Category: Science & Technology News

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AI, Science & Technology News

Would YOU try a ‘human washing machine’? Japanese scientists are developing a futuristic AI bath that washes you with tiny bubbles while blasting out soothing music and videos

By FIONA JACKSON

  • A ‘human washing machine’ is being developed that can ‘wash the mind’ 
  • High-speed water containing microbubbles is used to clean the user’s body
  • At the same time, their heart rate is measured to gauge their level of relaxation
  • An artificial intelligence uses this data to choose the best video for them

If the bubbles, rose petals and scented candles aren’t enough to soothe you after a long day, your dream bath may be just around the corner.

Scientists in Japan are developing a ‘human washing machine’ that cleans your body while playing a relaxing video chosen for you by artificial intelligence (AI).

The ultrasonic bath will blast users with high-speed water containing extremely fine air bubbles which remove dirt from the pores.

Continue reading… “Would YOU try a ‘human washing machine’? Japanese scientists are developing a futuristic AI bath that washes you with tiny bubbles while blasting out soothing music and videos”
Robots, Science & Technology News

A.I.-driven robots are cooking your dinner

Your next Friday night pizza may be made by robot hands.

BY STEPHANIE CAINE

That’s the vision of Ajay Sunkara, who launched the Pizzaiola autonomous chef, an A.I.-driven, voice-controlled pizza maker that’s making its way to Chicago-based regional pizza chain, Slice Factory. The robotic chef monitors more than 1,200 parameters every microsecond, from managing food quality to the point-of-sales machine.

When a customer places a pizza order, Pizzaiola will select, press, and stretch the dough; add the sauce, cheese, and toppings; then cook, slice, and box the pizza all to the customer’s specified preferences. It’s fulfilled in real time and can even have an individual jumbo slice ready to go through the Slice Factory drive-thru in minutes.

Not a single human touch is involved.

“There are robotics in the food industry, but in factories, meat-processing centers, and packaged food processing,” Sunkara tells Fortune. “We reduced the scale of it from industrial to something that can fit in a normal commercial kitchen.”

Continue reading… “A.I.-driven robots are cooking your dinner”
Elon Musk, Science & Technology News

Elon Musk’s ‘X’ app will be a WeChat-like super app

By Athik Saleh

Elon Musk has a flair for the dramatic. The man spent months trying to get out of buying Twitter, only to do an about-turn and express his desire to acquire it. There are many theories behind why he changed his mind. One of them is ‘X, the everything app.’ Let’s have a look at what this all-encompassing app could be. 

Why does this story matter?

  • Musk wants to buy Twitter for the same price as he offered the first time. And he wants to do it this month itself.
  • While the world tries to understand his decision, the eccentric billionaire with a love for the letter X (X.com, SpaceX, Model X, X Holdings…) is probably thinking about an app that can change the way the free world functions.

What is the ‘X’ app?

A ‘super app’ capable of doing everything that a user can imagine. An app that can function as a one-stop shop for every digital need of a consumer. Does this vivid description ring a bell? Does it sound like we’re talking about ‘WeChat‘? This is what Musk meant by the ‘X’ app – an app that is more than just an app. 

Continue reading… “Elon Musk’s ‘X’ app will be a WeChat-like super app”
DNA, Science & Technology News

New RNA Tool Can Illuminate Brain Circuits and Edit Specific Cells

Tagging and illuminating only the inhibitory “brake” cells (green) in human brain tissue is just one of many things the new tool from Duke University, CellREADR, can do.

Editing technology is precise and broadly applicable to all tissues and species.

Scientists at Duke University have developed an RNA-based editing tool that targets individual cells, rather than genes. It is capable of precisely targeting any type of cell and selectively adding any protein of interest.

Researchers said the tool could enable modifying very specific cells and cell functions to manage disease.

Using an RNA-based probe, a team led by neurobiologist Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D. and postdoctoral researcher Yongjun Qian, Ph.D. demonstrated they can introduce into cells fluorescent tags to label specific types of brain tissue; a light-sensitive on/off switch to silence or activate neurons of their choosing; and even a self-destruct enzyme to precisely expunge some cells but not others. The work will be published today (October 5, 2022) in the journal Nature.

Their selective cell monitoring and control system relies on the ADAR enzyme, which is found in every animal’s cells. While these are early days for CellREADR (Cell access through RNA sensing by Endogenous ADAR), the possible applications appear to be endless, Huang said, as is its potential to work across the animal kingdom.

Continue reading… “New RNA Tool Can Illuminate Brain Circuits and Edit Specific Cells”
Healthcare, Science & Technology News

Study: Medical debt threatens people’s health, housing

Soaring medical debt is setting U.S. adults up for higher risks of eviction, food insecurity and bad health outcomes regardless of insurance or income, a new study found.

