Impact Lab – Page 270 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Robots

Beyond Imagination receives order for 1,000 humanoid robots

August 27, 2022

Robotics innovator Beyond Imagination has entered into an agreement with SELF Labs to provide at least 1,000 humanoid robots for use in agricultural “grow boxes”. This is believed to be the largest deal of its kind.

BY DAVID EDWARDS

SELF and Beyond are announcing a partnership to develop automated off-the-grid grow boxes. Each box will be equipped with solar panels, windmills, atmospheric water generators, 5G, and an advanced version of Beyond Imagination’s Beomni robot with its Omni-Purpose AI Brain.

By aligning the visions of Milan Cheeks of SELF and Dr Harry Kloor of Beyond, this futuristic take on farming will be made possible through a uniquely powerful combination of Omni-Purpose AI, humanoid robotics, blockchain, and game technology.

The deal with SELF represents one of the largest agreements to purchase humanoid robots in the world.

Cheeks says: “We are committed to purchasing at least 1,000 robots in the next five years, but if the effectiveness of our combined technology is as we project, that number could easily grow to ten thousand or more.”

Robots, Science & Technology News

NASA Space Robotics Dive into Deep-Sea Work

August 27, 2022

What’s the difference between deep space and the deep sea? For a robot, the answer is: not much. Both environments are harsh and demanding, and, more importantly, both are far removed from the machine’s operator.

By Loura Hall

Nauticus Robotics’ Aquanaut robot can swim to a destination and carry out tasks with minimal supervision, saving money for offshore operations from oil wells and wind turbines to fish farms and more. Credits: Nauticus Robotics Inc.

What’s the difference between deep space and the deep sea? For a robot, the answer is: not much. Both environments are harsh and demanding, and, more importantly, both are far removed from the machine’s operator.

That’s why a team of roboticists from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston decided to apply their expertise to designing a shape-changing submersible robot that will cut costs for maritime industries.

Space Flight

Zenno Astronautics wants to move spacecraft around using electromagnets, not fuel

August 26, 2022

By Aria Alamalhodaei

It’s easy to think about satellites as a bunch of mini-moons, orbiting the Earth seamlessly and without any (noticeable) movement. But that’s not quite right: satellites and other spacecraft often require fairly continuous tweaks to their positions in orbit.

Historically, the aerospace industry has relied on thrusters, or a combination of reaction wheels and magnetic torque rods, to control a spacecraft’s attitude, control and positioning. But these take up a lot of space and mass, and limit how long a spacecraft can stay in orbit. New Zealand-based Zenno Astronautics has come up with an alternative to these heavy and time-limited propulsion systems. The core technology is an electromagnet that generates a very strong magnetic field, which can interact with other magnetic fields — like those on other spacecraft, or even Earth’s own — to generate torque.

The technology caught the interest of investors, who recently contributed to a NZ$10.5 million ($6.585 million) seed round. New Zealand-based VC firms GD1 (Global From Day One) and Nuance Connected Capital led the round, with additional participation from Shasta Ventures, NZGCP, K1W1, Austrian billionaire Wolfgang Leitner, Alt Ventures, Enterprise Angels, Arkisys and NZVC.

The funding marks the beginning of what Zenno hopes will be a landmark 18 months, culminating in their first launch in the fourth quarter of 2023. Around the same time, the company hopes to have a production facility operating with a massive manufacturing capacity of 1,000 electromagnetic systems per year.

“We can generate a new type of force in space,” founder Max Arshavsky told TechCrunch. “That is really the most fundamental breakthrough that we have.”

Nanotechnology

Researchers Build Nanoscale Flow-Driven Rotary Motor That Can Generate Mechanical Work

August 26, 2022

Researchers were puzzled to see the DNA rods organise themselves

THE ROTORS DRAW ENERGY FROM WATER THAT IS INDUCED BY APPLYING VOLTAGE OR BY HAVING DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF SALT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE.

The team has used a technique called DNA origami for the motor
The study was recently published in Nature Physics
Development has opened new avenues in the engineering of active robots

Rotary motors that are driven by some flow are in use for a long time in windmills and waterwheels. A similar mechanism is also seen in biological cells where the FoF1-ATP synthase produces the fuel required by cells to function. Drawing inspiration from this, researchers at the Delft University of Technology have developed the smallest ever flow-driven motor from DNA that utilises electrical or salt gradients to generate mechanical energy. For the construction of the motor, the team has used a technique called DNA origami which uses specific interactions between complementary DNA pairs to build 2D and 3D nano-objects.

The rotors draw energy from water that is induced by applying voltage or by having different concentrations of salt on either side of the membrane. From the observations made, researchers have explored more and used the knowledge to build nanoscale turbines.

“Our flow-driven motor is made from DNA material. This structure is docked onto a nanopore, a tiny opening, in a thin membrane. The DNA bundle of only 7-nanometer thickness self-organises under an electric field into a rotor-like configuration, that subsequently is set into a sustained rotary motion of more than 10 revolutions per second,” explained Dr Xin Shi, a postdoc in the department of Bionanoscience at TU Delft. Dr Shi is also the first author of the study published in Nature Physics.

DNA

In a world first, scientists rewrite DNA to cure ‘genetic heart conditions’

August 26, 2022

By Mert Erdemir

An international team of scientists from the U.K., U.S., and Singapore is working together to develop an injectable cure for genetic heart conditions by rewriting DNA. The team named CureHeart has been awarded a £30 million grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The researchers will employ precision genetic techniques in the heart for the first time with the aim of silencing defective genes and develop and test the first treatment for genetic heart diseases. Animal tests had already proven before that the techniques work.

