A quick look at everything that tickled my fancy this past week:
Virgin Hyperloop
Sir Richard Branson is getting into the Hyperloop game, building a new test track and research center in Virginia that could one day make the dream of high speed travel that connects far flung cities in a manner of minutes a reality.
As Futurism puts it:
“The center will be the first of its kind in the US, Reuters reports, and will serve as a regulatory proving ground for future hyperloop systems. Construction for a first six-mile test loop in the state will begin in 2022 on the site of a former coal mine, with safety certifications following three years later.
Virgin Hyperloop One is hoping to start commercial operations in 2030.
It’s an ambitious timeline, as The Verge points out: the company still has to raise millions of dollars, buy massive swathes of land, and pass those safety certifications.”
AR for Dogs
Augmented Reality could be a transformative technology that revolutionizes society. But it won’t just be humans that benefits. As it turns out man’s best friend may get in on the action as well.
As ZD Net puts it:
“An often-heard prediction is that augmented reality (AR) could one day become a central tool in our everyday work and play – but it turns out that the technology might not be only suited for humans.
The US military has unveiled a new project in partnership with Seattle-based company Command Sight, to fit working dogs with AR goggles that would enable soldiers to give orders to the animal at a distance…[to] provide visual clues to direct the animal to a specific spot. The goggles also let the soldier follow everything that the dog is seeing in real time.
Car Engine App
Here’s yet another example of the rise of audio: an app capable of listening to your car’s engine to diagnose issues.
Science Focus explains:
“Skoda has created a smartphone app that can listen to your car’s engine and determine if it needs any work completed.
Technicians simply hold the phone close to the engine as it is running, and the sound of the engine is recorded through the microphone. This recording is converted to a spectrogram – a visual depiction of the acoustic signals – then artificial intelligence (AI) compares the recording against stored data to determine discrepancies.
Not only can the app tell that something is wrong, it can also understand exactly what is wrong, suggesting servicing measures that might be needed, according to Skoda.”
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