Tag Archives: Technology

The Future Of Driving: Michigan To Build USA’s First “Autonomous Vehicle Corridor”

The Detroit  News (Aug 13, 2020)— Michigan is angling to build a first-in-the-nation connected and autonomous vehicle corridor in the state’s southeast corner, the latest bid to ensure the region remains the epicenter of an auto industry moving rapidly into a technology-driven future.

Local and state government officials, members of Michigan’s congressional delegation, Ford Motor Co. executives and project developer Cavnue confirmed plans Thursday for a roadway that would stretch from downtown Detroit to Ann Arbor. Along the way, it would connect to such key milestones as the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and would parallel parts of Interstate 94 to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. 

The roadway would be publicly accessible and could feature both public transit and shared mobility options. It will be called the “Michigan Connected Corridor,” officials confirmed, sharpening a vision Ford shared when it acquired the historic train station two years ago. 

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FOOD & AGRICULTURE: “The Robot Producing Crops Of The Future” (WSJ Video)

Arizona has what researchers call “the climate of tomorrow, today.” Scientists are using a 30-ton robotic field scanner in the state to study plant genetics and hopefully develop stress-resilient crops.

Photo: Jesse Rieser for The Wall Street Journal

More from the Wall Street Journal: Visit WSJ.com: http://www.wsj.com

Top Innovations: Xiaomi Unveils “Mi TV LUX”, World’s First Transparent TV For Mass Consumer Market

Beijing, CHINA, Aug 11, 2020: Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition is the world’s first mass-produced transparent TV. With an edge-to-edge transparent self-luminous display transmitting images that seem to be suspended in the air, this TV ushers in a new way to consume visual content previously only seen in science fiction films.

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Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition offers a perfect combination of cutting-edge display technology and exquisite industrial design. For Xiaomi, it is also a major exploration of future TV forms. When Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition is turned off, it looks like a mere glass display. The pictures it displays seem to be floating in the air, merging the virtual and the real to bring an unprecedented visual experience.

Unlike traditional TVs that come with a back panel, Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition creatively embeds all the processing units in its base stand, preserving the compact shape of the screen and in the meantime brings about countless technical challenges.

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New Medical Technology: UC Davis Scientists Invent World’s First Total-Body PET Scanner (Video)

UC Davis Health scientists Simon Cherry and Ramsey Badawi spent 15 years developing the world’s first total-body PET scanner, called EXPLORER. This imaging machine scans a patient’s entire body at one time, delivering breathtaking image quality that improves patient diagnoses and disease research.

UC Davis Cultivating Health blog: https://health.ucdavis.edu/cultivatin…

 

Technology: “China’s Self-Driving Car Boom” (WSJ)

Autonomous-vehicle road testing has skidded to a halt in the U.S. amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But China’s startups have pushed ahead by more than doubling the number of self-driving car projects, with a boost from the country’s 5G network.

Photo: Lorenz Huber for The Wall Street Journal

Morning News Podcast: New Stimulus Bill Talks, California Covid-19 Rates

NPR News NowNPR News Now reports on Stimulus Bill talks on Saturday, California reaches 500,000 coronavirus infections and 9200 fatalities, Florida tropical storm, and more.

Top New Aerial Travel Videos: “Oregon – 4K”

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon’s northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho.

Nature & Technology: “Ode To Desolation” On Fire Lookouts In North America By Lindsey Hagen

Directed by: Lindsey Hagen

Filmed and Edited by: Chris Naum
Original Score and Mix by: Brandon Hagen
Original Artwork by: Jim Henterly

“Ode to Desolation” shares the story of Jim Henterly, a naturalist, illustrator and fire lookout as he contemplates the dwindling days of Fire Lookouts in North America.

With the influence of technology and AI threatening to make his role obsolete, we look into the future and ask ourselves what connections we will maintain to keep our human interpretation of the natural world alive.

Future Housing & Living: Off-Grid “Ecocapsule” – “Spectacular Innovation”

The Ecocapsule is an egg-shaped, mobile dwelling that utilises solar and wind energy. Sona Pohlova and Tomáš Žáček created the original design in 2014 for an American client “who had a big ranch where he didn’t have any infrastructure and he needed some living units for visitors”.

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They didn’t win the project, but were published worldwide and received requests from people to buy it. They weren’t prepared for the reaction, but they spent 5 years turning their plans into a prototype.

Today they are selling their EcoCapsule – complete with shower and toilet, sleeping area for two, and kitchenette – to anyone looking to “stay in the nature for long time, for example scientists, photographers, rangers or extreme tourists” or someone interested in installing one on a city rooftop.

The pods are highly mobile: they can easily be pulled by a pickup truck or even airlifted by helicopter (for those rooftop needs). The units capture sun energy (PV) as well as their own rainwater (and grey and blackwater). There’s even an app-controlled smart-home system and sensors that help you monitor your energy and water use.