Impact Lab – Page 479 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Economy, Science & Technology News

The autonomous car industry is about to get hammered

May 24, 2020

Today on Speed Lines: The “coronavirus economy” means a huge potential setback for self-driving car tech.

Good morning and welcome back to Speed Lines, The Drive’s morning roundup of what’s going on in the world of transportation. I think it’s Wednesday, although I’m not really sure anymore, let alone what that even means.

A ‘Bumpy Road’ Ahead For Self-Driving Cars.

As I’ve said many times on Speed Lines this year, the pandemic is unique in that it has left virtually no facet of daily life or sector of the economy untouched. It’s already drying up the capital markets, and that’s extremely bad news in the world of autonomous vehicles. Development of that technology is costly for both legacy automakers and new startups, yet there’s still no clear path to widespread deployment or profitability.

Adding semi-autonomous features to your next Cadillac or Volvo is one thing; creating fully robotic cars, and making money while doing so, is another thing. And it may be a pipe dream in this economy.

Continue reading… “The autonomous car industry is about to get hammered”

Automation, Education, Higher Education, Internet, Science & Technology News

Exam anxiety : How remote test-proctoring is creeping students out

May 24, 2020

As schools go remote, so do tests and so does surveillance

The stranger on the Zoom call appeared to be sitting in a tent. He wore a black headset and a blue lanyard around his neck. Behind him was white plastic peppered with pictures of a padlock.

“Hi,” the stranger intoned. “My name is Sharath and I will be your proctor today. Please confirm your name is Jackson and that you’re about to take your 11:30PM exam.”

“Correct,” said Jackson Hayes, from his cinder-block dorm room at the University of Arizona.

When he’d signed up for an online class in Russian cinema history, he’d had no idea it meant being surveilled over video chat by someone on the other side of the world. Hayes learned about it via an item on the class syllabus, released shortly before the semester began, that read “Examity Directions.” The syllabus instructed Hayes and his classmates to sign up for Examity, an online test-proctoring service.

To create his account, Hayes was required to upload a picture of his photo ID to Examity’s website and provide his full name, email, and phone number — pretty banal stuff. But it got weirder. At the end, he typed his name again; Examity would store a biometric template of his keystrokes.

Continue reading… “Exam anxiety : How remote test-proctoring is creeping students out”

Analysis, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Science & Technology News

The average human body temperature is no longer 98.6 F

May 23, 2020

We’re all chilling out, new research shows

One of the most widely accepted standard measurements of the human body, a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, has declined gradually for more than 150 years in the United States by about 1.6% since the pre-industrial era, a new study published in the journal eLife finds. The cooling off owes largely to improvements in health and medicine and in part to increasingly cushy lifestyles, the study’s researchers think.

Many health practitioners are still using the old, inaccurate number of 98.6 F as the presumed norm, which was set by a German physician in 1851.

“Our temperature’s not what people think it is,” says Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and health research at Stanford University School of Medicine and the senior author of the study. “What everybody grew up learning, which is that our normal temperature is 98.6, is wrong.”

Continue reading… “The average human body temperature is no longer 98.6 F”

Coronavirus, Healthcare, Medicine, Science & Technology News

The latest coronavirus antibody test is a lot more accurate

May 23, 2020

Several coronavirus antibody tests have been authorized for public use, but so far their accuracy has been iffy. A new test created by Roche and cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use today, May 3rd, significantly ups the standard.

Roche announced that its test is 100% accurate at detecting coronavirus antibodies and 99.8% accurate at ruling out the presence of those antibodies, meaning only one in 500 tests will get a false positive. Antibody tests use blood samples to assess whether a person had been previously infected, so they’re useful to determine the true spread of coronavirus.

In comparison, the first test the FDA approved for emergency use, created by Cellex, is 93.8% accurate at detecting coronavirus antibodies (this is known as sensitivity), and 95.6% accurate at ruling out the presence of antibodies (known as specificity.) Meanwhile, Premier Biotech’s test has sensitivity of 80.3% and specificity of 99.5%.

Continue reading… “The latest coronavirus antibody test is a lot more accurate”

Aviation, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Transportation

These ‘reverse’ airplane seats could be the new way to fly

May 23, 2020

Though the coronavirus has temporarily reshaped the world we live in and set into place a “new normal,” the pandemic could also have major lasting effects on the way we go about our day-to-day months, or even years, down the road. For example, Avio Interiors, an Italy-based airline design firm, just proposed a new plan for “reverse” airplane seats, which could become the new way to fly in a post-pandemic world.

The design, called “Janus” after the two-faced Roman god, is a new take on the three-seater plan. Rather than all three seats facing toward the front of the plane, the Janus design proposes that the middle seat face backward. This ensures “maximum isolation between passengers seated next to each other,” as Avio Interiors explains in a April 20 Instagram post.

Continue reading… “These ‘reverse’ airplane seats could be the new way to fly”

Coronavirus, Fashion, Healthcare, Science & Technology News

Face mask designed for a surreal future where wearing PPE is humanity’s new norm

May 23, 2020

Whether we like it or not, masks are the new normal at least for the foreseeable future. It is now a universal guideline that everyone has to wear a mask when they step out. Designers, architects, fashion brands all over the world are using their software, laser cutters and 3D printers to make mask production faster (mass-k production, get it?) to fight shortages. New York-based designer Joe Doucet envisions the face shield creatively and takes it from being a symbol of our toughest days to a seamless part of our everyday fashion. When asked what influenced him to create the conceptual face shield, it was this question – how do we encourage the mass adoption of an unwanted necessity?

