These days, it seems like every brand is trying to leverage machine learning to imbue their products with special powers — and, most importantly, make an extra buck in the process.
But does your next electric toothbrush really need a dose of AI? Oral-B’s says its new $220 electric toothbrush, called “Oral-B GENIUS X with Artificial Intelligence,” will leverage data from sensors inside the brush head and Bluetooth to deliver AI-derived brushing tips through an app. The future is now, huh?
It’s well known that tadpoles are able to regrow their tales if they are injured or bitten off by a predator. Now, Russian researchers have identified a gene that is one of the key drivers of this remarkable ability.
While lawmakers and regulators look to combat monopolies by online giants, some innovators are developing internet platforms to prevent monopolies from forming in the future.
Cuneiform tablets from ancient Assyria dating to 679 B.C. contain the earliest written record of an aurora.
With its whirring rotary blades and extendable cutting arm it would not look out of place stalking the streets of a futuristic urban dystopia.
But Edinburgh University’s new robot has actually been developed to pootle sedately around the garden, pruning rose bushes and trimming topiary.
The semi-autonomous machine — dubbed Trimbot — is programmed to recognise leaves, stalks and flowers, so it does not inadvertently dead-head the living blooms.
Posted in bitcoin, business, complex systems, counterterrorism, cryptocurrencies, cybercrime/malcode, disruptive technology, economics, education, employment, encryption, finance, futurism, governance, government, hacking, innovation, law enforcement, open access, policy, privacy, security, strategy, terrorism
We face complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty about the future consequences of cryptocurrency use. There are doubts about the positive and negative impacts of the use of cryptocurrencies in the financial systems. In order to address better and deeper the contradictions and the consequences of the use of cryptocurrencies and also informing the key stakeholders about known and unknown emerging issues in new payment systems, we apply two helpful futures studies tools known as the “Future Wheel”, to identify the key factors, and “System Dynamics Conceptual Mapping”, to understand the relationships among such factors. Two key scenarios will be addressed. In on them, systemic feedback loops might be identified such as a) terrorism, the Achilles’ heel of the cryptocurrencies, b) hackers, the barrier against development, and c) information technology security professionals, a gap in the future job market. Also, in the other scenario, systemic feedback loops might be identified such as a) acceleration of technological entrepreneurship enabled by new payment systems, b) decentralization of financial ecosystem with some friction against it, c) blockchain and shift of banking business model, d) easy international payments triggering structural reforms, and e) the decline of the US and the end of dollar dominance in the global economy. In addition to the feedback loops, we can also identify chained links of consequences that impact productivity and economic growth on the one hand, and shift of energy sources and consumption on the other hand.
Watch the full length presentation at Victor V. Motti YouTube Channel
Posted in futurism
In this video, science writer Michael Shermer discusses the universal laws that preside over why stars fade out — and we do, too.
