Wayfair Inc. has launched an in-house developed virtual reality app to help customers plan their outdoor patio area.  The retailer’s new Patio Playground application uses Facebook’s Oculus Rift platform, Developed by Wayfair Next, the company’s in-house research and development team, the app allows shoppers to immerse themselves in an inspirational landscape, where they can explore, rearrange, and discover furniture and décor from Wayfair’s catalog.  

Quanergy Systems, maker of a self-driving car sensor, acquired OTUS People Tracker software from Raytheon BBN Technologies on Monday for an undisclosed sum. OTUS uses human perception algorithms to identify and track people for safety and security in crowded environments. Sunnyvale-based Quanergy will use OTUS technology in conjunction with its own LiDAR (laser radar) sensors to follow individuals in real-time over large spaces. The combined technology can be used for security purposes and as an advanced people-detection system for autonomous vehicles.

Apple Inc. is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will enable users to pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment cards. A future iPhone will include technology called FeliCa, a mobile tap-to-pay standard in Japan developed by Sony Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The FeliCa chip will let customers in Japan store their public bus and train passes on their iPhones. Users would then be able to tap their phones against the entrance scanners instead of using physical cards. While the FeliCa chip is the standard technology underlying the service, there …

Earlier this month Samsung introduced their new Note 7 along with a new biometrics authentication option using an iris scanner that was supported by multiple Samsung patent filings that we covered in reports over the years (one, two and three). Samsung's latest biometrics patent came to life this month via the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office that illustrates how Samsung is thinking of adding fingerprint authentication to a future version of their Gear Fit and possibly an iris scanner to a future version of their Galaxy VR headset.

The city of Orlando, FL, is the latest to roll out a new tourism-centric application that allows guests to purchase discount tickets to theme parks and leverage augmented reality to preview local attractions, highlighting mobile’s sales-driving potency for major travel destinations. The new Visit Orlando app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, uses IBM Watson’s artificial intelligence technology to serve personalized recommendations to travelers throughout their trips. Consumers can also take advantage of the app’s augmented reality features to learn about various dining and entertainment options in their areas as well as earn savings by participating in an …

A train company is to experiment with automatic fare payments that detect when passengers board and leave their journey. Beacon technology will use Bluetooth frequencies to communicate with passengers' smartphones, establishing the fee they will be debited by the day’s end. Chiltern Railways, owned by Arriva, will trial the transactions for 12 months on its London to Birmingham line. Jointly funded by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the scheme could be “the next evolution of rail ticketing,” Dave Penney, managing director of Chiltern told the Times.

South Korean electronics major Samsung will display its smart refrigerator that can do multiple things than just keeping the content fresh and cold at the upcoming IFA 2016 to be held in Berlin, Germany. The first look of the smart refrigerator, called Family Hub refrigerator was first displayed at CES 2016, and then the completed version was showcased at Samsung Forum in Malaysia this year. In IFA 2016, Samsung will display the European edition of the Family Hub refrigerator that places the fridge on top and the freezer at the bottom. This home appliance is fitted with sensors, cameras and …

Development of economic, developed and compact sensors, as well as increasing demand for smart devices, wearables, and real-time computing of applications will result in the IoT sensors market hiking to USD 38.41 billion by 2022 from USD 3.34 billion in 2015, says a new report from ReportBuyer. The IoT sensor market will grow at a CAGR of 42.08 percent, during the period between 2016 and 2022. The market is also propelled by supportive government initiatives, deployment of IPv6, and role of sensor fusion concept in IoT sensors market.

Strategy Analytics predicted that the first 5G mobile phones will start shipping in around 2020, which is also when 5G networks are expected to start launching on a broader scale. According to Strategy Analytics director Ken Hyers, the first commercial 5G handsets will appear in small numbers in 2020 in South Korea and Japan. More launches are then expected in the U.S., the UK, Sweden and the UAE in 2021, with commercial sales set to exceed 300 million by 2025. “By 2022 tens of millions of 5G handsets will be sold, and as a proportion of total handset sales will …

Olli, a self-driving vehicle that Local Motors plans as a form of public transportation on demand, will be produced in Knoxville starting next year, the company said Friday. A grand opening is planned in early 2017 for the micro-factory that the Phoenix, Ariz.-based company is constructing in West Knoxville, and Jay Rogers, Local Motors CEO, told an audience at the Knoxville Chamber's Endeavors 2016 Young Professionals Summit Friday that the facility will manufacture the Olli. Production should start around late 2017, said Local Motors spokeswoman Jacqueline Keidel. The Knoxville facility is one of three that Local Motors launched this year, …