It is touted as a unique opportunity to build a smart city within a major city, literally from the ground up. Environmental remediation, new infrastructure, digital electrification plans, new-age mobility options — the whole shebang. If only people would stop complaining about privacy issues. Up in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, there’s been much ado about what will happen to all […]

A first-of-its-kind robotic helper has completed its first day on the job at the International Space Station, with ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst powering up the CIMON assistance system and putting its conversational skills to the test. CIMON, which stands for Crew Interactive Mobile CompanioN, is a medicine-ball-sized plastic sphere that was 3D printed and equipped with software by IBM Watson […]

Israeli-Australian company Electriq Global’s new technology stabilizes hydrogen in a recyclable liquid that can be pumped and transported just like gasoline. That’s huge news, because it enables long-range electric driving with fast refueling – and it plugs right into the existing fuel logistics model. Plenty of people want to move on from gasoline and diesel. Some are environmentalists, some want […]

If you need a hand entertaining over the holidays, Stella Artois has a suggestion. The brewing company has come up with its Bartending Automated Robotic Technology (BART), which converts a robotic vacuum cleaner into a drinks- and snacks-toting bartender that can both serve guests and clean up simultaneously. Sometimes it’s the simplest of ideas that have the biggest impact. We […]

From fuels, to foam mattresses, to high-performance carbon fibers, scientists are getting better all the time at capturing harmful CO2 and turning it into useful products. Researchers at Rutgers University have made an exciting breakthrough in this area, describing a new method of artificial photosynthesis that can convert carbon dioxide into the building blocks for plastics and other materials, and […]

Melting gold normally requires temperatures upwards of 1,064° C (1,947° F), but physics is never quite that simple. A team of researchers has now found a way to melt gold at room temperature using an electric field and an electron microscope. Although we’re all familiar with the phenomenon of melting, most of us don’t really think about the physics behind […]

By Danny Tomsett, CEO, FaceMe  “Hey Alexa – what comes next…?”  Almost every strategy article today sets the scene with stats that scream: “The world has gone digital…so should you.” Brands are increasingly turning to AI to automate customer services and assistants like Amazon Echo are playing a key role in doing so – you only have to utter the […]

Believe it or not, artificially intelligent suitcases that automatically follow you around the airport aren’t a new idea. Thanks to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, they already exist in various forms, and can be purchased online right now. The only problem? Most major airports have issued a blanket ban on “smart” suitcases because they typically contain lithium ion batteries […]

With a few notable exceptions, the majority of objects removed from a 3D printer bed are fashioned using plastic. But plastic has a nasty habit of ruining our environment at the end of its useful life. Designer Beer Holthuis looked for a more sustainable alternative, and built a 3D printer that extrudes paper pulp to build three-dimensional objects. Holthuis has […]

Could your home one day be powered by patches of mushrooms? Probably not, but scientists have nonetheless created a “bionic mushroom” that does indeed generate electricity – and it may pave the way for more practical bio-electric systems. Led by Manu Mannoor and Sudeep Joshi, a team from New Jersey’s Stevens Institute of Technology started with an ordinary, living button […]