Lifeboat Foundation

Propulsive motion in soft robotic systems requires the power amplification of stored energy. An accumulated strain energy-fracture power-amplification method is used to create light-driven soft robotic systems with a controlled launching ability.

Both the predictive power and the memory storage capability of an artificial neural network called a reservoir computer increase when time delays are added into how the network processes signals, according to a new model.

A reservoir computer—a type of artificial neural network—can use information about a system’s past to predict the system’s future. Reservoir computers are far easier to train than their more general counterpart, recurrent neural networks. However, researchers have yet to develop a way to determine the optimal reservoir-computer construction for memorizing and forecasting the behavior a given system. Recently, Seyedkamyar Tavakoli and André Longtin of the University of Ottawa, Canada, took a step toward solving that problem by demonstrating a way to enhance the memory and prediction capabilities of a reservoir computer [1]. Their demonstration could, for example, allow researchers to make a chatbot or virtual assistant, such as ChatGPT, using a reservoir computer, a possibility that so far has been largely unexplored.

For those studying time-series-forecasting methods—those that can predict the future outcomes of complex systems using historical time-stamped data—the recurrent neural network is king [2]. Recurrent neural networks contain a “hidden state” that stores information about features of the system being modeled. The information in the hidden state is updated every time the network gains new information about the system and is then fed into an algorithm that is used to predict what will happen next to the system.

People who struggle with facial recognition can find forming relationships a challenge, leading to mental health issues and social anxiety. A new study provides insights into prosopagnosia or face blindness, a condition that impairs facial recognition and affects approximately 1 in 50 people.

The researchers scanned the brains of more than 70 study participants as they watched footage from the popular TV series “Game of Thrones.” Half of the participants were familiar with the show’s famously complex lead characters and the other half had never seen the series.

When lead characters appeared on screen, MRI scans showed that in neurotypical participants who were familiar with the characters, brain activity increased in regions of the brain associated with non-visual knowledge about the characters, such as who they are and what we know about them.

Did life ever exist on Mars, and if so, how did it get there? This is the goal of NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has traversed Gale Crater on Mars since 2012. But a recent finding by the car-sized robotic explorer could help bring scientists one step closer to answering these questions as Curiosity sent back images of yellow crystals revealed to be deposits of elemental sulfur, along with an entire field of them. This finding was accidentally “un-earthed” as Curiosity drove over them during its excursions. While scientists didn’t anticipate finding elemental sulfur in this region, this finding could hold the potential to help piece together the geologic history of Gale Crater and whether life once existed there.

Recent image of elemental sulfur crystals obtained by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems)

“Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert,” said Dr. Ashwin Vasavada, who is a project scientist on Curiosity at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.”

Vayu is already witnessing significant traction, with as many as 20 enterprises piloting it’s novel technology and over 100 on a waitlist.

The field of organoid intelligence is recognized as groundbreaking. In this field, scientists utilize human brain cells to enhance computer functionality. They cultivate tissues in laboratories that mimic real organs, particularly the brain. These brain organoids can perform brain-like functions and are being developed by Dr. Thomas Hartung and his team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For nearly two decades, scientists have used organoids to conduct experiments without harming humans or animals. Hartung, who has been cultivating brain organoids from human skin samples since 2012, aims to integrate these organoids into computing. This approach promises more energy-efficient computing than current supercomputers and could revolutionize drug testing, improve our understanding of the human brain, and push the boundaries of computing technology.

The conducted research highlights the potential of biocomputing to surpass the limitations of traditional computing and AI. Despite AI’s advancements, it still falls short of replicating the human brain’s capabilities, such as energy efficiency, learning, and complex decision-making. The human brain’s capacity for information storage and energy efficiency remains unparalleled by modern computers. Hartung’s work with brain organoids, inspired by Nobel Prize-winning stem cell research, aims to replicate cognitive functions in the lab. This research could open new avenues for understanding the human brain by allowing ethical experimentation. The team envisions scaling up the size of brain organoids and developing communication tools for input and output, enabling more complex tasks.

Scientists integrated lab-grown brain organoids with robots, creating hybrid intelligence. It offers new potential for neurological condition treatments.

Nick bostroms simulation argument.

Have you ever paused, looked around, and wondered if everything you see, feel, and experience is real? Or could it be that we’re living in a sophisticated simulation, indistinguishable from reality?

This thought isn’t just a plot from a sci-fi movie; it’s a serious philosophical argument proposed by Nick Bostrom, known as the Simulation Argument. If you’ve ever questioned the nature of reality or pondered over the mysteries of existence, this exploration is for you.

Continue reading “Reality or Simulation? Simulation Argument by Nick Bostrom” »

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