New emojis collection set for 2016

Thirty eight new emojis will be released next year, including clown face, wilted flower and "call me" hand.

Emojis, which are symbols that help described feelings or emotions, are used by millions of people around the world in texts, online chats and on social media.The new list of additions are expected to be available from the summer of 2016.It comes just a month after the unveiling of the Unicode 8 update which included additions of emojis with different skin tones and a taco.

Here are some more fun Emojis in the new list:

• Face with cowboy hat

• Clown face

• Nauseated face

• Rolling on the floor laughing

• Drooling face

• Lying face

• "Call me" hand

• Selfie

• Handshake

• Clown face

• Wilted flower

• Bacon (From CBBC Newsround)

The new electric surfboard that doesn't need waves

 

This amazing electric surfboard, made by a Spanish company, allows the rider to surf over the water without the need for waves.

WOW!

Aquila Boards have spent the last few years developing an electric jet board for their brand Onean, with the help of product engineering company Bizintek. The boards make it possible to surf without any waves.(From Contemporist)

The boards are 100% electric and also almost completely silent.

They work on rivers, sea, lakes and only take two hours to fully charge.

The company, Onean, who are based in Spain made two boards.

They're called the Carver, which is speedier and the Manta which is for a gentler ride. (CBBC Newsround)

Sony Pictures buys rights to make an emoji movie

Sony Pictures Animation has bought the rights to turn emoji icons into a movie.

Emojis, which are symbols that help described feelings or emotions, are used by millions of people around the world in texts, online chats and on social media.

It's not clear yet how Sony will turn the yellow round faces into a blockbuster animation.

Emojis have developed massively over the years from simple faces to a range of different characters

Emojis were developed in Japan in the late 1990s as smiley-faced emoticons.

They have developed from graphics that represent faces to a wider range of things, including pets, objects and poo.

Thirty-eight new emojis will be released next year, including a clown face, wilted flower and a "call me" hand.

From CBBC Newsround

The robot footballers hoping for a cup win

Meet the UK's robo-footie team who've been training hard for this year's RoboCup World Championships.

The robots were built by a team at the University of Hertfordshire, and put in a cracking performance last year by grabbing second place in Brazil.

Each robot is programmed with around 50,000 different lines of code to help them to know what to do.

The RoboCup is an annual football competition, which first started in 1997.

Around 500 teams from more than 45 countries will take part in this year's contest, which kicks off in China on 19 July.

From CBBC newsround

More on this subject

Mexican band plays with instruments made out of rubbish

A group of musicians in Mexico have made their own instruments using rubbish.

We could say this is a kind of recycled band. Certainly this is a good way of producing musical instruments without causing any harm to nature. Quite the contrary this is a big help in reducing rubbish and creating useful items like these 

Well done guys!

They're called the Garbage Orchestra and have made three albums.

The band couldn't afford to buy their own instruments and so decided to make their own.

Using rubbish and recycled materials such as bits of wood, vinyl and plastics bricks, they've made 25 instruments such as guitars and banjos.

From CBBC newsround

The wheel giving cyclists an extra push

A device which turns a push bike into an electric hybrid bicycle has been developed.

The Copenhagen Wheel can be attached to most bicycles and contains an onboard computer, battery, sensors and motor which respond to the rider's pedalling behaviour.

An accompanying app allows cyclists to control the level of power assistance, track their journey and share data with other users.

From BBC News

100 Robi robots perform spectacular dance in Tokyo

These dancing robots performed a synchronised dance routine Tokyo, Japan, on Monday 20th January.

Each Robi is just over 35 centimetres tall and costs almost £1,000.

Their creator Tomotaka Takahashi wanted to make a robot that could be mass produced, for a low cost. (From CBBC newsround)

A hundred humanoid communication robots called Robi perform a synchronized dance during a promotional event called 100 Robi, for the Weekly Robi Magazine, in Tokyo January 20, 2015. The 34cm-tall (13.4-inch) robot, designed by Tomotaka Takahashi, chief executive officer of Robo Garage Co and project associate professor of Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, is able to speak, walk and dance. The weekly magazine comes with parts of the robot, which allows buyers to have a fully assembled Robi after 70 issues. REUTERS/Yuya Shino (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

From https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/photos/top-news-photos-1370239005-slideshow/humanoid-communication-robots-called-robi-perform-synchronized-dance-photo-053532485.html

Eiffel Tower gets glass floor in refurbishment project

A vertigo-inducing glass floor has been installed at the Eiffel Tower, France's most visited tourist attraction

For those scared of heights, the Eiffel Tower's new floor may be something of a challenge.

Visitors will be able to look down on Paris through a glass floor as part of a refurbishment of the tower.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower in Paris will now be able to look down through a vertigo-inducing glass floor that forms part of a €30 million (£24m) refit of France’s most visited tourist attraction.

