1.Elon Musk has presented a 1.5 meter humanoid robot Tesla Bot. According to the founder – Tesla is to become a leader in building ethical artificial intelligence. The robot is supposed to perform all activities that are dangerous for humans or those that are boring and repetitive. More information can be found here.
2. Researchers have developed a machine learning program that can be connected to the human brain and used to control a robot. The program works by using electrical signals from the brain. This technology would be especially helpful for patients with limb paralysis because it does not have voice control or touch functions. Patients would be able to move the robot using their thoughts. More information can be found here.
3. The French government launched a new platform (on January 4th) aimed at connecting quantum machines and supercomputers. It aims to make this technology available to as many people as possible, including the scientific community and French and EU start-ups. This will keep France abreast of the coming technological revolution. The platform has a total budget of €170 million and is part of the €1.8 billion national quantum strategy. More information can be found here.
4. Samsung introduced a remote control for TV that charges by capturing radio frequency energy from a Wi-Fi router. The Eco Remote can be charged via both external and internal light or via USB-C. More information here.
5. Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) are conducting research to create humanoid robots that can fly. More information about the project can be found here.
6. A recent discovery has shown that nickel oxide is a material that can “learn” like animals and could help further research into artificial intelligence. Researchers measured the change in electrical conductivity of the material. The stimulus involved repeatedly changing the nickel oxide environment between normal air and hydrogen gas. The crystal structure of nickel oxide gently changes when it is exposed to hydrogen and more electrons become available to generate electricity. In the experiment, the researchers changed the environment of the nickel oxide from a hydrogen environment to ordinary air. One would expect the electrical conductivity to oscillate up and down directly depending on exposure to hydrogen or air. But the change in conductivity of nickel oxide slowly decreased the more it was stimulated. It became accustomed to hydrogen. Faced with the discovery of these properties – nickel oxide could be used in the field of brain-inspired computers. To encode “intelligence” into computer hardware, scientists need semiconductors that can learn from past experiences and adapt to dynamic environments. Research on nickel oxide shows that the material exhibits learning characteristics, so it could serve as a building block for computers of the future. More information can be found here.
Author: Agata Konieczna
