These 95g AR Glasses Replace VR Headsets with a 300-Inch Screen

Posted on by

Portable entertainment has split into two unsatisfying extremes. AR glasses feel like oversized phone screens floating in front of your face, and VR headsets are immersive but too heavy, bulky, and isolating for everyday use. There is a desire for something that feels like a real cinema experience but can be used on a couch, in bed, on a plane, or in a café without suiting up or strapping a helmet to your face.

Xynavo is a pair of lightweight AR glasses built around lightweight immersion, private audio, and expandable functionality. It offers a 70-degree field of view and dual 4K micro-OLED displays, creating a virtual screen equivalent to more than 300 inches, yet weighs only 95g. The goal is to turn whatever you already own into a cinema-scale display you can wear, without the weight and noise of a full headset.

Designer: Xynavo

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $499 ($200 off). Hurry, only a few units left! Raised over $199,200.

Xynavo fits into evenings at home, where couples can use a multi-device adapter to connect two pairs and share the same screen, playing on a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck together or watching films and series side by side. Parents and children can share animated movies and family comedies, or connect a game console for interactive play, with private audio and a huge virtual screen.

Late nights or quiet weekends alone, you put on Xynavo and relax on the couch or in bed watching NBA, NFL, or UEFA Champions League games, or diving into action movies and sci-fi series. The dual 4K clarity and private audio turn it into a theater experience made just for you, without needing to dedicate a room or disturb anyone else in the house.

1

On planes, high-speed trains, or in hotel rooms, you connect a laptop via USB-C or the included HDMI adapter, pair a wireless keyboard, and handle email or browsing. Then you switch seamlessly to movies or games, all while the glasses stay light enough to wear for full episodes or matches without headband fatigue. The 95 g weight makes hours-long sessions feel manageable instead of exhausting.

Most AR glasses offer a narrow field of view that feels like a big phone, while Xynavo’s 70-degree FOV and dual 4K panels fill your vision with a cinema-scale scene. The high pixel density keeps text crisp and motion smooth, avoiding screen-door effects. A +2D to -6D diopter adjustment range lets many users dial in crystal-clear focus without wearing prescription glasses underneath, making the fit more comfortable.

1

Open-ear AR audio often leaks sound and struggles in noisy or very quiet spaces. Xynavo uses magnetic in-ear modules designed for noise isolation and zero sound leakage, keeping audio clear on trains and planes and private next to someone sleeping. That makes shared spaces and late-night use realistic, without headphones or disturbing people nearby.

Two built-in 3D split-screen modes, 3840×1080 and 1920×1080, let you watch a wider range of 3D content. A long press switches formats, while the dual 4K panels maintain depth and clarity across both modes. This flexibility means more 3D videos, apps, and playback sources work without workarounds or format hunting.

Xynavo connects to smartphones, handheld consoles, tablets, laptops, gaming systems, and PCs via its Type-C cable and included HDMI adapter, working as a plug-and-play external display without special apps or pairing. It is designed as an expandable Type-C vision platform, with support planned for external modules like cameras, night vision, and thermal imaging. That hints at a future where the same lightweight frame can grow with whatever you want to see next.

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $499 ($200 off). Hurry, only a few units left! Raised over $199,200.

The post These 95g AR Glasses Replace VR Headsets with a 300-Inch Screen first appeared on Yanko Design.

HMD’s $28 ANC Earbuds Cost The Same As A Movie Ticket, Which Is Ridiculous

Posted on by

Twenty-five euros buys you a decent lunch in most European cities, maybe two movie tickets if you’re lucky, or apparently a pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation from a company that’s been manufacturing consumer electronics for years. HMD just launched the DUB X50 Pro in India at ₹2,000, which converts to roughly $28.7 USD depending on exchange rates, and the spec sheet reads like someone accidentally typed an extra zero into the pricing database. We are talking ANC, a claimed 60 hours of total battery life, multipoint connectivity, IPX4 water resistance, and a companion app, all at a price point where most brands would be cutting Bluetooth codecs and shipping you mono earbuds in a cardboard sleeve. On paper, this thing looks like a midrange product that woke up in a bargain bin.

