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Space junk created the world’s largest dump. Here’s how we can fix it.
From "laser brooms" to massive nets, space organizations have proposed many ways to clean up the mess of space debris.
The case for techno-optimism: Is the world about to enter an era of mass flourishing?
Historically, periods of mass flourishing are underpinned by technological revolutions. Currently, we are undergoing a technological revolution unlike anything the world has ever seen.
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.
NASA: Lockheed Martin will build the Mars Ascent Vehicle
NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle, a first-of-its-kind rocket capable of launching from the surface of Mars, will be built by Lockheed Martin.
Gecko gripper could clean up space junk
The Earth is circled by a sea of space junk, and it poses a danger to satellites and astronauts. We know we should...
Finland prepares world’s first “nuclear tomb”
Deep beneath Finland, a “tomb” for nuclear waste is set to be a test for geological disposal facilities.
Back-poking robot triggers presence hallucinations
A back-poking robot can trigger presence hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s disease, giving researchers a way to finally study the phenomenon.
Robot dog helps military students “survive” combat training
A military school recently used Spot, a robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics, during combat training exercises.
Robot paramedics are bringing mechanical CPR to the UK
An English ambulance service has begun using robot paramedics to deliver mechanical CPR to patients.
Flying microchips the size of sand are tracking air data. Watch them fly.
Scientists have built the smallest artificial flying structures yet — gadgets that could one-day monitor air pollution and the spread of airborne diseases.
WeChat users try to keep Shanghai lockdown protest video ahead of censors
WeChat users have turned to all manner of tricks in a cat-and-mouse game with CCP censors to keep a video about the Shanghai lockdown online.
A robot boat tows kelp forests and sequesters carbon
The startup, Phykos, has sent a prototype of a solar-powered watercraft on a carbon-sequestering cruise in the Pacific Ocean, using an innovative kelp forest.
Flying race car zips across the sky for the first time
The world’s first flying race car, the Airspeeder Mk3, has completed its maiden flight and is on track to compete in a first-of-its-kind racing series later in 2021.
Neuralink rival will soon test brain implant in US clinical trials
It's the first time the FDA has approved clinical trials for a brain-computer interface.
Artificial photosynthesis lets us grow plants in total darkness
A new artificial photosynthesis technique could boost crop yields on existing farms or allow us to grow plants in new locations — like space.
TV shows train AI to predict human behavior
Algorithms are learning to guess what you'll do next by analyzing shows like "The Office."
Innovative vertical farming companies to watch
Here are five vertical farming companies to keep an eye on — and a bonus nine that are selling food you can buy right now.
Autonomous Black Hawk helicopter flies without a crew
The U.S. Army has given a Black Hawk helicopter the ability to complete an autonomous flight without any humans on board.
MIT’s robotic nose can detect first sign of disease
A powerful diagnosis tool may one day be in millions of smartphones.
Drones and driverless cars could help with Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis
We need a universal code of conduct for deploying autonomous vehicles and drones in humanitarian settings.
New UV light safely kills 98% of airborne pathogens indoors
Far-UVC light — a type of ultraviolet light that isn’t harmful to human health — killed 98% of airborne microbes indoors in a new study.
Hugging a cushion that “breathes” can reduce anxiety
A study found that hugging a cushion that “breathes” was able to reduce anxiety for students prior to a test as much as guided meditation.
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Challengers
26-year-old builds $8,000 mind-controlled bionic arms
Bionic arms used to cost $80,000. Now, a young engineer has lowered the cost by over 90%.
What AI can teach us about copyright and fair use
A copyright lawyer and fair use expert weighs in on the legal implications of these new AI technologies.
What ever happened to the first cryogenically frozen humans?
For decades, people have arranged to freeze their bodies after death, dreaming of resurrection by advanced future medicine.
McDonald’s is replacing human drive-thru attendants with AI
McDonald's just rolled out a voice recognition system at 10 drive-thrus in Chicago.
Boston Dynamics unveils a new robot: Stretch
Boston Dynamics’ second commercial offering is a warehouse robot named Stretch that can lift and move 800, 50-pound boxes every hour.
No more cords: one day an entire room may power up all your devices
Charging rooms may free us from the tangle of cords needed to power our electronic devices.
Quadruped robot can break a leg and keep going
Dyret is a shape-shifting quadruped robot that can change the length of its legs. This helps it walk across different terrains or account for any injuries.
Marc Andreessen: The single greatest risk of NOT pursuing AI
AI has many caught between near utopia and horrifying dystopia. Marc Andreessen sees a better future for all, if we build AI in warp speed.
This “hamster ball” robot could explore lunar caves
The spherical Daedalus robot may explore lunar caves during future ESA moon missions, looking for places that could potentially host human settlements.
How do DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and other forms of generative AI work?
DALL-E and other types of generative AI can produce images that look like photographs, paintings, or drawings that were created by humans.
Rarely seen glass octopus caught on film
An underwater robot has recorded stunning footage of a glass octopus, an almost completely transparent cephalopod rarely caught on film.
ESA plans to make the first oxygen on the moon
ESA plans to send a device that pulls oxygen from lunar regolith to the moon by 2025 and then build an oxygen-producing plant in the 2030s.
