Impact Lab – Page 261 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Robots

THIS $3 MILLION, 500-POUND ROBOT DOLPHIN MAY REPLACE REAL ANIMALS AT THEME PARKS

October 1, 2022

In 2019, there were 3,029 dolphins in captivity in marine parks.

By Terrell Worrell

This $3 million hyperrealistic robotic dolphin may one day free captive dolphins all over the world through a combination of mechanical innovation and high-tech puppetry.

Edge Innovations’ robotic dolphin, Delle, weighs over 500 pounds and measures 8.5 feet long, about the same size as a real bottlenose dolphin.

But what makes Delle so incredible is her medical-grade silicone skin and smooth mechanical movements, which make her appear so real that it’s almost impossible to distinguish her from a real dolphin on looks alone.

Edge Innovations explains that Delle the robo-dolphin comes to life through a mix of puppeteering, programming, and artificial intelligence. The animatronic learning aid seems to be a valuable addition for PETA, as it is used to teach school kids to respect living creatures.

There is hope at Edge Innovations that animatronic dolphins can one day replace the wild animals kept in captivity for marine park attractions. In 2019, there were 3,029 dolphins in captivity in marine parks around the world, an industry that generates between $1.1 and $5.5 billion a year, as estimated by World Animal Protection.

Most of those dolphins are kept in five countries; China, Japan, the United States, Mexico, and Russia, in descending order of quantity.

These vibrant and intelligent creatures would typically enjoy ranges of 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) in the wild, but are instead kept in enclosures 77,000 times smaller and forced to perform for crowds.

Alternative Transportation

Startup Says Train Powered by “Veillance Flux” Could Travel 620 MPH

October 1, 2022

It’s generating some serious buzz.

A Canadian startup called TransPod wants to revolutionize ground-based transportation by sending magnetically levitated trains through vacuum-sealed tubes at ludicrous speeds.

It’s a highly ambitious — and immensely expensive, nevermind comically vague — concept that’s generated some serious buzz in recent weeks.

And we can’t shake the feeling that we’ve seen this kind of design before. Remember the “Hyperloop?”

The Hyperloop is a concept popularized by Tesla CEO Elon Musk eons ago. But despite millions in funding, the handful of Hyperloop companies in existence have yet to break any meaningful ground — and we can’t help but wonder if TransPod will suffer a similar fate.

According to the company, its “FluxJet” is “a hybrid between an aircraft and a train,” and relies on electricity alone for propulsion.

Each pod is just over 80 feet long and can fit up to 54 passengers. Within cities, the train will more or less operate like a maglev monorail, but out in the open, it’s designed to blast through vacuum-sealed tubes, like the Hyperloop.

Aviation

DARPA to develop next-gen military VTOL demonstrator

October 1, 2022

By VYTE KLISAUSKAITE

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) intends to develop a next-generation military vertical take-off and landing VTOL demonstrator for the military.

The project, called ANCILLARY and part of the X-Plane program, aims to apply innovation and technology from the commercial eVTOL sector to develop new architecture and design in the military sector “required for a leap ahead low-weight, high-payload, and long-endurance VTOL capabilities”.

DARPA highlighted that its main goal is to build a military VTOL unmanned aircraft system that could launch without complex launch-and-recovery infrastructure, thus enabling its expeditionary deployments.

Metaverse

3 Aspects of the Real Estate Industry That Can Benefit Immensely from the Metaverse

October 1, 2022

As mainstream adoption grows people are finding more use cases for business within the digital realm.

By Anthony Georgiades

The metaverse is already providing us with a wealth of new experiences and has spurred limitless speculation around the many avenues for its future expansion. These possibilities — which are beginning to appear infinite — are enjoyable and sometimes even practical for consumers, meaning they have the potential to be extremely lucrative for the businesses implementing them.

While current interactions and excitement around the metaverse fall heavily on realistic fashion shows, concerts and immersive video games, there are various applications that go beyond pure entertainment.

The deep value of the metaverse lies in the pragmatic applications it can power. In a globalized world where distributed work and communication is on the rise, metaverse applications allow users to engage with one another remotely in a far more collaborative and interactive setting. It removes the need for tedious obligations and offers more practical, efficient alternatives to in-person tasks, which sometimes require long wait times or long-distance travel.

