MIT’s bot sifts through trash to do your recycling for you
Engineers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new recycling robot that’s capable of automating the process of sifting through tons of trash to distinguish between paper, plastic and metal items. Here's how it works.
Animals, algorithms, and obstacle courses: Welcome to the A.I. Olympics
Scheduled to take place this June, the Animal-A.I. Olympics will test whether the world's top artificial intelligence algorithms can complete intelligence tests designed for animals. Here's why that matters -- and why this could be the ultimate challenge for today's A.I.
Mission success! SpaceX delivers satellite, lands all 3 Falcon Heavy boosters
The Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket in current operation, will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, today in what will be its first commercial mission. This will be Falcon Heavy’s second flight after a maiden flight in early 2018.
A.I. could monitor farms from above to make sure they’re not illegally polluting
The idea of an artificial intelligence that watches from the skies, seeking out wrongdoing, sounds a bit sci-fi dystopia. Actually, it describes a new A.I. being developed to help detect farms that are illegally polluting waterways. Perhaps not quite so dystopian after all, then!
Facebook is using A.I. to create the world’s most detailed population maps
Using deep learning A.I., census data, and high-res satellite images, Facebook has created the most accurate population density maps ever. Initially covering the majority of the African continent, the company claims it will eventually map nearly the Earth's entire population.
Chinese doctors use 5G to perform surgery from hundreds of miles away
The surgeon behind your future life-saving surgery might not have to be in the same room as you. Heck, thanks to the burgeoning 5G revolution, they might not have to be in the same state as you. That's what surgeons have been busy proving in China using the latest in 4K streaming.
IBM helped NASA FDL fix a satellite’s instrument using cutting-edge A.I.
How do you fix a satellite that’s floating 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface? That’s a question that NASA had to answer when it ran into problems with one of its crucial satellites. Fortunately, it was able to call in help from IBM and others to solve the issue using A.I.
No, it’s not a Michael Bay movie, but a spacecraft just bombed an asteroid
Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 this week successfully bombed a crater in the asteroid 162173 Ryugu as it hurtled through space, approximately 186 million miles from Earth. It will later return to the site to collect samples, which will eventually be brought back to Earth.
Amazon wants to launch 3,236 satellites so it can rain down internet from space
Amazon plans to launch a constellation of 3,236 satellites into low-Earth orbit to provide internet access around the planet. The satellites should be able to rain down connectivity on 95 percent of the world's population. Because you can always have more Prime subscribers!
Sleep-tracking wristbands are so 2013. Smart pajamas are the way of the future
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, have developed smart sleep-tracking pajamas, capable of monitoring all the details of your shut-eye. Here's how they work -- and why they may actually be able to improve both the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Genetically engineered bacteria could be the key to mass-produced spider silk
With its elasticity and super strength, spider silk could be useful for everything from bulletproof shields to ultrathin wound dressings. But how do you mass produce it? Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis think that they have found a way. Here's what they've done.
Lab-grown food startup wants to make dairy mozzarella, no animals required
You've probably heard of lab-grown meat companies which produce meat without killing animals. But how about cow cheese produced without the cow? That's what a startup called New Culture wants to make a reality. In the process it could reinvent vegan cheese as we know it.
Check out this crazy shape-shifting airplane prototype from NASA and MIT
MIT and NASA are reinventing the airplane as we know it. Engineers from both institutions have teamed up to build a radically new type of airplane wing that's able to change shape during flight to meet the optimal parameters of whatever action it is performing at the time.
Forget metal. When it comes to robots, the future is soft and squishy
Some of today's most exciting robots don't resemble the hard, metallic machines that science fiction promised us. Welcome to the rapidly evolving world of soft robots. Here's how they are helping to permanently change the face of robotics as we know it -- and what this means.
This smart pill will tattle to your doctor if you don’t take your meds
Patients defaulting on their medication is a constant headache for doctors. A new smart pill, called ID-Cap, promises to help by revealing exactly when a patient has taken their meds. Here's why that could turn out to be a major lifesaver for millions of people around the planet.
Can A.I. truly be creative? One brilliant Brit makes a compelling case
Marcus du Sautoy is a bestselling author and one of the U.K.’s leading mathematicians. In his latest book, The Creativity Code, he asks the question whether artificial intelligence can ever be truly creative. Here's what du Sautoy told us about one of A.I.'s biggest conundrums.
Self-driving apple harvesting robot suctions the fruit off trees
An autonomous tractor-style vehicle which can suction the apples right off apple trees could be the future of farming as we know it. Developed by the startup Abundant Robotics, this self-driving vehicle was recently deployed for the first time at an orchard in New Zealand.