MIT turned a robo-dog into a robot doctor
MIT converted a robo-dog built by Boston Dynamics into a robot doctor and then asked patients how they felt being treated by it.
Tiny magnetic beads and turkeys may lead to better prosthetic limbs
MIT and Brown researchers have developed a technique using implanted magnetic beads that they hope will lead to better control of prosthetic limbs.
Soft robots could get stronger by pumping iron
Soft robots could get more muscular with a new soft gel that becomes tougher when subjected to vibration.
Surgery robot could make hysterectomies less painful
The FDA has approved its first surgery robot for use during a vaginal hysterectomy, which is less invasive than the abdominal approach.
The world’s deepest pool will host astronaut training in the UK
U.K. company Blue Abyss has submitted plans to build a massive aquatic facility in Cornwall, England, and its centerpiece will be the world’s deepest pool.
MIT has created an inflatable prosthetic hand
MIT researchers have created a soft, inflatable prosthetic hand that provides advanced abilities at a fraction of the cost and weight.
Japan’s transforming moon rover gets help from toy company
Japan is sending a transforming moon rover to the lunar surface in 2022 to collect data that will inform an upcoming crewed mission.
NASA tosses rockets to prepare for Mars sample return
NASA is developing a system for the Mars Sample Return mission that tosses a rocket into the air just prior to ignition on Mars.
Sophia the Robot will be mass-produced this year
Hanson Robotics is going to begin mass-producing Sophia the robot in 2021, making the social robot available to help combat the pandemic.
The augmented, virtual, human-machine future of surgery is here
Advancements in XR technologies are rapidly integrating into the future of surgery.
Nimo smart glasses are like a PC for your eyes
India-based startup Nimo Planet is now accepting reservations for its Nino smart glasses, which let wearers view six virtual screens.
Sophia the Robot joins NFT frenzy
Sophia the robot has created digital art that will be linked to an NFT and sold — making her the latest to join the art world’s current craze.
Bots can now swim like a school of real fish
Bluebots, robotic fish developed at Harvard, are the first to demonstrate complex swarm behaviors underwater.
One robot was able to watch another bot and predict its actions
A Columbia University study suggests that empathy between robots may be possible — and the skill could make the bots more useful to humans.
Watch Japan’s latest robot painter in action
For SXSW’s AI Painting Project, a robot arm was trained to generate paintings based on given concepts and using a limited number of brushstrokes.
Robot made of ice can repair and rebuild itself
A team of researchers wants to build robots out of ice and send them to space. The icy bots can use found materials to rebuild themselves.
Researchers have developed a “plant communication” device
Plants emit weak electric signals. Researchers have developed a device to read and send signals back — a type of “plant communication.”
“Dancing” molecules repair spinal cord injuries in paralyzed mice
A treatment for spinal cord injuries was able to reverse paralysis in mice by “dancing” to connect with cells near the site of the injury.
5 AI experts predict how ChatGPT and DALL-E will affect the future of work
Will society will use this moment of AI breakthroughs to advance equity or exacerbate disparities? Five experts weigh in.
Recycling robot keeps waste out of landfills
AMP Robotics has developed a recycling robot that uses AI to sort recyclables twice as quickly as humans can.
The next generation of living machines: xenobots 2.0
Made from the stem cells of a frog, “Xenobots” are tiny living machines. And researchers have just debuted version 2.0.
VR spacewalk will let you see what ISS astronauts see
A VR spacewalk filmed by an “outer space camera” will be the centerpiece of the next episode of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience.
Magic Leap is back with a new AR headset
Augmented reality startup Magic Leap plans to release a new AR headset in 2022 using a recently raised $500 million in funding.
Robot dogs are being deployed at a US military base
Four robot dogs are heading to a Florida Air Force base to serve as security patrol, marking the U.S. military’s first full-time deployment of a robot dog.
Instant delivery for everyone on Earth
In partnership with Zipline
We live in an unprecedented time of AI and technology - so why do medical access inequalities still exist? One company is tackling that.
Michio Kaku makes 3 predictions about the future
Dr. Michio Kaku on what is likely and what is possible provides a stimulating vision of the future.
NASA scientists want to send this robot dog to Mars
A modified version of Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot could be the ideal Mars rover for exploring caves and other underground structures.
The “recovery paradox” explains why you’re burnt out
There's regular job stress, and then there's uncertainty, dread, and constant change. Here's how to actually recover from it.
This spider-like moon rover will explore lunar lava tubes
A spider-like moon rover heading to the lunar surface in 2021 is designed to explore the underground lava tubes in which astronauts might one day live.
The best therapy dog may be a robot
A life-life robot dog might be an effective — or even preferable — alternative to a living therapy dog, according to a new study.
Ballerina teaches robot to dance with her during pandemic
“Quantum ballerina” Merritt Moore choreographed duets during lockdown — and then programmed a dancing robot to perform them with her.
Virginia launches world’s biggest 3D-printed housing project
Construction company Alquist 3D plans to build 200 3D-printed houses over the next 5 years through Project Virginia.
