Digital Trends’ Tech For Change CES 2023 Awards

Of all the world-changing technologies and innovative ideas on display at CES 2023, these ones impressed us the most.

Drew Prindle     January 9, 2023

Gaming to boost mental health: 5 tips from a clinical psychologist

Clinical psychologist and video game designer Dr. Kelli Dunlap shares how to reap the mental health benefits of gaming while avoiding the pitfalls.

Paula Beaton     November 22, 2022

Digital Trends’ Tech For Change CES 2022 Awards

Of all the world-changing technologies and innovative ideas on display at CES 2022, these four impressed us the most.

Drew Prindle     November 11, 2022

Sensor breakthrough brings us closer to blood glucose monitoring on wearables

A medical breakthrough courtesy of Kennesaw State University promises a smartphone-connected device offering a noninvasive method of blood sugar analysis.

Nadeem Sarwar     October 1, 2022

When will we know if NASA’s asteroid defense test was a total success?

NASA has successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in a planetary defense test. But when will we know if the impact has altered the asteroid's path?

Trevor Mogg     September 30, 2022

How the Galaxy Z Flip 4 fixed my unhealthy phone habits

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4's outer display has helped me fight the urge to get lost in the flurry of unwanted notifications and social media posts.

Tushar Mehta     September 30, 2022

Big Tech’s superficial support is undermining the right-to-repair movement

Big names like Google, Samsung, and Apple are all starting to get on board with right to repair, but how substantial are their latest programs?

Simon Sage     September 28, 2022

Samsung lays out plan for net zero emissions by 2050

Samsung has detailed a decades-long road map to sustainability across its many business arms.

Fionna Agomuoh     September 15, 2022

Beer maker transforms brewing waste into denim jeans

A Japanese beer maker is using upcycling technology to turn waste products from the brewing process into blue jeans, winning the company new fans.

Trevor Mogg     September 8, 2022

Jeep is launching its first two electric SUVs in the U.S. in 2024

Jeep plans to launch four electric SUVs by 2025, with two confirmed for the U.S.

Stephen Edelstein     September 8, 2022

Meta wants to supercharge Wikipedia with an AI upgrade

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has proposed a surprisingly simple way to make Wikipedia articles more transparent and trustworthy

Luke Dormehl     August 22, 2022

Xbox again teams up with the Special Olympics for inclusive esports event

Gaming for Inclusion 2022 will once again feature Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners in online competitions in Rocket League.

Jesse Lennox     August 17, 2022

Meet the startup that gives wheelchairs aftermarket superpowers

Rather than starting from scratch and building a cutting-edge wheelchair from the ground up, these inventors built a high-tech wheelchair upgrade kit.

Erika Rawes     July 26, 2022

How ChromeOS Flex turns old PCs into Chromebooks for free

Google's ChromeOS Flex is now out of beta and can help you repurpose your old computer to a Chromebook.

Arif Bacchus     July 14, 2022

8BitDo created a console-agnostic controller for players with limited mobility

8BitDo is launching a Bluetooth controller for gamers with limited mobility, which was made thanks to the father of a young gamer with a rare muscular disorder.

Cristina Alexander     June 28, 2022

Five must-have eco-friendly products for your smart home

Make your life a little greener with these eco-friendly smart home devices. We look at everything from bidets to smart composters.

Simon Sage     June 7, 2022

Victoria Tran has a game-changing idea for changing video games

Victoria Tran, community director of Innersloth, has some big ideas on how video game design can foster kindness, community, and positive relationships

Sarah Sloat     June 7, 2022

Finishing touch: How scientists are giving robots humanlike tactile senses

Giving robots sight and hearing is fairly straightforward these days, but equipping them with a robust sense of touch is far more difficult.

Luke Dormehl     June 7, 2022

Apple to use zero-emission recycled aluminum in iPhone SE

The iPhone SE will use aluminum that only produces oxygen in its smelting process. This is thanks to Apple Green Bond investments into new processes.

