Could you create light from a bag of rocks and a downward force? The answer may surprise you. Creating a future that’s bright and safe for all is at the heart of GravityLight – the lamp that’s lighting areas of the world with limited access to electricity using the power of (you guessed it) gravity.
Continue reading… “Gravity lights the world with this brand new technology”
Even as self-driving cars become more and more ubiquitous, there’s one problem that Silicon Valley hasn’t solved: the traffic jam. But Airbus Group, a U.S. aeronautics and space company, thinks that it has a solution. The company’s Silicon Valley branch recently announced it’s been working on a secret project titled “Vahana,” an autonomous flying vehicle that can be used for both passenger and cargo transport.
Continue reading… “Airbus: flying taxis a reality by 2020”
The artificial intelligence that beat human players in Go can now learn from its own memory. Google’s DeepMind AI, according to its programmers, is now capable of intelligently building on what’s already inside its memory.
Continue reading… “The Dawn of Synthetic Reason: DeepMind Can Learn From Its Own Memory”
In the early morning hours of October 20th, an 18-wheeler tractor trailer pulled into Colorado Springs, Colorado, bearing 50,000 frosty cans of Budweiser beer. Normally, this would not be a noteworthy occurrence, but this truck was driving itself, marking the first time that commercial cargo was shipped by a self-driving vehicle.
Continue reading… “Uber’s self-driving truck company just shipped 50,000 cans of Budweiser”
Leanna Garfield/Business Insider
If you’re an amateur cook, roasting a rack of lamb or baking fresh bread in an oven can feel daunting.
NO, REALLY. AMPUTEES HAVE BEEN TESTING THEM FOR OVER A YEAR
For a full decade, Gudmundur Olafsson was unable to move his right ankle. That’s because it wasn’t there. Olafsson’s amputated lower leg was the delayed casualty of an accident from his childhood in Iceland, when he was hit by an oil truck. “I lived in pain for 28 years,” says Olafsson. “After 50-plus operations, I had it off.” For years after the operation he wore a Proprio Foot, a prosthetic with a motorized, battery-powered ankle, sold by the Reykjavik-based company Ossur.
Continue reading… “Brain-Controlled Bionic Legs Are Here At Last”
A whole new way to treat paralysis.
Scientists have figured out how to make nerve fibres repair themselves in mice, having identified a gene that inhibits fibre regrowth when nerve connections become damaged.
This gene, called Cacna2d2, acts as ‘molecular brake’, but now that we know how to turn the brake off, it could help us to develop treatments for conditions like paralysis and other spinal cord injuries.
Continue reading… “Scientists discover how to help nerve fibres repair themselves”
A 28-year-old man left paralyzed after a car accident has been able to feel as though he was touching something with his fingers after a robotic arm was connected directly to his brain in a world-first breakthrough.
Nathan Copeland, who was injured after crashing his car on a rainy night in Pennsylvania when he was just 18, spoke of experiencing a “really weird sensation” as he touches things.
Continue reading… “Paralyzed man feels through robotic fingers”
Graphene just keeps getting better and better. The so-called super material – a one-atom-thick layer of carbon that has proven to be incredibly strong, flexible, light and conductive – has now been fed to larval silkworms which then created “mechanically enhanced silk”.
Continue reading… “The future of wearables: Silkworms fed graphene produce ‘super silk’”
Next year, we may see the launch of the first true quantum computers.
The implications will be staggering.
This post aims to answer three questions:
There’s a lot to unpack here, so hang tight, and let’s jump in!
Continue reading… “Quantum Computing is coming and bringing massive disruption with it”
Google has reached a milestone in its DeepMind artificial intelligence (A.I.) project with the successful development of technology that can mimic the sound of human voice.
Dubbed as WaveNet, the breakthrough was described as a deep neural network that can generate raw audio wave forms to generate speech. It can reportedly beat existing Text-to-Speech systems.
Continue reading… “Google DeepMind AI Learns How To Talk Like Humans”
When it comes to stitching together complex garments, dexterous human hands are still far superior to rigid robot arms.
Much of the garment production process is already automated, from picking cotton to spinning yarn to cutting clothes. Some specialist machines can even sew buttons or pockets. However, no commercial robot had been able to piece together all the different materials to create an entire item of clothing, like a pair of jeans or a t-shirt.
Continue reading… “Clothing made entirely by robots is getting closer”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.