Tag Archives: Technology

Top Science Podcasts: Quantum Computing, Speediest Ants & Altering The “Deaf” Gene (Nature)

Audio October 23, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Listen to the latest from the world of science, with Nick Howe and Shamini Bundell. This week, a milestone in quantum computing, and rethinking early mammals.

In this episode:

00:43 A quantum computing milestone

A quantum computer is reported to have achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ – performing an operation that’s essentially impossible for classical computers. Research Article: Arute et al.; News and Views: Quantum computing takes flight; Editorial: A precarious milestone for quantum computing; News: Hello quantum world! Google publishes landmark quantum supremacy claim

08:24 Research Highlights

The world’s speediest ants, and the world’s loudest birdsong. Research Highlight: A land-speed record for ants set in Saharan dunes; Research Highlight: A bird’s ear-splitting shriek smashes the record for loudest song

10:19 The mammals that lived with the dinosaurs

Paleontologists are shifting their view of Mesozoic era mammals. News Feature: How the earliest mammals thrived alongside dinosaurs

18:00 News Chat

A Russian researcher’s plans to edit human embryos, and ‘prime editing’ – a more accurate gene editing system. News: Russian ‘CRISPR-baby’ scientist has started editing genes in human eggs with goal of altering deaf gene; News: Super-precise new CRISPR tool could tackle a plethora of genetic diseases

Reviews, Technology, Transportation

Technology: Cowboy Electric Bike Is Lightweight, With Integrated Lights & Removable Battery

October 23, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a TechCrunch online review:

From the outside, the Cowboy e-bike is a sleek bike. It features a seamless triangle-shaped aluminum frame, integrated lights and a low-key Cowboy logo near the saddle. The handlebar is perfectly straight like on a mountain bike. The only sign that this is an e-bike is that the frame is much larger below the saddle.

The e-bike is relatively light at 16kg (35lbs). Most of the weight is at the back of the Cowboy e-bike because of the battery. But an investor in the startup told me that it wasn’t a problem and that he was even able to attach a baby seat at the back.

https://cowboy.com/

The two things you’re going to notice quite quickly is that there’s no gear and there’s a rubber and glass fiber belt. Cowboy has opted for an automatic transmission — motor assistance kicks in automatically when you need it the most, such as when you start pedaling, you accelerate or you go uphill.

Home Design, Homes, Technology

Homebuilder KB Homes Discusses Smart Homes Of Tomorrow (Video)

Video October 22, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a MarketRealist.com online article:

The home’s adaptation is not only about automatically adjusting lights to match the circadian rhythms of the occupants or unlocking a door based on facial recognition. It’s also adapting over time to occupants’ needs. For instance, Bridleman describes walls that move to create new spaces or beds that fold into the wall creating an office space—all based on voice commands.

KB Home’s (KBH) SVP Dan Bridleman discusses the smart home of tomorrow and the work the company is doing to make the home the center of a smart ecosystem. Instead of traditional bespoke construction techniques, modularity and the off-site construction of building blocks or subsystems are the trends for new construction seen in the KB Home ProjeKt.

Technology, Travel

IBM Announces First Fully-Autonomous Ship That Will Cross The Atlantic In September 2020

October 19, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From an IBM newsroom online release:

“Putting a research ship to sea can cost tens of thousands of dollars or pounds a day and is limited by how much time people can spend onboard – a prohibitive factor for many of today’s marine scientific missions,” said Brett Phaneuf, a Founding Board Member of ProMare and Co-Director of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project (together with fellow Board Member Fredrik Soreide). “With this project, we are pioneering a cost-effective and flexible platform for gathering data that will help safeguard the health of the ocean and the industries it supports.”

LONDON, Oct. 16, 2019 IBM announced today that it has joined a global consortium of partners, led by marine research organization ProMare, that are building an unmanned, fully-autonomous ship that will cross the Atlantic on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage in September 2020.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM’s AI, most powerful servers, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts. If successful, it will be one of the first self-navigating, full-sized vessels to cross the Atlantic Ocean and will open the door on a new era of autonomous research ships.

Reviews, Technology, Transportation

Future Mobility: Toyota Unveils Production-Ready Ultra-Compact BEV To “Support Aging Society”

October 18, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

FRom a Toyota online news release:

The ultra-compact, two-seater BEV is specifically designed to meet the daily mobility needs of customers who make regular, short-distance trips such as the elderly, newly licensed drivers, or business-people visiting local customers. It can be driven a range of approximately 100 km on a single charge, reach a maximum speed of 60 km/h, and features an extremely short turning radius.