The budget TWS space has been heating up for a while, with brands like Baseus and SoundPEATS dragging ANC down into the 20 to 30 dollar range. But HMD is not a random logo slapped on an ODM shell; this is the same outfit that rebuilt Nokia’s phone business and is now pushing its own HMD branded phones and wearables. That context matters, because a known manufacturer shipping €25 ANC earbuds through proper retail channels hits very differently from a mystery brand on a marketplace listing. If these are even moderately competent, they start to reset expectations for what entry level audio should look like. The question becomes less “how are these so cheap” and more “what exactly are the expensive guys charging for”.

Designer: HMD

Specs first, feelings later. HMD claims up to 60 hours of total playback with the case, which likely breaks down to around 9 or 10 hours per charge in the buds and roughly five recharges from the case under ideal conditions. With ANC on and real world volume, you are probably looking at closer to 6 or 7 hours per session and maybe 40 to 45 hours total, which is still excellent at this price. Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint pairing, low latency mode, in ear detection, and voice assistant support round out the feature list. The case is about 51 x 65 x 25 mm and 60 g, so pocketable without feeling like a pebble cosplay of AirPods. IPX4 water resistance covers sweat and rain, not swimming.

ANC is where the fantasy usually cracks – cheap implementations either barely touch low frequency rumble or they attack everything so hard you get hiss and pressure fatigue. HMD talks about ANC plus AI powered four mic ENC for calls, which is the standard 2026 marketing cocktail. Execution is what matters. If this lands in the same effectiveness band as the Baseus BP1 Pro, which genuinely cuts down bus and office noise for around the same money, then HMD has done something very disruptive. If it behaves like the usual budget ANC that flickers every time the wind shifts, you end up with an impressive spec sheet and a feature you toggle off after a day.

The design story is predictably unexciting… but that’s not a bad thing. Stemmed in ear buds, rounded case, muted colors like blue and silver. This is classic HMD: hardware that tries to disappear into your life instead of screaming “new toy”. That fits their broader strategy. They are building an ecosystem now, with HMD phones, DUB earbuds across three series, and new Watch X1 and Watch P1 wearables. Picture a bundle in a Middle Eastern or Indian retail store where you walk out with phone, watch, and ANC earbuds for less than a single pair of AirPods Pro. That is the competitive pressure this kind of product creates.

Whether you should care comes down to your tolerance for compromise. At €25, no one sane expects Sony level soundstage or Bose level cancellation. What matters is whether HMD clears the “good enough to live with” bar: stable connection, non-annoying ANC, tuning that does not turn everything into a muddy mess, and hardware that survives daily abuse. Given their track record with sturdy, sensible phones, I would not bet against them hitting that baseline. If they do, the DUB X50 Pro becomes less of a curiosity and more of a line in the sand for what budget ANC has to look like from here on.

The post HMD’s $28 ANC Earbuds Cost The Same As A Movie Ticket, Which Is Ridiculous first appeared on Yanko Design.

Vagabond Haven’s Evergreen Trades Wheels for Space in Modular Tiny House Debut

Posted on by

Vagabond Haven has stepped away from wheels with the Evergreen, their first modular tiny house that prioritizes space over portability. The Swedish company, known for its mobile tiny homes built for Scandinavian conditions, designed this two-module dwelling for those who want the tiny house lifestyle without the constraints of road-legal dimensions. The Evergreen represents a deliberate shift in the tiny house market, acknowledging that not everyone needs mobility but still wants the benefits of compact, efficient living.

