2018 – Page 11 – Impact Lab

Chinese facial recognition system confuses bus ad with a jaywalker

November 25, 2018

It illustrates one of the many issues with China’s surveillance culture.

There are many criticisms you can level at China’s growing reliance on facial recognition, including its absolute faith in technology: what happens if there’s a false positive? Unfortunately, we just saw an example of that in action. Police in the city of Ningbo have taken corrective action after the facial recognition system at a crosswalk mistakenly accused famous businesswoman Dong Mingzhu of jaywalking because she appeared in an ad on a passing bus. As with any other detected offender in the area, it posted both Dong’s name (incorrectly displaying her surname as “Ju”) and government ID.

Continue reading… “Chinese facial recognition system confuses bus ad with a jaywalker”

China, Crime Prevention, government

Singapore wants to add face-recognition surveillance to 110,000 lamp posts

November 25, 2018

Singapore may be turning its island state into a surveillance state.

The nation plans to install cameras equipped with facial recognition technology to all 110,000 lamp posts around the city, making it easier than ever for the country to keep tabs on its citizens and visitors, Reuters reports. The so-called “Lamppost-as-a-Platform” pilot project will allow the government to “perform crowd analytics” and support anti-terror operations through “various kinds of sensors on the lampposts, including cameras that can support backend facial recognition capabilities,” according to a government spokesperson who spoke to Reuters.

Continue reading… “Singapore wants to add face-recognition surveillance to 110,000 lamp posts”

Analysis, Business, Current Events, Legalized marijuana

Marijuana is getting cheaper. For some states, that’s a problem.

November 25, 2018

Bags of marijuana sit on shelves in a building at the Los Suenos Farms facility in Avondale, Colorado, on Feb. 25, 2016. (Matthew Staver / Bloomberg)

Wholesale marijuana prices in Colorado have fallen by a third in just the past 12 months, continuing a price crash that began soon after the drug was legalized. Although this implies that some marijuana entrepreneurs are going to go bankrupt, the bigger financial hit will be felt by states that tax marijuana based on its price.

Marijuana prices are collapsing in Colorado and in other legalization states (e.g., Oregon, where the price can go as low as $100 per pound) because a legal business is dramatically cheaper to operate than an illegal one. Because states generally set their marijuana tax rates as a percentage of price, their revenue per sale sinks in direct proportion to the fall in marijuana prices. Ironically, in a bid for more tax revenue per marijuana sale, Colorado increased its marijuana tax rate from 10 percent to 15 percent last year, only to see the anticipated added tax revenue wiped out by falling prices in a year’s time.

Continue reading… “Marijuana is getting cheaper. For some states, that’s a problem.”

Analysis, Health & Fitness, Home Technology

Naked 3d body scanner is like a wellness center at home

November 24, 2018

The full-body scanner helps you keep tabs on your body’s fat composition without visiting a wellness coach.

In recent years, health and wellness has become increasingly connected to technology, with a bevy of health-forward products entering the market. These devices include everything from smart watches that do double duty as fitness and heart rate monitors to a smart mirror that transforms your wall into a home gym instructor to entire smart home automation systems. So it may come as no surprise that the home is increasingly the beneficiary of technology that formerly was only available at doctor’s offices, high-end spas, and wellness retreats.

Now, the next step in the convergence of technology and wellness is the Naked 3D Fitness Tracker, the world’s first 3D body scanner designed for the home. Gone are the days when health-conscious individuals had to settle for counting calories, pounds, and steps. The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-enabled mirror, designed by Naked Labs, allows users to receive up-to-the-minute information about their bodies—including body fat and fat mass—that enable them to make better choices about their health. Moreover, the data isn’t a single number; because it’s scanning your entire body, the system lets you see exactly how your body’s mass is distributed.

Continue reading… “Naked 3d body scanner is like a wellness center at home”

3D Printer, Biotech, Breakthrough Thinking, Medical Breakthrough

Bioprinting: How 3d printing is changing medicine

November 24, 2018

Continue reading… “Bioprinting: How 3d printing is changing medicine”

Inventions, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine, new technology

World’s first full-body medical scanner generates astonishing 3D images

November 24, 2018

The new EXPLORER full-body scanner promises faster and more detailed medical imaging(Credit: UC Davis)

After over a decade of development, the world’s first full-body medical scanner has produced its first images. The groundbreaking imaging device is almost 40 times faster than current PET scans and can capture a 3D picture of the entire human body in one instant scan.

Called EXPLORER, the full-body scanner combines positron emission tomography (PET) and X-ray computed tomography (CT). Following years of research, a prototype, primate-sized scanner was revealed in 2016. After expansive testing, the first human-sized device was fabricated in early 2018.

