This mind-blowing 8K holographic display makes 3D look awesome again
Bored of flat TVs? Looking Glass Factory has created the world’s first 8K holographic display: an astonishing 33.2 million pixel beast capable of throwing out images that literally seem to pop out of the screen. For its creators, its the latest step in a dream dating back 30 years.
3D-printing system can spit out custom-fitted bionic hands in under 10 hours
There have been some pretty darn impressive 3D-printed powered prostheses. But getting them to the people who need them as quickly as possible is still something of a hurdle. Thanks to engineers at the U.K.’s University of Warwick, however, those days may be coming to an end.
Compostable cutlery could help solve the world’s waste plastic crisis
In the United States alone, some 40 billion plastic utensils are reportedly thrown away each year after only a single use. That’s a pretty darn shocking statistic -- and it’s one that the makers of a new line of quickly compostable cutlery are working hard to help solve.
Injectable electrodes may help treat everything from chronic pain to depression
A new drug-free treatment for health conditions ranging from chronic pain to epileptic seizures or depression could be on the horizon -- and it involves an innovative (and somewhat cyborg-like) approach involving injectable electrodes. Here's how the breakthrough treatment works.
New cardiology A.I. knows if you’ll die soon. Doctors can’t explain how it works
A new cardiology artificial intelligence is able to accurately predict your chances of dying in the next year just by looking at heart test results, despite the fact that the results may look totally fine to trained doctors. Here's how it works — as far as we can tell.
Robot overlords? More like co-verlords. The future is human-robot collaboration
Forget stealing our jobs; the next frontier of robotics is going to help humans by allowing them to carry out a whole host of tasks remotely -- whether it's maintenance or even surgery. Here's why it could prove to be such a major game changer for a whole lot of people.
Humans could get rid of space junk by turning it into hotels and storage depots
Space junk is a major problem. While there have been numerous ideas put forward for cleaning up the massive amounts of space trash, a new concept may be the most ambitious (and, frankly, kind of bonkers-sounding) yet: Upcycle it into orbiting space depots and hotels. Yes, really.
This radar system could finally put an end to children dying in hot cars
A new A.I.-powered device can reportedly detect unattended kids and animals left alone in vehicles with 100% accuracy. The experimental technology uses a combination of radar and cutting-edge machine learning to make its potentially life-saving predictions. Here's how it works.
What Blade Runner got right (and wrong) about 2019
1982's Blade Runner is rightly considered a masterpiece among science fiction movies. But how accurate were its predictions about the future? With November 2019 being the far-flung month and year in which the movie is set, here’s what the movie got right and, in one case, very wrong.
Your Alexa speaker can be hacked with malicious audio tracks. And lasers.
Smart speakers are awesome. But they're also subject to some pretty terrifying vulnerabilities, as two recent proof-of-concept demonstrations show. Whether it's adversarial sound attacks or laser hacks, here are two ways researchers have found to exploit smart speaker weaknesses.
Have trouble staying focused? These brain-training earbuds might help
FocusBuds, billed as the world's productivity-boosting earbuds, use a brain-training technique to help wearers block out concentration-breaking distractions. Here's how the technology works -- and how would-be owners can get their hands (well, ears) on them as soon as possible.
Plant-based burgers? Old news. This startup makes steak with fermented fungus
New startup Meati Foods has developed a meat substitute that it claims both looks and tastes like steak, but is actually made entirely from mushroom. In doing so, it hopes to challenge the might (or is that meat?) of similar companies such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
Forget Face ID! Next-gen biometrics will listen to the sound of your bones
Researchers from South Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute have developed new biometric technology that can identify people based on the way sound waves pass through their body. Here's how the tech works -- and why it could prove so useful in the future.
World’s first robotic brain surgery could be a game-changer for patients
A neuroradiologist in Toronto has carried out the world’s first robotic brain surgery. The robot-assisted aneurysm coiling was conducted on a 64-year-old female patient at Canada’s Toronto Western Hospital and Krembil Brain Institute on November 1. Here's why it matters.
Drone and rover tag teams could help solve the world’s deadly land mine problem
Roughly 20,000 people are maimed or killed each year due to land mines; the vast majority being civilians in parts of the world subject to ongoing conflict. Could a tag team of autonomous robots help solve the problem? Roboticists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute think so.
New UV-sensitive yarn gets much warmer when exposed to the sun’s rays
Renowned American yarn company Red Heart have come up with a way to make people even cosier this winter. Their new Red Heart Heatwave yarn promises to keep wearers warmer thanks to patented fibers that get warmer when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays. Here's what you need to know.
