Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth PASADENA, Calif. — An energy-hungry Earth is in need of transformational and sustainable energy solutions, experts say. For decades, researchers have been appraising the use of power-beaming solar-power satellites. But the projected cost, complexity and energy economics of the notion seemingly short-circuited the idea. Now, a unique new approach has entered the scene, dubbed SPS-ALPHA, short for Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array. Leader of the concept is John Mankins of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions of Santa Maria, Calif. Mankins provided a detailed overview of the power-beaming concept here during the 2012 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts meeting March 27-29. The NIAC is under the wing of NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, which is providing a technology and innovation focus for the space agency. Huge platforms The project will be an energetic one-year study of the design. Megawatts of power Mass production
Is that you, HAL? No, it's NEIL: Google, US Navy pour money into 'associative' AI brain NEIL hasn't slept or eaten in four months, it's just browsed the internet and tried to figure out connections between aircraft and aircraft carriers, or hot dogs and buns. The Never Ending Image Learner is a new approach to weak artificial intelligence systems that piggybacks on the immense tech fielded by companies like Google, and represents the bleeding edge of computer science research. The system takes in batches of classified images (cars parked outside, for instance), and then tries to find other classified elements within them (such as the surrounding road), then crunches the data and forms associations. So far it has sucked in three million images, and managed to identity 1,500 objects and 1,200 scenes in half a million pictures, then figured out some 2,500 associations from this. "It's building upon a lot of work in computer vision using deformable part models," Carnegie Mellon University assistant research professor Abhinav Gupta, told The Reg on Monday.
Qualcomm’s Neuromorphic Chips Could Make Robots and Phones More Astute About the World Breakthrough An alternative design for computer chips that will enhance artificial intelligence. Why It Matters Traditional chips are reaching fundamental performance limits. Key Players Qualcomm IBM HRL Laboratories Human Brain Project A pug-size robot named pioneer slowly rolls up to the Captain America action figure on the carpet. This demonstration at Qualcomm’s headquarters in San Diego looks modest, but it’s a glimpse of the future of computing. Later this year, Qualcomm will begin to reveal how the technology can be embedded into the silicon chips that power every manner of electronic device. Qualcomm’s chips won’t become available until next year at the earliest; the company will spend 2014 signing up researchers to try out the technology. Today’s computers all use the so-called von Neumann architecture, which shuttles data back and forth between a central processor and memory chips in linear sequences of calculations. Neural Channel Cognitive Companion —Robert D.
Non-invasive brain to brain communication to allow a human to mentally control movement of a rats tail Harvard researchers have created the first noninvasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI) between a human and a rat. The interface allows the human to control the rat’s tail. This is computer mediated telepathy and remote control of another body from someone elses brain. The human BCI has an accuracy of 94%, and that it generally takes around 1.5 seconds for the entire process — from the human deciding to look at the screen, through to the movement of the rat’s tail. More accurate brain mapping is needed to achieve more precise and complex control Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is capable of modulating the neural activity of specific brain regions, with a potential role as a non-invasive computer-to-brain interface (CBI). Brain-to-computer interface (BCI) refers to the hardware and software environment that detects and translates brain activity to control computers or stored-program architecture devices without involving muscles or the peripheral nervous system.
Hype Builds Before Elon Musk’s August Alpha Plan for SF to LA Hyperloop I liked going to the bank drive-through with my mom as a kid. She’d send her checks to the teller inside by shooting a cylinder through a pneumatic tube. I always wanted a ride in that thing. Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul behind PayPal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX and the entrepreneur who wants to colonize Mars with a vertically landing, reusable rocket—that guy—recently announced he’s been busy thinking about building a pneumatic tube to shuttle people from SF to LA at 600+ mph. When asked to describe the Hyperloop at D11, Musk told the audience that if the Concorde had a three-way with a railgun and an air hockey table—the Hyperloop would be their baby. Musk says he came up with the idea when contemplating California’s high-speed rail project between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Hyperloop would transport passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about 30 minutes and at about twice the average speed of a commercial jet. No, not new. Image Credit: Moyan Brenn
Wearable Technology: Bend it, Wash it, Wear it At the 2013 Wearable Technology Conference in San Francisco, Google Glass is already old news. That may seem surprising since most people have never tried one on yet. However, to the hundreds of engineers and executives that crowded Fort Mason’s conference center this week, the question on everyone’s mind was: What’s really new? The answers are exciting: Jackets that talk to each other and let you know if your date is too cold or too hot. Waistbands that notify you of poor posture. Solar powered wetsuits that keep you warm while surfing. Wearable technology—clothing and accessories that incorporate computers and electronics in them—is an industry literally about to explode. That is all going to change in the next decade. All this transformative wearable technology is made possible because of the massive shrinkage of computer chips and electronics that has taken place in the last two decades. “Our Smart Clothing shirt is very convenient. “We have a fix for that,” says Joan K.
Evacuated Tube Transport By ET3: LA to NY in 45 Minutes Evacuated Tube Transport also known as Hyperloop transportation uses airless vacuum tubes system with a magnetic levitation system similar to high-speed bullet trains. Each tube will carry individual capsules systems that will fit up to six people per capsule. Theoretically the system could travel at speeds up to 4000 miles per hour. This may sound like a far-future project but a colorado-based company called ET3 is working on a 3 mile prototype that should be ready by the end of 2013. This technology is not a new idea. Another company looking to innovate the transportation industry is Terraspan. It is clear that we need faster, safer, cleaner forms of transportation. Elon Musk will reveal his Hyperloop concept tomorrow! Get your Serious Wonder Membership now. Image: ET3 Share it now!
Random Rights Are Bad Food truck and fast food meals can be pretty skimpy. So wouldn’t it be great if we passed a diner’s bill of rights law, requiring all prepared food to come with free unlimited drinks, a fast human waiter, cloth napkins and tablecloths, and a seat by a window? Well no, that wouldn’t be great. All those food trucks and fast food places would go out of business, leaving diners only with the option to eat at expensive fancy restaurants. It might feel good to play Santa for free, handing out stuff that costs you little yet appears to benefit others lots. Yes, sometimes we can benefit strategically from having our options limited, but such situations are rare. George Dvorsky says we should give lots of rights to ems: Back in 2010, … I proposed that the following rights be afforded to fully conscious human and human-like emulations: … I’d like to include Sandberg’s idea of time-rate rights. In the comments Dvorsky also likes a “right to have a body and senses.”