Impact Lab – Page 288 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Real Life-Jedi? Chinese Scientists Invent ‘Real Telekinesis’ Using Programmable Metamaterials and Bluetooth

June 19, 2022

Chinese scientists are making strides in moving objects with our minds by experimenting with real-time, remote, and wireless mind control of metamaterials.

Inventing Real Life Telekinesis.

Telekinesis, or using your mind to move items at a distance, conjures up images of pure fantasy. However, behind the curtain of fiction, scientists are actually working on it already. But one way to make Telekinesis possible is to combine brain signal collection technologies with developing programmable metasurfaces (PM), the functionalities or operating modes of which may be switched or changed by on-site programming or pre-defined software.

Nonetheless, the majority of extant PMs are wired to users, manually operated, and not real-time.

This new experiment suggests a solid framework for accomplishing ‘real-life telekinesis.’

Driverless cars

United Nations proposal could open up Tesla’s Full Self-Driving to Australia

June 18, 2022

The UN is advocating for higher speed limits, but only for robocars.

By Ben Zachariah

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has put forward a draft amendment which would allow autonomous cars to drive up to 130km/h – more than double the current limit.

The proposal would mean passenger vehicles with Level 3 autonomous driving technology would be able to perform actions like automatic lane changing on freeways.

With Australia being one of the signatories to the regulatory framework set by the UNECE, the move could allow Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to become available within six months.

Despite the full suite of functions not being approved locally, Tesla allows its Australian customers to purchase FSD for $10,100 as an optional extra.

In recent days, Automotive News reported the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was extending its investigation of Tesla’s Autopilot system – a lower level of semi-autonomous driving tech – to include a total of 830,000 built between 2014 and 2022.

The investigation opened following a spate of accidents and one fatality which have been allegedly attributed to the technology.

Crypto Currency

Abra Launches Crypto Credit card, NFT Service with American Express

June 18, 2022

Abra also announced the expansion of its Prime services and the launch of Abra web.

BY STUTI MANSATA

A digital asset financial services company, Abra has announced the launch of Abra Crypto Card and a new NFT service. Abra crypto card is a crypto rewards credit card that will function on the American Express network.

The card will allow transactions in U.S. dollars and offer crypto rewards on purchases of any amount and category.

The crypto rewards will be tradable across over a 100 different cryptocurrencies which are supported by Abra, without any annual or foreign transaction fees.

“We’ve made it super easy for anyone to trade crypto, earn interest, and borrow against crypto holdings in one, integrated app,” said Bill Barhydt, founder and CEO of Abra. “Our partnership with American Express will now make it even easier to access and earn crypto.”

Card owners will also be eligible for American Express network benefits, such as Amex Offers, presale ticket access, global dining benefits, and purchase protections.

AI

We Asked an AI to Draw a Self-Portrait

June 18, 2022

Pay no attention to the machine learning algorithm behind the curtain.

By Janus Rose

DALL-E, the AI system that generates images from text prompts, has captured the internet’s imagination over the past few months. Literally.

Created by OpenAI, DALL-E is the latest in a series of tools that seem to tap into the internet’s subconscious, using massive datasets of text and images to parse and reproduce human language with uncanny accuracy. The system uses a machine learning model with billions of individual parameters to illustrate whatever phrases you feed into it, resulting in bizarre and often shockingly realistic renderings—though oftentimes with predictably racist and sexist tropes.

But while access to DALL-E is currently only being offered to a select list of artists and researchers, open source AI systems that attempt to replicate OpenAI’s model have recently sprouted up, allowing anyone to try their hand at human-machine artistic collaboration.

One model in particular, called DALL-E Mini, has practically achieved meme status over the past week. Hosted on the AI repository HuggingFace, the demo’s massive volume of users has caused long delays to complete requests, as social feeds fill with images generated from all kinds of absurd prompts. (“Gender reveal 9/11” and “Aileen Wuornos on Drag Race” are among the many deranged highlights)

Given how so many humans are now collaborating with AI models to make art, I felt it was only fair to ask the AI to reveal itself as a self-portrait.

Futurati Podcast, Science & Technology News

Ep. 88 with Matt Pines

June 17, 2022

Watch our interview with Matt Pines on Youtube or listen on the Futurati Podcast website.

In recent months there has been a flurry of activity in the government related to cryptoassets, how to regulate them, and what their implications for national security will be. Though it’s common to endorse a simplistic narrative in which Bitcoin and the government are flatly opposed to each other, the truth is more nuanced. We’ve invited Matthew Pines to the Futurati Podcast to talk to us about these issues.

Matthew is a Managing Consultant at the Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity and geopolitical risk advisory firm. He has over ten years of experience helping the government and private sector firms address pressing security and resilience challenges. As a National Security Fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, he applies rigorous analytical methodologies to help policy-makers understand the implications of Bitcoin as an emerging technology for the benefit of the nation. He holds a master’s degree in Philosophy and Public Policy (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Philosophy (with Honors) from Johns Hopkins University.

If you enjoy this interview please subscribe to the podcast and share it with your friends, that’s the best way to help us grow!

Robotics

This Robotic Finger Is Covered in Living Human Skin

June 17, 2022

A robotic finger covered with the epidermis has water-repellent properties.

By Andrew Liszewski

THE SKIN CAN REALISTICALLY BEND, STRETCH, AND WRINKLE AS THE FINGER CURLS AND EXTENDS.

Roboticists from the University of Tokyo have taken a tiny step toward creating the Terminator. They’ve built an articulated robot finger that’s seamlessly covered in living human skin.

