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Your next surgery could be robotic, and that’s a good thing
In partnership with Intuitive
Robots are taking surgery to the next level. Here’s how.
Space elevators are inching closer to reality
Tremendous progress has been made developing the materials necessary for a space elevator — but our need for one could soon disappear.
3D printing promises to transform architecture forever
Large-scale additive manufacturing, like 3D printing, involves building objects one layer at a time, transforming architecture as we know it.
Generative AI: The technology of the year for 2022
It's made headlines so often that there is no question that 2022 will be remembered as the year that Generative AI stunned the world.
Shape-shifting material morphs robot from driving to flying
A shape-shifting material lets multifunctional robots morph from one shape to the next quickly and without the use of motors.
Solving the last mile problem with robotic delivery vehicles
Most of the cost of delivering goods is tied to moving “the last mile” from a hub to the final destination. A new robotic delivery bot being piloted in three cities may help solve the problem.
New personal robot carries stuff around your house
A personal robot that carries items between different parts of a home is helping people with mobility issues live more independently.
Boston Dynamics’ warehouse robots are taking over
DHL Supply Chain is paying Boston Dynamics $15 million for a fleet of its autonomous warehouse robots, which can each move 800 boxes/hour.
These “AI Artists” don’t want to ape existing art — they want to create something new entirely
We sat down with two prominent AI artists to talk about their projects and their quest to create new genres.
This bird-like drone can perch on branches, catch objects
Inspired by birds' perching abilities, researchers developed a drone with a bird-like structure that can land on a wide array of objects.
Watch a drone swarm navigate a bamboo forest
By arming each drone with its own sensors, researchers have created the first swarm capable of navigating a wide environment.
NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory to finally answer the epic question: “Are we alone?”
The Nancy Roman Telescope is already being built with a goal no smaller than to find inhabited planets beyond Earth.
Delivery robots get airbags to protect you in case of collision
Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro has added external airbags to its autonomous delivery robots to protect pedestrians.
This robotics lab wants to develop the dream surgery
Chicago’s Surgical Innovation Training Lab is developing the robots, surgeons, and digital surgeries of the future.
Surgery robot outperforms humans at “keyhole surgery”
Johns Hopkins' autonomous surgery robot, STAR, performed a tricky keyhole surgery on live pigs better than a human surgeon could.
Breakthrough artificial fingertip mimics our sense of touch
A new artificial fingertip replicates humans' sense of touch by mimicking the microscopic anatomy of our fingertips.
Sun-powered soft robot could mop up the seas
Inspired by steam engines and water-walking insects, this soft robot may one day mop up oil spills at sea.
Study: If there is a maximum human lifespan, we’ve yet to reach it
The current record for longest life is likely to be broken in the coming decades, according to a new study on the maximum human lifespan.
NASA spots an enormous water plume erupting on Saturn’s ocean moon
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers are gaining new insights into Enceladus, which holds a sea beneath its icy surface.
Humanoid robots are waking up — and they look eerily real
Engineered Arts, a robotics firm located in the United Kingdom, released a video showing a humanoid robot that looks exceptionally lifelike.
Using robotic fish to harness the “ecology of fear”
To fight an invasive fish threatening Australia’s critically endangered freshwater natives, researchers are looking to robotic predators — and the “ecology of fear” they create.
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Challengers
The man building robotic legs for kids with cerebral palsy
The medical industry wasn’t moving fast enough. So he built a robot to help his nephew with cerebral palsy walk.
AI for better crops
AI technology could transform how growers protect their harvests, by detecting plant diseases very early on.
“Muscle shirt” increases arm endurance by more than 200%
The Myoshirt acts like “wearable muscles,” using sensors and AI to help people with upper-limb impairments move their arms.
These robotic suits supercharge human workers
This new wearable robotic suit from German Bionic, can boost human strength, and it is powered by artificial intelligence
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Hard Reset
Should war robots have “license to kill?”
