Could Removing Global Air Pollution Worsen Climate Change?

News

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Air pollution is killing people, and the signs are that the numbers are not going to fall. The World Health Organization has commissioned a study and it shows that more than 3,000 cities worldwide had an increase of 8% when it comes to microscopic particle pollution in the five years leading up to 2013. In middle and lower income areas, 98% fail to meet WHO targets compared to 56% in wealthier areas.

Nitrogen oxides, sulfur, and black carbon are listed among the pollutants that claim upwards of 3 million people worldwide every year. The particles settle in the lungs, work their way into the bloodstream and as a result, there will be cardiovascular disease, asthma, and even the risk of strokes. Nature produced a study that said if things did not change, by the time we reached 2050, the figures will double.

Could Removing Global Air Pollution Worsen Climate Change?

THE WHO’s director of public health Maria Neira has spoken to The Guardian and explained that many countries are facing an emergency when it comes to air pollution and that it is one of the worst problems that the word is facing at the moment.

Airborne microscopic particles kill millions of people each year, but they also lessen some of the effects of man-made global warming. Michael Reilly

The plus side to these particles is that they help to cool down the planet. Sulfur in particular as the reflect sunlight, and it ends up back in space rather than landing on earth. With black carbon, it is the fact that they absorb the sun, but here there is a downside. It tends to be close to the location of continental glaciers and they will melt at a faster rate.

Story Via; Technologyreview.com

Embrace the Robots as Part of the Workforce – They Create Jobs!

News

Linda Johnson

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Many people these days are concerned that with the introduction of so many robots into the business world that there will be fewer jobs for us, humans, to do, but this is simply not the case. Studies have shown that with every single industrial robot that is created and used as intended, three million human jobs are created.

So, why are all of these human jobs going to be created you may ask? Well, although robots can be marvelous tools, they are not foolproof and when they do need to be fixed, who needs to fix them? Humans! Robots can not ‘self-repair’ themselves when they go wrong, nor can they perform complex tasks such as developing new ideas or negotiating, so there will always be those types of roles for humans to do. Engineers will be needed for developing, upgrading and continually maintaining the robots just as a mechanic will always be necessary to fix and maintain cars.

Our society is changing at a very past pace, with technology being right at the front, so we need to learn to accept that robot are going to be a big part of our future. With the aid of robots taking over certain roles, time and money can be saved in these areas, and used someplace else where people are more highly needed. Robots are not a bad thing and are not out destroy the human race as we know it. They are simply technologically advanced tools developed to make our lives a little easier, so do not fear the robots but welcome them and all that they can do for you!

NXP BlueBox Computer that Make Self-Driving Cars Available to Consumers by 2020

Gadgets

Mehmet Hatipoglu

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So, how do you feel about jumping into the car with a robot driving at the wheel? Previously, this would have sounded like something coming out of the latest sci-fi movie, but now, with technology advancing at hyper speed, it is only just around the corner! The Netherlands-based company, NXP, have now announced their new computing platform that allows automakers the ability to test and develop self-driving cars called BlueBox.

NXP BlueBox Computer that Make Self-Driving Cars Available to Consumers by 2020

BlueBox works by integrating with the cars sensors to enable self-driving features. Using advanced technology, they can link up to radar, cameras, sonar and more to create a virtual world that allows the computer to make decisions based on driving laws of the country as well as cyclists, traffic, pedestrians and other obstructions us as drivers face on a daily basis. With production cars already on offer that is semi-autonomous, featuring automatic braking and parking, the BlueBox technology is not too far fetched beyond this, so NXP’s deadline of having self-driving cars available to the public by 2020 is very achievable.

NXP are currently only looking to market Level 4 autonomous cars by 2020. These are still classed as fully autonomous vehicles, but will require a driver present as may be necessary to take over the controls manually from time to time. But with the introduction of the Level 4 cars, Level 5 cars may be just around the corner, which are completely driver-free without even a steering wheel! With four leading auto manufacturers already testing the BlueBox more are sure to join in and soon our world in the future could look very different.

Robotic Surgery Just Got More Autonomous

News

Andrew Thomas

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Soon it may be possible to receive surgery from a robot. It will just be soft tissue surgery and nothing too complicated, but it will be a step in the right direction. Research so far has been limited to animals, but the robot performed to a higher level than some top surgeons and other techniques involving robots when carrying out open bowel operations on pigs.