The transparent floor will be on the first level of the tower, at 57m, where operators hope that visitors will linger before heading to the highest viewing platform at 276 metres above the ground. Traditionally, tourists to the Eiffel Tower spend little time here before moving on to catch the better views from the two higher levels.

“We wanted people to realise how the building is anchored with its four pillars in the ground”, Alain Moatti, the architect in charge of the renovation, told le Journal du Dimanche, the French Sunday newspaper.

The refit of the half-hectare first floor, which began in May 2012 and was unveiled to the public today, also includes shops, restaurants and a museum telling the story of the 125-year-old construction. The tower’s eco-friendliness has also improved, with the installation of four solar panels that will provide about half of the tower’s hot water requirements. Some of the toilets will also be operated using rain water.

                                    A tourist captures the view (Photo: Reuters)

About seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year – 85 per cent of them foreigners – making it the world’s busiest paid-for tourist attraction. The tower’s management also hopes that the renovation will attract more Parisians to the “Dame en Fer” (The Iron Lady), as it is sometimes referred to in French.

The tower opened in 1889 and was named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company engineered the project. At 324m in height, it was the world’s tallest building for 41 years until the Chrysler building was built in New York in 1930.

From CBBC newsround and The Telegraph

Students build electric sofa to travel around campus

A team of engineering students from the University of New South Wales in Australia has created a robotic sofa to travel around campus.

It can move in any direction and is controlled manually using an Xbox gamepad.

Movement can also be pre-programmed by the students.

Watch the interview with Stephanie McArthur, one of the students behind the project.

From CBBC Newsround

Is the loom bands craze 'inspiring art'?

Of course it is!
 Look at the video and find out how many things you can make out of loom bands!

Loom bands have been taking over playgrounds and living rooms as children from many different countries weave the tiny rubber bands into bracelets and other designs.

From BBC News

Driverless cars could be on UK roads by 2015

Driverless cars will be allowed on public roads in the UK from January 2015, the government has announced.

They've asked cities to compete to host special trials to test the technology.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Today's announcement will see driverless cars take to our streets in less than six months."

He said it would put the UK "at the forefront of this transformational technology and opening up new opportunities".

Driverless cars could become a familiar sight from January 2015

The cars work by using a system of sensors and cameras and engineers have been experimenting with them for some time.

From CBBC newsround

Kudoso router only allows internet access after chores

A router that only allows internet access after household chores have been completed is being developed in the US.

Kudoso only allows internet access when the chores are done

Kudoso allows parents to set a list of tasks that unlock minutes to be used online.

The device's makers hope to eventually incorporate fitness apps into the system to reward children who regularly exercise.

One parenting expert told the BBC she thought the technology "seems a bit over the top".

Parenting author Judy Reith, who runs parentingpeople.co.uk, said concern was growing about internet use.

"I've interviewed a lot of parents," she said.

"The number one worry is technology, and that's not going to go away any time soon."

But she added: "The business of this special router doing that for you seems a bit over the top for me.

"A parent's voice does carry a lot of power even if the parents don't feel it does. They should set up firm but fair rules about all kind of things, including internet usage."

Mrs Reith said as well as monitoring children's internet use, it was important parents considered their own as well.

'Dilemma'

Developer Rob Irizarry is trying to raise money on crowdfunding site Kickstarter to support the project, which has been in development for 18 months.

"Parents today are faced with a dilemma about how to manage the amount of time their kids spend on the internet and the content they are exposed to," the Kickstarter appeal page says.

Chores earn "currency" that can be spent to get internet time

"Kudoso lets your children earn points - by doing chores, studying or even exercising - that allow them to access the internet sites you approve for blocks of time that you define."

By carrying out the chores, children will earn currency that can be "spent" accessing websites.

Parents can set which websites are more "expensive". For example, the same amount of currency could allow for 30 minutes on an educational site, but only 10 minutes on an entertainment page.

Mr Irizarry said his technology was more effective than current projects on the market due to the fact it blocked internet access into the home completely, rather than just using software that must be installed on each device - and could be circumvented by particularly enterprising children.

As well as being sold as a pre-installed router, Kudoso will also be available as software to be installed on a range of routers from other manufacturers.

From BBC News

Google Glass goes on sale in UK

Google have released their wearable technology device, Glass, in the UK.

The device, which is still a prototype at the moment, costs £1,000 and you have to be over 18 to buy it.

Glass lets you film stuff and check the internet on the move, with a built-in camera and microphone to record photos, video and sounds.

Google says Glass is a hands-free, quick alternative to smartphones - but some people are concerned about privacy and that using Glass while driving would be unsafe.

From CBBC newsround

The 40 years of the Rubik's Cube

             Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube,the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 via German businessman Tibor Laczi and Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer, and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that year. As of January 2009, 350 million cubes had been sold worldwide making it the world's top-selling puzzle game. It is widely considered to be the world's best-selling toy.

