Impact Lab – Page 357 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Chinese driverless car firm WeRide launches ‘Robovan’ for autonomous deliveries

September 19, 2021

WeRide’s Robovan, an autonomous vehicle designed for urban logistics. WeRide has partnered with automaker Jiangling Motors and delivery firm ZTO Express, for the Robovan project.

By Arjun Kharpal

KEY POINTS

Chinese autonomous driving start-up WeRide has partnered with Jiangling Motors and delivery firm ZTO Express to launch a self-driving cargo van for logistics.
WeRide CEO Tony Han said he expects “tens of thousands” of the Robovan to be deployed in the future.
WeRide is one of China’s autonomous driving start-ups, valued at around $3.3 billion, and has been testing robotaxis since 2019.

GUANGZHOU, China — Chinese autonomous driving start-up WeRide has partnered with a top carmaker and delivery company to launch a self-driving cargo van.

The strategic partnership between WeRide, automaker Jiangling Motors (JMC) and delivery firm ZTO Express, aims to commercialize and mass produce the “Robovan” for urban logistics.

Nissan-backed WeRide makes autonomous driving systems for various vehicles. Since 2019, it has been testing robotaxis, or autonomous cabs, on the streets of Guangzhou, China where it is headquartered. The company opened the service to members of the public last year in limited areas of the city.

Health & Fitness

Synthetic biology enables microbes to build muscle

September 19, 2021

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a synthetic chemistry approach to polymerize proteins inside of engineered microbes. This enabled the microbes to produce the high molecular weight muscle protein, titin, which was then spun into fibers. In the future, such material could be used for clothing, or even for protective gear. Credit: Washington University in St. Louis

Would you wear clothing made of muscle fibers? Use them to tie your shoes or even wear them as a belt? It may sound a bit odd, but if those fibers could endure more energy before breaking than cotton, silk, nylon, or even Kevlar, then why not?

Don’t worry, this muscle could be produced without harming a single animal.

Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a synthetic chemistry approach to polymerize proteins inside of engineered microbes. This enabled the microbes to produce the high molecular weight muscle protein, titin, which was then spun into fibers.

Their research was published Monday, August 30 in the journal Nature Communications.

AI

Yext Launches AI-Powered Doctor Finder Solution To Make Searching For Healthcare Providers A Seamless Experience

September 19, 2021

The solution enables healthcare organizations to match patients to the right provider by understanding the meaning behind what they’re searching for online.

Yext, Inc. the AI Search Company, announced the availability of “Find-a-Doc,” an AI-powered search solution for healthcare organizations to improve the pre-appointment patient experience. Built on Answers, Yext’s revolutionary search platform, Find-a-Doc enables patients to quickly and easily identify the right provider for their needs on a healthcare organization’s website.

When a patient searches for a specific doctor specialty, insurance type, and other criteria, Find-a-Doc will rely on advanced natural language processing (NLP) to actually understand the patient’s query and return the doctors that match their criteria — complete with headshots, contact information, and helpful prompts like “make an appointment” and “get directions.” Unlike traditional doctor finder tools, Yext’s solution does not limit a patient to the criteria they can input — rather, it allows for freedom and flexibility so patients can search for exactly what they need in natural language.

Driverless cars

Honda to start testing self-driving car service in Japan

September 17, 2021

Honda has just announced that it will be starting a trial programme for autonomous vehicles in Japan, which will take place in Utsunomiya City and Haga Town in the Tochigi Prefecture. The move is a step towards realising an autonomous vehicle mobility service (Maas) business in the country, which Honda is planning to launch together with Cruise (a developer for self-driving cars) and General Motors.

During the first phase, Honda will deploy a high-definition mapping vehicle (pictured above) to create a highly detailed digital version of the trial city. This will allow the Cruise AV autonomous vehicle to be driven on public roads and self-adapt to traffic environments, as well as relevant Japanese laws and regulations.

Driverless cars

Mobileye self-driving taxis heading to public roads next year

September 17, 2021

The Intel subsidiary’s Mobileye Drive autonomous system will undergo public testing in Germany and Israel in 2022.

