Lifeboat Foundation

In August 2015, astronauts on the International Space Station ate the first vegetables grown in space; earlier this month, they coaxed the first zinnias to bloom.

Though space agricultural technology hasn’t quite reached the level of that seen in The Martian, overcoming the challenges presented by zero-gravity to grow plants was a feat in itself.

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Apple-linked Intelligent Energy poised for first major commercial deployment of technology in India.

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Self healing robots — definite big step forward in the broader robotics industry.

Future humanoid robots may end up using University of Texas creation to self-heal.

As cool as the Lost in Space robot was at the time the show aired in the ’60s, nowadays we think of robots as being a little more high-tech. Or even human-like. Think “Data,” the android from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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AR Surgery, bionic lens for better vision than 20/20, etc. Some really cool things are on the edge of becoming available for patients.

In the future of health, we look at how new technologies are revolutionizing the area of healthcare and wellness.

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A new type of glass to reducing electric bills.

A revolutionary new type of smart window developed by the University College London (UCL) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) could cut window-cleaning costs in tall buildings while reducing heating bills and boosting worker productivity. Partially inspired by the reflective properties of moth eyes, this smart window is said to be self-cleaning, energy saving, and anti-glare.

When rain hits the outside of the smart window it forms spherical droplets that roll over the surface and pick up dirt, dust and other contaminants, then carries them away. This can either eliminate or reduce the need for manual cleaning.

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China’s improved glass for space.

Chinese scientists developed a method to create a transparent, glass-based material with the power and lifespan to absorb ultraviolet rays. The metal oxide-based special glass is expected to not break down under prolonged UV radiation exposure. (Photo : John T. Clarke (University of Michigan), ESA, NASA | Wikimedia Commons)

Chinese scientists have discovered a special glass that can absorb and block dangerous ultraviolet rays.

Continue reading “New Metal Glass Oxide Can Protect Living Cells From Ultraviolet Rays” »

Go Hubo

The so-called ‘fourth industrial revolution’ will bring ever faster cycles of innovation, posing huge challenges to companies, workers, governments and societies alike Implantable mobile phones. 3D-printed organs for transplant. Clothes and reading-glasses connected to the Internet.

Such things may be science fiction today but they will be scientific fact by 2025 as the world enters an era of advanced robotics, artificial intelligence and gene editing, according to executives surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Continue reading “Here come the robots, welcome to the next industrial revolution” »

Virginia Tech’s Professor Doug Bowman comes to Apple to make VR. This should be very interesting since he won the research grant to work on the “Hololens” — could be interesting.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Apple has hired one of the leading experts on virtual and augmented reality — Virginia Tech computer science professor Doug Bowman. He was recently listed among grant winners for HoloLens research projects and is skilled in creating 3D user interfaces, reports Endgadget. He has also co-authored a book called 3D User Interfaces Theory and Practice.

He’s been working on technologies such as wearable displays and full surround display prototypes at Virginia Tech.

Continue reading “Apple hires virtual and augmented reality tech expert: Report” »

Very well thought out, quite intelligent points.

A post-apocalyptic Earth, emptied of humans, seems like the stuff of science fiction TV and movies. But in this short, surprising talk, Lord Martin Rees asks us to think about our real existential risks — natural and human-made threats that could wipe out humanity. As a concerned member of the human race, he asks: What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen?

Continue reading “Martin Rees: Can we prevent the end of the world?” »