The difference is immediately apparent in the measurements. While the Evergreen’s length sits at a modest 8.3 meters, the width stretches to 6 meters, more than double what you’d find in a towable tiny house. This generous footprint translates to 41 square meters of living space, making it the largest offering in Vagabond Haven’s modular category. The two seamlessly connected modules create an interior that feels surprisingly conventional rather than cramped, offering room to breathe and move without the spatial compromises typical of road-restricted designs.

Designer: Vagabond Haven

The layout takes full advantage of this extra room with a single-floor design that avoids the loft bedrooms common in mobile tiny houses. The living area features an L-shaped sofa arrangement with space for both a coffee table and entertainment center. The kitchen doesn’t skimp on storage, offering more cabinetry than you’d typically find in compact homes of this size. Two bedrooms occupy separate zones of the house. The master bedroom accommodates a double bed with integrated storage, while the smaller second bedroom fits a single bed with a lifting frame, desk, armchair, and bookcase. This makes the Evergreen practical for couples, small families, or anyone needing dedicated office space alongside sleeping quarters.

Vagabond Haven carried over the same craftsmanship and attention to sustainability that defines their mobile homes. The technical specifications include LED lighting with dimmers, options for solar systems, and a rainwater harvesting setup. Ventilation runs through the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, with a recuperator system managing air quality. Buyers can choose between electric or gas water heaters, and the plumbing uses stainless steel pipes throughout. These features ensure the home performs well in various climates while maintaining eco-friendly credentials.

The company offers full customization of furniture colors and flooring, letting owners personalize the aesthetic to match their preferences. The home arrives via truck and sits on a concrete platform rather than a trailer foundation. For those curious about the space before committing, Vagabond Haven provides a virtual 3D tour on their website. Ready-built models are available with delivery times ranging from two to four weeks when units are in stock.

The Evergreen splits the difference between mobile tiny houses and traditional construction, offering factory-built quality and relatively quick installation without the permanent commitment of conventional building. Some buyers simply want efficient, well-designed small homes that maximize every square meter without the engineering compromises required for highway travel. The modular approach delivers exactly that, creating homes where space and comfort take priority over portability.

The post Vagabond Haven’s Evergreen Trades Wheels for Space in Modular Tiny House Debut first appeared on Yanko Design.

Aghsan Reimagines the Umbrella Stand as a Quiet Ritual After Rain

Posted on by

There is something quietly poetic about the moment you return indoors after the rain. Shoes pause at the threshold, umbrellas drip in silence, and the air briefly carries that unmistakable scent of wet earth. Yet in most homes and public spaces, this moment is interrupted by clutter. Umbrellas are stacked awkwardly in corners, water pools on the floor, and metal stands tip or rust over time. Aghsan enters this overlooked scene not simply as a solution but as a reimagining of the experience itself.

At its core, Aghsan is an umbrella stand. In spirit, it is an experience that transforms rainwater into something sensory, calm, and intentional. The name Aghsan, meaning branches, refers to the limbs of a tree reaching between earth and sky, a symbol tied to life, growth, and connection. This metaphor forms the foundation of the design, guiding both its form and its function.

Designer: Samir Hossam

Visually, Aghsan resembles an abstract cluster of intertwining branches rising upward with lightness and balance. Each element feels deliberate, avoiding visual chaos while still expressing movement and vitality. Umbrellas are held individually rather than compressed into a single container, allowing them to dry naturally and remain visually organized. The design recognizes that disorder often comes not from excess but from poor structure, and here that structure is inspired directly by nature.

What truly sets Aghsan apart is how it engages the senses. At the base of the stand lies a water-sensitive aromatic sponge. As rainwater drips from umbrellas, it is absorbed into this layer, triggering the release of a subtle, refreshing fragrance inspired by rainfall. The result is a soft, calming scent that fills the entryway, echoing the feeling of stepping outside just after a storm. Rain is no longer treated as an inconvenience but as part of the atmosphere of the space.

