Emerging Tech
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Metaverse: Augmented reality inventor warns it could be far worse than social media
If used improperly, the metaverse could be more divisive than social media and an insidious threat to society and even reality itself.
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Flying cars: coming soon to your city?
Battery-powered urban aircraft are well within the bounds of technological reality.
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These AR contact lenses could help us enter the metaverse
Augmented reality (AR) contact lenses will project the digital world into our retinas, perhaps helping us navigate the metaverse.
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How Arthur C. Clarke’s three laws apply to alien technology
Technology has advanced at a blinding pace in the past 150 years. That won’t always happen.
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Swarm robotics: Legged robots connect, form centipede-like robot in new system
Inspired by the group behaviors of simple animals, a team of roboticists has developed a new way for swarm robots to maneuver on land.
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UK building road with “wonder material” graphene
The trial will test whether adding graphene to recycled asphalt can prolong the road’s lifespan.
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Algorithm improvements can beat Moore’s Law for computer performance
MIT scientists show how fast algorithms are improving across a broad range of examples, demonstrating their critical importance in advancing computing.
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Swarm intelligence: AI inspired by honeybees can help us make better decisions
From forecasting stock prices to diagnosing disease, Swarm AI enables better group decisions.
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The Turing test: AI still hasn’t passed the “imitation game”
A computer that could decidedly pass Alan Turing's test would represent a major step toward artificial general intelligence.
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We created holograms you can touch – you could soon shake a virtual colleague’s hand
The holograms use 'aerohaptics', which creates feelings of touch with simple jets of air.
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The incredible origin story of CRISPR
The development of the revolutionary gene-engineering tool CRISPR is a tale fit for the big screen.
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The U.S. Navy is building a solar plane
The 72-meter wingspan is lined with solar panels to give the plane the power it needs to stay airborne for nearly three months.
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AI music: Will a bot replace Britney Spears?
AI tried to write music. It wasn’t exactly The Beatles.
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How computational biologists made proteins write classical music
Ever wondered what oxytocin receptor proteins sound like?
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Why we should resurrect the woolly mammoth
A biotech startup has received $15 million in funding to genetically recreate woolly mammoths and rewild them in Siberia.
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MIT’s robotic nose can detect first sign of disease
One day, this powerful tool could be in millions of smartphones.
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Maple tree “helicopters” inspire flying microchips
Engineers borrowed the maple tree's "helicopter" to design tiny, flying microchips, which perform various tasks while in whirling free fall.
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3D-printed, laser-cooked meat may be the future of cooking
A future kitchen appliance could make it possible to 3D-print entirely new recipes and cook them with lasers.
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New silicon chip uses universal decoding algorithm to decode any type of data
New chip eliminates the need for specific decoding hardware, boosting gaming systems, 5G networks, and more.
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High-tech production of organs for transplantation is our future
Organ transplantation is in dire need of biotechnological advances. 3D bioprinting and genetic modification of pigs provide a path forward.
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Will concentrated solar thermal power dominate the energy industry?
The power tower has superior physics but inferior economics.
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The 3D-printed bionic arm that is disrupting the prosthetics industry
Prosthetic arms can cost amputees $80,000. A startup called Unlimited Tomorrow is aiming to change that by making customized 3D-printed bionic arms for just $8,000.
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The metaverse: From science fiction to virtual reality
Think of a combination of immersive virtual reality, an online role-playing game, and the internet.
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Helmet worn at home shrank man’s brain tumor by a third
The new brain tumor treatment targets a cancer that kills 75% of patients within a year.
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“Acoustic tweezers” use sound waves to levitate bits of matter
The non-contact technique could someday be used to lift much heavier objects — maybe even humans.
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Which countries are going to Mars this decade?
We are likely to see the first humans walk on Mars this decade.
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Immersive technology will revolutionize everything from theme parks to daily life
Virtual reality continues to blur the line between the physical and the digital, and it will change our lives forever.
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Are 5G-connected cars the future of driving?
Cars are no longer just a way to get from A to B.
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Mystical experiences on demand? Welcome to spirit tech
Brain-based technologies of spiritual enhancement can induce mystical experiences in many people on demand. What does this mean for spirituality today?