You might not have to send your devices in (or buy replacement parts) if the display breaks — you could just make new screens yourself. University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have developed what they say is the first fully 3D-printed flexible OLED display. In theory, you wouldn't have to depend on panels made at large, distant factories to build or repair your gadgets.

The new approach combines two methods of 3D printing to print the six layers needed for a functional display. The team used extrusion printing to make the electrodes, encapsulation, insulation and interconnects, while active layers were spray-painted at room temperature. Past attempts by various teams either had issues with light uniformity (consistency across the whole panel) or relied on techniques beyond 3D printing to put some components in place, such as spin-coating or thermal evaporation.

The prototype was just 1.5 inches wide and used just 64 pixels. Any practical uses would require much higher resolutions (a 1080p display requires over 2 million pixels), and the scientists also want to improve brightness. It might also take a while to adapt the technology for home use. The university used a custom 3D printer that costs as much as a Tesla Model S — it might take a while for the method to be viable on off-the-shelf printers, even including high-end models like FormLabs' $4,850 3B+.

The very nature of the technology makes those goals relatively achievable, though, and opens the door to numerous possibilities if and when home-printed OLED displays are practical. On top of do-it-yourself repairs, this could help you build homebrew gadgets with custom screens. While this effort doesn't quite represent the democratization of tech manufacturing (there are many more parts than displays, after all), it could reduce your dependence on companies' pre-assembled components.

Roblox may be enjoying success in many parts of the world, but it's currently in limbo in China. TechCrunch has learned Roblox temporarily shut down the Chinese version of its game platform, LuoBuLeSi, on December 8th for some "important transitory actions" needed to develop a future version. The company was shy on what those moves involved beyond the "data architecture," but a spokesperson said crafting the platform for China was an "iterative process."

The pause hasn't thrilled fans. Roblox only launched LuoBuLeSi five months before the shutdown, and many players felt the company only gave them very short notice. They also didn't buy an official claim they'd been playing a test version, noting they could still spend real money.

There's a chance China's strict digital rules may have played a role. The Chinese government requires licenses for games, and Roblox has more challenges than most developers. Its role as a creative platform could easily draw concern from Chinese censors worried about dissent, and the attempt to pitch LuoBuLeSi as a digital education system may have invited attention from officials cracking down on private education. China's data protection rules could also have contributed to the decision by dictating where and how Roblox stores users' information.

Whatever the reasons, the temporary halt underscores the difficulties foreign game developers have in China. They not only have to compete in one of the world's largest markets, but avoid clashes with a government that sometimes has a very different agenda.

Don't expect Apple to follow others into the metaverse. According to the latest newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has rejected the idea of a metaverse (in this case, an all-virtual world) for its long-rumored mixed reality headset. The very idea is "off limits," Gurman's sources claimed. The focus would be on short stints of communication, content viewing and gaming.

Past rumors have hinted headset could debut as soon as this year, although its specs and target audience aren't certain. Early scoops suggested it might have a resolution of 8K per eye, over a dozen "inside out" tracking cameras and a developer focus that included a $3,000 price. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the headset would 'only' use 4K displays and six to eight cameras, however, hinting at a more affordable device.

If the claim is true, Apple's approach to mixed reality would be very different than that of its rival Meta. Where Meta has shifted its AR and VR strategies toward the metaverse, Apple appears determined to avoid it. Whether or not that strategy could work is another matter. Apple's reported strategy could pay off if metaverses struggle, and might thwart Meta's plans by limiting overall interest in virtual worlds. If metaverses do succeed, though, Apple could miss out and find itself supporting others' VR environments.

Meta is facing more scrutiny over its approach to child safety. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) told The Guardian in a statement that it was planning "further discussions" with Meta about the Quest 2 VR headset's compliance with a recently established children's code that priorities the "best interests" of young users. The watchdog wants to determine whether Meta's headset and VR services do enough to protect the privacy and data of kids.

Baroness Beeban Kidron, who developed the code, was concerned Meta's platform made it too easy for kids to sign on and risk abuse, harassment and explicit content. Meta might require a Facebook account (and thus that a user be at least 13 years old), but that doesn't mean it's implementing the code's required age checks. Children can jump into potentially dangerous VR chatrooms just by "ticking a box" to say they're old enough, Kidron said.

A Meta spokesperson told The Guardian the internet giant was "committed" to honoring the children's code, and was "confident" its VR hardware met the code's requirements. The representative stressed that terms of service don't allow children under 13 to use the products, but didn't address worries it was too easy for kids to ignore that policy. The firm has already promised a $50 million program to make sure its metaverse development obeyed laws and regulations.

The UK could deliver a wide range of punishments if the ICO finds Meta violated the code. While officials might do little more than issue a warning, they could also fine Meta either a fixed amount up to £17.5 million (about $23.8 million) or as much as 4 percent of its worldwide turnover — over $10 billion. There's at least some pressure on Meta to toughen child safety in VR, even if it's just to protect the company's finances.

Apple might use its now-customary spring event to update its most affordable smartphone. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed in his latest newsletter that Apple is expected to introduce a third-generation iPhone SE this spring through a virtual presentation "likely" happening in March or April. In an echo of past rumors, Gurman understood the new SE would still cling to the iPhone 8-era design but add 5G and a new processor — possibly the A15 from the iPhone 13, if Apple's history of using last year's high-end chip is any indication.

There was no mention of other changes. It wouldn't be surprising if Apple increased the storage to 128GB or updated the camera sensors (again borrowed from the iPhone 8), but those aren't guaranteed given Apple's low-cost focus for the iPhone SE. A larger battery might be necessary to compensate for 5G's typically higher energy drain.

