Category Archives: Technology

This is the second in a series of posts about how different demographic groups in the U.S. have fared in the digital age.

More than 56 million people in the United States are living with a disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But even as a growing share of these Americans report going online or owning a smartphone, the digital divide between those who have a disability and those who dont remains large.

Disabled Americans are about three times as likely as those without a disability to say they never go online (23% vs. 8%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the fall of 2016. When compared with those who do not have a disability, disabled adults are roughly 20 percentage points less likely to say they subscribe to home broadband and own a traditional computer, a smartphone or a tablet.

Adults who report having a disability are also less likely to have multiple devices that enable them to go online. One-in-four disabled adults say they have high-speed internet at home, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer and a tablet, compared with 42% of those who report not having a disability.

The amount of time people spend online and their comfort level with technology also varies by disability status. Disabled Americans are less likely than those who dont have a disability to report using the internet on a daily basis (50% vs. 79%). They are also less likely to say that having a high level of confidence in their ability to use the internet and other communication devices to keep up with information describes them very well (39% vs. 65%), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in spring 2016.

These findings are based on a pair of surveys conducted by the Center last year, when roughly one-in-six U.S. adults (16%) reported that they lived with a disability (defined here as a health problem, disability or handicap currently keeping you from participating fully in work, school, housework or other activities). The latest figures from the Census Bureau estimate that 19% of the U.S. population has some form of disability a similar share to what the Center found. It is important to note that there are various forms of disabilities, often ranging in severity, so this question is meant to be a broad look at disabled Americans.

Due to the nature of the surveys associated with this data, certain Americans with disabilities are likely undercounted. The figures reported on adoption and internet use are from phone surveys that were conducted via landlines and cellphones and likely under-covered adults who are deaf or have difficulty speaking. The data on the sharing economy are from a survey by Pew Research Centers American Trends Panel. Initial recruitment surveys for the panel were conductedon landlines and cellphones, so adults who are deaf or have difficulty speaking were likely under-covered. The estimates reported here are from panel surveys conducted via the web and mail, which may underrepresent blind people. In addition, our surveysdo not coverthose living in institutionalized group quarters, which may include some severely disabled individuals.

The disabled population is disproportionally comprised of seniors, and this is an age group that generally has lower levels of digital adoption than the nation as a whole.

Indeed, disabled Americans younger than 65 have much higher rates of having home broadband services and owning digital devices than those ages 65 and up. Still, even among younger adults, people with a disability are less likely to report using digital technology. For example, 67% of disabled Americans ages 18 to 64 say they own a desktop or laptop computer, compared with 84% of those in the same group who dont have a disability.

There are tools on the market aimed at making the digital experience more accessible to disabled Americans. Social media companies, for example, have experimented with artificial intelligence to help the visually impaired use their platforms, while other tech companies are expanding their screen-reading software and mobile apps. But there have also been dozens of lawsuits in recent years, claiming some websites are not accessible to those with disabilities. The Department of Justice is currently seeking public comments on how to ensure that the internet adheres to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Some experts have suggested the sharing economy may bring about a more inclusive digital experience. Data from a 2015 Pew Research Center survey show that disabled Americans have the same or less experience with the sharing economy when compared with those who report having no disabilities. For example, only 7% of adults with a disability say they have ever used a ride-hailing app, compared with 18% of adults who dont have a disability. But disabled Americans are also just as likely as those without a disability to say they have ever ordered groceries online or hired someone to do a task or run an errand via an online platform (only around 5% of both groups say they have done either of these online activities).

Topics: Digital Divide, Health, Mobile, Technology Adoption

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Disabled Americans less likely to use technology | Pew Research ... - Pew Research Center

New York Times

Uber Denies It Is Using Stolen Waymo Technology New York Times SAN FRANCISCO Uber denied claims from Waymo, the self-driving car company spun out of Google's parent company last year, that it is using driverless car technology stolen by a former Google employee. In a federal court filing on Friday, Uber said it ... Uber says its self-driving technology differs from Waymo'sReuters Uber calls claims it stole self-driving technology 'demonstrably false'The Guardian Uber rejects claims it stole Waymo driverless technologyTelegraph.co.uk Business Insider -Financial Times all 98 news articles »

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Uber Denies It Is Using Stolen Waymo Technology - New York Times

Forget ordering pizza. Soon youll also be able to consult Alexa aboutyournext period.

