Impact Lab – Page 426 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

VW developing mobile robot to automate charging

January 11, 2021

VW-developing-mobile-robot-automate-charging-1 — Volkswagen mobile robot charging prototype

In a world where cars are able to drive themselves, the question of how they will be refueled often comes up.

In the case of electric vehicles, we’ve already seen some solutions for automatic charging, and the latest from Volkswagen is among the most impressive.

The German automaker on Monday unveiled a prototype for a mobile charging robot that looks like it might have been a prop on a “Star Wars” movie. However, the solution not only solves the problem of how to charge an EV when there’s no driver present, but also how to charge multiple cars in a garage that doesn’t have the infrastructure in place for charging in individual bays.

The robot transports a mobile battery to and from a waiting car and a central charging dock. When called via an app or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, it autonomously travels to the car and then connects the battery via an extending arm. The robot then leaves the battery to charge the car and drives off to connect up another waiting car, and returns later to remove the depleted battery.

Science & Technology News

12 of the Biggest Fashion Trends of 2020 (And 3 That Couldn’t Stand the Test of Time)

January 10, 2021

By Abby Hepworth

This past year has been like no other in recent memory. Almost nothing about 2020—from our obsession with Joe Exotic to the rise of face mask chains—was at all expected. So, of course, very little about the fashion trends from the past 12 months felt normal or predictable, either. Sweatpants became not just acceptable but fashionable, and multiple ‘90s styles made their triumphant return to our closets. With the help of data gathered by the global shopping platform Lyst and our very own fashion coverage , we compiled a list of the biggest fashion trends of 2020. Here, the good, the bad, the confusing and the cashmere bras that filled our closets this year.

Farming, Science & Technology News

2-Acre Vertical Farm Run By AI And Robots Out-Produces 720-Acre Flat Farm

January 9, 2021

Andrea D. Steffen

2-acre-vertical-farm-run-by-AI-out-produces-flat-farm-1

Plenty is an ag-tech startup in San Francisco, co-founded by Nate Storey, that is reinventing farms and farming. Storey, who is also the company’s chief science officer, says the future of farms is vertical and indoors because that way, the food can grow anywhere in the world, year-round; and the future of farms employ robots and AI to continually improve the quality of growth for fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Plenty does all these things and uses 95% less water and 99% less land because of it.

In recent years, farmers on flat farms have been using new tools for making farming better or easier. They’re using drones and robots to improve crop maintenance, while artificial intelligence is also on the rise, with over 1,600 startups and total investments reaching tens of billions of dollars. Plenty is one of those startups. However, flat farms still use a lot of water and land, while a Plenty vertical farm can produce the same quantity of fruits and vegetables as a 720-acre flat farm, but on only 2 acres!

AI, Science & Technology News

AI can now help us detect disease at its earliest stages

January 9, 2021

ByCRAIG VENTER

AI-can-dectec-disease-earliest-stage — Combining genomics, MRI scans and artificial intelligence will usher in a new era in healthcare

In many countries, Covid-19 has spread because of a popular scepticism about science, a political manipulation of data and an abundance of inaccurate information, spread in large part on social media but fuelled at some of the highest levels of governments. In 2021, we will understand that only by developing new, science-based approaches to disease detection will we avoid similar future catastrophes.

My own country, the United States, has already provided a live demonstration of this fact. States that enforced practices such as social isolation/distancing, hand washing and use of sanitisers and face masks have had the lowest per capita rates of Covid-19 infection, averaging around 100 to 200 cases per 100,000 people. Compare that figure to the 2,300 per 100,000 people in states that did not enforce these measures.

Reconnecting science with healthcare will have impressive results. One weakness of the world’s response to the pandemic has been its unwillingness to use science to predict vulnerabilities in individuals before they become ill. Not only have many countries been reluctant to perform widespread testing on people who show no Covid-19 symptoms, but they have also been caught seemingly by surprise when pre-existing conditions have exacerbated the disease. In 2021, we will see the application of a multimodal testing approach to detect propensities to diseases in people at very early stages.

City Planning, Science & Technology News

How ’15-minute cities’ will change the way we socialise

January 9, 2021

By Peter Yeung

A new urban planning model will change the French capital – and could provide a template for how to create stronger local communities and make residents happier.

