Recent News Posts

2nd April 2014

Autobots and Beyond

Record fast new technology derived from artificial intelligence has surfaced in every part of society, especially in the last year or so! Companies are no longer waiting on scientists to invent the “next best thing” but taking steps of their own, doing their own research, and providing unheard of, state-of-the-art machines who are adding a wondrous advantage to all who are interested in acquiring them. Experts have done massive research on the effect that these new contraptions will have on society’s future, and they unanimously agree that a profitable benefit will come their “iron” existence. Just recently, developers announced the creation of robotic, life like fish, extrinsic Lego autobots, and even more interesting, the Intel Open Source Robot.

Until recently, soft robotics, or so its called, did not exist. However, contemporary advancements in the field have changed the face of robotics, into the future and beyond. Soft robotics is now full of new creations, like that of the robotic fish. Although small, this fantastic “pet” needs no caring for and, on top of that, moves just like a real fish with the ability to maneuver it’s body in a fraction of a second. Surprisingly, the reason behind the soft feel is so that when interaction between humans and robots begin, skin on “skin” contact will feel much more comfortable. Soft robotics creates a safer possibility for synergy with our species and cuts out the high variable for possible accidents caused by collision.

An amazing addition to the creation of objects built with legos, is a fantastic new autobot named Cube Stormer. This machine can solve a Rubiks Cube faster than any Guinness world record on file (which is 7 seconds, this speedy cyborg solves the puzzle in less than 5 seconds). Built by Mike Dobson of Robotic Solutions, this toy intertwines two childhood fascinations, the Rubiks Cube and Legos. Although trivial in meaning, this robot paves the way for other artificially intelligent machines to become important parts in solving other complexities.

Last but not least, but certainly most extraordinary, is the newest creation from Intel called an Open Source Robot. This robot has the ability to complete simple, every day tasks like cleaning up your desk. Fascinating as it may sound, developers are trying to find a way to extend its battery life so that this robot would be capable of working for longer durations. Currently, operation time is only twenty minutes. Intel has previously made a commitment to A.I. development through their “Twenty First Century Robot Initiative”. The announcement of the Open Source Robot was in precedent to this previous guarantee that was made to the public regarding the advancement of robotics.

No matter how far we take this artificial intelligence the fact remains that it is “artificial”. Many times we forget the foundation of the society that once existed. Caught up in the technology of today’s world, we only see what is directly in front of us without being aware of our surroundings. No doubt, these futuristic concepts have changed our existence with positive results but we must never forget where we came from. Relying too much on this artificial world may take us away from the natural beauty that encompasses our lives everyday. As we enter a new “robotic” era, we must always remember to respect and honor humanity for what it once was!



19th March 2014

Workplace Automation

Workplace productivity has always been a top of the line priority for all types of industries throughout the job market. Potential employers interview potential employees with the hopes that these new prospects will provide a quality addition to the team and increase productivity for the company, as a whole. Many times workers will give 150% of their effort to the business, only to find out that what they are giving, and what is expected out of them, is not the same. These characteristics that I am describing can be attributed to being a human. Unfortunately, we can only work as hard as our bodies will let us. This fact behind human physiology has inspired many corporations to turn to artificially intelligent workers. Not only do these “iron workers” speed up production, but they are also cheaper to keep running because no weekly paycheck is needed for their effort. Statistics predict that by the year 2020, half of the United States workforce will be done through automated machines.  Depending on your career choice, this cyborg invasion could be good or bad with results that could easily help or hurt your intended job market.

One of the newest ways on the market to use artificial intelligence in the workplace is located within the legal field with the intention to help attorneys sort through their case load of information. Just recently, California Attorney William Green, was faced with of 1.3 million documents to decipher with no idea where to begin. Instead of becoming frustrated and giving up, this determined lawyer sought the help of an artificially intelligent program that helped him minimize the needed files to exactly what fit his needs. This allowed William to only sort through 2.3% of the 1.3 million documents, at hand. That is an amazing difference in number. This machine saved time and money by searching and submitting the correct documents to Mr. Green in a timely manner with 100% accuracy. This is a step up for anyone studying, or looking to study, the legal system. The effect that this new system will have is going to be that of an astronomical size allowing lawyer access to more efficient and timely information.

