IEEE announced its 2027 Technical Field Award winners, honoring researchers for advances including therapeutic ultrasound, heat-assisted magnetic recording for hard drives, and nonlinear control theory. Recipients include Kullervo Hynynen of Sunnybrook Research Institute and the University of Toronto, a Seagate Technology team led by Edward Charles Gage, and Arjan van der Schaft of the University of Groningen. IEEE president and CEO Mary Ellen Randall said the honorees reflect innovation spanning microelectronics, AI, medical robotics, wireless networks, energy conversion, and technical education.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-09-30
An American software engineer and researcher at Google has completed a PhD in Computer Science at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), funded by Japan's MEXT Scholarship. He pursued the degree while continuing full-time work at Google, having previously studied automata theory during an earlier, uncompleted PhD attempt in Korea before joining Google. He now works on on-device language models for keyboards.
tokyodev.com
· 2026-09-30
A peer-reviewed study by Northeastern University researchers, conducted with Consumer Reports, tested 21 vehicles from 17 automakers and 30 companion apps. It found 19 of the 21 vehicles sent data to at least one third party, and seven apps shared sensitive information such as VINs, emails, phone numbers and precise location with companies tied to advertising and tracking, including Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Snap and Yahoo.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-29
The federal government has introduced a chatbot on America.gov, developed by the National Design Studio. The tool is intended to let users interact with a prompt box rather than navigate government websites and processes directly.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-29
QALO, known for its silicone smart ring, has launched the SL-1 Smart Band, a screen-free wearable that tracks movement, sleep, blood oxygen, heart rate, stress, heart rate variability, skin temperature and menstrual cycles. The device generates a daily Q-Score from 1 to 100 and costs $199.95, available now on QALO's website with a spare strap included, and coming to Walmart later this fall.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-29
British Transport Police ran an 18-deployment trial of live facial recognition across major London railway stations from February to July, scanning over 500,000 faces at a cost exceeding £320,000 and nearly 100 officer-hours. The trial produced a single watchlist alert, which proved to be a false match, and no arrests. BTP has since extended the trial by four months into London Underground stations, reporting three confirmed alerts of individuals complying with court-imposed conditions.
theguardian.com
· 2026-09-29
MIT Technology Review announced it has finalized its fourth annual Climate Tech Companies to Watch list, set to publish on October 6. The list narrows a broad set of global companies down to 10 selected for their impact on emissions, public safety or health, spanning energy storage, nuclear power and transportation.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-09-29
CNET tested Chamberlain's Premier Smart Garage Door Opener with MyQ technology, priced at $379, which combines a garage door motor with an integrated security camera featuring AI detection and motion zone controls. The device also includes a 2,000-lumen LED light, keypad, wall controller and remotes, and offers app-based scheduling and automatic closing rules, though advanced features require a subscription and professional installation.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-29
Nothing unveiled the Headphone (1) Pro at a New York event, an upgraded version of last year's over-ear headphones. Each earcup now houses three separate drivers—one each for bass, midrange, and treble—instead of a single dynamic driver, with the treble driver using xMEMS silicon diaphragm technology. The design also features exposed 9H Panda glass panels on an aluminum-and-titanium body, letting users see the internal driver architecture.
wired.com
· 2026-09-29
A federal jury in the Southern District of California found that Apple infringed two patents held by Taction Technology, awarding $5.7 billion in damages. Taction, which supplies haptic technology used in Corsair headsets, argued Apple's Taptic Engine in the iPhone and Apple Watch used its vibration-based transducer inventions without authorization. The jury found infringement but ruled it was not willful; Apple says it disagrees and will appeal.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-28
Ridge Security disclosed CVE-2026-42542, a high-severity flaw in the open-source TDengine time-series database used across manufacturing, energy, automotive and IoT sectors. The bug lets an unauthenticated attacker crash a vulnerable server with a single crafted network packet; TDengine has released version 3.4.1.6 to fix versions 3.4.0.0 through 3.4.1.5.
darkreading.com
· 2026-09-28
Litigation funder Burford Capital's stock jumped more than 9% in London trading after it revealed a financial entitlement in Taction Technology's $5.7 billion patent verdict against Apple over the Taptic Engine. Burford said it could receive up to $1.4 billion if the verdict is paid in full, split roughly equally between its balance sheet and investment funds. Court records show Taction's litigation funding came through Kenosha Investments LP, an indirect Burford subsidiary, and Gronostaj Investments LLC.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-28
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