Impact Lab – Page 312 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

NAVYA’s technology is ready for the commercialization of Level 4 remotely supervised driverless fleets

March 27, 2022

VILLEURBANNE, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Regulatory News:

NAVYA (FR0013018041- Navya) (Paris: NAVYA), a leading company in autonomous mobility systems, presented a fleet of self-driving shuttles operated by remote supervision at the Autonomy mobility show, which was held in Paris on March 16th and 17th. NAVYA took the opportunity to transform its booth into a genuine control center where visitors had a ring-side view of four driverless shuttles being shepherded remotely in real-life conditions on two different sites. While the operator carried out various control and monitoring tasks, Olivier Le Cornec, NAVYA’s Technical Chief Officer gave a running commentary of each situation that was transmitted live onto a big screen.

Manage, monitor, secure and anticipate were the catchwords that demonstrated NAVYA’s holistic answer to a series of critical situations: an obstacle on the road, an absent-minded pedestrian in the lane, a passenger feeling ill, fire on the route, to name but a few. Eleven simulated scenarios from a large range of potential events were projected onto the screen, to which NAVYA reacted and responded, guaranteeing the safety of both the passengers and other road users on each occasion.

As a recognized Level 4 global player, NAVYA also took the opportunity to host a round-table discussion with a number of high-level speakers on its vision for Level 4 and related ecosystems, where the challenges facing driverless autonomous mobility were aired and the solutions debated.

Batteries

New Quantum Technology To Make Charging Electric Cars As Fast as Pumping Gas

March 26, 2022

Quantum charging will cut the charging time of electric vehicles from ten hours to three minutes.

By INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCE

Whether it’s photovoltaics or fusion, sooner or later, human civilization must turn to renewable energies. This is deemed inevitable considering the ever-growing energy demands of humanity and the finite nature of fossil fuels. As such, much research has been pursued in order to develop alternative sources of energy, most of which utilize electricity as the main energy carrier. The extensive R&D in renewables has been accompanied by gradual societal changes as the world adopted new products and devices running on renewables. The most striking change as of recently is the rapid adoption of electric vehicles. While they were hardly seen on the roads even 10 years ago, now millions of electric cars are being sold annually. The electric car market is one of the most rapidly growing sectors, and it helped propel Elon Musk to become the wealthiest man in the world.

Unlike traditional cars which derive energy from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, electric vehicles rely on batteries as the storage medium for their energy. For a long time, batteries had far lower energy density than those offered by hydrocarbons, which resulted in very low ranges of early electric vehicles. However, gradual improvement in battery technologies eventually allowed the drive ranges of electric cars to be within acceptable levels in comparison to gasoline-burning cars. It is no understatement that the improvement in battery storage technology was one of the main technical bottlenecks which had to be solved in order to kickstart the current electric vehicle revolution.

brain-computer interfaces

Decoding brain signals to control a robotic arm

March 26, 2022

Experimental paradigm. Subjects were instructed to perform reach-and-grasp movements to designate the locations of the target in three-dimensional space. (a) Subjects A and B were provided the visual cue as a real tennis ball at one of four pseudo-randomized locations. (b) Subjects A and B were provided the visual cue as a virtual reality clip showing a sequence of five stages of a reach-and-grasp movement. Credit: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Researchers have developed a mind-reading system for decoding neural signals from the brain during arm movement. The method, described in the journal Applied Soft Computing, can be used by a person to control a robotic arm through a brain-machine interface (BMI).

A BMI is a device that translates nerve signals into commands to control a machine, such as a computer or a robotic limb. There are two main techniques for monitoring neural signals in BMIs: electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography (ECoG).

The EEG exhibits signals from electrodes on the surface of the scalp and is widely employed because it is non-invasive, relatively cheap, safe and easy to use. However, the EEG has low spatial resolution and detects irrelevant neural signals, which makes it difficult to interpret the intentions of individuals from the EEG.

On the other hand, the ECoG is an invasive method that involves placing electrodes directly on the surface of the cerebral cortex below the scalp. Compared with the EEG, the ECoG can monitor neural signals with much higher spatial resolution and less background noise. However, this technique has several drawbacks.

