---
title: "This Week in Tech: Oct 6 – Oct 12"
description: "Find out what has been fascinating us in the world of tech this week. Hint: it involves a coffee mug with a pulse."
date: "2018-10-12"
modified: "2018-10-12"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/week-tech-oct-6-oct-12"
categories:
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "autonomous car"
  - "Autonomous vehicles"
  - "elon musk"
  - "fitness trackers"
  - "NASA"
  - "space capsule"
---

# This Week in Tech: Oct 6 – Oct 12

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/TWIT1.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

While scientists are still working on NASA's newest space capsule, others are more concerned with the small stuff: coffee mugs with heart rates and crypto scams on Twitter. What do they have in common? You guessed it — they're about tech. Here's what else caught our interest:

[The US Government Wants to Allow Fully Autonomous Vehicles on US Roads.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-government-fully-autonomous-vehicles>) The Department of Transportation just released an 80-page document outlining its plans for regulating fully autonomous vehicles.

[Fake Elon Musks Clutter Twitter with Crypto Scams.](<https://futurism.com/ethereum-twitter-scam-musk>) Twitter scams are running amok, and the platform can't shut them down. That's not great news for users, for Elon Musk, or for the midterms.

[This Brain-Analyzing AI Could Kill Your Dream of Being a Professional Athlete.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/brain-activity-task-skill-aptitude>) Researchers created a machine learning system that looks at brain activity to determine a person's skill level at a certain task.

[Lockheed Engineers Are Using HoloLens to Build NASA's New Space Capsule.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/how-nasa-is-using-augmented-reality-to-build-its-next-capsule>) Lockheed Martin engineers are using Microsoft's HoloLens to speed up construction of NASA's next space capsule by showing technicians the next step.

[Fitness Trackers Say This Coffee Cup Has a Pulse. Wait, What?](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/fitness-trackers-coffee-cup-pulse>) Chinese website Abacus found that a toilet paper roll had a pulse using Xiaomi's latest fitness tracker. The reason why is not as surprising as you think.

[Ford Patent Would Let You Steer Your Car by Tilting Your Phone.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/ford-patent-car-phone>) A new Ford patent describes a control system that would let a driver steer a car by tilting or swiping their smartphone.

**Read more: [This Week in Tech: Sept 29 – Oct 5](<https://futurism.com/week-tech-sept-29-oct-5>)**

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)