Friday, December 31, 2010
Robotics Update
Using robotic telepresence to allow workers to be in two places at once but with more flexibility than video telepresence:
Artificial Intelligence Update
An artificial intelligence program can shred a guitar:
Although it sounds too "perfect" right now.
Artificial Intelligence Update
By 2020 you won't be able to tell if you're communicating with a person or a computer over the web:
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
Despite its over-hyped and weak start, artificial intelligence research is booming and producing incredible results all around us:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Researchers to begin running thin slices of brain tissue under an electron microscope in order to map its wiring:
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Computing Update
IBM's predictions for the next five years:
- You’ll beam up your friends in 3-D
- Batteries will breathe air to power our devices
- You won’t need to be a scientist to save the planet
- Your commute will be personalized
- Computers will help energize your city
Computing Update
Racetrack memory combining the best of both magnetic and Flash storage could lead to the ability to store all the movies produced in the world in a year and run for weeks on a single battery:
Artificial Intelligence Update
A $4 iPhone app that can translate languages on SIGNS...instantly:
Be sure to watch the video.
Too cool!
Computing Update
Moore's Law is in danger of coming to a stop unless new technologies are developed to replace current microprocessors:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Google launches next phase of voice recognition to allow more smart phone operations to be done with greater accuracy with voice alone:
Artificial Intelligence Update
IBM's "Watson" computer will challenge Jeopardy!'s greatest champions for a $1 million prize:
Watch Jeopardy! Feb 14-16!
Artificial Intelligence Update
Researchers using fruit flies to help decode the construction of the human brain:
Computing Update
Taiwanese researchers claim to have created a microchip only 9 nanometers across with 20x the storage of currently available microchips, and consumes 1/200th the energy:
If true, it's particularly impressive since the limit for such microchip technology was though to be 20 nanometers.
Singularity Update
(Not exactly germane to this subject, but may have implications for possible survival after the death of the universe)
Researchers claim to have found evidence of our universe having had up to four collisions with other universes:
Alternative Energies Update
Theoretical breakthrough may allow the creation of antimatter from "nothing":
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Nanotechnology Update
I've created a new YouTube video titled, "Science & Technology vs. Religion":
It merges several of my favorite topics. :-)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Robotics Update
As I predicted, here's the next step in the evolution of the sexbot:
I DO think it's only a matter of 10-15 years before sexbots can replace "real" lovers so well one can't tell the difference between them.
Alternative Energies Update
New integrated solar system increases captured solar energy efficiency to 80%:
Computing Update
Breakthrough in chip technology integrates light and electrical devices on the same chip to allow smaller, faster and more powerful computers:
and follow-up article:
http://www.kurzweilai.net/by-2018-supercomputers-could-operate-100-times-faster-than-the-human-brain
"The new technology could accelerate the performance of supercomputers a thousand times, taking us from the current 2.6 petaflops (1015 or quadrillion operations per second) Chinese Tianhe-1A supercomputer to an exaflop (1018 or a quintillion operations per second) supercomputer in just 8 years (“flops” stands for “floating point operations per second”). And that means a supercomputer that runs 100 times faster than a human brain operating at peak capacity, currently estimated to be around 1016 operations per second by Ray Kurzweil and others."
Weaponry Update
New XM25 rifle allows soldiers to use programmable exploding bullets to negate the advantages of enemies hiding behind cover:
Singularity Update
An interview with Ray Kurzweil for Time magazine:
(Watch the video--link is in the left bar)
Nanotechnology Update
Upcoming e-paper may display full-motion video...and yet be cheap enough to be disposable:
Robotics Update
The AMAR (ARMAR?) robot uses touch to adapt to and manipulate new items in a kitchen environment:
Computing Update
New nanowire "racetrack" memory may make shockproof hard drives 100,000 times faster and that consume less power than current drives:
Robotics Update
The first robot actress:
She only sits for now, and her expressions aren't very realistic yet...but just wait a few years....
Robotics Update
The first robot actress:
She only sits for now, and her expressions aren't very realistic yet...but just wait a few years....
