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Oct 4, 2015
Does an ancient bacterium hold the key to eternal life?
Posted by Aleksandar Vukovic in category: life extension
Injecting yourself with a bacterium that’s 3.5 million years old is either the dumbest thing a person could do, or it’s brilliant. But that is exactly what a Russian scientist has done, in a quest to see if Bacillus F has the answer to eternal life.
Oct 4, 2015
WOW. This robot can learn like a human child
Posted by Albert Sanchez in category: robotics/AI
Oct 4, 2015
Illustris: The Supercomputer That’s Bringing The Universe To Life
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: cosmology, entertainment, supercomputing
Catalyst: Virtual Universe — The Illustris supercomputer has modelled vast swathes of the universe, allowing us to visualise incredible scenarios in outer space.
Go to the Journeyman Science playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlGSlkijht5iXbPX7d_oTP47c9C3kArQ0
Continue reading “Illustris: The Supercomputer That’s Bringing The Universe To Life” »
Oct 4, 2015
Elon Musk and SolarCity unveil ‘world’s most efficient’ solar panel
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: Elon Musk, solar power, sustainability
Oct 4, 2015
How Should We Prepare for the AI Revolution? Ray Kurzweil Responds in This Q&A [Video]
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, Ray Kurzweil, robotics/AI
On the cusp of a far-reaching revolution thanks to the advances in artificial intelligence and computing, it’s easy to feel a bit…concerned. Well, maybe more than just a bit, especially if you consider societal attitudes about technology.
Truth is that the way we perceive the world around us is conditioned to a degree by the environment we grow up within. There’s also little doubt that certain cultures are more open and adaptive to technology than others. But one could argue that the potential enhancements that AI could usher in are so dramatically advanced that even the earliest adopters within Silicon Valley aren’t really prepared for what’s coming.
Oct 4, 2015
This new smart glove can turn sign language into text and speech
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: computing, electronics
Sign language has helped the hearing-impaired communicate for many centuries, way before it was formalised and officially recognised, but this long-standing language of gestures has now been given a 21st-century technological upgrade. Saudi designer and media artist Hadeel Ayoub has invented a smart glove that recognises hand movements and converts them into the relevant text.
Much like Google Translate can give anyone a basic grasp of a foreign language in an instant, this glove is designed to help sign language users make themselves understood by those who can’t usually interpret it.
Five flex sensors sit on the fingers, monitoring how they’re being manipulated, while an accelerometer integrated into the fabric of the glove figures out how the hand is being held and the direction in which it’s pointing. Through three successive prototypes, the glove has been made thinner, lighter, and faster, and the latest version includes a text-to-speech chip to vocalise the words as they’re signed.
Oct 4, 2015
$0.55 per watt from SolarCity’s record-breaking new solar panel
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: solar power, sustainability
A new solar panel technology from SolarCity is the most efficient rooftop solar ever released. Can it finally push solar to mass adoption?
Oct 3, 2015
Daimler tests self-driving truck on German highway
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation
The truck has smart systems including radars, cameras and active speed regulators and works without a human driver — although one has to be in the driver’s seat and take the wheel if necessary.
The standard Mercedes-Benz Actros, fitted with the intelligent “Highway Pilot” system, travelled 14 kilometres (about nine miles) on the A8 motorway, with a driver in the cabin but his hands off the wheel.
“Today’s premiere is a further important step towards the market maturity of autonomously driving trucks -– and towards the safe, sustainable road freight transport of the future,” said Wolfgang Bernhard, board member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses.
