March 2020 show notes
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Story 1: Honeywell unveils plan for ‘most powerful’ quantum computer
Source: Phys.org Honeywell press release
Link: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-honeywell-unveils-powerful-quantum.html
- Honeywell recently said it will bring to market “the world’s most powerful quantum computer” aimed at tackling complex scientific and business challenges.
- The company said it had achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, which uses subatomic particles to speed up processing, and would launch the new computers within three months.
- Quantum computing is based on the use of quantum bits or qubits, which can perform trillions of calculations per second and in some cases outperform the fastest traditional supercomputers.
- Honeywell sees its upcoming quantum computers serving a wide range of applications, such as:
- Materials companies will explore new molecular structures.
- Transportation companies will optimize logistics.
- Financial institutions will need faster and more precise software applications.
- Pharmaceutical companies will accelerate the discovery of new drugs.
Story 2: Two commercial satellites just docked in space for the first time
Source: The Verge Story by Mary Beth Griggs
- There are approximately 3,000 satellites operating in Earth orbit, according to NASA, out of roughly 8,000 man-made objects in total.
- But, unfortunately, the majority of satellites revolving around the earth are not operational.
- In fact, according to the data by Union of Concerned Scientists less than 40% of the satellites that are in orbit are operational.
- On February 25th, Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle docked with the Intelsat 901 communications satellite.
- Intelsat 901 was launched in June 2001. It provides variety of communications for Europe and the Atlantic Ocean region.
- After nearly 19 years in space, Intelsat 901 is running low on fuel.
- If nothing was done, people on the ground would have lost the ability to actively control the satellite.
- So a few years ago, Intelsat decided to sign on to a mission that would send another satellite to extend the life of its ailing spacecraft by another five years
- So, this docking milestone may lead to a new industry to revive inactive satellites.
Story 3: Flying cellphone towers: Could drones bring internet coverage to remote areas?
Source: CNN Business News Story by Emma Reynolds
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/tech/tethered-drones-internet-africa-intl/index.html
- Tech giants including Google and Facebook have spent years trying to figure out how to bring the internet to billions of people who still lack a reliable connection.
- Now, an American startup has come up with its own plan.
- Telelift is an attempt to create a “flying cellphone tower.”
- It uses drones the size of a dining table, which are attached to the ground by a long wire and can stay in the air for at least a month.
- A 22-year-old Purdue University student came up with the concept in the summer of 2017.
- His drones hover at 200 feet while attached to solar panels or a power source on the ground, using around the same amount of power as a microwave.
- His Minnesota-based startup Spooky Action now wants to deploy Telelift in areas with poor internet coverage, beginning in Kenya, Niger, Botswana and Senegal.
- Each drone can provide high-quality internet for several hundred people over a radius of between 20 miles and 30 miles.
- The drones cost about $40,000 and are fully automated in flight, but would require a pilot for take-off and landing.
Story 4: Autonomous security bot monitors construction jobsites with facial recognition technology
Source: Construction Dive Story by Zachary Phillips
- The problem: The National Equipment Register estimates the value of construction equipment stolen each year is somewhere between $300 million to $1 billion.
- British company Casta Spes Technologies has developed a robot designed for security surveillance of construction jobsites that can drive autonomously through construction areas.
- The robot, called Ziva, is a two-wheeled, image-capturing robot that acts as a mobile closed-circuit security system for construction jobsites.
- The robot, which can travel up to 11 mph and has a 12-hour battery life, utilizes cameras and facial recognition software to identify people and vehicles present – and determine if they’re allowed to be in the area.
- The robot is only available in Europe today, but the company plans to roll out Ziva in the U.S. in 2021.
- Ziva would cost about $1,300 a month to rent in the U.S., which the company claims is a substantial saving when compared to cost of security cameras and human guards.
Story 5: Dyson Patent Describes Air Purifying Headphones
Source: PC Magazine Story by Matthew Humphries
Link: https://www.pcmag.com/news/dyson-patent-describes-air-purifying-headphones
- A new patent application reveals Dyson wants to make headphones that double as “A wearable air purifier”
- The diagrams reveal what looks like a standard pair of headphones.
- How it works: Dyson intends to embed a fan and purifying device inside each earphone.
- The fans spin at 12,000 rpm allowing for 1.4 liters of air to be filtered through each earphone every second.
- The purified air is then directed via perforated air jets towards the wearer’s mouth, allowing the user to breathe in air free of pollutants.
- Dyson claims it can produce 2.4 liters of purified air per second, which should be more than enough to keep up with even heavy breathing.
- If you’ve got an office full of people wearing these headphones it wouldn’t take long for the entire office space to be turned into a clean air zone.
- A patent application is no guarantee that a product will make it to market.
- So, no price or availability date at this time.
Story 6: Space might be the perfect place to grow human organs – Researchers are developing 3D bioprinters about 200 miles above earth.