Singularity Update
If you're wondering what the projected timeline is for achieving the technological singularity, here's the most detailed:
Computing Update
35 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every...minute:
"...you’ve increased the amount of video uploaded to YouTube to 35 hours per minute. That breaks out to 2,100 hours uploaded every 60 minutes, or 50,400 hours uploaded to YouTube every day. If we were to measure that in movie terms (assuming the average Hollywood film is around 120 minutes long), 35 hours a minute is the equivalent of over 176,000 full-length Hollywood releases every week. Another way to think about it is: if three of the major US networks were broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for the last 60 years, they still wouldn’t have broadcast as much content as is uploaded to YouTube every 30 days."
Like the amount of traffic and related infrastructure in the world, it is unfathomable to me how such quantity can be supported.
Virtual Reality Update
New glasses allow one to view augmented reality on a 60" virtual screen projected 10' away, both in 2D and 3D:
Computing Update
Even if missing a quarter of their components, quantum computers should still be able to function properly:
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Nanotechnology Update
Nanogenerators can now scavenge enough mechanical energy to power small personal electronics:
Cybernetics Update
The next generation of military exoskeleton, Lockheed's HULC, can carry 200 lb loads for extended periods:
Robotics Update
Driverless, mapless, all-electric robotic vehicles successfully navigate from Italy to China...and even stop to pick up a hitchhiker:
Virtual Reality Update
Testing to see whether the universe we live in...is actually just a hologram:
Alternative Energies Update
Google investing heavily in a $5 billion project to develop offshore wind energy production:
Cybernetics Update
DARPA working on robot limbs with natural-motion dexterity wired directly to the brain:
Computing Update
Researchers are shooting for 1 terabit Ethernet speeds by 2015, and 100 tb by 2020:
Computing Update
Babbage's 1837 design for a mechanical "analytical engine" computer may finally be built!
Of course, it'll only have 1k of memory and be 13,000 times slower than a ZX81....
Computing Update
Graphene-based computers could use less energy, generate less heat and perform much faster than conventional computers:
Computing Update
Graphene based computers could use less energy, generate less heat and perform much faster than conventional computers:
Alternative Energies Update
California to mandate 33% of energy produced from alternative sources by 2020:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Computer beats a human at shogi (Japanese chess--more complicated than regular chess):
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Genetic Engineering Update
"A rapid DNA-synthesis technique has been used to synthesize a complete mitochondrial genome from scratch":
Robotics Update
Google has been testing autonomous, robot-driven cars for some time now:
“We’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe. All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles."
Alternative Energies Update
Improved storage for solar thermal power plants:
"Developing a supercritical fluid thermal storage system promises increased power storage and lower cost for solar thermal power plants. The proposed system is expected to have twice the energy storage density of current two-tank molten salt systems and cost less than 70% of what current systems cost."
Artificial Intelligence Update
SETI should be searching for machine intelligence, not biological intelligence:
"If we build a machine with the intellectual capability of one human, then within 5 years, its successor is more intelligent than all humanity combined."
Friday, October 1, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
"Makani Power is one of six recent US Department of Energy ARPA-E grant winners for their Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT), a tethered flying wing that flies in endless loops around its anchor point on the ground and generates electricity from propellers on board. Makani believes it will be able to produce wind power that is 40% cheaper than conventional wind power and, more importantly, at an unsubsidized real cost competitive with coal-fired power plants":
Cybernetics Update
"Raytheon has unveiled its second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2), essentially a wearable robotics suit. XOS 2 is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the environment":
Nanotechnology Update
"Carbon nanotubes — those tiny particles poised to revolutionize electronics, medicine, and other areas — are much bigger in the strength department than anyone ever thought, scientists are reporting. New studies on the strength of these submicroscopic cylinders of carbon indicate that on an ounce-for-ounce basis they are at least 117 times stronger than steel and 30 times stronger than Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests and other products":
Alternative Energies Update
"University of Arizona physicists have discovered a new way to harvest waste heat and turn it into electrical power":
Robotics Update
I'm not sure how much this hints at self-awareness (not being privy to the programing), but...
