Imagine a world where your smartphone charges itself simply by being exposed to sunlight, with no cords or power outlets required.
Researchers have long sought ways to integrate renewable energy into everyday objects, and this futuristic vision is now closer to reality, thanks to a breakthrough that could potentially allow devices to charge directly through their screens.
A research team at the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed transparent solar cells which can be embedded into the glass surfaces of mobile devices, cars, and buildings, offering a seamless and efficient way to generate power from sunlight.
Eco-friendly future-energy
Led by Professor Kwanyong Seo, the transparent solar cell and module has a glass-like, colorless, and transparent appearance. The team achieved this by using an “all-back-contact” design, which places all the components of the solar cell on the back, ensuring that the front remains visually unobstructed. The researchers also developed Seamless Modularization technology, which eliminates gaps between solar cells and removes the need for opaque metal wires, both of which previously compromised the appearance of transparent solar cells.
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The team’s 16 cm² transparent solar cell module achieved high efficiency, with transmittance ranging between 20% and 14.7%, and successfully charged a smartphone using natural sunlight, demonstrating the potential for screens to serve as energy sources.
“This study fundamentally solved the aesthetic problem of the existing solar cell modularization method through the design of the new device structure,” researcher Jeonghwan Park and Research Assistant Professor Kangmin Lee noted. “It presents the possibility that transparent silicon solar cells can be used in various industries, such as small devices, as well as in buildings and automobile glass.”
Professor Seo added, “We have opened a new path for modularization research, which is essential for the commercialization of transparent silicon solar cells. We plan to continue further research so that transparent solar cells can become a key technology in the eco-friendly future-energy industry.”
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The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
A truck full of lithium-ion batteries is burning in Los Angeles, shutting down ports and a bridge. It’s not clear what the batteries were for — but LA’s Vincent Thomas Bridge, leading to the Port of Los Angeles and the next-door Port of Long Beach, has been shut down for at least 15 hours now while local firefighters let the truck burn. State Route 47 was also closed in both directions as of a couple of hours ago.
Amazingly, a local towing company caught the explosion on camera from a nearby drone:
Both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach have shut down a number of terminals while the fire continues to burn. As of 12:10PM PT on Friday, the truck was still on fire, and both the ports and bridge were still closed, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) spokesperson Ren Medina told The Verge.
Firefighters are nearby and are actively monitoring the situation; as of 10PM PT on Thursday, the fire was expected to last “at least another 24-48 hours.”
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As we’ve seen with severalEV battery fires, big concentrated lithium battery fires can be very difficult to put out: firefighters sometimes douse them with thousands of gallons of water only to see the fire restart as additional battery cells heat up to the point that they combust. Once a cell gets hot enough, it’s said to go into “thermal runaway,” at which point it can sometimes restart a fire. The LAFD confirms this is a case of thermal runaway.
EV packs are particularly dense with cells, but we don’t yet know if they were involved here — the LA Fire Department spokesperson says it’s not clear who owns the truck, let alone what it was carrying. The LAFD could only confirm they are lithium-ion batteries at this point.
Pepe’s Tow Service owner Josh Acosta, who filmed the explosion with his drone, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But he’s apparently planning to publish more footage: “Full video on YouTube is going to be insane!!!” he wrote.
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The smart ring category is hot right now, but is Apple set to leap into the fray with its own effort?
In recent months we’ve seen the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the RingConn Smart Ring, while the long-term leader of the best smart rings race is the Oura Ring (now up to its third generation). Rumors that Apple might be tempted to join the party have been swirling for several years now, and it seems that there’s at least something on the drawing board at Apple around this form factor.
Here, we’ve pulled together everything we know and think we know about the so-called Apple Ring: the leaks and rumors that have emerged, the predicted price, the possible release date and more. We’ve also added some of the features and specs we want to see from the Apple Ring.
Apple Ring: cut to the chase
What is it? A rumored smart ring, made by Apple
When could it release? TBC, but not before 2025
How much could it cost? Expect $399 / £399 / AU$750 or above
Apple Ring: price and release date predictions
We don’t have too many clues about how much the Apple Ring could cost, but we can look at some of the other options on the market. The Samsung Galaxy Ring can be yours for $399 / £399 and up (with Australia prices to be confirmed), while the Oura Ring 3 is available for $299 / £299 and up (and isn’t currently available in Australia).
