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Category: robotics/AI – Page 2280

It was when we tried virtual reality (VR) for the first time that we realized our method of controlling computers is likely to change. When you realize your VR headset is acting as a pointer in virtual reality, and you begin using your head like a mouse without even thinking about it, you start to grasp that there are much easier ways to control computers. Take foveated rendering (eye tracking) as an example. Soon computers will know exactly where you are looking – blink twice for double click!

Last November 2016, we posted an article, “Brain Implants that Augment the Human Brain Using AI” where we talked about exploring the hippocampus to solve brain disorders associated with memory loss. Much work has been done by Dr. Theodore W. Berger into neurobiological issues related to the hippocampus, primarily around implants to explore signal processing of hippocampal neurons. As it turns out, the hippocampus is the storage for our short-term memory working much like the RAM does in your computer. This is the motivation behind Bryan Johnson’s $100 million investment into his brain augmentation startup Kernel.

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) or Brain Machine Interface (BMI) has numerous definitions, but the common elements found among all the definitions are as follows:

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is in its crucial developmental stages and the government doesn’t seem to be to keen on shaping the way forward, according to experts during a senate inquiry into the dawn of AI.

The senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, under the helm of Texas Senator (R) Ted Cruz, convened November 30 to discuss the state of AI research and development, and its policy effects and implications on commerce. According to experts present at the hearing, the government isn’t doing much to provide guidelines and directions on AI research.

The experts, including Microsoft Research’s managing director Eric Horvitz, believe the government is in a unique position to shape the future of AI – especially since AI is still in its developmental stages. Horvitz said AI innovation can help in areas such as homelessness and addiction where there’s not much investment from the industry yet — which the government can help pursue.

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Scientists have now made metamaterials scalable in their purpose and usage.

Metamaterials — materials whose function is determined by structure, not composition — have been designed to bend light and sound, transform from soft to stiff, and even dampen seismic waves from earthquakes. But each of these functions requires a unique mechanical structure, making these materials great for specific tasks, but difficult to implement broadly.

But what if a material could contain within its structure, multiple functions and easily and autonomously switch between them?

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed a general framework to design reconfigurable metamaterials. The design strategy is scale independent, meaning it can be applied to everything from meter-scale architectures to reconfigurable nano-scale systems such as photonic crystals, waveguides and metamaterials to guide heat.

Continue reading “A toolkit for transformable materials” | >

Resembling something that looks more like an Apple store than a traditional doctor’s office, Forward proposes an entirely different approach to healthcare, with unlimited access to the clinic’s medical resources through a single monthly membership fee.

Upon arriving at a Forward clinic, members sign in on an iPad and enter a custom-designed body scanner. The device immediately processes a variety of biometric data which can be accessed by members through an app on their phone.

Things get even more futuristic when you move into the clinic’s exam rooms. Faced with a giant touch screen display on the wall integrating your medical history and recent biometric data, the doctor can discuss any imminent healthcare issues while an AI system monitors the conversation and instantly displays notes and suggested treatment plans.

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The proposal primarily budgets for the fact that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning may mature to surpass human intelligence in the future. Robots’ ability to learn from experience and take independent decisions has made them suitable for human-like interaction with its environment. In future, if a robot commits a mistake or omits a task, authorities should be able to trace back to the manufacturer or owner to check if the robot could have avoided the harmful behaviour. Through this legislation, manufacturers and owners could be held accountable for the machine’s action.

Logic of legislation

While a framework to regulate robotics is essential, the need for one is ‘imminent’ and not ‘immediate’, believes Patrick Schwarzkopf, the head of one of the Germany’s largest industry associations. He said that legislation like this would be needed “in 50 years, but not in 10 years”. A legislative framework around self-driving cars is probably a more immediate need.

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Thus far, the month of January has been an exciting time for AI — new smart technologies have demoed, new papers have been written, and new discussions about how to make sure our new synthetic friends don’t kill us have sprung up.

According to Crunchbase’s annual Global Innovation Investment report, venture capital funding for artificial intelligence projects is primed for a boom this coming year, especially when it comes to smart devices, all of those lovely little toys that will make up the Internet of Things, aimed at making consumers’ lives just that much easier.

From the report:

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