Archive for the 'Technology' Category
New Consumer-Grade Drone’s Autonomous Flying Modes Include Collision Avoidance
March 2nd, 2016Via: The Verge: When drones got smart enough to navigate using GPS, and to follow people around, the naysayers pointed out they still couldn’t see anything. It could follow you, sure, but not while avoiding trees. … That all changes today with the introduction of DJI’s new drone, the Phantom 4. It’s the first consumer […]
Here’s How Electric Cars Will Cause the Next Oil Crisis
March 1st, 2016Via: Bloomberg: A shift is under way that will lead to widespread adoption of EVs in the next decade. Battery prices fell 35 percent last year and are on a trajectory to make unsubsidized electric vehicles as affordable as their gasoline counterparts in the next six years, according to a new analysis of the electric-vehicle […]
Google Unveils Neural Network with “Superhuman” Ability to Determine the Location of Almost Any Image
February 28th, 2016Via: MIT Technology Review: Here’s a tricky task. Pick a photograph from the Web at random. Now try to work out where it was taken using only the image itself. If the image shows a famous building or landmark, such as the Eiffel Tower or Niagara Falls, the task is straightforward. But the job becomes […]
Mercedes-Benz Swaps Robots for People on Its Assembly Lines
February 26th, 2016Sure, for luxury items. Will a customer look at the price of a Mercedes and think, “They should have made a more standardized car so I could save a couple grand.” No. a Mercedes customer will not think that. Many luxury brands, from clothes to watches to yachts to planes, rely on human labor. Overall, […]
Mercedes Coming for Tesla: First of Four Pure EV Models Available in 2018
February 24th, 2016This Mercedes news was from December 2015. I just spotted it because Korean firm SK Innovation was recently selected by Mercedes to supply the lithium ion cells for the vehicles. Via: Car Magazine: Mercedes-Benz will launch the first of four electric cars in 2018, as it begins an all-out assault on Tesla. CAR magazine revealed […]
Atlas, The Next Generation
February 24th, 2016Via: Boston Dynamics (aka Google, aka Alphabet Inc): A new version of Atlas, designed to operate outdoors and inside buildings. It is specialized for mobile manipulation. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance and LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess […]
Ground Delivery Drones Ready to Roll in England
February 23rd, 2016Via: USA Today: “Ground drone” delivery robots that could easily be mistaken for toilet bowls on wheels are about to start rolling through London. Starship Technologies CEO Ahti Heinla says the company’s fleet of “small, safe, practical, free from CO2 emissions, and best of all, earthbound” robots can deliver packages and groceries at a fraction […]
Virtual Reality and Zuckerberg’s, “Rictus Grin”
February 22nd, 2016Har! Via: The Verge: The image above looks like concept art for a new dystopian sci-fi film. A billionaire superman with a rictus grin, striding straight past human drones, tethered to machines and blinded to reality by blinking plastic masks. Golden light shines down on the man as he strides past his subjects, cast in […]
Israeli Researchers Find Mobile Phones Cause Male Fertility Problems
February 22nd, 2016Via: Daily Mail: Men who carry their mobile phone in a trouser pocket or talk on it for just an hour a day risk suffering with fertility problems, scientists warn. Research shows that sperm count can also be reduced by talking on a phone that is charging, or even keeping it close by on a […]
‘See Something Suspicious Online? Homeland Security Wants to Know About It’
February 18th, 2016Via: NextGov: The Department of Homeland Security wants an extra $1 million next year to develop a public-service campaign designed to increase awareness of online threats. The new initiative will be modeled on the “If You See Something, Say Something” effort rolled out after the Sept. 11 attacks. The new cyber PSA “will look to […]
