Mice neurons rather than silicon circuit boards could be the key to an airport security computers according to one start-up. The Koniku Kore device is designed to sniff out explosives in the same way as a mammal. The device is the work of Nigeria’s Oshi Agabi and is based around the idea that traditional computers […]
Burger King has launched its own cryptocurrency in Russia. The WhopperCoin appears to be primarily a way to cut admin costs on a loyalty scheme. Unlike most blockchain based currencies, you can’t get WhopperCoin by mining. Instead you earn one coin automatically for every rouble you spend buying a Whopper. You can then spend 1,700 […]
THe new world record for the largest group of dancing robots, which took place in Guangzhou, Guangdong, was recently broken with a jaw-dropping 1,069 synchronised machines dancing simultaneously. A few robots did fall during the attempt, but these were deducted from the final record total. [Guinness World Records]
A new sensor tracks and photographs every car that drives past your house. It appears to be legal but has raised privacy questions. The BBC reports that the gadget from Flock costs $50 a year to use and the company says it will only make it available to “neighborhood leaders” with an emphasis on fighting […]
Robotics experts have asked the United Nations to act to restrict the use of robots in warfare. More than 100 people have signed an open letter warning of the dangers of “lethal autonomous weapons.” The letter is aimed at those involved in the UN’s “Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons”, an agreement that’s been in place […]
China has sent a quantum-based wireless message that it says cannot be intercepted without detection. It used satellites to overcome distance restrictions that would apply on the ground. The signal included an encryption key made up entangled photons: in effect light particles which are dependent on one another. Trying to read any of the signal […]
Can Batteries Power Everything? This video is about the physical and chemical limitations to electrolytic batteries, and how we might surpass the energy density and specific energy of lithium-ion batteries (like the Panasonic 18650 batteries used in the Tesla Model S, for example). [Minute Physics]
Emojis may be the key to algorithms finally being able to grasp sarcasm. It could mean more effective ways to track public moods and tastes or spot hate speech. Online marketers and have for several years been using social media posts as a way to track how people are talking about brands and products. Originally […]
Sequent is a new type of smartwatch that can actually recharge itself via kinetic energy. It features the newest generation of Heart Rate sensor, GPS tracking and notification system, which can all connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Based on a traditional Swiss automatic watch movement, we have developed and patented the world’s first kinetic […]
IBM and Sony have teamed up to produce a magnetic tape cartridge that could fit 330 terabytes in the palm of your hand. The tape can store 201 gigabits (25 gigabytes) in a single square inch (pictured). Arstechnica notes that the theoretical 330 terabyte tape cartridge would be more than 20 times the biggest capacity […]