More Connected Homes, More Problems

They might offer convenience or potential cost savings, but Internet-connected home appliances may also create security risks.

• By Rachel Metz on August 13, 2013

Why It Matters

Vulnerabilities in networked appliances could lead to crimes that are harder to trace or detect.

As a growing number of Internet-connected home appliances hit the market, David Bryan and Daniel Crowley worry that digital ne’er-do-wells will get new ways to take control of these devices, unlocking your house, running up your heating bill, flushing your toilet—or worse—from afar.  

Bryan and Crowley, both security researchers at Trustwave Holdings, have been trying to sound this alarm since they heard about the Lockitron, a $179 gadget designed to fit on a standard deadbolt and allow you to lock or unlock your home from your smartphone. At the time, the device had not yet begun shipping to customers, but it piqued Bryan and Crowley’s curiosity. They figured they’d try out other “smart” devices while they were at it, and over the past several months they’ve found that nearly all of them, including lights, a scale, and a toilet, had significant security shortcomings.

Cyborg Parts

Princeton researchers, using a 3-D printer, have built a bionic ear with integrated electronics. 

• By Susan Young on August 12, 2013

Why It Matters

By integrating biological tissues with electronics, researchers may be able to create artificial tissues and organs that can monitor health or enhance senses.

Lab-made organs could do more than just serve as ready options for patients in need: with the right blend of biology and materials science, they might even be able to endow people with superhuman abilities.

That’s what researchers at Princeton University see as the future of tissue engineering, and they believe 3-D printing is the way there. Michael McAlpine and members of his lab recently reported that a 3-D printer could build a bionic ear capable of detecting frequencies a million times higher than the normal range of hearing.

Patients Don't Mind If the Doc Wears Google Glass

Would you make an appointment with a doctor sporting computerized eyewear?

Rachel Metz

August 9, 2013

Patients don’t mind being their doctor wearing Google Glass–at least, not according to data gathered by Augmedix, a startup that is using the head-worn computer to cut down on the time doctors spend doing non-patient-facing tasks like taking notes and looking at medical-record information.

During a talk at startup incubator Rock Health’s Health Innovation Summit in San Francisco on Friday, Augmedix cofounder and CEO Ian Shakil said that of 200 patients asked before a visit if they minded seeing a doctor wearing Google’s head-worn gadget, only 3 demurred. While not that surprising a revelation given Augmedix’s mission, it could indicate that, despite some characterizing Glass wearers as “glassholes,” the device may be seen as acceptable–and even helpful–in professional situations.

New Implantable Device Can Manipulate and Record Brain Activity

Human tests of an electrode implanted deep into the brain could one day lead to smart, self-regulating implants.

• By Susan Young on August 9, 2013

Why It Matters

About 100,000 patients with brain disorders use deep brain stimulators, but the devices sold today don’t respond to fluctuating conditions.

A new brain implant that can record neural activity while it simultaneously delivers electric current has been implanted into a patient for the first time.

The new device from Medtronic, a Minneapolis-based medical device company, can also adjust its electrical output in response to the changing conditions of the brain. This automated control could one day improve deep-brain stimulation treatment and even enable doctors to use the device to treat more conditions, say experts.

Electric Therapy for Medical-Device Malware

Researchers show how to spot viruses on equipment like drug mixers and pregnancy monitors: by examining their power usage.

• By David Talbot on August 9, 2013

Why It Matters

Thousands of medical devices are vulnerable to being compromised by common computer viruses.

Malware practice: Kevin Fu specializes in finding vulnerabilities in electronic medical equipment. Here he holds an implantable pacemaker used in earlier security research.

Hospital rooms beep and flash with many devices that are increasingly getting infected with malware (see “Computer Viruses Are ‘Rampant’ on Medical Devices in Hospitals”). But for several reasons, these gadgets are often incompatible with commercial security software.

Now, new technology developed by academic researchers could catch most malware on the devices just by noting subtle changes in their power consumption. This could give hospitals a quick way to spot equipment with dangerous vulnerabilities and take the machines offline. The technology could also apply to computer workstations used in industrial control settings such as power plants.

How Tesla Is Driving Electric Car Innovation

If you believe Tesla, affordable, long-range electric cars could be here sooner than many think.

• By Kevin Bullis on August 7, 2013

Why It Matters

Electric cars’ short range and high cost have limited their sales.

 
Scenic route: A Model S speeds along the coast.

I recently took a test drive in one of Tesla’s luxurious Model S electric cars and toured its R&D labs, where it’s developing its battery and recharging technology. The experience left me believing that Tesla has an important edge over its competitors in the race to bring electric cars to the masses.

Tesla’s Model S is expensive (it ranges from $70,000 to over $100,000), but its range is 265 miles, more than triple that of Nissan’s Leaf (75 miles). Within a few years, Tesla hopes to produce much more affordable vehicles—including one that costs $30,000 to $35,000—with a range similar to that of the Model S. Tesla also wants to make electric cars more practical by building a nationwide network of charging stations that can deliver 200 miles of charge in about half an hour—compared to several hours to charge an electric car at an ordinary station today.

Why BMW’s i3 Electric Car is Really a Plug-in Hybrid

What BMW’s decision to incorporate a gas engine into its new, electric i3 says about batteries. 

Kevin Bullis

August 7, 2013

 
Tight fit: The range-extending gas engine sits next to the electric motor between the rear wheels of the BMW i3.

In the last few weeks BMW has made a lot of the claim that its new i3, an electric car it will start selling in the fall, is a purpose-built electric vehicle (see “Tesla Versus the Luxury Automakers”) . Unlike the electric cars made by many other automakers, it isn’t just a gas-powered car with the engine and fuel tank swapped for an electric motor and battery back. It’s a new design, with the battery pack and motor kept in mind from the beginning. And engineers went to great lengths to lighten the car to extend its battery range.

But the i3 isn’t really a purpose-built electric car. It’s a purpose-built plug-in hybrid. BMW designed it so that at the back of the car, between the rear wheels, there’s a compartment for a gas-powered generator (originally designed for scooters) which can recharge the battery as you drive. In the battery-only version, that space is wasted. In a purpose built battery-only electric car, it could have been used for more batteries or more space for luggage.