Starship is a new company that is promising to disrupt local delivery with the launch of a self-driving robot that can deliver groceries to customers’ doors in under 30 minutes for less than $1.50 (£1). The Starship robot has been developed by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. It drives on pavements at an average speed of 4mph, and uses proprietary mapping and navigation technology to avoid crashing into obstacles.
You may be able to ask Google questions you would never ask aloud and the search engine will silently offer you the answers. But, ou can’t think of Google as an oracle for anonymous searches. Sometimes, the most intimate questions a person is asking—about health worries, relationship woes, financial hardship—are the ones that set off a chain reaction that can have troubling consequences both online and offline.
Continue reading… “Google searches put vulnerable consumers at risk”
Bitcoin industry insiders suggest Bitcoin could be as widely used as the Swiss franc and the Australian dollar as they issue an optimistic prediction for the cryptocurrency. U.K.-based Magister Advisors, which advises the technology industry on mergers and acquisitions, interviewed thirty of the leading bitcoin companies from across the globe. It found a consensus view that bitcoin will become the sixth largest global reserve currency within 15 years.
Continue reading… “By 2030 Bitcoin will be the 6th largest reserve currency in the world”
With new advancements happening on a regular basis in the world of bioprinting, it’s hard to determine just which company is furthest ahead. Is it Organovo, the publicly traded company already working to create 3D printed mini kidneys with Australian researchers? Or is it one of the many research institutions making advancements in 3D printing ear drums, blood vessels, or carbon composites for bone regeneration? If one had to choose, they might lean towards 3D Bioprinting Solutions, who successfully 3D printed a thyroid gland, classified as an “organ construct”. And, today, news leaked that the Russian company had taken their research one step further, implanting a 3D printed thyroid into mice.
Continue reading… “3D printed thyroid gland implanted into mice”
We will continue to see double-digit growth in the number of Americans using wearable devices over the next several years, according to eMarketer’s first wearables forecast. In 2015, 39.5 million US adults 18 and over will use wearables, including smartwatches and fitness trackers. That’s a jump of 57.7% over 2014. While penetration among US adults is just 16.0% this year, eMarketer expects that to double by 2018, to 81.7 million users.
Continue reading… “Wearable usage in the U.S. will jump almost 60% in 2015”
Big data is on the fast track right now. The rapid ongoing developments are not showing any signs of slowing down in 2015, as seen by the following trends for the coming year:
One in 5 smartphone uses will mobile payments by 2016.
2016 will be a year of significant growth in technology. The number of people in the US using their phones to pay for goods and services at the point of sale will continue to climb steadily. According to the latest proximity mobile payments forecast from eMarketer, the total value of mobile payment transactions in the US will grow 210% in 2016, according to the latest proximity mobile payments forecast from eMarketer.
Continue reading… “Mobile payments in the U.S. will triple in 2016”
Fashion designers are starting to use all kinds of technology in their garments. Scientific progress has always been an important part of shoe design — the invention of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear directly led to boots that could climb Mount Everest, for example — and pro athletes consistently turn to Nike, Reebok, and other companies to create performance-enhancing footwear.
Here are 11 pairs of shoes for the future, some that heal themselves, give you directions, and even generate electricity.
Cars will be able to talk to each other to avoid accidents, merge onto highways and drive us to a destination we set on the GPS sometime in the near future. This type of technology is actually already on the roads across the world and will be rolling out in Australia over the next few years.
Continue reading… “Toyota’s driverless cars will be able to talk to each other in the future”
Honda has designed a smart house that is an innovative eco-friendly, energy efficient lab, able to generate its own power as a solution to living off the grid.
Continue reading… “Honda’s smart house of the future”
The best medical devices for measuring blood flow today require the patient to first show up at a clinic or hospital, then stay very still during the imaging procedure. But an experimental sensor that clings to skin like a temporary tattoo could enable 24-hour monitoring of blood flow wherever a patient goes.
Continue reading… “Flexible wearable sensor enables 24-hour blood flow monitoring”
We live in an era where new technologies are appearing so fast that it is hard to follow all the new developments. But, personal transportation, the one most often associated with speeds and progress, so far remained largely untouched by the revolution in digital tech – when compared to what happened to communications in the last couple of decades, car remained pretty much the same. However, we already see the first portents of approaching changes – so let’s take a look at car tech that may become reality in not so distant future.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.