YouTube Poop is punk rock for the internet age, and you probably don’t get it
Ever heard of a YouTube Poop video? These weird, experimental pop culture montages are a kind of ground zero for modern internet meme culture. Turning 15 years old this year, is it time that we finally gave YouTube Poops the respect that their creators claim they deserve?
Samsung’s flower vase doubles as a throwable fire extinguisher
Samsung may be best known to the tech-loving community for its mobile devices, computers and televisions, but there are plenty of other products the South Korean giant makes. Its latest? A Samsung-branded flower vase which doubles as a handy throwable fire extinguisher.
Boston Dynamics builds the warehouse robot of Jeff Bezos’ dreams
Handle may not be the most well known of Boston Dynamics' collection of robots, but it could well be the most practical. In a new video, viewers can get a better idea of what this impressive wheeled bipedal robot is capable of as it plies its trade inside a warehouse. Check it out.
AbleChair wheelchair switches from seated to standing — and everything between
AbleChair is a smartphone-controlled wheelchair that’s able to transform into a range of different positions and configurations -- it's like the accessibility version of Optimus Prime. This could mean a regular seated position, a more elevated position, a standing one, or something else entirely.
U.S. Marines are testing single-use delivery drones for dropping off supplies
Move over, Amazon! The U.S. Marines are testing a drone delivery program of their own -- only this one involves disposable drones designed for dropping off supplies wherever they're required. Here's how the surprisingly primitive drones work and why they're built that way.
Smoothie-making robots are here to steal your Jamba Juice job
Want a custom smoothie made by a robot to your exact specifications? Of course you do. Fortunately, California startup Blendid is here to make that delicious science fiction dream a reality. Here's all you need to know about its new venture, recently launched in San Francisco.
China has plans to build an orbital solar plant that beams energy down to Earth
China is hoping to build a giant orbiting solar power station which can tap the sun’s rays without having to worry about inconveniences like dense cloud cover or day and night cycles. It could then beam this solar energy down to Earth wherever it is most urgently required.
Microsoft’s latest breakthrough could make DNA-based data centers possible
Could tomorrow's data centers store information in the form of synthetic DNA? Researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington have successfully encoded the word "hello" into DNA -- and then turned it back into digital data using a fully automated end-to-end system.
This sleek new exoskeleton makes walking easier, fits under your clothes
Engineers from Vanderbilt University have developed with a new ankle exoskeleton that is designed to be worn under clothes. It is intended to help people to walk without fatiguing -- and without restricting natural motion or drawing attention to itself. Here's how it works.
A 3D printer the size of a small barn will produce entire homes in Saudi Arabia
If you’re looking for a 3D printer that can comfortably fit on the side of your desk, then Danish company Cobod International’s new 3D house printer probably isn’t for you. Capable of creating entire buildings, it's the world’s largest 3D printer for construction purposes.
China has cloned its best police dog. Now it wants to mass-produce more
Scientists from southwest China’s Yunnan Province have cloned a particularly skilled police sniffer dog. The genetics of the dog described as the Sherlock Holmes of police dogs will live on in mass-produced form.According to Chinese state media, the project is already paying off.
Scientists have a way to turn off alcoholism: Blasting the brain with lasers
Could ending alcohol dependency one day be as simple as flicking a switch? Researchers from Scripps Research have demonstrated that it is possible to reverse the desire to drink in alcohol-dependent rats by targeting a part of the brain using lasers. Here's how it works.
Twitter is officially a teenager now. Are we raising a monster?
On March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey sent the first ever tweet. Thirteen years later, Twitter has fundamentally changed the way we communicate. Here are some of the myriad ways that the popular microblogging service has amplified the human experience, for better and for worse.
Researchers gave alligators headphones and ketamine, and all for a good cause
Researchers in Germany and the United States recently gave ketamine and earphones to alligators to monitor how they process noise. It sounds a bit crazy, but it actually helps reveal some important insights into the evolution of gators and their links to dinosaur ancestors.
Tombot is the hyper-realistic dog robot that puts Spot to shame
Forget Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot canine, and move over Sony’s Aibo! When it comes to robot dogs, the folks behind a new Kickstarter campaign have plans to stake their claim as makers of man’s (and woman’s) newest best friend. Here's how it works and who it aims to help.
The U.S. Army is building a giant VR battlefield to train soldiers virtually
Imagine if U.S. Army soldiers were able to rehearse battlezone scenarios dozens, or even hundreds, or times before setting foot on actual terrain. That's what the Department of Defense's new VR Synthetic Training Environment hopes to make possible. Here is how it works.