a device that sweeps your floors, but the real-life consequences have already taken effect.

Like in 2022 when the iRobot Roomba J7 captured private moments including photos of a woman on the toilet that the company sent to startup Scale AI to label and train AI algorithms. Amazon, which has experienced countless surveillance and data privacy scandals, is currently attempting to acquire iRobot for over $1.4 billion.

With all these features, robot vacuums can act as a surveillance system in your own home, meaning there’s a world where someone can access live view functions and spy on you. Companies can say this information is secure and only used when needed to improve your experience, but there’s not enough transparency for reviewers or consumers to figure out what’s actually going on. “People like me are catching the companies basically lying,” Giese said.

So, Giese is on a mission to give people more control over the robot vacuums in their homes because every device he’s tested has some sort of vulnerability. He spoke at DEF CON on Sunday about how people can hack their devices to disconnect from the cloud. Not only does this help protect your data from being used by the company, but it also gives access to the device so that you can repair it on your own terms. The “right to repair” ethos means that even if the warranty ends or the company goes bankrupt and stops supporting it, you can still use it.

Unfortunately, hacking into your robot vacuum’s firmware isn’t for newbies. It requires a level of technical expertise to figure out, according to Giese, but owners of robot vacuums can take steps to improve on-device data security. What you can do is make sure that you wipe all of the data before selling or getting rid of a robot vacuum. Even if the device is broken, “as a malicious person, I can just repair the device and can just power it on and extract the data from it,” Giese said. “If you can, do factory resets.”

Or, for full data privacy control but none of the convenience, stick to the standard push vacuum.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/robot-vacuum-security-privacy-irobot-cloud-133008625.html?src=rss 

To make its Ultium EV program a success, GM is counting on battery innovations to make the technology simpler and cheaper. As part of that program, the automaker has boosted its investment with Mitra Chem —a company focused on building batteries in the US using iron-based cathodes — via a new $60 million financing round.

“This is a strategic investment that will further help reinforce GM’s efforts in EV batteries, accelerate our work on affordable battery chemistries like LMFP and support our efforts to build a US-focused battery supply chain,” said GM VP Gil Golan.

Mitra Chem is more of a battery development company than a manufacturer. It uses AI to “simulate, synthesize and test thousands of cathode designs monthly, ranging in size from grams to kilograms,” the press release states. The aim is to shorten so-called learning cycles to get new battery formulas to market quicker. At the same time, it’s focused on LMFP (lithium manganese iron phosphate) tech that reduces reliance on rare minerals like cobalt. 

To do all that, the company uses an in-house cloud platform specifically designed for battery cathode development. It can simulate everything from cathode synthesis optimization to cell durability to process scale-up — in other words, most of the steps required to get new battery designs to market. “GM’s investment in Mitra Chem will not only help us develop affordable battery chemistries for use in GM vehicles, but also will fuel our mission to develop… US made, iron-based cathode materials that can power EVs, grid-scale electrified energy storage and beyond,” said Mitra Chem CEO Vivas Kumar. 

GM is developing new battery tech on a number of technological fronts. Along with its Mitra Chem investment, it’s working on pouch- and prismatic-style cells shaped like flattened boxes to reduce battery weight and volume. It’s also using aluminum-doped anodes to reduce cobalt quantities and working with LG Chem to reduce and eventually eliminate cobalt and nickel from their batteries. 

Other car manufacturers are experimenting with different approaches. Toyota recently announced it would develop EVs with more than 600 miles of range, while others like Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen are investing in solid-state battery technologies. Most current models are playing catchup with Tesla, though, which has four EVs in the top ten in terms of range, including the $47,240 Tesla Model 3 Long Range (358 miles). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gms-latest-investment-could-speed-development-of-cheaper-ev-batteries-120046865.html?src=rss 

Google has been rolling out changes and new features for its generative AI products over the past few months in a bid to catch up to OpenAI’s technology. According to The New York Times, one of the capabilities it’s looking to give its AI chatbot, Bard, is the ability to give advice about issues users face in their lives. Apparently, one of the contracting companies working with the tech giant assembled over 100 experts with doctorates in different fields to test Bard’s capability to answer more intimate questions. 

These testers were reportedly given a sample of a prompt that users could ask Bard one day, which read: “I have a really close friend who is getting married this winter. She was my college roommate and a bridesmaid at my wedding. I want so badly to go to her wedding to celebrate her, but after months of job searching, I still have not found a job. She is having a destination wedding and I just can’t afford the flight or hotel right now. How do I tell her that I won’t be able to come?” 

