Impact Lab – Page 349 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

This smart white cane works like a self-driving car

October 27, 2021

A new, affordable smart cane guides people with visual impairments safely and efficiently through their environments, say researchers.

Most know the white cane as a simple but crucial tool that assists people with visual impairments in making their way through the world.

Using tools from autonomous vehicles, the research team built the augmented cane, which helps people detect and identify obstacles, move easily around those objects, and follow routes both indoors and out.

The augmented cane is not the first smart cane.

Research sensor canes can be heavy and expensive—weighing up to 50 pounds with a cost of around $6,000. Currently available sensor canes are technologically limited, only detecting objects right in front of the user.

The new cane sports cutting-edge sensors, weighs only three pounds, can be built at home from off-the-shelf parts, and free, open-source software, and costs $400.

Alternative Transportation

Israeli startup AIR unveils flying vehicle to be used ‘like cars’

October 27, 2021

A rendition of the AIR ONE, a two-seater electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle

By Nick Carey

LONDON (Reuters) – Israeli startup AIR on Tuesday unveiled its first “easy-to-operate” electric, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that it aims to sell directly to consumers predominantly in the United States starting in 2024.

AIR has been working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for two years and expects to obtain certification by the end of 2023 for the AIR ONE, a two-seater, 970 kg (2,138 lb) eVTOL, which will have a flight range of 110 miles (177 km), Chief Executive Rani Plaut told Reuters.

AIR raised seed funding of under $10 million last year and has been running unmanned tests of its vehicle. It is building prototype models and expects to sell its eVTOLs for around the same price as an expensive car, Plaut said, without providing more precise details.

An increasing number of investors and aviation companies have piled into the hot but yet-to-be-approved urban air mobility space and the number of eVTOL startups has proliferated.

Space Flight

A 3D-printed Rocket is Heading to Space in 2022, May Help Humans in Their Quest to Mars

October 27, 2021

Once its 3D printing technology is perfected, the startup intends to make it available for the bases and colonies that could one day be established on the planet Mars. (Credits: Relativity Space©, Relativity Space Terran 1 Terran R)

The 3D printing platform can print metal parts up to three meters in diameter and seven meters high. The 3D printer in question is equipped with an impressive robotic arm capable of printing these huge parts in a few days.

In a major first, American startup Relativity Space is working on two different models of entirely 3D-printed rockets! Currently in the testing phase, Terran 1 is scheduled to be launched into space in early 2022. Relativity Space’s ambition is to set up a fast and autonomous 3D production system that could one day even help humans in their missions on Mars. Faced with tough, established competitors such as SpaceX (a NASA partner) and Blue Origin, Relativity Space plans to set itself apart with its ability to build fully 3D-printed modules. The startup is betting on a radically simplified production chain, capable of building a rocket with 100 times fewer parts than the competition, and in just 60 days.

Space

NASA is trying to build a Wi-Fi network on the Moon!

October 27, 2021

By Kaitlyn Kubrick

In addition to the Artemis project, which NASA introduced last year, it will shed light on today’s problems with the Wi-Fi it will create on the Moon.

The Artemis program, introduced by NASAlast year, aims to land a human on the Moonfor the first time since 1972. Another detail about this exciting operation has emerged. According to the study, which we have just learned to be developed, NASA aims to fluctuate Wi-Fi signals on the Moon for many purposes.

AI

AI quickly identifies genetic causes of disease in newborns

October 25, 2021

By Julie Kiefer
An artificial intelligence-based technology rapidly diagnoses rare disorders in critically ill children with high accuracy, according to a report by scientists from University of Utah Health and Fabric Genomics, collaborators on a study led by Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. The benchmark finding, published in Genomic Medicine, foreshadows the next phase of medicine, where technology helps clinicians quickly determine the root cause of disease so they can give patients the right treatment sooner.

“This study is an exciting milestone demonstrating how rapid insights from AI-powered decision support technologies have the potential to significantly improve patient care,” says Mark Yandell, co-corresponding author on the paper. Yandell is a professor of human genetics and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair at U of U Health, and a founding scientific advisor to Fabric Genomics.

