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Human patient put in suspended animation for the first time

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The technique is officially called “emergency preservation and resuscitation” (EPR) and is being tested at the University of Maryland Medical Center on patients that arrive with acute trauma, such as a stab wound or gunshot. Given the nature of their injuries, these patients would normally have a survival rate of less than five percent.

With EPR, the patient is cooled rapidly by replacing their blood with ice-cold saline — the heart stops beating and brain activity almost completely stops. At normal body temperatures, cells need a constant supply of oxygen to remain alive, but the cold temperature slows or stops the chemical reactions in cells, which need less oxygen as a result. The human brain can survive for around five minutes without oxygen before damage occurs, but through EPR a surgical team has two hours to work on the patient’s injuries before they’re warmed up and their heart is restarted.

According to Samuel Tisherman, part of the team at the Baltimore facility, full results of the trial are expected to be announced by the end of 2020 — there are still factors to work through. While Tisherman’s team has put a cool limit of two hours on a human body, it’s not entirely clear exactly how long a person could remain in suspended animation without suffering any physical side effects. Nonetheless, Tisherman says the team is learning a lot as it moves forward with the trial. “I want to make clear that we’re not trying to send people off to Saturn,” he said. “We’re trying to buy ourselves more time to save lives.”

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‘Diablo IV’ team reveals early thoughts on dungeons, level caps

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One interesting aspect is that Lead Systems Designer David Kim says the team is considering the choice between an infinite or finite leveling and experience system. One version he discussed has a level cap that gives way to a second experience system for players who want to go further into the game, acknowledging that while some people want a feeling of completion, others could go on indefinitely in pursuit of higher ranks.

A demo at BlizzCon 2019 featured locked “skill slots” in its UI, but apparently skill selection will remain open in the final game. Also, they’re “revisiting” the inclusion of ancient items after feedback from players.

Whatever the team decides, fans of the series can expect to hear more in February. While the game doesn’t have a release date yet, the plan is to provide quarterly behind-the-scenes updates on its development, and that’s when we’ll get the first one.

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Xbox One update helps you buy the games your friends are playing

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The company’s Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) would only say that the feature will reach your system “soon,” so don’t be shocked if it isn’t there right away. Yes, this is clearly a bid to spur more game purchases — it’s banking on that fear of missing out when your friends are playing that hot new shooter. It could be genuinely practical if you’ve been invited to join a game, though, and it might also come in handy if you’re unsure of what to play.



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Lincoln’s 2020 Corsair Grand Touring will offer electric all-wheel drive

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The Corsair will match a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine with a permanent magnet synchronous motor to generate an estimated 266 horsepower. The electric powertrain, however, is designed more to give the gas engine a performance boost rather than propel the SUV independently. When running the Corsair GT in electric-only, drivers should expect around 25 miles of range. Still, that’s good enough to run a few errands around town without having to burn any fuel. Under normal driving circumstances, the electric motor delivers power to the rear wheels, though it can be switched to AWD under adverse driving conditions, like trying to get over snowplow berms.

In addition to the Corsair’s five standard driving modes (Normal, Conserve, Excite, Slippery and Deep Conditions) the upcoming hybrid will additionally offer a Pure EV option, which does exactly what it sounds like, and Conserve EV, which allows the system to recharge up to 75 percent of the vehicle’s electrical stores as you drive around. It will also offer Level 1/Level 2 wall charging. A regular 110V socket will fully replenish the vehicle’s batteries in around 10 hours. Plugging it into a Level 2, 240V charger drops that time down to between 3 and 4 hours.

And since apparently no physical consumer product can exist in this day and age without a companion app, the Corsair GT has a companion app. Drivers will be able to open and start the SUV using their phone as well as automatically store and reset seat and climate control settings. The Corsair will also come with a bunch of driver-assist features including collision alerts, lane-keeping, and blind-spot detection. Lincoln isn’t sharing price or MPG estimates just yet, but stay tuned this week as Engadget brings you all of the convention floor highlights from the 2020 LA Auto Show.