This sensory layer also plays a quiet functional role. Over time, the association between the scent and the presence of an umbrella becomes ingrained. The fragrance serves as a gentle reminder to take the umbrella when leaving, relying on memory rather than instruction. It is designed to work at a subconscious level, supporting everyday behavior without demanding attention.

Functionally,y Aghsan resolves many frustrations associated with traditional umbrella stands. A heavy metal base anchors the design, ensuring stability and preventing tipping, a common issue with lightweight stands. The open perforated structure encourages airflow, while the raised edge of the base keeps umbrellas securely in place even when the stand is partially full or slightly moved. Long umbrellas can be leaned comfortably while smaller ones find their place within the branching openings above, creating intuitive organization without visual clutter.

Material choices further support durability and ease of maintenance. Unlike many metal stands that rust or lose their finish over time, Aghsan is designed to age gracefully. The sponge layer is replaceable, allowing users to refresh the fragrance or change it entirely, adding a personal and almost ritual quality to the object.

By blending organic inspiration with simple technology, Aghsan challenges expectations of everyday household products. It suggests that even the most practical objects can carry emotional value. By turning rainwater into scent clutter into order and routine into experience, Aghsan elevates the umbrella stand from a background object to a thoughtful design presence that brings calm to the threshold of daily life.

The post Aghsan Reimagines the Umbrella Stand as a Quiet Ritual After Rain first appeared on Yanko Design.

Meta blocks links to ICE List, a Wiki that names agents

Posted on by

Meta has started blocking links to ICE List, a website that compiles information about incidents involving Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents, and lists thousands of their employees' names. It seems that the latter detail is what caused Meta to take action in a move that was first reported by Wired. 

ICE List is a crowdsourced Wiki that describes itself as "an independently maintained public documentation project focused on immigration-enforcement activity" in the US. "Its purpose is to record, organize, and preserve verifiable information about enforcement actions, agents, facilities, vehicles, and related incidents that would otherwise remain fragmented, difficult to access, or undocumented," its website states.

Along with notable incidents, the website also lists the names of individual agents associated with ICE, CBP and other DHS agencies. According to Wired, the website's creators said much of that information had come from a "leak," though it appears to be based largely on public LinkedIn profiles. As Wired notes:

The site went viral earlier this month when it claimed to have uploaded a leaked list of 4,500 DHS employees to its site, but a WIRED analysis found that the list relied heavily on information the employees shared publicly about themselves on sites such as LinkedIn.

Links to ICE List have been spreading widely for several weeks, including on Meta's platforms. There are numerous links to the website on Threads, some of which go back several weeks. Now though, clicking on previously-shared links instead results in a message that the link can't be opened. Users who try to share new links on Threads or Facebook also see error messages. "Posts that look like spam according to our Community Guidelines are blocked on Facebook and can't be edited," the notice says.  

When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson pointed to the company's privacy policy barring the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII). The company didn't address why it chose to start blocking the website after several weeks, or whether it considers public LinkedIn profiles to be in violation of its rules against doxxing.

It is, however, not the first time Meta has opted to remove users' posts tracking information about ICE actions. The social network previously took down a Facebook group that tracked ICE sightings in Chicago after pressure from the Justice Department.

Have a tip for Karissa? You can reach her by email, on X, Bluesky, Threads, or send a message to @karissabe.51 to chat confidentially on Signal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-blocks-links-to-ice-list-a-wiki-that-names-agents-231410653.html?src=rss

Mark Zuckerberg was initially opposed to parental controls for AI chatbots, according to legal filing

Posted on by

Meta has faced some serious questions about how it allows its underage users to interact with AI-powered chatbots. Most recently, internal communications obtained by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office revealed that although Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was opposed to the chatbots having "explicit" conversations with minors, he also rejected the idea of placing parental controls on the feature.