Worldwide, about 7 million infants are born with serious genetic disorders each year. For these children, life usually begins in intensive care. A handful of NICUs in the U.S., including at U of U Health,are now searching for genetic causes of disease by reading, or sequencing, the 3 billion DNA letters that make up the human genome. While it takes hours to sequence the whole genome, it can take days or weeks of computational and manual analysis to diagnose the illness.

For some infants, that is not fast enough, Yandell says. Understanding the cause of the newborn’s illness is critical for effective treatment. Arriving at a diagnosis within the first 24 to 48 hours after birth gives these patients the best chance to improve their condition. Knowing that speed and accuracy are essential, Yandell’s group worked with Fabric to develop the new Fabric GEM algorithm, which incorporates AI to find DNA errors that lead to disease.

Electric Automobile

iPhone Manufacturer Foxconn Introduces Electric Car Prototypes

October 25, 2021

Foxconn: Taiwan-based semiconductor giant Foxconn has announced three new electric car prototypes. These prototypes appeared as a sedan, an SUV and a bus. The prototypes announced by the company will be launched in Taiwan in the near future. However, this development may herald much bigger events in the electric car industry. Foxconn, one of the most important suppliers of US-based technology Apple, announced its electric motor car prototypes at an event. While the announced models are an SUV, a sedan and a bus, according to the statements made by the company, an investment of 35 billion dollars will be made in the next 5 years.

Prototype vehicles produced by Foxconn will not be released under the company’s own brand. So end consumers will never see Foxconn branded vehicles. However, the vehicles produced by Foxconn will be sold with the cooperation to be made, especially with Taiwanese companies. The most striking aspect of the statements made is that the sedan model will be released this year. Buses will start to be used in some cities in 2022 as a result of agreements with the government. The SUV model will go on sale in 2023 under the “Yulon” brand.

Robots, Science & Technology News

World’s first ‘human-like’ robot nurse to care for elderly: ‘Feeling of connection’

October 25, 2021

A REVOLUTIONARY new ‘robot’ nurse designed to look and act like a human being, and capable of solving complex problems, is one of the star guests at a conference on Alternative Intelligence in California.

By CIARAN MCGRATH

And one of the scientists behind the pioneering technology said the “nursing assistant” machine, named Grace, designed to provide help and companionship to elderly people – will even be able to discuss the weather with them. Grace will make just her second public appearance at the 14th Conference on Artificial General Intelligence, alongside Dr Ben Goertzel, the founder of AI research company SingularityNET.

She is described by the company as the “little sister” of Sophia, a “social humanoid robot” developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and activated in 2016.

Janet Adams, Chief Operating Officer at SingularityNET, told Express.co.uk: “Grace’s hardware is based on the same Hanson Robotics platform as Sophia.

“However, their AI software is quite different.”

Tom Frey

Futurati Podcast Ep. 56: Joel Comm on blockchain, NFTs, and cryptoassets.

October 26, 2021

By Thomas Frey and Trent Fowler

Watch on Youtube

Listen on the Futurati Podcast website

Joel tries to position his two shows as crypto news and commentary for the everyman. When he first heard about bitcoin and bitcoin mining in 2012, the concept didn’t resonate with him. The idea of mining with a computer seemed asinine, and he paid it little attention.

It wasn’t until a conversation with a friend in 2017 that he really understood the transformative potential of the blockchain, an experience which reminded him of encountering the internet in 1995.

This reminded Thomas of a technique he teaches in his “Future Like a Boss Course” called ‘attractionary futuristics’. This involves trying to identify high-probability, high-impact developments in the future and building towards them today.

(For more on how futurism is done see Futurati Podcast interviews with Woody Wade and Peter Leyden)

Thomas then asked Joel when he thinks major retailers like Amazon or Walmart will start accepting Bitcoin. Joel was surprised they haven’t done so already, especially given the fact that El Salvador now accepts it as legal tender, but he suspects we’ll be in the early stages of more widespread adoption in five or six years.

Joel takes a dim view of financial institutions like banks and thinks they’ll start accepting payments in cryptocurrencies when they have no other choice. He does think that day is coming, though, and Thomas speculated that as soon as 2030 there could be mortgages or loans being denominated in cryptoassets.

Thomas notes that much of what drove the early development of cryptocurrency technology were philosophical libertarians with a penchant for writing code. Today, many of those same people have driven the move into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse.