Last weekend, digital agency Rain hosted a two-day hackathon for staffers and local developers at its Nicaragua office to play around withvoice-driven experiences, and one of the Alexa skills that came of the exercise was a menstrual calendar for women planning to get pregnant. Rain isnt alone.As services like Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Watson increasingly become embedded in consumers daily lives, agencies are doubling down on their efforts and looking to provide actual utility through these platforms on behalf of their clients.

Agencies including Rain, Maxus, Huge, We Are Social and CP+B are betting on the future of voice technology, doing everything from encouraging internal demos and hosting hackathons to get employees better acquainted with the technology in-house. An its not just chasing the shiny, new object, they say.

Its still in the early adopter curiosity stage, but a huge shift is underway as far as clients are concerned, said Corey Szopinski, executive creative technology director at CP+B Los Angeles.

Tom Kelshaw, director of innovation at Maxus, agreed that clients are very interested, particularly those with close integration with Amazon as it reduces friction for sales. But budgets are small right now, because experimentation is very cheap and easy, he said.

Voice has been a big focus area for Rain ever since the agency debuted its recipe library for Campbells on Amazon Echo in 2015. The agency has designed Echo skills for a variety of clients and built a smartphone app called Reverb, which lets anyone interact with Alexa even if they dont have an Echo device. Most recently, it hosted the hackathon event for voice-driven experiences, out of which four projects are being submitted to Amazon, including themenstrual calendar above as wellas a skill allowing people to check their balance for public transportation.

The idea of learn-then-teach and repeat is part of the culture at Rain, said Andrew Howlett, founding partner at Rain. When you train others, you actually improve your own skills and expertise.

At Maxus, Kelshaw has an Echo Dot set up at his desk that staffers are encouraged to come and try out. The agency also regularly demos skills at internal events and brings in specialist developers for staffers to school its employees further.

Hugehosts regular hackathons to encourage applied learning for emerging tech across the board and had one focused on conversational user experience or voice interfaces. Among the projects was, for example, a voice-activated Alexa skill designed formarketers to useto get relevant marketing stats and figures. Wondersauce, on the other hand, has a small team dedicated to developing relationships with technology partners, diving into APIs, and attending hackathons and meet-ups. This group is then responsible for educating the agencys staffers on practical use cases that they can help their clients with.

Others, including We Are Social and CP+B, are also investing significantly in voice technology, hosting frequent meetups to school current employees as well hiring new talent, especially UX designers with experience working with voice. We Are Social launched its own daily news broadcast on Amazon Echo last December, giving consumers briefs on the latest news in marketing.

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Most branded voice activations including CP+B and Dominos pizza-ordering skill and VaynerMedia and Johnnie Walkers cocktail recipe skill seem gimmicky so far. But according to Rains Howlett, as the technology matures and developers start to grasp its true potential, real utility will emerge.

Look back at the early app store days for the iPhone the large majority of apps were gimmicky and silly, he said. But voice technology will continue to improve in its accuracy and efficiency, and this will allow more opportunities for brands to create useful interactions for consumers and revenue opportunities will too follow.

The technology will particularly have implications for the automobile sector, as well as in third-party app integrations such as geo-location, maps and payment. We are already working on some of these and are excited about what consumers will be able to do without ever taking their eyes off the road, he said.

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How agencies are pushing voice technology - Digiday

Theres a problem with the sharing economy, says Julian Agyeman, an urban studies and environmental policy scholar at Tufts University. While useful in some ways, he says, the concept of a sharing economy limits this very human value sharing to an economic transaction.

Thats the thesis of Agyemans most recent book, Sharing Cities, cowritten with environmental scholar Duncan McLaren. In the book, the two authors make the case for technology as a tool to transform cities into more equitable and more sustainable places if applied correctly. But when smart-city programs arent designed to correct social inequality, Agyeman says, they end up furthering it. Take San Francisco, the de facto sharing-economy headquarters, where skyrocketing rents have made the city unaffordable for all but the wealthiest.

Agyeman wasnt always focused on issues of justice. As an undergraduate, he studied botany and geography. But his interests shifted when he moved to London in the mid 80s. I realized that environment even landscape is not apolitical, he says. Landscapes are both real and socially constructed.

