Facial recognition camera secretly used on Taylor Swift fans

L. Green
Facial Recognition Camera - Eye Scan

Security at the singer’s Rose Bowl show utilized facial recognition tech, unbeknownst to fans. A facial recognition camera was reportedly used at Taylor Swift’s LA concert back in May for the purpose of monitoring the crowd to check for Swift’s known stalkers. That said, this technology was employed in secret and used on fans without their knowledge as they watched a screen playing rehearsal clips in one of the kiosks that had been set up. The images where transferred to a Nashville “command post.” “Everybody who went by [the kiosks]…

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VR tech helps to keep dental patients and airline passengers calm

Amanda Giasson
VR Tech - Woman wearing VR Headset

Virtual reality is changing both dental experiences and long air travel for the better. Thanks to the magic of VR tech, a trip to the dentist or taking a long flight may no longer be something to dread. Virtual reality (VR) headsets have been found to improve both experiences, helping people in these situations to feel more at ease. VR has a “profound” sedation effect on dental patients. According to dentist Bryan Laskin, providing dental patients with a Pico interactive VR headset while they’re getting work done, has a sedative…

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Survey finds that 70% of Irish consumers abandon mobile payment transactions

Jesse Collins
Mobile payment transactions - Women wiht computer and mobile phone

Consumers in Ireland are not keen on making payments via mobile if the process is too difficult. New research from Elavon, a global payments expert, reveals that mobile payment transactions are abandoned by over two-thirds of mobile consumers in Ireland, when these consumers find the mobile payments process to be too tedious and difficult. Several aspects of mobile transaction processes frustrated online shoppers. Elavon’s mobile shopping experience study, which involved 1,000 adult mobile shoppers in Ireland, noted that there were primary sources of frustration that lead to mobile users abandoning…

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College QR code tech in China requires students to track shower times

John Montgallo
College QR Code - Shower

A new system requires Chinese college students to scan QR Codes before and after taking a shower. Mobile technology is popular in China and college QR codes are nothing new. However, according to local media, Hunan’s Changsha University of Science and Technology has launched a new shower system for students that requires them to scan a quick response (QR) code every time they take a shower. Students are required to connect their phones to a smart water meter via Bluetooth. After linking up with the smart water meter via their…

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mHealth anemia detection app could identify anemia from a smartphone photo

Sam Lambert
mHealth anemia detection app - Needle - Blood - Syringe

Atlanta researchers are working on a mobile health app that could revolutionize anemia detection. Those who suffer from chronic anemia or who think they might be anemic, could one day be able to detect this condition via their smartphone using an mHealth anemia detection app. The app is currently being developed by Atlanta researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Emory University. The app can detect anemia via a smartphone picture. The Atlanta researchers revealed via a study published in the journal Nature that they have developed an…

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New Formula 1 VR channel to revolutionize the experience of F1 fans

Jennifer Goula
Formula 1 VR - Formula 1 Racing

Formula 1 (F1) has signed a deal with virtual reality (VR) company Dream VR. The prestigious and popular racing series Formula 1 will soon provide its fans with an immersive virtual reality experience via a new Formula 1 VR channel. This will be made possible through the motorsport’s partnership agreement with The Dream VR, which provides VR 360º experiences. Via the new experience fans will gain access to unique behind-the-scenes content. The Formula 1 VR experience will give viewers the chance to get a unique look at some of the…

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See Johannes Vermeer’s paintings with new Vermeer augmented reality app

Amanda Giasson
Vermeer augmented reality app - Vermeeer Painting - The Milkmaid

Those who want to see Vermeer’s famous paintings don’t have to travel the world to do it. The Mauritshuis museum has teamed up with Google Arts & Culture in Paris to develop a Vermeer augmented reality app. The AR app creates a virtual museum that features all the artists’ works, including what is arguably his best (and most well-known masterpiece), “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” which is on display at the Maurithuis. Museums from around the world have contributed images of the Dutch artist’s famed work. Only 36 paintings are…

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PayPal mobile payments break records over Thanksgiving shopping weekend

L. Green
PayPal mobile payments - PayPal Logo

Over $1 Billion mobile payments were made via PayPal on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. PayPal mobile payments was the preferred payment method for many mobile users during America’s biggest shopping weekend of the year. The American-based worldwide online payment system has revealed that, for the first time ever, it saw over $1 billion in mobile payment volume on Black Friday and hit this record-breaking volume again on Cyber Monday. There were higher mobile payment volumes on Black Friday than Cyber Monday. What is particularly surprising about the data…

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Smart dress reveals how frequently women are harassed at nightclubs

Jesse Collins
The Dress for Respect - Smart Dress - Schweppes & Ogilvy Brazil YouTube

A touch-sensitive dress shows that women are not exaggerating about sexual harassment at nightclubs. A smart dress created for a project called “The Dress for Respect,” tracked how often and how intensely women in Brazil were groped on an average night out at a club or party. The special dress was embedded with sensor technology. The sensor technology that was embedded into the garment tracked both touch and pressure. This information was immediately sent to a visual system so that the project researchers could track the harassment in real time.…

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Salvation Army QR code incorporated into red kettle campaign

Amanda Giasson
The Salvation Army - Red Kettle Campaign - WSLS 10 News YouTube

The famous red kettle campaign is welcoming digital donations in Texas. Residents of Amarillo, Texas who come across the Salvation Army’s red kettle, but who don’t have any cash to donate, can now make a digital donation by scanning the Salvation Army QR code on the kettle. Many people use cashless payment methods and no longer carry loose change. Today, it’s becoming less common for people to carry cash. Most rely on cashless forms of payments such as credit/debit cards or digital wallets to make purchases. This can make it…

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Delta facial recognition ID system rolls out in Atlanta airport

Sam Lambert
Delta facial recognition technology - Delta Air Lines Plane

Delta passengers can now use the airline’s first-of-its-kind “biometric terminal”. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport is the first to have the new Delta facial recognition system. Delta Air Lines is calling it the first “biometric terminal” in the United States. Delta Air Line passengers can cut down their wait times by using this new security system. Located at the international terminal in the Atlanta airport, the Delta facial recognition tech gives customers who want to use it the ability to check in, get through security and board their flights. In other words,…

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