Earlier this year there was an unprecedented collaboration between ING, Microsoft and TU Delft, with the willing participation of Dutch museums Mauritshuis and Rembrandthuis, to teach an artificial intelligence to paint a Rembrandt.
Continue reading… “AI to compose an original Rembrandt painting”
DARPA is on track to unveil a working prototype of its “Tern” drone system in 2018 that could eventually give the Navy and Marines persistent surveillance and strike targeting “virtually anywhere in the world.”
Continue reading… “DARPA is building a drone to provide surveillance anywhere in the world”
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”
The aspiring asteroid miners at Planetary Resources have struck pay dirt in Luxembourg, the tiny (but wealthy) European country positioning itself as an ally to commercial space. The country is directly investing €12 million, with another €13 million coming from public investment bank SNCI.
Continue reading… “Planetary Resources is mining Luxembourg for $28M in asteroid funds”
You’re having dinner in a virtual reality game. The banquet scene in front of you looks so real that your mouth is watering. Normally, you would be disappointed, but not this time. You approach the food, stick out your tongue – and taste the flavours on display. You move your jaw to chew – and feel the food’s texture between your teeth.
Continue reading… “Electrodes let you taste and chew in virtual reality”
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’”
Farming is, by far, the most mature industry mankind has created. Dating back to the dawn of civilization, farming has been refined, adjusted and adapted — but never perfected. We, as a society, always worry over the future of farming. Today, we even apply terms usually reserved for the tech sector — digital, IoT, AI and so on. So why are we worrying?
Continue reading… “Mixed reality and machine learning drive innovative farming”
I checked out a replay of a Reggie Watts show and definitely felt like the energy and movement of his character came across. Since the show had been recorded before the capture feature was announced, however, AltspaceVR had erased all the avatars in the crowd, as those people had not consented to be filmed. I was alone in a room with a prerecorded avatar of Reggie Watts, and sea of emoji rising toward the ceiling, reactions from the ghost of an audience I could no longer see.
Continue reading… “Hanging out with my past self in virtual reality”
From savings to banking to investing… finance is moving online. With this, we’re seeing the disruption of venture capital brought about by new laws that may change the game for how entrepreneurs can raise funding and who can invest.
Continue reading… “The state of equity crowdfunding post-JOBS Act”
Technology is advancing fast. Probably at a rate faster than ever before, and that trend is only set to continue. Sooner than once imagined, we will all be integrated into a world of AI and science fiction and some technologies that we thought would never be possible will soon be emerging. Below is a list of the top 10 most likely technologies to emerge within the next 80 or so years. Some are closer than others to being a reality, but all are certainly possible.
Continue reading… “10 Insanely advanced technologies we can expect within this century”
A team of researchers at Oxford University have coaxed an artificial intelligence program into an impressive leap forward and towards our own obsolescence. The program, known as LipNet, is showing particularly promising ability to read lips in video clips, thanks to machine learning and a novel way of approaching the data.
Continue reading… “AI taught itself to read lips better than humans”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.