“The ECoG is primarily used to find potential sources of epileptic seizures, meaning the electrodes are placed in different locations for different patients and may not be in the optimal regions of the brain for detecting sensory and movement signals,” explained Professor Jaeseung Jeong, a brain scientist at KAIST. “This inconsistency makes it difficult to decode brain signals to predict movements.”

Stem cells

Blood stem cells treat brain disease after transplant

March 26, 2022

By Anette Breindl

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a method to efficiently replace microglia, which are brain-specific immune cells, via a modified bone marrow transplant.

They used their approach to ameliorate a mouse model of prosaposin deficiency, an early-onset neurodegenerative disorder that is an atypical form of the lysosomal storage disorder Gaucher disease.

“We have developed a protocol, a way, to essentially replace all microglia in the brain with very similar cells, [and] We have shown that this replacement can be used for a therapeutic application,” Marius Wernig told BioWorld. “By using genetically normal cells, you can rectify the problem. Cure is too much of a word, but certainly treat.”

Aviation

How a jetpack design helped create a flying motorbike

March 25, 2022

The Speeder is powered by four small jet engines

By Ben Morris

At around the age of 12, David Mayman tried to build a helicopter out of fence posts and an old lawn mower.

Needless to say, it did not go well. His contraption didn’t fly and he was made to fix the fence.

“I was brought up in a way that I guess challenged me scientifically… I was always told that nothing’s impossible,” he says.

Perhaps he got a bit ahead of himself during his childhood in Sydney, but as an adult Mr Mayman, has built innovative machines that really do fly.

After selling his online listings business Mr Mayman developed a jetpack, which in 2015 he flew around the Statue of Liberty.

Augmented Reality, Science & Technology News

Google May Have Found The Tech To Take AR Smart Glasses Mainstream

March 25, 2022

Google May Have Found The Tech To Take AR Smart Glasses Mainstream

BY SANJIV SATHIAH
Google has acquired Raxium, a Californian-based start-up that is developing microLED display technology for use in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headset displays. The purchase was uncovered by The Information and has not been publicly announced, though estimates place the total cost of the deal at around $1 billion. As far as acquisitions go for Google, that’s not especially large; however, it could play a significant role in the company’s plans around AR and VR devices that it is said to have in the pipeline.

A number of companies – including Meta, Apple, and Xiaomi – are known to be investing in the technology, all developing AR wearables that some consider to be the ‘next big thing’. Samsung is also investing heavily in microLED technology, and launched the world’s first microLED TV in late 2020. Although there hasn’t been much in the way of leaks regarding a possible Samsung microLED-based headset, it seems likely that it, too, is working on something in this space as well.

Medical Breakthrough

Cell fusion ‘awakens’ regenerative potential of human retina

March 25, 2022

Cross-section of a retinal organoid, showing the location of different types of neurons such as ganglions (red) and Müller glia (green).

by Center for Genomic Regulation

Fusing human retinal cells with adult stem cells could be a potential therapeutic strategy to treat retinal damage and visual impairment, according to the findings of a new study published in the journal eBioMedicine. The hybrid cells act by awakening the regenerative potential of human retinal tissue, previously only thought to be the preserve of cold-blood vertebrates.

Cell fusion events—the combination of two different cells into one single entity—are known to be a possible mechanism contributing to tissue regeneration. Though rare in humans, the phenomenon has been consistently detected in the liver, brain, and gastrointestinal tract.

A team led by ICREA Research Professor Pia Cosma at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and funded by Fundació “la Caixa” has now found that cell fusion events also take place in the human retina.

The researchers tested whether cell fusion events could differentiate into cells that turn into neurons, which would show potential for tissue regeneration. The team fused Müller glia, cells that play a secondary but important role in maintaining the structure and function of the retina, with adult stem cells derived from human adipose tissue or bone marrow.

“We were able to carry out cell fusion in vitro, creating hybrid cells. Importantly, the process was more efficient in the presence of a chemical signal transmitted from the retina in response to damage, resulting in rates of hybridization increasing twofold. This gave us an important clue for the role of cell fusion in the retina,” says Sergi Bonilla, postdoctoral researcher at the CRG at the time of publication and first author of the study.

Science & Technology News, Space Flight

How Long Does It Take To Get To The Moon?