So Agyeman turned to urban policy how cities are formed, who has the power to shape them, and how they make up a greater human landscape. At the bottom of it all lies a question of human agency: Its one thing to discuss ideologies and policies that guide growth, but how do the changes that transform a city actually take place?

The sharing-cities concept offers a radically different vision of what the city can be, says Agyeman. He holds up Medellin, Colombia, and Seoul, South Korea, as examples of what happens when public officials make a true commitment to a sharing vision, from more accessible urban spaces to smart, tech-informed public transit that serves all its citizens.

In a conversation with Grist, he explained how that concept could redefine our idea of what makes a city truly smart. (This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.)

Q.In the introduction to this book, you write that sharing is an inherent human trait but isnt there evidence that suggests humans are naturally selfish?

A.When we evolved as a species on the savannas of Africa, you couldnt survive unless you cooperated and shared resources with bands of other pre-humans, and then humans. There has been a lot of study of peoples level of satisfaction with sharing it makes people feel good. Whats probably happened is that, as societies became more complex, some of the more basic traits were overtaken by others, like selfishness and competition.

Q.How do most of us imagine sharing in cities today, and how is the Sharing Cities vision different?

A.We need to reinvent and recreate the urban commons as a place where humans interact in a much more relational way, not just in a transactional way. In a sense, what were saying is we want to move from the sharing economy to understanding whole cities as shared spaces. Modern technology gives us a kind of intersection of urban spaces and cyberspace, which we think could be a platform for a much more inclusive and efficient society.

Q.What are the opportunities and pitfalls to look out for as technology revolutionizes the way cities work?

A.A lot of people see this idea of the smart city as just the city that is wired for automation and efficiency. But were saying its only smart if it harnesses the capabilities and aspirations of the citizens. Its not smart if it just sits there controlling traffic lights and streetcars. Theres a very great need to see technology as something in the service of solidarity and social justice.

Q.How can we direct technological innovation to be more people-focused?

A.If you dont build a scheme from the get-go with equity and social justice in mind, it wont simply happen. Let me give you an example. I was called up by people who run a bike-share scheme about a year ago. They said, its wildly successful, but heres the problem: Very few low-income or minority people are riding our bikes.

My reaction was: On what basis is your scheme successful, if thats the case? Did you involve any person from a low-income or minority group in the envisioning of your scheme? Because if it is envisioned by people like you, then it probably didnt fit into what low-income and minority groups might want.

Q.Why has there been so much conflict around integrating sharing economy models, like Uber and Airbnb, into cities?

A.Theres nothing wrong with the concept of ride-sharing or sharing an apartment. Butreally they have ended up exacerbating problems. For instance, Airbnb is exacerbating housing crises in various cities. I think we want to see much more municipal regulation, in terms of making the sharing economy more equitable. Were not anti-disruption but I do think we have to have standards that can apply to worker hours, worker rights.

Q.You write in the book that there is no one path to a shared city but there are common elements. What are the pillars of a truly shared city?

A.The fundamental principle is what we call the sharing paradigm the understanding that human well-being depends on building, developing, and nurturing capabilities for all. The resources that we have to do that from breathable air to education, energy, health care are better understood as shared commons than private goods. We might decide, collectively, that the best way to manage and allocate resources is through market economies or public management, but the starting point is the recognition of the collective and shared nature of these resources.

For one thing, a sharing city would actively invest in public services and enable whats called coproduction. The idea of coproduction is that you blur the boundary between producer and consumer. A good example: If you are discharged from Lehigh Regional Medical Center, in Pennsylvania, after having certain procedures, you will not be seen by a doctor or a nurse practitioner. You will be seen by a recently discharged patient who has had a similar procedure to you. And the recovery rate has been staggering - far better than if you were seen by a doctor or a nurse. Why? Because this person can empathize with you.

Q.Can cities who arent yet thinking about the sharing paradigm on a large scale circumvent their own bureaucracy and political inertia to implement some of these kinds of changes?

A. One easy way that cities can get into this like my own city, Cambridge, Massachusetts is by engaging with participatory budgeting. Participatory budgeting is a way to get people into the functioning of the city through a very small keyhole, by giving residents the power to set budget priorities. At the moment, Cambridge is making $750,000 available for its participatory budget decisions. Its about making the city more transparent, and its about giving people real choices.