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) today announced that it will display its new, production-ready Ultra-compact BEV (battery electric vehicle) at the FUTURE EXPO special exhibition of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show ahead of the vehicle’s planned commercial launch in Japan in 2020. The next-generation mobility solution is designed to provide short-distance mobility while limiting impact on the environment.

“We want to create a mobility solution that can support Japan’s ageing society and provide freedom of movement to people at all stages of life,” said Akihiro Yanaka, Head of Development. “With the Ultra-compact BEV, we are proud to offer customers a vehicle that not only allows for greater autonomy, but also requires less space, creates less noise and limits environmental impact.”

Reviews, Technology, Travel

Ultimate Campers: The High Technology Inside 2019 Hymer Camper Vans

October 15, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a New Atlas online article:

Hymer certainly gave credit where it was due, recognizing BASF’s role in the opening paragraph of its VisionVenture announcement and detailing elements like the Chromacool exterior paint and Veneo Slate transforming-bathroom trim. Still, it wasn’t quite clear just how deep BASF’s participation ran. Knowing a thing or two about the power of a buzzy concept vehicle (like a bike or car), BASF released some additional information last week to squeeze a little extra press out of the VisionVenture, a star of the 2019 Caravan Salon that featured in RV, auto and tech publications and blogs all over the world.

Even with a few months of 2019 left to go, we feel confident that the Hymer VisionVenture is the coolest camper van of the year. The concept camper has absolutely captured the public’s imagination, showing how a little bit of creative tinkering can turn the art of sleeping in a van into world-class luxury travel. When Hymer announced the concept at the start of the 2019 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, it mentioned incorporating over 20 materials and technologies from German chemical giant BASF, touching upon some of the most integral. BASF jumped in this month to further detail exactly how its tech can benefit future van lifers.

News, Technology

Future Of Packaging: Ioniqa Technologies Delivers World’s First Ocean And Recycled Plastic Bottles

October 14, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a DesignBoom online article:

the recycling technology is the result of a partnership between coca-cola, the dutch startup ioniqa technologies and indorama ventures, one of coca-cola’s suppliers of PET plastic. to process the material, ioniqa technologies used a depolymerization technology to break down the PET into its monomers that allow it to be re-produced as a new. it was then sent to an indorama ventures facility to be polymerized into new plastic.

coca-cola has introduced the world’s first bottle created using recycled plastic waste from the ocean. the company has launched an initial edition of 300 bottles made of 25% plastic from the marine waste collected by volunteers during 84 beach cleanups in spain and portugal.

Retirement, Technology, Transportation

Future Of Mobility: Self-Driving Car Venture “Voyage” Specializes In Retirement Communities

September 29, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From the Voyage.auto website:

Voyage (is) building the technology to deliver on the promise of self-driving cars. Our first service offers residents safe, autonomous transportation anywhere in their community at speeds up to 25 MPH. This approach lets us solve real transportation challenges today, while setting the foundation for our long-term vision: developing a technology that can drive anyone, on any road, at any time.

Our vehicles are equipped with the best sensors available, giving us a 360-degree picture of the world hundreds of meters from the car. We extensively leverage machine learning to develop state-of-the-art perception models, and have built a rich data pipeline that allows us to continuously improve based on real-world driving. Our multiple sensor modalities give us great perception, while improving the safety and operational redundancy of our autonomous service.

To read more: https://voyage.auto/technology/

Health, Television

TV Worth Watching: “Diagnosis” From The New York Times Featuring Lisa Sanders MD On Netflix

September 17, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Dr. Lisa Sanders crowdsources diagnoses for mysterious and rare medical conditions in a documentary series based on her New York Times Magazine column.

Architecture, Homes, Technology

Housing Innovations: ICON Builds First Permitted 3D-Printed Homes In Austin, TX

September 11, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From an Austin.Curbed.com online article:

ICON, which uses robotics, software, and advanced materials (including its proprietary “Lavacrete”) to remove numerous barriers in the contemporary building industry, debuted its first 3D printer and the country’s first permitted, 3D-printed home in at SXSW 2018 in Austin.

Community First Village, run by Mobile Loaves and Fishes to provide permanent, personal housing and services for homeless people in Austin, had quite the breakthrough day Monday. Partnering with Austin-based Icon and and Cielo property group, it opened the second phase of its development with a 3D-printed prototype house that will serve as a welcome center for the community. The 500-square-foot building took a total of 27 hours to print.