Weekly Piece of Future #85
From Biohybrid Robots to Theories of Dead Internet and Bone Cancer Treatments
Hey there, fellow future-addicts!
Welcome to this week's edition of Rushing Robotics, where we explore the exhilarating intersections of biology, technology, and innovation. Prepare to be amazed by astonishing advancements that are reshaping our world—from biohybrid robots powered by living cells to groundbreaking agricultural techniques designed to address the pressing challenges of food production.
🤯 Mind-Blowing
Living organisms have evolved intricate motor patterns and efficient systems for interacting with their environments, inspiring scientists to create biohybrid machines that merge living tissues with artificial components. Additionally, we explore the rise of the “Dead Internet theory,” which posits that much of online activity is artificially generated. Recent developments like the launch of the SocialAI app highlight this trend, allowing users to engage exclusively with AI chatbots, raising important questions about authenticity and connection in our digital lives.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Stay informed with the latest trends and major announcements from the tech industry. This week, we discuss Meta’s introduction of its pioneering augmented reality glasses, designed to shift mobile interactions into the hands-free future. We’ll also explore the innovative CPU technology from a Finnish startup that promises to increase computing speeds dramatically, making everyday tasks faster and more efficient. Plus, get the scoop on Pudu Robotics' first semi-humanoid robot, which signals a significant step toward more versatile robotics in various sectors.
🧬 BioTech
Dive into the forefront of biotechnology, where researchers are making strides that could redefine healthcare. This section highlights an exciting new vaccination method that shows promise in combating HIV, with the potential for just two shots to provide immunity. We also feature a novel treatment using bioactive glasses that can effectively target and eliminate bone cancer cells while promoting bone regeneration. Additionally, discover how gold nanoparticles are revolutionizing kidney disease diagnosis with unprecedented precision and reliability, making traditional testing methods a thing of the past.
💡 Products/Tools of the Week
This week, we spotlight cutting-edge tools and platforms that can enhance your productivity and creativity. From Epsilla, a powerful platform for developing AI agents, to Zivy, an AI-driven communication tool that streamlines workplace messaging, these innovations are designed to optimize your workflow. We’ll also introduce GoEnhance AI, a versatile multimedia editing platform that transforms images and videos with ease, and the Outspeed platform, which facilitates the development of real-time voice and video AI applications, allowing for engaging digital interactions that can elevate your projects to new heights.
🎥 Video Section
Engage with a curated selection of videos that showcase advancements in robotics and AI. This week, we feature Boston Dynamics’ latest updates on the Spot robot and the innovative teleoperation techniques demonstrated by Pollen Robotics in teaching chess. We’ll also provide behind-the-scenes insights from Zipline, a leader in drone delivery services, highlighting their 2024 initiatives and how they aim to transform logistics and healthcare delivery through technology.
Join us as we navigate through these incredible advancements and envision the future together! Stay hungry, stay futurish!
🤯 Mind-Blowing
Living organisms have evolved intricate motor patterns and efficient systems to interact with dynamic environments. Inspired by this, scientists have developed biohybrid machines that integrate living cardiac or skeletal muscles with artificial components. Recently, researchers created a biohybrid neuromuscular robot with an artificial "brain" to enable precise, wireless control and navigation. This butterfly-shaped robot can selectively flap its left or right fin and adjust its speed through targeted neuron stimulation. The robot's performance includes an average speed of 0.52 ± 0.22 mm/s, a fin-flapping frequency of up to 2.0 Hz, and a turning curvature of 0.11 ± 0.04 radians per millimeter.
In recent years, the "Dead Internet theory," a conspiracy claiming that most online activity is now artificial and driven by bots to manipulate human engagement, has gained traction. With the rise of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT generating more online content, this theory has become increasingly relevant. On Monday, software developer Michael Sayman launched a new app called SocialAI that seems to bring this theory to life. The app, now available on the iPhone app store, allows users to interact solely with AI chatbots rather than other humans. Despite its unique premise, SocialAI has drawn sharp criticism. Users can choose different types of AI followers, such as "supporters," "nerds," or "skeptics," who respond to posts with short comments on various topics.
Significant progress has been made toward creating sustainable and affordable food production systems that address environmental challenges, exemplified by the opening of the "world's first indoor, vertically farmed berry facility" in Richmond, VA. This innovative farm is supported by an international team of scientists who believe this new agricultural model can help meet global food demands. Designed to produce over four million pounds (1.8 million kg) of strawberries annually, the facility utilizes 30-foot-tall (9 m) vertical towers and occupies less than 40,000 square feet—equivalent to less than one acre. This is a minimal land footprint compared to traditional strawberry farming, which faces limitations from seasonal and environmental factors that can hinder yields.
Hackers are gearing up for the moment when quantum computing can undermine cryptography, facilitating the mass decryption of years' worth of stolen data. In anticipation, they are collecting more encrypted information than ever. Quantum computers make the "harvest now, decrypt later" approach possible. Historically, effective encryption acted as a barrier against cybercriminals, but this is no longer sufficient. With quantum computing technology progressing daily, researchers are striving to make these machines more compact, user-friendly, and dependable. Recently, a Chinese startup unveiled the first consumer-grade portable quantum computers. The Triangulum, the priciest option, features three qubits and costs around $58,000, while its two-qubit counterparts are priced below $10,000.
