Biodegradable plastics made from “Tree glue” could hit the shelves in five years
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today plastics are the scourge of the environment so now companies around the world are racing to create environmentally friendly alternatives, and plastics made from true glue could be near the top of the list. Plastic’s fall from grace in the past couple of...
Canada and UK partner to develop the West’s first Quantum Radar system
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Any technology like Quantum Radar that renders all traditional stealth obsolete is a game changer. Hot on the heels of China’s announcement last year that they’d managed to create the world’s first working Quantum Radar, a technology that would render military stealth technologies nothing...
Roborace’s fully autonomous race car prepares to pound the track at FoS
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In the future our sports events could be dominated by robot and drone warriors battling it out for supremacy, and at some point this could present companies with a new market opportunity. Later this week, the world’s first autonomous race car company Roborace will make history...
Futurist Keynote, Warrington: The Future of Industrial Controls Nuclear Security, Cyber Senate
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Industrial Control Systems (ICS) that enable the safe and efficient operation of our CNI assets are becoming increasingly smart and connected, making them more vulnerable to attack, and new technologies bring new challenges. Firstly, thanks to James for inviting me to be the keynote...
A scientist captured an impossible photo of a single atom
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our optical technologies improve we’re increasingly able to see the universes building blocks in ever more minute detail. If you paid attention in science class you know that atoms make up everything. They’re the smallest unit of matter, and everything you’ve ever touched,...
Revolutionary AI chip that replaces GPU’s hailed as the “future” by ARM’s founder
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The future will be powered by AI and Machine Learning, and it could also be powered by a new type of chip, an “Intelligence Processing Unit,” which is the next evolutionary step after the GPU. What comes after the CPU and the GPU? The...
Robots in extreme environments, going where no human can, or wants to go
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Robots are on the rise, they’re getting more capable of handling more situations, and this presents businesses around the world, and especially in the UK, with new opportunities. Robots are set to play an increasing role in our future, and today there are many...
Futurist in the press: Tech giants and Trust in the dock, Associated Press
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Large platform dominate today’s internet landscape and in this article AP asks whether or not they are good stewards of our information, and, more importantly, whether they can be trusted with it. The Associated Press needs no introduction, today they are news organisation behind...
Infographic: The Future of AI in the Energy Sector
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI’s capabilities improve it will revolutionise how we generate, transmit, sell and consume energy. It shouldn’t come as any surprise to anyone that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have a significant impact on the energy sector, and at all stages of its lifecycle. Whether...
Experiment proves DNA computers could be the most powerful on Earth
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF DNA computers will be the next, next computing revolution after Quantum computers, and their power could be truly staggering. By making DNA endlessly change researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK, who last year created the first ever blueprint for a DNA...
Futurist keynote, London: The Future of Investing, STOXX Annual Conference
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There has, arguably, never been a better time, or a risker time to invest in today’s markets, but as every industry undergoes titanic transformation investors who are ill advised, or who lack the right vision, could quickly find themselves on the wrong end of tomorrow’s...
Futurist keynote, Reading: Adapt or Die, Cherwell European Conference
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The pace of change, and disruption, is accelerating. In this presentation I show just how fast, and how crazy, the world’s business environment is getting, it’s impact on every sector, and what you can do to future proof yourself. Firstly, I’d like to thank...
Futurist keynote, Milton Keynes: The Future of Communities, Castleton European Summit
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The future will have a huge impact on the future of communities, both good and bad, but with proper foresight and planning tomorrow’s communities could be brighter and better for everyone. Firstly, I’d like to thank Jay and Chantel for inviting me to present...
One in a billion enzyme that breaks down plastic found in Japanese dump
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When they were developed plastics were a wonder material, but their environmental legacy is proving devastating, now a fluke discovery is giving people hope that today’s plastic scourge can efficiently be broken down and recycled. We’re increasingly being told that plastic is a horrible,...
Decentralised energy grids and renewables get a boost from Centrica
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy, and decentralised micro and tied-storage grids, are transforming the way energy is produced, transmitted and sold, so Centrica is testing the waters to see whether or not blockchain could play a vital role in the future of energy. Blockchain is increasingly being...
These nanomachines can drill into diseased cells and kill them
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Tomorrow’s medical treatments won’t necessarily just include new fancy drugs, nanomachines and nanobots will play an increasingly important role in helping us all stay fit, healthy, and alive… Researchers in the UK and the US recently demonstrated single-molecule nanomachines that can independently target diseased...
Suspicious nuclear power plants can now be monitored remotely using WATCHMAN
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Up until now it’s only been possible to assess the status of a sovereign states nuclear power program by physically inspecting the site, which is sometimes difficult, but now it can be done remotely from thousands of miles away. A consortium led by UK...
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...
Futurist keynote, London: The Future of Artificial Intelligence, British Museum
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There is a risk that humanity is under estimating the impact that AI will have on the world, particularly in the criminal underworld, but if I could give you a single take away it would be this – AI’s capabilities are evolving at a furious...
AI can now restore your corrupted photos to their original condition
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Lots of us have old or crappy photos that are in bad condition and in the past the only place you could put them was in the bin, but now new AI image restoration technology could restore them to better than the originals. There’s...