In a classic Rubik's Cube, each of the six faces is covered by nine stickers, each of one of six solid colours: white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. In currently sold models, white is opposite yellow, blue is opposite green, and orange is opposite red, and the red, white and blue are arranged in that order in a clockwise arrangement. On early cubes, the position of the colours varied from cube to cube. An internal pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be returned to consisting of one colour. Similar puzzles have now been produced with various numbers of sides, dimensions, and stickers, not all of them by Rubik.

Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. Many speedcubers continue to practice it and other twisty puzzles and compete for the fastest times in various categories. Since 2003, The World Cube Association, the Rubik's Cube's international governing body, has organized competitions and kept the official world records.

There is only 1 correct answer and 43 quintillion wrong ones for Rubik's Cube. God's algorithm is the answer that solves the puzzle in the least number of moves. One eighth of the world's population has laid hands on 'The Cube', the most popular puzzle in history and the colorful brainchild of Erno Rubik.

From Wikipedia

The pen that spots mistakes as you write

A pen which vibrates when the person using it makes a mistake, could soon be used in the classroom.

The Lernstift or "learning pen", doesn't need ink or special paper to work and uses a special mechanism to work out what is being written.

It's connected to a mobile phone app that flashes to let the user know they've gone wrong.

It was invented by a dad for his son in Germany.

Falk Wolsky was inspired by his son Leon when he was first learning to 

write.

From CBBC newsround

The amphibious car helping flood-hit village

A car that can travel on BOTH road and water has been doing its bit to help a flood-hit village.

Much of Wraysbury in the Thames Valley has been left covered in water - but that's no problem for an amphibious car.

Peter Kavanagh owns the car for a bit of fun, but has found it's become really useful to get around and do things like picking up shopping and inspecting damage.

He's taken the BBC's David Shukman on a tour of the village to show him how the car works and how it can help.

Fly the world's smallest quadcopter

Technology is making toys smarter. BBC Click's LJ Rich takes a miniature quadcopter for a spin. It can fit in the palm of your hand, weighs the same as a pencil and its motors - based on the parts of your smartphone - make it vibrate.

But how long will it stay in the air on a full battery charge?
 Watch the video and you'll get to know

From BBC News- Technology

Artist sets two pumpkin boat records in two days

Pumpkin boat man's record-breaking voyage to Isle of Wight

You may have carved one, used one to make a lantern or even eaten one but here's one man with a really unusual use for a pumpkin.

Artist Dmitri Galitzine has set not one, but two bizarre records, in a boat made out of a massive hollowed out pumpkin.He set a record for paddling 100 metres in less than three minutes in Portsmouth harbour.Then he raised the bar a bit higher and modified the boat to make it motorised.He motored off in the 'souped up' pumpkin crossing the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Watch his amazing adventure.

From CBBC newsround

How Pokemon became a global hit

Pokemon X and Y - the sixth generation of the monster-battling video game - is released worldwide on Saturday. Created by Satoshi Tajiri, it was originally pitched as an insect-catching game.

The world of Pokemon was revealed on 27 February 1996 when Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched in Japan. Pocket Monsters spent more than five years in development and was originally called Capsule Monsters.

The world of Pokemon was revealed on 27 February 1996 when Pocket Monsters Red and Green launched in Japan. Pocket Monsters spent more than five years in development and was originally called Capsule Monsters.

Retitled Pokemon for its worldwide release, the game made its way to North America in 1998 and the UK a year later. Nintendo briefly considered scrapping some of the 'cute' Pokemon, fearing Western players wouldn't like them.

Luckily Western audiences adored the cute Pokemon and electric mouse Pikachu swiftly became the poster-boy of the series.

The ability to trade and battle Pokemon with friends via a data cable made the game a best-seller. More than 245 million Pokemon video games have been sold worldwide since 1996.

The video game spawned a hugely successful anime series charting the adventures of Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum and his trusty Pikachu. It debuted in the US in 1997 and to date more than 800 episodes have been made. The series has been broadcast in 160 countries.

From CBBC  newsround

Inventors in Czech Republic create flying bike

Engineers in the Czech Republic have come up with a new way to avoid nasty traffic jams.

Three companies put their heads together and have designed a battery powered flying bike!

The flying machine is moved by a remote control and isn't quite ready for passengers just yet.

The inventors say they want to improve its battery power, which at the moment is only strong enough to keep the bike in the air for five minutes.

For now, the flying bike is still in development and is controlled remotely, but its designers hope that it will eventually be piloted by the rider.

They also hope battery technology will advance to make the invention marketable. At present the bicycle is only capable of five minutes of flight before the batteries need to be recharged.

"Because the capacity of batteries doubles about every ten years, we can expect that in the future the capacity would be enough for the bike to used for sports, tourism or similar things," said Milan Duchek, the technical director of Duratec Bicycles.

Designed using French 3D software with a frame resembling a small motorcycle, the flying machine has six propellers, two the front, another two at the back and one on each side, that allow it to fly.

These are powered by six engines, all, in turn, powered by electric batteries.

From CBBC and The Telegraph