Q.How would you advise someone who wants to get more involved intheir own city?

A.This is about the right to the city. This idea fits in with seeing the whole city as this shared entity, with shared public services shared health care, child pre-education, libraries, etc. City dwellers are already reimagining and redefining their environments and these environments are, by their nature, collective urban commons, theyre shared spaces. So for people who want to get into this: Dont accept your place as it is. Think about what it could become. In many ways, the sharing-city concept is a vision and a product the sharing city but its also a process, of remaking the city.

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The technology that brought us Airbnb and Uber can do so much more - Grist

For the 12th time in Cherokee County School Districts history, the district has been named among the nations Top 10 of large school systems effectively using technology in education.

The honor recognizes results from the annual Digital School Districts Survey conducted by the Center for Digital Education and the National School Boards Association. The survey compares public school districts nationwide and awards Top 10 rankings to those fully integrating technology into the classroom, and throughout the systems operations.

Effectively using technology is a requirement for success in our world, and were focused on ensuring each of our students not only is engaged with technology, but also develops a sense of ownership through usage, said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower, noting he views technology as a valuable tool for every aspect of operations. We set a goal to further embrace business technology to improve operations and have implemented successful new systems, with more on the horizon.

The survey evaluates integration of technology and curriculum and related professional development, infrastructure and networks, leadership and transparency in governance, operational improvements, strategic planning, data management and safety and communications with students, parents, employees and community.

Technology is an essential tool for the transformation of education in our country, said Dr. Kecia Ray, executive director for the Center for Digital Education. The Digital School Districts Survey helps districts measure progress toward transformation and Im proud to recognize these districts and the work that is represented in their award. Congratulations to all of the award winners and great thanks to all who participated in the survey.

Winners were recognized at the National School Boards Associations Annual Conference in Denver on Saturday.

The school boards in these districts are recognized for utilizing technology solutions to make their work as a board more transparent and their district operations more efficient, said Thomas Gentzel, National School Boards Association executive director and CEO. Their accomplishments demonstrate that innovative approaches can be embraced by any district, regardless of its size or location.

The Center for Digital Education is a national research and advisory institute specializing in K-12 and higher education technology trends, policy and funding. The center provides education and industry leaders with decision support and actionable insights to help effectively incorporate new technologies in the 21st century.

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CCSD earns Top 10 designation for technology | Local News ... - Cherokee Tribune Ledger News

The missile used in North Korea's latest launch didn't fly very far, but it may have been the second test of a technology that worries experts.

The launch Wednesday into waters off North Korea's east coast came shortly before President Trump's first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, raising speculation that it might have been timed to get their attention.

Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicate that it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first known test by North Korea was in February.

The KN-15, known as "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, uses pre-loaded solid fuel, which shortens launch preparation times, boosts the missiles mobility and makes it harder for outsiders to detect ahead of liftoff. Most North Korean missiles use liquid propellant, which generally must be added to the missile on the launch pad before firing.

The South Korean military said the missile was fired from land near the east coast city of Sinpo and flew about 40 miles. The earlier one in February flew about 310 miles. Analysts were trying to determine if the shorter distance meant Wednesday's launch was a failure.

One expert said it could have been a test of a new missile intended as a stepping stone toward developing a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the U.S. mainland. Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, questioned why North Korea would do a shorter launch of the KN-15.

"There's absolutely no reason for North Korea to fire the KN-15 again this way; the launch measurements show something similar to when developing missiles are flight-tested for the first time for data-gathering purposes," he said.

The KN-15 is believed to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched "Pukguksong" launched last summer. Many experts say a "Pukguksong-2" missile would be a greater security threat, because it can be launched anywhere from a mobile vehicle. Though submarines are a stealthy way to do that, North Korea doesn't have enough of them.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts Thursday, he said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent satellite imagery shows possible preparations for a test at North Korea's main nuclear test site, including the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data.

North Korea's state media have said the world will soon witness what they called "eventful successes" in the country's space development. The United States, South Korea and others call North Korea's space program a cover for its long-range-missile development program.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said his country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a brief statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Trump has said China must do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear program. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday that all sides needed to be involved.

