Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed lighter, safer artificial muscles that outshine their predecessors. These advanced actuators boast a unique shell structure and utilize high-permittivity ferroelectric material, storing significant electrical energy.

Operating at lower voltages, the new design offers enhanced safety, waterproofing, and durability. The team claims that the innovation marks a leap forward by enabling safer, more versatile artificial muscles that herald a new era in robotics and prosthetics.

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Deloitte’s Global Generative AI Innovation Leader Nitin Mittal and Tomorrow CEO Mike Walsh explore the Fifth Industrial Revolution in which the catalyst for societal transformation is the augmentation and expansion of human intelligence.

Given the recency of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it might be a surprise that we are on the verge of an entirely new one. Rapid progress in computation, connectivity, and artificial intelligence (AI)—accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic—has brought forward the timeline for transformation. While prior industrial revolutions were premised on gains in operational efficiency, the next revolution will be powered by minds, not just machines—where the catalyst for societal transformation is the augmentation and expansion of human intelligence.

With transformer #AI protein #design and major advances in #DNA #synthesis, how do we deal with #biosecurity concerns?

In the future, soft robots will be able to perform tasks that cannot be done by conventional robots. These soft robots could be used in terrain that is difficult to access and in environments where they are exposed to chemicals or radiation that would harm electronically controlled robots made of metal. This requires such soft robots to be controllable without any electronics, which is still a challenge in development.

A research team at the University of Freiburg has now developed 3D-printed pneumatic logic modules that control the movements of soft robots using air pressure alone. These modules enable logical switching of the air flow and can thus imitate electrical control.

The modules make it possible for the first time to produce flexible and electronics-free soft robots entirely in a 3D printer using conventional filament printing material.

Microsoft and OpenAI are in a discussion to invest up to $500 million in Figure AI. The deal could value the humanoid robot startup at $1.9 billion.

The organoids are the size of grain of sand and a special robot is used to screen which treatment kills off the tumour more effectively.

It helps take the guesswork out of treating advanced bowel cancer which can be difficult to beat.

“Each time you give a patient an ineffective treatment, you lose two to three months on something that won’t work,” Gibbs said.

Researchers have developed an ingenious air-powered soft valve circuit system devoid of electronics, showcasing its utility in a drink dispenser and its durability as a car drives over it.

The 3D-printed valve system showcases how well soft devices without electronics can work, even when facing challenges that could turn off regular robots.

According to reseachers at the University of Freiburg, its integration into everyday applications heralds a new era in robust and adaptable robotics. Soft circuit devices, which are flexible and don’t use metal, can handle damage much better than those with delicate electronics. They can survive being crushed or exposed to harsh chemicals without breaking.

Since 2022, Spot from Boston Dynamics has been performing inspections at the Simmering power plant. It is the first quadruped robot used in Europe for routine power plant operations, reporting technical faults autonomously. Equipped with numerous sensor payloads, Spot helps to ensure the energy supply to more than 800,000 households in Vienna. Employees at the power plant operator Wien Energie affectionately call Spot “Energy Dog”

The task: Optimizing maintenance and safety at the Simmering power plant

Simmering is Austria’s largest power plant and generates electrical energy and district heating from various primary energy sources such as natural gas and biomass. The power plant is operated by Wien Energie and supplies over 800,000 households and 7,000 business customers with electricity, achieving an efficiency of 81 percent. With more than a hundred-year history, Simmering is not only one of Austria’s largest power plants, but among the oldest.

Pop artist Grimes has teamed up with Silicon Valley startup Curio to create a stuffed toy rocket that can understand and talk to kids, using the same AI technology powering ChatGPT.

The background: In April, X user Roon tweeted a prediction that “every last thing in the future will be animated with intelligence,” including children’s teddy bears. The post caught the eye of Grimes, who has three children with X owner Elon Musk.

Continue reading “The AI behind ChatGPT is bringing this toy to life” »