Futuristic transparent electronics get closer thanks to a Swiss supercomputer
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Transparent electronics will help revolutionise a variety of industries and products, and make computing even more ubiquitous than it is today. If you search the internet for images of the future of smartphones, as well as other gadgets, then it’s highly likely that included...
Scientists created huge atom clouds to test quantum entanglement at scale
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The ability to harness quantum entanglement at scale will help revolutionise communications systems, computing, healthcare, and warfare, to name but a few. From tunnelling through impenetrable barriers to being in two places at the same time, the quantum world of atoms and particles is famously...
World’s first commercial solar aircraft aims for the Stratosphere
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Tomorrow’s aircraft will be battery powered, but future generations of aircraft could do away with the batteries entirely. While Elon Musk is invested in getting humans to different places, whether it’s from one side of the planet to the other in rocketships, or to...
Reverse engineering computer chips just became ridiculously easy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Computer chips are prized assets, but now reverse engineering them and spotting state sponsored built in security “Trojans,” are easier than ever before. Peering inside semiconductor chips using X-Ray imaging isn’t new, but the technique hasn’t been especially good or easy to accomplish. New...
New Quantum ML algorithm could revolutionise Quantum AI before it even begins
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Artificial Intelligence, whether it’s Artificial General Intelligence or even Artificial Super Intelligence, could be completely eclipsed by the power of new Quantum AI models. One of the ways that intelligent computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms “think” is by analysing the relationships between and...
Electric eel inspired bio-batteries could revolutionise pacemakers and wearables
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A new type of ultra thin biological battery could replace batteries in pace makers, and power smart contact lenses, but their use cases don’t stop there. New artificial organs may have a familiar, slimy face to thank for their near future prospects in the...
3D printed living inks breakthrough could revolutionise manufacturing
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Bacteria have some amazing capabilities and soon we’ll be able to harness them to help us 3D print and create new exotic materials and products like never before. This week researchers unveiled a new kind of 3D Printing platform that, rather than using the...
IBM’s AI learns how to predict the outcomes of chemical reactions
WHY THIS MATTERS BRIEF Chemistry is the basis and foundation of everything on Earth and being able to predict the outcomes of new chemical reactions will help industries create new compounds and new materials faster than ever before. By thinking of atoms as letters and molecules as words an...
Researchers have developed an AI that can identify masked individuals
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Technology is increasingly helping governments and multi-nationals strip away our anonymity and privacy, and the pros and cons depend on which side of the fence you sit, but one thing is certain, in the future there will be no such thing as privacy – online...
Blockchain experts are putting a stop to governments putting backdoors in software
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Governments want backdoors in software and criminals want to exploit them to spread malware, now a blockchain based system from Switzerland could put a stop to both A new blockchain based software update framework from the team at the Decentralized-Distributed Systems (DEDIS) lab at the Swiss...
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...
Scientists have created the world’s first durable printed solar cell
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to print stable, high efficiency solar cells could one day help companies produce low cost solar panels in volume that that will reduce the cost of solar power and speed up its global adoption. Renewables, especially solar power, is on a tear...
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...
Swiss scientists are growing glaciers to turn back the effects of global warming
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A crazy plan to re-freeze the arctic isn’t as crazy as it sounds, and now Swiss scientists are trying it out to regrow their glaciers. Earlier in the year a team of scientists announced their outlandish plans to re-freeze the Arctic by installing no...
New mind reading machine lets people with locked in syndrome communicate
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF People who have locked in syndrome, like ALS have the worst of both worlds – being alive but unable to communicate, now a breakthrough gives them their “voices” back. For decades, one of the most troubling difficulties of treating patients with certain types of...