Computing Update
"Research is closing in on the next-generation of ultra-high-density magneto-optical storage devices that could store more than 6,000 Terabits (6 petabits) of data, more than 70 times the contents of the entire U.S. Library of Congress, on a single 5-inch disc":
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Robotics Update
"Researchers have created electronic sensors for artificial skin that can detect the slightest touch, for use on prosthetic limbs or robots":
Alternative Energies Update
"Solar funnel" concentrates solar energy 100 times using carbon nanotubes, which should allow the development of much smaller and more powerful solar arrays:
Cybernetics Update
DARPA funding a method to connect nerves to fiber optics to allow "true" bionics that transfer signals like the real thing:
Nanotechnology Update
"Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has great potential to make electronic devices such as radios, computers and phones faster and smaller. But its unique properties have also led to difficulties in integrating the material into such devices.... A group of UCLA researchers demonstrate how they have overcome some of these difficulties to fabricate the fastest graphene transistor to date":
"Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has great potential to make electronic devices such as radios, computers and phones faster and smaller. But its unique properties have also led to difficulties in integrating the material into such devices.... A group of UCLA researchers demonstrate how they have overcome some of these difficulties to fabricate the fastest graphene transistor to date":
Singularity Update
Here's a good reminder of how fast things are changing. But be aware this is from 2008 and thus out of date...but STILL impressive. Here it talks about taking a full YEAR to equal all the information generated in the past 5,000 years. Now it supposedly takes TWO DAYS to generate the same amount of info:
Computing Update
"Rice University scientists have created the first two-terminal memory chips that use only silicon to generate nanocrystal wires as small as 5 nanometers — far smaller than circuitry in even the most advanced computers and electronic devices. The technology breakthrough promises to extend the limits of miniaturization subject to Moore’s Law, and should be easily adaptable to nanoelectronic manufacturing techniques":
Computing Update
Memristors will go to market in 2013, allowing greater storage and instant switch on capability for computers and other devices:
"The goal is to be at least double whatever flash memory is in three years--we know we'll beat flash in speed, power, and endurance, and we want to beat it in density, too."
Computing Update
"In recent years the limits of physics and finance faced by chip makers had loomed so large that experts feared a slowdown in the pace of miniaturization that would act like a brake on the ability to pack ever more power into ever smaller devices like laptops, smartphones and digital cameras." But recent developments should allow miniaturization to far smaller scales:
Friday, August 27, 2010
Cybernetics Update
Computers can now read minds well enough to know exactly what words you are thinking:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Here a robot learns like a child how objects can be stacked:
(See videos)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Computing Update
"Graphics chips are doubling in capacity every six months. That translates into a thousandfold increase in capacity over a five-year period":
Monday, August 23, 2010
Virtual Reality Update
Researchers working on sending virtual objects over the Internet so they can be touched and manipulated by the recipient:
Alternative Energies Update
New York building a flywheel energy storage system to store excess energy from the grid:
Computing Update
"A computer chip that performs calculations using probabilities, instead of binary logic, could accelerate everything from online banking systems to the flash memory in smart phones and other gadgets":
Computing Update
Plastic “spintronics” devices could store more data in less space, process data faster, and consume less power:
Artificial Intelligence Update
The brain may be wired much like the Internet (which explains its ability to recover from damage to any one small area):
It makes one wonder if the Internet itself may become self-aware.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Nanotechnology Update
Logic devices have been created that could give nanobots computing ability at the nano-scale:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Digital life forms evolve memory. The principle could be scaled up to evolve high-level artificial intelligence:
Computing Update
Think the world isn't changing fast? Think again. Every two days that pass now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until the year 2003. Mind-blowing!:
Alternative Energies Update
"Stanford University engineers have figured out how to simultaneously use the light and heat of the sun to generate electricity in a way that could make solar power production more than twice as efficient as existing methods and potentially cheap enough to compete with oil":
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/new-solar-method-080210.html
