Impact Lab – Page 341 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

The AI that fashion is using to reinvent itself

July 9, 2021

Retailers have turned to AI to replace photoshoots and predict what people will want to buy and wear in the future

Julie Bornstein spent two years quietly building AI shopping app THE YES to launch it in March 2020. Then the pandemic struck – and changed what people were wearing. “Right now, we’re in a heavy comfort zone,” Bornstein says. The pandemic has meant demand for tracksuit bottoms and work-from-home clothing is high. But as vaccines allow people more freedom, trends are expected to reverse.

THE YES is part of a new wave of companies using AI to personalise how people shop online. It pulls items of clothing from brands and retailers’ websites and shows them in a feed within the app. Think of it like a clothing version of Tinder: if users like the dress being shown, they tap “yes”. If they’re not interested, they tap “no”. But, unlike Tinder, it can improve the items it shows over time by using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Every like and dislike is fed back to the underlying machine learning models to inform each personalised feed of items users can then buy, and no two people’s recommendations are the same. “AI is simply the ability to understand consumer behaviour and act on it,” says Bornstein, the former chief operating officer of personal styling service Stitch Fix. “The problem with e-commerce is that the infrastructure doesn’t exist to do that today. You need to rebuild the tech stack.”

drones, Science & Technology News

Manufacturing drone wings with locust wing capabilities

July 9, 2021

by Bob Yirka

3D printed locust-inspired forewing preparation process from left to right: actual locust forewing, finalized 50 μm PVC reinforced forewing prototype (CF-PETG-1), venation pattern mould, 3D printed forewing exoskeleton, and the measured average profile thickness. Credit: Royal Society Open Science

A team of researchers from the University of Lincoln in the U.S. and Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Guangzhou University, both in China, has developed a way to manufacture drone wings with locust wing properties, allowing drones to glide for long distances. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes how they developed their technique and how well it worked when tested.

Aviation, Science & Technology News

All roads lead to flying cars by 2030

July 9, 2021

Cars could be taking to the air towards the end of this decade, according to Michael Cole, chief executive for European operations at world-leading South Korean automaker Hyundai.

Addressing a conference organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, a trade association for the UK motor industry, Cole said that Hyundai has made some “very significant investments” in urban air mobility.

However, it will take some time before these plans get off the ground, he said.

Science & Technology News, SpaceX

ELON MUSK SAYS UPCOMING SPACEX STARSHIP CAN ‘FLY AROUND SPACE AND CHOMP UP DEBRIS’

July 8, 2021

Elon Musk says SpaceX can fly around space and “chomp up debris” with its upcoming Starship craft.

Starship is central to many of SpaceX’s aims, and continues to be under development. It hopes to eventually use it to carry people to space, the Moon and further, and it has conducted a number of often spectacular tests.

But it comes at the same time as SpaceX and other companies face criticism over their contribution to “space debris”, which can block out the view of the sky and poses a threat as it fills up the sky. Numerous experts have warned that the growing number of satellites and other materials above the Earth could possibly cause a disastrous collision.

Its Starlink space internet satellites, for instance, have faced both criticism and risk from the increasing number of satellites they share the sky with. They have been attacked by astronomers who argue that they are crowding out the view of the sky, and have been forced to change orbit to avoid the risk of collisions.

But Mr Musk has said on Twitter that the company could also help fix that problem, using its Starship to pick up that litter from the sky.

Science & Technology News, Space Flight

Dragonfly Titan Octocopter Mission Next in Line to Use a Nuclear Generator

July 8, 2021

By Daniel Patrascu

Now that NASA has proven helicopter flight can be achieved in alien atmospheres, there are green lights across the board for the Dragonfly mission. That would be the octocopter the American space agency plans on sending to Saturn’s moon Titan in search of, well, life, of course.

The mission is set to depart in 2027, one year later than initially planned, and land on Titan in 2035. It will be tasked with spending its next three years hopping from place to place and collecting samples, from its initial landing spot in the Shangri-La dune fields to exotic places like the Selk impact crater, for a total distance of about 108 miles (175 km).

AI, Science & Technology News

Israel Just Used Fully AI Controlled Drone Swarms in a World First

July 8, 2021

A swarm of drones could launch attacks on their own

By Ameya Paleja

The system is fed with data from satellites, other reconnaissance drones, aerial vehicles, and intel collected by the ground unit.

In July 2019, unidentified drones swarmed the US Navy destroyers, triggering an alert. In May of 2021, Israel allowed the use of drone swarms to locate, identify, and attack Hamas militants, in what is likely the first-ever use of drone swarms in combat.

Last month, we had reported that Israel deployed a semi-autonomous robot during the recent Gaza conflict. Carrying a machine gun, this robot named Jaguar, was capable of driving to a designated location, returning fire, and even self-destructing when compromised. However, the robot needed a human operator to initiate the firing from the machine gun.

