2017 – Page 2 – Impact Lab

High-speed broadband will be a legal right for homes and businesses in the UK

December 24, 2017

The UK Government has announced that homes and businesses will have a legal right to high-speed broadband of at least 10 Mbps by 2020. Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, says that 10 Mbps is the minimum speed needed to meet the requirements of an average family. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has plans for that to happen, and will set out the framework for a legal right to broadband in secondary legislation early next year.

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Biotech, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough

Scientists discover a way to prevent stem cell loss and improve tissue regeneration

December 24, 2017

Stem Cells and Aging

The stem cells found within the average adult human are capable of restoring dying cells while also fixing damaged tissue. Nothing is safe from the aging process, though, and as we get older we begin to lose the very same stem cells that once kept our bodies in functional condition. But there could be a way around that: new stem cell research has revealed a nutrient sensing pathway called TOR can be subdued in order to prevent such loses. TOR plays a key role in the aging process and is largely responsible for the loss of stem cells in the human body.

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Clothing, Inventions, Law Enforcement, Nanotechnology

Graphene-based armor could stop bullets by becoming harder than diamonds

December 24, 2017

Made of two stacked layers of graphene, diamene temporarily becomes harder than bulk diamonds under impact.

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Great New Product, mobile technology, Shopping

Ever seen a portable desktop?

December 28, 2017

I’d classify the Lavolta iMac Carrying Bag as an absurdly useful product. It brings (in some capacity) the one element the iMac lacks in comparison to the MacBook. Portability.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, Films

AI is learning to make you cry at the movies

December 23, 2017

New research can predict how plots, images, and music affect your emotions while watching a movie.

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Augmented Reality, Games, Video Games, Virtual Reality

Magic Leap finally reveals its secretive augmented reality headset

December 22, 2017

After years of rumours and speculation, Magic Leap has finally revealed what the company is calling the ‘creator edition’ of the company’s new augmented reality platform, the Magic Leap One.

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Augmented Reality, Breakthrough Thinking, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Virtual Reality

Virtual reality lets scientists walk around inside cancer cells, set to revolutionize medicine

December 27, 2017

Virtual reality allows scientists to walk inside cancer cells. Imagine being able to walk around inside a virtual replica of your own cells.

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Agriculture, Legalized marijuana

California winery to produce alcohol-free, marijuana-infused wine

December 21, 2017

Rebel Coast Winery has produced the world’s first alcohol-free, THC-loaded white wine(Credit: Rebel Coast Winery)

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Children, communication, Internet

When kids get their first cell phones around the world

December 21, 2017

About 45% of US children ages 10 to 12 have a smartphone with a service plan

Outside the US and Europe, children tend to get their first mobile phones when they are older

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Biotech, Breakthrough Thinking, Military, new technology

Army tests new super-soldier exoskeleton

December 21, 2017

The Army is testing an exoskeleton technology which uses AI to analyze and replicate individual walk patterns, provide additional torque, power and mobility for combat infantry and enable heavier load-carrying, industry officials said.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, government

An inside look at the world’s first nation with a minister for artificial intelligence

December 20, 2017

From robots that can flawlessly perform backflips to electric cars that can go over 950 km (600 miles) on a single charge, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the future is far closer than we may have previously thought. If the missteps of the industrial revolution are any indicator, we need to start planning for that future today.

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