Toyota’s autonomous shuttle is optimized for Olympians
Tokyo Olympians are riding around the Olympic Village in Toyota’s e-Palette, an autonomous shuttle designed with their needs in mind.
This ice cream is made from lab-grown vegan milk
Disappointed by available milk alternatives, the startup Perfect Day developed lab-grown vegan milk that’s molecularly identical to the kind from cows.
MIT built an AI to design robots
MIT has developed an AI capable of robot design — all you need to do is tell RoboGrammar the bot’s goal and the available body parts.
Quadriplegic man, using two robot arms, can feed himself again
A man paralyzed from the neck down used a brain computer interface to control two robot arms — a big step in the field of mind-controlled prosthetics.
New bionic arm is incredibly close to the real thing
A new bionic arm is so intuitive, wearers think and behave like people without amputations while using it to perform everyday tasks.
NASA needs people to pretend they’re living on Mars
To prepare for a future in which astronauts are living on Mars, NASA is looking for people willing to live in a simulated Mars habitat.
90% of drugs fail clinical trials – here’s one way researchers can select better drug candidates
It’s disappointing when the years of effort and resources spent to push a drug candidate to patients so often lead to failure.
Is the US military testing an anti-aging pill?
The U.S. military is developing an anti-aging pill that is designed to inhibit performance reduction that comes with aging.
Inside Europe’s largest vertical farm
At a massive vertical farm in Denmark, food tech startup Nordic Harvest is demonstrating the benefits of moving agriculture indoors.
Implantable “neurograins” may be the key to mind-controlled tech
A new kind of brain-computer interface uses tiny neural implants called “neurograins” to record brain activity in rats.
Will human augmentation move too fast for our brains?
To show how human augmentation can affect the brain, participants in a new study underwent fMRIs after learning to use a prosthetic called the "Third Thumb."
This robot creates a GPS for your lungs
In partnership with Intuitive
A traditional lung biopsy is incredibly invasive, but new tech is allowing doctors to get ahead of lung cancer and give patients a fighting chance.
Solar energy is about to get a whole lot cheaper
Bottlenecks in the production of silicon thwart solar panel manufacturing. Some companies are turning to perovskite instead.
Disney gives humanoid robot a “lifelike” gaze
To escape the uncanny valley, Disney created a humanoid robot that mimics the minor eye and head movements people make during interactions.
If you train robots like dogs, they learn faster
The dog-inspired SPOT framework effectively trains an AI robot more quickly than other reinforcement learning methods.
This robot will put your contact lenses in for you
A man in Florida has invented a contact lens robot to insert or extract lenses for people with hand tremors or dexterity issues.
The 2021 Disney Accelerator sheds light on Disney’s metaverse ambitions
From AI to AR to live video shopping: these are the 8 companies selected for the Disney’s yearly accelerator program.
How synchronized fireflies could inspire robot swarms
A recent discovery about the synchronized fireflies' amazing light shows could help researchers acquire fresh insight into swarm robotics.
Bat-inspired sound location tech could allow drones to fly solo
Inspired by bat’s ears, researchers at Virginia Tech have created a device capable of pinpointing sound location more accurately than other tech — or our ears.
Surgeons can now practice on a 3D-printed copy of your liver
A new technique for creating life-like 3D-printed livers based on individual patients’ scans could help surgeons be better prepared for operations.
AI backpack “sees” for visually impaired people
An AI backpack powered by Intel technology “sees” for visually impaired people, letting them know about any potential obstacles in their path.
Robot cook could help restaurants recover from COVID-19
Miso Robotics is making Flippy ROAR available for $30,000 in the hopes the robot cook will help the restaurant industry recover from the pandemic.
Futuristic city will be a testbed for robots & autonomous cars
Toyota has broken ground on Woven City, a futuristic city prototype where the technologies of tomorrow can be tested en masse.
Toyota unveils Spiderman-like home cleaning robot
Toyota built a cleaning robot that descends from a kitchen's ceiling as an example of the kind of tech that might one day support Earth’s aging population.
How music can rewire the brain after an injury
MedRhythms, an experimental digital therapy combines sensors and music to help people with Parkinson's disease walk.
Firefighting robot helps battle blaze in Los Angeles
The U.S.’s first firefighting robot helped keep LAFD firefighters safe while they battled a blaze in downtown Los Angeles.
This robot dolphin could free animals from captivity
This robot dolphin could replace the real ones forced to entertain people at marine park exhibits across the globe.
Robot lawyer helps people connect with incarcerated loved ones
DoNotPay’s robot lawyer can now help people write and send letters to inmates without worrying about violating a facility’s mail rules.
This VR exoskeleton lets you actually run through virtual worlds
A VR exoskeleton called the Holotron works with a person’s entire lower body to let them control the locomotion of an avatar in VR.
The plan to convert space debris into labs for astronauts
Space services company Nanoracks plans to convert space debris into orbiting “Outposts” that could serve as hotels, research parks, and more.
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Hard Reset
How mirrors could power the planet… and prevent wars
If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.
How to protect our future (when AI gets too smart)
The future of AI looks promising, but it doesn’t come without risks. How can we keep the technology in check, before it outsmarts us?