Joel derided those who lack the vision to see the potential of these technologies as being the same people who thought Jeff Bezos was a fool for selling books out of his garage.

Robotics

Robot Factory Making Robots in Shanghai to Start Production in 2022

October 24, 2021

Robot factory that makes robots in Shanghai will start production

In the factory of Swiss technology giant ABB, which is under construction in Shanghai, “robot-making robot” will be produced. Peter Voser, Chairman of the Board of ABB, said in a statement that the robot factory in Shanghai, which has invested a total of 150 million dollars, will start production in the first quarter of 2022. The factory, built on an area of 67 thousand square meters, will be among the most advanced, automatic and flexible production centers of the robotics industry.

The factory will become a state-of-the-art hub where robots build robots. Production at the factory will be based on cellular automation with robots moving from station to station, providing flexibility with greater customization compared to traditional, linear manufacturing systems.

Employment

The 10 fastest-growing science and technology jobs of the next decade

October 24, 2021

By Morgan Smith

While the coronavirus pandemic has battered some industries, others have thrived despite the ongoing crisis, including technology and science. In fact, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for jobs in math, science and technology will continue to surge over the next decade.

Hiring in the computer and information technology fields has faster projected growth between 2020 and 2030 than all other fields. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that demand for these workers stems from companies’ “greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, and information security.” https://36fb0f20cce80f27104950e6c539a9f4.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html?n=0

The coronavirus pandemic has expedited demand for other science and technology roles as well, including epidemiologists and information security analysts. “The prevalence of remote work has created additional need for network security and operations support,” Megan Slabinski, the district president for global talent solutions at recruitment firm Robert Half, tells CNBC Make It. Slabinski specializes in recruiting for technology positions.

Electric Vehicles

Michigan plans to build the country’s first wireless EV charging road

October 23, 2021

By Jena Brooker

Will it work?

To help Michigan reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced last month that the state will construct the nation’s first wireless electric vehicle charging road — a one-mile stretch in the Metro Detroit area.

“Michigan was home to the first mile of paved road, and now we’re paving the way for the roads of tomorrow,” Whitmer said in a press release, “with innovative infrastructure that will support the economy and the environment.”

A wireless EV road works like this: As a car drives over it, the vehicle’s battery is charged by pads or coils built under the surface of the street using magnetic induction. It doesn’t give the car a full charge, but it helps add some additional mileage to a vehicle before its next complete powering up.

The project is still in the very early stages: The Michigan Department of Transportation began accepting proposals for the project on September 28. Until one is selected, it’s unknown exactly where the road will be, what it will look like, the precise cost, or how soon it could be operational. But some are questioning whether the project is worth it. Is it the best use of funds in a state with poor transit and crumbling infrastructure? And how will it even work, particularly in a place with harsh weather extremes like the Midwest?

“It’s just not feasible or economically viable,” said Chris Mi, chair of the electrical and computer engineering department at San Diego State University who is an expert on electric vehicle charging. A one-mile demonstration is doable, he told Grist, but at the larger scale there are several practical and economic barriers.

Space Flight

Space Perspective raises $40 million for stratospheric ballooning system

October 23, 2021

With its new $40 million Series A round, Space Perspective says it is fully funded through the start of commercial operations of its stratospheric ballooning system, currently projected to be in late 2024.

by Jeff Foust

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Space Perspective, a company developing a stratospheric ballooning system intended to give people views like those from space, has raised $40 million to fund the company through the start of commercial operations.

Space Perspective announced Oct. 14 the Series A round, led by Prime Movers Lab, a “deep technology” venture capital fund. Several existing investors joined the round, along with new investors LightShed Ventures, a consumer and media VC fund, and Explorer 1 Fund, a new commercial space VC fund.

“We firmly believe that Space Perspective is the best-positioned company to democratize space tourism,” Anton Brevde, partner at Prime Movers Lab and a member of the board of Space Perspective, said in statement. “It’s clear that there is massive consumer demand to explore this final frontier, and we believe Space Perspective will provide the most accessible way for travelers to experience space.”

Space Perspective will use the funding to complete development of its Spaceship Neptune stratospheric balloon system, featuring a capsule designed to carry eight passengers and a pilot to an altitude of 30 kilometers. The capsule will spend two hours at that altitude before slowly descending to an ocean splashdown.