Google has just been hit with a $32.5 million penalty for infringing on a patent held by Sonos. According to Law360, a California federal jury ordered the fine after determining that Google infringed on a patent Sonos holds relating to grouping speakers so they can play audio at the same time, something the company has been doing for years. US District Judge William Alsup had already determined that early version of products like the Chromecast Audio and Google Home infringed on Sonos' patent; the question was whether more recent, revamped products were also infringing on the patent. The jury found in favor of Sonos, but decided a second patent one that relates to controlling devices via a smartphone or other device wasn't violated. They said that Sonos hadn't convincingly shown that the Google Home app infringed on that particular patent. This follows the dismissal of four other patent violations that Sonos originally sued over.Google provided Engadget with the following statement: "This is a narrow dispute about some very specific features that are not commonly used. Of the six patents Sonos originally asserted, only one was found to be infringed, and the rest were dismissed as invalid or not infringed. We have always developed technology independently and competed on the merit of our ideas. We are considering our next steps. Today's findings feels like a win for Sonos, who originally filed suit against Google all the way back in January of 2020. Specifically, Sonos claimed that Google gained knowledge of the patent through prior collaboration between the two companies, back they collaborated to allow for integration between Sonos's speakers and Google Play Music.Since then, Google counter-sued Sonos, claiming that Sonos had in fact infringed its own patents around smart speakers. As with any good legal battle, Sonos then expanded its own lawsuit a few months later. More recently, Google sued Sonos in 2022, saying that its new voice assistant infringed on seven patents relating to the Google Assistant. Whether today's decision will slow the legal battle between the two companies remains to be seen, though we'd expect the bickering to continue full-throttle in the months to come. There are plenty of suits out there between the companies that aren't yet resolved, and we'd expect Google to appeal this decision as well. We've reached out to both Sonos and Google and will update this story with anything we hear.Update, May 26th 2023, 5:30PM ET: Added a statement from Google.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-fined-325-million-for-infringing-on-sonos-patent-210411398.html?src=rss
One of the most notable omissions from this week's PlayStation Showcase was anything from Naughty Dog. Many (including yours truly) expected the studio to reveal more details about its Last of Us multiplayer game, but we'll need to wait a little longer to learn more about that title.In a statement posted on Twitter, Naughty Dog said "we're incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we've realized what is best for the game is to give it more time." As such, it now seems unlikely that we'll hear much about the game during Summer Game Fest (where Naughty Dog offered a first peek at concept art from the project last year) on June 8th or on June 14th, which is the 10th anniversary of The Last Of Us arriving on PS3. pic.twitter.com/DOeO8ZHSlh Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) May 26, 2023In a blog post in January, studio co-president and The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann said the studio would "begin to offer you some details on our ambitious The Last of Us multiplayer game" sometime this year. That suggests the studio wasn't planning to release the title in 2023. In any case, it's probably a good thing that Naughty Dog is taking its time to get things right. The studio won't want to be in a position where it's releasing a game that definitely could have used more time in the oven, as was the case with the buggy debut of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC.Shortly after Naughty Dog released its statement on Twitter, Bloomberg published a report citing multiple unnamed sources who said the studio is reconsidering the viability of the multiplayer project. The report claims that the project has not been cancelled, but many of the developers working on it have been reassigned to other projects. Currently, a "small group" remains on the project as Naughty Dog evaluates what comes next.Sony also reportedly asked another of its studies, Bungie, to evaluate the work that Naughty Dog had done on its unnamed Last of Us multiplayer game. Bungie apparently said it had doubts about whether the game could keep players engaged over a long period of time. Given Bungie's success at that with the Destiny franchise, it makes some sense that the studio was called in for an opinion, though it's also fair to say Destiny and The Last of Us are wildly different games. On a positive note, Naughty Dog says it has other games (plural) in development, "including a brand new single-player experience." It's been known for a while that the studio had at least one other game in the works, but it's not clear whether this single-player title will continue the main story of The Last of Us. Naughty Dog said it looks forward to "sharing more soon."I know the fans really want Last of Us Part 3. I hear about it all of the time and all I can say is that were already into our next project, so the decision has already been made," Druckmann toldKinda Funny in March. "I cant say what it is, but thats the process we went through, that there was a lot of consideration of different things, and we picked the thing we were most excited for.Update, May 26th 2023, 4:20PM ET: This story has been updated to include details about a report just published by Bloomberg on the future of the multiplayer game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/naughty-dog-says-its-last-of-us-multiplayer-game-needs-more-time-in-the-oven-200315565.html?src=rss