Reuters reported that in an exchange between two unnamed Meta employees, one wrote that we "pushed hard for parental controls to turn GenAI off – but GenAI leadership pushed back stating Mark decision.” In its statement to the publication, Meta accused the New Mexico Attorney General of "cherry picking documents to paint a flawed and inaccurate picture." New Mexico is suing Meta on charges that the company “failed to stem the tide of damaging sexual material and sexual propositions delivered to children;” the case is scheduled to go to trial in February.

Despite only being available for a brief time, Meta's chatbots have already accumulated quite a history of behavior that veers into offensive if not outright illegal. In April 2025, The Wall Street Journal released an investigation that found Meta's chatbots could engage in fantasy sex conversations with minors, or could be directed to mimic a minor and engage in sexual conversation. The report claimed that Zuckerberg had wanted looser guards implemented around Meta's chatbots, but a spokesperson denied that the company had overlooked protections for children and teens. 

Internal review documents revealed in August 2025 detailed several hypothetical situations of what chatbot behaviors would be permitted, and the lines between sensual and sexual seemed pretty hazy. The document also permitted the chatbots to argue racist concepts. At the time, a representative told Engadget that the offending passages were hypotheticals rather than actual policy, which doesn't really seem like much of an improvement, and that they were removed from the document. 

Despite the multiple instances of questionable use of the chatbots, Meta only decided to suspend teen accounts' access to them last week. The company said it is temporarily removing access while it develops the parental controls that Zuckerberg had allegedly rejected using.

"Parents have long been able to see if their teens have been chatting with AIs on Instagram, and in October we announced our plans to go further, building new tools to give parents more control over their teens’ experiences with AI characters," a representative from Meta said. "Last week we once again reinforced our commitment to delivering on our promise of parental controls for AI, pausing teen access to AI characters completely until the updated version is ready."

New Mexico filed this lawsuit against Meta in December 2023 on claims that the company's platforms failed to protect minors from harassment by adults. Internal documents revealed early on in that complaint revealed that 100,000 child users were harassed daily on Meta's services.

Update, January 27, 2025, 6:52PM ET: Added statement from Meta spokesperson.

Update, January 27, 2025, 6:15PM ET: Corrected misstated timeline of the New Mexico lawsuit, which was filed in December 2023, not December 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-was-initially-opposed-to-parental-controls-for-ai-chatbots-according-to-legal-filing-230110214.html?src=rss

Japan’s Pokémon Hotel Rooms Put 100+ Characters on Your Ceiling (And Gyarados in Your Bathroom)

Posted on by

Snorlax is napping on your bed. Rayquaza soars across the ceiling. Gyarados splashes through your bathroom walls. This is not a fever dream—this is checking into a MIMARU Pokémon Room, where over 100 beloved characters have escaped their Poké Balls to transform apartment-style hotels across Japan into immersive wonderlands.

Since their 2019 debut, these themed accommodations have evolved from a novel concept into a hospitality phenomenon, now spanning 10 properties in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The latest renovation doubles down on what made them irresistible: more Pokémon, more family-friendly spaces, and meticulous attention to detail. Water-types gather in bathrooms. Food-loving characters populate kitchens. Even the dining table and tableware echo the iconic Poké Ball design. For families seeking more than generic hotel rooms and Pokémon fans wanting to live inside their childhood obsession, MIMARU has created something genuinely special.

Designers: Nintendo & Mimaru Hotels

Most themed hotels give you a logo on the wall and call it a day. MIMARU went full maximalist and put 100+ Pokémon across every available surface including the ceiling, which most designers treat like dead space. The apartment format solves the actual problem of traveling with kids or groups: you need a kitchen, you need separate sleeping areas, you need room to exist without climbing over each other. Scaling from the 2019 launch to 10 properties across Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka means this concept is making serious money. Hotels kill ideas that don’t work. They expand what drives bookings.

Custom Poké Ball plates and mugs mean you’re eating breakfast off themed dinnerware. The dining table itself has the circular red and white design built in. These aren’t afterthought details or cheap branded merchandise they threw in a gift shop basket. The tableware extends the experience into every meal without being obnoxious about it. You’re drinking coffee from a Poké Ball mug while surrounded by wall art of Charizard and Dragonite. The layering works because each element reinforces the others instead of competing for attention.