By Craig Cole

Self-driving vehicles are the holy grail for automakers. And while there are no autonomous cars or trucks available today, practically every OEM and supplier, plus a constellation of other companies are hard at work making them a reality. Moving one step closer to a hands-free future, Mobileye, a subsidiary of computer chip titan Intel, unveiled a new robotaxi at the IAA show in Munich on Tuesday.

Based on the Chinese Nio ES8 all-electric, six-passenger SUV, the Mobileye AV is the first production autonomous car fitted with the firm’s self-driving system. The company calls this Mobileye Drive, and it’s a Level 4 autonomous system, meaning it does not require human interaction in the vast majority of situations. To enable this, the Mobileye AV has 13 cameras, plus three long-range lidar sensors, six short-range lidar arrays and half a dozen radar units — probably more high-tech hardware than a jet fighter.

Tying all this advanced hardware together are eight of the company’s EyeQ 5 system-on-a-chip integrated circuits, which are part of Mobileye’s AVKit58 system. This is the first time Mobileye Drive has been fitted to vehicles used for driverless, ride-hailing services, an important milestone for the company.

The Mobileye AV will undergo real-world testing in Munich and Tel Aviv next year. During use, trained safety drivers will monitor the vehicles as they operate autonomously. German law currently allows these vehicles to drive themselves, but regulations still require that a human be present to keep watch over everything. Curiously, these fleets of robotaxis will not be geofenced, meaning they can drive just about anywhere. Mobileye’s crowdsourced mapping helps enable this impressive flexibility.

drones

These are the next-gen hydrogen-powered drones Hyundai is working on

September 17, 2021

By Ishveena Singh

Hyundai Motor Group says it wants to become completely carbon neutral by 2045. To achieve this goal, the company is making investments in cleaner transportation and greener energy solutions. Among other things, these investments would include a couple of next-generation drone platforms.

Hyundai’s drone plans combine both ground-based uncrewed autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility solutions. The drones will utilize what Hyundai is calling a “Fuel Cell e-Bogie.” Inspired from the rail industry, these Fuel Cell e-Bogies will house a fully enclosed system with hydrogen fuel cell propulsion and independent four-wheel steering.

Games

When playing video games becomes a full-time job

September 17, 2021

The digital economy has created a new market that can turn a love of online gaming into a profitable occupation through titles such as Axie Infinity and The Sandbox

By JORGE G. GARCÍA

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the transformation of many sectors and video games is one of them. For some players, spending a few hours playing for fun is a thing of the past. Some people may think the rise of e-sports has already changed the face of gaming from a pastime to a career, but what has been happening over the past few months goes even further. Games such as Axie Infinity, CrytpoKitiies and The Sandbox have created a new digital market that has transformed entertainment into cash. And not because they sell millions of copies, but because blockchain has allowed cryptocurrencies to become the focal point of these games, known as crypto games.

Axie Infinity, the main driver of this revolution, is the easiest example to understand how this new economic activity works. It is similar to Pokémon, with players collecting, training, feeding, buying and trading “axies,” which are loosely inspired by the axolotl. The idea of the game is to obtain these characters with small love potions, which are used to feed them. Via blockchain technology, these potions have been turned into a cryptocurrency known as Smooth Love Potion (SLP), which can be used to trade on the digital market. The best players can earn up to 1,500 SLP (around $470, €400) a day.5.4KDIRECTO | PEDRO SÁNCHEZ se reúne con los LÍDERES EUROPEOS en GRECIA

But this explanation is incomplete without mentioning NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which have already revolutionized the world of art and collectors. The first-ever tweet recently sold for $2.5 million (€2.13 million) and practically anything collectable can be obtained with NFT, which makes perfect sense if the project to create metaverses becomes reality. A metaverse is a universe built in cyberspace that can be accessed via virtual reality and in which, in an ideal world, people can travel through different shared experiences with millions of other users.