From the perspective of realistic use cases for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology, the real estate industry in particular stands to benefit immensely from the metaverse. From breaking ground on the construction of a new home to its reselling years later, the metaverse and its immersive architecture can have a major impact. Here’s how:

Cancer

Self-assembling molecules suffocate cancer cells within hours

September 29, 2022

By Sophia Koch

By deploying a newly developed drug against a major energy source of cancer cells, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have developed a new way to eliminate them in mere hours. The technology relies on self-assembling molecules that take a potent form in the cellular environment, and in doing so effectively starve cancer cells of the oxygen they need to grow.

The technology at the heart of this research targets one of the key metabolic functions of cells in all living things called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate. This molecule is the primary energy carrier in cells, capturing chemical energy from the breakdown of food molecules and distributing it to power other cellular processes.

Among those cellular processes is the proliferation of cancer cells, and because of this we have seen ATP implicated in previous anticancer successes. The authors of the new study sought to cut off the supply of ATP, which is produced as mitochondria absorb oxygen and turn it into molecules.

Metaverse

Ford is all set to make a grand entry into the Metaverse with virtual automobiles and NFTs

September 29, 2022

After Hyundai Motors, Ford intends to create downloadable media elements featuring its goods and services

By Shashank Bhardwaj

American automobile giant Ford Motor Company is all set to make a grand entry into the Metaverse and Web 3.0. On September 2, the vehicle brand filed for 19 trademarks related to the crypto space with the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). According to USPTO licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis, the company has filed trademark applications for all of its major brands ‘claiming plans for virtual cars, trucks, vans, and clothing.’

On September 7, Kondoudis took his official Twitter handle to say, “????????FORD is making a big move into the Metaverse! The company has filed 19 trademark applications for all of its major brands claiming plans for:

▶️ Virtual cars, trucks, vans, and clothing

▶️ Online stores for NFTs

The car manufacturer intends to create downloadable artwork, text, audio, and video featuring its cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans, according to the USPTO. NFTs will authenticate all of these. The 19 applications include the FORD, F-150 LIGHTNING, MUSTANG, LIGHTNING, MUSTANG MACH-E, BRONCO, TRANSIT, ESCAPE, etc.

Blockchain

European Union to use Blockchain & NFTs to Fight Forgery

September 29, 2022

The EUIPO plans to have a working system by the end of 2023 and will create a registry system for recording all of the IP holders, logistics operations and retailers.

By BYRITU LAVANIA

The European Union has announced that it is working on a Blockchain and NFT-based system to fight forgery of physical goods.

The proposed system will be designed by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and will be an output of more than five years of hard work. As per an issued document, the EU has already selected a top-tier framework for this project, and the document also gives general details about how the system will work.

Intellectual property (IP) holders will develop twin NFTs as a proof that a group of produced goods are authentic.

As per the outline, these IP holders must be previously included as ‘approved signatories’ to build the goods on the tracking blockchain.

After transporting products through different checkpoints and a successful supply chain tracking, the solution will let IP holders be sure that the products reaching stores are authentic.

Aviation

United Airlines Is Building A Fleet Of Electric Flying Taxis

September 28, 2022

They have the potential to revolutionize air travel in cities around the world, United says.

By Eric Kiefer

On Thursday, United Airlines announced that it is investing $15 million in Eve Air Mobility with a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft, plus an option to buy 200 more.

NEWARK, NJ — United Airlines is on the “Eve” of a new paradigm when it comes to air travel, the company says. And according to United, its goal of creating a fleet of electric flying taxis continues to lift off.

On Thursday, the Chicago-headquartered airline – which maintains a hub in Newark, New Jersey – announced that it is investing $15 million in Eve Air Mobility with a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft, plus an option to buy 200 more. The first deliveries of the cutting-edge vehicles may come as early as 2026.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies intend to work on future projects, including studies on the development, use and application of Eve’s aircraft and the urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem.

This week’s announcement marks another big investment from United in flying taxis – or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) – which “have the potential to revolutionize the commuter experience in cities around the world,” the airline claims.

