Recently, Hannah Lucas and her brother Charlie sat at their kitchen table describing the moment the two of them put their heads together to create a special app. At the time, Hannah was suffering with an illness that causes her to pass out. She was also being bullied at school. So she searched for an app that would allow her to press a button so a trusted friend or family member would know immediately that she needed help.

After realizing there was no such thing, Hannah and her brother decided to do something about it. After some research, Hannah made some early drawings of what the app might look like. Then, after taking a programming class, Charlie began figuring out the best way for the app to work.

The pair wanted something that would send a text message to up to five contacts that reads “Hey, I’m not OK. Please call me, text me, or come to find me”, along with a link to the user’s current GPS location. Together, they started looking for someone to help them make the app. And when Hannah shared her dream with instructors inn a summer business class she attended, they got behind the idea. “They were really excited about the app. They thought of a million different marketing strategies.” Hannah said.

By mid-December, a working version of the app, named “notOK”, was finished as a birthday present for Hannah. “It was exactly what we wanted,” Charlie said.

In today’s age, most people will agree that apps like these are a great idea. Whether you’re suffering from illness, or anything emergent, writing a text message of making a phone call to get the help you need can be difficult, While not OK was created for Hannah to give her peace of mind and security, she is excited to know that her app will help many more people. “It’s like I went through my dark times, so I could help people through theirs,” she said.

Smart entertainment is changing how we engage with leisure. By combining cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), augmented reality, and the internet of things with traditional forms of entertainment, this innovation is enhancing users’ experiences.

In 2023, Huawei introduced its Vision Smart TV3, transforming your home into your own amusement park. This innovative technology features groundbreaking AI super-sensing cameras and AI vision chips powered by deep learning and big data. These advanced components see and study your movements, enabling you to control characters through your body gestures. Social media is busy with users sharing their experiences of playing motion-sensing games, which require real-life movements like jumping and squatting instead of simply holding a controller.

The Vision Smart TV is not only cutting-edge but also family-friendly. Turning on the kids mode allows the screen to monitor real-time data, offering suggestions for adjusting a child’s viewing distance and posture. This provides a safe and comfortable entertainment experience for the younger audience. TorieZ, a Huawei Vision Smart TV3 owner and a mother of a 3-year-old daughter, shared her experience on Xiaohongshu. “Thanks to the smart screen, my child maintains good posture without constant supervision because her favorite cartoons stop if she slouches (懒洋洋地坐),” she said. When she’s free, TorieZ and her husband enjoy exercising together under the instructions of the TV.

We can not only play video games merely on the screens; now, with smart entertainment, you can get an immersive experience of Mario Kart, a racing video game, put right into your living room. While playing the game, players can control their karts running in their living rooms. Each kart has an onboard camera on it. The camera can record the layout of where they are and upload it to the Nintendo system. After processing it, some settings, like jungles and snowy landscapes, are created based on the layout and shown on the Switch screen. So, things in your living room, like the sofa and table, your feet or even your cat, can be a part of your game.

Step outside and you can also enjoy smart entertainment experiences. Shanghai Disney Resort uses big data analysis to offer personalized services. In the US and South America, VR World, the largest VR club, gives users super real gaming and travel adventures.

Looking forward, cutting-edge technologies will continue to change how we spend our leisure time.

Li Bai holds a wine cup in his hand, while Du Fu sits in front of a desk, writing poems on the paper in front of him. It’s not that we have traveled to the past. Modern technology has brought ancient poets “back to life” .

The two great poets, along with other humanoid robots were presented at the World Robot Conference 2023 in late August in Beijing. They looked similar to real human beings.

“The skin is made of medical-grade bionic silicone (仿生硅胶) which is why the skin looks soft and veins can be seen through it,” CGTN explained in a video about Liaoning-based producer EXROBOTS. Goosebumps (鸡皮疙瘩) and palm lines can also be seen on the arms and hands.

Researchers are also trying hard to create other features of humans on robots. A US robotics company Apptronik brought out its humanoid robot called Apollo on Aug 23. Apollo has around 30 muscles. However, humans have around 300 muscles in our bodies. For now, engineers can only simplify the muscles, allowing them to do basic movements like holding objects and walking.

The robot also contains cameras, helping it map out a 360-degree view of its environment. It also has sensors (传感器) in its head to help keep balance when walking on uncertain surfaces.

Nowadays, bionic human-like robots mostly work with humans, as tour guides or by helping visitors at front desks. There are also robots that share the work of nurses, such as handing out medicine. This could be because people are comfortable living and working with machines that look or act like them. “They can strike a chord (引起共鸣) with people,” a US robotics scientist Marc Raibert told New Yorker.

As more humanoid robots come out, safety will be the key, according to the Robot Reportwebsite. When a 70- kilogram robot breaks down and falls, humans nearby may be hurt.