Have you been to your local pharmacy lately? It might surprise you that most, sometimes all, medications are being mixed and dispensed by pharmacy robots who can do their job with much better accuracy than a human. Automated dispensers have taken over the pharmaceutical industry leading the way for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to attend to more important things. For the pharmacist, this allows them to have more one on one time with patients. Technicians refrain from the duty to dispense, but the amount of pills dispensed, as well as the dose, must be checked before it is given for administration.  Also, technicians of the pharmacy have the responsibility of filling the machines in order for them to have the capability to provide medication as needed.

These great advances in technology are providing many different industries with needed improvements to their industry. It worries me, however, that our culture is becoming much more reliant on these machines and the result in the future could lead to less jobs being available for the everyday citizen. With the mounting debt that our country has already incurred, more people on food stamps, medicaid, or AFDC could devastate the nation into financial turmoil. Just because it is easier to do everything with machines, does that make it better?

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17th March 2014

Bionics in Space!

Space exploration in our current society, especially by humans, is quite minimal. Scientists have yet to discover even a fraction of the possibilities that space incurs. Researchers continually seek out, and create, new technologies that will fund the knowledge of outer space to a greater understanding than we know it. Artificial intelligence among the cosmos may be just the answer to finding numerous unknowns throughout the universe. That is the reason scientists have been strategically working to expand our horizons through cyborg space expeditions. Manufactured with man made materials, these robotic machines, like Mars’ Rover, continue providing information to humans that we would never otherwise have discovered because they have the ability to venture into areas where humans do not have the ability to visit.  Temperatures in the cosmos reach highs and lows that our fragile bodies cannot handle.

In 2013, NASA announced the launch of a new artificially intelligent robot, Valkyrie, with future intentions of studying the “Red Planet” using this astronomical, self-motivated tool. This cyborg, standing over six feet tall and weighing over 270 pounds, is an android astronaut with search and rescue capability. Created by the smartest minds in the scientific community, this robots’ limbs move similar to that of a humans which will help researchers study body motion on Mars. Although this is just a prototype, experts suggest that this type of technology will be forwarded to Mars as an attempt to make a way for human arrival.

Fantastic ideas about humans and cyborgs working in conjunction fuel the bright ideas behind the technology. Scientists believe this “iron man” will be extremely crucial in finding ways to allow our species to visit other terrestrial planets. This robot has the means to pick up tools, and manipulate them, with the ability to complete tasks under a one hour battery pack. Other interesting features on Valkyrie include a soft, clothes-like cover on the exterior along with interchangeable arms that can be replaced in an easy manner, as needed. Manufacturers of this product state that they gave Valkyrie a soft, clothes-like feel so that human astronauts working around the robots would feel as if they were working with other humans.

Space exploration has tore at the hearts of society since the first man walked on the moon.  New and wonderful things are in the future with the help of these amazing machines. Ideas spawned into technology are lifting society’s knowledge of the vast universe surrounding our planet. Astronomers are discovering new information about the cosmos on a daily basis. Just recently NASA discovered hundreds of new planets outside our solar system, with a third of them being possible earth like planets. These terrestrial rocks are in just the right spot away from there sun where the possibility of life is definitely a factor that must be considered. Travel, by humans, to these places is too far in the future to even be pondered, however, with the help of artificially intelligent superheros like Valkyrie we may be discovering new and exciting things, sooner rather than later.

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14th March 2014

The Bionic Limb

Sparked by imagination and curiosity, human beings have ventured into the far depths of artificial technology like that of the movies. Generation upon generation of society have fought to find the authenticity in detailed stories of science fiction. Whether it was Robocop, or Johnny 5, the infatuation with these types of cyborgs eventually flowed into the factual scientific community where movie based reality became the truth. Researchers have found new ways to implement these ideas through the use of new prosthetics that allow amputees to live, as close to a normal life, as possible.

The medical community has been working towards this goal for a long time. Mobility is not an issue to take lightly, and without it, the freedom of life is contradicted. As humans, we all have the right to live happy and free lives. Thanks to the help of Richard Hirrons, a prosthetic clinical specialist who works for Ossur, these victims are now thriving without limitations. Developments in the field continue to advance and futuristic ideas of “mobility for all” may just be plausible. Artificial intelligence is needed for future innovations in the field to occur.

