Robotics company is offering $125K if you’ll let a robot use your face
Running short on cash? U.K.-based additive manufacturing company Geomiq is currently offering $125,000 to the person willing to sign over face rights to let their appearance be used for a new line of humanoid robots. Here's how you can get involved with this unusual offer.
Augmented reality could give surgeons X-ray vision when they operate
Imagine what a boon it would be to surgeons’ lifesaving abilities if they were somehow granted X-ray vision while operating on patients. That’s exactly what a new startup called MediView XR wants to make possible -- and it’s all thanks to the power of augmented reality.
Cotton candy machines inspired this breakthrough in lab-grown meat
Lab-grown meat could well be the future. But for it to take off, it's going to have to taste like the real thing. To help, researchers at Harvard recently developed a breakthrough method of growing rabbit and cow muscle cells on edible gelatin scaffolds. Here's what that means.
400 years after the Mayflower voyage, this A.I. ship will retrace its path
Four-hundred years ago next fall, a ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, to the New World, aka America. To mark the anniversary, an IBM-powered autonomous ship is getting ready to retrace the voyage. Here's how it came to be, and what makes it so exciting.
Machines are getting freakishly good at recognizing human emotions
In certain scenarios, A.I. algorithms can outperform humans at identifying certain emotions, such as happiness and sadness, by looking at faces. Here is why that matters -- and what it means for the way that we will interact with machines (and vice versa) in the future.
IBM contest winners answer call by developing lifesaving tech for firefighters
Could smart sensor technology help make firefighters’ jobs a bit less dangerous? That’s the hope of Prometeo, a Spanish team that was announced as the winners of IBM’s Call for Code 2019 competition. Here's what the team has developed -- and how it promises to help.
Collapse OS is an open-source operating system for a post-apocalyptic future
Wonder what kind of operating system you would use in a post-apocalyptic world after the collapse of society? The aptly named Collapse OS is here to answer that question. Here's what makes it special -- and how you can get involved if you want to help prepare humanity for the worst.
A virtual town called Neuralville is teaching scientists how the brain navigates
Psychologists at Emory University have built a virtual town called Neuralville. And by monitoring people's brains when they negotiate it, scientists can gather information about how the brain processes navigation information. Here's what they learned -- and why it matters.
Youbionic’s new robot appendage lends a hand without costing an arm and a leg
Robot arms are all kinds of awesome. But they're also very expensive, frequently reaching into the thousands of dollars. Federico Ciccarese, the engineer behind low-cost robotic arm company Youbionic, is working hard to change that. Check out his latest $250 robotic creation.
Decades later, inventors of lithium-ion battery win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The three scientists credited with inventing the rechargeable lithium-ion battery used in virtually every electric device today have been awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They will share the $905,000 prize. Here's what their work meant (and continues to mean) to the world.
The Drone Racing League’s newest racing rig is piloted entirely by A.I.
The Drone Racing League (DRL) has unleashed its first autonomous racing drone. Called RacerAI, the innovative new unmanned aerial vehicle changes the drone racing game by flying itself, rather than requiring a human to steer it. How long until it can defeat human racers?
Zeppelins could make a comeback with this solar-powered airship cargo mover
Zeppelins could make a comeback in a big, bad way — courtesy of a new aluminum-shelled, solar-powered airship that’s being built by U.K.-based company Varialift Airships. Here's why Varialift's prototype airship could be such a useful tool for the future of cargo delivery.
California is cracking down on deepfakes for politics and porn
California is cracking down on deepfakes in porn and politics. The state recently signed bills which make it illegal to distribute altered video, audio or still photography of political candidates, and also protects residents against people creating pornographic content using their likeness.
This ad blocker for audio is a peek into the future of ‘perceptual ad blockers’
Adblock Radio is a new artificial intelligence tool, similar to music-recognizing app Shazam, which uses machine learning to spot audio ads so users can skip them. Welcome to the exciting new world of perceptual ad-blockers. Here's why they must turn out to be necessary.
A.I. musicians are a growing trend. What does that mean for the music industry?
The most prolific musical artists manage to release one or two studio albums in a year. A.I. company Auxuman plans to put out a new full-length album every single month. Welcome to the world of machine creativity. Here's why Auxuman's founder is so confident he's onto a winner.
Portland burglar allegedly used a drone to aid in after-hours food cart robbery
A pair of food carts in Portland was recently burglarized by a thief who used a drone for surveillance. A 34-year-old man has been arrested for the burglary. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a growing number of drone-related crimes as the technology goes mainstream.
