Digital humans that sign make more content accessible to the deaf community
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Accessibility is a cornerstone of our society but for many people it’s still a challenge. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. In what seems to be a world first New Zealand tech...
A giant 25 tonne prototype deep sea mining robot is stuck at the bottom of the ocean
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There are more raw materials and minerals on the ocean bed than in all the world’s mines – but mining it isn’t easy … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. One of...
WHO recruits first digital human to fight Covid-19 disinformation
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF During the pandemic disinformation has been rife and endangered lives. So now digital humans, who can scale and engage with people, are being called in to fight it. Interested in the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from our XPotential Academy, connect, watch...
NZ trials world’s first long range commercial wireless power transmission system
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF If you want to connect remote communities to the electrical grid you can build expensive electricity pylons and bury cables, or now just stick up a cheap transmitter tower … Interested in the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from...
Boston Dynamics’ robot dog gets busy herding New Zealand sheep
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Robots are becoming increasingly capable and versatile which means they are now able to accomplish an increasingly wide variety of tasks. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. We all know that humans jobs are under threat of being...
Eight360 unveil the “Spinning ball of Death,” a new crazy immersive VR simulator
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our ability to create simulated virtual worlds and experiences improves we need new gadgets and toys to get the best from them. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. As we continue to see more people take the...
Meet Lia, Soul Machine’s scarily lifelike digital human that reacts to your emotions
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI and avatars improve in time they’ll be better at understanding your emotions than your partner. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Have you ever dreamt of gazing into the eyes of a chatbot or avatar while...
Create Digital Humans in minutes, Soul Machines unveils Digital DNA platform
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Avatars that resemble real people, in their behaviours and speech, are on the rise, and some people are using them to create immortal versions of themselves. Soul Machines, the company behind some of the world’s most human-like digital avatars that are already in service...
World’s first digital teacher starts work teaching kids about energy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF AI, avatars and bots will play an increasingly central role in the future of education, and Will is the first teacher of his kind. It’s back to school time for millions of children around the world and you know what that means – it’s...
Soul Machines reveal the secrets behind BabyX, their life like artificial baby
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Over time we will all be interacting more and more with AI, as a result companies are trying to “humanise” it. BabyX, the virtual, artificially intelligent creation of Mark Sagar and his company, Soul Machines, who also bought us Ava, a life-like digital avatar that’s...
The world’s first Quantum blockchain is a “quantum time machine”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The introduction of Quantum computers threaten to undermine the encryption that supports all of today’s blockchain technologies so researchers are trying to develop blockchains that are immune from future attacks. A newly proposed Quantum Blockchain, which at first glance loosely resembles the Quantum Safe...
Daimler hires Soul Machine’s lifelike Avatar to answer customer queries
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Bots are evolving and increasingly it’s going to get more difficult to tell bots from real people, whether they’re just text bots or, in this case, life like looking avatars. New Zealand based company Soul Machines, the company behind a sophisticated high definition digital...
A river in New Zealand was just granted human rights to protect it from pollution
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In an age where environmental destruction is still commonplace a river in New Zealand is about to reap the benefits of being given the same rights as a human being. In a world first, and in an age where we are beginning to grant...
