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Topology in optics and photonics has been a hot topic since 1,890 where singularities in electromagnetic fields have been considered. The recent award of the Nobel prize for topology developments in condensed matter physics has led to renewed surge in topology in optics with most recent developments in implementing condensed matter particle-like topological structures in photonics. Recently, topological photonics, especially the topological electromagnetic pulses, hold promise for nontrivial wave-matter interactions and provide additional degrees of freedom for information and energy transfer. However, to date the topology of ultrafast transient electromagnetic pulses had been largely unexplored.

In their paper Nat. Commun., physicists in the UK and Singapore report a new family of pulses, the exact solutions of Maxwell’s equation with toroidal topology, in which topological complexity can be continuously controlled, namely supertoroidal topology. The in such supertoroidal pulses have skyrmionic structures as they propagate in free space with the speed of light.

Skyrmions, sophisticated topological particles originally proposed as a unified model of the nucleon by Tony Skyrme in 1,962 behave like nanoscale magnetic vortices with spectacular textures. They have been widely studied in many condensed matter systems, including chiral magnets and liquid crystals, as nontrivial excitations showing great importance for information storing and transferring. If skyrmions can fly, open up infinite possibilities for the next generation of informatics revolution.

Continue reading “Skyrmions can fly!” | >

Almost every time we talk about Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts, we are looking at a scaled-down version of an aircraft that can carry four-five people and some cargo. And an Israel-based company, Urban Aeronautics is determined to create the first flying car and they are doing a pretty good job at it.

The flying car’s lift is generated by fully enclosed counter-rotating ducted fans that are placed both in the rear and front of the car. After years of testing, the company has unveiled a sleeker exterior this year that can zip past at a top speed of 150 mph (241 kph) and has a range of around 100 miles (160 km). The project noise levels from this are still 78 dB, which are quite acceptable for city limits, the company claims. The company has completed technology demonstrations using helicopter engines where the car has flown at low altitudes of 49 feet (15 m).

Continue reading “Israel Took One Step Closer to Making Compact Wingless ‘Flying Cars’ Real” | >

Built for critical research, continuous LEO presence, and space tourism.

Nanoracks, Voyager Space, and Lockheed Martin just announced that they aim to launch the first-ever free-flying commercial space station into low Earth orbit (LEO) by 2027 as part of a collaboration with NASA, a press statement reveals.

The space station, called Starlab, will be used for conducting critical research, ensuring continuous U.S. presence in low Earth orbit, and also for “tourism and other commercial and business activities,” Lockheed Martin explains. The fact that the space station is free-flying means that it will not be locked into one orbital position.

Continue reading “The ‘First-Ever Free-Flying Commercial Space Station’ Will Launch in 2027” | >

In recent years, the continued exploitation of natural resources and depletion of our forests has been a major issue, to say the least. The fight for sustainability has become increasingly important as we face the challenge of climate change and its effects on our planet. One possible solution to this problem is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help increase sustainable logging practices.

Beyond data science, AI can be used in conjunction with autonomous robots that are specially designed for forestry work which may provide an answer for this global problem. AI can be applied specifically to logging operations such as planning where trees should be cut down and predicting the best time of day for cutting trees so they do not disrupt nesting birds or other animal habitats.

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Continue reading “Increasing Sustainable Logging Practices With The Help Of AI” | >

The joys of riding in a car.

When I was a youngster, my grandparents delighted in taking me for a trek in their car, especially on the weekends. They would come to visit during the summers. A car ride included rolling down the windows of the vehicle and we would all relish the rushing cool breeze on those hot and muggy summer days as we drove leisurely along.

Since I wasn’t old enough to drive, they instead did all the driving activity. I did though have a hand in where we went. Let’s go to the store, I would clamor. Let’s drive past the school ground and wave at anyone there. Let’s go driving around the local park and see all the trees and the ducks in the pond.

Continue reading “Freeway Phobia Seriously Scares Some Human Drivers Which Possibly Can Startle AI Self-Driving Cars Too” | >

Rome is drawing up an offer to try to convince Intel to invest billions of euros in an advanced chipmaking plant in Italy, as Germany emerges as frontrunner to land an even bigger megafactory planned by the U.S. company, three sources said.

The plants would be part of a drive by the U.S. group to build cutting-edge manufacturing capacity in Europe to help avoid future supply shortages of the kind currently crippling the automotive industry in particular.

Rome is already in talks with Intel about the potential investment, which according to preliminary estimates would be worth more than 4 billion euro ($4.7 billion), the sources who are involved in the discussions said.

Continue reading “Italy woos Intel over multibillion-euro chip plant: Sources” | >

Machines are getting better and better at doing jobs that traditionally could only be done by humans. Largely this is thanks to advances in machine learning that have given us machines that are capable of using data to make decisions. As they are trained on more data — in simulated or real-world situations, they are able to do this with increasing proficiency. This is what we’ve come to refer to as artificial intelligence (AI) — the closest we’ve so far come to creating machines that are capable of learning, thinking, and deciding.

So is this unprecedented situation going to result in widespread human redundancy, with the associated damage and disruption to society that this would seem to entail? There are certainly some who think so. On the other hand, some believe it will lead to a new paradigm in human work and productivity, where machines take care of all the dirty, boring, and dangerous jobs, leaving us free to spend time on more rewarding creative, fun or social pursuits.

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Continue reading “AI And Data At Dow Jones: Why Humans Are The Machine Behind AI” | >

A British-built robot that uses cameras and a robotic arm to create abstract art has been released after Egyptian authorities detained it at customs.

Ai-Da, named for the mathematician Ada Lovelace, was seized by border agents last week who feared her robotics may have been hiding covert spy tools.

Officials held the robot for 10 days, imperilling plans to show her work at the Great Pyramid of Giza on Thursday.

Continue reading “Robot artist Ai-Da released by Egyptian border guards” | >

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the military alliance of 30 countries that border the North Atlantic Ocean, this week announced that it would adopt its first AI strategy and launch a “future-proofing” fund with the goal of investing around $1 billion. Military.com reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join other NATO members in Brussels, Belgium, the alliance’s headquarters, to formally approve the plans over two days of talks.

Speaking at a news conference, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the effort was in response to “authoritarian regimes racing to develop new technologies.” NATO’s AI strategy will cover areas including data analysis, imagery, cyberdefense, he added.