There is an estimated 45 million soft tissue surgical procedures carried out in the United States each year, and it is hoped that the new robot will cut back on complications, and be more efficient than the present system. The present system consists of surgeons working the robot, and their ability is paramount.

The process is further advanced when it comes to hard tissue operations, but as soft tissues are malleable it is harder to work on. Named STAR – Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot – was designed by Azad Shademan and is made up of a robotic arm and surgical equipment. It operates by using fluorescent markers and smart imaging technologies allowing it to cope with the issues faced when operating on moving tissue.

While being supervised, STAR came out on top when it came to procedures such as stitching and rejoining sections of bowel. The pigs survived the surgery, and there were no complications.

With further research, it is expected that the use of robots will make surgery safer for humans and mean that there will no longer be human error in the operating arena. As well as bowel surgery, it robot will remove tumors.

Mirrow Provocator – For Four People but Same Length as Smart FourTwo and It is Russian!!

Startups

Andrew Thomas

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Now there is a car in the same vein as the Smart Fortwo but suitable for four people along with their luggage. Called the Mirrow Provocator, 50% of it will be constructed of recycled polymers, and it is the right size to be classed as a business car. It is the same sort of size as a large SUV is so not particularly long but not particularly small. The driver and front seat passenger will feel as if they are in the same position as if they were in a Mercedes E-Class.

Mirrow Provocator - For Four People but Same Length as Smart FourTwo and It is Russian!!

It combines a high degree of comfort as well as safety and due to the car being fairly short seats will be on either side of the aisle, and the ceiling in the middle will be high. There will only be access through one door, and this includes access to the driver. There are fears that this could be blocked by another vehicle, so the best way to avoid this will be to park perpendicular to the sidewalk. There are emergency side doors, but they are not suitable for regular use. They are well reinforced and will stand a hard impact if there is an accident. All versions have seat belts, and there will be the option of ABS and airbags.

The design will ensure less metal will be needed, and lightweight polymers can be used. The fuel tank is on the floor which is safe and also enables stability. Maximum speed will be 140km, and some will look futuristic inside.

How to Choose Passwords That Cannot Be Compromised by Torture?

Computer

Mehmet Hatipoglu

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Data protection is big business with the need to remember a lot of passwords and PINs and for some; it is a step too far. It is now quite common to use biometric indicators, and this will be irises and fingerprints, meaning it will be very hard to copy.

No system will claim to be perfect, and a person’s details can be taken from them by force or supposed friendship. The threat of violence could easily lead to someone revealing their PIN or going along and providing a fingerprint. Cal Poly Pomona employees including Max Wolotsky have found a solution to this, and it will be possible to tell if pressure is involved. If it is determined that they are then the fingerprint, iris scan or any other biometric indicators will be rejected.

Researchers used stress levels of the person, and the team measure the persons’ response to chill music and register this as being them in a relaxed state. The shivers down the spine – the same as when cold – heart beats and brain waves are monitored. As these cannot be faked, the decision could be made about the individual – are they willing or coerced.

Five volunteers chose their favorite chill music and by zoning in on the chill response, their relaxed state could be identified. Subjects showed a 90% pass rate but one set-back was the fact that the stress of coercion could not be replicated.

The system may not be perfect, but it is the best that there is at the moment. The first steps have been taken, and further work will follow.

Astounding Aftermath of an Exploding Star

News

Linda Johnson

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Entire galaxy can be put in the shade when a supernova is formed due to a star exploding. For the first time, NASA has been able to produce a video that shows what happens afterward, and the result of what is described as a powerful explosion.

The remnants of the supernova expand, and the shockwaves show as a massive cloud. It also demonstrates how material that has been superheated is ejected from the star post explosion. The specific supernova shown in the video is Tycho’s supernova, and the explosion happened back on 1572. 450 years after the event we can still see the expansion even though we are 10,000 light years away.

The video has relied heavily upon observations taken between 2000 and 2015 and shows the remnant of the expanded supernova. It is incredibly hot due to the shock waves and as a result, it is only visible in X-ray light. Astronomers had also discovered how quickly the shock wave traveled and when at its fastest, it was moving at 12 million miles an hour.

