A Tesla vehicle has been tricked into spontaneously accelerating over the speed limit with just a simply strip of tape. Researchers at McAfee placed a two-inch long piece of electrical tape horizontally across the middle of the '3' on a 35 mph speed limit sign, causing the car's camera system to misread it as 85 mph. When the 2016 Tesla Model X drove toward the altered sign in cruise control it automatically accelerated to 50 mph before being stopped by the driver – the same occurred in a 2016 Model S. The findings come just a month after Tesla found itself under investigation after 127 complaints were sent to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) claiming certain models experienced'sudden unintended acceleration'. Researchers at McAfee placed a two-inch long piece of electrical tape horizontally across the middle of the '3' on a 35 mph (left) speed limit sign, causing the car's camera system to misread it as 85 mph (right) The flaw is said to have caused 110 crashes and 52 injuries, with many drivers stating the incident occurred when they attempted to park in a garage or at a curb. However, Tesla has noted that'the car accelerates if, and only if, the driver told it to do so, and it slows or stops when the driver applies the brake'.

A group of researchers have published results from a shocking experiment that shows how voice controlled smart devices can be operated remotely using targeted laser beams to simulate human speech. The researchers announced Monday that they were able to control a Google Home and command it to remotely open the garage door from a separate building 230 feet away. Also susceptible were Amazon's Echo, Facebook Portal, a range of Android smartphones and tablets, and both iPhones and iPads. The experiments were conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Michigan and The University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo. 'It's possible to make microphones respond to light as if it were sound,' Takeshi Sugarawa, of University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo, told Wired.

Ever think about how many little household problems you simply put up with? You know the ones I'm talking about--things like setting off the smoke detector when you're just cooking or never being able to find the TV remote. You (read: I) could probably solve these issues by changing day-to-day habits, but I like making seared tuna, even if it smokes up the kitchen. Plus, I'm nowhere near diligent enough to put the remote in the same place every time. There are tons of these little issues you might run into around the house, and I'm here to tell you that there's an easy solution: smart technology.

Garage door openers are certainly convenient, but compared to the connected devices around our homes, they're nor very smart. But it doesn't have to be that way. Today, you can choose from two smart garage door remotes at all-time low Amazon prices to beef up your existing system: the Chamberlain MyQ for $50Remove non-product link, down from a list price of $80, or the Nexx Garage for $70Remove non-product link, down from a list price of $100. The MyQ smart garage door hub connects to any compatible garage door opener and Wi-Fi to bring smarts to your existing garage setup. Once connected, you'll be able to use the app to open and close your door, get alerts when the door opens, closes, or is left open too long, and schedule automatic close times.

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Imagine walking into your home at night, arms overflowing with groceries. To turn your smart lights on, you'd need to put the bags down, pull out your phone, unlock it, open the app, find the control for the lights you want, and then tap the icon. With an Amazon Echo and Alexa, you simply say, "Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights."

In the next few years, expect smart clothing and accessories to become more fashionable and integrate more seamlessly into our daily lives. The wearable tech market is still relatively young and in flux. Fitbit, the company that arguably led the first wave of interest in wearables, didn't start making a wrist-based fitness tracker until 2013. Now, just about every major tech firm – and a slew of scrappy startups – has its own "smart" garment or accessory to peddle, whether in the form of a watch, ring, pendant, sports bra, shoe or something else. By 2020, the global appetite for wearable devices is expected to grow to around $34 billion, with roughly 411 million of the smart devices sold, according to industry analyst firm CCS Insight.

We haven't gotten to the point of voice-activated vacuum cleaners yet, but closing your garage door with an "Ok Google" has arrived. Garage-door company Chamberlain has announced that its MyQ app will now work with Google Assistant in addition to your Nest camera. More than issuing a closing command, you can ask if the door is open or if it's closed, too. MyQ works with IFTTT now as well. The system can automatically close the garage door when you leave a geofenced area, turn down the thermostat once you leave.

It's not the level design or even the gameplay, which are both compelling enough. As a long-time gamer who has fond memories of playing Ico quite a few years ago and then beating the spiritual successor to that release called Shadow of the Colossus in 2005 (all created by designer Fumito Ueda and his team with a focus on forming an emotional bond), I've kept up on this latest project. The Last Guardian features a young boy climbing around on castles and coaxing a giant dragon-like creature named Trico into helping him escape. The interchange between the boy and the creature is what held my attention. It serves as a good lesson in how to make AI in a chatbot, a digital assistant or within an app or any piece of software.

Today, we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible with artificial intelligence (A.I.) and how individuals will interact with its various forms. Every single aspect of our society -- from cars to houses to products to services -- will be reimagined and redesigned to incorporate A.I. A child born in the year 2030 will not comprehend why his or her parents once had to manually turn on the lights in the living room. In the future, the smart home will seamlessly know the needs, wants, and habits of the individuals who live in the home prior to them taking an action. Before we arrive at this future, it is helpful to take a step back and reimagine how we design cars, houses, products, and services. We are just beginning to see glimpses of this future with the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart voice assistants.

I've been living in a smart home for nearly 10 years. It's filled with sensors, smart lighting, voice recognition, security cameras, a smart thermostat, and more. In spite of all its capabilities, my home would be completely dumb if I hadn't dedicated hours upon hours telling it exactly how all of those components should work together, and then constantly tweaking those instructions when I add or subtract components and as my life patterns change. All that silicon made my home smart, but not intelligent. Vivint says its new Sky system can change that.