The 2019 Freedom on The Net report says social media is ruining everything
The internet today is pretty far from the utopian place that it was in the past, the Freedom on the Net 2019 report by bipartisan watchdog and think tank Freedom House suggests. And social media may be what's to blame. Here's why it's causing so many problems for citizens.
NASA’s Voyager 2 sends first message back from the edge of the solar system
The Voyager 2 spacecraft has sent back its first message from the interstellar space, after having left our solar system late last year. This makes it only the second human-made object to ever reach beyond this point, following sibling Voyager 1, which crossed this threshold in 2012.
DNA, laser-etched glass, and beyond: A peek into the future of data storage
Data has a problem. Simply put: We produce way too much of it, and storing it is becoming an issue. But pioneering researchers are exploring futuristic ways of solving our data problem once and for all. From 5D optical storage to embedding data in DNA, here are some of their ideas.
For better or worse, blockchain birth certificates are officially here
The first baby to have their birth certificate officially recorded on the blockchain has been registered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Because we're totally living in the future, don't you know? Here's what it could mean for the next generation of record-keeping as we know it.
NASA astronomers think this interstellar comet is carrying alien water
A team of astronomers at NASA think they might have found water from another planetary system on an interstellar comet. If they’re correct, this would be the first time in human history that water hailing from another planetary system has been found within our solar system.
This startup wants you to submit pictures of your poop. Lots of them, in fact
Sending pictures of your poop over the internet sounds like the kind of thing that should be discouraged. The creators of the new #giveashit campaign think different, however. Not only do they want your poop photos; they plan to use them to train a new feces-analyzing A.I.
What happens when you mix foosball and robots? A new game called RoboSoccer
Looking for the next great game? RoboSoccer is a nifty modern-day upgrade of foosball that combines the addictive concept of the original game with some impressively agile miniature robots, controlled via mobile app, on a folding pitch. Here's how you can get your hands on it.
Brain stimulation treatment could be an alternative to antidepressants
Clinicians in Harley Street, the United Kingdom’s most famous medical district, have become the world’s first to offer a new treatment for depression which ditches antidepressants in favor of brain stimulation. Here's how it works -- and why it could turn out to be so exciting.
MIT’s shadow-watching tech could let autonomous cars see around corners
MIT researchers have shown off new technology which could allow autonomous vehicles to look around corners — by analyzing changes in shadows on the ground. Here's how it works, and what it could potentially mean for the reaction time of self-driving cars in the future.
This invisible photo filter protects you from facial recognition software
A startup founded by former members of the Israeli Defense Forces has created smart technology that replaces faces in video or still images with near-identical looking photorealistic portraits which can't be identified by facial recognition systems. Here's why that's so important.
NASA-inspired smartglasses turn dark whenever you lose concentration
Struggle to concentrate? Wellness company Narbis has developed pair of smartglasses intended to discourage distraction by visibly darkening when your mind wanders from the task you should be focused on. Here's how you can get your hands on a pair in the very near future.
Team machines: Why the next revolution in robotics is collaboration
Have you ever heard the expression 'teamwork makes the dream work'? Well, it counts for robots, too. Here are some of the exciting examples of robots that are able to work collaboratively in teams -- and why it might just turn out to be the future of robotics as we know it.
Inside the outrageously ambitious plan to scan the entire Earth with lidar
The Earth Archive is an ambitious new project that hopes to scan planet Earth in full 3D using the technology which helps self-driving cars make sense of the world around them. Here's why its creators believe that this is such an important mission -- and why time is running out.
Rescue drone can distinguish between survivors, victims in disaster zones
In an amazing world's-first study, researchers have demonstrated how drones could be lifesaving tools by helping to identify survivors in a disaster zone. The drones are able to look for things like heartbeat and breathing rate -- from a distance of more than 25 feet away.
Dear robots: If you come to steal our jobs, please take these ones first
Over the coming decades, it’s likely that huge numbers of other jobs will be replaced thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. But are there jobs we should specifically try and automate away for the good of humankind? Here are some which fit the bill.
New lightweight robot exosuit makes walking and running a whole lot easier
Researchers in South Korea have developed a new lightweight, portable robotic suit that can help increase running and walking performance without being excessively bulky. The suit could be a game-changer for people with mobility issues, alongside those with strenuous physical work.
Giant 3D-printed wasp nests could be the homes of the future
Ever wanted to live in a giant 3D-printed wasp nest? Inspired by the design of a potter wasp’s nest, this prototype eco-friendly housing unit could provide a home for humans at a time of exponential population increase and lack of affordable housing. Coming soon to a neighborhood near you.