2018 – Page 62 – Impact Lab

Big Problems, Crime, Human Behavior, Law Enforcement

Japan’s prisons area haven for elderly women

April 8, 2018

Lonely seniors are shoplifting in search of the community and stability of jail.

Every aging society faces distinct challenges. But Japan, with the world’s oldest population (27.3 percent of its citizens are 65 or older, almost twice the share in the U.S.), has been dealing with one it didn’t foresee: senior crime. Complaints and arrests involving elderly people, and women in particular, are taking place at rates above those of any other demographic group. Almost 1 in 5 women in Japanese prisons is a senior. Their crimes are usually minor—9 in 10 senior women who’ve been convicted were found guilty of shoplifting.

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Electric Automobile, Ford Motor Company, Latest Trend, Tesla

Top 7 plug-in cars listed by price per mile of electric range

April 8, 2018

Range is all the rage when it comes to electric cars, but often range comes at a cost.

So, which plug-in cars offer the most miles of electric range for your hard-earned buck? For starters, no plug-in hybrid even came close to making the cut. The Chevy Volt was the front-runner among PHEVs at $626 per electric mile of range, but as you’ll see below, that’s not even in the same ballpark as the Top 7 listed.

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Big Problems, Human Behavior, Intelligence, Life Skills

A third of Millennials aren’t sure the earth is round, survey finds

April 8, 2018

CBS Local — A new survey has found that a third of young millennials in the U.S. aren’t convinced the Earth is actually round. The national poll reveals that 18 to 24-year-olds are the largest group in the country who refuse to accept the scientific facts of the world’s shape.

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Automation, government, Law Enforcement, Robotics

The robocops are here

April 7, 2018

As robotic police head out on the street of Dubai, we look at the technology that’s set to revolutionise law and order.

Visitors to Dubai’s busy shopping arcades may be surprised to find themselves under the protection of a humanoid police robot. Though it has no mouth, the expressionless bot communicates in Arabic and English, and helps tourists navigate the city, as well as connecting them directly with police services via a touchscreen.

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Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Electric Automobile

Who’s really going to own autonomous cars?

April 7, 2018

Two mega trends are coming together: The Collaborative Economy and the Autonomous World, which means shared mobility from self-driving cars.

Early this year, we published a research report on the Business Models of Self-Driving Cars, and we’ve presented our findings at a number of industry events. A commonly asked question is: “In the future, will we even own cars?” I want to share a few scenarios that are likely to emerge.

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Aviation, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Latest Trend

Electric aircraft could soon become an industry standard

April 6, 2018

The aviation industry is on the verge of a major shift in propulsion, experts say.

This story was originally published by Flying Magazine.

As part of Siemens Innovation Day held recently in Chicago—created, in part, to highlight the company’s progress to date in the world of electric and hybrid electric aircraft—the German industrial giant offered a first U.S. look at its electric GA aircraft, a Magnus LSA fitted with a 55-kW Siemens electric motor.

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Children, Entertainment, Human Behavior, Internet, Latest Trend

Generation Z is already bored by the internet

April 6, 2018

Teenagers today have unprecedented access to technology, and yet many report that they’ve never been so bored.

There is a notion among older people that teens, with their smartphones and unlimited internet access, never experience boredom. CNN and other media outlets have repeatedly declared that smartphones have killed boredom as we know it. “Today, we don’t have time to daydream. Waiting in the doctor’s office or standing in line, we can check our email, play Angry Birds, or Twitter,” a media consultant once declared in HuffPost.

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Ecological Products, Engineering, Health & Fitness

Non-electric waterpik

April 6, 2018

The Pocket Flosser is the perfect addition to the toothbrush, giving you the best electric oral care experience without electricity or batteries. Using ingenuity, and principles of physics, the Pocket Flosser is a waterpik that can clean your teeth effectively using water or even your mouthwash. Relying on an internal pump that lets you build high pressure, the Pocket Floss can shoot out a jet-stream of water, cleaning the areas between your teeth just like a floss would, but without the pain and the bleeding that can sometimes accompany flossing.

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3D Printer, Architecture, Engineering, Latest Trend

The world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge looks like it came from another planet

April 5, 2018

Dutch technology company MX3D just officially unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge. It took four robots, nearly 10,000 pounds of stainless steel, about 684 miles of wire, and six months of printing to build the sinuous, undulating structure, which looks like it’s straight out of a science-fiction movie.

The MX3D Bridge, designed by Joris Laarman Lab, is around 41 feet by 20 feet, and it’s made from a new kind of steel. 3D-printing created a ribbed surface as robots added layers upon layers; Gizmodo said it could be buffed out, but MX3D plans to keep the unique, rough look.

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Ecological Products, Engineering

Breathtaking bamboo building withstands earthquakes and boasts a zero-carbon footprint

April 5, 2018

Thailand’s eco-friendly Panyaden International School has added a stunning new sports hall to its campus that’s built entirely of bamboo and stays naturally cool year-round in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Designed by Chiangmai Life Construction, the Bamboo Sports Hall features a modern organic design that draws inspiration from the lotus flower. The large multipurpose facility was built to withstand local natural forces including high-speed winds and earthquakes, and it boasts a zero-carbon footprint.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Future, Human Behavior

How We’ll Survive When Artificial Intelligence Gets Smarter Than Us

April 4, 2018

Physicist Max Tegmark has borne witness to the rise of artificial intelligence and insists that we start thinking about what it means for humanity—before machines decide for us.

The artificial intelligence revolution is here, and MIT physics professor Max Tegmark believes the implications are vaster than most of us imagine. Tegmark, cofounder and president of the Future of Life Institute, believes that as technology gives us the power to flourish or self-destruct, “We prefer the former.” In Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, he lays out both utopian and dystopian visions of a world dominated by AI. His prescription for the day we cease being Earth’s most intelligent minds? Humility.

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