Xbox may gain accessibility-bound control at E3 this year

While many are hoping that Microsoft will introduce to the world the new version of its Elite controller during this year's E3, this may not be the only new accessory the Xbox will gain during the event. Apparently, the company will present at its conference a new solution aimed at improving the accessibility of its desktop platform.

An image posted by insider @ h0xd on Twitter shows that the new accessory may adopt a format quite different from the one to which we are accustomed. According to information obtained by Windows Central, the new accessory was created to benefit people who depend much more on touch than sight to be able to interact with objects.

The novelty should bring generously sized A and B buttons, 3 LED indicators and 3.5 mm (for connecting headphones) and USB connections to its structure. The expectation is that more details about the new Xbox control (including information on its availability and price) should be announced soon by Microsoft, which should make the product one of the highlights of its presentation.

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Game turns tool into classroom and students give show in math

A situation far from acceptable. According to the latest survey of the International Student Assessment Program, more than 70% of Brazilian students between the ages of 15 and 16 do not know the basics of mathematics. All right, Education is far from being a marvel in Brazil. Even so, the information is alarming - it represents the future of these young people and consequently of our country. The good news is that technology and the use of specific applications for teaching want to turn that game ... and quickly!

In this public school in São Paulo, the use of digital games improved the performance of students in mathematics by 30%. Students' passing level rose from 58% in 2016 to almost 85% in 2017 - well above the state average of 51%.

This platform developed by an Israeli startup brings 1600 educational games aligned with the school curriculum of each region and is already adopted in more than 40 countries and reaches more than one million children. In Brazil, the tool already pushes around 100 thousand students to make math more fun and better absorbed. The goal is far from replacing slate and notebook, but it is an exercise that adds value to the work that is already done.

A recent survey of more than 500 elementary school students by the Israeli startup itself shows that using educational games ends the idea that math is a boring and difficult subject. And, on the students' engagement, just look at the concentration of this little gallery in a class of ... math!

In addition to making math more fun and playful, the software still has a real-time student assessment algorithm to see what is actually being learned and also to measure students' progress. With this feedback, the teacher gains a new tool to program their classes according to the strengths and main difficulties of each class.

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Google releases data on exoplanets for space research

All of this data was collected from the training the Internet giant conducted on the Kléper satellite, designed by NASA.

Kléper is a space probe launched in space in March 2009 with the mission of looking for extrasolar planets, also known as exoplanets. The Google technology employed in the satellite gathered information about the change in the brightness of stars.

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New Qualcomm chipset allows cars to communicate with everything

you can already tell without a doubt that the future of automobiles is on the way. If you thought of freelance cars, you thought right. But before reaching this stage, other steps need to be taken. And the main one is the one that leads to the exchange of information between the automobiles and other elements around him. That is, before the design of cars without drivers becomes a reality, you have to really connect the cars.

Also in this year of 2018, an important step will be taken in that direction. Qualcomm's world-leading Telematics solutions with more than 30 years of experience in cellular systems will provide the first C-V2X solution on the market. It can mean the beginning of the era of cars that communicate with everything.

But why is this so important and how to achieve this instantaneous and permanent connection between different devices? The answer lies in unification. From this new chipset, car manufacturers gain the ability to embed in unprecedented intelligence and connectivity cars.

This unified connectivity gained an acronym: C-V2X. In English, Cellular Vehicle to Everything. In good Portuguese, something like Vehicle connected to everything.

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Track the transformation of automakers on Industry 4.0 tracks

Accelerating in the tracks of Industry 4.0, the automakers are increasingly intelligent and connected - at the same time, more productive. Robots have been performing specific functions on assembly lines since the 1980s. They are no longer new. Today, a new transformation begins to give a "digital life" to every factory.

Connected and monitored by various types of sensors, robotic arms that initially had very specific and restricted functions are now able to communicate with one another by exchanging data and information. In assembly lines like this, the Internet of Things has been a reality for some time.

Going back a bit in history, the concept of production line was created by Henry Ford, still early in the 20th century. Each workstation is responsible for a part of the new vehicle. The concept continues! But even in gigantic, old factories like this one at Volkswagen, in Wolfsburg, Germany, most humans have been replaced by machines. Still, more than 70,000 people work there. The production follows at full throttle: 3000 thousand new cars are produced every day!

The first step in this transformation began with the digitization of the factory floor. A complete virtual model of the plant - including its processes - is produced through specific 3D projection software. On the screen it is possible to simulate virtually any stage of production; whether it's a new product or even plant infrastructure issues. All in minute details and physical properties identical to real ones. Testing at the virtual ensures that the manufacturing avoids errors. This is not to mention the end of the need to stop the production line to perform any type of test.

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NASA releases continuous images of planet Earth saved for 20 years

NASA has collected nearly two decades of continuous images of the planet and they are accessible to all. The record of MODIS space equipment is the longest ever made with satellite imagery, from Earth. With it, you can see how the planet was any day and anywhere on the globe since the year 2000. In addition, various filters and tools make it easy to view important data and events of the period.

With such a large amount of information collected, it is even difficult for anyone to know where to start exploring this update of the Worldview tool. To highlight highlights and how the platform can be used, NASA has released this video. In it, we can see the eruption of a volcano, a fire, or the day that Hurricane Katrina occurred, as in the image below.
Worldview also offers several filters that can be applied to the image by means of the "Add Layers" button. Some examples are: Air Quality, Fires, Snow Cover and Types of Vegetation. But perhaps the most entertaining part is the camera-shaped icon that creates an animation of the passage of days in the time interval of your choice. The result of the custom animation can be transformed into a GIF and shared.

The contribution of the tool to researchers is of great value, according to Santiago Gassó of Morgan State University: "In the 80s and 90s ... you would take a physical tape with these images and have to put it into the processing. Only then would you know if the image was usable. This process used to take days to weeks. Now you can look at images for days, weeks and even years in a matter of minutes, immediately find the necessary images and download them for use. It's fantastic!"

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Technology has become the deciding factor when it comes to buying a car

For the overwhelming majority of Brazilians, price is still the most important when it comes to buying a car, after all, it needs - somehow - fit in your budget. But from time to time, digital technology has not only transformed the automotive industry but has gradually become one of the most important buying decision factors.

Curious is that, according to a recent Deloitte study with 22 thousand consumers in 17 countries, the technologies focused on convenience and connectivity are still not the most desired by Brazilian consumers. Although the connectivity is the technology that jumps in the eyes of the most amateurs, the research shows that the technological items most valued here are those related to security. Among the priority systems, the main ones are: the recognition of objects on the road to avoid collisions; blocking of vehicle functions in dangerous driving situations; dangerous driving warnings; and unattended vehicle connection to report and contact authorities or other services when a medical emergency or accident occurs.

What is interesting is that as security technologies become standard items, as today is ABS, for example, the consumer tends to become less and less willing to pay more for them. Even with new functions still present only in the most luxurious cars, like the adaptive autopilot, which uses sensors to follow the car ahead; and even the recognition of scrolling lanes through cameras and sensors to alert the driver in case of dangerous or inappropriate driving, the Brazilian wants to spend less and less on it ...

Some of the most advanced items are already present in the national market - which undoubtedly catches the attention of the consumer and makes him reflect when choosing a more (or less) technological car. Over time, these safety and connectivity functions are likely to be incorporated as equipment or services, including the most basic versions of vehicles.

Is that you? What do you look for when choosing a new car? Already know the main technologies embedded in vehicles? Next week, in the cars and technology series you will meet the "Internet of Cars"; as vehicles will - in the very near future - connect not only to your smartphone, but to other vehicles, other services and even roads ...

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