IBM Develops TrueNorth Computer Chip That Functions Like Human Brain, Might be Rise of Artificial Intelligence

IBM has just unveiled a futuristic computer chip that is claimed to function like a human brain, called TrueNorth. It's technically the world's first neurosynaptic computer chip because it can figure things out on its own. This chip purportedly has one million 'neurons' and "could cram the same power as a super computer into a circuit the size of a postage stamp," says The Daily Mail.

Modern processors have some 1.4 billion transistors and consume up to 140 watts but the new postage samp-sized IBM chip contains 5.4 billion transistors, and uses just 70 milliwatts of power, meaning it is incredibly efficient. That's not all, "TrueNorth will use closely interconnected 'neurons' just like the brain does meaning that it can work proactively to a level not seen before," according to The Daily Mail.

Source:

Read More

Kiravan expedition vehicle

Meet Kiravan, the ultimate expedition vehicle. The spectacular adventure truck is composed by a modified Mercedes-Benz Unimog equipped with a beastly 6-cylinder 260HP engine providing 700ft-lb of torque, and the 8-speed transmission provides extreme off- road power as well as the ability to cruise on-road at 70MPH maximum speed. The high-tech cockpit includes eleven touch screens that are deployed in a manner similar to that seen in aircraft. The trailer features a fully equipped office, a galley kitchen, bathroom, and a roof mounted tent-style sleeper penthouse. The spectacular adventure built Kirabike is also included.

Source:

Read More

Honda’s New Asimo Now With AI And A Creepy Smile

Remember the Asimo? Honda first introduced it about 15 years ago but now they are back with a better, blacker, badder version. With a smile. A creepy, malicious smile that tells you all sorts of weird you can imagine from a robot. And artificial intelligence laden robot too, which could single out multiple faces and voices in a crowd. It also has been enhanced with 13 degrees of hand dexterity and the ability to run faster, forwards and back, jump smoothly, and climb up and down the stairs effortlessly. It opens bottles and pours drinks like an expert and it can even express sign language, or give you a warning signal that it’s about to take you over. Luckily it doesn’t run faster than 5.6 MPH so it won’t be too difficult to escape in case you deem it life threatening. However as it can also predict and react to what’s going on around it, so it would make it a challenge to shut it down without mastering some kick-ass martial arts moves. Just kidding. Now smile!

Source:

Read More

How Engineers Will Make the Costa Concordia Float Once Again

Next week, Italians will finally say goodbye to the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship that has been sitting off the coast of Giglio Island for two and a half years. If all goes according to plan, the ship will be towed to a port in Genoa, where it will be cut up for scrap over several years. But first, engineers need to make Costa Concordia float again.

The Costa Concordia is currently sitting upright on a man-made platform just off Giglio Island.
The raising of the wreckage has been a long time coming. Last September, engineers flipped the capsized, mostly submerged ship upright in an operation that cost insurance companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Today, the ship sits on an enormous underwater platform built just for the occasion. It’s still partly underwater and is in no way seaworthy.

The ship is filled with environmental hazards including rotten food, personal effects of guests, and everything from silverware to mattresses that has been entombed inside for more than two years.
To remedy that, the wreck removal team has installed 30 airtight metal tanks, called sponsons, on either side of the ship. Right now, the sponsons are filled with water. If the weather’s good, starting Monday, they will be gradually pumped full of compressed air. That will create enough buoyancy to lift the water-filled, 115,000 ton ship up off the platform.
To start, the engineers will lift the ship two meters, and check it for structural damage. If it’s too badly damaged to move, the ship may have to be dismantled in place. That would be unfortunate, since it’s currently sitting in a marine sanctuary. It’s also filled with environmental hazards like rotten food and everything from silverware to mattresses that’s been entombed inside for more than two years.

Lines will be attached to the Costa Concordia and it will be carefully raised by two meters, and checked for structural damage. Depending on what they find, the ship may have to be dismantled in place.

If the structure checks out, the ship will be moved approximately 30 meters away from shore before the full refloating.

Engineers will raise the ship gradually, checking each deck being for toxic substances that could be leaking into the Mediterranean. At the end of the multi-day operation, the ship should have a draft of 18.5 meters and will be towed 150 miles to Genoa, at just 2 knots (2.3 miles per hour), over five days.
The process sounds neat and tidy, but it hasn’t gone down without controversy. In October, Costa Crociere, which operated the Costa Concordia, selected the Dockwise Vanguard, a Dutch ship designed to carry enormous cargo, to remove the wreck. Then Enrico Rossi, president of Tuscany, vowed to physically block the Vanguard from approaching the area. That way he could be be sure the wreck, and the $275 million demolition contract that comes with it, doesn’t leave the country. He got his way.
More recently, Greenpeace has announced it plans to send its Rainbow Warrior ship to block the removal of the Costa Concordia. Greenpeace Italy spokesperson Luca Lacoboni believes that toxic fluids like oil and diesel could leak into the environment and that nearer Italian ports could be reached “easily and with less risks”.

Finally, after several days of careful work, the ship will hopefully be towed to Genoa with minimal environmental impact.

Source:

Read More

SkyTrain: 2-Person Maglev Monorail Could Replace Cars

Two-person monorail pods zoom down from the sky at a command from your smart phone in a futuristic commercial transit system set to be installed in Israel. The on-demand system appears to be a realistic answer to the age-old objection lobbed against public transportation by lovers of the personal vehicle: buses, trains and subways don’t work around your own schedule.

