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WeWalk introduced a new version of its smart cane for people with visual impairments at CES 2025, bringing a redesign that addresses many of the first models shortcomings and adds AI features and more advanced sensors from TDK. Its positioned as an alternative to the traditional foldable white cane. Co-founder Kursat Ceylan, who has been blind since birth, says Smart Cane 2 can make mobility easier and safer, offering features like turn-by-turn navigation and obstacle detection, along with a ChatGPT-powered voice assistant that puts on-demand information in users hands without the need for them to also juggle a smartphone. The WeWalk Smart Cane 2 has a slimmer handle than its predecessor, which should make for a more comfortable grip, and the company says its now about as lightweight as a standard white cane. It has tactile buttons to be more user-friendly, doing away with the touchpad of the previous model that some people found to be difficult to use. Ceylan says it can be used in different weather conditions, not just when its warm and dry (WeWalk describes the new cane as rainwater-resistant). You can fold and unfold it when you need it. There's a speaker, a microphone, obstacle detection technology and a flashlight to make visually impaired people more visible at night. And also it has motion sensors in itself to provide a more accurate navigation experience, Ceylan explained. Under the hood, the WeWalk Smart Cane 2 has an ultrasonic time-of-flight sensor, an inertial measurement unit with six-axis motion tracking, a pulse density modulated microphone and a barometric pressure sensor from electronics company TDK. When it detects something ahead, it alerts the user with both haptic and audio feedback, according to Ceylan. He demonstrated this in the very cramped, noisy environment of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and I was able to hear over the crowd when the cane told him he was approaching an obstacle in this case, a carpeted step marked with yellow and black tape that I saw multiple CES attendees stumble over during our conversation. It also can connect to headphones via Bluetooth. Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget Paired with your smartphone, it can give navigation instructions and information about your surroundings, as well as public transportation options. You can hear the names of stores and restaurants you are passing by, he says. In Starbucks, where he isnt able to read the menu, he says he might ask the assistant if they sell chocolate croissants. You don't need to hold your smartphone anymore while you are going somewhere, Ceylan said. You can put it into your pocket and then you can get all the information through your WeWalk smart cane. There is a smartphone interface for those who want to use it, though, which he held up through the demo so I could see what was going on on the other end. Unlike the vast majority of products Ive encountered at CES this year that seem to include AI or ChatGPT for no real reason other than the fact that they can, this actually felt like a situation where it makes sense and could even be pretty beneficial. Since its brand new, we dont yet know how all of this will translate to real-world use. Pre-orders are now open for the WeWalk Smart Cane 2, and the first wave is expected to start shipping before the end of this month. There are two price models: $850 for the smart cane plus a subscription for the voice assistant that costs $4.99 per month, or $1150 altogether with no additional subscription fee for full use of the AI. WeWalk Smart Cane 2 is available internationally. The London-based startup also has a partnership with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) that kicks off in February, when the organization will start using the WeWalk Smart Cane 2 for its cane training program. The goal is to gather meaningful data for instructors so they can really understand how people are using mobility canes (AI-enabled or otherwise), and help them get the most out of the tools. That, Ceylan says, is so important, because the better you get around, the better you engage in life. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-wewalk-smart-cane-2-could-be-one-of-ais-few-good-use-cases-at-ces-2025-182020074.html?src=rss
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A Florida man pleaded guilty today, began a Department of Justice press release published on Tuesday. In this case, the ever-infamous Florida Man is none other than Ted Farnsworth, the former CEO of MoviePass parent company. His plea comes fewer than four months after another MoviePass leader, former CEO Mitch Lowe, entered a guilty plea of his own. Farnsworth pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and another of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Hell face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the former charge and up to five for the latter. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later. The DOJ charged Farnsworth, 62, with scheming to defraud investors in MoviePass former parent company, Helios & Matheson Analytics (HMNY). The agency accused him of making false and misleading representations of HMNYs and MoviePass business to artificially inflate stock and woo investors. If that sounds familiar, its because former MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe pleaded guilty to the same charges in September. Lowe reportedly agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and regulators as part of his plea, a detail one can imagine tightened the vise on Farnsworth leading up to his plea. MoviePass subscribers paid the company $9.95 monthly for what were supposed to be unlimited movie tickets with no blackout dates. Farnsworth and Lowe told investors the business plan was tested and sustainable and would at least break even if not turn a profit from subscription fees alone. On top of that, they used buzzwords like big data and artificial intelligence to claim they could alchemize subscriber data, transforming it into profit. But according to the DOJ (and logic), that was never the case. Instead, it was a marketing gimmick to lure in new subscribers and pump HMNYs stock price. Farnsworth falsely claimed that MoviePass cost of goods (the number of tickets each subscriber bought with their subscription) naturally declined over time, which was in line with his publicly stated expectations. But the DOJ says that was because the company directed MoviePass employees to throttle subscribers who used the service to buy the most movies, preventing them from getting what was promised from their unlimited memberships. That aligns with reports from 2019 that employees were ordered to change the passwords of frequent moviegoers. Unsurprisingly, the company lost money from the plan. A downward spiral commenced, MoviePass and its parent company declared bankruptcy in 2020 and the pair of Florida men in charge of the too-good-to-be-true scheme have admitted their guilt in a federal court. The company has since been resurrected with a new business model after co-founder Stacy Spikes bought its scraps in 2021.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/former-moviepass-head-pleads-guilty-to-securities-fraud-180603455.html?src=rss
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Broadly speaking, there are two types of e-bikes: Ones with a motor in one of the wheels, and ones with the motor mounted between the pedals. Those in the former group, known as hub motors, are cheap and bountiful, but lack the oomph required to cover rough terrain and high inclines. Those in the latter group, known as mid-drive motors, have all the power, but are heavy on the wallet as well on your arms as you lug them around. Consequently, Im excited by what Urtopia turned up with to CES 2025: Titanium Zero, a 3D-printed titanium concept e-bike weighing less than 20 pounds packing Quark DM1.2, a custom-designed mid-drive motor thats small enough to fit inside the bottom bracket and weighs just 2.6 pounds on its own. By its own admission, its not as brawny as chonky mid-drive models from Bafang and Bosch, but it might be a perfect alternative for less extreme trails. Of course, right now its just a concept device so we should keep the salt of reasonable skepticism in our left palm at all times. Even so, Urtopias Titanium Zero is plenty light enough in the hand, looking a lot more like a regular steel-framed three-speed bike than an e-bike. Hell, if it didnt have the little controller visible on the crossbar, you could easily mistake this for an old-school racing bike, down to the drop handlebars. Daniel Cooper for Engadget And then theres the aforementioned Quark DM1.2, which adds another layer of theoretical desirability onto the package. Urtopia says the tiny mid-drive motor can produce 65nm of max torque, which isnt going to give any of the bigger names any nightmares; a Bafang M560 can output 130Nm. But its a rough rule of thumb that a regular rear hub motor can output around 40nm, so theres a significant performance boost. Its the sort of hardware Im quite eager to test on the comically steep hills near to my home, just to see if the claims match the reality. Sadly, the Titanium Zero and Quark DM1.2 arent ready for prime time, and so well have to wait for now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/i-want-urtopias-titanium-zero-concept-e-bike-174539195.html?src=rss
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