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That gives you some idea of the price points we’re talking about. Apple will want to stay competitive, but (as the best iPhones show) isn’t afraid to whack a price premium on its products. If we had to make a guess, we’d say the Apple Ring will be a little more expensive than its Samsung and Oura rivals.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the best Oura Ring features need a monthly subscription ($5.99 / £5.99 per month). Apple already has its Fitness Plus program you can sign up to if you have an Apple Watch ($9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99 per month), so it’s entirely possible that this would also be an optional extra for its smart ring.
When it comes to a release date, 2024 and even 2025 seem unlikely, given the cadence of the leaks and rumors we’ve seen so far; it doesn’t appear that a launch is imminent. We didn’t see an Apple Ring alongside the Apple Watch 10 at the September 2024 It’s Glowtime event, but there’s an outside chance it might accompany the Apple Watch 11 in September 2025, assuming that device turns up as expected.
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Apple Ring: leaks and rumors
The Apple Ring rumors stretch back a long way, to at least 2020. A patent Apple filed that year showed a smart ring being used to control other devices – with the idea being that you could maybe change channels on your Apple TV with a tap on your ring. Of course, patents aren’t always guarantees of future products, but they show what companies are thinking about and exploring.
Fast forward to 2023, and Apple was once again filing smart ring patents that positioned its possible device as some kind of controller for other gadgets. It seems that any Apple Ring that shows up won’t just be focused on health and fitness – it will also give you new ways to control functions on your other Apple devices.
It would seem Apple isn’t limiting itself to wearables around your fingers, either. Yet another 2023 patent revealed plans for some kind of Apple Anklet you could wear around your ankle or around your neck. The success of the Apple Watch clearly has Apple thinking about how to get you tracking more fitness metrics.
Meanwhile, an industry report out of South Korea early in 2024 suggested an Apple smart ring was on the way, to take on Samsung and Oura. However, as nothing has emerged in the months since, either the sources of the report got it wrong or Apple changed its mind about its future product launch schedule.
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We’ve seen one further sign that an Apple Ring might be on the way: an Apple survey sent to Apple Watch owners, asking how many of them currently wear a smart ring alongside their smartwatch. It might be a bit of a stretch to use this as evidence of an Apple Ring, but it’s not nothing.
And that’s it for Apple Ring rumors – no hint of prices, specs, design, or anything specific like that. The lack of particulars in the rumors imply a launch might still be some way off in the future, though there’s been enough noise at this point to suggest it’s at least being considered.
Apple Ring: what we want to see
In the event that an Apple Ring is indeed on the way, what will it be like – and how could it beat existing models? If any Apple engineers are reading this, here’s what we want to see from an Apple smart ring.
1. Stellar battery life
This shows up in every wishlist for every device, of course, but decent battery life is a must – especially as the standard Apple Watch can’t go more than a day or two without a recharge. In fact, that could be a key selling point for the Apple Ring: keep tracking your steps and other activities while your Apple Watch is on charge.
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2. Top-tier sleep tracking
Speaking of Apple Watch recharging, many users charge theirs overnight. This means the smartwatch often can’t be used for sleep tracking, and we’re hoping this means the Apple Ring will be very good at it. Besides, the smaller size and lighter weight of a smart ring makes it more suitable for tracking the tosses and turns of your sleep anyway.
3. Lots of software features without subscription
We’ve already mentioned Apple Fitness Plus, but we’d hope many of the features of an Apple Ring would be available without a subscription – as they are with Apple Watch. And for those who wanted extra functionality such as fitness videos, customizations around workout plans, in-session metrics and more, there could be an extra subscription option.
4. A superior design
There really are only so many ways you can design a smart ring, but we’re hoping Apple brings the same aesthetic tastefulness to the Apple Ring as it’s shown with the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. We’re thinking a super-slim and super-light form factor, a choice of different colors, and a smart ring that’s one of the most comfortable on the market.
