AI – Page 43 – Impact Lab

How AI is being used to improve 3D printing

September 3, 2022

Scientists and engineers often manually use trial-and-error to find the optimum parameters to consistently 3D print new materials effectively.
But researchers have now streamlined the process by training a machine-learning model to monitor and adjust the 3D printing process to correct errors in real-time.
The system could help engineers easily incorporate novel materials into their prints and allow technicians to adjust the printing process if material or environmental conditions change unexpectedly.

Scientists and engineers are constantly developing new materials with unique properties that can be used for 3D printing, but figuring out howto print with these materials can be a complex, costly conundrum.

Often, an expert operator must use manual trial-and-error — possibly making thousands of prints — to determine ideal parameters that consistently print a new material effectively. These parameters include printing speed and how much material the printer deposits.

MIT researchers have now used artificial intelligence to streamline this procedure. They developed a machine-learning system that uses computer vision to watch the manufacturing process and then correct errors in how it handles the material in real-time.

AI

Hearing aids are getting smarter. Think AI, health tracking

August 28, 2022

Traditional hearing aid makers and the likes of Bose and Harman are pouring resources into augmented hearing and “hearable” devices that do more than improve sound.

By Shara TibkenRoger Cheng

People with hearing problems have more options than ever before. Getty Images

This is part of CNET’s “Tech Enabled” series about the role technology plays in helping the disability community.

When Shannon Conn puts her hearing aids in her ears in the morning, a few things happen.

The lights in her bathroom turn on.

The coffee maker starts brewing.

When someone rings the doorbell, the chime streams straight into her ear.

Conn, a 43-year-old special education advocate from College Grove, Tennessee, wears the Oticon Opn, which features the ability to link up with other connected devices. She’s put that capability to good use, connecting her Opn to her smart home and setting up commands that allow her hearing aids to trigger her house’s morning routine.

“I can’t live without them,” Conn says. “I haven’t said that in a really long time about anything.”

AI

Augmented reality could be the future of paper books, according to new research

August 25, 2022

Augmented reality might allow printed books to make a comeback against the e-book trend, according to researchers from the University of Surrey.

Surrey has introduced the third generation (3G) version of its Next Generation Paper (NGP) project, allowing the reader to consume information on the printed paper and screen side by side.

Dr. Radu Sporea, senior lecturer at the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), comments:

“The way we consume literature has changed over time with so many more options than just paper books. Multiple electronic solutions currently exist, including e-readers and smart devices, but no hybrid solution which is sustainable on a commercial scale.

“Augmented books, or a-books, can be the future of many book genres, from travel and tourism to education. This technology exists to assist the reader in a deeper understanding of the written topic and get more through digital means without ruining the experience of reading a paper book.”

AI

Tempur backs $20M investment for an AI-powered robot bed disrupting the future of sleep

August 17, 2022

BY AKANSHA DIMRI

The promise of evolutionary learning has long excited AI researchers, but few applications are as meaningful as solving the complex problem of sleep. Now here comes a startup from Silicon Valley dubbed as Bryte, which claims to be creating the world’s most advanced AI-connected and robotics-powered bed. The US-based tech company has now secured a $20 million strategic investment round.

The funding was led by Tempur Sealy International, the company synonymous with the mattress industry. The two companies intend to collaborate on future products, services, and technology with the latest investment. Further, ARCHina Capital and other existing Bryte investors also participated in the funding round.

“Our mission is to empower lives through restorative sleep, which starts by reaching as many people as possible, with the most technically advanced products and first-rate services at a complete range of price points. There is simply no company in the world with a more complete and desirable portfolio of brands than Tempur Sealy, and we couldn’t be more excited about their investment,” said Luke Kelly, CEO, Bryte.

“It has long been clear to us that meaningful innovation improves sleep outcomes for millions of people. With Bryte, we have invested in a company that is committed to innovation with an elegant, seamless integrated product that we believe fits our long-term brand strategy. We are excited to form a relationship with their talented team,” said Scott Thompson, Tempur Sealy Chairman and CEO.

AI, Science & Technology News

Google’s DeepMind AI Predicts 3D Structure of Nearly Every Protein Known to Science

August 16, 2022

This ribbon diagram shows the 3D protein structure of an antibody. Complex? It’s pretty simple for an AI.

By Monisha Ravisetti

At last, the decades-old protein folding problem may finally be put to rest.

It wasn’t until 1957 when scientists earned special access to the molecular third dimension.

After 22 years of grueling experimentation, John Kendrew of Cambridge University finally uncovered the 3D structure of a protein. It was a twisted blueprint of myoglobin, the stringy chain of 154 amino acids that helps infuse our muscles with oxygen. As revolutionary as this discovery was, Kendrew didn’t quite open up the protein architecture floodgates. During the next decade, fewer than a dozen more would be identified.

Fast-forward to today, 65 years since that Nobel Prize-winning breakthrough.

On Thursday, Google’s sister company, DeepMind, announced it has successfully used artificial intelligence to predict the 3D structures of nearly every catalogued protein known to science. That’s over 200 million proteins found in plants, bacteria, animals, humans — almost anything you can imagine.

“Essentially, you can think of it as covering the entire protein universe,” Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO of DeepMind, told reporters this week.

It’s thanks to AlphaFold, DeepMind’s groundbreaking AI system, which has an open-source database so scientists worldwide can involve it in their research at will, and for free. Since AlphaFold’s official launch in July of last year — when it had only pinpointed some 350,000 3D proteins — the program has made a noticeable dent in the landscape of research.

AI

Automatic recognition of jellyfish with artificial intelligence

August 15, 2022

Aequorea victoria.