Computing Update
Prototype interconnect uses light to speed up data transmission inside computers. The prototype can transmit an entire high-definition movie each second:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/202018/intel_turns_to_light_to_transfer_data_inside_pcs.html
Computing Update
Prototype interconnect uses light to speed up data transmission inside computers. The prototype can transmit an entire high-definition movie each second:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/202018/intel_turns_to_light_to_transfer_data_inside_pcs.html
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Cybernetics Update
A new "walking wheelchair" allows many wheelchair users to stand and walk around, making it easier to interact with the conventional world:
Cybernetics Update
Highly dexterous artificial limb with a sense of touch can be controlled by thought alone:
Alternative Energies Update
New ultra-low-power devices are being developed that can use radio waves as a power source:
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Robotics Update
Robot teachers are in their infancy...but the writing is on the wall. I will be replaced by a robot within a couple decades:
Alternative Energies Update
Solar powered plane successfully flies through the night on stored solar power:
Robotics Update
Blind robot with a human-like gait can negotiate uneven surfaces and even recover from stumbles:
Alternative Energies Update
Researchers use super-high pressures to create a new form of material capable of storing energy in batteries at densities bested only by nuclear power:
Cybernetics Update
VA Tech creates a robotic vehicle capable of being successfully driven by blind drivers:
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
Process could use the sun's light and heat to break down carbon dioxide into solid carbon (for manufacturing) or carbon monoxide (for fuel):
http://www.physorg.com/news199005915.html
Most significantly, this process could:
"...decrease carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels within 10 years."
!!!
http://www.physorg.com/news199005915.html
Most significantly, this process could:
"...decrease carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels within 10 years."
!!!
Virtual Reality Update
Another use of haptics in improving the realism of virtual reality experiences:
http://www.physorg.com/news197186879.html
http://www.physorg.com/news197186879.html
Virtual Reality Update
New haptics technology gives a sense of touch to users handling virtual objects:
http://www.physorg.com/news197256614.html
http://www.physorg.com/news197256614.html
Alternative Energies Update
Lithium-ion batteries with nanotube electrodes could deliver 10 times more power than a conventional battery and store five times more energy than a conventional ultracapacitor:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25634/?ref=rss
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25634/?ref=rss
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
Using gravel and argon gas to store energy generated by erratic alternative energy production like solar and windmills:
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
The addition of carbon nanotubes increases the energy delivery of lithium-ion batteries by up to 10x:
Singularity Update
This long article overviews the Singularity and describes those involved in the concept:
Computing Update
Scientists achieve a major advance toward making computer circuitry out of graphene, the most promising replacement for silicon:
Robotics Update
Big Dog's little brother Little Dog is a 5" tall robot able to clamber over a variety of uneven and unstable terrain effectively:
It almost looks alive....
Nanotechnology Update
Displaying movies and other moving graphics may be powered by a superconducting power source:
http://www.physorg.com/news193635596.html
http://www.physorg.com/news193635596.html
Friday, May 21, 2010
Computing Update
Quantum teleportation has been achieved to distances of 16km, opening the possibility of instantaneous communications with satellites and thus possibly eventually replacing current communications systems:
Alternative Energies Update
The Swedes are developing an underwater kite power generation system to tap the power of currents in deep water:
Genetic Engineering Update
For decades creationists have insisted evolution is impossible because it is impossible to create life from non-life. They'd point to the fact that scientists had yet to create artificial life as evidence. I would respond by saying that we were a lot closer to creating artificial life than they realized. And sure enough, ahead of schedule (faster than even I'd expected), scientists have created self-replicating, synthetic life, designed on a computer and using off-the-shelf, non-living chemical components:
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
Using quantum entanglement to duplicate conversion of light into energy, photosynthesis-style:
Computing Update
"An experimental demonstration of a quantum calculation has shown that a single molecule can perform operations thousands of times faster than any conventional computer."
Robotics Update
Robots built with collision detection prevent humans from being injured by stabbing and slashing knives:
(See video for examples in action.)
