Weekly Piece of Future #78
From Thought-Controlled Headsets to Quantum Brain Research and Battery-Free Tech
Hey there, fellow future-addicts!
Welcome to this week's edition of Rushing Robotics, where we dive into the latest breakthroughs that are reshaping the world of technology, science, and beyond. We’ve curated a selection of the most extraordinary advancements that promise to revolutionize industries and enhance lives.
🤯 Mind-Blowing
Get ready for some jaw-dropping updates! Synchron has enabled a 64-year-old ALS patient to control the Apple Vision Pro headset with just his thoughts, thanks to their advanced brain-computer interface. In a separate breakthrough, researchers are exploring whether quantum entanglement could be a natural part of brain function. Additionally, Linköping University’s new gold nanowires and soft electrodes promise better neural interfaces, and a novel battery-free tech is capturing energy from ambient radio signals.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Neuralink has successfully implanted its brain-computer interface in a second patient, paving the way for thought-controlled digital interactions. Kylinsoft's AI-enhanced Kylin OS has debuted, marking a significant leap in operating systems. Bloom Energy's fuel cells now achieve 60% efficiency with hydrogen, while Phonak’s new AI hearing aid helps users better distinguish speech from background noise.
🧬 BioTech
Northwestern University researchers have developed a substance that regenerates cartilage in knee joints, showing promise for new treatments. Ultrafast electron microscopy at Argonne National Laboratory is revealing how electrical pulsing affects materials, potentially advancing supercomputing. A new robot from the University of Leeds mimics vine growth, offering innovative solutions for cancer treatment.
💡 Products/Tools of the Week
This week’s highlights include Fluid, an offline AI assistant for Mac that ensures data privacy while offering ChatGPT-like capabilities. PraisonAI simplifies the management of multi-agent large language model systems with its low-code framework, enhancing user interaction and customization. Turbular provides a virtual data analyst platform that uses AI to streamline data analytics and reporting. Lastly, Flezr enables users to build dynamic, data-driven websites without coding, using Google Sheets or Supabase as data sources.
🎥 Video Section
Don’t miss out on the latest in robotics and tech! Introducing Figure 02 showcases advanced humanoid capabilities, while the NEURA x NVIDIA collaboration promises to redefine robotics. Also, explore Clone Hand Teleoperation V2, an enhanced system for remote control technology.
Be inspired by these transformative advancements and consider how they might impact your own world as we all navigate the exciting journey into the future. Stay hungry, stay futurish!
🤯 Mind-Blowing
A competitor to Neuralink, Synchron, has successfully empowered a person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — a severe neurodegenerative condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — to control the Apple Vision Pro headset using just his thoughts. Mark, a 64-year-old patient who is paralyzed and unable to use his upper limbs, can now effortlessly navigate and interact with the Apple Vision Pro's interface. Thanks to Synchron’s advanced brain-computer interface (BCI) implant, he can play games, watch videos, and even send text messages, all through his brain signals.
Nerve fibers in the brain might be capable of generating quantum entanglement, according to recent research. The hypothesis suggests that quantum entanglement could be a natural aspect of the brain's architecture, with particular attention given to the myelin sheaths as a possible mechanism for this phenomenon. A research team in China is investigating how quantum entanglement could influence neural synchronization and cognitive processes. Nonetheless, many scientists argue that the brain's wet, warm, and noisy conditions are not conducive to the delicate operations of quantum mechanics affecting cognition or consciousness.
Researchers at Linköping University have developed gold nanowires and crafted soft electrodes that can interface with the nervous system. These electrodes are designed to mimic the softness of nerves, while being stretchable and electrically conductive, with an expected long lifespan within the body. "We’ve successfully created a new, superior nanomaterial by combining gold nanowires with an extremely soft silicone rubber. This combination has yielded a conductor that is highly electrically conductive, incredibly soft, and made from biocompatible materials that work harmoniously with the body," the researchers explained.
A breakthrough in battery-free technology has been achieved by researchers, allowing them to draw power directly from the air by converting 'waste' radio signals into usable energy. The air around us is saturated with radio frequency signals from sources like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G networks. Although these technologies are designed for data transmission, they also serve as an untapped energy resource. The new technology captures these ambient or 'waste' RF signals to power small electronic devices.