March 24, 2022

By Noah Zelvis

At some point, mankind stopped looking at the Moon as some impossible object in the sky and started to decipher the science behind making the journey there. Since that time, many spacecraft have made the journey successfully to the Moon. In this article, we take a look at how long it took different types of craft to get to the Moon.

Augmented Reality

Adobe Unveils New Augmented Reality Shopping Tool

March 24, 2022

Adobe’s new tool will be launched at Adobe Summit this week

By Patrick Kulp

The prototype is designed to make it easier for consumers to picture products in their living space.

Adobe is debuting a new tech designed to make it easier for retailers to embed augmented reality (AR) shopping options into their websites.

The enterprise software giant announced a tool that allows consumers to point their phone at a product image on an ecommerce site—and then see the item rendered three-dimensionally in their living space. Adobe says the true-to-life size precision—and the ability to pull multiple products into the same view—set its AR service apart from others on the market.

The tool is still undergoing internal testing and is not yet available to outside retailers. Unveiled during the annual Adobe Summit this week, it comes after AR shopping saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic as virtual try-on—and other at-home product testing served as a substitute for store visits.

AI

NHS rolls out AI tool which detects heart disease in 20 seconds

March 24, 2022

Study found the machine analysis had superior precision to three clinicians.

By Tammy Lovell

The NHS has rolled out a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool which can detect heart disease in just 20 seconds while patients are in an MRI scanner.

A British Heart Foundation (BHF) funded study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance concluded the machine analysis had superior precision to three clinicians. It would usually take a doctor 13 minutes or more to manually analyse images after an MRI scan has been performed.

The technology is being used on more than 140 patients a week at University College London (UCL) Hospital, Barts Heart Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Royal Free Hospital. Later this year it will be introduced to a further 40 locations across the UK and globally.

Robots

This snake-like robot will search for water on the moon

March 23, 2022

The ouroboros—the ancient symbol of a snake swallowing its own tail—generally represents infinity and the natural, endless cycles of the universe.

By Northeastern University

But for members of Northeastern’s Students for the Exploration and Development of Space club, the ouroboros-like design of their moon-destined robot is merely practical—the robot can slither like a desert snake across the loose soil of the moon and, when needed, connect head-to-tail to form a wheel that can tumble down the steep slopes of the moon’s craters.

Any metaphors for the unity of the solar system or the orbit of the moon around the Earth are happy coincidences.

The student-led team of 13 undergraduates recently won an award from NASA’s BIG Idea Challenge to further develop its design, which fulfilled this year’s competition requirements for robots that can traverse extreme terrains, such as the enormous craters on the moon’s south pole.

“We want to explore the Shackleton crater, which is massive—20 kilometers in diameter—because it might contain water,” says Matt Schroeter, the undergraduate bioengineering student who is leading the team.

“But if you want to send a robot into that crater, it needs to be really energy efficient because there’s no sunlight, no potential for solar energy.”

The tumbling-wheel design allows gravity to do most of the work on the way down to the base of the crater, saving most of the robot’s energy for the journey back. Once the robot is on level ground, it can unwind itself and resume slithering through the soil in search of water.

Robots

Kawasaki Bex: All-Electric Rideable Goat Robot That Can Carry 220 lbs. of Cargo, Fully Modular

March 23, 2022

KAWASAKI BEX: RIDEABLE GOAT FROM INTERNATIONAL ROBOT EXHIBITION

By Isaiah Richard

Kawasaki made a rideable electric goat, and the company released this for the world to see via the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Instead of a bipedal human that resembles the method of humans by standing on their two feet, it stands on all fours. Unlike humans, the new Kawasaki Bex robot is a quadruped device that owners can modify to anything fully modular.

According to an online video posted via YouTube by Kazumichi Maruyama, Kawasaki’s take on the IREX 2022 event in Tokyo is to bring a rideable goat as its latest innovation for mobile machines. The device resembles the Ibex, a wild goat usually found in mountainous regions of East Africa, North Africa, and Eurasia.

Kawasaki named this the “Bex” and is a quadruped robot that walks on all four legs and has been a long-term project from the company since 2015. The Bex came from the Kaleido Program. Its focus is to give the world a robot that can perform multiple tasks by carrying the load and transporting it, even for mountainous regions.