Year: 2018

Impact Lab > 2018
DaVinci Institute, Futurist, Science & Technology News, Tom Frey

The Future is Exciting: Futurist Thomas Frey prophesies exciting gigabit era

Futurist Thomas Frey 700 4-2018

“Two billion jobs will disappear by 2030”. This prophecy made Futurist Thomas Frey famous overnight in 2012. He wanted to bring the constant technological progress into the consciousness of the population. As part of the “The Future is Exciting” series , we introduce you to a personality that has an exciting and insightful perspective on your future.

The renowned futurist Thomas Frey looks at the present from the future. He masters this view like no other. Learn how he imagines the gigabit age and how to get there.

Continue reading… “The Future is Exciting: Futurist Thomas Frey prophesies exciting gigabit era”

Battery, Business, Energy, Latest News, New Discoveries

A massive, ‘semi-infinite’ trove of rare-earth metals has been found in Japan

IMG_6393

Researchers have found hundreds of years’ worth of rare-earth materials underneath Japanese waters — enough to supply to the world on a “semi-infinite basis,” according to a study published in Nature Publishing Group’s Scientific Reports.

Rare-earth metals are crucial in the making of high-tech products such as electric vehicles and batteries, and most of the world has relied on China for almost all of its needs.

Continue reading… “A massive, ‘semi-infinite’ trove of rare-earth metals has been found in Japan”

cutting edge, Energy, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Physicists just discovered an entirely new type of superconductivity

IMG_6391

“No one thought this was possible in solid materials.”

One of the ultimate goals of modern physics is to unlock the power of superconductivity, where electricity flows with zero resistance at room temperature.

Progress has been slow, but physicists have just made an unexpected breakthrough. They’ve discovered a superconductor that works in a way no one’s ever seen before – and it opens the door to a whole world of possibilities not considered until now.

Continue reading… “Physicists just discovered an entirely new type of superconductivity”

Engineering, Record Breaker, Tourism, Transportation

The dizzying story of Symphony of the Seas, the largest and most ambitious cruise ship ever built

IMG_6382

This is the inside story of how cruise ships went from pensioners’ pastime to floating cities engaged in an all-out entertainment arms race.

Symphony of the Seas has 2,759 cabins, or “state rooms”. At 362 metres, Symphony of the Seas is longer than The Shard (310m) is tall.

Continue reading… “The dizzying story of Symphony of the Seas, the largest and most ambitious cruise ship ever built”

Analysis, Big Problems, Cancer, Health & Fitness

28 of the most dangerous things science has strongly linked to cancer

IMG_6372

Cancer is the No. 2 cause of death in the US, second only to heart disease.

It fundamentally affects the way our cells grow and divide, changing them in perverse ways. All cancer is a result of damage or genetic mutations in our DNA. The nasty, debilitating class of diseases spreads through a body like an invading army, as toxic cells grow relentlessly into unruly tumors.

Continue reading… “28 of the most dangerous things science has strongly linked to cancer”

Business, Coding, Entertainment, Game Development

Indie game publishers are the new indie rock labels

IMG_6368

A new wave of boutique publishers is helping indies create better games.

In 2008, Vivendi, the parent company of Sierra Entertainment, merged with game publisher Activision. The result was a new, monolithic corporation called Activision Blizzard, that was now home to some of the biggest games in the world, like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. At the time, Sierra had a number of upcoming games on its slate, including an exciting heavy-metal adventure from Double Fine, the studio of game design legend Tim Schafer. The game was called Brutal Legend, and it starred Jack Black in the lead role. It was also one of many games to be canceled following the merger. What followed was a protracted process in which EA signed on to publish the game instead, only for Activision to sue Double Fine, followed by Double Fine filing a countersuit. During the toughest moments of game development, those last desperate months when the small details finally come together, Schafer and his team were distracted by legal matters.

Continue reading… “Indie game publishers are the new indie rock labels”

Aviation, Business, Space, Space Flight

Rocket Lab readies its first commercial launch

IMG_6361

Rocket Lab’s Electron booster stands on the launchpad during testing

Following a successful January test launch that saw its Electron booster reach orbit for the first time, Rocket Lab is now getting down to business. The US-based private space firm and its wholly owned New Zealand-based subsidiary have announced plans to go ahead with its first fully commercial mission, with the launch window to open later this month.

Continue reading… “Rocket Lab readies its first commercial launch”

brain-computer interfaces, Breakthrough Thinking, communication, Inventions, Wearables

Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently”

IMG_6356

MIT researchers have developed a computer interface that can transcribe words that the user verbalizes internally but does not actually speak aloud.

The system consists of a wearable device and an associated computing system. Electrodes in the device pick up neuromuscular signals in the jaw and face that are triggered by internal verbalizations — saying words “in your head” — but are undetectable to the human eye. The signals are fed to a machine-learning system that has been trained to correlate particular signals with particular words.

Continue reading… “Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently””

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Housing, Insurance, Space

This data startup uses artificial intelligence to figure out if your roof is in decent shape

IMG_6354

When you first buy a house, your insurance company doesn’t know very much about it or how much insuring it will cost. That’s because it first has to send out an inspector to look at the exterior of your house, take measurements, and check out your roof to see what kind of shape it’s in.

Cape Analytics, a Mountain View-based data analytics startup, aims to change all that. Its API-pipeline can feed an insurance company information about a house’s exterior square footage, roof type, roof condition, changes in a home and more – all thanks to the use of machine learning to analyze aerial imagery.

Continue reading… “This data startup uses artificial intelligence to figure out if your roof is in decent shape”

Business, Employment, Latest Trend

A new wave of innovation hubs sweeping the world

IMG_6333

Around the world, in places like Barcelona, Paris, Buenos Aires and New York, there’s an exciting new co-location concept spurring innovation: Multi-sector innovation hubs that span a range of business models, ownership structures, and physical layouts. The goal of all is to create a motivating work environment where businesses of all kinds can learn from each other, make connections, develop new skills, and get inspired to reach the next level. Many of the hubs occupy imaginatively repurposed iconic buildings, including museums, warehouses, train stations, navy yards and hospitals, giving new life to underutilized parts of cities that had lost their previous vibrancy. What follows are six of the best global innovation hubs.

Continue reading… “A new wave of innovation hubs sweeping the world”

Analysis, Big Problems, Future, Latest Trend

We’re on the Brink of a New Era of Innovation. Will You Survive It?

IMG_6318

It’s better to prepare than adapt because, by the time you see the need to adapt, it may already be too late

One of the most interesting things I discuss in my book Mapping Innovation is what I call the new era of innovation, which will create profoundly new technologies, classes of data and business models. It is likely to be the most important shift we’ve seen in at least 50 years and perhaps in a century.

Continue reading… “We’re on the Brink of a New Era of Innovation. Will You Survive It?”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.