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Volkswagen’s Space Vizzion concept brings electricity to a wagon

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Ahead of the LA Auto Show, the automaker took the wraps off its latest electric concept car. The Space Vizzion may sound like an 80’s sci-fi flick, but with its 82kWh battery pack and a target EPA range of 300 miles, ID Space Vizzion is more about long drives with the family.

Currently, Volkswagen says that the vehicle is a preview of a potential car for the US and European markets. The good news is that wagons are making a bit of a comeback in the US that’s to Audi and Volvo. If the trend continues we might get this car.

What we probably won’t get if the car goes into production are the bumper-based lights. Europe will probably get the Matrix LED feature of the headlights, but not the US because of regulations surrounding lighting in this country.

Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept unveil

Inside the 15.6-inch touchscreen will be joined by an AR HUD (heads up display). The concept was shown with four seats, but Volkswagen did note that a third-row could show up in a production model. The cool move would make that third row face the back of the car like wagons in the 70s and 80s. Fingers crossed.

Like all ID vehicles, the Space Vizzion is built upon the automaker’s MEB platform. The automaker recently started production on its first MEB-based vehicle the ID.3. While the US won’t be getting that car, the ID.4 should be in the United States by the end of next year.

Volkswagen has stated it will produce 20 all-electric models and be carbon neutral by 2025. When talking about climate change Volkswagen North America CEO Scott Keogh said, “there are people out there that think it’s a hoax, it’s a conspiracy from the people’s republic of California. For me, it’s real.”

Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept unveil

As for the ID Space Vizzion, well that’s up to Volkswagen. If it happens, Keogh said it would land in the Us in 2022. Hopefully, they’ll do a remake of Nation Lampoon’s Vacation with this car. you know, just for fun.

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Solar energy ‘breakthrough’ could replace fossil fuels in some industries

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The trick is the use of computer vision (aka a form of AI) to align a large array of mirrors as they reflect sunlight on a solitary target. That allows for the kind of accuracy that hasn’t been possible until now.

There’s still a lot of work to go before the technology enters real-world use. Heliogen achieved the record heat levels the first day of its plant’s operation, company founder Bill Gross told CNN. While impressive, it won’t immediately translate to a practical solution.

Nonetheless, the implications are huge. As Gates noted in the announcement, industrial processes are responsible for over 20 percent of emissions. If the technology can cut even a portion those emissions, that could help keep global warming in check. Heliogen has greater ambitions, too. It ultimately hopes to reach temperatures of 2,732F, which would be hot enough to create hydrogen and synthetic gas. At that point, you’d have clean energy being used to produce more clean energy — there would be relatively little need to generate emissions in the first place.

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Sony AI unit launches to push R&D in gaming, cameras and food

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The first three areas it’s focusing on are gaming, imaging & sensing, and gastronomy. As for that last one, a concept video Sony released last year proposed the idea of “robot gastronomomy” that relied on autonomous tech to cook food at home or even on a night out. Sony AI global head Hiroaki Kitano previously led a cooking robot collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, and it will be interesting to see what it develops there.

The application of advanced AI has shown up in products like the A6600 camera, where it contributes to an impressive improvement in autofocus, while opportunities for machine learning and AI in gaming are obvious, when it’s applied to improving cloud gaming or just making enemy characters a bit smarter.

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Audi’s E-Tron Sportback adds style and range to the line

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While the innards of the vehicle are the same, the more aerodynamic shape of the Sportback will give slight edge over its sibling in range. The company is targetting an EPA range of 220 miles. The regular E-Tron gets about 204 miles of range.

The vehicle can be charged at up to 150kW and can regenerate 220kW of power while braking, which is something I found to be helpful during my drive of the regular E-Tron SUV when I tested it last year.

