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Innovation : All Tech Considered An exploration of interesting ideas that solve problems, introduce new experiences or even change our world.
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All Tech Considered

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Innovation

Thursday

How Can You Bring Innovation To Government Services? Follow Users

Code for America founder and Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka speaks Nov. 10 at The New York Times DealBook Conference at Lincoln Center in New York City. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The New York Ti hide caption

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Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The New York Ti

Innovation

How Can You Bring Innovation To Government Services? Follow Users

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America, about what it takes to bring innovation to government.

How Can You Bring Innovation To Government Services? Follow Users

Listen · 4:23
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Monday

Monday

Covert Fashion Provides Camouflage Against Surveillance Software

Carmen Aguilar y Wedge is the co-founder and director of creative technology for Hyphen-Labs. She modeled the company's ScatterViz visor at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Nina Gregory/NPR hide caption

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Nina Gregory/NPR

Innovation

Covert Fashion Provides Camouflage Against Surveillance Software

Hyphen-Labs is a group of women of color who are scientists, engineers, architects and designers who have designed clothing that camouflages against facial recognition software.

Covert Fashion Provides Camouflage Against Surveillance Software

Listen · 3:50
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Wednesday

Thursday

Thursday

Friday

Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Our Commutes, But That'll Take A While

Pilot models of self-driving cars for Uber are displayed in Pittsburgh. Autonomous vehicles are expected to cut traffic jams, but not before enough human drivers are off the road. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Innovation

Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Our Commutes, But That'll Take A While

One of the promises of autonomous vehicles is that they'll reduce traffic jams. Self-driving cars will bring many changes, but traffic flows won't improve until enough human drivers are off the roads.

Self-Driving Cars Could Ease Our Commutes, But That'll Take A While

Listen · 3:42
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Monday

Can Virtual Reality Make You More Empathetic?

A Syrian woman and her child sit in their refugee living space in Lebanon. They are featured in Four Walls, a virtual reality presentation by the International Rescue Committee. YouVisit Studios hide caption

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YouVisit Studios

Innovation

Can Virtual Reality Make You More Empathetic?

Charities are using virtual reality to immerse people in the plight of refugees and others who need help. Researchers are studying whether it's more effective than other media. And there are skeptics.

Can Virtual Reality Make You More Empathetic?

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Thursday

Monday

As more people turn to laser displays for holiday house decorations, aviation authorities warn not to shine them into the sky.

As more people turn to laser displays for holiday house decorations, aviation authorities warn not to shine them into the sky. TeleBrands hide caption

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TeleBrands

All Tech Considered

For Christmas Thrills Without The Spills, More Decorators Turn To Lasers

It's a new way to deck the house for the holidays. Laser lights project decorations without a need of a ladder, but Christmas light purists say they don't compare to the old-fashioned bulbs.

For Christmas Thrills Without The Spills, More Decorators Turn To Lasers

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Sunday

Behold A Robot Hand With A Soft Touch

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a soft robotic hand with a touch delicate enough to sort tomatoes and find the ripest one. Huichan Zhao/Organic Robotics Lab, Cornell University hide caption

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Huichan Zhao/Organic Robotics Lab, Cornell University

Innovation

Behold A Robot Hand With A Soft Touch

Using light-conductive materials, researchers have built a robot hand that can sense shapes and textures. Soft robotics holds promise for better prosthetics or machines with a more "human" touch.

Monday

Turn On, Tune In, Transcribe: U.N. Develops Radio-Listening Tool

People listen to the radio as the results of the presidential elections are announced in Kireka, Uganda, in February. Many rural Ugandans don't have Internet access, and the radio is a central source of news — and platform for citizens' opinions. Isaac Kasamani/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Isaac Kasamani/AFP/Getty Images

Innovation

Turn On, Tune In, Transcribe: U.N. Develops Radio-Listening Tool

In rural Uganda, "radio is everything," as one journalist puts it. So the U.N., hoping to hear more rural voices, used a tiny amount of data to build speech recognition software for new languages.

Monday

Pundits Vs. Machine: Who Did Better At Predicting Campaign Controversies?

Quid found 228,912 English-language stories in the news and on the blogs about Clinton's health between Sept. 12 and Oct. 12. Quid hide caption

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Quid

Innovation

Pundits Vs. Machine: Who Did Better At Predicting Campaign Controversies?

We pitted two political pundits against an algorithm to compete at predicting the biggest issues to arise over a month in the presidential election. Now we find out who won.

Pundits Vs. Machine: Who Did Better At Predicting Campaign Controversies?

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Thursday

For The Long Haul, Self-Driving Trucks May Pave The Way Before Cars

Otto developed technology to allow big-rig trucks to drive themselves. Uber, another transportation company working on self-driving technology, acquired Otto in August. Tony Avelar/AP hide caption

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Tony Avelar/AP

Innovation

For The Long Haul, Self-Driving Trucks May Pave The Way Before Cars

Despite being self-driving, big rigs will still need truckers to ride along and take control of in case of emergency situations. But some say they may be the last generation to do their jobs.

For The Long Haul, Self-Driving Trucks May Pave The Way Before Cars

Listen · 3:32
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Tuesday

When Phones Went Mobile: Revisiting NPR's 1983 Story On 'Cellular'

The original caption to this 1989 photo read, "Cellular phones are being offered by many car manufacturers as optional equipment for drivers who can't bear to be out of touch, even on the road." Richard Sheinwald/AP hide caption

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Richard Sheinwald/AP

Innovation

When Phones Went Mobile: Revisiting NPR's 1983 Story On 'Cellular'

The report titled "Cellular Phones Are Completely Mobile" features a man who was "among the first 1,500 customers to use a new mobile phone system called cellular."

When Phones Went Mobile: Revisiting NPR's 1983 Story On 'Cellular'

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