Teens’ touchscreen typing speeds put their parents attempts to shame
According to a study of more than 37,000 users, there is now a mobile device "typing gap" between today’s 10- to 19-year-olds and their parents’ generation. The tween and teenage users are capable of typing around 10 words per minute (WPM) faster than people their parents’ age.
Fire-extinguishing gel could be sprayed onto wooded areas ahead of fire season
A new nontoxic gel developed by researchers at Stanford University could be sprayed onto woodland to reduce the severity of wildfires. According to its creators, the fluid could be applied to ignition-prone areas ahead of peak fire season. Here's what makes it so special.
Bitcoin has a massive carbon footprint. This clever new cryptocurrency doesn’t
Bitcoin mining is bad for the environment. Researchers from Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne believe they have come up with a new low-energy approach to current cryptocurrency approaches. Here's what their concept does differently -- and why it matters.
Spy technology can ID people through walls based on their … Wi-Fi signals?
The idea of using Wi-Fi signals to identify a person through a wall sounds like something out of a Mission: Impossible movie. In fact, it’s a new piece of research coming out of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Here's how it works and why it could be useful.
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing could one day ‘turn off’ HIV virus in the body
A cure for HIV? Researchers from the University of California -- San Diego School of Medicine have proposed a new genetic-sequencing approach that could provide a kill switch to clear out dormant HIV reservoirs inside cells. Here's how it works -- and what happens from here.
Stimulating implant could speed up recovery from devastating nerve injuries
Peripheral nerve injuries can be devastating. However, a new implantable device developed by researchers at Harvard and MIT could prove to be a medical game-changer. Here is how the nerve-stimulating implant works -- and what this could mean for future patient outcomes.
15-ton fighting robot now for sale on eBay, but watch out for shipping costs
Robot fighting company MegaBots' beautiful dream is coming to an end. And, while that's sad on multiple levels, it's great news for anyone who wants to buy a 15-ton fighting mech on eBay for way less than it cost to develop. Here's what it does, and how you can get your hands on it.
New flying fish-inspired robot uses explosive water farts for propulsion
Researchers from Imperial College London and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology have built a flying fish-inspired swimming robot that can propel itself out of the water and glide for distances of 85 feet at a time. Check it out in action.
Pack your utensils: There will be macaroni and cheese on Mars
Worried about astronauts missing their macaroni and cheese in space? Scientists at Washington State University have got your back. They have developed new technology for extending the shelf life of ready-to-eat mac and cheese for up to three years. And Mars travel is the reason.
Waiting in the wings: How drones are revolutionizing the battle against hunger
How do you use drones to save lives following a disaster? The World Food Programme, the food-assistance branch of the United Nations, is doing its bit to use drone technology to help humanity. Here are some of the ways that it is using unmanned aerial vehicles right now.
Boston Dynamics’ Spot is a cool robot. But is that enough for success?
When Boston Dynamics first showed off its Spot robot in 2009, the world hadn’t seen anything like it. Years later, it's finally ready to go to work for customers. But the robotics market of 2019 is a crowded place. Can Boston Dynamics triumph in a world where it's no longer a novelty?
Facebook acquires a startup that has built a mind-reading wristband
Facebook has acquired CTRL-Labs, a New York-based startup that lets users control computers using decoded neural activity and the wave of a hand. Because, you know, who wants to bother using their mouse and keyboard to 'like' posts or comment on someone’s holiday photos?
Forget fingerprints. These headphones can scan your ear canal for identification
Move over Face ID! The future of biometric security systems will use earbuds to map your inner ear. It sounds crazy, but the State University of New York at Buffalo's new EarEcho technology could actually turn out to be pretty darn useful. Here's why this wacky new biometric tech is exciting.
This nail gun drone is either the future of construction or the future of war
Is a drone equipped with a firing nailgun an awesome idea or the epitome of why humanity can’t have nice things? Whatever the answer, researchers at the University of Michigan recently decided to build one. And we're kind of glad that they did -- so long as it sticks to roofing.
Baldness-banishing baseball cap will zap your head until your hair grows again
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a baldness-banishing baseball cap that zaps the wearer with very mild electric pulses, prompting their hair to grow back again. Here's how it works -- and your chances of getting one in the near future.
This A.I.-powered app can spot skin cancer with 95 percent accuracy
SkinVision's skin cancer-detecting app lets users snap a quick photo of a potentially troubling spot and then uses artificial intelligence to determine its risk factor. But how well does it work? According to a recent study, it's more than 95% accurate in its assessments.