"If we are serious about solving this issue, we need to tackle the root of it," she said at a regular news briefing. "We need to balance the interest of each side. China wants to make efforts with all sides involved, to make denuclearization a reality and ensure peace in the region."

Analysts say North Korea might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

NEWSLETTER: Get the day's top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came during annual military drills between the United States and South Korea. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

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North Korea may have tested new technology in latest missile - Los Angeles Times

T. Rowe Price Group has opened a technology development center in New York City as the Baltimore money manager looks to expand the role of technology in its investment strategies.

The center will employ between 50 and 60 workers, including technical architects, data scientists, software engineers and software developers.

The center will work with other T. Rowe technology groups in Baltimore and London to develop new ideas for how machine learning and advanced analytics can be used to improve the firm's investment and distribution capabilities, said Nigel Faulkner, T. Rowe's chief technology officer, in a statement. It also will work on improving client experience, he said.

"As the firm continues to evolve, with a focus on continuing to meet the needs of our clients, we are investing heavily in technology and putting a strong emphasis on innovation," Faulkner said in a statement. "Broadening our technology skills base will enable us to better use technology to augment our proven investment capabilities, enhancing our ability to sustain our outstanding investment results."

Faulkner described the new technology development center as one of many strategic moves T. Rowe is making as it embarks on "a bold and exciting technology strategy."

Jordan Vinarub, who has 15-years experience in software engineering and development operations, has joined T. Rowe to lead the technology center.

Vinarub most recently worked as a software development manager for Connecticut-based investment management firm Bridgewater Associates.

The center is temporarily based in the financial district and will move this fall to 233 Park Ave. in Midtown South.

sarah.gantz@baltsun.com

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T. Rowe Price opens technology development center in NYC - Baltimore Sun

Shares of Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) have surged over 30% in 2017, thanks mostly to a favorable pricing environment that helped it post stellar second-quarter numbers. The maker of memory chips is riding the wave of tight supply and strong demand for DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and NAND chips, and it won't be running out of fuel anytime soon, if its latest outlook is any indication.

Micron's third-quarter revenue could jump 86% year over year at the midpoint of its revenue guidance range of $5.2 billion to $5.6 billion, which seems achievable thanks to booming memory demand and robust pricing. In fact, the memory specialist's DRAM pricing shot up 21% last quarter, while NAND sales jumped 18%.

Image source: Getty Images.

Micron's favorable market dynamics should last beyond 2017, as it is gaining traction in fast-growing areas such as specialty and server DRAM, while supply will remain tight. Additionally, the company is on track to take advantage of the booming 3D NAND market, which could help sustain its impressive momentum.

Micron gets close to two-thirds of its revenue from DRAM chips, with server and specialty DRAM accounting for almost 45% of this segment. These two subsegments could substantially boost its sales in the long run, as they cater to fast-growing markets.

Server DRAM, for instance, plays a critical role in helping data centers process large data volumes at fast speeds, allowing servers to take on more workloads and reduce operational costs. This is great news for Micron's server DRAM business, since server workloads will increase in leaps and bounds as data traffic grows.

Cisco forecasts a sevenfold increase in mobile data traffic until 2021, so data centers need to be upgraded using the modular approach for faster processing to tackle the growing volume. Modular data centers help bring additional capacity in small amounts, and can also be deployed in far-flung areas where permanent structures are not needed.

MarketsandMarkets estimates that modular data-center demand and related equipment sales could triple by 2020 as compared to 2015, indicating that server DRAM demand will increase. On the other hand, Micron's specialty DRAM segment should also accelerate thanks to fast-growing markets such as gaming and automotive.

In fact, Micron is already supplying its GDDR5X DRAM to NVIDIA for the latest GTX 1080Ti graphics card. This could be a big deal, as the latter company leads the booming graphics processing unit (GPU) market, which could double by the end of the decade. Not surprisingly, Micron believes that DRAM demand will grow at an annual pace of 20% to 25% until 2019.

Meanwhile, Micron's NAND flash business -- which is 30% of total revenue -- has a terrific catalyst in the form of 3D NAND. Allied Market Research forecasts that the 3D NAND space is set to grow at an annual pace of 33.7% until 2022, to $39 billion, as smartphone storage capacities increase. As a result, Micron is going to invest $1.7 billion on 3D NAND technology this year to ramp up output, as it doesn't want to miss the gravy train.

