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What are Molecular Machines?

Machines lace almost all social, political cultural and economic issues currently being discussed. Why, you ask? Clearly, because we live in a world that has all its modern economies and demographic trends pivoting around machines and factories at all scales.

We have reached the stage in the evolution of our civilization where we cannot fathom a day without the presence of machines or automated processes. Machines are not only used in sectors of manufacturing or agriculture but also in basic applications like healthcare, electronics and other areas of research. Although, machines of varying types had entered the industrial landscape long ago, technologies like nanotechnology, the Internet of Things, Big Data have altered the scenario in an unprecedented manner.

The fusion of nanotechnology with conventional mechanical concepts gives rise to the perception of ‘molecular machines’. Foreseen to be a stepping stone into nano-sized industrial revolution, these microscopic machines are molecules designed with movable parts that behave in a way that our regular machines operate in. A nano-scale motor that spins in a given direction in presence of directed heat and light would be an example of a molecular machine.

Single photon converter: key component of quantum internet

A Polish-British team of physicists has constructed and tested a compact, efficient converter capable of modifying the quantum properties of individual photons. The new device should facilitate the construction of complex quantum computers, and in the future may become an important element in global quantum networks, the successors of today’s Internet.

Quantum internet and hybrid quantum computers, built out of subsystems that operate by means of various physical phenomena, are now becoming more than just the stuff of imagination. In an article just published in the journal Nature Photonics, physicists from the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Physics (FUW) and the University of Oxford have unveiled a key element of such systems: an electro-optical device that enables the properties of individual photons to be modified. Unlike existing laboratory constructions, this new device works with previously unattainable efficiency and is at the same time stable, reliable, and compact.

Building an efficient device for modifying the quantum state of individual photons was an exceptionally challenging task, given the fundamental differences between classical and quantum computing.

SpaceX wants to launch 4,425 satellites into space to bring super-fast internet to the world

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Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants to launch thousands of satellites into space with the aim of providing super-fast global internet coverage, according to a regulatory filing.

SpaceX – the company on a mission to colonize Mars – outlined plans to put 4,425 satellites into space in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing from earlier this week.

That’s three times the 1,419 satellites that are currently in space, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a not-for-profit group made up of scientists across the world.

Bizarre video emerges of a chimp trying VR and trying to grab objects

A video of a chimpanzee ‘playing in virtual reality’ has garnered mixed reactions across the internet as viewers remain torn on whether it is harmless fun, or if it edges on animal cruelty.

In the video, the chimpanzee named Sugriva can be seen wearing an HTC Vive headset and swatting at the air as he follows objects on the screen – an experience many humans can relate to.

But, VR is known to cause a slew of side effects, from dizziness to disorientation, and experts argue that the chimp doesn’t understand what’s happening, and may keep the headset on even if he is uncomfortable as result of his training in captivity.

The Race to Wrap the Earth in Internet Is Heating Up

How important is the internet to your day-to-day life?

For starters, you’re definitely reading this on a screen and using the internet to access it. That means you probably use the internet to access most of your news, as well as to check your email, check the weather, get directions, look up anything you might want to know over the course of an average day, and communicate with your friends and colleagues.

In the vast majority of the developed world, the internet has become a resource we rely on for pretty much everything; it makes multiple aspects of our lives easier, faster, and cheaper.

Designing for Disappearing Interfaces

“I will answer very simply, that the internet will disappear… It will be part of your presence all the time.”

That was Eric Schmidt talking on a panel about the future of the web earlier last year. He’s referencing a vision of the future which, not too long ago would have felt very much a work of science fiction.

But today, we inch closer to this idea of architecturally integrated, living, breathing, dynamic spaces. The internet becomes something that’s omnipresent, instead of just something you click on.

SpaceX filed with FCC to operate 4400 satellites and Elon Musk SpaceX shares are worth $8.1 billion

Today, SpaceX filed with the FCC to obtain the rights to operate 4,400 satellites to offer internet services from orbit, a plan that was announced last year.

Elon Musk’s trust currently owns 54% of the outstanding stock of SpaceX and has voting control of 78% of the outstanding stock of SpaceX.

Google and Fidelity’s investment valued SpaceX at roughly $15 billion. Therefore, Elon’s shares of SpaceX are worth $8.1 billion.

AT&T Exec: Artificial Intelligence Will Help Us Run a Better Network

DALLAS — AT&T is experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) and combining it with software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) to figure out a better way to run its network.

Speaking on a panel at the 5G North America conference, Brian Daly, director of core network and government regulatory for AT&T, said that the company is looking at AI as a way to operate its network more efficiently by using it to make decisions that currently might require human interaction today. “We see AI combined with SDN and NFV as a way to provide us with efficiencies that may not exist today,” Daly said.

Cybersecurity companies adopting AI, but so are hackers

TOKYO — Leading information technology companies are rushing to create systems that use artificial intelligence to defend against cyberattacks. The goal is to commercialize AI software to detect even ingeniously designed attacks, identify the perpetrators, and quickly mount a defense.

However, research is also taking place in the U.S. and elsewhere on ways to harness AI for cyberwarfare, and the trend suggests there will come a time when the battles in cyberspace pit AI against AI, leaving humans sidelined.

Fujitsu Laboratories, the R&D unit of Japanese IT giant Fujitsu, has begun to develop an AI system to protect corporate information systems from cyberattack. The system would learn to recognize regular patterns of network activity so deviant behavior stands out. The company aims to have a commercial product ready in two to three years that could uncover and respond to attacks even from hackers who intentionally space out their login attempts so they are difficult to discover.