War is changing. As drones replace snipers, we must consider the ethics of machines making life or death decisions.
Xwing puts autonomous flight on the runway to approval
Autonomous flight startup Xwing has filed for approval to do crewless cargo flights, a first step towards pilotless commercial aviation.
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Challengers
Mind-reading technology – Are we ready for it?
Startup founders want to read your brainwaves - but how will they protect your data from tech giants?
Goodyear puts airless tires on Starship delivery robots
Goodyear’s airless tires are now being used by a fleet of Starship's autonomous delivery robots on a college campus in the U.S.
What are “meta-skills” and how can they supercharge your life?
There are many meta-skills out there, but feeling, seeing, dreaming, making, and learning are likely the most important in the modern world.
We need more than ChatGPT to have “true AI.” It is merely the first ingredient in a complex recipe
LLMs might be one ingredient in the recipe for true artificial general intelligence, but they are surely not the whole recipe.
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Heretics
Tim Urban’s case for transhumanism
We interviewed Tim Urban at Hereticon. Here’s what he had to say about Elon Musk & transhumanism.
What’s so wrong about sexbots?
These sexbots remember that you are 32 years old, and you like sushi, except on Thursdays — and they can teach us a lot about coexisting with AI.
World’s first 3D-printed rocket launches at Cape Canaveral
Relativity Space has just launched the world’s first 3D-printed rocket, Terran 1, but the flight didn’t go exactly as hoped.
Vaccine robot administers doses without needles or human help
Canadian startup Cobioni has built a vaccine robot that can deliver a dose into a patient’s arm without a needle or any human help.
The world’s biggest industrial robot lasers off airplane paint
Dutch company Xyrec recently demonstrated a 67-ton industrial robot that uses lasers to quickly strip paint from aircraft.
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Challengers
Can robots save our oceans from poachers?
23% of fish sold in the US is caught illegally. This robot boat is a poacher’s worst nightmare.
Brain implant translates neural activity into letters, letting a paralyzed man “speak”
A new device allowed a paralyzed patient to "speak," spelling out full sentences in real-time with an error rate of about 8%.
The subtle art of language: why artificial general intelligence might be impossible
Until robots understand jokes and sarcasm, artificial general intelligence will remain in the realm of science fiction.
Cloud labs are the “ghost kitchens” of science
Cloud labs which run experiments with robots remotely may make science more efficient, replicable, and accessible.
In the turbulent Drake Passage, scientists find a rare window where carbon sinks quickly into the deep ocean
The Drake Passage is one of the most turbulent ocean regions on Earth, but exploring it could help scientists understand how carbon sinks.
Autonomous race cars go head-to-head, break records in Las Vegas
Autonomous race cars took to the track at CES, opening new forms of competition and setting speed records.
Robot fish are powered by lab-grown human heart cells
A robot fish that uses human heart cells to swim has put scientists one step closer to growing full-size hearts in the lab.
Caltech’s walking robot can also fly and skateboard
Caltech's new bipedal walking robot can fly to get around obstacles, and it's steady enough on its feet to skateboard or slackline.
Robot avatar safely trims trees around active power lines
A robot avatar that mimics the motions of a human controller could take the place of workers in dangerous jobs by the end of 2022.
Wearable robot helps people with paralysis sing
Seoul National University researchers have built a wearable robot that helps people with spinal cord injuries breathe, cough, and sing.
Are robotic kitchens the future of food?
Restauranteurs are using robotic kitchens to cut real estate costs, opening up room in their budgets for higher quality ingredients.
New “biohybrid” machines weave electronics with living cells
By combining combine genetic and electrical engineering, scientists have developed a new technique for wiring electronics into living matter.
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Catalysts
The college where students roam the world to learn
In partnership with Stand Together
4 years, 7 cities, 0 tests. A college to prepare students for the real world.
Powered exoskeletons may be the ultimate fitness machines
Enhanced Robotics is selling a powered exoskeleton to help people achieve their fitness goals, and it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars.
