Lifeboat Foundation

Ubiquitous, mobile supercomputing. Artificially-intelligent robots. Self-driving cars. Neuro-technological brain enhancements. Genetic editing. The evidence of dramatic change is all around us and it’s happening at exponential speed.

Previous industrial revolutions liberated humankind from animal power, made mass production possible and brought digital capabilities to billions of people. This Fourth Industrial Revolution is, however, fundamentally different. It is characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human.

Continue reading “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” »

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A Tesla driver was caught sleeping on the highway with his car on Autopilot. https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/videos/514246548773706/

Say this for DARPA, it’s not shy about picking ominous names for its projects. Or, in this case, not worried when the partners it works with choose them. Pictured above: the “Nightmare” a “stealth bike” developed by LSA Autonomy for DARPA that has just been moved on to the second stage of development, according to Defense One. DARPA commissioned both it and another bike from Logos Technologies to meet some specific goals: run quietly on electric power, but also run on whatever fuel a soldier in the field.

Alex Dzwill of Logos told Defense One that its bike, the SilentHawk, could run on anything from gasoline to propane to jet fuel:” It will figure it out.”

Any electric car maker worth its salt knows that their vehicles are only as good as the charging stations that keep them running… and that includes Apple, apparently. Reuters sources understand that Apple is asking charging station manufacturers about their technology for the sake of its oft-rumored electric car project. It’s not certain how deep the talks go or who’s involved (the companies certainly aren’t talking). However, NRG Energy issued a vague response noting that it’s talking to “every potential manufacturer of tomorrow.” We wouldn’t rule it out, then.

There’s more evidence than that. An unnamed worldwide engineering company has already offered to help Apple build charging stations, Reuters says. Meanwhile, Apple has publicly hired EV charging experts from BMW, Georgia Tech and Google.

If true, the approach is a logical fit for Apple. Part of Tesla’s success in EVs comes from its willingness to build a network of high-speed charging stations — you’re more likely to buy a Model S if you know that you can drive it long distances without spending hours waiting for a recharge. Apple may need that same kind of reassurance. And let’s not forget that Apple’s strategy revolves around controlling as much of the experience as possible. It only makes sense that the company would want optimized charging stations instead of leaving drivers to use generic stations that might not work as effectively.

Continue reading “Apple reportedly looks into making electric car charging stations” »

Airbus Unveils ‘Hypercopter’ Patent For The World’s Fastest Helicopter.

We’ve just got to convince Airbus to make one…

Got to luv this.

Is this brand new type of battery the key to clean energy and off-grid electricity?

Lithium-ion batteries are having a moment. After becoming the de facto battery in laptops and cell phones over the years, they’re now starting to power electric cars (like those made by Tesla) and plug into the power grid.

Continue reading “A Battery Made From Metal and Air Is Electrifying the Developing World” »

“Airbus has filed a patent for the world’s fastest helicopter.”

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Billionaire Bill Gates is out with his regular book recommendations and it looks like he is now driving a Tesla Model X.

Hmmm, no thanks.

The glue would be covered by an outer layer that peels away during an accident.