For a long time, Solène Fraioli says she “refused to admit” that Paris could be a stressful place. The 29-year-old waitress, who grew up on the city’s outskirts but now lives in a studio in a historic central district, was dazzled by its infinite opportunity – from Monday-night jazz concerts to West African cuisine and capoeira classes. But Fraioli began to recognise that living in the City of Light had certain disadvantages – particularly its frenetic, nonstop energy. “Paris is a city that is always on the move,” she says. “Everyone, all the time, everywhere.”

That conveyor belt of choice came crashing to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic. But for Fraioli, the two-month lockdown that began on 17 March – confining her to a 1km radius of her home – gave her a nuanced, enriching view of her neighbourhood. “I discovered it’s possible to feel like you’re in a small village in Paris,” she says. “To get to know your neighbours, to maintain good links with shopkeepers, to favour local craftsmen and shops over large supermarkets. I even joined a citizens’ movement where people prepare food baskets for homeless people. I thought I would have a hard time living the lockdown, but I was perfectly at home, in a quiet place.”

She’s not the only one who felt this way. “Unexpectedly, this experience strengthened the bonds I had with some people,” says Valentin Jedraszyk, a 25-year-old civil servant living in the south of Paris. “It led me to criss-cross the small streets of my district more than usual and thus to discover magnificent places just a stone’s throw from my home.”

Driverless cars, Science & Technology News

Driverless cars could use lights and sounds to “communicate” with pedestrians

January 9, 2021

VOLVO SAYS PROPOSED DESIGN WOULD USE UNIVERSAL “BODY LANGUAGE” TO REVEAL THE VEHICLE’S INTENDED PATH.

In a move to boost road safety, the self-driving cars of the future may communicate with the pedestrians and cyclists around them through human-inspired modes like intuitive sounds and flashing lights, auto vendor Volvo Cars said Tuesday.

Instead of relying solely on the car’s technology to avoid obstacles, the proposed design would also warn nearby humans of its intended path by using an array of external sounds, lights, and even subtle movements, the Swedish manufacturer said. Volvo is developing the system through its model 360c autonomous concept car, unveiled in 2018 as a platform for testing creative approaches like this safety-focused communication.

Of course, logistics professionals are well acquainted with similar safety tools on existing platforms, such as the backup warning beeps emitted by trucks in reverse gear, or the headlights used by forklifts to warn warehouse employees walking down the same aisle. But Volvo’s planned signals would differ by deploying in reaction to specific targets detected by the vehicle’s sensors, and communicating through a wider vocabulary.

Science & Technology News

APPLE CAR IMAGES, VIDEO SHOWS AN AUTOMOBILE DESIGN INSPIRED BY THE MAGIC MOUSE IN LATEST CONCEPT

January 9, 2021

By Omar Sohail

Apple-car-images-video-show-automobile-inspired-magic-mouse-1 — Top of the Apple Car Shows a Curved, Glossy Finish, Similar to What You’ve Seen on the Magic Mouse

Apple’s self-driving car venture codenamed Project Titan has reportedly been in development since 2014. It was only back in 2017 did the company receive a permit to test out its self-driving cars on California roads. Of course, before it actually releases for the masses, we should expect a boatload of changes, especially when it comes to the design, but this concept inspired by the Magic Mouse could give everyone some ideas. Take a look.

The images and video of the latest concept were made in collaboration with LetsGoDigital and @CConcept Creator and at the top, you’re greeted with a look that’s reminiscent of the Magic Mouse, particularly the one shipping with the iMac Pro. It sports a similar curvature, along with a glossy finish. The concept could have been made with the intention that the Apple Car features an electrochromic glass at the front. That’s just our opinion and if you think this concept was made with something else in mind, let us know down in the comments.

Coronavirus, Science & Technology News

A new biosensor detects COVID-19 antibodies in 10-12 seconds

January 9, 2021

by Advanced Science News | Dec 24, 2020

New-biosensor-detects-covid-19-antibodies-10-seconds — *The testing platform identifies the presence of two antibodies in microliter samples of blood.*

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University report findings on an advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform that detects, within seconds, antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to testing, the platform will help to quantify patient immunological response to the new vaccines with precision.

The results were published this week in the journal Advanced Materials. Carnegie Mellon’s collaborators included the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and the UPMC.

The testing platform identifies antibodies to the spike S1 protein and receptor binding domain (RBD), in a very small drop of blood (about 5 microliters). Antibody concentrations can be extremely low and still detected below one picomolar (0.15 nanograms per milliliter). This detection happens through an electrochemical reaction within a handheld microfluidic device which sends results almost immediately to a simple interface on a smart phone.