You walk in and there’s a massive Snorlax plushie sprawled across Poké Ball bedding. Every guest photographs this thing. Every review mentions it. It’s become the signature element that people specifically request when booking. The plushie works because it’s tactile, huggable, and perfectly in-character for Snorlax to be permanently napping on your bed. It’s also shameless Instagram bait, which means free marketing from every family that stays there. The design team knew exactly what they were doing when they made this the centerpiece.

Water-types live in the bathroom. Food-obsessed Pokémon populate the kitchen. Flying and legendary types take over the ceiling murals. Someone actually thought about spatial logic instead of randomly slapping characters everywhere like a kid with stickers. Lapras and Magikarp around the bathtub makes intuitive sense. Pikachu hanging out near the dining table with other food-loving characters feels natural when you’re making breakfast. This kind of ecosystem thinking is rare in themed spaces, which usually prioritize maximum logo visibility over coherent storytelling. The renovation team understood that immersion breaks when placement feels arbitrary.

Every stay includes MIMARU-exclusive merchandise you can’t get anywhere else. Limited edition fabric bags, collectible items that only guests receive. This is retention marketing dressed up as a perk, and it’s extremely effective. People collect these things. They post about them. They keep them as physical reminders of the experience, which triggers “remember when we stayed at the Pokémon hotel” conversations years later. Creating scarcity around a hotel stay is smart business. Making guests feel like they’re part of something exclusive rather than just renting a room builds the kind of emotional attachment that drives repeat bookings.

The properties sit near major tourist hubs and transportation centers, which balances fantasy with practicality. You can spend your day exploring Shibuya or Kyoto’s temples, then return to your Pokémon sanctuary at night. International families especially appreciate the apartment setup because it lets them cook meals and avoid the exhausting hotel-restaurant cycle. Guest feedback consistently uses phrases like “living in the Pokémon world,” which is the gold standard for themed hospitality. You want people feeling transported, not just tolerating cute wallpaper for a night.

The post Japan’s Pokémon Hotel Rooms Put 100+ Characters on Your Ceiling (And Gyarados in Your Bathroom) first appeared on Yanko Design.

Adobe Photoshop upgrades its Firefly-powered generative-AI editing tools

Posted on by

Adobe Photoshop introduced some new features that are rolling out for creators today. As you'd expect from any service operator in this day and age, there's some AI involved. Adobe has improved the tools for Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Remove that are powered by its Firefly generative AI platform. Using these tools for image editing should now produce results in 2K resolution with fewer artifacts and increased detail all while delivering better matches for the provided prompts. The Reference Image option for Generative Fill has also been upgraded to deliver "geometry-aware results that better match the scene." 

 One of the other new updates is a beta version of Dynamic Text, which should allow simpler transformation of a text layer into a curved shape. Photoshop has also added new adjustment layers: Clarity, Dehaze and Grain. These allow non-destructive image editing on layers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/adobe-photoshop-upgrades-its-firefly-powered-generative-ai-editing-tools-213737915.html?src=rss

A mechanical LEGO Typewriter that types using Gravity, not ink

Posted on by

When the official LEGO Typewriter was released in 2021, it was one of the coolest sets around. The brick typewriter had a major kink, though: it could not type any genuine text. Koenkun Bricks was bugged by this shortcoming and wanted to build a working model that could type in character fits for the LEGO world.

This incredibly detailed LEGO Typewriter is a result of that ambition, as the typewriter sticks LEGO character tiles onto the LEGO brick, making the LEGO typewriter set complete in its own right. The detailed DIY is achieved with LEGO parts, a rubber band, and, of course, the maker’s intuitive engineering brain.