The jellyfish sighting app, MedusApp, recently incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically recognize different species of jellyfish. Until now, this app only required users to select the species of jellyfish from a catalog provided; now the user can upload photos and have the species automatically identified before uploading them to the app for publication.

MedusApp, which is freely available in Spanish and English for both Android and iPhone, has been developed by researchers from the University of Alicante (UA) and two computer scientists from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), in collaboration with the CIBER of Diseases (CIBERES) and the Immunoallergy Laboratory of the Fundación Jiménez Díaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD). Since its launch in 2018, the platform has amassed more than 100,000 downloads and 6,000 jellyfish sightings. “Thanks to the collaboration of citizens and their sightings, we have been able to train the AI software with several thousand real photos to generate a mathematical model with a total of 25 species, that will ultimately help the app automatically recognize the most common jellyfish,” a novelty update that the programmers from the UPV Eduardo Blasco and Ramón Palacios have highlighted.

AI

Ambitious Spanish start-up Trucksters uses AI to halve transit times

August 14, 2022

By Stuart Todd

Spanish start-up Trucksters has launched an express road freight service to the UK, using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce transit time.

The operation will start with two routes, one covering the centre and north of Spain, and the other part of the Mediterranean area, carrying mostly foodstuffs.

Trips are completed in 28 to 34 hours, a reduction of almost 50% on standard transit times, with the time-saving made possible by the use of a relay system of drivers, based on AI, which allows the service to operate non-stop, Truckster co-founder and head of growth Gabor Balogh told The Loadstar.

Madrid-based Trucksters already operates a relay service between Spain and the Benelux, Germany and Poland.

Continue reading…Ambitious Spanish start-up Trucksters uses AI to halve transit times“

AI

Drover AI is using computer vision to keep scooter riders off sidewalks

August 14, 2022

By Rebecca Bellan

Shared micromobility companies have been adopting startlingly advanced new tech to correct for the thing that cities hate most — sidewalk riding. Some companies, like Bird, Neuron and Superpedestrian, have relied on hyperaccurate GPS systems to determine if a rider is riding inappropriately. Others, like Lime, have started integrating camera-based computer vision systems that rely on AI and machine learning to accurately detect where a rider is.

The latter camp has largely leaned on the innovations of Drover AI, a Los Angeles–based startup that has tested and sold its attachable IoT module to the likes of Spin, Voi, Helbiz, Beam and Fenix to help operators improve scooter safety and, most importantly, win city permits.

Drover, which was founded in May 2020, closed out a $5.4 million Series A Wednesday. The startup will use the funds to continue building on the next generation of PathPilot, Drover’s IoT module that contains a camera and a compute system that analyzes visual data and issues commands directly to the scooter. Depending on the city’s needs, the scooters will either make noises to alert a rider that they’re driving on the sidewalk or slow them down. The new version, called PathPilot Lite, will do much of the same, except it will be more integrated, better and cheaper, says Drover’s co-founder and chief business officer Alex Nesic.

Drover has modules on over 5,000 vehicles with orders for over 15,000 more that the company needs to deliver by the end of the year, according to Nesic.

AI

FUSEPROJECT’S BIONIC LEG WEARABLE IMPROVES LIVES OF THOSE LIVING WITH MOBILITY DIFFICULTIES USING AI

August 4, 2022

Technology has changed the lives of a lot of people, not just in terms of having access to information or having readily available communication tools. There are a lot of companies out there that are using all these advances to create devices and tools that can help people living with disabilities have a more independent life. Those with mobility difficulties from such conditions like multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, etc can now use this new piece of bionic clothing that is not just functional but also easy to use and a bit fashionable.

AI

Microsoft launches Project AirSim to train AI drone systems

August 1, 2022

Project AirSim is a flight simulator for drones which can be used by companies to develop and train software controlling them.

BySahil Pawar

Microsoft has launched a platform named Project AirSim to train the artificial intelligence systems of autonomous aircraft. Project AirSim is a flight simulator for drones that companies can use to develop and train software controlling them.

The platform makes test flights possible in places that are usually considered risky, such as near power lines. Also, millions of flights can be simulated with this platform in the future, and companies can virtually see how the vehicle flies in the rain or how strong winds might affect its battery life.

In a statement announcing the launch, Microsoft said that the platform would show the power of the industrial metaverse, a virtual world where businesses will build, test, and hone solutions and bring them into the real world. The firm envisages using the technology to train the AI systems which fly autonomous air vehicles, from air taxis to delivery drones.

AI

Smart Beehives Will Monitor their Colonies with AI

July 29, 2022

A single colony of bees can pollinate up to 300 million flowers daily. And that includes human-managed honeybees. That means that, unlike some livestock or agricultural practices, this is a human activity that is beneficial to the environment and key to the food system’s sustainability. Now, robotics, artificial intelligence, and big data will bolster the collaboration between humans and bees. That is the proposal of an Israeli startup.

AI

AI-POWERED MOBILITY VEHICLE IS THE ANSWER TO RESPONSIBLE BEEKEEPING IN URBAN FARMS

July 24, 2022

Bees are vital for the planet, given they are excellent pollinators, and perhaps the most crucial link in maintaining biodiversity. They help in ensuring food security, and also diversify the kinds of plants and animals that are nurtured on the face of the earth. Perhaps that’s the reason beekeeping and pollination need to be promoted more than other things to maintain the balance.

After the horrors of the Delta Air Lines Shipping neglect that killed five million honeybees enroute to nurseries in Alaska for pollination of apple orchards, it’s crucial to have ultra-mobile beekeeping methods to safeguard these wild insects. The 2035 Moving Beehive Mobility is something the beekeeping industry needs for good. As the name suggests, this is a high-tech beekeeping nest for responsible culturing. But we all need it before the year 2035 given all the chaos on the planet!