Tesla’s giant Australian battery reduced service costs by 90 percent
Elon Musk's Tesla has switched on the world's biggest battery in Australia, thereby ensuring Musk didn't lose a $50M bet. In the first four months of service, the battery has reduced service costs by as much as 90 percent.
Bill Gates shows how the flu could kill more than 30 million people
Bill Gates and Larry Page are teaming up to bring an end to the flu once and for all. The Microsoft and Google co-founders pledged to give $12 million to researchers working to develop a universal flu vaccine. Gates released a simulation showing the virus' effects.
From drones to bionic arms, here are 8 examples of amazing mind-reading tech
Brain-computer interfaces may be poised to become a bigger part of our lives, but that doesn't mean they're not here already. Here are eight examples of amazing pieces of mind-reading technology that are already being explored in some of the world’s most exciting research labs.
Put down the smartwatch! Xenxo S-Ring packs 12 features into a tiny wearable
Many of us have a smartwatch these days, so if you really want to stay ahead of the tech crowd, you’ll need a new and impressive wearable device. A new smart ring promises to replace your bulky wristband wearable with a device that has much of the same functionality, but fits on just one single digit of your hand.
SpaceX makes rocket launches look easy, nails 25th Falcon 9 landing
The fifth and final version of the Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched and landed. The highly anticipated event suffered a last-minute delay on May 10, but just about 24 hours later, the rocket successfully took the skies, carrying Bangladesh's very first satellite, the Bangabandhu-1.
Sorry, Spider-Man! Newly developed bio-fiber is even stronger than spider silk
Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new biomaterial that's stronger than all previous bio-based materials, both fabricated and natural. That includes previous record holder dragline spider silk fibers. Here's how they were able to create it.
Forget clocks — this giant robotic sundial is the coolest timepiece ever
Shown off recently at Milan Design Week, Sunny Side Up is a fresh take on the sundial, a millennia-old method of telling the time based on where the sun is in the sky. Only in this case, the sun is replaced with a freaking giant robot arm. Check it out in all its time-telling glory.
DJI’s plush new headquarters will feature a skybridge for drone tests
Google's done it, Apple's done it, even Facebook and Amazon have done it. And now DJI is doing it: Building a flashy new headquarters. The work of Foster and Partners, which also designed Apple Park, the stunning twin-tower structure has been designed with DJI's drone business very much in mind.
Scared yet? Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot can now jog freely
With every new video, Boston Dynamics impresses us with its robotic creations. Fresh from performing several flawless backflips, its Atlas humanoid robot was recently untethered and allowed to go for a run in the woods. If you're fearful of a robot uprising, you'll now fear it a little more.
A.I. could help cameras see in candlelight, research suggests
Could computational photography help cameras shoot in minimal light with little noise? Research from the University of Illinois and Intel suggests the possibility. The project, called the See-in-the-Dark Dataset, uses artificial intelligence developed from paired long and short exposure images.
Potential cocaine breathalyzer uses nanoparticles to look for drug abuse
Researchers from the the U.S. and China have developed a low cost chip which can reportedly detect the presence of cocaine in only a few minutes. If all goes according to plan, they hope that it will lead to the development of a portable breathalyzer-style device for uncovering drug abuse.
UPS deliveries receive a cartoonish makeover with new electric trucks
The future is now! Or, at least it is for UPS and its latest announcement. The company just revealed its latest and greatest fleet of delivery vehicles: a new line of purpose-built, all-electric, compact minivans for urban deliveries in London and Paris.
Need to cut back on your salt? In-mouth sensor tracks sodium intake in real time
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a smart sensor that's capable of providing highly sensitive, real-time monitoring of sodium intake. This information can then be sent to a smartphone. It could be a game changer for people with high blood pressure.
This NYC high-rise building cleans the air like trees do
New York City-based architecture firm Buildt has created a unique way to break down the city's growing pollution problem by combining a high-tech mineral-based facade with a photo-catalytic compound that turns harmful nitrous oxide into harmless water and gas.
A cure for hangovers? A UCLA professor may have cracked the code
According to Yunfeng Lu, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Los Angeles university, there is now a solution to that all-consuming hangover, and it has been tested (successfully) in mice. The antidote resulted in lower blood alcohol content and faster wake-up times in mice.
Drone services edge closer with 10 new projects from major tech firms
The U.S. has announced 10 drone-related projects that will allow major companies to develop drone platforms as part of a government plan to accelerate the use of the technology across a range of industries Those involved will face fewer restrictions than before, allowing for greater freedom in the air.
Doctors successfully perform the world’s first robot-assisted spinal surgery
What kind of surgeon do you call in when you’re dealing with an incredibly complex, rare procedure involving a cancerous tumor which affects just 1 in 1 million people each year? According to neurosurgeons at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the answer is a robot one.