Bluesky, the Jack Dorsey-backed decentralized Twitter alternative, has released one of its most significant updates to date: the ability for users to choose their own algorithms. The service, which is still in a closed beta, released its custom feeds feature, which allows people to subscribe to a range of different algorithms and make their own for others to follow.In practice, the feature works a bit like pinning different lists to your home timeline on Twitter in that users can subscribe to multiple feeds and easily swipe between them in the app. But custom feeds, because theyre algorithmic, are also more powerful than simple account lists.For example, theres a feed dedicated to posts from your mutuals people you follow who also follow you back. That may sound like a list, but unlike a Twitter list, the feed should change as you gain more mutual followers. And while Blueskys app stills defaults to the chronological following timeline, most custom feeds are not chronological.Bluesky The feeds also provide a window into the different communities forming on Bluesky, as well as whats trending on the platform. There are already custom feeds devoted to furries, cat photos, queer shitposters, positive thoughts and the hellthread. Early adopters have been able to experiment with the feature for awhile thanks to third-party apps, like SkyFeed and Flipboard, which added the feature before BlueSkys official app.For now, creating a feed for Bluesky is open to anyone, though its currently a technical process, Blueskys protocol engineer Paul Frazee said in a post. In future updates we'll make it easy for users to create custom feeds in-app.The update could end up being a defining feature of Bluesky. Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky, has said that algorithmic choice could address backlash against the perceived algorithmic manipulation of peoples timelines. It also offers a hint of whats to come for the early-stage platform. Graber has outlined a similar vision for content moderation with users in control of the level of moderation and filtering they want.Our goal is to assemble a social media architecture that composes third-party services into a seamless user experience, because an open ecosystem is likely to evolve more quickly than a single approach to curation or moderation developed within one company, Graber wrote. By creating the interfaces for innovation in these areas, we hope to provide a dynamic and user-driven social experience.The idea of custom algorithms is one thats long been embraced by Jack Dorsey, who floated the idea of allowing users to choose their own algorithms multiple times while he was still running Twitter. It also comes as there is industry-wide scrutiny on how social media algorithms impact users and whether the companies running major platforms are, even inadvertently, putting their thumb on the scale for one group of users. The appeal of custom algorithms is that users know upfront what each feed is prioritizing and can easily move between different experiences, most of which are not controlled by the platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-now-lets-you-choose-your-own-algorithm-183824105.html?src=rss
It's once again time to watch skilled gamers rip through their favorite titles as quickly as possible in the name of a good cause. Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) is back with another week-long charity speedrun marathon. The event starts at 1PM ET on Sunday, May 28th and it will end in the early hours of June 4th. You'll be able to watch all the action as it happens on the Games Done Quick (GDQ) Twitch channel, which is embedded below. If you miss a run you're interested in, you'll be able to catch up later on the GDQ YouTube channel.The action kicks off with the debut of Sonic Frontiers at SGDQ and the event will wrap up with a co-op run of Super Metroid (here's hoping the runners save the animals). There will be many, many runs in between, including half a dozen The Legend of Zelda titles. The heavy focus on Zelda probably shouldn't come as a surprise given that Tears of the Kingdom has taken over the gaming world over the last few weeks.You'll be able to marvel at a runner beating Breath of the Wild in just a couple of hours while wearing a blindfold and another conquering Elden Ring as quickly as possible without using any glitches. I'm particularly looking forward to the Super Mario Maker 2 relay race. Those are always a blast at GDQ events. I'm also intrigued by