Technology Update
This doesn't really have anything to do with nanotech or the singularity, but it is cool. Cell phone imaging devices can be made to act as nightvision enhancers:
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
Using cheap, low-powered cell phone chips to emulate brain-like activities:
Friday, April 30, 2010
Nanotechnology Update
Relatively inexpensive nano-scale fabricator can construct 3D structures half the size of previous methods:
"To show off the tool, the researchers at IBM's Zurich lab made a three-dimensional map of the Earth so small that 1,000 of them would fit onto a single grain of salt."
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Virtual Reality Update
New floor tiles use haptics, speakers and video projection to simulate a variety of surfaces that feel like the real thing--grass, snow, ice, pebbles, etc.--when walked upon:
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
Using nanoscale memristors to develop synapses to emulate how the human brain processes information:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Circuits that work like the brain to evolve, work together and even self-heal have been developed:
Technology Update
Predicted in David Brin's "The Transparent Society," 24/7 video recording of one's life has become a reality:
Computing Update
Microchip manufacturers are working with different materials to carry Moore's Law beyond silicon:
Transportation Update
DARPA has been commissioned to come up with a VTOL flying car that can also drive off-road by 2015:
Technology Update
A new 3D printer could make rock-solid housing structures (even on the moon) far faster and less expensively than conventional means:
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Alternative Energies Update
Researchers engineer a virus to help split water into hydrogen and oxygen, so the hydrogen can be used for fuel:
Cybernetics Update
A video update on the HULC exoskeleton for the military, which allows soldiers to carry heavy weights easily:
Friday, April 9, 2010
Technology Update
The sidestep in the goal of creating a true invisibility cloak is creating an illusion over an object to appear as something else:
Transportation Update
The first solar-powered plane that will fly both day and night completely on solar power has completed its maiden flight:
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Computing Update
Advances in memristor technology may now make them viable commercially:
“Our brains are made of memristors,” he said, referring to the function of biological synapses. “We have the right stuff now to build real brains.”
Nanotechnology Update
Gains in efficiency in nanopiezoelectronics may allow them to power nano-scale machines through scavenged power:
Computing Update
Software is now able to distinguish between two different things a person is thinking about with 90% accuracy:
Robotics Update
Vehicles are now being built with automatic collision avoidance systems. Within a few years, driving will be semi-automated, and not long after that completely automated:
Robotics Update
Human-appearing android robots are getting close to indistinguishable from humans...but they're not there yet:
Virtual Reality Update
Haptics--being able to feel physical sensations in virtual worlds--is slowly getting off the ground:
Friday, April 2, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
Teaching a computer how to draw the way a human artist draws may reveal the fundamental algorithms of creativity and allow A.I. to be creative:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
A new "grand unified theory of artificial intelligence" unites two different philosophies in an attempt to achieve AI:
Computing Update
Charles Babbage envisioned a mechanical computer in 1822. It was never fully realized, and electronic computers are much more powerful right now. However, at the nano-scale, it may make sense to create mechanical computers as a way of saving energy:
Cybernetics Update
New technique allows merging of carbon nanotubes with neural cells--the basis for a true bionic replacement system:
Alternative Energies Update
New high-efficiency hydraulic hybrid INGOCAR would weigh much less than conventional hybrids and get 170 mpg:
Monday, March 22, 2010
Technology Update
The development of an invisibility cloak takes another step forward with invisibility in three dimensions:
Alternative Energies Update
A small-scale concentrated solar power system that can be embedded in the walls of a building to provide not just electricity, but also air/water heating and lighting:
Alternative Energies Update
Transonic combustion boosts efficiency of gasoline internal combustion engines by 50%:
Alternative Energies Update
Nanocomposites could increase energy capacity of lithium batteries by five times:
Computing Update
Researchers take an important step forward in developing self-assembling computer chips:
Artificial Intelligence Update
Recently developed memristors closely match the function of neurons in the brain:
Robotics Update
The EU is developing a program to develop robots that can learn from observation to make it easy for non-programmers to teach robots skills:
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Computing Update
Stacking chips into the third dimension should help carry Moore's Law (and the Law of Accelerating Returns) past 2020:
Alternative Energies Update
Google now has a prototype of a lower-cost solar-thermal mirror which could bring energy production costs down cheaper than coal:
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Transportation Update
The commercially available jetpack is finally here!
and
"The 200-horsepower, dual-propeller is designed to fly average-sized person for 48 km (30 miles) in 30 minutes on 18 liters (5 gallons) of gas. The newest model can also reach heights of 2,400 meters (about 1.5 miles). Price? $100,000."
