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Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Nuro’s newest autonomous delivery bot is designed for the masses

January 21, 2022

There’s even an airbag on the exterior

Nuro showed off Wednesday one of the final pieces of its commercial autonomous delivery strategy.

The startup, which has raised more than $2.13 billion since former Google engineers Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu founded the company in June 2016, unveiled a third-generation electric autonomous delivery vehicle designed for commercial operations and manufactured in partnership with BYD North America.

Nuro has dropped the alpha-numeric nomenclature (R1 and then R2) for this delivery bot that is designed to haul packages, not people. Instead, the vehicle is called “Nuro” — a self-titled album of sorts meant to introduce the robot to the masses and a name that illustrates where this flagship model sits within the company. If it’s not clear, the “Nuro” is at the top.

The Nuro bot is not a sidewalk delivery bot. This new generation, and all of Nuro’s previous iterations, are meant for the road.

Metaverse

unity-and-hyundai-partner-to-build-virtual-twin-of-automotive-manufacturing-facility

January 20, 2022

BY MAI TAO

Unity, a platform for developing games and other 3D content, and Hyundai Motor Company have agreed a partnership to jointly design and build what they describe as “a new metaverse roadmap and platform for a meta-factory”.

The partnership will realize Hyundai’s vision of becoming the first mobility innovator to build a meta-factory, a digital-twin of the company’s physical plant, supported by a metaverse platform.

The introduction of Meta-factory, will allow Hyundai to test numerous scenarios virtually, in order to assess, calculate and create optimal operation conditions, without employees needing to be onsite.

The collaboration culminates in a real-time 3D virtual platform, which will reach a broad group of Hyundai Motor Company customers, offering them a more comprehensive range of services across sales, marketing and customer experience.

Meaning, consumers will now be able to trial, test and engage various auto related solutions digitally, long before choosing which to transfer to physical vehicles.

Aviation

How This Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft Could Kickstart Zero-Carbon F1 Racing

January 20, 2022

Maca’s Carcopter S11, shown at CES, will be the only air racer powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The company says it’ll be race-ready in 2023.

By J. GEORGE GORANT

Racers, start your fuel cells!

The hydrogen-powered Carcopter S 11 may be slow out of the gate compared to some of its competitors, but it has definitely joined the sprint to become the first alternative-powered VTOL racer. Competitor Alauda not only has a working full-scale prototype of its Airspeeder, it has already staged a short drag contest between two remotely controlled models, establishing itself as the early frontrunner to create a zero-carbon F1 type circuit.

But French company Maca announced its plans for the Carcopter a year ago, and showed off a one-third scale model last week at CES.

SpaceX

SpaceX Muscle Launch Explores Secrets of Aging

January 20, 2022

SpaceX has been ferrying cargo to the International Space Station since 2012, sending various items — from robot parts and a vegetable garden to genetically engineered mice — aboard its rockets. And while they may sound random, each item serves its own purpose in the critical research being performed at the ISS — including this next one.

SpaceX has launched human muscle cells into space in an attempt to explore something that will have applications in space and on earth as well: the effects of aging.

A team of scientists at the University of Liverpool has undertaken a research initiative they’re calling the MicroAge study, the main objective of which is to learn why people’s muscles get weaker with age.

This phenomenon parallels one that’s been occurring with astronauts: in zero gravity muscles tend to grow weaker as well.

AI

Checkers To Roll Out AI-Powered Voice Tech to 267 Restaurant Drive-Thrus By End of 2022

January 19, 2022

by Michael Wolf

This week restaurant chain Checkers & Rally’s announced a deal with Presto, a maker of restaurant technology, in which the drive-thru focused chain will roll out Presto’s AI-powered voice assistant technology chain-wide by the end of the year.

The announcement comes after early trials showed a 98% order accuracy for the voice assistant technology. And now, according to Checkers President and CEO Frances Allen, the chain plans to roll out Presto’s voice technology to all 267 store-owned and operated locations by the end of 2022. She also indicated that many franchise locations are expressing interest in the technology.

