Weekly Piece of Future #91
From Immortalized Cells to Touch Sensations and 3D Bioprinting
Hey there, fellow future-addicts!
Welcome to this week's edition of Rushing Robotics! We’ve curated the latest and most exciting breakthroughs from the world of AI, robotics, and biotech, bringing you cutting-edge advancements that are reshaping industries and pushing the boundaries of innovation.
🤯 Mind-Blowing
NVIDIA is taking AI-powered robotics to the next level with Project GR00T, a new initiative to accelerate humanoid robot development through advanced simulation tools and workflows. At the Conference for Robot Learning in Munich, NVIDIA unveiled tools like the Cosmos tokenizer and NeMo Curator, which promise to speed up video data processing for robots. In biotech, new research has linked the antibody Immunoglobulin G (IgG) to aging, suggesting it may contribute to chronic inflammation and cellular aging. Meanwhile, Meta is advancing embodied AI by developing tactile sensors that enhance human-robot interactions, making robots smarter and more dexterous.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Toyota and Joby Aviation have successfully completed the first international flight of Joby’s electric air taxi, a significant step forward in advanced air mobility. In the world of AI, robots are revolutionizing chemical synthesis by reducing time and costs in lab research. Additionally, a solar cell developed by researchers from Saudi Arabia and Germany has reached a new record efficiency of 31.2%, advancing renewable energy technology.
🧬 BioTech
In biotech, 3D bioprinting is making strides with a new high-speed printer from the University of Melbourne, capable of printing delicate tissues like brain tissue without damaging cells. Researchers have also uncovered the cancer-fighting potential of Cordycepin, a compound from caterpillar fungus, and have successfully immortalized lip cells at the University of Bern, opening new possibilities for treating cleft lips.
💡 Products/Tools of the Week
This week’s standout tools include Bolt.new, an AI-powered web development tool that streamlines full-stack app creation directly in the browser; ReplyPilot, an AI assistant for personalized, on-brand replies; and Shadow, a tool that automates post-meeting tasks, enhancing productivity.
🎥 Video Section
Check out the latest in robotics with videos featuring Xpeng’s Iron Humanoid Robot, DEEP Robotics' DR01 test, and the NAO7 Teaser from Aldebaran.
Stay ahead of the curve and be part of the incredible changes shaping what's to come. Stay hungry, stay futurish!
🤯 Mind-Blowing
NVIDIA has introduced a suite of advanced AI, simulation tools, and workflows to empower robotics developers, significantly accelerating the development of AI-powered robots. By harnessing collaboration among its research, engineering teams, and developer ecosystem, NVIDIA has launched Project GR00T to support global humanoid robot innovation. This announcement, made during the Conference for Robot Learning (CoRL) in Munich, Germany, includes the official release of the NVIDIA Isaac Lab robot learning framework and six dedicated humanoid robot learning workflows within Project GR00T. In addition, NVIDIA presented new tools for world-model creation and video data processing, such as the NVIDIA Cosmos tokenizer and NeMo Curator. The Cosmos tokenizer, open-source and optimized for robotics, allows highly efficient visual tokenization, breaking down images and videos into high-compression tokens at speeds up to 12x faster than existing tools. Meanwhile, NeMo Curator accelerates video processing curation by up to 7x compared to standard pipelines.
Recent Chinese research has revealed an unexpected connection between a common antibody and the aging process. As we age, changes occur throughout our bodies, not only on the surface but also deep within our cells.
The antibody Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is a critical part of our immune system, helping to protect us from infections. However, the study suggests that excess IgG might contribute to cellular aging and chronic inflammation. Researchers observed an accumulation of IgG in aged tissues in both male and female mice, with similar findings in human tissues. This suggests that elevated immunoglobulins might be an evolutionarily conserved aspect of aging.
A new wearable device developed by researchers at Northwestern University can stimulate the skin to deliver a variety of sensations. This thin, flexible device adheres comfortably to the skin, providing precise tactile experiences such as gentle vibrations, firm pressure, and twisting motions.
Originally designed to enhance the realism of gaming and virtual reality experiences, this technology also shows promise in healthcare applications. For individuals with visual impairments, it could offer tactile feedback to aid in navigation, while for amputees, it may provide sensory input from prosthetic limbs, enhancing the sensation of touch. The device is built with a hexagonal array of 19 miniature magnetic actuators embedded in a flexible silicone mesh, enabling it to produce a range of sensations, including pressure, vibration, and twisting.
Meta is making a significant investment in the field of embodied AI by introducing touch and feel capabilities to its robotic technologies. In partnership with US-based sensor company GelSight and South Korean robotics firm Wonik Robotics, Meta aims to commercialize tactile sensors for AI. These devices are designed not for consumers, but for scientific use. As part of this effort, Meta has released three research artifacts—Sparsh, Digit 360, and Digit Plexus—focused on advancing touch perception, robot dexterity, and human-robot interaction. The company is also unveiling PARTNR, a new benchmark for evaluating planning and reasoning in human-robot collaboration. These innovations are driven by a renewed belief that foundation models, such as large language models (LLMs) and vision-language models (VLMs), can enable robots to tackle more complex tasks requiring reasoning and planning.