I'll hold off until they're tried and true and a lot less expensive...but I want one!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cybernetics Update
New exoskeleton allows soldiers to carry up to 200 lbs at 10 mph while feeling like he's only carrying an extra 5-10 lbs:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/06/hulc-exoskeleton.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/06/hulc-exoskeleton.html
Alternative Energies Update
A prototype catalyst uses solar power to convert three bottles of water into enough energy to power a home for a day:
http://www.physorg.com/news187031401.html
http://www.physorg.com/news187031401.html
Alternative Energies Update
Flexible, efficient silicon solar cells made with only 1% the amount of material as traditional solar cells:
http://ecogeek.org/solar-power/3074
http://ecogeek.org/solar-power/3074
Alternative Energies Update
A new nanoscale material can act as both body and battery for electric vehicles, cutting almost 1,000 lbs off the weight of a typical EV:
http://ecogeek.org/automobiles/3072
http://ecogeek.org/automobiles/3072
Artificial Intelligence Update
A new computer program is writing music that rivals that by the great composers:
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/triumph-of-the-cyborg-composer-8507/
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/triumph-of-the-cyborg-composer-8507/
Robotics Update
A number of new robot chefs have come on the scene, capable of cooking on different stoves and preparing thousands of recipes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24robots.html?ref=technology&pagewanted=all
"The Famen restaurant opened, with two giant yellow robot arms preparing up to 800 bowls of ramen a day. When it’s slow, the robots act out a scripted comedy routine and spar with knives."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/24robots.html?ref=technology&pagewanted=all
"The Famen restaurant opened, with two giant yellow robot arms preparing up to 800 bowls of ramen a day. When it’s slow, the robots act out a scripted comedy routine and spar with knives."
Alternative Energies Update
The "Bloom Box" is a new fuel cell that can efficiently convert almost any readily available fuel source into electricity. It's already being tested by a number of large companies, may end up replacing the power grid with individual home fuel cells:
http://www.physorg.com/news186123245.html
http://www.physorg.com/news186123245.html
Alternative Energies Update
A new Stanford firm is developing nanoparticle coatings to increase the amount of light absorbed by solar cells:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24623/?a=f
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24623/?a=f
Computing Update
US broadband speeds and market saturation lags behind many other countries. The FCC is proposing a plan to bring 100 megabits-per-second Internet access to home users by 2020:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/021610-fccs-100-megabits-to-the.html?page=1
Although Google is looking at an even higher goal of 1 gigabit-per-second.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/021610-fccs-100-megabits-to-the.html?page=1
Although Google is looking at an even higher goal of 1 gigabit-per-second.