Not only can you just walk up to the monorail station and hop right onto your own personal pod without having to share your space with strangers – this monorail technology is far more advanced than a vehicle that the average person could ever own. And it’s not just a concept dazzling the internet for a few days before it’s forgotten, destined to someday become a laughable unrealized vision of the retro-future. Or so it seems.

SkyTran Inc. has signed an agreement to build an actual high-speed levitating monorail system at the Israel Aerospace Industry campus in Lod, Israel. Suspended 20 feet above the ground, the hovering maglev-based monorail handily solves traffic problems by whizzing over the streets at high speeds.

Of course, the question is, will it catch on? Plenty of cool ideas were constructed as temporary demonstrations, but were never actually reproduced for public use. It’s hard to say, but it’s an interesting compromise, and passive magnetic levitation technology is poised to become an efficient and sustainable way to get around big cities.

Source:

Read More

5 Cool Things You Didn't Know About the High-Tech Airbus A350 XWB

The Airbus A350 XWB is a family of long-range, two-engined wide-body jet airliners and the first Airbus with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer. It can carry 250 to 350 passengers in a typical three-class seating layout, or maximum seating of 440 to 550 passengers, depending on variant. This plane is often considered a direct competitor to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Qatar Airways Has Already Ordered 80

The launch customer for the A350 is Qatar Airways, which ordered 80 aircraft of all three variants. Development costs are projected to be &euro12 billion (US$15 billion or £10 billion). The airliner is scheduled to enter airline service in 2014. As of December 2013, Airbus has received orders for 812 aircraft from 39 customers around the globe.

Cabin Technology

The mood inside the airplane is managed by a full-LED lighting system that creates more than 16 million different color options. The Air Management System changes out all of the air every two to three minutes, ensuring a draft-free environment and consistent temperature.

Size

At over 55 feet high, the plane is about as tall as a five story residential building. The A350 XWB's weight of 221 tons is equivalent to 24 adult elephants.

Efficiency

Designed to be efficient from gate-to-gate, the A350 XWB saves up to 25% lower fuel burn per seat when compared to the current competing jetliner. On average, 10.5 million liters of fuel will be saved per year, which is the equivalent to the fuel consumption of around 7,500 mid-size cars.

Fuel Tanks

Commercial aircraft have eight fuel tanks - the A350 XWB only has three. One tank is located below the fuselage, while the other two are in the wings. The A350 XWB's airframe boasts 70% of advanced materials - bringing together the best attributes of composites (>50% overall), titanium and advanced aluminum alloys exactly where they are needed.

Source:

Read More

US Military Unveils Gecko Gloves That Turns Soldiers Into Spider-Man

Spider-Man fans rejoice! The US military has developed special gloves coated with a specialized cloth called 'Geckskin'that would let soldiers scale vertical walls. These gloves are coated with a reversible adhesive elastomer that cling to surfaces the same way that the gecko's feet do.
Read more at http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/us-military-unveils-gecko-gloves-that-turns-soldiers-into-spider-man#j2ux7fm1XTbRzhO7.99

Darpa demonstrated the latest version of its Geckskin by having a 218-pound researcher (saddled with 50 pounds of recording gear) scale a 25-foot tall glass wall. The Z-Man programs aims to develop biologically inspired climbing aids to enable warfighters to scale vertical walls constructed from typical building materials, while carrying a full combat load, and without the use of ropes or ladders.
Read more at http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/us-military-unveils-gecko-gloves-that-turns-soldiers-into-spider-man#j2ux7fm1XTbRzhO7.99

Source:

Read More

Solar Roads

Innovative solar panels designed by Julie and Scott Brusaw can be installed on roads, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots.

Inventors want to cover all concrete and asphalt surfaces with solar panels.
Solar Roadways will generate electricity, reduce environmental impact, melt snow, and flash LED lights to warn drivers of upcoming danger.

Working solar road prototype can already handle 250,000 pound trucks.

Source:

Read More

Inside The New Dragon Spacecraft

The Dragon V2 Capsule can carry humans, dock with the ISS, and land on its own.

Last night, SpaceX unveiled the Dragon V2 capsule, destined to eventually carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
Although the previous version of the Dragon capsule was flightworthy enough to deliver supplies, its life support system wasn’t reliable for human passengers. Dragon V2, on the other hand, will be able to carry seven astronauts for seven days.
When the capsule reaches the ISS, it will dock with the station autonomously. Unlike its predecessor, it won’t need the ISS’s robotic arm to reach out and grab it.
And this isn’t the only improvement. To land back on Earth, version one slowed its speed with parachutes before splashing into the ocean. This is now a backup technique for the new capsule (because the V2 can use its engines to land propulsively).

“You’ll be able to land anywhere on Earth with the accuracy of a helicopter,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced at the unveiling. “Which is, I think, something that a modern spaceship should be able to do.”
The Dragon V2’s landing ability will make it quickly reusable, an ability Musk hopes will cut the cost of space voyages. “As long as we continue to throw away rockets and spacecraft, we will never have true access to space. It will always be incredibly expensive.”
So how much will reusability reduce prices? According to Ars Technica, NASA pays Russia about $71 million per astronaut for trips to the ISS. Musk thinks he can drop that number to $20 million or less.

Source:

Read More

Self-Driving Car

Autonomous car designed by Google drives itself and safely takes people to their destination.
Laser radar constantly scans the road and controls the self-driving car.
It does not have a steering wheel or gas / brake pedals.
Simply push a button and the car will take you where you want to go!

Source:

Read More