Microsoft’s new AI needs just 3 seconds of audio to clone a voice
Microsoft has unveiled VALL-E, a voice-cloning AI that only needs a 3-second sample to simulate a speaker’s voice with remarkable accuracy.
Nanobots are real, and they can battle bacteria
Researchers have developed antibiotic nanobots that can traverse a wound on their own.
Giant cyborg cockroach could be the best search-and-rescue bot
The cyborg cockroaches are outfitted with sensors that can identify heat, carbon dioxide, and body movements.
Facebook robot winds fiber-optic cable around power lines
A Facebook robot that wraps fiber-optic cables around power lines could help bridge the digital divide by expanding internet access.
Robotic exoskeleton gives prosthetic legs a power boost
University of Utah engineers have built a robotic exoskeleton that gives people with prosthetic legs a power boost that makes walking easier.
Why artists shouldn’t fear AI
Advancements in generative art have many human artists on edge. But should they be worried?
MIT’s new algorithm for self-driving cars is open-source
MIT scientists unveil the first open-source simulation engine capable of constructing realistic environments for autonomous vehicles.
Chameleon robot can change color to match its surroundings
Researchers in Korea have made a color changing robot that matches its background colors — a precursor to future active camouflage technology.
Coal mining has changed. What’s next for miners?
In partnership with Lumina
Coal-mining families in Kentucky lost their jobs almost overnight. But they’re not giving up. Here’s how they built a new way of life.
Robot café hires people with disabilities to operate robo-waiters
At the Dawn Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, diners are served by robotic avatars controlled remotely by people with disabilities.
NASA will send two more helicopters to Mars to bring home samples
Inspired by the overachieving Ingenuity, NASA has updated the Mars Sample Return mission to include two new Mars helicopters.
Bipedal robot completes 5K after learning to run
Agility Robotics’ Cassie just became the first bipedal robot to complete an outdoor 5K run, completing the jaunt on a single charge.
Humans have big plans for mining in space
What's holding us back from mining in space when we have such big plans already? The sheer cost, for one thing.
Jupiter’s moons hide giant subsurface oceans
Three of Jupiter’s moons – Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are home to large, underground oceans of liquid water that could support life.
Toyota is building a “Lunar Cruiser” for Japan
Toyota's pressurized moon rover, the “Lunar Cruiser,” could help astronauts live on the moon — and help us combat climate change on Earth.
Nanoparticles are the future of medicine
The success of some drugs that use nanoparticles, such as the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, has prompted excitement among researchers.
Ford replaces humans with robot test drivers
Ford Motor Company has built a pair of robot test drivers to fill in for humans during dangerous endurance tests at its Weather Factory.
Insect-sized robot can run like a cheetah
An insect-sized robot with the agility of a cheetah could one day save lives by assessing disaster zones ahead of first responders.
Sculpting robots chisel art out of marble
Italy's Robotor is inspiring artists to pick up Carrara marble as a medium by delegating the laborious carving process to sculpting robots.
The plea to save the Afghan girls robotics team from the Taliban
A human rights lawyer is trying to get the Afghan girls robotics team evacuated to Canada so its members can avoid living under Taliban rule.
AI chatbots don’t actually “know” anything. Can we fix that?
New AI models, called ALMs, could help chatbots stay connected to reality.
Toyota’s cleaning robot shows off its new skills
Toyota’s cleaning robot has demonstrated new skills, revealing an ability to detect clear objects and snap perfect selfies.
China’s new space station is open for business
On Nov. 29, 2022, the Shenzhou 15 mission launched from China’s Gobi Desert carrying three taikonauts – the Chinese word for astronauts.
The tech of the year is entering the workforce
Generative AIs are being integrated into the programs millions of people use at work, but will they really make our jobs easier?
Throwable rescue robots sent to help at collapsed building
Teledyne Flir has sent at least two of its rescue robots to help hunt for survivors in a collapsed building in Florida.
Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind. Elon Musk says human trials are next.
If Neuralink’s monkey can play Pong with its mind, imagine what humans could do with the same technology in just a few years.
Nanoparticles may automatically clean your teeth one day
Shapeshifting nanoparticles may one day lead to automated oral care.
This beach-cleaning robot is a Roomba for sand
An all-electric, beach-cleaning robot called BeBot can sift through sand to extract pieces of debris too small for traditional systems.
MIT is testing a levitating space rover
MIT engineers have designed a levitating space rover that could allow us to explore parts of the moon that are too rough for rolling rovers.
NASA announces alien-hunting Habitable Worlds Observatory
NASA has announced that it is developing the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a new space telescope optimized to hunt for extraterrestrial life.
A massive moon telescope could solve the mystery of the “Cosmic Dark Ages”
NASA hopes a massive radio telescope on the moon will be able to reveal what was happening during the mysterious “Cosmic Dark Ages."
Curiosity discovers a “flower” rock on Mars
Curiosity has discovered a Martian rock shaped like a flower, and it's helping NASA scientists unravel the history of water on Mars.
Robot penguins are exploring mysterious ocean currents
In an effort to study mysterious ocean eddies, an oceanographer teamed up with a bionics company to build an AUV inspired by penguins.
A robot could save farmers from being buried alive in grain
The Grain Weevil robot helps farmers manage stored grain, keeping them out of bins where they might lose their lives to grain entrapment.
Inside the world of a robotic surgeon
In partnership with Intuitive
Many of the world’s top surgeons are learning first-hand what they can do with surgical robots — and it’s unlocking a new era in health care.
MIT’s new ultrasound sticker lets you see inside your body
MIT researchers have created an ultrasound sticker that can continuously monitor a person’s organs and tissues for up to 48 hours.
Meet MIT’s Kate Darling: Why we should rethink our relationship with robots
According to MIT's Kate Darling, robots are more like animals, not humans.
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Just Might Work
How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks
Could robotic dolphins help marine parks become more humane spaces where people can learn about and connect with nature?
Should we build high-speed public WiFi into street lights?
Better public WiFi networks could be created by broadcasting signals over the 60 GHz frequency band from transmitters attached to light poles.
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Hard Reset
Inside Zoox: The robot vehicle totally changing transportation
Take an exclusive ride in the vehicle with no steering wheel that’s aiming to make car ownership a thing of the past.
We gave ChatGPT a college-level microbiology quiz. It blew the quiz away.
A microbiologist devised a quiz that would be appropriate as a final exam for college-level microbiology students. ChatGPT blew it away.
New salt-grain sized micro camera takes images on par with a full size camera’s
Researchers have created a salt-grain sized micro camera capable of taking images almost on par with a regular camera.
AI artist Botto has made its first million
AI artist Botto, which hones its taste via a human community, has made a splash in the art market, going from NFTs to Miami.
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Just Might Work
Meet the woman who can smell diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s
This woman can smell diseases — and she’s working with scientists to give you her superpower.
New VR body suit lets you see inside your body while you exercise
A system for monitoring motion and muscle engagement could aid the elderly and athletes during physical rehabilitation.
How close are we to reversing paralysis?
Thanks to groundbreaking innovations in neuroscience, we’re seeing that forms of paralysis long assumed to be permanent can be reversed.
We can now hear an AI robot’s thought process
This robot’s thought process isn’t a secret — researchers gave the AI the ability to share its internal monologue with humans.
Russian satellite strike creates huge cloud of space debris
A Russian anti-satellite weapons test threatened the safety of ISS astronauts by adding more space debris to Earth’s orbit.
These robot legs taught themselves to walk
A pair of robot legs were able to teach themselves to walk thanks to a unique twist on reinforcement learning, a common AI training technique.
"Hands-free" smart farm will replace laborers with robots
At a smart farm in Australia, robots and AI will do all the manual labor, potentially foreshadowing agriculture’s "hands-free" future.