Record-breaking solar still purifies water with clever geometry and … paper?
There is nothing new about the idea of using the sun’s energy to evaporate and purify water. But researchers from the University at Buffalo have found a way to improve this concept -- and, in the process, to sanitize water at what appear to be record-breaking rates. Here's how the new process works.
Watch a Lego robot prepare a perfect egg and bacon breakfast
We love Lego. We love robots. And we sure love breakfast. So what could be better than a Lego-based robot ready and willing to cook you breakfast? Fortunately, that's exactly what a father and son YouTube duo have created with their awesome new Breakfast Machine. Check it out.
Before Google’s lifelike Duplex A.I., these chatbots paved the way
The amazing Google Duplex feature Google unveiled at its Google IO event is just the latest in a long line of smart chatbot technologies designed to emulate human conversations using machine technology. Here are the 10 of the most significant milestones we passed to reach this point.
Ride with confidence on a 3D-printed bicycle tire that will never go flat
When you're out on your bicycle and far from home, the last thing you want to hear is that horrible hiss of air as your tire goes flat. Well, a company the German city of Berlin recently showed that it's now possible to 3D-print an airless tire that lets you dump the pump.
Uber’s flying cars get a boost from government assistance
Uber Elevate announced working partnerships with NASA and private industry at Elevate Summit 2018. Elevate, Uber's flying car project, also promised UberAir light planes would fly in Dubai, Dallas, and Los Angeles by 2020. Initial UberAir flights would have human pilots; pilotless planes would come later.
Can A.I. make self-driving cars a reality? Waymo reveals the future
Waymo got some stage time at Google I/O to discuss how Google's artificial intelligence efforts have helped speed up the development of self-driving cars. A.I. allows autonomous cars to react to the environment, according to Waymo, which plans to launch an autonomous ride sharing service later this year.
A defense company is building a drone that can fly continuously for one year
An average drone has a flight time of around 10 to 20 minutes. A new solar electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed by British companies BAE Systems and Prismatic is aiming to smash that figure -- with a drone that can fly for one entire year without landing.
The Hiuni smart telescope lets you stargaze from your Apple or Android device
It may be awhile yet before ordinary people like us can journey to the stars, but until then, we can bring the stars a lot closer. Here to help is a smart interactive telescope that promises to satisfy the needs of both amateur stargazers and professional astronomers. Meet the Hiuni, an app-connected smart telescope.
Sony sells thousands of Aibo robot dogs as it considers U.S. launch
Aibo the robot dog is selling well in its launch market, Japan. Sony released the new version of its robotic pet in January, adding lots of new features and more realistic movements compared to its predecessor. It costs around $1,800, though owners also have to pay around $23 a month for cloud-based extras.
This ‘skin printer’ is like a magic wand for healing wounds
Imagine a version of the kind of duct tape dispenser you can buy from Home Depot, only instead of rolling out pieces of tape it can produce a sheet of skin tissue to cover a wound. That's what researchers from the University of Toronto are developing -- and they've built a prototype.
DJI partners up with Microsoft to give drones A.I. superpowers
DJI will soon allow industrial drone pilots to control drones while live-streaming footage from a PC rather than a controller. The move allows for more advanced AI used in real-time, allowing drone fleets to run aerial inspections in construction or alerting farmers to potential crop problems earlier
66-year-old Alan Turing paper inspires new water-purification technique
Father of computer science Alan Turing only ever published one chemistry paper. Here in 2018, it's being used as the basis for new research coming out of China, responsible for a more efficient nanofiltration method for removing the salt from saltwater to make it drinkable.
Scientists put a crocodile in an fMRI machine and played it Bach. Here’s why
Researchers in Germany recently scanned a live crocodile’s brain in an fMRI machine, while playing it the classical music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The reason? To explore the neurobiology of one of Earth's most prehistoric-looking animals. Here's what they were able to find out.
Get lost: MIT’s self-driving car takes on unmarked roads
A team of computer scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed a self-driving system that’s designed to successfully navigate unpaved roads by using basic GPS data and sensors technology.
Facebook opens A.I. research labs in Seattle and Pittsburgh
Facebook has opened two new A.I. research labs in Seattle and Pittsburgh. The company has hired professors from local universities which some worry could make it harder to train new researchers. Facebook says that is working to ensure a symbiotic relationship.
Nike wants to put treadmills in shoes to help you get them on
Nike is proving itself to be the master innovator when it comes to footwear once again. As per a new patent filed in early May, Nike is looking to place a "rotatable conveyor element" in the sole of your shoe. No, it's not to help you work out. Rather, it's to help you put the shoe on a bit more easily.
Companies in China are collecting data from their employees’ brains
Worried about Facebook harvesting your personal information and data? Well some Chinese companies are taking things a step farther by using special helmets to monitor employees' brainwaves as a means of increasing productivity.