runs of Ring Fit Adventure, Choo-Choo Charles,Hi-Fi Rush and one of my all-time favorite games, The Curse of Monkey Island. You can check out the full schedule on the GDQ website.SGDQ will stream live from Minneapolis with an audience in attendance. GDQ events are so much better with a live crowd reacting to astonishing feats of video game prowess. Organizers will be hoping to raise millions more dollars for Doctors Without Borders after bringing in over $3 million during SGDQ 2022. They'll be aiming to beat the record for a GDQ event, which was set during Awesome Games Done Quick 2022. Over $3.4 million was raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. You'll be able to donate via the GDQ website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-the-summer-games-done-quick-2023-speedrun-marathon-162028988.html?src=rss
Apart from being a time to honor those who've served our country and the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day also brings a number of sales on various appliances and electronics. As we round into the holiday weekend, we've sorted through the cruft and picked out the best tech sales we could find ahead of this Memorial Day. The notable deals include $50 off Sony's excellentWH-1000XM5 headphones, Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max back at an all-time low of $35 and Apple's iPad Air down to $500. There are a few sweeping sales on other gear we like as well, including Solo Stove fire pits, Ooni pizza ovens, Samsung storage devices and PC games from the Epic Games Store. Amazon Fire TV streamer dealsAmazon has discounted all of its Fire TV streaming devices ahead of Memorial Day. The standout is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35, which is a price we've seen several times before but still matches the device's all-time low. This is the fastest streaming stick Amazon sells, plus its remote comes with Alexa voice control baked in. If you just want a cheap way to put apps on an older 1080p display, the Fire TV Stick Lite is also worth considering at $20, which is $5 more than the lowest price we've seen. Beyond that, the base Fire TV Stick 4K is down to $32, the standard Fire TV Stick is down to $25, and the Fire TV Cube, which blends a 4K streamer with an Alexa smart speaker, is down to an all-time low of $120. All Fire TV streamers tend to prioritize Amazon's own content and stuff their UI with ads, so we generally recommend Roku and Google streamers to most people. (The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is an OK value at its current deal price of $40, though we've seen it go for less in the past.) Still, if you use services like Alexa and Prime Video on a regular basis, or if you just want to save a few bucks, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is mostly on par with its peers in terms of performance and app support. Sony headphone dealsSony has put a number of headphones and earbuds back on sale, including the flagship WH-1000XM5 for $348. While that's not an all-time low, it's the first notable discount we've seen on the noise-cancelling over-ears since February and a $50 drop from the pair's usual going rate. The XM5s are the top pick in our guide to the best wireless headphones, and we gave them a review score of 95 last year thanks to their powerful ANC, lightweight design, punchy sound and deep feature set. If you want to save a little extra cash, the XM5's predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, is also worth a look at $278. Again, that's not the lowest these headphones ever been, but it's still $70 below their typical street price. This pair is slightly bulkier than the XM5, its sound is a bit boomier out of the box and it has a worse mic for phone calls. Its ANC, battery life and general feature set are similar, though, and it can fold up for easier storage. The XM5s also use an automatic ANC adjustment system, which some may prefer to avoid. We gave the XM4 a score of 94 back in 2020.Samsung storage device dealsSamsung has kicked off another round of deals on its microSD cards, SSDs, thumb drives and other storage devices. The offers include the 128GB Samsung Pro Plus, the top pick in our best microSD card guide, paired with a USB reader for $18. That's $8 off its MSRP and a new low. (You can also get the card without the reader for a dollar less.) If you don't need something quite as fast, the Samsung Evo Select is the top value pick in that guide; its 256GB model is down to an all-time low of $18 as well.Besides microSD cards, the Samsung Fit Plus, an ultracompact flash drive we recommend in our best SSDs guide, is back at a low of $15 for a 128GB model. A 2TB version of the T7 Shield, a rugged version of one of our favorite portable SSDs, is down to $120, while the 4TB model is available for $220. If you're looking for a PCIe Gen 4 SSD to upgrade a PlayStation 5 or high-power gaming PC, the 2TB version of the 980 Pro with an integrated heatsink is about $20 less than usual at $150. The speedier 990 Pro, meanwhile, is down to $100 for a 1TB unit, another all-time low.Solo Stove saleSolo Stove is running a site-wide Memorial Day sale that takes up to 45 percent off a number of its popular (mostly) smokeless fire pits. The discounts include the Bonfire 2.0 for $250, which is $150 off the medium-sized pit's MSRP and $50 off its usual street price. What's more, you can add the company's Mesa tabletop fire pit for no extra cost if you add it to your cart and use the code FREEMESA at checkout. Normally, the device goes for $120. The sale also includes the Pi Pizza Oven for $400, which is $100 off its typical going rate. We've sung the praises of Solo Stove's fire pits multiple times in the past, and we currently recommend the Pi in our pizza oven buying guide.Ooni pizza oven saleOoni makes several of the other picks in our pizza oven guide, and this week it's discounted a couple of those as part of its own Memorial Day sale. The deals include the Fyra 12 for $244, which is $105 off its MSRP, and the Karu 16 for $639, which is a $160 discount. Both do well to actually make pies, but we recommend the former if you'd prefer a more compact oven that runs on wood pellets, while the latter is a larger and more versatile option for bigger servings that can use wood, charcoal or gas. We also recommend the Karu 16 in our guide to the best grills and grill accessories.Epic Games Store Mega SaleThe Epic Games Store has rolled out its latest "Mega Sale," bringing discounts on a number of PC games. While the promotion includes a handful of decent price drops, its real value comes from the "Epic Coupon," which takes 25 percent off most purchases of $14.99 or more. The offer applies whether you buy one or multiple games at a time and stacks on top of any existing discounts. This brings many games back around their best prices to date: Red Dead Redemption II, for instance, is already on sale for $20, but with the coupon it drops to an all-time low of $15.The coupon also works on games that aren't otherwise part of the sale, so you can take 25 percent off newer titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2, which haven't received major discounts elsewhere. (The former's PC port has had a rocky launch, to put it mildly, though a few patches have helped stabilize it.) And because the coupon renews after each eligible purchase, you can use it continuously until the promotion ends on June 15. It won't work on pre-orders, though. If you prefer to get your PC games through Steam, meanwhile, note that Valve's Summer Sale will kick off on June 29.Apple Gift CardIf you pick up a $100 Apple gift card at Best Buy, the retailer will throw in a $10 Best Buy gift card for no extra cost. The offer also includes a few extended trials to Apple's TV+, Music and News+ subscriptions for new and returning subscribers. We see this deal periodically, but if you shop at Best Buy anyway and plan to use services like the App Store, Apple Music or iCloud, it essentially gets you a bit of free money. Just note that the deal only applies to digital gift cards, not physical ones.Razer Huntsman MiniThe top pick in our guide to the best 60 percent keyboards, the Razer Huntsman Mini is down to $70 for a model with Razer's Clicky Optical switches. That's $5 more than the ultracompact gaming keyboard's all-time low but still about $15 less than its usual street price. If you prefer a quieter switch with a smoother feel while typing, a variant with Linear Optical switches is on sale for $80, which is about $20 below its typical going rate. Either way, we like the Huntsman Mini for its sturdy build quality, smooth PBT keycaps and per-key RGB backlighting.Apple iPad AirThe latest iPad Air is once again down to $500, matching the second-best price we've seen and coming in $100 below Apple's MSRP. We gave the Air a review score of 90 last year and call it the best tablet for most people in our iPad buying guide. While it lacks the top-tier M2 chip, 120Hz refresh rate and improved speakers of the iPad Pro, it provides a similarly elegant design at a much lower price, with a better display, faster processor and wider accessory support than Apple's lower-end tablets.Apple Mac MiniApple's entry-level Mac Mini is back on sale for $499, which matches the compact desktop's previous all-time low. This model includes Apple's M2 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Those specs (along with the device's lack of upgradeability) mean you'll want to stick to relatively light workloads. However, if that's all you need, this is the most affordable route into a competent Mac desktop. If you need more storage, a version with a 512GB SSD is also on sale for $679, which is another all-time low. We gave the Mac Mini with a faster M2 Pro chip a review score of 86 earlier this year, but outside of the CPU bump and a couple extra Thunderbolt ports, the devices are virtually identical.Apple PencilThe Apple Pencil has dropped to $85, tying the lowest price we've tracked for the iPad stylus. This is roughly $15 below the device's typical street price in recent months and $44 below Apple's MSRP. We recommend the Pencil in our best iPad accessories guide: For digital artists and note-takers, it's a consistently accurate pen and the only stylus to offer pressure sensitivity across iPadOS. It's also easy to charge and pair, since it can attach to the side of a recent iPad magnetically. Just make sure your iPad is compatible with this second-gen model if you want to take the plunge.Intel and AMD CPU dealsIf you're looking