Medicine Update
Researchers have discovered how to increase telomere lengths, which could lead to rewinding the clock for aging cells:
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24604/
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24604/
Alternative Energies Update
IBM has developed a method for creating solar cells out of inexpensive materials using an inexpensive manufacturing process:
http://www.physorg.com/news185093054.html
http://www.physorg.com/news185093054.html
Computing Update
Energy savings and performance are not keeping up with the Law of Accelerating Returns. This could be a big problem for developing the ever-more-powerful computers needed for developing AI. However, low-voltage computing, while still having reliability issues, could reduce energy consumption by 10 to 100 times:
http://www.physorg.com/news185621560.html
http://www.physorg.com/news185621560.html
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Robotics Update
The Cylon robots of SyFy TV series "Caprica" are actually not that far away:
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/11/technology-from-caprica-series-on-scyfy-is-already-here/
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/11/technology-from-caprica-series-on-scyfy-is-already-here/
Artificial Intelligence Update
Ten-year "Bluebrain Project" launches to develop a working brain model by 2020:
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/12/10-year-documentary-to-follow-bluebrain-project-video/
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/12/10-year-documentary-to-follow-bluebrain-project-video/
Nanotechnology Update
House representative introduces the Nanotechnology Education Act to ensure secondary and higher education are better able to prepare students for fields related to nanotechnology:
http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=401:us-congress-introduce-nanotechnology-education-act&catid=38:nano-news&Itemid=85
http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=401:us-congress-introduce-nanotechnology-education-act&catid=38:nano-news&Itemid=85
Alternative Energies Update
Within a few months, DARPA's research will succeed in making jet fuel from algae for the same cost as fossil fuels, and (almost) carbon neutral:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/13/algae-solve-pentagon-fuel-problem
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/13/algae-solve-pentagon-fuel-problem
Alternative Energies Update
New materials harvests energy from everyday motions to power small devices:
http://ecogeek.org/power-storage/3057
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527475.500-pliable-power-pack-will-let-gadgets-feed-on-your-body.html
http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=404:new-fibre-nanogenerators-could-lead-to-electric-clothes&catid=38:nano-news&Itemid=85
http://ecogeek.org/power-storage/3057
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527475.500-pliable-power-pack-will-let-gadgets-feed-on-your-body.html
http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=404:new-fibre-nanogenerators-could-lead-to-electric-clothes&catid=38:nano-news&Itemid=85
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Artificial Intelligence Update
Various experts weigh in on the prospectives of when to expect the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI):
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/how-long-till-human-level-ai#comment-7212
Most believe it'll occur in the 2020s...or 100+ years from now (or never). I suspect those in the latter category are not taking the Law of Accelerating Returns into account.
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/how-long-till-human-level-ai#comment-7212
Most believe it'll occur in the 2020s...or 100+ years from now (or never). I suspect those in the latter category are not taking the Law of Accelerating Returns into account.
Computing Update
Google hopes to have real-time voice recognition and synthetic translation into other languages within a couple years:
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article7017831.ece
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article7017831.ece
Computing Update
Successful manipulation of individual photons signifies major milestone passed in the development of quantum computers:
http://www.physorg.com/news184599445.html
http://www.physorg.com/news184599445.html
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Technology Update
This isn't exactly related to nanotech or the singularity, but it's highly cool nevertheless:
Physicists have discovered how to teleport energy using quantum entanglement:
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24759/
The potential for this is the development of instantaneous communications over vast (even interstellar) distances, bypassing the limitation of the speed of light.
Physicists have discovered how to teleport energy using quantum entanglement:
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24759/
The potential for this is the development of instantaneous communications over vast (even interstellar) distances, bypassing the limitation of the speed of light.
Technology Update
This isn't really specific to nanotech or the singularity, but it's highly cool nevertheless:
Robotics Update
Next robot car race up Pikes Peak will go from the previously sedate 25 mph speeds up to speeds faster than humans would risk, using differential GPS to maintain positional accuracy within 2 cm:
http://www.physorg.com/news184438040.html
http://www.physorg.com/news184438040.html
Robotics Update
6-legged robot uses a digital circuit that mimics insect brain cells to control movement:
http://www.livescience.com/technology/new-6-legged-robot-walks-by-taming-chaos-100129.html
http://www.livescience.com/technology/new-6-legged-robot-walks-by-taming-chaos-100129.html
Monday, February 1, 2010
Computing Update
The US Air Force will be hooking together thousands of PS3 gaming computers to create a highly efficient supercomputer to study how human brains process information:
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/u-s-air-force-building-supercomputer-from-ps3s/1387199
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/u-s-air-force-building-supercomputer-from-ps3s/1387199
Robotics Update
Robots use predator-prey evolutionary principles to improve their skills:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-01/robots-display-predator-prey-co-evolution-evolve-better-homing-techniques
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-01/robots-display-predator-prey-co-evolution-evolve-better-homing-techniques
Alternative Energies Update
Recent advances in both laser and magnetic research bring nuclear fusion energy generation closer to reality:
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/28/nuclear-fusion-power-closer-to-reality-say-two-separate-teams/
In the next year or two, fusion ignition should finally be reached, after 50 years of research:
http://www.physorg.com/news183983627.html
But practical fusion power is still a ways off....