The range increase isn’t just about a swooped backend. Audi has increased the amount of battery-pack availability. The E-Tron only gives owners about 88 percent of the 95kWh battery’s capacity at any one time. The E-Tron Sportback offers 91 percent.

Automakers typically leave a small percentage of battery unavailable for charging to help extend the life of a vehicle’s pack. If a driver charged 100 percent of the actual battery all the time, it would reduce its cycle life.

The Sportback also gets a sweet new lighting system that unfortunately will not make its way to the US. The Matrix LED headlamps serves up a carpet of light ahead of the vehicle while it’s driving down the freeway.

The Sportback gets all the other tech that’s in the E-Tron like the latest version of the MMI infotainment system and the side cameras instead of mirrors in regions where it’s legal to sell that feature. (It’s not legal to sell in the US.)

And while a coupe design typically means bad news for rear passengers, when I sat in the back of the vehicle, I had ample headroom and legroom. So kudos to Audi for thinking about tall people. Really what you’re going to lose is cargo space. But that’s to be expected when you trade design for utility.

The Audi E-Tron Sportback will be available for purchase in Europe in spring 2020 and the US after that.

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Audi’s digital matrix LED headlights debut in the E-Tron Sportback

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Ahead of the unveiling, Audi took me for a 5 AM drive on the freeways of Los Angeles to show off its new digital matrix LED headlights. In addition to the ability to mask out other vehicles so as not to blind oncoming drivers (a feature found on other Audi headlights), these new lights come with what the company is calling a “carpet of light.”

Using a chip with over one million micro-mirrors, the vehicle creates a high-definition strip of light ahead of the vehicle within the car’s lane. The result is a brighter area of light just ahead of the E-Tron as it rolls down the highway. The light grows and shrinks depending on how close it is to the vehicle ahead of it. So it adds additional illumination to the E-Tron’s lane without disturbing other drivers.

Audi E-Tron Sportback Matrix LED headlights

When the driver changes lanes, the system extends the carpet of light to the lane they’re merging into. Instead of relying on the turn signal, the vehicle recognizes when the vehicle is moving out of its current lane.

The headlight tech is using the sensors that Audi has on the vehicle for its advanced driver’s assistance system. It recognizes the lanes, position of the car and other vehicles and pedestrians. For example, it’ll highlight a person standing on the side of the road to help the driver see that person.

During the drive, Audi pointed out the chevrons that are in the light carpet. Those actually depict the outer edge of the vehicle. Drivers can use that information to center the SUV in the road or if there’s construction along their route, help navigate through the cones. Where it won’t be helpful is on narrow country roads. The light carpet feature is geofenced to highways use only. Even on-ramps won’t trigger the feature.

But here in the United States, it doesn’t matter where this feature works because Audi is not allowed to bring to our shores. Current regulations don’t allow any sort of lighting that’s not the typical high and low beams found on a car. The government is investigating the technology (again) but there’s no word on when or if we’ll get advanced lighting features from Audi and other automakers here.

Audi E-Tron Sportback Matrix LED headlights

Audi is still determining if the E-Tron Sportback will ship to the US with the hardware necessary for the digital matrix LED features. If these SUVs do land here with the physical tech in the headlights, and if the US changes its mind, it’ll just be a quick software update to enable the feature.

Until then, we’ll just watch the technology evolve from automakers on the roads in other countries.

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Next ‘Star Trek’ movie will be written and directed by Noah Hawley

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Most Star Trek news lately has focused on the small screen with its shows for CBS All Access, but now there’s news about an upcoming movie that will be written and directed by Noah Hawley. While Hawley is so-far best known for his work on FX TV series Fargo and Legion, he made his feature film debut earlier this year on Lucy in the Sky.

There’s no word on plotlines or release date, but according to Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, this will be the fourth film in the current series of movies, featuring returning stars including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Karl Urban. It’s also separate from a spin-off Star Trek project under development with Quentin Tarantino as its producer.

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