to build or upgrade a PC, we're seeing a handful of good prices on both Intel and AMD processors. Among the better deals available, the Intel Core i5-13500 is down to $210, which is about $40 below the chip's usual going rate and an all-time low. For something more powerful, the Core i7-13700F is available for a new low of $330, which is about $40 less than its typical street price. This is a strong performer for both gaming and productivity at that price; just note that it lacks an integrated GPU. If you prefer an AMD build, meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 7700X might be worth a look at $297. It's not as good of a value as something like the i7-13700F, especially since it requires an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 RAM to work, but it's still a solid mid-range option for gaming if you must have a Ryzen PC. Dashlane Premium saleA password manager is a simple but effective way to boost your online security and simplify the amount of login credentials you need to remember. Dashlane is one of the better options available; in fact, it'll soon be a pick in an upcoming buying guide. If you want to give the service a try, you can get a year of Dashlane Premium for $30 when you use the code MEMDAY23 or MEMORIAL23 at checkout. That's a 50 percent discount. Though Dashlane has a free tier, the Premium plan lets you use the service across multiple devices. It also includes a bundled VPN, a password strength analyzer and "dark web monitoring," which lets you know if your email addresses have been leaked in data breaches.Paramount Plus and Showtime bundleParamount has rolled out a promotion that gives new subscribers three months of its Paramount+ Premium + Showtime bundle for $6 per month, or $18 in total. That's half off its usual going rate. With the glut of streaming TV options available, it's hard to call Paramount+ essential, but we do list it in our guide to the best video streaming services for its growing sports coverage, kid-friendly Nickelodeon shows and original fare like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Showtime, meanwhile, has its share of shows and movies worth checking out, from Yellowjackets to Billions to the recent Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. This offer is set to run until June 4. If you end up not digging the service, remember to cancel before the trial ends so your subscription doesn't auto-renew at full price.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/best-memorial-day-2023-tech-sales-we-could-find-153031692.html?src=rss
Ever year, more than a million people in North America suffer some form of spinal cord injury (SCI), with an annual cost of more than $7 billion to treat and rehabilitate those patients. The medical community has made incredible gains toward mitigating, if not reversing, the effects of paralysis in the last quarter-century including advances in pharmacology, stem cell technologies, neuromodulation, and external prosthetics. Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord has already shown especially promising results in helping spinal injury patients rehabilitate, improving not just extremity function but spasticity, bladder and blood pressure control as well. Now, in a study published in Nature Tuesday, SCI therapy startup Onward Medical, announced that it has helped improve a formerly-paraplegic mans walking gait through the use of an implanted brain computer interface (BCI) and novel digital bridge that spans the gap where the spine was severed.Weve been zapping paraplegic patients spines with low-voltage jolts as part of their physical rehabilitation for years in a process known as Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). Electrodes are placed directly over the nerves theyre intended to incite externally bypassing their own disrupted neural pathways and, when activated, cause the nerves underneath to fire and their muscles contract. Researchers have used this method to restore hand and arm motion in some patients, the ability to stand and walk in others and, for a lucky few, exosuits! The resulting limb motions however were decidedly ungraceful, resulting in ponderous arm movements and walking gaits that more resembled shuffles.Onwards earlier research into epidural electrical stimulation showed that it was effective at targeting nerves in the lower back that could be used to trigger leg muscles. But the therapy at that time was hampered by the need for wearable motion sensors, and by, the participants limited ability to adapt leg movements to changing terrain and volitional demands. Onward addressed that issue in Tuesdays study by incorporating a digital bridge to monitor the brains command impulses and deliver them, wirelessly and in real-time, to a stimulation pack implanted in the patients lower back.Clinicians have employed these systems for the better part of a decade to assist in improving upper extremity control and function following SCI Onwards own ARC EX system is designed to do just that though this study was the first to apply the same theories to the lower extremities.Onwards patient was a 38-year-old man who had suffered an incomplete cervical (C5/C6) spinal cord injury a decade before and who had undergone a five-month neurorehabilitation