Collapsing bee colonies prompt researchers to build robotic bees to replace them
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We rely on bees to pollinate nearly 75 percent of our crops, but as colonies continue to collapse researchers are looking for new alternatives to pollinate crops. Food security continues to come under the spotlight which is why we’ve recently seen research that uses...
DeepMind’s AI now has human like 3D vision
WHY THIS MATERS IN BRIEF As we come to rely on robots and automated systems more in our daily lives their ability to accurately perceive our world is crucial. If I showed you a single picture of a room it’s likely you’d be able to tell me about it...
Aston Martin unveils its first stunning flying car concept
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the technology to build flying cars improves, and as companies start to look rolling out the first services, the competition is heating up. Lamborghini recently unveiled their first electric hyper car concept where the car is the battery, but now Aston Martin, the iconic...
Rolls Royce unveil their new flying taxi
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As more companies pile into the flying taxi market it’s increasingly likely that you’ll start seeing them appear in cities near you, kickstarting the next transportation revolution. British engine maker Rolls Royce revealed its plans this week to develop a hybrid electric vehicle, dubbed...
Scientists turn a Drangonfly into a controllable, living drone
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF While many people are focused on traditional drones there are others who are trying to create bio-machine drone hybrids, and their uses could include surveillance and other nefarious purposes. At a certain point it becomes really difficult to scale down machines, after all, a...
DARPA funds programs to get black box AI’s to explain their decisions
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI continues to be weaponised by military powers, getting it to explain its decision making, and actions, will be crucial, and it’s not going to be an easy task to achieve. Intelligence agents and military operatives may come to rely heavily on Machine...
AI drones will soon be controlling autonomous vehicles on building sites
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Automation is a fact of life within every industry now, but as technology advances more tasks will be able to be automated, and in the construction industry this is one of the first, major steps to full automation. Some mining operations are already 100...
DARPA hands the world’s first fully autonomous drone warship to the US Navy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The Sea Hunter is the world’s first fully autonomous warship, and it’s just passed trials – next stop official duty. After just under a year at sea DARPA has finally completed the sea trials of the world’s first fully autonomous warship, Sea Hunter, a...
The US Military just put out a contract for the world’s first flying aircraft carriers
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Fast and dramatic advancements in the field of drones and autonomous warfare are calling the role of traditional aircraft carriers into question, and one day they could be replaced entirely. Earlier this week the US Department of Defense (DOD) announced it wants the ability...
Dubai rolls out autonomous police cars to go alongside its robot police officers
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Technology is changing the world of law enforcement and it’s important to experiment with new ideas that provide low visibility but highly effective policing. A couple of weeks ago, and following on from the deployment of the regions first robot police officer at the Dubai...
Kalashnikov show off their first ever hoverbike
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Kalashnikovs new hoverbike has civilian and military use cases but most people will just want one to commute in Last week Kalashnikov, makers of the famous AK-47 and part of the Russian defence giant Rostec, announced that it’s branching out into what it calls...
Volocopter puts its sky taxi through its paces above the skies of Dubai
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As more companies experiment with new flying taxi vehicles and commercial concepts Volocopter is increasingly finding itself edging into the lead. Dubai is moving full steam ahead toward a futuristic skyline dotted with modern skyscrapers and flying taxis by kicking off trials of the...
Self-evolving killer robots are almost here, and experts want a debate
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Few realise just how fast we’re approaching the tipping point for autonomous warfare, but in a time when we can’t control, or even predict the evolution of AI and “Smart” systems the time for debate, arguably, was ten years ago. As it increasingly looks...
Machine gun equipped drones get ready for battle, autonomy next?
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The race to automate war, and arm drone platforms, is accelerating almost unchecked and whether or not it’s a good thing depends on your point of view. America has some 300 million guns in circulation, and, we all know how much some most people...
New all seeing cameras will revolutionise computer vision as we know it
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Imagine a camera that can see and analyse every part of the visible and non-visible spectrum at the same time, now imagine it’s in a search and rescue drone, or a hunter killer robot… Hey, I know you like hearing about the grand things...
Nvidia’s latest autonomous drone flies off grid
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Increasingly more devices and products are able to navigate their surroundings without having to rely on external systems or platforms, and as AI moves into the devices themselves it’s all just one more step on the path to fully autonomous behaviours. GPS can be...
Mine hunting drones can now detect mines from the air
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to detect explosives and mines from the air is a game changer that will help save lives and this is just the first in a long line of new developments. A little while ago I wrote an article about an MQ-9 Reaper...
An ocean going drone is protecting the world’s largest marine reserve
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Conservations have always had to work on a budget, I know, I’ve been one, but now technology is helping them in ways that were previously unimaginable Stuff Whether it’s robots stunning invasive species like Lionfish and the Crown of Thorns, or scientists using 3D...
Switzerland might build a $3.4Bn autonomous underground transport system
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Roads around the world are filling up with cars and lorries and now Switzerland is thinking about moving lorries, vans and delivery carts underground. Everyone wants to get away from rush hour traffic, especially if you’re stuck behind a truck, even if it’s an...
Amazon is on track be the world’s first fully automated fulfilment company
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The combination of “old school” robotics and new AI and Machine Vision technologies is helping robotics companies automate increasingly complex tasks that were once thought to be the exclusive domain of humans. By the time you’ve picked your Amazon parcel up off of your...