What makes the vehicles so unique? According to United, rather than relying on traditional combustion engines, eVTOL aircraft are designed to use electric motors, providing carbon-free flights and making them excellent fits to serve as “air taxis” in urban markets.

Automobiles

TrinamiX partners to build biometric driver authentication capability into vehicle trim

September 28, 2022

By Chris Burt

BASF subsidiary trinamiX has formed a partnership with Spain-based Grupo Antolin to integrate face biometrics for driver authentication into the latter’s product portfolio.

Grupo Antolin is a global developer of technologies for car interiors, and will integrate trinamiX Face Authentication in vehicle trim to confirm the identity of the driver as they approach the vehicle.

TrinamiX Face Authentication provides strong, patent-protected biometrics with liveness detection based on skin analysis, as described in a reference design developed through a collaboration with Qualcomm.

The deal extends trinamiX’s biometric technology beyond smartphones, for which it is offered for in-display authentication solutions.

Automobiles

Cars could soon ‘run on thin air’ thanks to hydrogen breakthrough

September 28, 2022

Could cars one day run on thin air?

By Rob Waugh

It sounds like science-fiction, but in the future, cars could run on air itself – specifically, on the water carried within humid air.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have created a prototype dry-air electrolyser that harvests hydrogen from air instead of liquid water.

In the near future, hydrogen is expected to be commonly used as a ‘clean’ fuel which creates no carbon dioxide during combustion.

The device absorbs moisture, then turns it into hydrogen and oxygen – the hydrogen can then be used as fuel.

The prototype device created by the Melbourne team was able to work for 12 consecutive days, even in a dry environment of around 4% humidity.

The researchers write: “This so-called direct air electrolysis (DAE) module can work under a bone-dry environment with a relative humidity of 4%, overcoming water supply issues and producing green hydrogen sustainably with minimal impact to the environment. “

The scientists said that the technology could help to overcome one of the key challenges of using hydrogen as a fuel – the availability of freshwater.

AI

New AI Algorithm Could Lead to an Epilepsy Cure

September 28, 2022

Epilepsy is a neurological condition in which brain nerve cell activity is disturbed, resulting in seizures.

The AI algorithm detects brain abnormalities that cause epileptic seizures.

International researchers working under the direction of University College London have created an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can identify subtle brain abnormalities that cause epileptic seizures.

In order to create the algorithm that reveals where abnormalities occur in instances with drug-resistant focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a major cause of epilepsy, the Multicentre Epilepsy Lesion Detection project (MELD) analyzed more than 1,000 patient MRI images from 22 international epilepsy centers.

FCDs are brain regions that have developed abnormally and often cause drug-resistant epilepsy. Surgery is typically used to treat it, however, finding the lesions on an MRI is an ongoing problem for physicians since MRI scans for FCDs can appear normal.

The scientists utilized about 300,000 locations throughout the brain to develop the algorithm, which measured cortical features using MRI scans, such as how thick or folded the cortex/brain surface was. After that, based on patterns and characteristics, professional radiologists classified examples as either having FCD or having a healthy brain, which served as the algorithm’s training data.

According to the results, which were published in the journal Brain, the algorithm was successful in identifying the FCD in 67% of cases in the cohort (538 participants).

Driverless vehicles

Uber Eats to Use Autonomous Electric Vehicles for Deliveries

September 28, 2022

Uber Eats orders will soon be arriving in style.

By Meara Isenberg

The company’s partnership with driverless vehicle maker Nuro kicks off this fall with deliveries in Texas and California.

Ever ordered Uber Eats and thought, “If only I didn’t have to tip my driver.” If you live in the right city, you may soon find out what that’s like.

Uber is teaming up with Nuro to use the latter company’s autonomous, electric vehicles for food deliveries in a multiyear partnership, the companies announced Thursday. Deliveries begin this fall in Mountain View, California, and Houston, Texas, and the plan is for the service to expand to the greater Bay Area, according to a release.

Nuro’s autonomous delivery vehicles are built specifically to carry food and other goods, the release says. They don’t contain drivers or passengers, and they run on public roads. Nuro has previously announced partnerships with companies including FedEx and Domino’s.