Impact Lab – Page 306 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Maker of $1 million flying motorbike prepares for IPO in Japan

April 19, 2022

The US$777,000 (S$1.1 million) single-person transporter can hit a max speed of 80kmh and travel up to 40 minutes per charge.

TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) – A former Merrill Lynch derivatives trader with a passion for Star Wars is preparing to take his flying motorbike start-up public in Japan.

Tokyo-based ALI Technologies was founded by Mr Shuhei Komatsu as a drone maker in 2016 before moving on to more ambitious ventures, opening sales of its Xturismo Limited bike in October. The US$777,000 (S$1.1 million) single-person transporter can hit a maximum speed of 80kmh and travel up to 40 minutes per charge, according to the company.

The motorbike has so far largely figured as a curio at public events such as a recent baseball game, but ALI president Daisuke Katano said there is strong interest in it from Middle Eastern nations.

“The need for these bikes will be higher in places with desert or other difficult terrain,” Mr Katano said in an interview. “The vehicle will enable people to travel where roads are bad and inaccessible to cars, as well as across bodies of water.”

The company has selected lead underwriters for an initial public offering (IPO) on Tokyo’s Mothers market for start-ups in what will be the country’s first debut of its kind. It is presently engaged in discussions with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mr Katano said, declining to specify an estimated valuation or a timeline for the offering.

Flying personal vehicles have been the stuff of science fiction for decades before Star Wars, which featured a famous racing scene with pods zooming along close to ground level.

brain-computer interfaces

FRACTAL NEURON GROWTH COULD LEAD TO BIONIC EYES

April 19, 2022

BY U. OREGON

Researchers have grown rodent retinal neurons on a fractal-patterned electrode, one that mimics the repeating branching pattern in which neurons naturally grow.

It’s a step closer to making a bio-inspired bionic eye, a longstanding goal for University of Oregon physicist Richard Taylor.

Taylor hopes the tiny electrodes could someday be implanted into the eye to restore sight in people with macular degeneration or other vision disorders.

The new work provides experimental evidence supporting a hunch his team has been pursuing for years, that neurons, which themselves are fractals, will connect better to a fractal-patterned electrode than they do to more traditionally shaped electrodes, allowing better signal transmission between the implant and the brain.

DNA

Delivering genetic material with MOFs for new therapies

April 19, 2022

In biomedicine, metal-organic frameworks can be used to deliver pharmaceuticals around the human body. A KAUST-led team has developed a MOF-based system for getting DNA across cell membranes into target cells.

by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

An emerging type of material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) could help improve the delivery of genetic material for treating disease.

MOFs are hybrid materials constructed from metal ions linked by organic molecules. In biomedicine, they have mostly been used as delivery vehicles for small-molecule pharmaceuticals, but now a KAUST-led team has developed a MOF-based system for getting DNA across cell membranes into target cells.

The researchers built their MOFs using a collection of nucleic acid and unnatural amino acid building blocks tethered together by zinc atoms, assembled in a pyramid-like array. They loaded up the resulting materials with single-stranded DNA. The structures protected the genetic cargo from enzymatic degradation and helped ferry the single-stranded DNA into cells, where it ended up inside the nucleus—the cell’s inner sanctum where all gene activity takes place.

Science & Technology News, SpaceX

Pentagon wants SpaceX delivering cargo around the globe — and a live test could come next year

April 18, 2022

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen in this false color infrared exposure as it is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station on May 30, 2020.

By Aaron Mehta

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Command is taking the potential for cargo delivery via orbit seriously enough that it hopes to test the concept with SpaceX as soon as next year, the command’s head said Wednesday.

In what he called a “provocative thought,” Gen. Stephen Lyons said: “I’m really excited about the team that’s working with SpaceX on an opportunity, even perhaps in as early as ’21, to conduct a joint proof of principle” for space-based delivery.

The dream, Lyons told the National Defense Transportation Association, is to be able to move 80 tons of cargo — the equivalent of a C-17 transport — via a space-based vehicle anywhere on the globe within one hour.

“Think about the speed associated with that, whether a small force element or other capability,” he said. “I can tell you [SpaceX is] moving very, very rapidly in this area.”

A TRANSCOM spokesman said details of the potential “proof of principle” are being worked out with SpaceX, and it will involve “delivering cargo from one place to another through space.”

