Abbot to update pacemaker software

US healthcare company Abbott Laboratories said on Tuesday it would update firmware, or embedded software, for its pacemakers so that the implanted device for correcting abnormal heart rhythms is less likely to be hacked. “Con324 nected devices are having a significant positive impact for patients and their health,” said Robert Ford, executive vicepresident of Medical Devices at Abbott. “To further protect our patients, Abbott has developed new firmware with additional security measures that can be installed on our pacemakers.” The update is for pacemakers with radio frequency telemetry capabilities, meaning that they are wirelessly connected by radio waves for recording and transmitting the readings of the devices. It includes data encryption, operating system patches, and the ability to disable network connection features. to use self-driving vehicles to deliver pizzas to their customers. The Detroit-based automaker is providing a selfdriving Ford Fusion Hybrid car equipped with Ford’s full suite of cameras, sensors and radar for testing in Ann Arbor city of Michigan state for about six weeks. However, the car will not be operated in an autonomous mode. One Ford engineer hidden behind tinted windows will drive the car, and another will monitor input from the car’s hardware. It will not be the first experiment with advanced pizza delivery technology.