“We had a vision two years ago that we wanted what I would call ‘Alexa at the drive-thru,’” said Allen.

And now, with Presto, they have it. According to Allen, about 80% of the chain’s total business comes through a drive-thru, so the company’s management felt transitioning to a high-accuracy automated drive-thru could significantly impact the business. “Anything we can do to improve operations,streamline for our guests and our employees, we wanted to do.”

quantum computing

Quantum computing companies to see real-world use cases in 2022

January 19, 2022

According to a survey report, 69% of of global enterprises have already adopted, or plan to adopt, quantum computing in the near term.

By Aaron Raj

69% of global enterprises have already adopted or plan to adopt quantum computing
Germany is the most bullish on achieving a competitive advantage with quantum computing
Machine learning and data analytics problems are the top use cases for early and more advanced adopters of quantum computing

Quantum computing is finally making its presence felt among companies around the world. Over the last few years, companies have shown interest in quantum computing but often couldn’t make definitive decisions on using the technology, as there was not enough research on its practical applications beyond the theoretical.

Nevertheless, 2021 has been a remarkable year for the quantum computing industry. Not only has there been more research on the potential use cases for the technology, but investments in quantum computing have shot up globally to boot.

While the US and China continue to compete with each other for supremacy in this evolving branch of computing, other countries and organizations around the world have slowly been playing catch up as well. And now, 2022 is expected to be the year whereby companies can start seeing quantum computing breakthroughs that could result in practical uses.

According to the first annual Enterprise Quantum Computing Adoption Reportby Zapata Computing, 69% of global enterprises have already adopted, or plan to adopt quantum computing solutions in the near term. The report, which involved over 300 leaders at large multinational enterprises, also showed that 74% of them agreed that those who fail to adopt quantum computing will fall behind.

3D Printer

RESEARCHERS TURN SMARTPHONE INTO ON-DEMAND PERSONALIZED DRUG 3D PRINTER

January 19, 2022

By PAUL HANAPHY

Researchers at University College London (UCL), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) and biopharma firm FabRx, have managed to convert an everyday smartphone into an on-demand personalized drug 3D printer.

Using the visible light created by a mobile phone screen, the modified M3DIMAKER LUX system has already proven capable of 3D printing blood-thinning tablets in specific shapes, sizes and dosages. Operable via a user-friendly app, it’s hoped that with further R&D, the team’s machine could be deployed in future by those living in isolated areas, under the remote supervision of GPs to ensure patient safety.

“This novel system would help people who need precise dosages that differ from how a medication is typically sold, as well as people whose required dosage may change regularly,” said the study’s lead author Xiaoyan Xu. “The tablet’s shape and size are also customizable, which enables flexibility in the rate at which the medication gets released into the bloodstream.”

Metaverse, Science & Technology News

Meta Reality Realms Launches First NFT Collection Backed by Real-World Land Properties

January 18, 2022

Image 1: Eden Prime

First-Ever NFTs Backed By Real Land Assets

DENVER, Jan. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Meta Reality Realms announced today its official launch introducing its first-ever NFT collection of real-world properties.

As part of its launch, anyone will now have the opportunity to turn their real-world properties and assets into NFTs to be sold on the blockchain. This original take on NFTs, spearheaded by Meta Reality Realms, is the first of its kind to allow investors that own physical land to obtain both a physical and virtual warranty deed for their property.

Each deed allows investors to not just own the digital art but also the blockchain-based NFT ID, which is expected to unlock endless possibilities in future Augmented Reality Zone sites that will exist both physically and virtually.

“Alongside cryptocurrency, land will be the most important asset to own in the future,” explained Meta Reality Realms founder and CEO, Aaron Beltran. “Our NFTs are backed by real-world assets that anyone should be thinking about investing in, as the future of augmented reality gets closer.”