There are many reasons why our current attempts to build humanoid robots with lifelike appearances always seem to end up somewhere in the uncanny valley, where their imperfect resemblance to real human beings invokes a strong negative emotional reaction from us. The way a humanoid robot moves certainly contributes to its not-quite-right appearance, but more often than not it’s the artificial materials used to recreate human skin that make humanoids especially creepy.

3D Printer

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW METHOD OF 3D PRINTING MAGNETIC CORES FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES

June 17, 2022

A ferrite inductor comprises a magnetic core surrounded by a copper coil. Image via Jurgis Mankauskas.

By KUBI SERTOGLU

Researchers from the Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian University of Life Sciences are investigating the use of 3D printing technology to produce soft magnetic cores.

Magnetic cores are pieces of magnetic material with high permeability. They’re commonly used to guide and direct magnetic fields in a wide variety of electrical systems and machines, including electromagnets, transformers, electric motors, generators, inductors, and other magnetic assemblies.

Until now, the 3D printing of soft magnetic cores has been a major challenge due to difficulties in preserving core efficiency. The research team has now proposed a comprehensive laser-based additive manufacturing workflow that they claim can yield superior magnetic properties to soft magnetic composites.

Medical Breakthrough

Creating human organs in space: How a Winston-Salem company is revolutionizing regenerative medicine

June 17, 2022

by: Michael Hennessey

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The frontline of regenerative medicine has stood in Winston-Salem for decades. Today, with the leadership that’s been in place over that period of time, that technology is headed out of this world.

“We started this work over 30 years ago, actually,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine director. “So, a long time ago.”

As Atala explains, the institute creates tissues and organs, as well as therapies to help treat patients. At the start, he explained, the greatest challenge was trying to get cells to grow. Now, they can grow every major cell type.

Driverless vehicles

UK government announces funding to encourage autonomous commercial vehicle development

June 16, 2022

By LAWRENCE BUTCHER

A new £40m (US$50m) competition to kick-start commercial self-driving services, such as delivery vehicles and passenger shuttles, has been launched in the UK. The ‘Commercialising Connected and Automated Mobility’ competition will provide grants to help roll out commercial use self-driving vehicles across the UK from 2025.

The competition is intended to help bring together companies and investors so that sustainable business models can be rolled out nationally and exported globally. The types of self-driving vehicles that could be deployed include delivery vans, passenger buses, shuttles and pods, as well as vehicles that move people and luggage at airports and containers at shipping ports.

UK Minister for investment Lord Grimstone said, “Self-driving vehicles have the potential to revolutionize people’s lives, whether it’s by helping to better connect people who rely on public transport with jobs, local shops and vital services, or by making it easier for those who have mobility issues to order and access services conveniently.

Robots

This futuristic office was designed for 5,000 people—and 100 robot coworkers

June 16, 2022

This new building by Korean tech giant Naver was designed to experiment with the future of automation.

From the outside, the building resembles a 28-story robot hive—an anonymous box of metal and vents. And that’s exactly what it is.

Dubbed 1784, this is the new headquarters for Naver Labs, opening in June. Owned by Naver, which you might consider the Google of South Korea, it’s “the world’s first robot-friendly building,” according to the company.

Architected by Samsung subsidiary Samoo, it’s a space designed to test the boundaries of the future of automation, where 100 wheeled robots will soon work alongside 5,000 people, ferrying packages, lunches, and Starbucks coffee to their human counterparts. These robots aren’t just a gimmick, but an extension of the building architecture itself, serving as a way to give the building hands today while it learns how to take care of itself tomorrow.

Alternative Transportation

The Average Air Taxi Will Be Cheaper Than an Uber Black, a New Study Says

June 16, 2022

Deloitte’s “Advanced Air Mobility, Disrupting the Future of Mobility” looks ahead 10 years to when air taxis will be common over city skies.

By MICHAEL VERDON

Within 10 years, that electric air-taxi flight that now seems like sci-fi could be as cheap as a ground taxi, and without the carbon output. A report released on Tuesday by Deloitte paints a viable picture of the future of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft as part of urban and regional transport networks, or Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), across the US.

“Our study showed that the speed improvement of these air taxis could be three to five times faster than driving options today,” John Coykendall, principal of Deloitte’s Global and US Aerospace and Defense leader division, told Robb Report. “We believe AAM will integrate with the transportation methods we have today—it’ll be a case of ‘and’ with this type of transport rather than ‘or’ with existing modes.”

The “Advanced Air Mobility, Disrupting the Future of Mobility” study looked five to 10 years ahead when eVTOL and other forms of air taxis will be certified and networks will be established around the world. At that point, Deloitte expects AAM to be highly competitive with conventional taxis and more upscale forms of ground transport.

AI

Scientists in China have successfully cloned pigs using only AI in a world first

June 15, 2022

By Rupendra Brahambhatt

And without any human involvement.

A team of researchers from the College of Artificial Intelligence at Nankai University in China has developed a fully automated method to create pig clones. For the first time, seven healthy cloned piglets were born to a surrogate mother in March without any human intervention using the same method.

China is currently the biggest pork producer and consumer in the world. The pig population in the country stands at over 400 million, and pork consumption is between 30 and 35 kg per capita. A large share of the meat eaten in China is pork, and the available stock in the country is never enough to meet the demand. This is why China has to import millions of tons of expensive pig meat every year; even in 2021, the country purchased 3.31 million metric tonnes of pork.

Liu Yaowei, one of the researchers at Nankai University, believes that their AI-powered automated pig cloning method can significantly increase China’s pig population and make the country completely self-sufficient in pork production.