The humanoid robot with highly expressive facial features was created by Liu Xiaofeng, a professor at Hohai University in Jiangsu Province, China, along with his research team. They developed a specialized motor command mapping network that links generated expression images to the robot’s realistic facial responses. This development involved a new algorithm specifically designed to produce facial expressions on humanoid robots.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has hit a major milestone by successfully implanting its brain-computer interface device in a second patient. This development is part of the company’s ongoing effort to help individuals with spinal cord injuries communicate with digital devices through thought alone. Musk has noted that the first patient has already used the device for various activities, including gaming, internet browsing, social media posting, and operating a laptop cursor.
During the 2024 China Operating System Industry Conference in Beijing, Kylinsoft, a leading Chinese tech firm, made waves by introducing the first AI-enhanced PC version of its Kylin operating system. This launch represents a major breakthrough in the operating system sector and highlights the company’s unwavering commitment to innovation and progress. It is the first domestically developed operating system in China for personal computers that integrates artificial intelligence (AI).
Bloom Energy, a US-based green energy company, has reached a significant milestone in fuel cell technology. The company announced that its Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) platform, known as the Bloom Energy Server, can now generate electricity with an impressive 60% efficiency when fueled by 100% hydrogen. These fuel cells are versatile, capable of running on natural gas, hydrogen, or a combination of both, making them highly adaptable and future-ready. Additionally, these advanced fuel cells emit minimal air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, in stark contrast to conventional engines or turbines.
Phonak Audéo Sphere, a cutting-edge AI hearing aid, has achieved remarkable results, enabling 50% of clinical trial participants to distinguish clear speech from background noise. Sonova Group's CRO, Arnd Kaldowski, highlighted the significance of tackling the "speech-in-noise problem" in hearing aid development, stating that improving this area is vital for enhancing the quality of life for millions with hearing loss. Their solution features a computational architecture optimized by deep neural networks (DNNs), effectively addressing the "speech-in-noise" issue with 53 times the processing power.
🧬 BioTech
Researchers at Northwestern University have engineered an innovative bioactive substance capable of regenerating high-quality cartilage in knee joints, as demonstrated in a large-animal model. In their latest experiments, the team applied this substance to the damaged knee cartilage of animals and, over six months, observed substantial improvements in repair. The newly formed cartilage was abundant in essential biopolymers like collagen II and proteoglycans, necessary for pain-free mechanical strength in joints. This breakthrough suggests a potential treatment for repairing tissues that do not naturally regenerate, addressing a major unmet clinical need.
Researchers have utilized cutting-edge ultrafast electron microscopy techniques to observe millisecond changes in materials during electrical pulsing. A team at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is using these experiments to develop more energy-efficient next-generation supercomputing with artificial neural networks. This new technique allowed them to discover two previously unseen ways in which electricity can alter the state of charge density waves. One response, resembling the melting process, mirrors how neurons are activated in the brain, while the vibrational response could produce neuron-like firing signals in a neural network.
Researchers at the University of Leeds have developed a robot with magnetic skin that mimics the growth behavior of vine plants, potentially revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and tumors. This soft, slender robot can grow as it moves and is capable of squeezing through gaps nearly 40% thinner than its resting diameter, making it ideal for reaching and treating tumors in hard-to-access areas.
💡Products/tools of the week
Fluid is a private AI assistant for Mac that operates entirely offline, delivering ChatGPT-like intelligence directly on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14 or later. Designed for users who value privacy and data security, Fluid processes all interactions locally, eliminating the need to send information to external servers. It is capable of handling various tasks, including answering questions, performing searches, and understanding context without needing explicit explanations.
PraisonAI is a low-code framework that simplifies the creation and management of multi-agent large language model (LLM) systems by incorporating AutoGen and CrewAI or similar technologies. It aims to enhance ease of use, customization, and effective human-agent interaction. The tool features various user interfaces for tasks such as conversing with over 100 LLMs or managing an entire codebase, and it includes options for fine-tuning LLMs with personalized data.
Turbular is a virtual data analyst platform that simplifies and improves data analytics for businesses. Utilizing AI-powered analytics, Turbular allows users to swiftly obtain insights, create dashboards, generate reports, and make data-driven decisions without needing extensive SQL expertise. Its natural language interface enables users to ask questions and receive instant answers, making it accessible to those without technical backgrounds.
Flezr is a NoCode website builder that lets users develop dynamic, data-driven websites using Google Sheets or Supabase as their data sources. The platform includes features like customizable dynamic cards, built-in blocks, responsive design, programmatic SEO, and advanced search and filter options. It also supports embedding custom code and third-party apps. Its straightforward interface and rapid page generation capabilities make Flezr a go-to solution for those who want to create extensive web pages without writing code.