“This is a defining moment for cardiovascular medicine,” said Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, the BHF’s medical director. “Not only could CureHeart be the creators of the first cure for inherited heart muscle diseases by tackling killer genes that run through family trees, it could also usher in a new era of precision cardiology.”

Science & Technology News

[FUTURATI PODCAST] Ep. 100: Thomas and Trent look back on 100 episodes!

August 26, 2022

If you enjoy this interview please help us grow by subscribing to the podcast and sharing it with your friends!

Machine Learning

A machine learning system that is capable of virtually removing buildings from a live view

August 25, 2022

Fig.1. Overview of the proposed method. An image of the current landscape is acquired by the mobile terminal and sent to the server PC. The server detects the target building and generates a mask. The area to be complemented is set from the mask image, and the input image is automatically altered based on the features around the target area. The output image based on the digital completion is sent to the mobile terminal as a future landscape after demolition to be displayed on the DR display. Credit: Takuya Kikuchi et al.

Scientists at Osaka University have created a machine learning system that is capable of virtually removing buildings from a live view. By using generative adversarial networks (GAN) algorithms running on a remote server, the team was able to stream in real-time on a mobile device. This work can help accelerate the process of urban renewal based on community agreement.

AI

Augmented reality could be the future of paper books, according to new research

August 25, 2022

Augmented reality might allow printed books to make a comeback against the e-book trend, according to researchers from the University of Surrey.

Surrey has introduced the third generation (3G) version of its Next Generation Paper (NGP) project, allowing the reader to consume information on the printed paper and screen side by side.

Dr. Radu Sporea, senior lecturer at the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), comments:

“The way we consume literature has changed over time with so many more options than just paper books. Multiple electronic solutions currently exist, including e-readers and smart devices, but no hybrid solution which is sustainable on a commercial scale.

“Augmented books, or a-books, can be the future of many book genres, from travel and tourism to education. This technology exists to assist the reader in a deeper understanding of the written topic and get more through digital means without ruining the experience of reading a paper book.”

3D Printer

MIT researchers create 3D printed sensor for satellites at a fraction of the cost

August 25, 2022

It is well known that one of the most expensive fields of engineering is aerospace, and specifically, anything that goes into space. Recognising the challenges faced by low-cost space systems, MIT researchers have recently developed a 3D printing process that can create sensors at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions while still offering the same performance. What challenges does spaceflight present to engineers, what did the researchers demonstrate, and how could 3D printing technologies help to lower the economic barriers faced by spaceflight?

Robots

Scientists Invent a Tiny Robot With ‘Human-Like Hands’ That Can Lift 1000 Times Its Own Weight!

August 25, 2022

By Joaquin Victor Tacla

For the first time ever, a group of scientists from the Italian Institute of Technology has created a new class of highly effective artificial muscles that can stretch and contract like human muscles. More importantly, it can lift 1000 times its own weight!
A man approaches a plastic ball toward the finger of humanoid robot iCub during the 2014 IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots in Madrid on November 18, 2014. The iCub is the humanoid robot developed at IIT (Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia) as part of the EU project RobotCub and subsequently adopted by more than 20 laboratories worldwide. It has 53 motors that move the head, arms & hands, waist, and legs.

drones

The world’s first smart mailbox is ready for drone deliveries

August 24, 2022

DroneDek’s ‘Mailbox of the Future’ debuts next week in Indianapolis suburb

Jack Daleo

The iPhone has quickly become one of the most ubiquitous products in history, right up there with the lightbulb and gas-powered car.

It’s a short list. But Dan O’Toole thinks his smart mailbox could make the cut.

“You take a picture of your family right now and everybody’s on their iPhone — nobody’s looking at the camera, right? This has the ability to insinuate itself into the fabric of our lives every day in the same way that the iPhone has,” O’Toole, the CEO of DroneDek, told Modern Shipper in an interview in October.

At the time, O’Toole’s vision was just that — a vision. But on Monday it will finally begin to take shape when DroneDek completes the first deliveries to its “mailbox of the future” in Lawrence, Indiana. The high-tech receptacle will receive deliveries of both traditional mail and hot food that will be airdropped via drone.

DroneDek’s mailbox is built to handle delivery in all of its many forms. It boasts a list of features as long as the iPhone’s terms and conditions, but each is put to good use to make the receptacle as secure, sustainable and self-reliant as possible.

Futurist, Tom Frey

10 Predictions About a Typical Future Day in the Life

August 24, 2022

by Gary Pullman

No one, including futurists, has a crystal ball. Despite centuries of attempts to divine the future using everything from animal innards to tea leaves, little progress has been made, except, in some cases, by scientists (meteorology is one example of relative success). So the future remains, for the most part, relatively obscure. However, that fact hasn’t stopped futurists from trying, as predictions have been put forth concerning almost every aspect of human existence.

This list relates to activities associated with a typical future day in the life of most ordinary people, as they are expected to live it, according to the predictions of futurists, who know (or think they know) what the future holds. This includes what our houses will look like, how we will travel, the instruction schools will provide, how childcare will work, how we will take care of our pets, what our workplaces will be like, where and what (not whom) we will worship, how we will garden, what will entertain us, and how and where we will vacation. So let’s look at ten predictions about our typical day in the future.