Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: habitats – Page 16

Microsoft Introduces AutoDev: A Fully Automated Artificial Intelligence-Driven Software Development Framework

The software development sector stands at the dawn of a transformation powered by artificial intelligence (AI), where AI agents perform development tasks. This transformation is not just about incremental enhancements but a radical reimagining of how software engineering tasks are approached, executed, and delivered. Central to this shift is introducing AI-driven frameworks that transcend traditional code assistance tools, marking a leap toward more autonomous, efficient, and secure software development methodologies.

The integration of AI in software development has been confined largely to providing code suggestions and aiding in file manipulation. This approach, while beneficial, barely scratches the surface of what is technologically feasible. AI-powered tools operate within a constrained scope, missing out on Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)’ vast capabilities, such as comprehensive code building, testing, and version control operations. This limitation underscores a critical gap in the software development toolkit, where the potential for AI to contribute more profoundly to the development lifecycle remains largely untapped.

Microsoft researchers present AutoDev, which empowers AI agents to tackle a broad spectrum of software engineering tasks autonomously, from intricate code editing and comprehensive testing to advanced git operations. This framework is designed to focus on autonomy, efficiency, and security. By housing operations within Docker containers, AutoDev ensures that development processes are streamlined and secure, safeguarding user privacy and project integrity through meticulously designed guardrails.

Full-Scale Prototype Space Habitat Explodes Under Pressure

Private space company Sierra Space has blown up its first full-scale inflatable space habitat, dubbed the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) — and it was all part of the plan.

The balloon-like contraption, which measured just over 20 feet tall, held a third of the volume of the International Space Station once fully inflated. During a recent test, engineers at the Colorado-based company kept pumping it with air, reaching a whopping 77 psi — well above NASA’s recommended level of 60.8 psi — before it exploded in spectacular fashion.

A video of the test shows the habitat quite literally bursting at its seams in a fraction of a second, successfully concluding the company’s “first stress test of a full-size, inflatable space station structure.”

Not Science Fiction — This Bizarre Worm-Lizard Is Like the Dune Sandworm but Weirder

With skull parts that click together like puzzle pieces and a large central tooth, the real-life sandworm is stranger than fiction.

Amphisbaenians are strange creatures. Like worms with vertebrae, scales, a large central tooth, and sometimes small forearms, these reptiles live underground, burrowing tunnels and preying on just about anything they encounter, not unlike a miniature version of the monstrous sandworms from “Dune.”

Even though they’re found around much of the world, little is known about how amphisbaenians behave in the wild because they cannot be observed while in their natural habitat under sand and soil. But thanks to two papers published in the March issue of The Anatomical Record, new light is being shed on these animals and their specialized anatomy.

Clever Thieves Using WiFi Jammers to Shut Down Those Crappy Security Cameras You Bought on Amazon

The Los Angeles Police Department is warning residents that burglars are using WiFi jammers to easily disarm “connected” surveillance cameras and alarms that are available for cheap on marketplaces like Amazon.

As LA-based news station KTLA5 reports, tech-savvy burglars have been using WiFi jammers, which are small devices that can confuse and overload wireless devices with traffic, to enter homes without setting off alarms — a worrying demonstration of just how easily affordable home security devices from the likes of Ring and Eufy can be disarmed.

As Tom’s Hardware reported last month, instances of WiFi jammers being used by criminals go back several years. Jammers are not only easily available to purchase online, they’re also pretty cheap and can go for as little as $40.

Millennials are about to become the ‘richest generation in history’ thanks to $90 trillion wealth transfer, according to new report

“There is evidence that the youth of today blame the generations before them for the challenges that they and the planet face today,” said Mike Pickett, director of London-based Cazenove Capital, in the report.

The property broker added that housing will continue to be a focus of spending for the next generation, as those born between 1981 and 1996 may have struggled to get on the housing ladder thus far. Even at the highest end of the income ladder, growing a property portfolio is a key concern among those born between 1981 and 1996.

The study shows 23% of female ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI, valued at $30 million or above) are considering buying a home in 2024, with 21% of male UHNWI expecting to make a similar purchase this year. Wealthy Gen Zers feel the same, with 20% of those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s planning an acquisition.

Covariant is building ChatGPT for robots

Covariant this week announced the launch of RFM-1 (Robotics Foundation Model 1). Peter Chen, the co-founder and CEO of the UC Berkeley artificial intelligence spinout tells TechCrunch the platform, “is basically a large language model (LLM), but for robot language.”

RFM-1 is the result of, among other things, a massive trove of data collected from the deployment of Covariant’s Brain AI platform. With customer consent, the startup has been building the robot equivalent of an LLM database.

“The vision of RFM-1 is to power the billions of robots to come,” Chen says. “We at Covariant have already deployed lots of robots at warehouses with success. But that is not the limit of where we want to get to. We really want to power robots in manufacturing, food processing, recycling, agriculture, the service industry and even into people’s homes.”

MIT’s dress takes sustainable fashion to the next level

Imagine a dress that doesn’t just fit you perfectly – it morphs along with your style, body, and the shifting trends of the season. It sounds futuristic, but this ‘smart’ garment exists thanks to a collaboration between textile innovators at MIT and a forward-thinking fashion house. It makes sustainable fashion more innovative.

Traditionally, bespoke tailoring—making clothes to a customer’s measurements—was the only way to ensure a perfect fit for one’s body. However, this option was too expensive for most people. A new invention of active fibers and innovative knitting processes is making custom clothing more accessible and eco-friendly.

The Dream of Building an Underground City on Mars (Sci-Fi Documentary)

This is a sci-fi documentary, looking at what it takes to build an underground city on Mars. The choice to go underground is for protection, from the growing storm radiation that rains down on the surface every day. And to further advance the Mars colonization efforts.

Where will the materials to build the city come from? How will the crater be covered to protect the inhabitants? And what will it feel like to live in this city, that is in a hole in the ground?

It is a dream of building an advanced Mars colony, and showing the science and future space technology needed to make it happen.

Personal inspiration in creating this video comes from: The Expanse TV show and books, and The Martian.

Other topics in the video include: the plan and different phases of construction, the robots building the city, structures that are on the surface versus below the surface, pressurizing a habitat on Mars, the soil and how to turn it in Martian concrete, the art of terraforming, and the different materials that can be extracted from the planet. And the future plans of the Mars colony, from building upwards to venturing to the asteroid belt and Jupiter’s 95 moons.

PATREON

Continue reading “The Dream of Building an Underground City on Mars (Sci-Fi Documentary)” | >