Professor Benjamin Jungfleisch, from the University of Delaware, is captivated by the brain's unique abilities for information processing and retention. He aims to replicate these capabilities in computers, but rather than using electronics, he is focusing on nanomagnets. Jungfleisch believes his research could pave the way toward energy-efficient AI systems. Currently, his primary objective is to explore brain-inspired, low-energy computing methods by using interacting nanomagnets as computational centers. In the brain, neurons handle information processing through electrical and chemical signals, while in Jungfleisch’s approach, magnons—quantum excitations in magnetic systems known as "spin waves"—may serve a similar role. These magnons, carried through magnetic nanostructure arrays, could allow faster and more efficient data processing, potentially revolutionizing AI devices.
🔊 Industry Insights & Updates
Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation, a U.S.-based company specializing in electric air taxis, have successfully completed Joby’s first international demonstration flight. This achievement represents a major advancement in the development of advanced air mobility solutions. The demonstration took place this week at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka, Japan. Set against the backdrop of Mount Fuji, the flight highlighted the low noise and emissions-free features of Joby’s aircraft, underscoring nearly seven years of collaboration between Toyota and Joby.
Researchers have developed AI-powered mobile robots to transform chemical synthesis research, making it more efficient. Traditionally, chemical synthesis is a time-intensive, costly field that requires numerous experiments and strategic decision-making. Intelligent robots provide a faster, more cost-effective alternative. These robots, standing at 1.75 meters (5.7 feet), address three key aspects of chemical synthesis: conducting reactions, analyzing products, and making data-driven decisions. Collaboratively, they have successfully explored complex areas such as structural diversification, supramolecular host-guest chemistry, and photochemical synthesis. The team at the University of Liverpool reports that their AI allows the robots to make decisions comparable to human researchers but far more rapidly—reducing hours of work to mere minutes.
Saudi and German researchers have developed a new solar cell with a remarkable 31.2% efficiency, using a perovskite-silicon tandem structure that could lead to higher-efficiency solar cells in the future. This breakthrough resulted from a collaboration between King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). The researchers highlight that the cell achieves effective charge extraction and efficient interface passivation.
The team improved blade-coated tandem performance by adding 2D perovskite layers at the bottom interface, which boosted the cell's power conversion efficiency (PCE) to a certified 31.2%.
Researchers in IT have created an innovative 3D transistor that could outperform conventional silicon transistors in terms of energy efficiency and power. Constructed using ultrathin semiconductor materials, these transistors hold the potential to replace silicon. They provide all the capabilities of silicon transistors but with much better energy efficiency. The transistors operate on quantum mechanics principles, achieving high performance at low voltages in a nanoscale area. With their miniature size, these transistors could lead to a new era of ultra-dense, high-performance electronics.
🧬 BioTech
A new high-speed 3D bioprinter developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne can precisely print human tissues, including delicate brain tissue and stronger materials like bone and cartilage. Traditional 3D bioprinting is often a slow and fragile process, risking cell damage with each layer of deposition. In contrast, this new printer uses vibrating bubbles to produce acoustic waves that manipulate and arrange cells into complex 3D tissue structures without harm. This technique offers a crucial framework for cell differentiation and maturation, opening new possibilities for regenerative medicine.
A recent study has examined a chemical compound extracted from a unique caterpillar fungus, revealing its promising potential as a cancer treatment. Researchers have uncovered the complex mechanisms through which this compound interacts with specific genes, interrupting the signaling pathways that drive cell growth. By blocking these signals, the compound could slow or even halt the spread of cancer cells, providing valuable insights for new cancer therapies. This discovery enhances our understanding of the compound's biological effects and opens up further research into its use in cancer treatment. The findings highlight Cordycepin as a possible cancer-fighting agent.
A shortage of available lip cells has limited advancements in this field by restricting the development of effective clinical models.
Lip conditions have traditionally been challenging to treat. However, Dr. Martin Egen from Bern University Hospital has changed the outlook by utilizing discarded lip tissue to push this research forward.
Published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, the study confirms an important first step in creating clinically relevant lab-grown lip models, offering hope to thousands of patients.
💡Products/tools of the week
Bolt.new, an AI-powered web development tool from StackBlitz, allows users to seamlessly build, edit, and deploy full-stack web applications within the browser. Utilizing generative AI, it creates entire codebases from simple prompts and supports both frontend and backend development, with built-in deployment features. This tool is particularly beneficial for web developers, AI automation agencies, and learners seeking to optimize their development process, eliminate repetitive coding, and efficiently create scalable, high-quality web applications.
ReplyPilot is your AI co-pilot for online interactions, crafting personalized, quick replies that match your unique voice. Engaging in meaningful conversations can boost your reach by up to 70%. With ReplyPilot, you can keep every interaction authentic and on-brand effortlessly. Whether you're connecting as a thought leader or amplifying your business’s voice, ReplyPilot ensures consistent, on-brand replies. Manage responses across platforms effortlessly, customizing and posting with ease.
Shadow is an AI tool that effortlessly listens to and understands conversations, automating post-meeting tasks without any manual effort. It provides features such as automated transcription, task automation, action item management, and proposal creation. Ideal for professionals who are frequently in meetings, Shadow enhances productivity by saving time, improving the accuracy of follow-ups, and automating repetitive tasks, allowing users to focus on more important aspects of their role.
ScalerX.ai is a platform that allows users to create and deploy personalized AI agents for automating a wide range of business and personal tasks. Utilizing RAG technology, it trains these agents on user-specific knowledge, enabling fast implementation and seamless integration with services like Telegram. Designed for individuals and businesses, ScalerX.ai helps boost productivity, save time, and scale operations with customized AI-driven task automation.
