Impact Lab – Page 634 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Analysis, Business, Employment, Higher Education, Money Talk

Survey: These college majors were just named most and least valuable

September 15, 2018

New Bankrate research shows that Actuarial Science is “the most valuable” major you can study in college out of 162 total, with a whopping average income of $108,658 to go along with an unemployment rate of only 2.3%.

Wondering how the site arrived at these results? The methodology was multi-layered, but the company evaluated the latest information featured in the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, among other points. The majors had “labor forces of at least 15,000 people,” and the number of grads with “a higher degree” was also considered.

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Automobiles, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Electric Automobile, Electric Vehicles

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic is a flexible electric van from the future

September 15, 2018

Its battery-electric platform can be used for a wide variety of purposes.

The advent of battery-electric “skateboards,” powertrain platforms that can accommodate a bunch of different bodies on top, means that vehicles can become even more versatile than they already are. Mercedes-Benz has applied this thinking to its vans to create the wild Vision Urbanetic concept.

Mercedes-Benz today unveiled the Vision Urbanetic, a battery-electric, autonomous van that Mercedes believes will contribute to a whole new segment of mobility that’s efficient, comfortable and sustainable — and, of course, capacious, being a part-time van and all.

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking

Researchers discover a pattern to the seemingly random distribution of prime numbers

September 15, 2018

The pattern has a surprising similarity to the one seen in atom distribution in crystals.

Often known as “the building blocks of mathematics,” prime numbers have fascinated mathematicians for centuries due to their highly unpredictable and seemingly random nature. However, a team of researchers at Princeton University have recently discovered a strange pattern in the primes’ chaos. Their novel modelling techniques revealed a surprising similarity between primes and certain naturally occurring crystalline materials, a similarity that may carry significant implications for physics and materials science.

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Artificial Intelligence, DaVinci Institute, Education, Science & Technology News, Tom Frey

The largest internet company in 2030? This prediction will probably surprise you

September 14, 2018

Online learning taught by robots could be widespread by 2030.

Thirty years ago, it was a big deal when schools got their first computers. Today, it’s a big deal when students get their own laptops.

According to Futurist Thomas Frey, in 12 years it’ll be a big deal when students learn from robot teachers over the internet.

It’s not just because the technology will be that sophisticated, Frey says, but because the company responsible for it will be the largest of its kind.

“I’ve been predicting that by 2030 the largest company on the internet is going to be an education-based company that we haven’t heard of yet,” Frey, the senior futurist at the DaVinci Institute think tank, tells Business Insider.

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Engineering, new technology, Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight

A revolutionary new space launch idea: Introducing The Pythagoras Sling

September 14, 2018

The Pythagoras Sling uses a lengthy graphene string pulled via two hoops suspended from simple parachutes to rapidly accelerate a projectile into orbit. Graphene string will likely become widely available over the next two decades. If it works as expected, the Pythagoras Sling launch system could greatly reduce the cost of getting into space compared to any current rocket-based system and could help accelerate space development. Total cost of the fully reusable launch system could be as low as $1M for small and medium sized satellites so cost per kg could be two orders of magnitude cheaper than today. Apart for human spacecraft or more delicate satellites that need low g-forces, the system needs little or no fuel to achieve orbit, only ground electricity, so would be safer and more environmentally friendly as well as cheaper than current rocket-based approaches.

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Business, Education, Higher Education, Latest Trend

Harvard Business School professor: Half of American colleges will be bankrupt in 10 to 15 years

September 15, 2018

This fall, 19.9 million college students will be traveling to college campuses across the United States to start a new school year. There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, but Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen says that half are bound for bankruptcy in the next few decades.

Christensen is known for coining the theory of disruptive innovation in his 1997 book, “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” Since then, he has applied his theory of disruption to a wide range of industries, including education.

In his recent book, “The Innovative University,” Christensen and co-author Henry Eyring analyze the future of traditional universities, and conclude that online education will become a more cost-effective way for students to receive an education, effectively undermining the business models of traditional institutions and running them out of business.

Also, check out Futurist Thomas Frey’s prediction about emerging new edtech.

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Future, Futurist, new technology, Upcoming Events

Countdown to the singularity

September 13, 2018

I asked the smartest people I know for their tech predictions for the next 20 years (2018 – 2038). What are the breakthroughs we can expect on our countdown to the Singularity?

I compiled 50 predictions in a document distributed to my Abundance 360 and Abundance Digital communities. If you’d like a copy of all 50 predictions, you can download them here. For fun, and context, here’s a dozen of those predictions.

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Analysis, Children, communication, Human Behavior

Here is how much sexting among teens has increased

September 13, 2018

Guess what, people are more likely to sext or receive sexts if they have smartphones. Yes, somehow sexts aren’t quite the same with a rotary phone or semaphore flags. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics revealed that sexting (which is the electronic sharing of sexually explicit images, videos, or messages) has increased among teenagers since 2009. Oh, and the number of teenagers with smartphones has also increased since 2009. Coincidence?

The study found that about 1 in 7 (or 14.8%) of those between the ages of 12 and 17 had sent sexts and approximately 1 in 4 (27.4%) have received them. Hmm, sounds like not all sexting is being reciprocated. More on this later. These numbers are significantly higher than those from a 2009 Pew Research Center study that revealed that 4% and 15% of 12 to 17 year olds had sent and received sexts, respectively.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Inventions, New Inventions

Who needs ink cartridges? Harvard’s acoustic printer can spit out honey or cells

September 13, 2018

We’re all about innovative printing methods here at Digital Trends and, boy, have the folks at Harvard not disappointed with their latest piece of research. It involves using sound waves to make it possible to print with virtually any liquid imaginable. That includes everything from human cells and liquid metal to optical resins and even honey. Needless to say, these aren’t the usual water-like printing materials found in ordinary inkjet printers. The results could prove useful in fields including pharmaceutical development, cosmetics, or even the food industry.

“We have developed a new drop-on-demand printing method that is conducive to printing liquids with low to very high viscosity,” Jennifer Lewis, the Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, told Digital Trends. “It’s exciting, because it can be applied to a very broad range of liquids.”

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AI, Analysis, Business, Robots

How AI is reshaping marketing

September 12, 2018

Machine learning software and artificial intelligence have come a long way since their inception – and is only continuing to intensify. Taking over many industries, AI is swiftly changing the way professionals go about their business. So, what does this mean for marketing?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way since its inception. The rise in AI-powered marketing is taking the load off many marketers, and delegating to machines, allowing marketers to refocus their efforts onto marketing that matters and giving marketers more time to address any challenges that come their way.

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Automation, Driverless vehicles, Mass Transit

Siemens set to unveil world’s first autonomous tram

September 12, 2018

The Germany-based automation company, Siemens, is set to unveil the world’s first autonomous tram through its division Siemens Mobility, Global Rail News reports.

Siemens, alongside its development partner Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP), will present their findings at InnoTrans 2018 to show how a tram will drive autonomously in real traffic on 18-21 September.

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Analysis, Brain, Healthcare, Human Behavior

We’re starting to learn some incredible things about hypnosis

September 12, 2018

About 15% of the population is way more hypnotisable than everybody else.

There is increasing scientific evidence to say that hypnosis is an important psychological tool with some exciting applications, from curing anxiety to reducing pain, and potentially fighting addiction.

So why do we still tend to think of hypnosis as a sideshow performance?

And what’s the science behind it?

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