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Jun 15, 2015

Smart urban planning in Amsterdam — Feargus O’Sullivan | CityLab

Posted by in categories: architecture, economics, energy, engineering, environmental, government, materials, policy, science, sustainability

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“Instead of treating Amsterdam as complete and starting again elsewhere, the IJburg plan has managed to find more space in a city that thought it had no more left.”

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Jun 15, 2015

Scientists Are Crowdfunding Spacecraft To Blast Asteroids Out Of The Sky — By Loren Grush Popular Science

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, defense, existential risks

It’s the ultimate doomsday scenario: Astronomers spot an enormous miles-wide asteroid headed for a collision course with Earth. An impact with our planet means a fiery goodbye to civilization—and life—as we know it, and there are only a few short weeks to rally together a plucky group of oil drillers the citizens of the world to somehow fight this apocalyptic threat.

Fortunately, it’s doubtful we’ll ever be faced with this kind of sudden Armageddon. NASA, other government space agencies, and astronomers across the world have a pretty solid way of tracking huge, civilization-destroying asteroids, mapping their trajectories many years or decades in advance before they might head our way. Such ample warning would give us more than enough time to prepare some kind of deflection strategy. Read more

Jun 14, 2015

Robots can recover from damage in minutes (w/ Video)

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Robots will one day provide tremendous benefits to society, such as in search and rescue missions and putting out forest fires—but not until they can learn to keep working if they become damaged.

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Jun 14, 2015

Robots Falling Down at DARPA Robotics Challenge

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Compilation of robot falls from the DARPA DRC Finals Day 1. Learn more: http://spectrum.ieee.org/blog/automaton

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Jun 14, 2015

Wi-Fi-powered electronics make Nikola Tesla’s dream a reality

Posted by in category: electronics

The next billion devices may be powered from thin air, according to a team of researchers from the University of Washington

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Jun 14, 2015

Cheetah robot lands the running jump (w/ Video)

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

In a leap for robot development, the MIT researchers who built a robotic cheetah have now trained it to see and jump over hurdles as it runs—making this the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.

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Jun 14, 2015

Man Dated

Posted by in categories: futurism, health, transhumanism

A balanced article on transhumanism and the future in a trendy Hong Kong & Chinese men’s lifestyle magazine. Article in English:

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Jun 14, 2015

China’s Troubling Robot Revolution — Martin Ford | The New York Times

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

“Automation has already had a substantial impact on Chinese factory employment: Between 1995 and 2002 about 16 million factory jobs disappeared, roughly 15 percent of total Chinese manufacturing employment. This trend is poised to accelerate.” Read more

Jun 13, 2015

Meet the people out to stop humanity from destroying itself

Posted by in category: existential risks

More research has been done on dung beetles and Star Trek than human extinction. These people want to change that.

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Jun 13, 2015

Implant Fights Stroke, Tinnitus

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Microtransponder’s vagus nerve stimulator uses precisely-timed jolts to help stroke victims relearn movements more quickly

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