Lockheed Martin uses graphene to purify water

Helping to eliminate 99% of disease-related deaths in the developing world:

http://www.nationofchange.org/weapon-maker-finds-cheap-way-desalinize-sea-water-1388415840

Why is Google snapping up robotics firms?

To become Skynet? To colonize the moon? To beat everyone to the technological singularity punch? Inevitably, robots and AI will massively dominate (not necessarily the negative connotation) our future. Google appears to recognize this and is going balls-to-the-wall to be the one that makes it happen:

http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Wins+DARPA+Challenge+to+Produce+TerminatorLike+Robot/article33995.htm

RIKEN to build exascale computer by 2020

http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/topics/2013/20131226_1/

30 times faster than the current fastest supercomputer, China’s Tianhe-2.

The Navy is now working on a fleet of underwater drones

http://swampland.time.com/2013/12/22/navy-underwater-drone/?xid=newsletter-weekly

Google's Schaft robot wins Darpa rescue challenge trial

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25493584

http://www.kurzweilai.net/time-meet-the-google-robot-that-won-darpa-robotics-challenge-trials?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0a6751537c-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-0a6751537c-281903081

Breakthrough in Creating Fuel From Algae

http://www.nationofchange.org/us-scientists-convert-algae-crude-oil-less-hour-1387812791

It still takes more energy to produce than you get out of the process, but at least it's carbon-neutral and simple.

Morphing micro-muscular motor is 1,000 times more powerful than a same-size human muscle

http://www.kurzweilai.net/morphing-micro-muscular-motor-is-1000-times-more-powerful-than-a-same-size-human-muscle?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=14b7da7bbb-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-14b7da7bbb-281903081

Restoring Your NADs May Reverse Aging!

Not THOSE 'nads...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-new-and-reversible-cause-of-aging?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2aa099345b-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-2aa099345b-281903081

Another story on the same topic:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/20/anti-ageing-human-trials

And another:

http://io9.com/scientists-develop-an-elixir-that-reverses-a-known-ca-1487149703?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

How to Communicate With Nanobots

Radio transmissions don't work well enough to communicate with nanobots that might inhabit your cells, so there has to be a different system. Here's a way to digitally communicate with chemicals:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/worlds-first-text-message-via-molecular-communication-sent?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2aa099345b-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-2aa099345b-281903081

Phone Robot Who Claims She's a Real Person

Unless you're paying attention, you would likely be fooled by her:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/10/meet-the-robot-telemarketer-who-denies-shes-a-robot/?xid=newsletter-weekly (listen to the audio files)

How much longer before she passes the Turing test?

MetaPro Augmented Reality Glasses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuMv29nKo2k

Cellulose Nanocrystals are as Stiff as Steel

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q4/cellulose-nanocrystals-possible-green-wonder-material.html

Google's Road Map to Global Domination

Long but insightful:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/magazine/googles-plan-for-global-domination-dont-ask-why-ask-where.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Promising Trends in Renewable Energy Technologies

http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=254215

The Beginning of Personalized Learning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLaFe0BJiho2qpq9gHIT-PvfaD9D2WvWDL&v=hTA5GyWamR0

Producing Hydrogen From Just Water, Nanoparticles and Sunlight

http://www.kurzweilai.net/researchers-split-water-into-hydrogen-oxygen-using-light-nanoparticles?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7fb0bbf631-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-7fb0bbf631-281903081

Conflicts Between Solar and The Grid

http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-clouds-over-hawaii-39-rooftop-solar-growth-121006876--finance.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

Moving Away From a Centralized Grid

Boulder is moving in the direction of local green energy production, something Drexler's "Engines of Creation" predicted would become a common development:

http://truth-out.org/news/item/20564-the-transformation-of-americas-energy-economy

Google Has Bought 8 Robot Companies

Sounds to me like the best way to hurry the arrival of personal robots:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/technology/google-adds-to-its-menagerie-of-robots.html?_r=0

Super Hydrophobic Treatment

Applied to electronics, boat hulls and even ordinary windows, I would think this could save a lot of money:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcbIjqkLjMg

The Environment Over the Next 100 Years

Ugh:

http://www.upworthy.com/the-future-of-the-earth-s-next-100-years-visualized?c=bl3

I think nanotech may be the only way out.

NASA's New Valkyrie Robot

Watch the video:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/11/5198124/nasas-valkyrie-robot-made-for-darpa-robotics-challenge

It's speed is not impressive. Yet. But I can't wait to see how the challenge works out.

Solar Power Small But Growing Fast

Projected to go from less than 1% of the market now to 5% by 2020 and 20% by 2035 (I'm hoping for much faster than that, if nanotech takes off in the mid-20s as projected):

http://news.yahoo.com/us-solar-power-sector-small-growing-115605453.html

DARPA Robotics Challenge Entries

I am really excited to see what will come from this:

http://www.theroboticschallenge.org/teamlist

Thin, Efficient, Flexible Solar Cell Manufacturing Process

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-new-way-to-make-solar-cells-thin-efficient-and-flexible?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c4fd6f5a6e-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-c4fd6f5a6e-281903081

New Technique Can Improve Fiber Optic Throughput Ten Fold

http://actu.epfl.ch/news/ten-times-more-throughput-on-optic-fibers/

Scientists Sequence DNA of 400,000-Year-Old Human Relative

http://news.yahoo.com/39-pit-bones-39-yields-oldest-known-human-203310093.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory

Inflatable Solar Energy Chimney More Efficient Than Photovoltaic

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/energy-and-environment/news/per-lindstrand-plans-1km-high-inflatable-solar-energy-chimney/1017508.article

Documentary on Advances in Robotics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zP7yP8hdLE#t=94

I especially like the giant mech with dual Gatling cannons. The Japanese will ensure society is destroyed by giant robots before anything else does. :-)

And Asimo can take everyone's orders at once. Whoa, I hadn't been aware of that one!

A Variety of the Latest Robot Types

http://www.kurzweilai.net/googles-droids-take-on-amazons-drones?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4eaf9434a0-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-4eaf9434a0-281903081

Scientists build a low-cost, open-source 3-D metal printer

http://news.yahoo.com/3d-metal-printer-open-source-affordable-182234682.html

and

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-12/mtu-sba112613.php

Printing metal objects is the most critical step for universal 3D printing.

Amazon Looking to Deliver Packages by Autonomous Robot Drones

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazons-jeff-bezos-looks-to-the-future/

Turn off the ad video, then watch the "Amazon Unveils Futuristic Plan" video.

Here's a shorter version of the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98BIu9dpwHU#t=30