Designer: Koenkun Bricks

Rather than trying to replicate the full complexity of a real typewriter’s mechanics, which would require dozens of articulated typebars and space far beyond a reasonable LEGO build, the creator reinvented the typing process to fit within standard LEGO constraints. Koenkun Bricks’ solution foregoes ink and paper entirely, instead using LEGO letter tiles as the “characters” that are pushed onto a reusable base plate that stands in for the page. This clever redesign allows the model to remain roughly the size of a classic typewriter while still delivering a tactile, playful typing experience.

Each key on this functional LEGO typewriter serves two purposes. When pressed, a corresponding hopper opens to release a specific letter tile by gravity. On release, stored tension in rubber bands powers a pusher that drives the tile through a ramp and around a guiding arch before it contacts the white LEGO base plate, ensuring the tile lands facing correctly. This sequence cleverly simulates letter placement without needing complex print mechanics and shows a deep understanding of LEGO’s modular systems.

The arrangement of keys posed its own challenge. With 26 letters to accommodate, space was at a premium. Early versions attempted to eject characters forward like classic typebars, but this caused interference between adjacent mechanisms. The final design staggers the key rows slightly, allowing each to operate independently while maintaining the familiar typewriter silhouette. Rubber bands are central to the build, functioning as springs and return mechanisms throughout the machine and making iterative design adjustments more straightforward.

The movement of the plate that receives the tiles also mimics traditional typing action. After each key press, the board advances sideways automatically through a ratcheting mechanism actuated by the key itself. When a line is complete, vertical advancement is done manually with a small reel, echoing the feel of rolling the paper on an old trusty typewriter. This mix of automatic and manual motion adds to the sense of interaction and gives users a satisfying control loop as they “type.”

While Koenkun’s LEGO typewriter might not deliver ink on paper, it embodies the spirit of mechanical ingenuity and playful engineering that draws many to LEGO building in the first place. The reusable white plate means typed messages can be erased and retyped, inviting experimentation and wordplay.

The post A mechanical LEGO Typewriter that types using Gravity, not ink first appeared on Yanko Design.

Astronomers discover over 800 cosmic anomalies using a new AI tool

Posted on by

Here's a use of AI that appears to do more good than harm. A pair of astronomers at the European Space Agency (ESA) developed a neural network that searches through space images for anomalies. The results were far beyond what human experts could have done. In two and a half days, it sifted through nearly 100 million image cutouts, discovering 1,400 anomalous objects.

The creators of the AI model, David O'Ryan and Pablo Gómez, call it AnomalyMatch. The pair trained it on (and applied it to) the Hubble Legacy Archive, which houses tens of thousands of datasets from Hubble's 35-year history. "While trained scientists excel at spotting cosmic anomalies, there's simply too much Hubble data for experts to sort through at the necessary level of fine detail by hand," the ESA wrote in its press release.

After less than three days of scanning, AnomalyMatch returned a list of likely anomalies. It still requires human eyes at the end: Gómez and O'Ryan reviewed the candidates to confirm which were truly abnormal. Among the 1,400 anomalous objects the pair confirmed, more than 800 were previously undocumented.

Most of the results showed galaxies merging or interacting, which can lead to odd shapes or long tails of stars and gas. Others were gravitational lenses. (That's where the gravity of a foreground galaxy bends spacetime so that the light from a background galaxy is warped into a circle or arc.) Other discoveries included planet-forming disks viewed edge-on, galaxies with huge clumps of stars and jellyfish galaxies. Adding a bit of mystery, there were even "several dozen objects that defied classification altogether."

"This is a fantastic use of AI to maximize the scientific output of the Hubble archive," Gómez is quoted as saying in the ESA's announcement. "Finding so many anomalous objects in Hubble data, where you might expect many to have already been found, is a great result. It also shows how useful this tool will be for other large datasets."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/astronomers-discover-over-800-cosmic-anomalies-using-a-new-ai-tool-205135155.html?src=rss