Aviation

Radically New Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology to Transform Aviation, Backed by USAF

September 16, 2021

by Otilia Drăgan

As exciting as green air mobility sounds, it’s largely dependent on the development of battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology. Without the continuous improvement of these technologies, innovative types of aircraft, such as vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (VTOLs), won’t be able to operate on a large scale. 6 photos

According to research cited by HyPoint, a company that’s developing hydrogen fuel cell systems for aeronautics, the global hydrogen aircraft market is estimated to grow rapidly within the next decades, getting from $27 billion in 2030 to $174 billion by 2040. On the other hand, studies also show that the eVTOL market is growing just as fast, so it makes sense to predict that developing hydrogen fuel cells for eVTOLs is becoming increasingly important.

HyPoint has just taken an important step in this direction, by partnering with Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, a rotorcraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms manufacturer, for the development of a certified hydrogen fuel cell system for eVTOLs. The $6.5 million agreement is focused on Piasecki’s PA-890 compound helicopter, which is set to become the world’s first hydrogen-powered manned helicopter.

Medical Breakthrough

Researchers develop a prototype of electronic nose

September 16, 2021

By University of Notre Dame

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning.

But how does one measure that smell?

There’s no energy in a smell to help estimate how potent the coffee might be. Instead, it’s the gases emitted from brewed coffee that contribute to the invigorating scent.

The human nose captures those gases in a way that Nosang Vincent Myung, the Bernard Keating Crawford Professor of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, is working to duplicate in a device with sensors.

He and his team have developed a prototype of an electronic nose, using nanoengineered materials to tune the sensitivity and selectivity to mimic the performance and capabilities of a human nose.

Driverless vehicles

Audi’s Grandsphere concept EV is a self-driving living room on wheels

September 16, 2021

The less you drive this luxury sedan, the more you’ll enjoy it.

By J. Fingas

If Audi’s Skysphere concept is a driver’s car with an autonomous option, the company’s follow-up is the polar opposite. The automaker has introduced a Grandsphere concept electric sedan that uses Level 4 self-driving (full autonomy in limited conditions) to help you avoid driving “whenever possible” — this is a luxurious living room that just happens to let you take the wheel.

Invoke the driverless mode and the Grandsphere will ‘reduce’ the wheel and pedals to make it clear you’re supposed to relax. The displays are really projections on wooden surfaces that adapt based on whether or not you’re driving — you can watch media or participate in video conferences. While Audi’s familiar MMI controls are available in an upright seating position, you can use eye tracking and gestures to navigate the infotainment system while you’re reclining. VR glasses in the armrests help you immerse yourself in entertainment during your commute.

Robots

Headless, Two-Legged Robot Digit Is Now Ready to Take Over Your Duties

September 15, 2021

by Cristina Mircea

It was “born” in 2019 when its creator, Agility Robotics, first introduced it as a highly-capable robot with legs and arms, suited for both indoor and outdoor use. Now Digit is available for purchase and ready to take over your tedious duties. 7 photos

Digit is a strange-looking humanoid. It is headless, but it has fully functional arms, legs, and a somewhat athletic body. As well it should since Agility Robotics aims to create a fleet of robots that can free humans of their tedious and exhausting tasks, so they can focus on the creativity and decision-making side of things.

The company claims it built Digit as a machine that can work in environments designed for humans. It is why it can climb stairs, navigate autonomously, and perform a variety of tasks with its strong arms.

Robots

Inside NASA’s vision to control space stations with autonomous robots

September 15, 2021

Our future in space may see ISAAC control space stations, as well as space colonies on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

“What would happen if an astronaut were to lose a sock inside an air vent?” you may wonder. Well wonder no further, as an Astrobee robot named Bumble solved that very test aboard the International Space Station in April 2021.

Engineers provided the small, cube-shaped robotic attendant with a (fictional) warning of a buildup of carbon dioxide aboard the station. (Such an event in real life could quickly prove dangerous for humans aboard the orbiting outpost).

Bumble quickly traveled to an air recirculation vent, identifying the “blockage” — a picture of a sock, standing in for the real thing. The electronic aide-de-camp then called for human assistance in removing the blockage.

The second test for Bumble involved creating a high-resolution map of Bay 6 of the space station’s Japanese Exploration Module. While doing so, the fluttering cyborg encountered cables around which it had to navigate, while encountering “interruptions” in its communications with ground controllers.

Bumble performed its tasks successfully, along with a little help from humans back on Earth.