Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists in Hawaii discover a huge underwater sea sponge the size of a minivan, and it may be a new species.

Fun stuff.

What are the fundamental limitations inherent in machine learning systems?

That’s the central question of a potential new DARPA program known as the Fundamental Limits of Learning (Fun LoL) which according to the researchers will address how the quest for the ultimate learning machine can be measured and tracked in a systematic and principled way.

Continue reading “DARPA wants to find the vital limitations of machine learning” »

Ok; a little different. Not sure why we need a robot to flinch.

It uses a ‘robot-tissue’ patch modelled on human skin to decide how much pain should be felt and thus what action to take. But now, a group of German researchers is embarking upon a new mission to gift robots with pain sensors — or their mechanical equivalents.

It’s only a matter of time before robots are practically human-like. This is why robots that work in extreme, unsafe environments might need an analog to pain to help them make decisions in chaotic workspaces, thereby acting to protect themselves or the humans and equipment around them.

Continue reading “Robot taught to flinch as though it’s reacting to pain” »

An abandoned wheelhouse shed sits atop an old mine shaft high in the San Juan Mountains north of Silverton on Aug. 14, 2015. The mines that settlers built in the booms of the 19th century are an ever-present part of the landscape in this mineral-rich part of Colorado.

Associated Press file.

Energy partnerships certainly do make strange bed fellows/.

MOSCOW, May 28 — Energy cooperation between China and Russia, featuring mutually beneficial cooperation in oil, natural gas, electricity, coal as well as nuclear and renewable energy, has been ever growing and has reached a new high.

Over the recent 6 months, we have been able to successfully prove how Synthetic diamonds helps stabilize QC and will be a key part of the semiconductor equation. And, we recognize that some of the worlds top labs are in Russia. However, where are we now with 3D printing in mass producing the same grade quality of those found in Russia? And, how far off are we in having 3D printers from producing the synthetic diamonds that have the reliable quality and performance that we require for QC? Here is an article from 2015; however, not much has been shared since.

JCK Magazine offers readers expanded coverage of the most important jewelry industry issues and style trends impacting their businesses.

Latest on 3D printed Synthetic hair.

Makeup brushes haven’t changed all that much over the last century. Sure, brands have figured out how to create synthetic fibers and played around with handle placement, but otherwise, there hasn’t been a whole lot of innovation, especially compared with the developments we’ve seen in skin care and cosmetics. But that could all change thanks to the creation and testing of 3D-printed hair by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Tangible Media Group.

3D-printed hair isn’t technically a new innovation; MIT unveiled the first 3D-printed hair about a year ago. What’s new is that since then, the researchers have explored the exciting possibilities of the technology. In a recently released paper, the Tangible Media Group details the creation of its Cillia program, which allows for the 3D printing of both flat and curved surfaces covered in extremely fine, tightly packed, artificial hairs. What’s so cool is just how small they can make the hairs—as tiny as 50 microns across—giving them the ability to create highly dense hairy or furry surfaces that were previously only possible in nature. And because they can get the hair that small, it allows the company to control a whole bunch of things like the length, thickness, and density of each individual hair that’s printed.

Continue reading “3D-Printed Hair Is a Thing and It Could Change the Beauty Industry” »

What I have come to appreciate with scientists and engineers is our diversity of interests and talents. And, this is definitely another case that proves that.

We talked to the artist about her debut album with songs called “Spooky Action” and “Gravity”.

The recent Google I/O developer conference at which the company reveals its new products and directions brought with it several surprising announcements that mark significant changes for the way the company approaches its online business.

The first was the admission by Google chief executive, Sundar Pichai, that Amazon had taken the lead in voice-activated devices when it launched Echo last year when he announced the company’s own Google Home, a similar table-top, voice-controlled AI assistant. These devices have been made possible by the rapid improvement of voice-recognition technology and AI fast enough to respond in real time to questions and answers. But under the surface, the devices are deeply integrated with the cloud, and in the case of Echo, Amazon’s online marketplace.

This is significant because Echo now boasts more than 400 different “skills” and connected suppliers through which users can order food, look up calendar appointments, pay credit card bills, search for information and many other things – just by asking with their voice. The ecosystem of companion products around these intelligent assistants is growing too: just by asking, you can switch on the lights in any room, control the thermosat, security system and fire detectors, automate perimeter doors or fences.