US military genetics program to turn marine life into giant living sensor networks
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As we learn more about the genetic code and how to modify it organisations around the world are starting to look into new ways of turning nature to their advantage. A few months ago I wrote about how DARPA, the bleeding edge research arm...
Hypersurfaces uses AI to turn everything into a computer interface
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today’s computer interfaces are still limiting, even with the advent of voice and touch, so Hypersurfaces is setting them free. In the future one thing is certain, as technology proliferates around us the keyboard and mouse will slowly die out and we will all...
IBM breakthrough uses AI to make blockchain more energy efficient
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Mining blockchain uses up an extraordinary amount of electricity, equivalent to an entire country, so companies are trying to fix the issue. Proof of Work (PoW), the common consensus mechanism that secures Bitcoin and numerous other cryptocurrency blockchains, has given the technology a reputation for...
Drexel’s new spray on antennas can connect everything to the internet
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Tomorrow’s world will be increasingly connected, and connecting old legacy devices and things has been difficult, but it’s about to get much easier. Engineers are good at making minuscule antennas. Nowadays, we can cram antennas into our smartphones or smartwatches without much trouble. But...
The world’s smallest computer makes a grain of rice look massive
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As computing and AI processing gets moved to the edge of the network and into billions of IOT devices computers will have to get ever smaller. Researchers at the University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest computer, again, after their previous micro-computers, called...
Revolutionary Nano-antenna is hundreds times smaller than today’s state of the art
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It’s not just our devices that are getting smaller and more powerful, the components that make our devices are also going through their own revolutions. Recently I discussed how a new Metalense breakthrough from Harvard University will help us realise atomic sized camera lenses,...
Tomorrow’s computer chips will have new challenges and new architectures
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Standardised processors that run multiple workloads, but that have to be especially optimised to run specific workloads made sense, but tomorrow’s processors will have new challenges and need a new architectural approach. It’s over 10 years since Apple unveiled the first iPhone and since...
Scientists create edible electronics using Graphene to improve food safety
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to quickly and easily tag foods and other products with sensors and other electronics that can be safely eaten could improve food safety and security. James Tour believes anything can be turned into the wonder material, Graphene, a material so versatile it...
The robots of the future might not have a brain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The classical view of an intelligent robot is one whose intelligence comes from a centralised location, such as a brain, or in their case, a centralised computing platform, but there’s no reason why this has to be the case. The classical view of a...
IBM wants to combine AI and blockchain to transform healthcare
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF AI and blockchain are two incredibly powerful technologies, but for different reasons, however, when they’re combined their significance, and impact, becomes even greater. The combination of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) “could bring significant improvements to a healthcare sector plagued by interoperability problems and...
IBM breaks the record for the world’s smallest computer
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As computers continue to shrink it allows organisations to dream up new ways of using them, and in IBM’s case they want to use their new tech to help cryptographically secure the Internet of Things. Each year IBM showcases “5 in 5” technologies coming...
MIT’s new secure, low power chip helps create the “Internet of Secure Things”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF More cyber criminals are choosing to target Internet of Things devices than ever before because they are easy to gain access to and exploit at scale, MIT’s new chip hopes to reverse that trend. From data breaches to weaponised devices, the Internet of Things...
Quantum sensor breakthrough could one day replace global GPS systems
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today’s sensors are sensitive, but Quantum sensors are millions times more sensitive, meaning that they can detect even more things with even more accuracy. Thanks to the miracle of GPS we can now work out where we are almost anywhere on Earth, but it...
The FDA just approved it’s first trackable smart pill, more to follow
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Not everyone takes their medication but now companies and doctors can tell precisely when and if a patient has taken their prescribed meds, but it opens up a whole set of questions about ethics, privacy and security. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...
Revolutionary new IoT chip communicates miles without using any energy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF IoT devices only “work” if they have connectivity, but up until now trying to get data from a sensor in a field, or a toaster at home, has meant fitting them all with battery powered communications gear, new backscatter devices solve that issue. A...
Blockchain entrepreneurs are helping utilities re-invent the powergrid
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The power grids used by most countries were born in a different era, but now, thanks to new technologies like blockchain, grid scale storage and renewables, they’re about to get upgraded. Imagine the scene, a power pole collapses at 8PM on a hot night...
Passive Wi-Fi breakthrough could revolutionise the Internet of Things
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, sensors are ubiquitous, but putting batteries in small sensors is impractical, now passive Wi-Fi that doesn’t need an energy source will change all that For those that live in developed countries it has to be said that wireless internet, and Wi-Fi,...
3 Ways the 5G Revolution Will Transform the Internet of Things
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The arrival of 5G networks will revolutionise existing industries and help create new ones and its impact should not be under estimated The 5G revolution is around the corner, and one of its biggest impacts will be the transformation of the Internet of Things....
Chicago Police Department goes hi tech to catch murderers in the act
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF With the number of shootings and murders in Chicago spiralling the Chicago Police Department have joined other cities in rolling out sensor and software networks that catch killers in the act. In a cramped office in a police station in Chicago’s 11th district, the...
Softbank CEO predicts the Singularity will occur in 2047
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The Singularity, the point at which we see runaway technological growth that result in unfathomable changes to human civilisation, is approaching, and we need to be prepared. In 30 years, the Singularity, the point at which we see runaway technological growth that result in...
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