In an enormous grocery store in northern France, the lights above the aisles aren’t all they seem to be. They look ordinary—more than a mile and a half of fixtures exuding bright light, folded into a grid overhead—but they’re actually flickering faster than the human eye can see. The unique patterns each individual section of lighting emits are a 21st-century twist on Morse code, meant not for people, but for the cameras on their phones.
A team of researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has invented a new soap molecule made from renewable sources that could dramatically reduce the number of chemicals in cleaning products and their impact on the environment. The soap molecules also worked better than some conventional soaps in challenging conditions such as cold water and hard water.
Continue reading… “Researchers invent the ‘perfect’ soap molecule”
Dietmar Exler, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz USA, believes that driverless cars are likely to be ‘bullied’ by human drivers when the two are sharing road space.
Continue reading… “Mercedes chief warns that humans ‘will bully robot cars’”
The Russian Fund for Perspective Research has performed tests on 3D printed bullets. According to the organization, the additive manufactured ammunition performed in a similar manner to traditionally made bullets.
Continue reading… “Russian researchers successfully test 3D printed bullets”
Coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, it was originally intended to define an independent machine agent that can take actions to maximize success toward a particular goal, with human-like functions such as learning and problem solving. AI can be broadly categorized as ANI (artificial narrow intelligence), AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial superintelligence). Almost all of the AI systems we see today align under ANI — e.g., IBM Watson, Deep Blue, a calculator, even the device you’re reading this from all fall into that category. All are built to perform specific functions, but are not quite at a human level.
Continue reading… “Job security won’t exist in the age of ‘superintelligence’”
A killer robot which can detect a human from over four miles away – and shoot them dead – could be being implemented at the Russian border.
Continue reading… “Killer Russian robot can detect humans and shoot them dead in an instant”
New research published in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior shows how machine learning can help identify suicidal behavior using a person’s spoken or written words. The technology was able to pinpoint which participants in the study were suicidal, mentally ill but not suicidal, or neither in the vast majority of cases.
Continue reading… “Study: 93% of suicidal patients detected with machine learning algorithms”
If you have an internet-connected home appliance, such as a crock-pot, a lightbulb, or a coffee maker, you can control it from the comfort of your smartphone. However, a bug in the Android app that controls some of those devices made by a popular manufacturer also allowed hackers to steal all your cellphone photos and even track your movements.
Continue reading… “Hackers could steal cellphone pictures from your IoT crock-pot”
Over the past year or two, someone has been probing the defenses of the companies that run critical pieces of the Internet. These probes take the form of precisely calibrated attacks designed to determine exactly how well these companies can defend themselves, and what would be required to take them down. We don’t know who is doing this, but it feels like a large nation state. China or Russia would be my first guesses.
Continue reading… “Somebody Is Learning How to Take Down the Internet”
Using state driver’s license data, US law enforcement agencies have created a huge network of ID photographs that can be searched using facial-recognition software, raising legal and privacy concerns about its use.
Photographs of more than 117 million adult US citizens are now part of the “perpetual line-up,” according to a report by that name published Tuesday by the Center on Privacy and Technology at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Continue reading… “Police face-tracking network covers nearly 50% of US adults”
It goes without saying that preservation of life is the reason to invest in road and car safety technology, but the financial implications which fatal and non-fatal accidents have on the economy are another factor which cannot be ignored.
According to Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Annual Report 2014 the total cost of prevention of reported road accidents in 2014 was estimated to be £16.3 billion – this includes an estimate of the cost of damage only accidents but does not allow for unreported injury accidents.
Continue reading… “Driverless cars could save the UK around £14.3 billion annually”
As drone expert, P.W. Singer said about microdrones, At this point, it doesnt really matter if you are against the technology, because its coming. According to Singer, The miniaturization of drones is where it really gets interesting. You can use these things anywhere, put them anyplace, and the target will never even know theyre being watched.
This has been the promise that the Air Force made quite clear in their video early last year about nanodrone tech that you can see below. According to the USAF, Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs), combined with the ability to harvest energy, will enable insect-sized drone swarms to be dropped from military aircraft to stay aloft for a prolonged amount of time, offering a host of functions, including assassination.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.