Simon Sage     May 10, 2022

Samsung recognized for sustainability with two EPA awards

The EPA has awarded Samsung for its innovative sustainability achievements.

Andy Zahn     May 10, 2022

Sentinel-6 spacecraft becomes official ocean-monitoring satellite

We have a new tool for monitoring Earth's oceans: The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft.

Georgina Torbet     May 10, 2022

Alexa launches Grow a Tree Skill for Earth Day

Amazon teams up with One Tree Planted to help Alexa users easily donate money to the reforestation charity organization.

K. Riddick     May 10, 2022

How much toilet paper do bidets actually save?

Is the best option for a squeaky clean butt also the best option for the environment? Let's learn about bidets.

S. Sage     May 10, 2022

Scientists call for environmental protections for space

Scientists are calling for environmental protections of space to be put in place to account for the increasing number of satellite launches.

Georgina Torbet     May 10, 2022

Can a robot vacuum work as an air purifier?

Is there a future where robot vacuums and air purifiers are the same device? Not likely, but they might be able to work together.

P. Hearn     May 10, 2022

Meta to offset use of NFTs by ‘buying renewable energy’

There are valid environmental concerns about Meta's recent inclusion of NFTs in apps like Instagram. Here's what we know about how Meta plans to address them.

Anita George     May 10, 2022

10 female inventors who changed the world forever

The women on this list have risen above inequality, creating products and services that have truly changed the world.

Erika Rawes     May 10, 2022

Greener techniques could help find rare minerals for phones

Researchers say they have removed valuable rare earth elements from waste at high yields in a method that could also help save the environment.

Sascha Brodsky     May 10, 2022

Do fast chargers mean phone makers don’t care about environment?

Do the fast-charging blocks included with some phones mean the manufacturers don't care about the environment? We asked Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi to find out.

Andy Boxall     May 10, 2022

The UX Pioneer: Louisa Heinrich’s quest to humanize tech

Louisa Heinrich was thinking about user experience long before UX was part of the popular vernacular -- and she has some big ideas on how we can do it better.

Meira Gebel     May 9, 2022

Why crypto’s eco-friendly pivot is perpetually delayed

Switching cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum to a proof of stake system could cut their energy use by 99 percent, but doing so is easier said than done.

Meira Gebel     May 9, 2022

Apps that plant trees for you are booming. But are they actually helping?

There are dozens of apps that promise to plant trees in exchange for your usage, but critics say not all of them are making a positive impact on the climate.

Sarah Sloat     May 9, 2022

Analog A.I.? It sounds crazy, but it might be the future

Digital transistors have been the backbone of computing for much of the modern era, but Mythic A.I. makes a compelling case that analog chips may be the future.

Luke Dormehl     May 9, 2022

Lyft is offering free bikeshare rides to highlight Earth Day

To highlight Earth Day and promote its own green efforts, Lyft is offering free rides with its bikeshare programs in six cities across the U.S. on April 22. Lyft expanded into bikesharing in 2018 when it acquired Motivate, the largest provider of bikesharing services in the U.S.

Trevor Mogg     May 9, 2022

The rise of smart speakers shows why it matters to have sustainable packaging

While the gadgets inside of packages are most important, you'll be astounded by the amount of potential waste from the packaging.

J. Velasco     May 9, 2022

To save the planet, phone makers need to bring back removable batteries

Smartphones have an astonishingly large carbon footprint, and most of it stems from the fact that they don't have swappable batteries anymore.

Shubham Agarwal     May 9, 2022

How Grid Studio transforms forgotten tech into works of art

Grid Studio is on a mission to give discarded tech a second lease on life by transforming it into a work of art. Here's how.

Jacob Roach     May 9, 2022

Samsung’s limited, sustainable Galaxy Watch 4 straps are made from apple peel

Samsung has teamed up with fashion designer Sami Miró to make a set of sustainably produced watch bands for the Galaxy Watch 4, with two made from apple peel.

Andy Boxall     May 9, 2022