Lifeboat Foundation

Radio Flyer has partnered with Tesla Motors to release a miniature Model S electric car for children. The vehicle has a top speed of six miles per hour, advanced battery technology, working headlights, a sound system, and other Model S inspired design elements.

The tiny cars will begin shipping in May 2016, and customers can preorder and build their little Model S now. The preorder process involves picking the color as well as optional spare batteries, a cover, and customizable license plate and parking sign.

Continue reading “Radio Flyer Partners With Tesla Motors to Release a Miniature Model S Electric Car for Children” »

Tetrahedron Super Yacht, designed by London-based architect Jonathan Schwinge, appears to fly above the water line thanks to a vertical strut attached to a submerged torpedo-shaped hull.

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Two astronomers fought for credit when Neptune’s presence was confirmed in 1846: John Couch Adams from Britain, and Urbain Le Verrier from France. Both had used math and physics to predict Neptune’s position, but Le Verrier’s prediction turned out to be more accurate. See references.

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Like the idea of using Google to vote online for the best airline, steamed dumpling or health app?

What about using Google to vote for governor or president? That seems to be Google’s plan.

The search giant received a U.S. patent for a voting user interface (VUI). The interface would appear along with search results and would allow the user to vote for one or more contestants competing in a campaign.

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This 2D material is only one atom thick and allows electrical charges to move through it much faster, which would make computers remarkably faster.

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For several years now, Leap Motion has been working on bringing hand gestures to virtual reality. And it makes sense; using your hands to move digital objects is way more natural than fiddling with a controller. But to do this, you needed to strap one of the company’s motion sensor peripherals in front of an existing VR headset, which is a little clunky to say the least. Plus, the sensor was still running the same software built for desktop PCs; a holdover from the days when Leap Motion’s main focus was the aforementioned PC accessory. Now, however, the company is ready to take the next leap forward. Today it’s announcing Orion, a brand new hardware and software solution that’s built just for VR.

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Autism has diverse genetic causes, most of which are still unknown. About 1 percent of people with autism are missing a gene called Shank3, which is critical for brain development. Without this gene, individuals develop typical autism symptoms including repetitive behavior and avoidance of social interactions.

In a study of mice, MIT researchers have now shown that they can reverse some of those behavioral symptoms by turning the gene back on later in life, allowing the brain to properly rewire itself.

“This suggests that even in the adult brain we have profound plasticity to some degree,” says Guoping Feng, an MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences. “There is more and more evidence showing that some of the defects are indeed reversible, giving hope that we can develop treatment for autistic patients in the future.”

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TED curator Chris Anderson just announced the world’s biggest speaking fee — a $4.5m (£3.1m) cheque to be awarded to a speaker at the 2020 TED conference. There’s just one catch: the speaker must be an artificial intelligence, which convinces the audience that it has mastered the art of the 18-minute TED talk.

The IBM Watson AI X Prize, announced on Wednesday at the TED conference in Vancouver, will offer $4.5 million to the team that develops an artificial intelligence showing “how humans can collaborate with powerful cognitive technologies to tackle some of the world’s grand challenges”.

Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X Prize Foundation, said the winner would be chosen by the TED audience in 2020, when three finalists — either AIs or AI human partnerships — “come on stage to deliver jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring TED talks”.

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Well, US is failing on building a competitive waiter to go up against China’s version.

America is getting crushed by China. Not in trade or weapons or any of those things that don’t matter. We’re losing the war of the Roseys. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the new robot above, serving up deliciousness at a farmhouse restaurant in Sanmenxia, China.

Or look at this December photo of Tete, a robot in Qingdao, China. Tete can communicate over 200 words and has no trouble delivering dishes.

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