A fully autonomous drone swarm is a different level of technology altogether. It is a networked entity that is not controlled by human operators at all. Operated by artificial intelligence (AI), it can continue its mission, even if loses some drones during its mission. The machine learning system is fed with data sourced from satellites, other reconnaissance drones, and aerial vehicles, as well as intel collected by ground units.

brain-computer interfaces, Science & Technology News

Inbrain Neuroelectronics Believes Its Chips Could Outperform Elon Musk’s Neuralink

July 7, 2021

By Nica Osorio
KEY POINTS

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has a new competitor
It’s a startup company called Inbrain Neuroelectronics
It says its chips are made of one of the strongest materials ever tested
It aims to cure brain disorders using its technology

A Spanish startup company called Inbrain Neuroelectronics believes its chips could outperform Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brainchild.

In April, Musk said that Neutralink, which develops brain-machine interfaces, could transition from implanting chips in monkeys to embedding them in humans within 2021. But Inbrain Neuroelectronics, which specializes in brain implants made of graphene, thinks its chip could do better.

Apple, Science & Technology News

Apple’s car obsession is all about taking eyes off the road

July 7, 2021

By REED STEVENSON AND MARK GURMAN

At first glance, the forays Apple Inc., Google and other technology giants are making into the world of cars don’t appear to be particularly lucrative.

Building automobiles requires factories, equipment and an army of people to design and assemble large hunks of steel, plastic and glass. That all but guarantees slimmer profits. The world’s top 10 carmakers had an operating margin of just 5.2% in 2020, a fraction of the 34% enjoyed by the tech industry’s leaders, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

But for Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn’t just about breaking into a new market — it’s about defending valuable turf.

“Why are tech companies pushing into autonomous driving? Because they can, and because they have to,” said Chris Gerdes, co-director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University. “There are business models that people aren’t aware of.”

A market projected to top $2 trillion by 2030 is hard to ignore. By then, more than 58 million vehicles globally are expected to be driving themselves. And Big Tech has the means — from artificial intelligence and massive data, to chipmaking and engineering — to disrupt this century-old industry.

Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News

The EV Boom Is Coming Much Earlier Than Expected

July 7, 2021

By Felicity Bradstock

The electric vehicle (EV) boom is now expected to come five years earlier than originally anticipated, in 2033, according to new research.

Based on new Ernst & Young AI analysis for supply and demand, experts are suggesting that EV sales will surpass those of traditional vehicles by 2033, with Europe reaching this point in 2028, China by 2033, and the U.S. by 2036. The research suggests that non-EV sales could plummet to as low as 1 percent of total vehicle sales by 2045.

While Europe will be the first to achieve record EV sales, due to increasing vehicle demand China will likely lead the way through to 2050.

Pressure from governments across Europe and in China for companies to meet green policy expectations means increasing fees for car manufacturers buying and selling gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. The goal of net-zero has spread around the globe, meaning many automakers are making the switch earlier than anticipated.

Electric Vehicles, Science & Technology News

It’s Official: US Government Says Electric Vehicles Cost 40% Less To Maintain

July 7, 2021

The latest information from the US government shows battery electric cars cost less to maintain than conventional cars, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids.

By Steve Hanley

We have heard it over and over again — electric vehicles cost less to own. The reasons are fairly obvious. A vehicle with an internal combustion engine and transmission has about 10,000 parts whirling around in order to make it go. A battery electric car has less than 10. Fewer parts means fewer things that require servicing which in turn means paying less money to technicians to keep our transportation devices running.

While we understand intuitively that electric vehicles should be less expensive to maintain, now there’s proof. The US government operates the largest vehicle fleet in the world, so it stands to reason it should know a thing or two about how much it costs to keep them all running.

Agriculture, Science & Technology News

Tiny, needle-like sensors inserted into plants are the latest addition to precision agriculture

July 7, 2021

Using microneedles, a technology borrowed from medicine, researchers mine real-time data to make farming hyper-efficient—and more sustainable

By Emma Bryce

What if we could closely track the health of plants, the way we use a monitor to track a human heartbeat? Researchers have moved us closer to this goal, with a new type of microsensor that can be inserted into the leaves and stems of crops to directly monitor information about their health and productivity.

This is one of the most recent innovations to come out of precision agriculture, a field of research and technological development that aims to gather as much data as possible on the optimal growing conditions for plants – typically using technologies like soil sensors and camera-fitted drones. Gathering this information could increase the efficiency of fertilizer and water to cut back on waste, pollution, and emissions. By finding out exactly what crops need, precision agriculture could also increase yields, which would have the added benefit of maximising land use and limiting agricultural expansion — one of the biggest threats to wild habitat, and a contributor to climate change.

The researchers on the new study think their newly-developed sensors — tiny, needle-like structures made of polymers, which are inserted into plants — could be a powerful addition to the precision agriculture toolbox.

AI, Science & Technology News

How AI Is Bringing Intelligence to TV Screens

July 6, 2021

By Daniel Elad

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been creating quite a stir across all industries, including the Connected TV (CTV) realm. In fact, it has already switched from being an attribute of siloed players to become something most actors dip their toes into.

While AI-driven data mining helps build predictions and foresee peoples’ attitudes to video content, machine learning algorithms segment viewers according to their habits. With such a slew of capabilities, no wonder AI has received a warm welcome in the CTV space.