THe new world record for the largest group of dancing robots, which took place in Guangzhou, Guangdong, was recently broken with a jaw-dropping 1,069 synchronised machines dancing simultaneously. A few robots did fall during the attempt, but these were deducted from the final record total. [Guinness World Records]
Self-driving cars in Germany will not discriminate when it comes to deciding between two possible crash victims. Newly published guidelines say the vehicles must simply aim to minimize harm. What happens in a potential crash is a longstanding ethical issue that has come back to prominence with autonomous vehicles. Among human drivers (and hypothetical train […]
A new sensor tracks and photographs every car that drives past your house. It appears to be legal but has raised privacy questions. The BBC reports that the gadget from Flock costs $50 a year to use and the company says it will only make it available to “neighborhood leaders” with an emphasis on fighting […]
Robotics experts have asked the United Nations to act to restrict the use of robots in warfare. More than 100 people have signed an open letter warning of the dangers of “lethal autonomous weapons.” The letter is aimed at those involved in the UN’s “Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons”, an agreement that’s been in place […]
From popular culture to tech knowledge, here are 50 things geeks should know! You probably don’t know all of them, but hey, this is what being a geek is all about: learning new and interesting things! If you are reading this from the front page, I’ve included the infographic after the “read more” link below.
China has sent a quantum-based wireless message that it says cannot be intercepted without detection. It used satellites to overcome distance restrictions that would apply on the ground. The signal included an encryption key made up entangled photons: in effect light particles which are dependent on one another. Trying to read any of the signal […]
Can Batteries Power Everything? This video is about the physical and chemical limitations to electrolytic batteries, and how we might surpass the energy density and specific energy of lithium-ion batteries (like the Panasonic 18650 batteries used in the Tesla Model S, for example). [Minute Physics]
Emojis may be the key to algorithms finally being able to grasp sarcasm. It could mean more effective ways to track public moods and tastes or spot hate speech. Online marketers and have for several years been using social media posts as a way to track how people are talking about brands and products. Originally […]
Sequent is a new type of smartwatch that can actually recharge itself via kinetic energy. It features the newest generation of Heart Rate sensor, GPS tracking and notification system, which can all connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Based on a traditional Swiss automatic watch movement, we have developed and patented the world’s first kinetic […]
IBM and Sony have teamed up to produce a magnetic tape cartridge that could fit 330 terabytes in the palm of your hand. The tape can store 201 gigabits (25 gigabytes) in a single square inch (pictured). Arstechnica notes that the theoretical 330 terabyte tape cartridge would be more than 20 times the biggest capacity […]
Facebook has applied to patent a ‘modular electromechanical device’. It’s vague to say the least, but the idea seems to be to make consumer electronics last longer. The application talks about having a chassis and then space for multiple ‘functional modules’ to attach to the chassis, the idea being that exactly what the device is […]
Only last Friday, staff at an Washington DC were saying hello to their new security robot. It… didn’t work out quite as planned. Our D.C. office building got a security robot. It drowned itself. We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots. pic.twitter.com/rGLTAWZMjn — Bilal Farooqui (@bilalfarooqui) July 17, 2017