Augmented Reality

Mojo Vision’s New Contact Lens Brings Seamless Augmented Reality a Step Closer

April 18, 2022

By Edd Gent

Blending the digital and real worlds could have a host of applications, from entertainment to training, but current augmented and virtual reality headsets are bulky and limited. Now a startup is promising a more seamless experience thanks to smart contact lenses.

Despite the recent buzz around the metaverse, the idea that we will soon be using VR headsets to spend large amounts of our lives in virtual worlds still seems somewhat fantastical given the current state of the technology. However, augmented reality (AR), in which digital elements are overlaid on a user’s view of the real world, could have more practical and near-term possibilities.

AR headsets like Microsoft’s Hololens 2 and Google’s Glass are already being used by companies like Toyota and Boeing to help repair cars or build planes faster. More recently, startup Magic Leap pivoted away from building a consumer-focused headset to targeting medical and defense applications.

But although they are already proving useful, AR headsets struggle with some common problems. They’re bulky and expensive, they offer a limited field of view, and perhaps most importantly, no one wants to be seen wearing them in public.

Silicon Valley startup Mojo Vision thinks it can solve these problems with a smart contact lens that sits inconspicuously on the eye and beams images directly into wearers’ retinas. The company’s latest prototype finally has all the ingredients to make its vision a reality.

Robotics

Controlling this robotic excavator is like playing a video game

April 18, 2022

This machine can be operated remotely through augmented reality.

BY SHI EN KIM

When I dig, you dig—a robotic excavator follows the motions of a remote user to execute digging from afar.

Digging in the dirt is tough business. An excavator will speed up the work, but operating one is tricky and requires years of experience. One that is operable remotely, and comes with an augmented reality system, could make the process easier, more convenient, safer—and, perhaps, more fun.

“We have made a system that can take someone with no real skills of excavation and make them into an expert operator, way sooner than would normally be possible,” says Reuben Brewer, a roboticist who led the project. His team at SRI International, a non-profit research institute headquartered in California, has transformed an unwieldy excavator into a smart one with a gamified feel.

Traditional excavators have non-intuitive controllers. To move the scooper up and down, the operator needs to execute a right-left motion on the joysticks and levers from within the vehicle. “There’re so many joints, and they don’t really map up in the right direction,” says Brewer. “It gets so confusing.” Operators also need intensive training to learn how to dodge buried gas lines, water lines, and internet cables to make precise holes in the ground.

So, the researchers at SRI International have given excavators a robotification upgrade. Their smart digger can now be operated with more intuitive controls, and the operator does not even need to be in the driver’s seat. Users can perform maneuvers on these excavators right next to the vehicle, if they wish, or they can manipulate the machinery from the comfort of home or anywhere around the world, as long as they are connected to the internet.

Robots

Elephant Robotics Launches Mass Production of Bionic AI Robot Pet — MarsCat to Provide Comfort During Pandemic

April 17, 2022

SHENZHEN, China

Elephant Robotics has begun mass producing its bionic Al robot pet, the MarsCat, to provide comfort to more people confined to their homes during the pandemic. The long-term home office due to COVID-19 continues to amplify people’s sense of loneliness and isolation. In the absence of human contact, more people are turning to robots for mental healing and social comfort. However, due to technical barriers, most companion robots in the market act more like robot than companion, as they are not emotionally responsive.

With the advancement of AI technology, robot pets have becoming more bionic and intelligent. An AI-powered robot has the ability to understand and respond to human emotion. In 1998, Sony introduced the world’s first robotics dog, AIBO, a dog-like smart robot pet with the capability of interacting with humans. The cloud-based AI engine not only empowers the robot with advanced features such as facial recognition and deep learning, but also allows users to name the robot, witness their growth and add new tricks. Despite a growing use of smart robot as home companions for kids or senior, the price of an AI robot pet like AIBO is still prohibitive.

Back in 2020 at CES, a bionic AI robot pet MarsCat caught the attention of journalists and cat lovers worldwide for its highly forward-looking concept, and its vivid design and received unanimous praises and recognition. Likewise, this robot pet can walk, run, sit, stretch, express meows and other gestures independently. After two years’ ongoing R&D, MarsCat has started mass production to meet the increasing demand from the community, especially those with cat allergies and sense of isolation.

