Gmail adds email scheduling, finally, the TSA introduces new scanning tech, meaning laptops stay in bags, and a video of a robot helping the disabled goes viral.
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Gmail is turning 15 years old, which means it’s time for another slew of minor updates for social media to talk about. In addition to some vague enhancements to Smart Compose, which Google says “can now adapt to the way you write”, one of the more straightforward updates includes the ability to schedule messages. Users will notice an arrow next to the “Send” button, which when clicked on, offers the option to choose from presets such as “tomorrow morning” or a specific time and date. It only took 15 years, but we can finally get a head start on next morning’s email management the night before.
Reddit users are excited about the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) latest announcement. The TSA is rolling out new technology this summer, which can create 3D images of bags’ contents and detect items automatically that the TSA now asks passengers to remove. Bloomberg is reporting that the TSA signed a $97 million contract last week that will buy 300 machines, but the list of airports receiving them has not been made final. The agency says it tested the new technology at more than a dozen airports since 2017, and it wants to replace more than 2,000 X-ray machines with the new CT equipment over the next eight years. While the new machines have showed promise when it comes to automatically identifying certain items, Bloomberg says the CT pilot program didn’t show reduced wait times at the participating airports.
And lastly, a video on LinkedIn of a robot helping a disabled person is quickly making its way around. Researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have developed a robot prototype that allows people with severe motor impairments to complete manual tasks with a few simple head or eye movements and a few clicks of a button. The web-based interface shows the “robot’s eye view” of its surroundings. Users interact with the world through the machine’s lens. The results of the robot’s work were published recently, and it says people with profound motor deficits can greatly benefit from a robotic body surrogate at home and in remote locations. One participant, the report says, operated the robotic body surrogate in a home setting over a seven-day period with limited assistance.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing.