Three years ago, Menash Michael stepped out of his Tel Aviv home to walk his dog. By the time he reached his driveway, he was lying unconscious on the ground. He’d fainted. Fortunately, his tumble was spotted by a next-door neighbor who called for an ambulance, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital.

Menash is a type 1 diabetic, meaning his pancreas doesn’t work properly and is unable to produce the insulin required to turn glucose into energy. He was diagnosed with the chronic condition almost 30 years ago, and since then has had to inject himself with artificial insulin four times a day. Every day.

It’s important that Menash gets the timing and doses of these injections precisely right. If he makes a mistake, the consequences could be fatal.

When your blood sugar level hits 50, you become confused. If it drops to 30, you faint and need an emergency glucose injection.

When he tumbled to the ground three years ago, his blood sugar level was just 23. “I was almost dead,” he said.

It turned out that Menash had accidentally given himself double the normal dose of insulin. This is a very easy mistake to make, albeit one with potentially serious consequences.

But although unpleasant, this episode got Menash thinking how he could irradicate the problem for others. Enter Insulog.

This device clips onto the end of any standard disposable insulin injection pen and automatically records whenever the user adjusts their insulin dose or injects themselves. This is then displayed prominently on the device’s LCD display, making it harder for someone to inadvertently double-dose themselves.
“The insulog has a multi-sensor system. When you turn the dial of the insulin pen or press the injection button, the sensors detect how many units you’re taking, and records it on the display,” Michael said. 
The device comes with a built-in battery, which lasts up to six days and can be recharged via MicroUSB. It also boasts Bluetooth connectivity allowing users to automatically synchronize their injection data with their iOS or Android smartphone, which can be later shared with their physician to help them manage their diabetes.
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The Insulog is being launched on IndieGoGo and backers can get their hands on a kit for as little as $109 with delivery promised in July, 2017.

When I go overseas, I’m often without the Internet for long periods. International roaming is still quite expensive.

Last year, a viable option came to market – Skyroam. This is a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, but one that works in over 100 countries. It allows you to connect up to five devices simultaneously to the Internet for a flat fee of $8 every 24 hours.

The unit is pocket-sized and is easy to use. Simply turn on and press "start" to enjoy 24-hours unlimited Wi-Fi. No SIMs, no unlocking phones and no entangling subscriptions.

The devices (which can be bought online, or through one of their brick-and-mortar partners) cost around $100, and are a good value if you travel frequently. But if you, like most people, only make one or two international trips per year, they’re probably not worth it.

But now, you can get your hands on one without the massive upfront cost. Skyroam has opened vending machines in several US airports, allowing you to rent a device for as long as you need for just $9.95 per day.
Once you’ve returned from your trip, just mail back the device with the provided pre-paid envelope, and you’re golden.
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The first vending machines are now available at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS), and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). You can also rent a unit and have it sent to you from their website.

In a plan that could disrupt conventional grocery chains, local bodegas and app-based services like Instacart, Amazon is hoping to open more than 2,000 self-branded grocery stores.

The first of these new brick-and-mortar experiments branded Amazon Go, is an 1800-square-foot retail space located in the company’s hometown of Seattle, lets shoppers just grab the items they want and leave; the order gets charged to their Amazon account afterwards.

Amazon Go works by using computer vision and sensors to detect what items you’re taking out of the store. You start by opening Amazon’s app on your smartphone and scanning a code into their turnstile as you enter the Amazon Go store. You do your normal shopping, and the sensors throughout the store identify the items in your cart and charge them to your Amazon account when you walk out the door. It’ll feel like shoplifting, except you’re actually being watched by more cameras than you can imagine. 

The store will stock most items you’d find in a local convenience store: snacks, drinks, pre-made food like salads and sandwiches, and grocery essentials like bread and milk. It’ll also sell Blue Apron-like meal kits that let you cook your own dinners for two. 

Though Amazon Go does do away with human cashiers, there are no robots physically stocking the store, so while it does eliminate some jobs, it’s not a completely automated system.

The store is currently open in beta to Amazon employees only. A public opening is scheduled for early 2017. 
There are two other store formats that Amazon is considering. First is a much larger, multifunction store with curbside pickup options. The second option is a drive-through store, without any in-person browsing. Two of the drive-through prototypes are set to open in Seattle within the next few weeks.

There’s more information on this YouTube video.

Fabrics that can generate electricity from physical movement have been in the works for a few years. Now researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have taken the next step, developing a fabric that can simultaneously harvest energy from both sunshine and motion.

Combining two types of electricity generation into one textile paves the way for producing garments that could provide a source of energy to power devices such as smartphones or global positioning systems.

“This hybrid power textile presents a novel solution to charging devices in the field from something as simple as the wind blowing on a sunny day,” said Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering.

To make the fabric, Wang’s team used a commercial textile machine to weave together solar cells constructed from lightweight polymer fibers with fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators.

Triboelectric nanogenerators use a combination of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction to generate small amounts of electrical power from mechanical motion such as rotation, sliding or vibration.
Wang envisions that the new fabric, which is 320 micrometers thick woven together with strands of wool, could be integrated into tents, curtains or wearable garments.

“The fabric is highly flexible, breathable, lightweight and adaptable to a range of uses,” Wang said.

Fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators capture the energy created when certain materials become electrically charged after they come into moving contact with a different material. For the sunlight-harvesting part of the fabric, Wang’s team used photoanodes made in a wire-shaped fashion that could be woven together with other fibers.
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While early tests indicate the fabric can withstand repeated and rigorous use, researchers will be looking into its long-term durability. Next steps also include further optimizing the fabric for industrial applications, including developing proper encapsulation to protect the electrical components from rain and moisture.