Protogen’s Monthly Breakdown

Protogen gives you an update on all things new in tech this month, from drones to social media to medical breakthroughs.

Protogen’s Monthly Breakdown

Protogen gives you an update on all things new in tech this month.

1. Drones get first anti-laser lasers to stop being shot down

An anti-laser laser has been developed by American company ‘Adsys Controls’. The new technology protects drones (or any other flying object) from being targeted by a laser, and thus stops them from being shot down.

Going back a couple years now, and there’s still a lot of controversy over shooting down flying drones.

The new tech ‘anti-laser laser’ is known as ‘Helios’. This new invention prevents a laser from focusing on its target, which ultimately disrupts the systems controlling the beam – which is known as the Achilles’ heel for all such weapons.

Adsys Controls may have some competition as just last week it was announced the Dutch Police were ready to deploy their anti-drone eagles.

2. Uber scheduled pickups has launched in Australia

Australian Uber passengers can now book Uber rides anytime from 30 minutes to 30 days in advance.
The new ‘scheduled pickup’ feature has been available in North America for some time now. The initial roll out in Australia will be minor with the following areas:

  • Brisbane – Merthyr, New Farm, Newstead and Teneriffe
  • Melbourne – CBD and inner suburbs
  • Perth – CBD, inner suburbs and Fremantle
  • Sydney – eastern suburbs and inner west

An Uber spokesperson has said, “Scheduled Rides is the top-requested feature from our riders, especially for times like early morning trips to the airport”.

Also this week, Uber has begun trialling its driverless car service. The landmark trial has officially launched in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Residents of Pittsburgh who order a driverless car ride will also receive assistance from two company technicians to ensure everything runs smoothly. One technician will sit behind the wheel, with hands at the ready to take over just in case!

Uber does want to make one thing clear, the app “doesn’t plan to build its own cars ... but it does intend to have fleets of self-driving vehicles at its disposal”.

This is still just the beginning of Ubers long-term plans, so watch this space!

3. Twitter changes word limit

Since 2006 Twitter has had the same word limit, which has proved more than frustrating for some. But now, things are now about to change.

In a long overdue update, Twitter has announced plans to change its 140-character limit for tweets.

The new changes would discount photos, GIFs, quoted tweets and user names from the 140-character limit for tweets. Twitter plans to make the change on September 19. Click here to read more.

4. Superbug Antibiotic-Resistant Breakthrough

Some of us may have heard the news that disease experts have claimed, ”antibacterial soaps could actually be helping the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs”. Then, in what seemed like record-breaking time, the United States banned antibacterial soaps.

However, scientists have made a major breakthrough in the fight against “antibiotic-resistant superbugs, by creating molecules, which are able to kill the deadly bacteria”.

PhD students from the University of Melbourne's School of Engineering made the discovery as part of research into cancer treatments.

Though the team of students believe more research is needed, they believe that their discovery “is the beginning of unlocking a new treatment for antibiotic-resistant pathogens”.

5. New York's Wi-Fi Hubs will Shut Down Tablet Web Access

Sad news today, as we learn LinkNYC will shut down web access on its New York tablet hubs.

The free Wi-Fi was seen as revolutionary for New York as it was known to help New Yorkers “save data on their mobile plans, call relatives across the country, and get a much-needed quick charge”.

The tablet hubs will continue to run as usual with the company stating it “will work with the city and community to explore potential solutions, like time limits” in the future.

LinkNYC was clear to mention that other “tablet features, such as; free phone calls, maps, device charging, and access to 311 and 911—will continue to work as they did before.”

So what was the main reason for the Wi-Fi shut down? According to a new report there has been an increasing trend of poor or homeless New Yorkers camping out in front of the tablets to browse the web, and this is what may have been a contributing factor for LinkNYC to switch off the Wi-Fi.

 

At Protogen Technologies we love to be the first to know about any new tech or start-up ideas, if you’ve got a great idea and would like to collaborate, please contact us.

Protogen’s Monthly Breakdown

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Protogen’s Monthly Breakdown

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