Meet Otto, the robot that draws.
Drawing Robot
Posted in robotics/AI
Jason Silva
Posted in futurism
“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite.” — William Blake.
Autonomous cars have finally arrived, and they’re pretty remarkable. Here’s a look at the best on the line.
A new method of closing wounds has been discovered by researchers from University of St. Andrews and Harvard Medical School.
In the future, your wounds might not be closed by stitches or staples. Instead, they will be fixed with lasers.
Rose Bengal Dye, a common dye used by optometrists, can be used in tandem with a laser to suture wounds; however, notably, the dye will only go as deep as the laser does, which makes it somewhat less than effective for wounds that penetrate many layers of skin, but it does eliminate the need for staples and traditional sutures or stitching in relation to a number of different injuries.
The Red Planet is a hostile, barren world. So if we’re going to live there, we’re going to need to develop a new kind of home.
What if computers could recognize objects as well as the human brain could? Electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego have taken an important step toward that goal by developing a pedestrian detection system that performs in near real-time (2−4 frames per second) and with higher accuracy (close to half the error) compared to existing systems. The technology, which incorporates deep learning models, could be used in “smart” vehicles, robotics and image and video search systems.
Will we witness the era of The #Singularity? Futurist Jason Silva joins #technologists and #innovation pioneers Peter H. Diamandis, Rick Smolan, and other experts, as they discuss the radical transformation underway. http://bit.ly/1XdzFL4
Quantum Levitation
Posted in materials, quantum physics, transportation
Researchers at the school of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University have created a track around which a superconductor (a material that is extremely efficient at transmitting electricity) can float, thanks to the phenomenon of “quantum levitation “.
This levitation effect is explained by the Meissner effect, which describes how, when a material makes the transition from its normal to its superconducting state, it actively excludes magnetic fields from its interior, leaving only a thin layer on its surface.
When a material is in its superconducting state — which involves very low temperatures — it is strongly diamagnetic. This means that when a magnetic field is externally applied, it will create an equally opposing magnetic field, locking it in place.
A material called yttrium barium copper oxide can be turned into a superconductor by exposure to liquid nitrogen — which makes it one of the highest-temperature superconductors.
Levitation isn’t just for Houdini anymore. Could this cool new tech lead to floating alternatives to traditional gas powered vehicles? Interesting times ahead!
Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) AI program XiaoIce, which was being tested on Chinese social media sites has shown positive results, a positive for Microsoft.