AI, Science & Technology News

DeepMind MuZero AI can master games without knowing the rules

January 7, 2021

JC Torres

The holy grail of AI has always been to enable computers to learn the way humans do. The most powerful AIs today, however, still rely on having certain known rules, like rules for a game of chess or Go. Human learning, however, is often messy in inferential, learning the rules of life as we go. DeepMind has long been trying to create such AIs using games as their environment and test suite. Google’s sister company focusing on AI research has just revealed its latest achievement in MuZero, an AI that can master a game without learning the rules beforehand.

DeepMind’s previous AIs like AlphaGo have been widely covered in media for beating human champions in their respective games. Impressive as they may have been, they were still a few steps shy of the ultimate goal. AlphaGo, in particular, had the advantage of knowing not only the rules of Go but also domain knowledge and data from human players. Its successors, AlphaGo Zero and AlphaZero, could still bank on having the rule book to learn from.

While these AIs excelled in games with complex strategies but simple visuals, they failed when applied to more visually complex games where the rules are not so easy to infer. That’s where the new MuZero AI comes in and it uses a selection of Atari games, like Ms. Pac-Man, to test out their theory.

DNA, Science & Technology News

Researchers discover new way to deliver DNA-based therapies for diseases

January 7, 2021

researchers-discover-way-to-deliver-DNA-based-therapies

University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers in the Department of Chemistry have created a new polymer to deliver DNA and RNA-based therapies for diseases. For the first time in the industry, the researchers were able to see exactly how polymers interact with human cells when delivering medicines into the body. This discovery opens the door for more widespread use of polymers in applications like gene therapy and vaccine development.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal.

Gene therapy involves altering the genes inside the body’s cells to treat or cure diseases. It requires a carrier that “packages” the DNA to deliver it into the cell—oftentimes, a virus is used as a carrier. Packaging of nucleic acids is also used in vaccines, such as the recently developed messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine, which is enclosed in a lipid.

The research team is led by chemistry professor Theresa Reineke and associate professor Renee Frontiera. Reineke’s lab synthesizes polymers, which are long-chain molecules that make up plastics, to use for packaging the nucleic acids instead.

“It’s kind of like ordering something from Amazon, and it’s shipped in a box,” Reineke explained. “Things get broken if they’re not delivered in a package. That’s basically what we’re doing here but on a nano-level. We’re taking these really sensitive RNA and DNA cargo that are susceptible to enzymatic degradation, that won’t get to their target unless you have something to protect them.”

Alzheimer's Disease, Science & Technology News

Scientists Invented a Wearable Device That Can Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

January 7, 2021

Erika P.

scientists-invented-wearable-device-alzheimer-disease — Google Glass-like device could help prevent Alzheimer’s Screenshot from YouTube.

A team of scientists from the University of Otago unveiled a new wearable device strapped across the head and produces electrical pulses to arouse the olfactory nerves. That area is usually known to be dysfunctional during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

This Google Glass-like device is fitted with six electrodes placed near the temporal lobe, a part of the brain that controls the organization of sensory input. It is said that this new device will prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Science & Technology News

AI-powered bionic hand promises lifelike dexterity

January 6, 2021

By Dalvin Brown

AI-powered-bionic-hand-promises-lifelike-dexterith-1 — Army Capt. Carey Duval tests the device. (BrainRobotics)

BRAINROBOTICS IS TRYING OUT ITS PROSTHETICS AS IT AWAITS FDA APPROVAL

The hand is undergoing FDA testing, and this month the company is testing the technology with the people it is intended to help.

In today’s world of brain-powered bionic limbs, highly functioning prosthetics are too expensive to reach many people who could benefit from them, researchers in the field say. The BrainRobotics device seeks to be the answer to that, with prices expected to start 30 percent lower than what’s on the market right now.

The hand is undergoing FDA testing, and this month the company is testing the technology with the people it is intended to help.

In today’s world of brain-powered bionic limbs, highly functioning prosthetics are too expensive to reach many people who could benefit from them, researchers in the field say. The BrainRobotics device seeks to be the answer to that, with prices expected to start 30 percent lower than what’s on the market right now.

What primarily sets BrainRobotics’ prosthetic apart from those on the market is its algorithm, which detects minute muscle signals, converts them into hand movements and learns over time.

Harvard-backed BrainCo developed the robotic hand for people like Army Capt. Carey Duval. (BrainRobotics/Biodesigns)