program with targeted epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord in 2017. This program enabled him to regain the ability to step with the help of a front-wheel walker, the research team noted in the Nature study. Despite continued use of the stimulation at home, for approximately three years, he had reached a neurological recovery plateau.In addition to the EX, Onward Medical has also developed an internally mounted electrostimulation therapy, the ARC IM. Per the company, it ispurpose-built for placement along the spinal cord to stimulate the dorsal roots, to help improve SCI patients blood pressure regulation. The system used in Tuesdays study used the ARC IM as a base and married it to a WIMAGINE brain computer interface.Onward MedicalThe Onward team had to first install the BCI inside the patient's skull. Technically, it was a pair of 64-lead electrode implants, each mounted in a 50-milimentercircular-shaped titanium case that sits flush with the skull. The WIMAGINE is less invasive than other options while offering sufficient resolution to drive walking, Dave Marver, OnwardMedical CEO, told Engadget via email. It also has five-year data that demonstrates stability in the clarity of signals produced.Two external antennas sit on the scalp, the first providing power to the implants via inductive coupling, the second to shunt the signal to a portable bae station for decoding and processing. The processed signal is then beamed wirelessly to the ACTIVA RC implantable pulse generator sitting atop the patients lumbar region where 16 more implanted electrodes shock the appropriate nerve clusters to move their legs. Together they form a Brain Spine Interface (BSI) system, per Onward.The entire setup is designed to be used independently by the patient. The assistive walker houses all the BSI bits and pieces while a tactile feedback interface helps them correctly position the headset and calibrate the predictive algorithm.In order to get the BCI and pulse generator to work together seamlessly, Onward leveraged a Aksenova/Markov-switching multilinear algorithm that linked ECoG signals to the control of epidural electrical stimulation parameters, which seems so obvious in hindsight. Basically, this algorithm predicts two things: the probability that the patient intends to move a specific joint based on the signals its monitoring, and both the amplitude and direction of that presumed intended movement. Those predictions are then dumped into an analog controller which translates them into code commands that are, in turn, cycled to the pulse generator every 300 milliseconds. In all, the latency between the patient thinking, I should walk over there, and the system decoding those thoughts is just 1.1 seconds.Calibrating the system to the patient proved an equally quick process. The patient had figured out how to properly activate the muscles in their hips to generate enough torque to swing their legs within the first two minutes of trying and did it with 97 percent accuracy. Over the course of the rehabilitation, the patient managed to achieve control over the movements of each joint in their leg (hip, knee and ankle) with an average accuracy (in that the BSI did what the patient intended) of around 75 percent.After only 5min of calibration, the BSI supported continuous control over the activity of hip flexor muscles, the team continued, which enabled the participant to achieve a fivefold increase in muscle activity compared to attempts without the BSI Unfortunately, those gains were wiped away as soon as the BCI was turned off, instantly losing the ability to step, they explained. Walking resumed as soon as the BSI was turned back on.It wasnt just that the patient was able to graduate from walking with a front-wheeled frame walker to crutches thanks to this procedure their walking gait improved significantly as well. Compared to stimulation alone, the BSI enabled walking with gait features that were markedly closer to those quantified in healthy individuals, the Onward team wrote. The patient was even able to use the system to cross unpaved terrain while on their crutches, a feat that still routinely proves hazardous for many bipedal robots.In all, the patient underwent 40 rehab sessions with the BCI a mix of standard physio-rehab along with BCI-enabled balance, walking and movement exercises. The patient saw moderate gains in their sensory (light touch) scores but a whopping 10-point increase in their WISCI II scores. WISCI II is the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury, a 21-point scale measuring a patients ambulatory capacity ranging from 20, can move zero assistance, down to 0, bed ridden. Onwards patient went from a 6 to a 16 with the help of this therapy.As the participant had previously reached a plateau of recovery after intensive rehabilitation using spinal cord stimulation alone, it is reasonable to assume that the BSI triggered a reorganization of neuronal pathways that was responsible for the additional neurological recovery, the Onward team wrote. These results suggest that establishing a continuous link between the brain and spinal cord promotes the reorganization of residual neuronal pathways that link these two regions under normal physiological.While the results are promising, much work has yet to be done. The Onward team argues that future iterations will require miniaturization of the base station, computing unit and unnoticeable antennas, faster data throughputs, versatile stimulation parameters, direct wireless control from the wearable computing unit, and single low-power integrated circuit embedding a neuromorphic processor with self-calibration capability that autonomously translates cortical activity into updates of stimulation programs.Despite the daunting technical challenges, the BCI system described in Tuesdays Nature publication may reach the market in five to seven years, Marvel predicted. It is possible and realistic that a BCI-augmented spinal cord stimulation therapy will be on the market by the end of the decade.