Prosthetic devices of the past only had the capability of responding to body movements in a passive type fashion. Modernized to adapt to any persons needs, these new prosthetics stimulate movement rather than reciprocate responses triggered by motion. The idea for these contemporary mechanisms are similar to that of a bicycle and a car: they both will get you from point a to point b, but one is motivated by muscle power and the other is motivated autonomically. The nerve power within the brain is accelerated by the prothetic device to provide movement that is more natural than before.

Ossur, a global leader in non invasive orthopedics, was founded in Reykjavik in 1971 with the intent to provide the world with more flexible options regarding limb loss. The company’s name came from a famous Icelandic prosthetist who created a coming of age silicone interface for prosthetic sockets.  Developed by leading scientists in the industry, the products that Ossur has devised are nothing short of top of the line.  Not only does this company invent the best prosthetic devices around, but as of March 2014, a new educational facility was opened in Orlando, Florida as an attempt to maintain the scientific minds behind this irreplaceable merchandise.

Artificial intelligence, in its own right, is a gift to humanity. Recognition for the people who are manufacturing results through the use of A.I. is essential because the developments encountered through these methods are really changing the world. Prosthetic devices, fueled by artificial intelligence, are making the lives of victims of immobility livable again. As we journey toward the forthcoming, may the scope of our lives and the technology we encounter, provide brighter prospects for all. Artificial intelligence, once the great unknown, is becoming more conventional on a daily basis. The imagination that once inflamed our childhood curiosity, has broken barriers between young and old, providing each person with the opportunity to live a happy, healthy, and mobile life!

References:

  • Tennant, M. (2012). From sci-fi to reality - the future of artificial Intelligence and human physiology. March 14, 2014, http://www.medtroniceureka.com



12th March 2014

Our Artificial World!

The commencement of Artificial Intelligence began during the Renaissance age with fascinating, unrealistic tales in Greek mythology. Legends within the culture told of artificially simulated beings, who had been manufactured by humans, with the intent to overtake the god’s. Currently, these stories are nothing more than mere words. However, scientific research is leading humanity into a whole new “artificial world”. Day after day, new technology is arising that is making our life, and the care we receive, much more substantial, and enjoyable. No longer bound by the image of robots, A. I. has gone mainstream, delving into the depths of virtually every industry in society.

Abu Dahbi, a city located in the United Arab Emirates, has implemented the use of A.I. in their traffic safety plan. Last year alone, local traffic accidents killed just as many people as leukemia.  Those astonishing figures led authorities to create a system that would intelligently calculate traffic mishaps, while consistently finding solutions to fix them. Although these machines cannot replace the value of good driving, they do have the ability to expand the safety of the environment around us, especially in places like New York City, where traffic congestion is an everyday issue.

The healthcare industry has jumped on the “artificial” bandwagon, as well. Scientists in Singapore have discovered a new way to detect one of the most commonly known eye disorders: Pathological Myopia. Pathological Myopia is the seventh leading cause of blindness world wide, and the number one cause of blindness in Asian countries. Zhuo Zhang, an employee of the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research in Singapore, developed this amazing machine after hand calculated figures were only able to diagnose the disease 87% of the time. This figure left 13% of sufferers unaccounted for. Although 13% is not a large number, in general, it is quite the volume when dealing with a whole population of people.  Due to the current success of Zhuo Zhangs remarkable machine, studies are being done on other eye diseases, like macular degeneration, with the hopes of providing better, and more efficient, care for it’s current, and future, victims.

Everyday our lives are spent finding easier ways to do things! Is that not the unified goal of modern civilization? Unfortunately, all of these machines, no matter how well made, are put together with parts, therefore, creating the possibility of a malfunction. We are not perfect beings, and, consequently, we are not able to make anything perfect. Flaws are part of life! Artificially intelligent machines only know what we, as humans, allow them to know. The amount of help that these contraptions provide is only as great as we make them! Through vast amounts of scientific research have found innovative ways to make these mechanism’s work for us, and is some cases save lives! Future technology through artificial intelligence will surely provide the possibility to expand our scientific horizons while prolonging this life we hold so dear!

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