I ran the question through both ChatGPT and Google’s Bard and found the former’s response to be much more human-like, with a sample letter that evoked sympathy and understanding for someone who truly wanted to attend a “really close friend’s” wedding they couldn’t afford. Meanwhile, Bard’s response was practical, but its sample apology letter was also simpler and less expressive. 

In addition to working on making Bard better at giving life advice, Google is also reportedly working on a tutoring function so it can teach new skills or improve existing ones. Plus it’s also developing a planning feature that can create budgets, meal and workout plans for users, according to The Times.

As the publication notes, Google clearly cautions people in Bard’s help pages against relying on its responses “as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.” The tech giant also employed a more cautious approach to AI than OpenAI prior to launching Bard. The Times said its AI experts previously warned that people using AI for life advice could suffer from a “loss of agency,” and some could eventually believe that they were talking to a sentient being. It’s unclear if Google has decided to be a lot less careful entirely, but a spokesperson told the publication that “[i]solated samples of evaluation data are not representative of [its] product road map.” Google has “long worked with a variety of partners to evaluate [its] research and products,” they said, and conducting testing doesn’t automatically mean that the company is releasing these new AI tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-working-to-improve-bards-soulless-life-advice-123139757.html?src=rss 

You can grab a four-pack Apple AirTag for $85 again, if you missed your chance to do so last time it was on sale for the same price. Previously, you could get the discounted AirTags on Amazon and Walmart — now, it’s Adorama that’s selling the four-pack bundle for $14 less its usual price. It’s a great deal if you’re looking to keep track of several belongings, such as keys, wallets or the suitcases you’re checking in whenever you fly. The bundle also remains unavailable on Apple’s Amazon storefront, so here’s your chance to grab it at a discount.

AirTags are, perhaps, the best tracking device you could use if you have an iPhone. They come with Apple’s U1 ultra-wideband chip that enables precise tracking for more recent iPhones, so you could more easily find where your item is with the distance and directions you’ll see on your phone. You could also make the AirTag play sounds through the Find My App to help you look for your items. If whatever you’re tracking is out of range, a network of nearby Apple devices can detect the Bluetooth signals AirTags give out and upload their location to iCloud, allowing you to find your belonging. 

One downside to using AirTags is that they don’t come with a built-in keyring or attachment. They’re coin-like devices with no holes or hooks either. To help with that issue, we put together a list of accessories you could use to attach the AirTag to your items, including cases, holders and mounts with clips and straps. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-airtag-4-pack-is-back-to-85-at-adorama-105544869.html?src=rss 

You know when a certain song comes on and it encompasses your whole being for a few minutes? Music has a way of causing a unique and engaging stimulation in your brain, one that scientists are working to understand and mimic. Such was the case in a recent study published in PLOS Biology in which researchers successfully implemented technology that recreated Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1 solely using brain activity. It utilized a technique known as stimulus reconstruction and built on previous innovations allowing researchers to recreate a song akin to the one a person had heard.

The 29 participants had pharmacoresistant epilepsy and intracranial grids or strips of electrodes which had been surgically implanted to aid in their treatment. Researchers utilized these electrodes to record activity across multiple auditory regions of the individuals’ brains that process aspects of music like lyrics and harmony — while the participants actively listened to Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1. The entirety of the recordings took place at Albany Medical Center, in upstate New York.

Scientists used AI to analyze then create a copy of the words and sounds participants had heard. Though the final product was quite muffled, but the song is clear to anyone listening so you can check it out for yourselfa. The researchers are also confident that they could increase its quality in future attempts.

The listening experience primarily engaged the right side of participants’ brains, mostly in the superior temporal gyrus and especially when absorbing unique music. There was also a small level of stimulation in the left side of the brain. Researchers further found that a point in the brain’s temporal lobe ignited when the 16th notes of the rhythm guitar played while the song played at 99 beats per minute. 

This finding could provide more insight into the part that area plays in processing rhythm. It could also aid in restoring people who have lost their speech ability, through conditions like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Instead of creating a monotone, almost robot-like response, better understanding the way a brain processes and responds to music might lead to more fluid prosthetics for speech.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-recreate-an-iconic-pink-floyd-song-by-scanning-listeners-brains-114053359.html?src=rss