Source: Popular Science Story by Molly Glick
Link: https://www.popsci.com/story/health/3d-organs-space/
- In the next decade, specialized 3D bioprinters could begin to build functioning human organs in space.
- It turns out that the minimal gravity conditions in space may provide a more ideal environment for building organs than gravity-heavy Earth.
- If successful, space-printed organs could help to shorten transplant waitlists and even eliminate organ rejection.
- Researchers at the International Space Station hope to eventually assemble organs from adult human cells, including stem cells.
- Reminder: Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into other types of cells, and can also divide in self-renewal to produce more of the same type of cells
- So far, these printers have produced early versions of blood vessels, bones, and different types of living tissue by churning out repeated layers of bioink
- Bioink is a substance comprised of living human cells and other tissue that’s meant to mimic the natural environment that surrounds growing organs.
Story 7: US Army to use gamers’ brain waves to train robot swarms
Source: Popular Mechanics Story by Courtney Linder
Link: https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a30855506/darpa-swarm-robots-video-game/
- Researchers at the University at Buffalo are using gamers’ brain waves to advance the progress of robot swarms that could be used in the military.
- What is a Robot Swarm? Using groups of simple robots to complete complex tasks, rather than one extremely advanced robot, is referred to as “swarm intelligence” in Artificial Intelligence theory. Think of how ants work together.
- DARPA – [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] – has given a federal grant to the University at Buffalo Artificial Intelligence Institute to study gamers’ brain waves and eye movements.
- DARPA hopes this new training method will improve organization and strategy among autonomous air drones and ground robot swarms used on the battlefield.
- Where the gamers come in: The researchers are developing their own unique strategy-based game.
- As gamers play, the decisions they make are recorded, and researchers will track their eye movements through high-speed cameras.
- In tandem, their brain activity will be monitored through electroencephalograms generated by gamer headsets with electrodes on a cap.
- Then, based on the data they’ve gathered, the scientists will build new algorithms that will guide autonomous drone and ground robot swarms used in military applications.
Story 8: ‘Mixed Reality’ Goggles Will Give U.S. Army Soldiers Super Vision
Source: Popular Mechanics Story by Kyle Mizokami
Link: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a30898514/mixed-reality-goggles-army/
- The U.S. Army is planning to buy 40,000 pairs of ‘mixed reality’ goggles, enough to outfit nearly one in ten soldiers.
- “Mixed Reality” [or also called “augmented reality”] means a display that combines what you see in front of you with computer generated information and image overlays. Think Pokemon Go
- The Integrated Visual Augmentation System goggles will, among other things, allow soldiers to identify friendly and enemy forces and aim their weapons without directly seeing the enemy.
- Overall the goal is for soldiers to be better informed on the battlefield.
- The Integrated Visual Augmentation System goggles are based on Microsoft’s Hololens 2 “mixed reality” system.
- The Hololens 2 is basically a consumer helmet mounted display similar to those worn by fighter pilots, projecting data into the user’s field of view.
Story 9: Self-driving car company Nuro wins first federal safety approval for a grocery delivery robot
Source: Washington Post Story by Ian Duncan
- Delivery robot company Nuro won the first federal safety approval for a specific purpose-built self-driving vehicle, advancing the young company’s plans to cart groceries around neighborhoods — and reaching a milestone for the autonomous vehicle industry.
- The approval indicates that federal regulators at the Department of Transportation think specially built robot cars can safely take to the roads without matching all the design standards for regular vehicles.
- Nuro says it plans to begin testing soon in Houston.
- Many of the existing rules are designed to ensure that the person at the wheel remains safely in control.
- But Nuro’s vehicle, which it calls R2, won’t need mirrors or a windshield
- The federal approval also carries strict limits. It’s good for only two years, and Nuro’s lightweight robots won’t carry passengers, won’t travel faster than 25 mph, and production will be capped at 5,000 vehicles.
- When the deployment begins, Houston customers will be able to place an order for delivery from Domino’s Pizza, Kroger or Walmart.
- A robot will deliver pizza or groceries to a designated spot and the customer will enter a code to unlock the robot and retrieve purchases.
Story 10: Artificial intelligence yields new antibiotic – A deep-learning model identifies a powerful new drug that can kill many species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Source: Science Daily MIT press release
Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200220141748.htm
- Using a machine-learning algorithm, researchers at MIT have identified a powerful new antibiotic compound.
- The challenge, according to the research team is “We’re facing a growing crisis around antibiotic resistance….”
- In laboratory tests, the drug killed many of the world’s most problematic disease-causing bacteria, including some strains that are resistant to all known antibiotics.
- The computer model, which can screen more than a hundred million chemical compounds in a matter of days, is designed to pick out potential antibiotics that kill bacteria using different mechanisms than those of existing drugs.
- According to a research spokesperson, “Our approach revealed this amazing molecule [which they call Halicin] which is arguably one of the more powerful antibiotics that has been discovered.”
