MORIYA, Japan (AP) — Thousands upon thousands of cans are filled with beer, capped and washed, wrapped into six-packs, and boxed at dizzying speeds — 1,500 a minute, to be exact — on humming conveyor belts that zip and wind in a sprawling factory near Tokyo.
Continue reading… “Reverence for robots: Japanese workers treasure automation”
When was the last time you ate something you grew? For many of us, the answer might well be “never.” Farming, increasingly, is something that happens in distant states or even distant lands, with the results flown or trucked in for us to pick over. But how we eat is straining the environment, and as our demand to live in cities pushes their boundaries ever outward, cropland disappears, raising the distinct possibility of a food crisis.
Continue reading… “MIT’s food computer is changing the future of the way we eat”
Many people are scared of the future. With every science fiction movie that portrays technology as evil, and let’s be honest, that’s the theme of almost every science fiction movie that’s ever existed, it’s easy to develop some paranoia about the dangers ahead.
However, much of today’s technology is giving us super-human abilities. The same technology that gets blamed for eliminating our jobs, is also giving us capabilities beyond our wildest dreams. We have instant access to friends and family, instant access to answers for almost any question we ask, and instant entertainment if ever we get bored.
Here are some future jobs predicted by four futurists – Graeme Codrington, Joe Tankersly, Thomas Frey, and Jim Carroll.
Continue reading… “Four futurists weigh in on the jobs of the future”
Even those of us fortunate enough to have good health insurance will often put off seeing a doctor when we probably should. Often it’s simply a matter of logistics. We feel like we can’t take the time off work, or arrange transportation, or get childcare to make the trip.
But what if the doctor just comes you? In a self-driving car.
Continue reading… “Self-driving doctor brings the doctor to you”
Some worry artificial intelligence will steal human jobs — but one startup is betting that its AI will actually help you get a job.
San Francisco-based Mya Systems has developed an AI recruiter that can evaluate resumes, schedule and conduct applicant screenings, and even congratulate you on your first day of work.
Continue reading… “Your next job interview could be with a recruiter bot”
Don’t expect to see a human behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler after 2027. Or a set of human hands performing a delicate surgery after 2053.
According to a new study from Oxford and Yale University researchers, those are the years artificial intelligence is slated to take over each of those tasks. And so it will go for millions of other jobs over the next 50 years, researchers find.
Continue reading… “Man vs. machine – predicting the year when machines win”
It’s no secret that chatbots are growing in popularity. From Facebook’s ecommerce bots for consumers to a plethora of customer service tools that now rely on chatbots to interface with customers, it’s clear that consumer chatbots have hit mainstream. Even Apple is expanding its commitment to chat technology with the release of Business Chat at a recent WWDC, allowing consumers to interact with businesses through iMessage.
Continue reading… “Chatbots are losing steam, think instead about workbots”
Clothing manufacturing has always been a labor intensive industry with the advantage going to the country with the lowest cost labor. Automated sewing factories with SoftWear machines could change all that.
Continue reading… “SoftWear Automation introduces Sewbots”
It’s rather ironic that a boring company is becoming one of the most fascinating new companies in the world.
Elon Musk’s Boring company published new images of concept vehicles that could one day be used in its underground tunnels.
The vessel “YARA Birkeland” will be the world’s first fully electric and autonomous container ship, with zero emissions. Operation is planned to start in the latter half of 2018, shipping products from YARA’s Porsgrunn production plant to Brevik and Larvik in Norway.
Autonomous and 100% electric, “YARA Birkeland” will be the world’s most advanced container feeder ship.
Continue reading… “The world’s first autonomous zero-emissions ship”
Much of the talk surrounding robotics in the workplace centers on the job losses caused by automation. However, there are also great benefits of robots to humans who perform dangerous or labor intensive tasks that could possibly be mitigated with the help of technology.
Continue reading… “Enhanced robo-humans have arrived”
No more petrol or diesel cars, buses, or trucks will be sold anywhere in the world within eight years. The entire market for land transport will switch to electrification, leading to a collapse of oil prices and the demise of the petroleum industry as we have known it for a century.
This is the futuristic forecast by Stanford University economist Tony Seba. His report, with the deceptively bland title Rethinking Transportation 2020-2030, has gone viral in green circles and is causing spasms of anxiety in the established industries.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.