Robots are featuring more and more in our daily lives. They can be incredibly useful (bionic limbs, robotic lawnmowers, or robots which deliver meals to people in quarantine), or merely entertaining (robotic dogs, dancing toys, and acrobatic drones). Imagination is perhaps the only limit to what robots will be able to do in the future. What happens, though, when robots don’t do what we want them to – or do it in a way that causes harm? For example, what happens if a bionic arm is involved in a d
If you’ve been on Twitter in the last two days, chances are that you’ve seen a video online of The Richest Man Alive™, celebrating. After months of COVID delays and issues with construction permits due to environmental concerns, Elon Musk finally made it to Berlin this week to officially open Tesla’s new Gigafactory. ‘Giga’ is no exaggeration – the manufacturing hub is ready to deliver 500,000 Teslas into this world every year. While the first Model Y cars were presented to their new owners, Elo
Charging your EV on the go comes with a big disadvantage: you’re gonna have to wait a while. But waiting wouldn’t be such a hassle if you could do so in comfort and — why not? — have a coffee and do some shopping. On Wednesday, Electrify America announced a new design vision for some of its public charging stations, aiming to make charging as comfortable and seamless as possible. Electrify America’s “charging station of the future.” Image: Electrify America The redesigned stations will feature c
Starting on Jan. 25, 2023, many of the 2,500 institutions and 300,000 researchers that the U.S. National Institutes of Health supports will need to provide a formal, detailed plan for publicly sharing the data generated by their research. For many in the scientific community, this new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy sounds like a no-brainer. The incredibly quick development of rapid tests and vaccines for COVID-19 demonstrate the success that can follow the open sharing of data within the
Nvidia events are renowned for mixing technical bravado with splashes of showmanship — and this year’s GTC conference was no exception. The company ended a week that introduced a new enterprise GPU and an Arm-based “superchip” with a trademark flashy demo. Some 75 years after the world’s first instant photo captured the 3D world in a 2D picture, Nvidia showcased the inverse: turning 2D images into a 3D scene within milliseconds. Dubbed Instant NeRF, the technique involves training a neural rende
It’s no secret Apple continually ships boatloads of iPhones every year; it sold 239 million units in 2021, according to analysts. But the company feels it can sell even more — and it apparently has a new idea to do that. According to a report by Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based company is working on a new subscription plan to sell you iPhones and other hardware products. While finer details are yet to be finalized, the gist is Apple wants you to lease an iPhone or an iPad the same way you buy a su
When it comes to EV adoption, a major issue people complain about is slow charging times — especially compared to pumping stinky gas. To solve the charging time conundrum, a team of scientists from the Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems at IBS has turned to the realm of quantum physics. The team drew inspiration from a 2012 study, which proposed a “quantum battery concept,” meaning a quantum mechanical system that acts as an energy storage device. According to the 2021 study and n
Aventon is one of the most popular ebike companies in the US, and its Pace cruiser bikes have long been the company’s best-selling rides. Now the company is updating its Pace 350 and 500, both of which received major redesigns this week meant to make the bikes more comfortable and easier to use. I was able to spend a few days with the latest version of the Pace 500 Step-Through, and it gets a whole lot right for not a lot of money. First, some basic specs. Here are the numbers for the Pace 350:
The most exciting name in quantum computing today is Google. Last year’s time crystals breakthrough was the culmination of decades of academic effort from the Search giant, and it proved Big G is a clear front-runner in the world of cutting-edge quantum physics research. Despite having virtually no B2B presence in the quantum computing marketplace, the Mountain View company managed to leverage itself as one of the most important players in the field. Google’s position comes as a bit of a surpris
Geothermal energy has long been the forgotten member of the clean energy family, overshadowed by relatively cheap solar and wind power, despite its proven potential. But that may soon change – for an unexpected reason. Geothermal technologies are on the verge of unlocking vast quantities of lithium from naturally occurring hot brines beneath places like California’s Salton Sea, a two-hour drive from San Diego. Lithium is essential for lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles and ener