Image: Facebook In early 2018, Facebook’s AI researchers unveiled a deep learning system that can transform 2D photo and video images of people into 3D mesh models of those human bodies in motion. Last month, Facebook publicly shared the code for its “DensePose” technology, which could be used by Hollywood filmmakers and augmented reality game… Continue reading Facebook’s DensePose Tech Raises Concerns About Potential Misuse
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Asimo Still Improving Its Hopping and Jogging Skills
Image: Honda Research We learned last week that Honda is putting Asimo out to pasture, so to speak, which is a little sad, but not too sad: Honda is doing this because they want to instead focus on the other, more useful humanoid robots that they’ve been working on recently, like E2-DR. Honda learned a… Continue reading Asimo Still Improving Its Hopping and Jogging Skills
IBM’s New Do-It-All Deep-Learning Chip
Illustration: iStockphoto The field of deep learning is still in flux, but some things have started to settle out. In particular, experts recognize that neural nets can get a lot of computation done with little energy if a chip approximates an answer using low-precision math. That’s especially useful in mobile and other power-constrained devices. But some… Continue reading IBM’s New Do-It-All Deep-Learning Chip
Don Eyles: Space Hacker
This programmer saved the Apollo 14 mission with 61 keystrokes In the early hours of 5 February 1971, Don Eyles had a big problem. Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell orbiting the Moon, preparing to land. But it looked like they were going to have to come home without putting so much as footprint… Continue reading Don Eyles: Space Hacker
Nanotechnology Takes Giant Leap Foward by Manipulating Molecules
Image: Forschungszentrum Jülich/T. EsatThis illustration shows a PTCDA molecule positioned upright on a silver platter [left]. Normally, the molecule would lie flat atop a layer of silver atoms [right]. If nanotechnology has captured the popular imagination in any way, it has likely been in the form of so-called molecular nanotechnology, in which nanoscale machines assemble… Continue reading Nanotechnology Takes Giant Leap Foward by Manipulating Molecules
Sprawling Wheel Leg Robot Crawls and Climbs
Photo: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev We’re always impressed by the way David Zarrouk (a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev by way of UC Berkeley’s Biomimetic Millisystems Lab) manages to extract a ton of functionality from the absolute minimum of hardware in his robots. In the past, we’ve seen clever designs like a… Continue reading Sprawling Wheel Leg Robot Crawls and Climbs
Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
Figure 1. A screenshot of the Disability Income Needs Calculator from IEEE. Source: IEEE Disability and long-term care insurance provide a source of income in the event that your ability to work is interrupted. Both help you pay bills and provide income, but there are important differences. Each plan offers specific benefits that are unique… Continue reading Why Consider Disability and Long-Term Insurance?
New Optimization Algorithm Exponentially Speeds Computation
Image: iStockphoto A new algorithm could dramatically slash the time it can take computers to recommend movies or route taxis. The new algorithm, developed by Harvard University researchers, solves optimization problems exponentially faster than previous algorithms by cutting the number of steps required. Surprisingly, this approach works “without sacrificing the quality of the resulting solution,” says… Continue reading New Optimization Algorithm Exponentially Speeds Computation
The Future of Cybersecurity Is the Quantum Random Number Generator
Illustration: Greg Mably In 1882, a banker in Sacramento, Calif., named Frank Miller developed an absolutely unbreakable encryption method. Nearly 140 years later, cryptographers have yet to come up with something better. Miller had learned about cryptography while serving as a military investigator during the U.S. Civil War. Sometime later, he grew interested in telegraphy and… Continue reading The Future of Cybersecurity Is the Quantum Random Number Generator
Microbots Deliver Stem Cells in the Body
Image: University of Hong Kong/Science RoboticsMicrorobots designed to carry stem cells (fluorescent green) throughout the body are shown here on a cell culture plate. The astonishing thing about stem cells is that they can be coaxed, in the laboratory, into becoming nearly any kind of cell—from bone marrow to heart muscle. That remarkable capability has for… Continue reading Microbots Deliver Stem Cells in the Body