By Sabrina Moreno

Why it matters: Uninsured or middle-to-low-income patients are more likely to get stuck with medical debt while the rich are largely spared. But even private insurance offers little protection against unaffordable bills, according to the study published in JAMA Open Network on Friday.

  • “Private insurance is a defective product. You pay for it and then when you get sick, there’s co-payments, there’s deductibles, there’s out-of-network fees, there’s things that aren’t covered at all,” said Steffie Woolhandler, a physician and public health professor at Hunter College who co-authored the study. 

The big picture: More than 100 million Americans live with medical debt, per an investigation by Kaiser Health News and NPR.

  • Mounting costs coupled with stagnant wages can force people into delaying necessary care, taking on multiple jobs, sacrificing essentials like groceries and depleting savings to the point of financial ruin.

Yes, but: People in states that expanded Medicaid reported an average of $3,000 less in medical debt than those in states who hadn’t, signaling a link between comprehensive coverage and lower bills.

Continue reading… “Study: Medical debt threatens people’s health, housing”
Science & Technology News, Tesla

Elon Musk says Tesla cars will connect to Starlink’s new cellular-broadcasting satellites

Using the same tech it just announced in partnership with T-Mobile

By RICHARD LAWLER and MITCHELL CLARK

Elon Musk just announced that the upcoming second-generation Starlink internet satellites include cellular antennas for connections with phones from T-Mobile in the US and potentially other operators as well. 

Following the event, he responded to tweets asking whether the connections will work with Tesla’s electric cars, which currently connect to AT&T’s LTE network. According to Musk, the answer is yes.

Continue reading… “Elon Musk says Tesla cars will connect to Starlink’s new cellular-broadcasting satellites”
Robots, Science & Technology News

Elon Musk says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will eventually cost ‘less than a car’ and people will buy them as birthday presents for their parents within a decade

By CHRISTOPHER CARBONE

  • Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots are intended to replace humans in ‘repetitive, boring and dangerous tasks,’ according to CEO Elon Musk 
  • They will eventually serve millions – handling tasks like cooking, mowing lawns and caring for the elderly
  • Their price will come down in the future – as Tesla figures out how to scale production – eventually costing less than a car
  • Tesla’s Optimus robot is set to debut at AI Day on September 30 

Elon Musk shared new details about Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot – including information about the cost and likely uses for it – in an essay published online. 

The robot, which is intended for industrial and domestic uses, will debut at AI Day September 30 after first being announced at AI Day in August 2021.

‘Tesla Bots are initially positioned to replace people in repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks. But the vision is for them to serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing lawns, and caring for the elderly,’ Musk wrote in the essay published in China Cyberspace magazine. 

Continue reading… “Elon Musk says Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will eventually cost ‘less than a car’ and people will buy them as birthday presents for their parents within a decade”
Science & Technology News, Tesla

The Staggering Economics of the Tesla Semi

The economics of the Tesla semi show that it is about 83% cheaper to drive and haul goods than a standard diesel truck. Not to mention the reduction in cost due to less maintenance. The Tesla semi will truly disrupt the trucking industry.

By Jeremy Johnson 

The Tesla Semi is going to start deliveries this year and there is some staggering economics of how much better it will be than a diesel truck.

Elon Musk has stated that the Tesla semi will start shipping this year and that it will have 500 miles of range. This is after many delays, but Tesla is finally ready to start delivering it to customers. In Elon’s Master Plan, Part 2, he made reference to building an electric semi.

The first customer of the Tesla semi is not known to the public yet. Some think it will be PepsiCo because they place an order for 100 electric semi trucks. Tesla will build out Mega Chargers for the Tesla semi in order to make sure it can charge quickly.

Continue reading… “The Staggering Economics of the Tesla Semi”
Aviation, Science & Technology News

This New Supersonic Jet Will Fly From London to NYC in 3.5 Hours—on 100% Biofuel

Boom’s Overture Supersonic Jet to Fly From London to NYC in 3.5 Hours

By ROHIT JAGGI 

But the Boom Overture is not Concorde 2.0. It’ll be faster, quieter and more fuel efficient, with a larger interior space. 

Supersonic air travel has always messed with the concept of time. Such as being able to fly across the Atlantic and land before your scheduled departure time.

But planemaker Boom managed to reach new heights of temporal irony with the latest iteration of its Overture supersonic aircraft. Its production-conforming design revealed recently at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK has managed to turn the clock back to the 1960s and look astonishingly similar to Concorde. Huge delta wings, four underslung engines and a long, slim fuselage make a comparison hard to avoid.

But given the six decades of technological innovation since French and British designers penned the world’s first supersonic airliner, Boom has been able to bring in some improvements. Its composite Overture has a conventional tail, its wing has a sinuous twist and the medium-bypass turbofan engines do away with the need for afterburners—which were responsible for a substantial part of the noise levels that helped kill off Concorde.

Continue reading… “This New Supersonic Jet Will Fly From London to NYC in 3.5 Hours—on 100% Biofuel”