Continue reading… “World’s first full-body medical scanner generates astonishing 3D images”

Breakthrough Thinking, Ecological Products, Green Friendly, Housing

World-first: Bio-bricks made from urine

November 23, 2018

The world’s first bio-brick made using human urine was unveiled at UCT this week. In picture are (from left) the Department of Civil Engineering’s Dr Dyllon Randall and his students, Vukheta Mukhari and Suzanne Lambert.

The world’s first bio-brick grown from human urine has been unveiled by University of Cape Town (UCT) master’s student in civil engineering Suzanne Lambert, signalling an innovative paradigm shift in waste recovery.

Continue reading… “World-first: Bio-bricks made from urine”

Alternative Transportation, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Transportation

Large “Tesla ships” all-electric container barges are launching this autum

November 23, 2018

The Dutch company Port-Liner is building two giant all-electric barges dubbed the ‘Tesla ships‘. The company announced that the vessels will be ready by this autumn and will be inaugurated by sailing the Wilhelmina canal in the Netherlands.

The 100 million-euro project supported by a €7m subsidy from the European Union is expected to have a significant impact on local transport between the ports of Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Rotterdam.

Continue reading… “Large “Tesla ships” all-electric container barges are launching this autum”

Health & Fitness, New Inventions, new technology, Wearables

L’Oréal’s wearable sensor will track your UV exposure throughout the day

November 23, 2018

It even integrates with Apple’s HealthKit.

L’Oréal has announced a wearable device that measures your exposure to ultraviolet radiation that can seriously damage your skin and eyes and potentially cause skin cancer. The La Roche-Posay My Skin Track UV sensor is designed to clip onto your clothes or bag, and it relies on NFC rather than Bluetooth to transmit its data, meaning it doesn’t require a battery to function. L’Oreal previously introduced a similar sensor that attached to your fingernail.

Continue reading… “L’Oréal’s wearable sensor will track your UV exposure throughout the day”

Agriculture, Animals, Farming, Food

Millennials are disrupting Thanksgiving with their tiny turkeys

November 20, 2018

Millennials kill again. The latest victim? Big Thanksgiving turkeys.

Tiny turkeys are gaining popularity.

Small birds are having a big moment. Tiny turkeys will increasingly grace Thanksgiving tables next week, thanks to the millennial generation’s ongoing campaign to remake American gastronomy. The holiday depicted by Norman Rockwell-Grandma showing off a cooked bird so plump it weighs down a banquet plate-is still common. But smaller families, growing guilt over wasteful leftovers and a preference for free-range fowl have all played roles in the emergence of petite poultry as a holiday dinner centerpiece.

“People are starting to understand it’s not natural to grow turkeys up to 30 pounds,” said Ariane Daguin, co-founder and owner of D’Artagnan, a wholesale and e-commerce food company in Union, New Jersey. “In general, that means they were penned up with no room to move around, and that’s why they’re fat like that.”

Continue reading… “Millennials are disrupting Thanksgiving with their tiny turkeys”

Agriculture, Biotech, Farming, Food, Genes, Science & Technology News

Next generation of biotech food heading for grocery stores

November 23, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — The next generation of biotech food is headed for the grocery aisles, and first up may be salad dressings or granola bars made with soybean oil genetically tweaked to be good for your heart.

By early next year, the first foods from plants or animals that had their DNA “edited” are expected to begin selling. It’s a different technology than today’s controversial “genetically modified” foods, more like faster breeding that promises to boost nutrition, spur crop growth, and make farm animals hardier and fruits and vegetables last longer.

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has declared gene editing one of the breakthroughs needed to improve food production so the world can feed billions more people amid a changing climate. Yet governments are wrestling with how to regulate this powerful new tool. And after years of confusion and rancor, will shoppers accept gene-edited foods or view them as GMOs in disguise?

Continue reading… “Next generation of biotech food heading for grocery stores”

Alternative Transportation, Automation, Automobiles, Food, Shopping

Ford teaming up with Walmart and Postmates on robot deliveries

November 20, 2018

Self-driving vehicles delivering groceries in Miami

Ford is joining forces with Walmart and Postmates to create a grocery delivery service using self-driving vehicles in Miami, the companies announced Wednesday.

Ford has been using Miami as a test bed for its self-driving vehicles since earlier this year. And more recently, the auto giant joined with Postmates to see how people ordering takeout food would interact with an autonomous delivery van.

Now Ford is moving to the next stage: grocery delivery. The company says it will experiment with different vehicle types, as well as modifications to those vehicles needed to keep perishable food items fresh. It will also experiment with a variety of scenarios, such as multiple deliveries on one trip and the user experience of retrieving delivery items from a fully driverless vehicle.

Continue reading… “Ford teaming up with Walmart and Postmates on robot deliveries”