PowerUp 3.0
Scientists have spent so much time making amazing airplanes, such as this solar-powered one that flew cross-country using the power of the sun. But, for all that great work, there’s been surprisingly little work in the creation of better paper airplanes. Luckily, PowerUp 3.0 fixes this oversight.
Continue reading… “PowerUp 3.0 – A paper airplane controlled by your smartphone”
U.S. comes in 31st place on internet speed.
How fast we can access the internet is very important. There is evidence that internet bandwidth is a key driver of economic growth and online participation, and there is plenty of other research to point to its role in social value creation.
Continue reading… “Global comparison of household internet speeds”
SpiderFab 3-D robotic printer
Since the 1970’s, space-based solar power has been a futuristic fantasy but the advent of 21st century 3-D printing may bring it a step closer to reality. (Video)
Continue reading… “Will 3D printing bring space-based solar power to reality?”
Google’s self-driving car.
Human beings make terrible drivers. They talk on the phone and run red lights, signal to the left and turn to the right. They drink too much beer and plow into trees or veer into traffic as they swat at their kids. They have blind spots, leg cramps, seizures, and heart attacks. They rubberneck, hotdog, and take pity on turtles, cause fender benders, pileups, and head-on collisions. They nod off at the wheel, wrestle with maps, fiddle with knobs, have marital spats, take the curve too late, take the curve too hard, spill coffee in their laps, and flip over their cars. Of the ten million accidents that Americans are in every year, nine and a half million are their own damn fault.
Continue reading… “Burkhard Bilger on Google’s self-driving car”
Volocopter VC200
Greener transportation options have become a priority in the modern world. Greener and more efficient vehicles of all types are eventually becoming the standard. Even helicopters are becoming greener. One German company, E-volo, designed several electric helicopters, and one of its models, the Volocopter VC200, recently passed its first flight tests. (Video)
Continue reading… “Volocopter VC200 – 18-rotor electric helicopter takes flight”
This has been the worst year ever for the TV business. According to Citi Research, audience ratings have collapsed: Aside from a brief respite during the Olympics, there has been only negative ratings growth on broadcast and cable TV since September 2011.
Continue reading… “Here are the stats to prove that TV is dying”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDxz8bpqOMU[/youtube]
littleBits is a company that mixes hardware and software in a delightful way that is part of the human computer interaction theme. It’s roots can be traced to the MIT Media Lab. They have done a promotional video for their product (the Synth Kit) with Reggie Watts.
Continue reading… “Everyone will have some litteBits in the future”
Innovations introduced more recently are being adopted more quickly.
The rates of new product introduction and adoption are speeding up and it seems to be across the board. For instance, an automobile industry trade consultant observes that “Today, a typical automotive design cycle is approximately 24 to 36 months, which is much faster than the 60-month life cycle from five years ago.”
Continue reading… “Adoption of technology is speeding up”
23andMe has been advertising that its tests offer diagnostic information for a variety of human conditions.
23andMe, the pioneering genetic screening service, has been told by the FDA that it “must immediately discontinue” marketing of its Personal Genome Service (PGS) until it receives FDA authorization.
Continue reading… “FDA orders 23andMe to stop selling genetic tests”
At Carnegie Mellon University computers are running a program that analyze images to learn common sense.
A computer program analyzes images 24 hours a day to try to learn common sense. The aim is to see if computers can learn, in the same way a human would, what links images, to help them better understand the visual world.
Continue reading… “Computer analyzes images to teach itself common sense”
The expansion means hundreds of thousands more cars must come onto the Uber system.
To overcome its growing pains, Uber has come up with a brilliant new strategy. Uber is launching a pilot program to finance new cars. The company is partnering with GM, Toyota, and financial institutions to offer 100,000 driversreduced monthly car payments, in an effort get more Uber drivers on the road.
The interior of the Tesla Model S offers a glimpse of the data-rich driving environments of tomorrow.
Cars will be big data collectors in the future. They will continuously monitoring the operation and function of the many moving parts of the vehicle and hopefully giving you a warning well in advance of pending failure.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.