Technology
ABB Powers P&O Super-ferries Towards New Sustainable Transport Era
ABB to supply electric, digital and connected solutions for P&O Ferries’ two new vessels, including Azipod® propulsion and energy storage, cutting fuel consumption by one ton per return trip across the English Channel ABB has won a contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International Ltd for supplying a full scope of integrated solutions for P&O Ferries’ two …
How Tech Billionaires’ Visions Of Human Nature Shape Our World
In the 20th century, politicians’ views of human nature shaped societies. But now, creators of new technologies increasingly drive societal change. Their view of human nature may shape the 21st century. We must know what technologists see in humanity’s heart. The economist Thomas Sowell proposed two visions of human nature. The utopian vision sees …
Uber Wants To Go All-Electric By 2030. It Won’t Be Easy
The coronavirus pandemic has been an all-around nightmare, but there are a few silver linings. One of these is a renewed focus on the environment. Emissions plummeted worldwide when countries went into lockdown in the spring, and cities have since been implementing new measures to keep pollution down and get people to be more active …
Microsoft Had A Crazy Idea To Put Servers Under Water—And It Totally Worked
A little over two years ago, a shipping container-sized cylinder bearing Microsoft’s name and logo was lowered onto the ocean floor off the northern coast of Scotland. Inside were 864 servers, and their submersion was part of the second phase of the software giant’s Project Natick. Launched in 2015, the project’s purpose is to determine …
ABB’s Decade Of E-Mobility Leadership
Since 2010, ABB has powered forward the global e-mobility transition with a host of technological achievements. We list some of the most notable highlights here. 2010 ABB provides Europe’s first 50kW charger (Netherlands) The first commercial EV charging station in Europe is opened in Holland, equipped with a 50kW ABB fast-charger. The station is located …
Helping Robots Avoid Collisions
George Konidaris still remembers his disheartening introduction to robotics. “When you’re a young student and you want to program a robot, the first thing that hits you is this immense disappointment at how much you can’t do with that robot,” he says. Most new roboticists want to program their robots to solve interesting, complex tasks …
Monitoring Sleep Positions For A Healthy Rest
MIT researchers have developed a wireless, private way to monitor a person’s sleep postures — whether snoozing on their back, stomach, or sides — using reflected radio signals from a small device mounted on a bedroom wall. The device, called BodyCompass, is the first home-ready, radio-frequency-based system to provide accurate sleep data without cameras or …
IBM Watson Assistant Can Help States Deliver Critical Voting Information To Citizens
With COVID-19 causing uncertainty about voting logistics and procedures across the country, IBM has technology to help states use the AI capabilities of Watson to put this critical data and information directly into the hands of voters. With states facing a deluge of information requests related to voting procedures, citizens may face wait times to receive answers to their …
Videogame Examines Racial Attitudes In Virtual Spaces
The national dialogue on race has progressed powerfully and painfully in the past year, and issues of racial bias in the news have become ubiquitous. However, for over a decade, researchers from MIT’s Imagination, Computation, and Expression Laboratory (ICE Lab) have been developing systems to model, simulate, and analyze such issues of identity. In recent …
Facebook Wants to Make Smart Robots to Explore Every Nook And Cranny Of Your Home
“Hey Alexa, turn on the kitchen light.” “Hey Alexa, play soothing music at volume three.” “Hey Alexa, tell me where to find my keys.” You can ask an Alexa or Google home assistant questions about facts, news, or the weather, and make commands for whatever you’ve synced them to (lights, alarms, TVs, etc.). But helping …