Driverless vehicles

Kodiak Robotics & U.S. Xpress to Pilot Continuous Autonomous Freight Operations Between Dallas-Fort Worth & Atlanta

April 17, 2022

Kodiak Robotics Autonomous Truck

Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a self-driving trucking company, has teamed up with U.S. Xpress, one of America’s largest carrier fleets, to launch continuous Level 4 autonomous freight service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta using Kodiak’s self-driving trucks. This strategic partnership also marks the launch of the first commercial autonomous trucking lane to the East Coast.

In late March, a Kodiak truck and U.S. Xpress trailers completed a pilot, hauling freight four round-trips (eight segments), approximately 6,350 miles, delivering eight commercial loads between Dallas and Atlanta.

The truck ran 24 hours a day for 131 total hours, or nearly five-and-a-half full days.

As part of this partnership, a Kodiak autonomous tractor picked up and delivered U.S. Xpress pre-loaded trailers.

Aviation

Concorde has nothing on a plane being developed in Houston

April 17, 2022

By Barbara Schwarz

Venus Aerospace is a team of literal rocket scientists and they are developing a hypersonic aircraft that enables one hour travel anywhere in the world. It takes off and lands like a regular jet. But once it’s over water and is at 35,000 feet, the rockets kick in.

Venus CEO and co-founder Sassie Duggleby says; “It boosts to the edge of the atmosphere where you are traveling at 170,000 feet at Mach 9 and cruise across the world, coming down on the other side. Los Angeles to Tokyo in one hour.”

Duggleby says you cannot fire off the rocket attached to the aircraft right off the bat because rockets are incredibly loud.

“If you’ve ever been around a rocket that takes off, it makes an incredible amount of noise,” Duggleby said. “They break windows five miles away. There are issues with sonic booms over land so initially, we would have to be out over water.”

Any big body would do, including the Gulf of Mexico close to the company’s hometown of Houston.

Tesla

Tesla is going to make a new futuristic-looking electric vehicle as a ‘dedicated robotaxi’

April 16, 2022

By Fred Lambert

Elon Musk announced that Tesla is going to build a new futuristic-looking electric vehicle as a “dedicated robotaxi” – though there’s no clear timeline for the new vehicle.

At Tesla’s Cyber Rodeo event tonight, Gigafactory Texas was the real star of the show.

CEO Elon Musk made clear that Tesla’s focus in the short term and in 2022 specifically is to scale operations to increase production capacity, and Giga Texas is going to be critical to make that happen.

But the CEO still made sure to get people excited about upcoming new products and said that 2023 is going to be the year for new vehicles with the Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, and new Roadster all entering production next year.

Musk even announced a new vehicle at the event: a dedicated robotaxi.

Robots

Tesla is aiming to start production of its Optimus humanoid robot in 2023

April 16, 2022

By Fred Lambert

Elon Musk gave a timeline to production for the first time for the Tesla Optimus project, a humanoid robot capable of doing general tasks.

The CEO believes the company can bring the ambitious project to production as soon as next year. It’s an ultra-ambitious timeline even for him.

When Tesla announced the “Tesla Bot” project at its A Day last year, Elon Musk presented it as something the company could do by leveraging existing work and parts from the development of self-driving technology, and if they don’t do it, someone else will.

At the time, it certainly didn’t sound like a priority for Tesla and many saw it mainly as a recruitment tool as the automaker is trying to boost its AI team to deliver its full self-driving system.

A few months later, the project’s priority level went up fast.

Musk announced that Tesla is now prioritizing product development of Tesla Bot, which he now calls Optimus, in 2022over some of its upcoming vehicles.

The CEO appeared a lot more excited about the project and its potential to impact labor shortage and eventually the broader economy.

When first announcing the project, Tesla was aiming to have a prototype of the humanoid robot ready by the end of 2022, but there was no talk of a production timeline just yet.

Science & Technology News

South Australian fuel stations to begin accepting Bitcoin

April 16, 2022

Motorists will soon be able to pay for their fuel with digital currencies, thanks to a deal between Crypto.com and OTR

By Ben ZACHARIAH

A major service station chain in South Australia will soon accept cryptocurrency for fuel purchases.

According to the Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser, On The Run (OTR) – operators of 170 BP service stations across the state – will begin taking Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from July.

Other businesses within the OTR service stations will also make the move, meaning people will be able purchase food and drink from cafes, Subway, Oporto, and Wok In A Box using the payment method.