Knowing the speed is assisting astronomers to work out what prompted the supernova in the first place. It seems most likely that it was as a result of two white dwarf stars joining. The resulting object was too big to be stable, so it erupted, with both stars being destroyed. It is by studying supernovae that astronomers are able to work out the rate at which the universe is growing.

Image credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/GSFC/B. Williams et al; Optical: DSS; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA

Lilium: Tesla Of The Air and The First Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Plane

Gadgets

Linda Johnson

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Soon there will be a personal craft that can take off and land vertically. It will be electric and seat two people, and is the starting point for what is hoped will be a generation of environmentally friendly and quiet planes. CEO Daniel Wiegand wants the plane to be suitable for daily use as an airport is not needed.

Lilium – the company involved – has been in business since February 2015 and consists of 4 doctoral students and engineers who are based at the University of Munich. 25kg prototypes have been successful, and a next step is a full-size plane.

Tesla Of The Air; The First Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Plane

If the aircraft works, it will join other forms of public aviation, but without the need to travel to a distant airport. Noise will not be a problem, and a runway is not necessary. There will be the benefit of a helicopter and none of the problems. If a back garden is big enough to hold the craft, then that is the place that will be used for take-off and landing. It will only need to be 15m x 15m. It will be safer than a helicopter and much more quite due to the fact that it is electric.

The official classification will be Light Sports Aircraft for use by two and to fly the plane; the pilot needs to be at least 20 hours trained. There are some limitations as it is expected to be used for leisure flights when the weather is good and flying at 3km altitude in clear skies.

This Startup Wants to Deliver Super-Fast Internet to Your Home

Startups

Mehmet Hatipoglu

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Thousands of new companies are born every day, but they do not all promise to deliver something quite so big as the new start-up technology company, Starry. Founded by Chet Kanojia, who previously owned the company, Aereo, this new developments headquarters are based in Boston and currently have 40 engineers working hard to achieve Starry’s mammoth task that lies ahead. They are looking to deliver super-fast internet(almost 100 times faster than the average wireless connection), across the nation, into our homes and business at a lower cost than we currently pay.

This is all possible due to the technological advances that have developed over the past few years, and many companies are jumping on the bandwagon, such as Facebook, Google, and Verizon. But, Starry have beat them all to it and are expected to be the first to be used in households, putting them in a very nice position within the industry. Starry is due to be available this summer and the routers, called Starry routers, can already be purchased.

When the product is launched in July, there will be no need to feed wires into each home or business as the Starry network just requires a small amount of fibre optic cable to be connected to each rooftop transmitter, keeping costs and levels of disruption to a minimum. The high-frequency radio spectrum that is used is able to transmit vast amounts of data and fast speeds that aren’t necessarily in the transmitters line of sight giving a wider area that it can service. Weather does not affect the capabilities of the transmitters either, and they will continue to work through the sun, rain or snow!

However you look at it, Starry is going to become an upcoming name in the technology industry if they can deliver what they promise, so watch this space and why not jump on the bandwagon!

Artificial Intelligence Literally Taught Itself How To Do An Experiment, From Start To Finish

News

Mehmet Hatipoglu

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Everywhere you turn these days there are more and more automated processes appearing all the time. From automatic vacuum cleaners to self-order counters at restaurants, to cars that automatically park themselves, robots are all around us in one way or another and physics is no different. In using the latest artificial intelligence to do the same tasks as people, we are not only saving time and money but saving on resources too.

A recent physics experiment developed by physicists from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy (UNSW ADFA) was shown to be completed by artificial intelligence (AI) just as a human would. The test was to create a replica of “Laser Beam” experiment that won the 2001 Nobel Prize and produced an extremely cold gas trapped in a laser beam (known as Bose-Einstein condensate) and the incredible AI literally taught itself how to do the experiment, from start to finish, in under one hour!

With the success of the experiment, more are set to follow as scientists look to explore the endless possibilities of using AI and the complex conclusions to experiments they can uncover. Because Bose-Einstein condensates are of such a low temperature, artificial intelligence holds the advantage in not being affected by the cold and can even be used to cool the trapped gas down. They are also great navigators and explorers as are sensitive to their surroundings and with the ability to just set themselves up and learn new tasks, it is much more cost efficient than hiring a team of qualified people.

Story Via; Nature group journal Scientific Reports / Animation explains the Bose-Einstein condensate. Produced by the research group Physics Reimagined with the support of labex PALM.

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