SEATTLE, July 22 — Seattle-based company Vulcan Aerospace announced that its Stratolaunch Systems, an air-launch platform for rockets, is close to completion.
According to the company’s website, the Stratolaunch has a wingspan of 385 feet and measures 238 feet in length. This six-engine aircraft is currently the world’s largest aircraft.
Continue reading… “Stratolaunch – The World’s largest aircraft is almost ready”
Show a human any photograph and they’ll able to predict what happens next with pretty decent accuracy. The woman riding her bike will keep on moving. The dog will catch the frisbee. The man is going to have a pratfall. And so on. It’s such a basic skill that we don’t consider the vast amount of information that is used to make these predictions — concerning gravity, inertia, the nature of pratfalls, etc. — and teaching computers to do the same is proving to be a key challenge in machine vision.
Continue reading… “The next trick for machine learning is generating videos from photos”
The tech industry is rapidly changing, but one thing has stayed the same: there’s a lot of demand for workers. Many people rule out the idea, though, feeling like they need a relevant degree to break into tech. However, that’s not even remotely true.
Here are six reasons why you don’t need a computer science or technology-based degree to get ahead in tech.
Continue reading… “Six reasons you don’t need a college degree to excel in tech”
Controlling the minds of others from a distance has long been a favourite science fiction theme – but recent advances in genetics and neuroscience suggest that we might soon have that power for real.
Just over a decade ago, the bioengineer Karl Deisseroth and his colleagues at Stanford University published their paper on the optical control of the brain – now known as optogenetics – in which the firing pattern of neurons is controlled by light.
Continue reading… “Remote control of the brain is coming. How will it be used?”
When it comes to making the concept of delivery drones a reality, using vans to handle the brunt of the work is an idea that has some merit. We saw some researchers float the idea a couple of years ago and it now appears Mercedes-Benz also sees some potential in the approach. It has teamed up with drone company Matternet to create a concept vehicle dubbed the Vision Van which would deploy drones from its rooftop to carry packages over the final leg of their journey.
Continue reading… “Mercedes-Benz Vision Van concept sends drones to last-mile delivery”
As the sun set over the Olympic Mountains on a warm and muggy Sunday, I trekked from the manicured suburbia of Sammamish, Wash., to Seattle’s historic Fort Lawton district, where an eclectic home, known as the Bird House, sits among low-hanging branches at the end of a quiet street.
The Bird House belongs to musician Perry Emge, and on this day, he and his home were playing host to the SIXR Festival’s Summer 2016 Cinematic VR Challenge.
Continue reading… “Cinematic VR Challenge shows how Virtual Reality will transform film”
A startup called Innomdle Lab is developing a watch strap named Sgnl that will let you take calls by holding your finger to your ear.
The project is currently on Kickstarter, and has already amassed $211,000, blasting through its $50,000 goal in a matter of days.
Innomdle Lab is planning on shipping early-bird units sold on Kickstarter starting February 2017. The $99 early-bird option is already sold out, but there are still some early-bird packages still left starting at $109.
Continue reading… “You can now take phone calls with your finger like a secret agent”
It’s long been a mystery as to why Latinos in the U.S., who suffer from worse health, actually live longer than other groups. Researchers dub it the “Hispanic paradox,” and a new study gets down to the molecular level to try and apply the findings on the rest of humanity. Continue reading… “New study: Why Latinos in U.S. live longer – they age more slowly”
The Modal is a logistics drone designed to move empty shipping containers by lifting them in the air and carrying them over short distances. It could be used to move containers in ports or position container homes on places that are hard for a truck to reach.
Continue reading… “A drone designed to move shipping containers including homes”
After generations of peering into a microscope to examine cells, scientists could simply stroll straight through one.
Calling his project the “stuff of science fiction,” director of the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) John McGhee is letting people come face-to-face with a breast cancer cell.
Continue reading… “Scientists explore cells in virtual reality”
Back in 1967, when Mike Nichols made the film The Graduate, plastics were the way of the future. Today, although much of our food is in fact wrapped in plastic films, we now know better. Plastics are most decidedly not the way of the future for several reasons: They create a massive amount of waste, they’re not actually that great at preventing spoilage, and they may very well be lousy for your health.
Continue reading… “Researchers Develop Edible Food Packaging Made of Milk”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.