Innovations introduced more recently are being adopted more quickly.
The rates of new product introduction and adoption are speeding up and it seems to be across the board. For instance, an automobile industry trade consultant observes that “Today, a typical automotive design cycle is approximately 24 to 36 months, which is much faster than the 60-month life cycle from five years ago.”
Continue reading… “Adoption of technology is speeding up”
At Carnegie Mellon University computers are running a program that analyze images to learn common sense.
A computer program analyzes images 24 hours a day to try to learn common sense. The aim is to see if computers can learn, in the same way a human would, what links images, to help them better understand the visual world.
Continue reading… “Computer analyzes images to teach itself common sense”
The interior of the Tesla Model S offers a glimpse of the data-rich driving environments of tomorrow.
Cars will be big data collectors in the future. They will continuously monitoring the operation and function of the many moving parts of the vehicle and hopefully giving you a warning well in advance of pending failure.
Flying robotic jellyfish.
Leif Ristroph, an applied mathematician at New York University, wanted to build the “simplest possible” flying machine. Ristroph glued together several tubes of carbon fiber to build this: a sphere with four wings attached to it that propels it as a jellyfish swims. (Video)
Continue reading… “The flying machine that was inspired by a jellyfish”
Circuit Scribe, a new Kickstarter project, seems to have made laying out a new electronic circuit a less cumbersome task. Instead of fiddling with those components, you can just draw a circuit on paper, hook up a battery to it, and go on your way.
Machines will generate more data than will people in 2014.
Connected fitness gadgets such as Fitbit and Jawbone are being snatched up by consumers this year. But in 2014, we will see this kind of ubiquitous sensor technology extend to the enterprise as part of the “Internet of things,” according to an analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
Continue reading… “2014 will be the year of the Internet of Things”
The same research team is also working on a digital lollipop.
In Sword Art Online, an anime series, gamers take part in a virtual world that is teeming with danger, but also with food. What if such an experience was a reality? What if you could not only interact with food in a virtual environment, but also actually taste it? Scientists at the National University of Singapore have developed a new electrode that could be the first step in making that happen. (Video)
Continue reading… “Scientists create electrode that lets you taste virtual food on your tongue”
3D printed modular cell phone.
Motorola announced last month a plan for a modular smartphone. Project Ara will be a simple way for users to individualize their phones, swapping out parts like the battery and camera until users have a phone that’s just for them. They plan on doing that with 3-D printing.
Continue reading… “Project Ara: Motorola And 3D Systems will 3D-print modular cell phones”
There will be a job market for wearable computer developers and engineers.
Developers are still learning how to use Google Glass. The Glass Development Kit is expected to be unveiled shortly and will build on the Android toolkits that a small but growing developer community is learning their way around the platform. But there are unique challenges for wearable computer software creation. How do you create apps for a wearable computer that lacks a mouse, a keyboard, and a touchscreen? How do you create programs for a hybrid of glasses and a computer that depends on a voice interface and a single button? It creates challenges.
Continue reading… “Developing apps for wearable computing poses new challenges for developers”
Sony’s SmartWig
Sony’s patent for a “SmartWig” is a strange concept that leaves you scratching your head. While tech companies are chasing the smartwatch and eyeglass form factors for the future of wearable computing devices, Sony’s exploring the possibility of using wigs that connect wirelessly to smartphones.
Soon we could be able to print circuits as well as 3-D products in the comfort of our homes.
Three scientists in China have found a way to create a metal that’s liquid at room temperatures, can be printed as if it was ink in ordinary, everyday desktop printers, and will adhere to surfaces as diverse and supple as rubber, paper, cotton T-shirts, or a leaf off an oak tree.
Researchers have designed this proof-of-concept wireless charger for moving electric vehicles.
A problem with electric vehicles is providing power while the vehicles are moving. One way to extend the range of electric vehicles may be to provide power wirelessly through coils placed under the surface of a road. But charging moving vehicles with high-power wireless chargers below them is complex.
Continue reading… “Recharging electric vehicles on the move”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.