https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/consumer-gadgets-news/ en-us Tthe latest news on consumer electronics, electronic gadgets and electronics. While it may sound like science fiction, earbuds that read brain activity are already on sale. Wearable technology company Neurable claims that its headphones, equipped with electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, can track your fatigue and reduce burnout. At night, NextSense's Smartbuds pick up the electrical signals of your brain to chart your sleep. By day, the same EEG sensors help schedule demanding tasks for the hours when you are sharpest. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-brain-earbuds-prompting-urgent-children.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news707126125 For robots to be successfully deployed in real-world environments, humans should trust them enough to cooperate with them. Some roboticists have been trying to determine whether users perceive robots that exhibit socially expressive behaviors, such as gestures, eye contact and nodding, as more trustworthy. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-humanoid-robot-social-backfire.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:03 EDT news707109064 Consumer detectors sold to help people find hidden surveillance devices are often too difficult for typical users to interpret, potentially giving a false sense of security to those most at risk such as domestic abuse survivors, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-spy-device-detector-users-hidden.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:20:05 EDT news706804201 For people who are blind or have low vision, moving around independently is a daily challenge. Harvard researchers have developed a new tool that could help people navigate more quickly and safely with nothing more than a device they likely already have—a smartphone. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-smartphone-app-vision-users-obstacles.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news706535108 For many parents, keeping their children safe online is a top priority. But now there's an emerging threat: "com networks." Com networks (short for community networks) are online groups that mostly target vulnerable young people in the online spaces they use every day, including gaming platforms and social media. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-emerging-threat-violent-exploitative-digital.html Internet Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news706346701 A new security loophole discovered by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst can bring some expired credit cards back to life. If stolen, these "zombie credit cards" could leave cardholders vulnerable to fraudulent charges, according to the new study, presented at the conference USENIX Security 2026. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-zombie-credit-cards-loophole-reanimate.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news706205101 A "centaur" is a human helped by a machine: The person sets the direction, the machine supplies the horsepower, and together they are better than either one alone. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-opinion-life-ai-cory-doctorow.html Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 15 Aug 2026 05:40:01 EDT news705682535 Prosthetics are a fact of life today. It's estimated that more than 50 million people globally—some 2 million of them in the United States—have lost a limb, and most could benefit or already do benefit from artificial limbs to restore mobility and lifestyle. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-emitting-textile-sensors-optimize-prosthetic.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news705929552 Google on Wednesday unveiled its latest lineup of Pixel phones, with slimmer cameras that include more a powerful zoom and artificial intelligence features designed to help users accomplish things with fewer taps and swipes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-google-unveils-latest-pixel-slimmer.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:32:58 EDT news705763918 The widespread use of conversational platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini is raising important new ethical, anthropological and legal questions regarding the potential risks, misuses and shortcomings of artificial intelligence (AI). In discussing their personal experiences, some people have shared that they formed emotional attachments to AI agents or even felt that they had formed romantic relationships with them. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-people-ai-agents.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:02 EDT news705585110 A teenager joins an online video chat. Within seconds, artificial intelligence analyzes their face and gives them a score out of 10 for "attractiveness." They are compared in real time with another user who scores higher and is declared the winner. The game is live-streamed, and the audience ridicules the loser in the chat. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-youre-ai.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news705585542 People become more suspicious of a humanoid robot that makes errors, especially when the robot is an expressive conversation partner. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-humanoid-robots-awkward-people-wary.html Consumer & Gadgets Sat, 08 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news704987469 In recent months, American drivers have felt the pain of increased prices at the gas pump. There's some evidence that higher prices may be fueling interest in greener ways of getting around. Battery electric cars, more commonly called electric vehicles or EVs, can be cheaper to own and operate than gas-powered internal combustion engine cars, and they offer considerable sustainability benefits. But just how much better for the planet are electric vehicles, really? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-car-ev-compelling.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:05 EDT news705155941 Last year, Melanie Walsh, a University of Washington assistant professor in the Information School, wrote an article examining how 300 popular children's books gendered their animal characters. Of the 13 most common animals, most were male—unless they happened to be cats, ducks or birds, which trended slightly more female. But a frog, a wolf? More than a 90% chance it was a "he." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-erase-female-characters-kids.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:20:06 EDT news705165248 You search online for a pair of sneakers. Minutes later, similar shoes appear on social media feeds. A shopping site offers a limited-time discount and suggests a matching jacket. This is no longer just an ad shown to millions of people. Increasingly, artificial intelligence is helping decide not only what you see but also which sales pitch is most likely to persuade you. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-buy-mindfulness.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:19:35 EDT news705154721 People gave the highest ratings to AI-generated stories they were told had been written by humans and were unable to tell the difference between human- and AI-created stories, according to new research published in Judgement and Decision Making. The study, led by researchers at Villanova University, U.S., adds to the growing body of evidence that many people's ability to spot AI-generated content is limited. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-people-stories-written-ai-told.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:10:03 EDT news704970841 From doctors diagnosing symptoms to judges intervening in court cases, humans make complex decisions every day. Increasingly, artificial intelligence tools are being used to help with those decisions. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-decision-overreliance-ai.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:20:06 EDT news704980861 The human eye, as good as it is, misses out on so much of the world because it is limited in what it can perceive. It can't see X-rays, ultraviolet rays or infrared light. While X-ray goggles are still the stuff of science fiction, we may be moving closer to wearable glasses that make infrared light look almost like everyday vision. Scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed a device that transforms infrared light into a full-color visible image. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-prototype-glasses-infrared-vision.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:00:04 EDT news704969949 Research published in the International Journal of Web-Based Communities has looked at how digital identity might be governed online, specifically in the so-called metaverse. The study found that current frameworks for digital identity are ill-equipped for emerging immersive online environments, which sit under the umbrella term "metaverse." The work argues that regulators must move from a privacy-focused approach to one that is broader and rights-based. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-current-privacy-frameworks-fall-short.html Internet Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news704966098 Improving how crowdsourced information is shared across mobile platforms by incorporating a user penalty-and-reward system could curb long lines caused by inefficient human queuing behavior, a new study suggests. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-rewarding-consumer-choices-advance-gen.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:40:01 EDT news704475181 Consider these scenarios. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-older-people-media-literacy-boosted.html Internet Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:00:50 EDT news704364482 Imagine a world where you could ask a book a question as you read it. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-tools-readers.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 27 Jul 2026 03:30:01 EDT news704339488 Researchers have created a wearable patch that can detect hazards in the environment—such as dangerous gases or heavy metals in water—and then notify wearers by vibrating against their skin. The researchers have also extended the work to create an "e-skin" for robotic devices, allowing robots to detect and avoid hazards in their environment. The paper is published in the journal Device. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-wearable-patch-vibrates-environmental-hazards.html Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:40:08 EDT news704114278 Since November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been rewriting billions of emails, student assignments, reports and breakup text messages. Alongside these mundane uses, we've seen a proliferation of chatbots as AI "companions". https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-china-ai-companions.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news704030618 New research led by The University of Manchester in collaboration with Durham University has found that AI chatbots such as ChatGPT can match—and in some situations outperform—humans as a source of everyday emotional support. However, the advantage depends on the emotional context, and a key ingredient for effective support—offering specific, actionable guidance—can boost the quality of support from both humans and AI alike. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-ai-chatbots-effective-humans-emotional.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news703777081 When a robot offers you candy, it is hard not to be curious. In an experiment conducted by ethologists at ELTE, visitors at public events noticed an autonomous service robot more often than a human server, and the candy on the robot's tray disappeared faster. The study also suggests that the presence of robots may influence the way people behave in social situations. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-attitudes-autonomous-robots-real-life.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news703948261 South Korean technology giant Samsung unveiled new, sleeker smartphone models Wednesday priced higher than previous models as artificial intelligence raises component costs. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-samsung-expensive-foldable-smartphones.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:03:11 EDT news703944147 The huge popularity of AI chatbots can be explained by their accepted role as fictional characters in people's lives—in the same way as those found in films, TV and books, a new study shows. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-fictional-chatbots-popularity-artificial-intelligence.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:20:08 EDT news703864921 Webtoons are coming to life in the physical world, ushering in a new era in which comics are not merely viewed but experienced. A KAIST research team has developed the world's first next-generation extended reality (XR) comics platform that enables a wide range of readers to enjoy immersive, three-dimensional comics in physical space. By expanding webtoons beyond the screen and into the real world, the team has opened up new possibilities for the future of comics. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-source-xr-webtoons-3d-comics.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:40:04 EDT news703853761 When right-wing commentator and social media influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on a university campus in September 2025, graphic videos of the assassination quickly spread online. Many of those images also appeared before teenagers worldwide. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-canadian-teens-graphic-violence-online.html Internet Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:40:02 EDT news703773002