5. Seamless Apple ecosystem integration
Apple usually manages this perfectly, with iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches getting new integrations and connections all the time – so we hope that extends to the Apple Ring. It’s unlikely that Apple will want the smart ring to replace the Apple Watch, and in fact it could be a useful screen for it (bear in mind Oura has an Apple Watch app, too).
“Most musicians, one of our dreams, one our goals – it’s not the Grammys, it’s not the Oscars – it’s to get a song on Fifa, man.”
That’s Femi Koleoso, from Ezra Collective, on why getting on Fifa – now known as EA FC – is such a big deal.
Each year, around a hundred songs get selected for the soundtrack of the world’s favourite football video game.
But how do they get chosen from the countless acts desperate to make their name on it?
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“It’s a brutal question to answer,” EA’s president of music, Steve Schnur, told me, as he gave the BBC a rare peek behind the curtain of how the game studio makes its decisions.
“We go through thousands and thousands of songs,” he says
“At the very beginning, I was flying around like a madman, looking everywhere for the next great thing.
“Now, humbly speaking, everybody wants to be in EA FC, so people come to us.”
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‘My boss is the player’
But of course, the process is not really about the acts – but the gamer.
“I can’t always base it on who we like or who we have history with,” Mr Schnur said.
“Ultimately, my boss is the player, the person that bought the copy of the game, sometimes with their parents’ money.”
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He told me the tune has to “fit a tone”, though there is no specific genre.
“Even if a song doesn’t end up in the game, there’s many songs that you probably hear on Radio 1 where you go, that’s an EA FC band, or that’s an EA FC song,” he told me.
“They can be popular – it can be Skepta, it can be Dua Lipa – but we also want to make sure it’s that band from York that you haven’t heard of yet.”
But, if you’re that unheard of band, how does EA even find out that you exist?
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Simply put, a lot of digging.
“There’s a band from Yorkshire, they’re 15 and 16 years old, that I came across online recently, and I reached out to them and said I’m Steve Schnur from EA Sports FC,” he said.
“They sent me these Instagram messages back immediately, saying, ‘is this a joke?’”
Exciting for the band – which Mr Schnur would not name – but he says it’s a thrill for him too.
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“Nothing’s better than reaching out to that band and literally saying, out of the blue, ‘hey, I want to put you in the game this year’,” he said.
For the bands, it can be transformative – for acts including Kasabian and Catfish and the Bottlemen, getting exposure on Fifa helped them go on to become household names.
Who could be next?
One of the tracks on this year’s game is from British act, Good Neighbours, comprised of Oli Fox and Scott Verill.
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They may be a long way from a Kasabian-style stadium tour – but they’ve got a song in EA FC 25.
“It’s unreal,” Scott told me.
“I’ve played the game since I was a kid, and I’ve always discovered bands through playing it.”
The connection with the game extends to their fans too.
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“Ever since we’ve started posting music online, all our fans have always been like: ‘get this on EA FC’,” he said.
Where bands once might have hoped someone from a record label would unexpectedly turn up, now there is hype around the possible appearance of a gaming industry representative.
“Someone teased us with a rumour – someone from EA is going to be at your gig tonight – it was crazy… and then we just had a sick gig, I guess,” Scott said.
But that’s not the only link between Good Neighbours, football and EA FC.
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Morgan Fox, Oli’s brother, plays professional football for QPR – and has featured in Fifa since his debut for Charlton in 2013.
“He’s been on it for some time, and it’s been a real frustration of mine,” he joked.
“Literally since we were kids we’ve played it together in a horrible rivalry growing up, and then only the penny dropped maybe about 10 years ago that we could possibly exist on the same game.
“Our parents would finally be proud of us, and all those evenings wasted in our childhood playing FIFA, and when we finally ticked it off, we got a nice message from mum and dad saying that they’re very proud.”
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An artificial intelligence can beat the best human players at the racing video game Gran Turismo 7 using only the images and information that players can see.
In 2022, researchers at Sony AI created GT Sophy, a driving AI that could beat the best human players at Gran Turismo Sport, a previous version of the game. However, the AI had access to information that human players didn’t, such as real-time information of other cars and the layout of the racetrack beyond the driver’s view.
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