If the leak is accurate, the new iPhone SE would be disappointing for those wanting a modern nearly-all-screen design. You'd still have a relatively small screen, thick bezels and a button-based fingerprint reader. As we just mentioned, though, price is everything for the SE. The current model's $399 price helps Apple reach some customers who otherwise couldn't justify an iPhone. The company might not want to do anything that could prompt even a small a price hike, if just to maximize the SE's potential audience. 

The Mars Perseverance rover's sample collection has run into a snag. NASA reports the rover stopped caching samples after debris partly blocked the bit carousel (the device that stores drill bits and passes sample tubes for internal processing). The rover encountered the anomaly on December 29th, but the mission team had to wait until January 6th to send a command to extract the drill bit, undock the robot arm from the carousel and take images to verify what happened.

The obstacles are believed to be pebbles that fell out of the sample tube when dropping off the coring bit, preventing that bit from sitting neatly in the carousel. The storage is crucial for NASA's plans to eventually return the samples to Earth.

This isn't the end to sample gathering. NASA/JPL's chief sampling engineer, Louise Jandura, noted the carousel was designed to run with debris. It's the first time the team has had to clear debris, however, and Jandura said operators would take as much time as they needed to get rid of the pebbles in a "controlled and orderly fashion."

This isn't the first time Perseverance has run into trouble. The rover failed to collect samples during its first attempt, while the Ingenuity helicopter suffered a processing error during its sixth flight. All the same, this illustrates the challenges of the mission — even a seemingly pedestrian task as storing a sample can go awry in the wrong conditions. And when Mars is so distant, fixes aren't necessarily easy or certain.

NASA is one large step closer to putting the James Webb Space Telescope into service. The agency has successfully deployed the JWST's signature gold-coated primary mirror, completing all major deployments for the instrument. The mission crew still has to align the telescope's optics by moving the primary mirror's segments (a months-long process), but it's a strong sign the $10 billion device is in good shape.

The JWST also requires a third course correction burn as it heads toward the L2 Lagrange point between the Earth and the Sun. Astronomers will use the point to study infrared light without interference, potentially offering insights into the early Universe that aren't possible with Hubble and other equipment.

First images from the telescope won't be available until the summer, and it could take much longer before those images translate to meaningful discoveries. Even so, the deployment is an achievement. JWST represents the first time NASA has unpacked a complex observatory in space — it shows projects like this are viable, even if they're unlikely to be commonplace in the near future.

Ford is swamped with F-150 Lightning orders, and it's taking special steps to make sure the electric pickup truck reaches honest-to-goodness buyers. Roadshowreports Ford is now giving dealerships the option to ban customers from reselling the Lightning for up to a year after purchase. As the (since-pulled) document on the F-150 Gen 14 forums revealed, the dealer could "seek injunctive relief" to block the ownership transfer or even demand payment for "all value" generated from the sale.

The automaker is also cracking down on a "limited number" of dealers that allegedly violated sales and service terms by forcing customers to make additional payments beyond those Ford requires. It's not clear just what those payments were, although this suggests they were more than the markups you frequently see when cars are scarce or in high demand.

This no-resale clause isn't new to the automotive world. Ford used it to ensure its GT supercar reached real owners. However, it's still rare for EVs — particularly for relatively mainstream vehicles like the F-150 Lighting. This reflects the popularity of the Lightning, of course, but it might also be vital to Ford. Scalping has hurt access to many other tech products, such as game consoles and video cards — Ford likely doesn't want those opportunists to sour the launch of such an important vehicle, particularly with Chevy, Rivian and Tesla chasing after many of the same customers.

Scott Pilgrim appears ready for a comeback, and not just in video games. The Hollywood Reporter has learned Netflix and Universal's UCP (the unit behind The Umbrella Academy) are developing a Scott Pilgrim anime series. It's not clear how close this will hew to the original graphic novels, but creator Bryan Lee O'Malley and 2010 movie director Edgar Wright will be executive producers.

O'Malley will serve as a showrunner alongside Are You Afraid of the Dark? reviver BenDavid Grabinski. Science SARU is animating the project.

It won't be shocking if the series sticks to the core plot: Sex Bob-omb band leader Scott wants to win over Ramona Flowers, but can't date her until he defeats her seven evil exes. Both the graphic novels and the movie were nods to manga, indie rock, video games and turn-of-the-millennium Canadian culture.

This is a slightly unusual twist on a familiar formula. While Netflix hasn't been shy about its ambitious anime plans, it has typically focused on originals or adaptations of Japanese games and manga. Here, the streaming service is adapting a comic that was a Western tribute — and one that many might only know from the big screen. Netflix's strategy isn't clear, but it might see this as a way to expose its anime catalog to a larger audience.

Radar might soon find its way into more personal technology than Google's phones and smart speakers. 9to5Googlenotes Google, Ford and four other partners have published specs for a Ripple standard that could bring small radar to more devices in a "privacy-respecting" fashion. The framework, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, theoretically lets any device maker use small-scale radar for tasks ranging from existing uses like touch-free gesture control and health monitoring through to exercise tracking and even occupancy detection in buildings.

The early details are currently available through GitHub, with a focus on interoperability between radar types. Developers will initially have to add special use cases through extensions, but the Ripple team hopes to build those add-ons into later versions of the standard.

The involvement of Google and Ford is logical. Both have already used radar in shipping products like the Nest Hub or Ford's Co-Pilot 360 driver assists. The more industry-wide support there is for radar, the more customers are likely to seek it out in the companies' products. Still, it might be genuinely useful if radar becomes more than a rare-but-inessential bonus feature.