The future of Augmented Reality Zone sites is still progressing. By bringing awareness to NFTs backed by physical property, Meta Reality Realms is committed to preparing investors for the virtual future.

Meta Reality Realms is the first company to allow real land ownership to be purchased and sold on the blockchain.

Robotics

A new robotic hand is so precise, it can hold an egg without cracking it just like a human

January 18, 2022

The team claims that the hand is able to pour drinks, hold an egg without breaking it, and crush cans.

By Andrea Núñez-Torrón Stock and Nathan Rennolds

South Korean researchers have made a robotic hand with a similar range of motion to that of a human.
It can perform delicate tasks like using tweezers and scissors or holding an egg.
It could be used as an advanced prosthetic or with robots that use AI.

Innovators at South Korea’s Ajou University have created a robotic hand that is capable of holding fragile objects like eggs. It can also crush cans and work with tools like tweezers and scissors.

An article published in Nature explained all the details of the new technology. It weighs just under two and a half pounds and measures eight and a half inches. Its most striking feature, however, is its combination of delicacy, strength, and flexibility.

The device is made of steel and aluminum, and each finger is powered by three small motors in the palm. There are 20 joints, and around these, there are metal parts that function as tendons, the New Scientist reported.

Driverless cars

Baidu to launch Level 2 autonomous car in 2023

January 18, 2022

Baidu has also shown a L5 robocar concept

Chinese internet giant is full steam ahead on automotive and AV tech ambitions.

China’s technology giant Baidu is stepping up its efforts to expand in the autonomous vehicle segment with the commercial launch of a car model with Level-2 self-driving technology next year.

Last week the company’s CEO Robin Li confirmed that Jidu Auto, Baidu’s joint venture with local automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, plans to begin mass production of its first electric vehicle (EV) with Level-2 autonomous driving technologies in 2023. The vehicle’s self-driving system is powered by Nvidia chips and is scheduled to be unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April of this year.

Crypto-Technology

10 CRYPTOCURRENCY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL BLOOM IN 2022

January 17, 2022

These cryptocurrency career opportunities will gain more prominence in 2022.

by Sayantani Sanyal

The use of cryptocurrencies continues to gain momentum worldwide. Investors, especially the younger generation, envision cryptocurrency as digital gold and an exquisite form of an asset class that can yield more profits than traditional stocks or other investment opportunities. As demand for cryptocurrency grows, so does the number of job roles in crypto and blockchain companies. These crypto job roles require the candidates to possess a strong understanding of blockchain technology and are equipped with optimal knowledge to get a job. The scarcity of skilled individuals in the blockchain domain leads to fluctuations in the demand and supply chain, resulting in making the jobs extremely high-paying. In this article, we have listed the top cryptocurrency career opportunities that will gain more prominence in 2022.

AI

Parkinson’s Drug Discovery Collaboration Between Astrogen, Iktos to Leverage AI Platform

January 17, 2022

Artificial intelligence drug design company Iktos, and South Korean clinical research biotech Astrogen announced today a collaboration with the goal of discovering small-molecule pre-clinical drug candidates for a specific, undisclosed, marker of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Under the terms of the agreement, whose value was not disclosed, Iktos will apply its generative learning algorithms which seek to identify new molecular structures with the potential address the target in PD. Astrogen, which has a focus of the development of therapeutics for “intractable neurological diseases,” will provide in-vitro and in-vivo screening of lead compounds and pre-clinical compounds. While both companies will contribute to the identification of new small-molecule candidates, Astrgoen will lead the drug development process from the pre-clinical stages.

“Our objective is to expedite drug discovery and achieve time and cost efficiencies for our global collaborators by using Iktos’s proprietary AI platform and know-how,” noted Yann Gaston-Mathé, president and CEO of Paris-based Iktos in a press release. “We are confident that together we will be able to identify promising novel chemical matter for the treatment of intractable neurological diseases. Our strategy has always been to tackle challenging problems alongside our collaborators where we can demonstrate value generation for new and on-going drug discovery projects.”