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/swiss-researchers-help-a-spinal-injury-patient-to-walk-more-naturally-using-a-wireless-bci-151542965.html?src=rss
Apple's high-end, over-ear headphones may be a bit over the top, but they are one of the best pieces of audio gear for Apple enthusiasts. The catch is that you have to be willing to shell out quite a bit of cash for them, which is why we always recommend waiting for a sale like the one happening now ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Apple's AirPods Max are $99 off at Amazon right now, bringing them down to $450. That's about $20 more than their record-low price, and most colors are on sale as well, making now a good time to buy if you've had your eye on them.There's a lot to like about the AirPods Max if you get get beyond their price. They have a unique, comfortable design that's more attractive than most high-end headphones, and they have excellent audio quality. Those who like "natural" sound from their cans will appreciate what the AirPods Max bring to the table, and we like that they also support spatial audio. Active noise cancellation is similarly solid, and there's a button on the headphones that let you switch between ANC and Transparency Mode.The AirPods Max also have Apple's signature H1 chip inside that enables features like hands-free Siri and a host of other iOS/macOs-specific features. If you work with mostly Apple gadgets, you'll get a lot of use out of the quick pairing and switching between those devices. Battery life is good as well: we had no problem reaching 20 hours on a single charge when we first reviewed these headphones, and that was with spatial audio and ANC enabled.We'd be remiss, though, if we didn't acknowledge that the AirPods Max are not on our list of best wireless headphones, and that's mostly due to their high price tag. They're certainly a better buy when on sale like this, but if you'd rather invest in a better all-around option, Sony's WH-1000XM5 (our current top pick) is on sale for a record low of $348 right now.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/apples-airpods-max-are-99-off-at-amazon-143524111.html?src=rss
Folks who subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube next season may not have to worry about missing out on too much of the action. Initially, YouTube planned to limit the number of simultaneous streams to two per subscriber, despite there often being many more NFL games than that on a given regular season Sunday. Being limited to two streams seemingly wasn't going to be enough for many fans. As such, YouTube is lifting the limit to offer unlimited simultaneous streams."We heard your feedback that 2 concurrent streams just wasnt enough for NFL Sunday Ticket, so were updating our product functionality to include unlimited streams at home for NFL Sunday Ticket," the YouTube TV team wrote on Reddit. "You and your household can also access 2 additional streams on the go."For streaming on the go, you and your household will still have access to 2 additional streams. YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) May 25, 2023As 9to5 Google points out, YouTube TV uses certain signals, such as your network and specified home location, to determine a user's "home" location. That, and the on-the-go restriction, are likely in place to help YouTube minimize account sharing.Google announced late last year that it secured the exclusive rights to Sunday Ticket for residential users starting in the 2023 season. DirecTV is still the Sunday Ticket provider for commercial use, such as in bars and restaurants.An NFL Sunday Ticket package for the 2023 season costs $249 for YouTube TV subscribers who sign up before June 6th. It'll cost more for non-YouTube TV subscribers, those who wait until after June 6th and folks who want access to NFL RedZone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-will-allow-unlimited-simultaneous-streams-for-nfl-sunday-ticket-142049241.html?src=rss
Why are communities the future of marketing? Mark Schaefer, author of Belonging to the Brand: Why Community Is the Last Great Marketing Strategy, has a lot of ways to answer that question, and he goes into many of them. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Content SEO can be overwhelming, especially when populating a website with relevant posts. Visualizing your pages as topic hierarchies, as in the color wheel theory framework, can help. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