Due to the longterm effects of COVID-19 on our lives, the way we dress and interact will evolve. Till a vaccine is available globally, we will be governed by the laws of social distancing, and wearing PPE is crucial for our safety and of those around us. Studies show that visors & face shields are more effective than surgical masks but happen to be uncomfortable and obtrusive-looking. The ability to adapt and evolve are also the pillars of good design, so Doucet has designed a face shield that people will actually want to wear instead of feeling awkward or conscious about it. Just like everyone, Doucet is also in quarantine and has been learning new 3D design tools, he says “I modeled these in Fusion 360 and rendered in Blender, no photoshoots happening these days.”

Continue reading… “Face mask designed for a surreal future where wearing PPE is humanity’s new norm”

Coronavirus, Employment, facebook, Google, Science & Technology News

Internet giants to staff: Plan to work from home for 2020

May 22, 2020

Google exec says science drives decision to return to offices

Elon Musk wants people to return to work. Google and Facebook Inc. have another message for their staff: get ready to stay home for all of 2020.

Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google and its parent, Alphabet Inc., told employees on Thursday to prepare to work remotely through October and possibly to the end of the year, according to people familiar with the decision. A spokeswoman confirmed that the majority of staff is expected to work from home until 2021.

Two weeks ago, Pichai wrote an email to his workforce that said some offices would open as soon as June. On Friday, Pichai told employees only about 10% to 15% of the workers would be on-site in June, with more returns varying by division and location, according to an internal memo. About 5% of employees now are working in Google offices, Pichai said. CNBC reported earlier on the memo. Most of the workforce won’t return until at least the end of October, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

On Thursday, Facebook told employees that they can work remotely through 2020 if they like. The social media company doesn’t expect to open most offices until July 6 at the earliest.

Continue reading… “Internet giants to staff: Plan to work from home for 2020”

Coronavirus, Employment, Healthcare, Medicine, Science & Technology News

‘Immunity Passports’ could create a new category of privilege

May 22, 2020

Being infected with the virus could come with more freedom

A new type of test uses a small blood sample to look for the presence of coronavirus antibodies.

In one version of the future, a new type of test that measures antibodies would help restore a sense of normalcy for some people even as the coronavirus pandemic drags on. With the right antibodies, some may be immune to the virus, unable to get sick or spread the virus to others. Widespread testing for these antibodies could pave the way for so-called immunity certificates, which would allow people who have already been exposed to the virus to return to public life.

But the hope may be dashed by significant scientific and ethical concerns. For starters, diagnostic testing is already extremely limited in the United States, to say nothing of the more experimental antibody testing. Experts worry that antibody testing isn’t guaranteed to prove immunity. And if it does, the resulting immunity passports could be used to discriminate against untested people and those who aren’t immune — in the workplace, for example. That could lead people to intentionally expose themselves to Covid-19, banking on the hope that they’ll survive and earn the documentation they need to reenter society.

Continue reading… “‘Immunity Passports’ could create a new category of privilege”

Architecture, Business, Coronavirus, Employment, Science & Technology News

Goodbye to open office spaces? How experts are rethinking the workplace.

May 22, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating workers’ worries about returning to jobs in these often debated floor plans.

DISTRACTING, INTRUSIVE, AND now a potential health hazard. The list of grievances against crowded open office floor plans is mounting, and as state officials mull how to safely reopen offices shuttered by the coronavirus, some people are wondering whether the design is on its way out the door.

“Before [the coronavirus outbreak], I requested to move to a corner desk to kind of get away from the coworkers who were more social and talkative,” says Ayla Larick, an employee at a Texas insurance broker. Larick is set to return to her office on May 1, as Texas reopens non-essential businesses, though her asthma puts her at heightened risk for COVID-19 complications, and she’s requested an extension to work remotely.

“I am a little nervous about returning, only because I’m less than six feet away from three other people the entire time I’m working on my computer,” she says.

Most companies are only just beginning to think about how they might change their corporate workspaces, with some experts saying the open floor plan could be redone with better consideration for personal space and stricter cleaning schedules. Others, however, say the pandemic is the final straw for the open office.

Continue reading… “Goodbye to open office spaces? How experts are rethinking the workplace.”

AI, Music, new technology, Science & Technology News

Watch the world’s first AI robot capable of writing its own music collaboration alongside humans

May 23, 2020

Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed the first robot capable of not only playing music, but creating music—and its name is Shimon.

The musical robot was trained on a vast data set of everything from progressive rock to jazz to rap. Shimon takes this knowledge of past music and uses algorithms to come up with unique robot music of his own.

Continue reading… “Watch the world’s first AI robot capable of writing its own music collaboration alongside humans”

China, Coronavirus, Healthcare, Science & Technology News

Chinese startup Rokid sees opportunity with COVID-fighting smart glasses

May 21, 2020

HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) – A Chinese startup that develops augmented-reality products for use in manufacturing and gaming has found a promising growth area in the midst of a global pandemic – wearable glasses that measure temperatures on the move.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, Hangzhou-based startup Rokid developed a pair of glasses to help screen for symptoms. Rokid Vice President Xiang Wenjie says demand has risen for the company’s T1 glasses, developed in only two weeks, after it sold roughly 1,000 pairs to governments, industrial parks and schools.

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2020 Predictions, AI, Business, Science & Technology News, Trending

top 10 Artificial Intelligence trends for 2020

May 21, 2020

The rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace to enable and sustain the digital workforce is an apparent trend for 2020.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, neural networks or whatever other fancy terms industry is coming out with for what is defined as the sophisticated computer technology that is becoming widely utilized to understand and improve business and customer experiences. I assume you have heard of it before, but the way it is defined today is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans.

Here are ten AI trends to be on the lookout for this year:

Continue reading… “top 10 Artificial Intelligence trends for 2020”