Micron's rivals Samsung and SK Hynix halted DRAM production in mid-2016 owing to an inventory glut, which led to a sharp price jump because they controlled almost 75% of the market. Micron used this time to improve its competitive position in DRAM by transitioning to a more efficient 18-nanometer node. As research company Market Realist points out, Samsung and SK Hynix will start moving to this platform in the second half of the year.

Micron's technology lead has given it an advantage over rivals; waiting times for the new equipment needed to make DRAM chips are pretty long, indicating that it can capture more market share. NAND supply, on the other hand, will also remain weaker than demand this year due to a 6% increment in wafer capacity, even as 3D NAND demand picks up pace.

Tighter supply means that Micron's favorable pricing environment will continue in both the DRAM and NAND segments, with IC Insights estimating that memory shipments and prices will increase 5.6% and 1.8% every year until 2021. This will push the market to a size of $110 billion from $77 billion in 2016, paving the way for Micron Technology's growth as it tries to grab a bigger slice of the memory market.

Harsh Chauhan has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Cisco Systems. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Why Micron Technology Isn't Done Growing Yet - Motley Fool

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Transcranial electrical stimulation was one of many technologies put forward by former President Obamas Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, in July of last year, as part of the Defense Innovation Unit (Experimental) initiative, also known as DIUx. Earlier this year, Naval Special Warfare units, working with DIUx, began a specific cognitive enhancement project with a small group of volunteers to test and evaluate achieving higher performance through the use of neuro-stimulation technology, Capt. Jason Salata toldMilitary.com. SEAL Team Six was reportedly one of the units involved in the testing.

The technology, created by Halo Neuroscience, uses a headset that looks similar to headphones. The technology does not technically result in cognitive enhancement, according to Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Brett Wingeier, but neuro-priming, which stimulates the brain to enter a state of hyper-elasticity, allowing users to learn better and more efficiently.

According to Salata, early results of the technology in the military show promising signs. Rear Admiral Tim Szymanski explained the improvements shown in an experiment involving people watching screens over a long period of time:

In experiments, people who were watching these screens their ability to concentrate would fall off in about 20 minutes But they did studies whereby a little bit of electrical stimulation was applied, and they were able to maintain the same peak performance for 20 hours Theyre training at this amazingly high level, and the amount they can train is actually limited by things like physical recovery They want to be able to maintain those incredible physical standards as efficiently as possible. That helps them avoid injury. If I was to sum it up, its kind of all about just training a little bit smarter.

However, Szymanski also made sure to highlight that while he was interested in more performance-enhancing technologies, he was aware of the possible dangers that may be entailed in future research:

Im always anxious, because Im in a community of risk-takers Guys may want to try experimenting on their own, which is against policy and has to be completely drug-tested and those types of things. So Id want to do that in a very systematic kind of way.

Jack Hadfield is a student at the University of Warwick and a regular contributor to Breitbart Tech. You can like his page on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @ToryBastard_ or on Gab @JH.

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Navy SEALs Testing Electrical Brain Stimulation Technology - Breitbart News

Militants have been using drones as deadly weapons in Middle East war zones, raising concerns that terrorists could use drones to launch an attack on U.S.

Bryan Llenas reported on "America's Newsroom" today about the "counter-drone industry," as American companies develop technology to face the growing threat of weaponized drones.

He said that dozens of companies are offering anti-drone "guns" thatdisable a drone's signals, forcing it to land or return to its starting point.

The DroneGun, from the company DroneShield, is reportedly effective from as far as 1.2 miles away.

Llenas said that the company Department 13, on the other hand, is offering software to detect unwanted drones and take full control of them.

He said that so far, the biggest customer for counter-drone technology is the Department of Defense.

"The military continues to put out calls for new methods to stop drones," Llenas reported. "Particularly of concern is the ability to stop a swarm of hundreds of drones."

He added that it's not just the military, though, as prisons, stadiums and airports have expressed interest in this technology.

"The problem is regulations," Llenas said. "About the only people that are able to ... use this technology to shoot down or take control of a drone is the federal government."

Watch Llenas' report above, and check out these Louisiana deputies using a drone and thermal imaging to track teen runaways.

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Companies Developing Technology to Counter Weaponized Drones - Fox News Insider