Google -- under the title Project Wing -- is aiming to start delivering parcels by drone in 2017. The company has been traditionally tight-lipped about how its system will work but a patent granted for a delivery "receptacle" may give some clues. According to the patent, which was filed in 2014 but just granted, Google wants to deliver parcels to the "mobile delivery receptacles," which will effectively be boxes on wheels, that can take the package to a "secure location".

Andersen’s VeriLock technology can tell homeowners not only when their windows and doors are open, but also whether or not they’re locked. When locked, the weather sealing is compressed — an energy-saving bonus. Andersen Corp. was the only window and door manufacturer at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Bayport-based company also walked away as an “Innovation Honoree” in the smart home category at this year’s show for its VeriLock technology. CES is the premier event for consumer electronics and still a must-attend event for developing technology companies.

The plan is the last of the Government's eight regional jobs plans to be unveiled. It includes using Dublin as a testbed for new technologies which use big data and the internet of things to "improve city life". "The Smart Dublin Project Team, involving the four Local Authorities, will progress a range of initiatives in this area, including rolling out “smart districts”, a Dublin Internet of Things Demonstrator project and a Street of the Future project," the Government said. It also aims to increase the numbers of businesses starting and surviving by 25pc in the city, increase tourist numbers by …

Driving from southern Italy to Scandinavia is not that difficult. All you need is a car and GPS on your smartphone. But if you have to find something closer and smaller, like a restroom in a shopping mall, chances are your mobile device will be useless. No one knows that better than Domenico Colucci, a 26-year-old computer scientist from Bari, a city in the deep south of Italy. Colucci was named Young Web Entrepreneur of the Year by the European Commission in Helsinki, Finland, late last year. The tiresome experience of taking 30 minutes to get to a much-needed bathroom …

Sony Corporation announced today that it will acquire Altair Semiconductor for $212 million. Founded in 2005 by three former Texas Instrument executives, Israel-based Altair makes chips that connect devices to LTE and its technology will help develop Sony’s Internet of Things business. In addition to smartphones, LTE is also used to connect objects in the Internet of Things, including fitness trackers, home appliances, and sensors . Right now, most smart things use bluetooth, and sometimes Wi-Fi, to get online because neither standard requires a lot of power. LTE, however, is emerging as an alternative because it is also low-power but can be used to …

Tokyo’s Frames Café is leveraging sheet-type beacons from Teijin Limited, which claims to offer the first surface-based authentication solution to support a multilingual ordering system. Teijin recently rolled out PaperBeacon to help restaurants easily incorporate beacon technology into their infrastructure and streamline the food ordering process for foreign consumers. As beacons start permeating the food and beverage industry, it is likely that restaurant marketers will be on the prowl for less cumbersome versions of the technology.

Germany's national aerospace, energy and transportation center, or DLR, has successfully landed a winged drone autonomously on a moving vehicle, according to a video released by DLR. This capability means the drone may not require landing gear, offering room for a larger payload for commercial use and making the drone much lighter so it can travel farther. The video explains that the car was traveling at 75 kilometers per hour (about 47 mph) when the drone landed. In the video you can see the drone slowly approach the vehicle and hover above it while matching its speed.

The IoT movement, where manufacturers take formerly offline devices and update them with Internet capabilities, will encompass 20 to 30 billion gadgets by 2020, according to a 2014report by McKinsey & Company. Data from CB Insights show that funding to IoT startups eclipsed $1.9 billion in 2014, a 158 percent increase from the amount invested in 2010. Over the past several years, companies have introduced modified products that could make up the electronically cohesive home of the future: lights, security systems, and, of course, thermostats. But some key questions regarding the IoT ecosystem remain unanswered. Which company or companies will have the most success linking these devices together? Will machines communicate …

LVMH-owned watchmaker Tag Heuer is continuing focus on its connected timepiece through a partnership with German football league Bundesliga. Bundesliga is the first partner outside Tag Heuer’s ambassadors to work with the watchmaker on an exclusive for the Tag Heuer Connected watch. Tag Heuer announced the Tag Heuer Connected timepiece, a project between the watchmaker, Intel and Google, at last year’s Baselworld in Basel, Switzerland before formally introducing the product in November 2015.

One day last fall, a drone lazily circled above Hahn Estate Winery, home to 1,100 acres of grapes in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands. The drone, a five-pound model airplane, wasn’t there merely to take photos. Fitted with visual and multispectral sensors, it was collecting various kinds of data—information to help Hahn monitor the health of its vineyard and resist the effects of California’s fourth consecutive year of drought. Winegrowers worry about two things: the quality of their grapes and how many they can produce. By running software algorithms made for monitoring crops, a drone can help the winery determine both. …