- Halicin is named after the computer in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
- What Halicin can do: preliminary studies suggest that halicin kills bacteria by disrupting their ability to maintain an electrochemical gradient across their cell membranes.
- Definition: electrochemical gradient refers to the balance of chemical and electrical gradients that act on an ion, particularly as it relates to the movement of an ion across a biological membrane
- This gradient is necessary, among other functions, to produce molecules that cells use to store energy, so if the gradient breaks down, the cells die.
Story 11: Robot suitcase uses AI to help visually impaired travelers
Source: Cnet.com Story by Shelby Brown
Link: https://www.cnet.com/news/robot-suitcase-uses-ai-to-help-visually-impaired-travelers/
See video here: https://www.cnet.com/videos/5-cameras-4-wheels-this-ai-suitcase-follows-you-around-the-airport/
- IBM Japan, Shimizu and Mitsubishi are developing a new suitcase-shaped robot that could help the visually impaired while they travel.
- The navigation robot suitcase will use artificial intelligence to help people travel more independently.
- The joint venture was inspired by research conducted at Carnegie Mellon University on a navigation robot called CaBot, which is short for carry-on robot.
- The AI suitcase will help people find the optimal travel route based on their location.
- The navigation robot will also use video and a vibro-tactile handle to convey directional feedback to help people avoid obstacles
- And it uses LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology for localization and path planning
- In addition, a stereo camera uses a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network technology [a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system] to identify objects or pedestrians.
- All this technology will assist with:
- Finding the check in counter they need
- Finding their gate and seating
- Finding restaurants, restrooms, and shopping outlets
- They plan to run a public pilot in June 2020.
Story 12: ‘Now’s the Perfect Time to Make Jetsons Cars Real,’ Air Force Says
Source: Business Insider Story by Valerie Insinna
- The US Air Force has officially started its search for a “flying car” able to speedily shuttle troops and equipment into war zones.
- Late last month, the Air Force released a solicitation for its program called Agility Prime, which is an effort to explore commercial advances in electronic vertical-takeoff-and-landing technologies.
- The Air Force isn’t dictating strict requirements for proposed Agility Prime aircraft.
- The Air Force wants companies to compete for the development of an urban/advanced air mobility aircraft that could incorporate electric or hybrid propulsion and be controlled by an onboard pilot, a remote pilot or autonomously.
- The Air Force is especially interested in air vehicles that can carry three to eight troops more than 100 miles at a speed of greater than 100 mph for periods of an hour or more.
- Companies involved in the competition will also have to fly their aircraft prior to December 17, 2020, in order to move on to later phases of the program.
- The goal is for the Air Force to buy a “handful-plus” vehicles by fiscal 2023
Story 13: Google algorithm lets robots teach themselves to walk
Source: iCrowd Newswire Based on widely distributed press release
Link: https://icrowdnewswire.com/2020/03/03/google-algorithm-lets-robots-teach-themselves-to-walk/
- One of the key challenges in robotics is navigation without human intervention.
- Here’s the problem:
- We’re at a stage where algorithms will allow a robot to learn how to move around, but the process is convoluted and requires a lot of human input, either in picking up the robot when it falls over, or moving it back into its training space if it wanders off.
- But new research from Google could make this learning process a lot more straightforward.
- By successfully tweaking existing algorithms, researchers from Google Robotics were able to get a four-legged robot to learn how to walk forwards and backwards and turn, all by itself and in a matter of a few hours.
- First of all, they did away with environment modelling, in which algorithms are tested in a virtual robot in a virtual environment [via computer simulation].
- Instead, the researchers began training in the real world from the get-go, and because the real world provided natural environment variation, the robot could more quickly adapt to variants such as steps and uneven terrain.
- With this system, the robot was able to use trial and error to eventually learn how to autonomously navigate a number of different surfaces — a significant milestone in making robots more useful.
Story 14: Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Free Images for Broader Public Use
Source: Feb. 25 Smithsonian news release
Link: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-releases-28-million-free-images-broader-public-use
- Late last month the Smithsonian announced the launch of Smithsonian Open Access, an initiative that removes Smithsonian copyright restrictions from about 2.8 million of its digital collection images and nearly two centuries of data.
- This means that people everywhere can now download, transform and share this open access content for any purpose, for free, without further permission from the Smithsonian.
- Among museums and cultural institutions, this is the largest and most interdisciplinary open access program to date.
- The Smithsonian will continue to add items on an ongoing basis, with more than 3 million images designated as open access by late 2020.
- The Smithsonian Open Access content includes high-resolution 2D and 3D images of collection items, as well as research datasets and collections metadata, which users can download and access in bulk.
- All of the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo contributed images or data to this launch.
- The program includes content across the arts, sciences, history, culture, technology and design, from portraits of historic American figures to 3D scans of dinosaur skeletons.