Jim Kavanaugh, the CEO of World Wide Technology, told CNBC that people are "too smart" to think artificial intelligence will not change their work environment. He cautioned business leaders to avoid "BS" when discussing AI's impact on jobs, advocating for transparency and honesty with employees. “If you think you’re going to try to game this, and that you’re going to tell employees nothing’s going to change, and everything’s going to be fine, that’s just BS,” Kavanaugh said in an interview last week.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Meta has introduced its inaugural pair of augmented reality glasses, known as Orion. These glasses align with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of transforming mobile phones into hands-free devices. Although still in the prototype stage, Orion demonstrates promising potential for future tech innovations. The lenses are designed to project text messages, video calls, and YouTube videos directly into the wearer’s line of sight, bridging the gap between the virtual and physical worlds. Currently, the glasses are undergoing testing and are not yet available for consumer purchase.
A Finland-based company is aiming to boost the performance of computer central processing units (CPUs) by up to 100 times through the use of what it calls parallel processing unit (PPU) cores. Flow Computing's CEO and co-founder, Timo Valtonen, envisions making everyday computers faster in a simple and cost-effective way. According to the company, their technology is fully backward compatible with all legacy software and applications. In addition, Flow Computing is working on an AI tool designed to assist developers in identifying parallel sections of code and optimizing them for enhanced performance.
Chinese robotics company Pudu Robotics has unveiled its first semi-humanoid, general-purpose intelligent robot. Based in Shenzhen, the firm has primarily specialized in creating advanced service robots for sectors like dining, retail, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment, education, and manufacturing. Named Pudu D7, this humanoid robot is the company's first venture into human-like robotics. It features an omnidirectional chassis, robotic arms, and a human-like upper body, offering enhanced mobility and dexterity.
GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics company, has introduced a new type of robot in its warehouse operations. This humanoid robot, developed by Reflex Robotics, learns through human demonstrations over time. The versatile bot can switch effortlessly between various tasks, such as transferring totes between different automation systems and picking products. GXO teamed up with Reflex Robotics, a leading general-purpose humanoid startup, to pilot the solution in live operations. The robot offers an out-of-the-box solution, reaching operational readiness within 60 minutes and becoming fully autonomous after learning from human workers. This marks GXO’s second Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) agreement for deploying cutting-edge machines into its operations.
🧬 BioTech
MIT has unveiled a groundbreaking vaccination method that could potentially eliminate HIV with just two shots. Researchers discovered that the first dose primes the immune system, creating a stronger response to the second dose, administered a week later. This study, which combined computational models with experiments in mice, utilized an HIV envelope protein as the vaccine. A single-dose version is currently in clinical trials, and the team plans to conduct further studies on the two-dose regimen. By integrating physical and life sciences, the research sheds light on fundamental immunological principles that informed the development of this two-dose method, mimicking traditional multi-dose schedules.
Scientists have discovered a promising new treatment for bone cancer using bioactive glasses, a material capable of bonding to tissue and strengthening bones and teeth. When combined with gallium, these glasses can effectively kill cancer cells. Lab experiments have shown that bioactive glasses doped with gallium have a 99% success rate in eliminating cancer cells while also regenerating diseased bones. In tests, 99% of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) cells were destroyed without harming healthy bone cells. Additionally, when the bioactive glasses were incubated in a simulated body fluid, early signs of bone formation were detected after seven days.
Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method that could simplify the diagnosis of kidney disease. Scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas discovered that gold nanoparticles, used as a contrast agent in X-rays, offer a more precise assessment of kidney health. Remarkably, this approach is said to be much more effective than traditional blood tests. The researchers also investigated how damaged kidneys filter and clear out nanoparticles. These tiny particles, with their unique properties, are increasingly being used in medicine for targeted drug delivery or imaging. Gold nanoparticles stand out because, once in circulation, they may accumulate in damaged kidney tissue, which can be detected via X-ray, providing a clearer view of kidney damage.
💡Products/tools of the week
Epsilla is a comprehensive platform designed for the development and deployment of AI agents powered by Large Language Models and vector search technologies. It provides a high-performance vector database, RAG-as-a-Service, and a suite of tools for AI agent creation. Developers, data scientists, and DevOps teams can leverage Epsilla to swiftly build and deploy AI applications using proprietary data. The platform is characterized by its speed, user-friendliness, scalability, and advanced capabilities, such as hybrid search and metadata filtering.
Zivy is an AI-based productivity tool that simplifies workplace communications by organizing and prioritizing messages from a variety of platforms, including email and Slack. Aimed at busy professionals—especially managers and team leaders—Zivy addresses the issue of information overload. By integrating multiple communication sources and employing machine learning to highlight key messages, Zivy helps users concentrate on important tasks, enhance their productivity, and reduce the stress related to managing extensive workplace communications.
GoEnhance AI is an innovative AI-powered platform designed to enhance and transform videos and images. It offers a variety of features, including video style transformations, image-to-video creation, face swapping, character animation, and image enhancement. Users are drawn to this tool for its capacity to improve content quality, introduce creative effects, save time on editing tasks, and achieve professional-grade results through an easy-to-use interface. Whether for professional projects or personal endeavors, GoEnhance AI delivers versatile multimedia editing capabilities fueled by cutting-edge AI technology.
The Outspeed Platform for Real-Time Voice and Video AI offers a robust networking and inference infrastructure designed to facilitate the development of rapid, real-time voice and video AI applications. Users can create interactive digital characters for various purposes, such as virtual hosts, AI tutors, or customer service representatives. The platform enables real-time animation and fosters natural conversations, resulting in engaging digital interactions. With Adapt's flexible SDK and infrastructure, you can build customized multimodal AI solutions that integrate various AI models, data sources, and interaction methods for innovative applications.
