Today’s Tech Sightings:
Mind-Controlled Telepresence Robots Could Restore Mobility to the Disabled
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Defitech Foundation Chair in Brain-Machine Interface in Lausanne are developing a brain-computer interface that will allow disabled people to control telepresence robots with their minds. After training, disabled users participating in early tests were able to easily control the telepresence robot.
IBM Helps Towns Predict Disasters
IBM, in partnership with The Weather Company, has developed a predictive platform called “Intelligent Operations Center for Emergency Management” that uses live forecasts and city maps to predict infrastructural damage from weather disasters.
Samsung is Disabling Windows Update on Some PCs It Sells
Microsoft expert Patrick Barker has uncovered a file called Disable_Windowsupdate.exe that can be downloaded from Samsung’s website and apparently disables Windows updates once installed. Samsung sells. Samsung said Windows updates are disabled on some machines to prevent driver overwriting. But the lack of critical Windows security updates could prove to be a problem for a lot of users.
Adobe Patches Critical Flash Flaw
A new patch from Adobe addresses a critical Flash Player vulnerability that a Chinese hacking group has been exploiting. The update patches a flaw that affects the way Flash Player parses video files.
Android Instapaper App Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
Researchers at security firm Bitdefender have discovered a vulnerability in the Android version of the popular Instapaper app that opens users to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. When users connect to a monitored Wi-Fi network, hackers can intercept Instapaper’s communication channel and get access to the user’s log-in credentials.
Microsoft to Supply Windows 10 on USB Flash Drives for Faster Installation
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 10, is reportedly being released in July. While the new OS will be available for download online through Windows Updates, writer Anthony Leather reports that the system will also be available on USB Flash drives.
Instagram Gets Into Real-Time News
Instagram has updated its search feature to highlight current events. The overhauled Explore tab now features trending tags for popular news events and sorts pictures by theme. The updates are currently only available in the U.S.
