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Jun 8, 2017

First Space Nation

Posted by in category: space

It might seem like an idea taken straight out of science fiction, but a ‘space nation’ could soon become a reality.

The ambitious plans, first announced last year, were hatched by an international group of scientists and are backed by a Russian billionaire.

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Jun 8, 2017

Apple’s new software is a game changer for augmented reality, experts say

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, computing, mobile phones

One of Apple’s new announcements has tech experts excited for augmented reality. One chief executive calls it a “game-changer.”

Apple unveiled its new operating system for its iPhone and iPad products, the iOS 11, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.

The system also introduces ARKit, a new framework for developers to more easily build apps that use augmented reality: the tech that allows devices to display computer-generated images over the real world.

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Jun 7, 2017

Industrial 3D printing

Posted by in category: 3D printing

This new 3D printer can build things never thought possible…

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Jun 7, 2017

The World’s Largest Floating Solar Plant Is Finally Online

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

The largest floating solar power plant in the world is now online in China. Floating where coal used to be mined, the installation is helping China transition toward renewables and making the most of its surroundings.

The world’s largest floating solar power plant is now online in China. Built by Sungrow, a supplier of PV inverter systems, the 40MW plant is now afloat in water four to 10 meters deep, and successfully linked to Huainan, China’s grid. The placement was chosen in large part because the area was previously the location of coal mining operations; and, as a result, the water there is now mineralized and mostly useless. The lake itself was only formed after years of mining operations, the surrounding land collapsed and created a cavity that was filled with rainwater.

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Jun 7, 2017

Adding Limbs to Your Body

Posted by in category: cyborgs

What would you do if you had four arms?

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Jun 7, 2017

Swarm of tiny robots

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

You can control this swarm of tiny robots with your gestures.

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Jun 7, 2017

We Could Build an Artificial Brain Right Now

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

We Could Build an Artificial Brain Right Now.

Large-scale brainlike systems are possible with existing technology—if we’re willing to spend the money.

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Jun 7, 2017

Suddenly Vladimir Putin Meets Vitalik Buterin, Endorses Ethereum

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, business, cryptocurrencies

The International Economic Forum, which just wrapped up in St. Petersburg, reportedly resulted in more than €30 bln of investments. The final and the most important result, however, is measured not in numbers, but in the mood and attitude of those who attended the Forum and who was keeping an eye on the events and meetings held in the North “capital” of Russia.

The cryptocurrency community is for sure left stunned by the recent meeting between Russian President Putin and the founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin.

As commented by Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, during the meeting, Putin and Buterin discussed the application of technologies in the country. Reportedly, the president supported the idea of establishing new business relationships following the road paved by Blockchain technology.

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Jun 7, 2017

IBM squeezes 30 billion transistors into a fingernail-sized chip

Posted by in categories: computing, internet, mobile phones, neuroscience

Who said Moore’s Law was dead? Certainly not IBM or its chip partners Globalfoundries and Samsung. The trio has developed a transistor manufacturing process that should pave the way for 5-nanometer chips. While the team etched the chip using the same extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) used for the breakthrough 7nm chip, it ditched the common FinFET (fin field effect) transistor design in favor of stacks of silicon nanosheets. The switch makes it possible to fine-tune individual circuits to maximize their performance as they’re crammed into an incredibly small space. How small? At 5nm, the group says it can squeeze 30 billion transistors into a chip the size of a fingernail (see below) — not bad when the 7nm chip held 20 billion transistors a couple of years ago.

IBM sees the technique helping its own cognitive computing efforts as well as the Internet of Things and other “data-intensive” tasks. However, it’s also painting a rosy picture for the future of mobile devices — it imagines phones having “two to three times” more battery life than current devices. That’s likely optimistic (phone makers tend to focus on speed over longevity), but it won’t be shocking if future hardware is both faster and wrings out a little more from every charge.

Just don’t expect to see real-world examples of this for a while. We haven’t even seen devices shipping with 7nm chips (they’re not expected until 2018 at the earliest), so it could easily be a couple of years or more before 5nm arrives. Still, that 5nm is even on the roadmap is important. Chip designers won’t have to reinvent the wheel to get meaningful improvements, and you won’t have to worry about device performance growing stale for at least the next few years.

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Jun 7, 2017

Shark tank water slide 🙈

Posted by in category: futurism

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