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/28/nuclear-fusion-power-closer-to-reality-say-two-separate-teams/
In the next year or two, fusion ignition should finally be reached, after 50 years of research:
http://www.physorg.com/news183983627.html
But practical fusion power is still a ways off....
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Computing Update
New microscopic laser called a "spaser" (developed from the field of nanoplasmonics) could allow computing using light:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527441.600-spasers-set-to-sum-a-new-dawn-for-optical-computing.html?full=true
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527441.600-spasers-set-to-sum-a-new-dawn-for-optical-computing.html?full=true
Transportation Update
NASA has developed an electric powered personal stealth aircraft called the "Puffin." It's a dual prop plane, barely bigger than the pilot, VTOL-capable, and capable of reaching speeds up to 480 kmh:
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/21/nasa-unveils-personal-aircraft/
Be sure to view the video.
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/01/21/nasa-unveils-personal-aircraft/
Be sure to view the video.
Alternative Energies Update
Oerlikon Solar expects to reduce costs of solar power to grid parity by the end of this year:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/01/oerlikon-solar-promising-30-cost-reduction-in-2010
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/01/oerlikon-solar-promising-30-cost-reduction-in-2010
Robotics Update
Video of various techniques robots are using to climb walls:
http://www.physorg.com/news183100876.html
http://www.physorg.com/news183100876.html
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Computing Update
As we approach the 2D limits of Moore's Law, a new technique allows the continuation of smaller circuits by building in three dimensions:
http://www.physorg.com/news183024614.html
http://www.physorg.com/news183024614.html
Robotics Update
South Korean researchers have developed a robot that can perform several household tasks, like cleaning, loading clothes in a washer and microwaving food:
http://www.physorg.com/news183022967.html
It's still a few years from mass production...but we're not too far off.
http://www.physorg.com/news183022967.html
It's still a few years from mass production...but we're not too far off.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Computing Update
Carbon nanotube transistors now feasible at sizes smaller than silicon:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527435.900-nanotube-transistors-shrink-smaller-than-silicon-size.html
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527435.900-nanotube-transistors-shrink-smaller-than-silicon-size.html
Robotics Update
Robots can now use a simplified central pattern generator to vary its gait on different surfaces based on energy efficiency:
http://www.physorg.com/news182957235.html
http://www.physorg.com/news182957235.html
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Computing Update
DARPA plans to create a cyber warfare simulator to train cyber warriors against hackers:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/darpa-spends-51-million-matrix-cyber-war-firing-range
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/darpa-spends-51-million-matrix-cyber-war-firing-range
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Transportation Update
DARPA is developing a flying car for troop transport, as well as a submersible aircraft:
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/49469
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/49469
Singularity Update
This is a longer interview with Ray Kurzweil about reverse engineering the human brain, and other topics:
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/ray-kurzweil-h-interview
I'm surprised at how he's made independent observations that parallel my own (such as the problem with most science fiction movies, and that happiness is not the ultimate utopian goal of humanity).
Interesting note: he says we are basically 16 years away (assuming the steady advances in solar tech we've had for the past 20 years continue) from solar power being able to provide 100% of our energy needs.
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/ray-kurzweil-h-interview
I'm surprised at how he's made independent observations that parallel my own (such as the problem with most science fiction movies, and that happiness is not the ultimate utopian goal of humanity).
Interesting note: he says we are basically 16 years away (assuming the steady advances in solar tech we've had for the past 20 years continue) from solar power being able to provide 100% of our energy needs.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Nanotechnology Update
How close are we to "real" nanotechnology? This article describes the concepts, with several of the biggest names in the field weighing in:
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/nano/how-close-are-we-real-nanotechnology
Bottom line? 20-30 years from now.
http://hplusmagazine.com/articles/nano/how-close-are-we-real-nanotechnology
Bottom line? 20-30 years from now.
Artificial Intelligence Update
A new $5 million, 5-year project to develop artificial intelligence takes a different approach:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/ai-overview-1207.html
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/ai-overview-1207.html
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