Watch Tesla engineers turn (parts of) a Tesla Model 3 into a ventilator

Brett Venter — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 08:24:38 +0000

Some useful information if you happen to be caught in an apocalypse: It’s possible to turn a car into a ventilator. Specifically, a Tesla Model 3, as the engineers at the company have shown in a recent video.

It’s a little more intricate an operation than can be executed by your typical road warrior, though. It helps if you have access to a pile of Tesla components, as well as a number of additional bits. You can’t just wheel a Model 3 into a chop shop and wheel out a ventilator, plus scraps.

Greater than the sum of its parts

Tesla hasn’t taken its ventilator into full production yet. The video (above) shows its prototype being developed and assembled. It uses a number of parts from the Model 3, particularly the screen and computer from the vehicle’s infotainment system, as well as sections of the climate control setup.

Parts from the Tesla are in orange/red, while medical components are blue in the schematic at the back of much of the presentation. The eagle-eyed will spot everything from the car’s mixing chamber to valve arrangements as part of the prototype. There’s also a custom manifold made by Tesla… because, well, they’ve got the kit to do it.

The auto maker’s ventilator is not ready for mass production yet but it certainly seems like a workable solution for the shortage in the States — and, possibly, the rest of the world. It’s not like these bits of medical equipment won’t be in demand for the next year or so. COVID-19 isn’t going to disappear overnight. But it could be a lot easier to manage with assistance from folks who don’t usually make medical equipment.

Source: Tesla (YouTube)

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Light Start: No Xbox exclusives planned, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus leaked, become a Pokémon and talking Teslas

Marcé — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 07:56:38 +0000

Xbox’s next-gen console won’t have any exclusives at launch

There are a few reasons for upgrading to a new-generation console. One of those reasons is, of course, exclusive first-party games. Microsoft has announced that it won’t produce any titles for the Xbox Series X that won’t also be available on the Xbox One and PC. This is one reason Sony’s consoles sell so well at launch — everyone’s gotta get some of those exclusive titles. But on the other hand, Xbox not releasing exclusive content in the first few years of the console’s lifecycle makes it far more inclusive. You won’t need the latest, greatest console to play new titles. “As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down [the Xbox] family of devices.” It’s also welcoming to know that Xbox games will definitely be compatible on its devices. This gives us hope that all Xbox-only exclusive games will be available to anyone who owns a console in the Xbox family of devices. Sony has historically launched exclusives that are locked to one generation of console, mostly ‘because of hardware’. Maybe that can change with its PlayStation 5. Both next-gen consoles (Xbox and Sony) are slated for the end of this year.

Source: The Verge

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Plus has leaked, and this may be its next flagship

So, you expected an S11 to follow the S10, did you? Welcome to nonsensical smartphone naming conventions, because Samsung’s new flagship devices will be monikered Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 5G (or something). As you’d expect this time of the year, leaks are rolling in for the company’s next-gen phone that is set to be announced early February. A new leak from XDA Developers contributor Max Winebach tweeted something that looks very close to what the S20 will look like, if we say so ourselves. According to sources, it looks like a working Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus in its final form. Maybe this isn’t its final form and Samsung is trying to throw us off? Not today! Aside from the images seemingly confirming the Galaxy S20 name, the 5G label may indicate that all the phones in the series will be powered by Qualcomm’s 5G-ready Snapdragon 865 chipset. In the US at least (Samsung’s Exynos 990 is expected to power the device in South Africa and Europe). The pics depict a beautiful edge-to-edge OLED display with a Note 10-esque pinhole up top. It also features an enormous camera block on its rear, which points to some heavy-weight camera specs. We’re excited about this one. Galaxy Unpacked is slated for 11 February 2020, so stay tuned.

Source: TechRadar

Pokémon teases a classic Dungeon-crawling adventure for the Switch

It looks like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is coming to Switch in just a couple of months. The classic Pokémon dungeon crawler’s announcement comes as a surprise as we weren’t expecting new Pokémon titles so soon after Sword and Shield. The announcement came after last week’s Pokémon Direct, where the Pokémon Company announced that the game will include the 2006 classics that are Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and will officially launch on the Nintendo Switch console. All titles will be available to buy from 6 March, 2020 with updated visuals, and a new rather glorious picture-book art style. Don’t remember the originals? They were our jam back in the day on the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. Both are a different take on the traditional Pokémon experience. Instead of training Pokemon, you actually become one. According to (your now) fellow critters you meet, natural disasters have started happening all over the world, so you’ll need to partner up and head out to rescue the Pokémon in trouble.

Source: The Verge

Elon Musk promises your Tesla will talk to you one day

We knew that robots will become more and more sentient. But never did we think that the first inanimate object to talk to us will be our cars tbh. Last week, Tesla CEO and professional Twitter troll Elon Musk tweeted a video teasing an upcoming Tesla feature. You guessed it, with a Tesla Model 3 speaking. This is possibly done using external speakers and the use of artificial intelligence. The video was simply captioned “Teslas will soon talk to people if you want. This is real,” the brief clip shows a Model 3 driving past people and saying, “Well, don’t just stand there. Hop in!” This may be one of the creepiest things to come across, especially if the car is driving itself. Is anyone else getting strange dystopian Cars feels right now? Although Musk didn’t share much about the new feature, he promised consumers it would be compatible with Tesla’s fart mode and “Sentry” anti-theft mode. That’s… good to know. Jokes aside, though — Tesla is pushing boundaries in the auto industry with its market-leading tech. And if talking cars is what is needed to roll into the future, we’re cool with that.

Source: Engadget

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