KurzweilAI.net Newsletter

KurzweilAI.net Newsletter [view in web browser]( Kurzweil | newsletter Tracking the acceleration of intelligence. Welcome — we're tracking the breakthroughs in science, tech, and progress. For our library of stories about the world of tomorrow, visit our homepage | [click here]( what's new mini-drones + AI Pixy is the world’s first automated selfie drone Predicted by sci-fi and now a reality — from the hugely popular app Snapchat. — summary — The digital photo-sharing + instant messaging app Snapchat is hugely popular. According to its parent company Snap, the smart-phone app has more than 330 million active daily users. Snap just unveiled an automated flying selfie drone called Pixy. The $250 palm-sized gadget lifts-off, takes a shareable photo or video of you, then lands by itself. A selfie is a photo or video you take of yourself — that can be shared digitally using social media apps on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop or laptop personal computers. Watch the video to see the Pixy in action. But act fast, Pixy is only available until they sell-out. Snap produced this device as an extremely limited quantity — to test the concept + the tech. Snap said they won't have more stock --- or a new model --- for an undisclosed time. [Read the full story + watch the video.]( future of power Researchers achieve fusion energy record. A step toward virtually unlimited power. — summary — Researchers have exceeded the current record for generating energy from a nuclear fusion reaction. It’s a big step toward solving the world power consumption crisis. Nuclear fusion is called the holy grail of energy production — because it could lead to a virtually unlimited source of safe + sustainable power. The nuclear test happened at the world’s most powerful fusion plant — the JET Fusion facility in the UK. The record-breaking nuclear fusion reaction had a temperature of more than 150 million degrees Celsius, 10 times hotter than the heart of the sun. The research team explained that the breakthrough is a landmark for this technology, and a key step toward developing practical nuclear fusion. [Read the full story + watch the videos.]( the next wave of robots Breakthrough for soft, life-like robotics This synthetic muscle is 3D printable + lifts 1000 times its own weight. — summary — Researchers at Columbia Univ. built a 3D printable, synthetic soft muscle that can mimic nature’s biology — lifting 1000 times its own weight. The artificial muscle is 3 times stronger than natural muscle — and can push, pull, bend, twist, and lift weighty objects. The breakthrough enables a new generation of completely soft robots. This mushy + agile mechanical squid is the future of robotics — a completely soft machine that will flex + grip just like biological muscle. With their fine motor skills, soft robots can handle complex tasks that require mobility, delicacy, precision, and safety. Synthetic muscle prototypes in the lab today give these robots extreme strength. Top scientists say this is a core breakthrough that will lead to the robotics of tomorrow, in every industry. And pave the way for robots that will interact directly with people. [Read the full story + watch the video.]( A film by Google. Search On — summary — Search On is an original documentary film by Google, with high-quality filmography. It features poignant stories of people around the world using Google tech to solve big problems, answer hard questions, and take action. And in surprising ways. Through 11 stories, the film follows people on a quest for better answers — and the magic that happens at the intersection of tech + humanity. Each vignette inclides a companion multi-media story that you can read — which we've linked-up along with references to all the products, people, groups, and resources featured in the film. [Watch the film + read the stories.]( in the press from Futurism magazine Ray Kurzweil claims the Singularity will happen by year 2045. Ray Kurzweil, a director of engineering at Google, is a well known futurist with a high-hitting track record for accurate predictions. Of his 147 predictions since the 1990s, Kurzweil claims an 86 percent accuracy rate. He made yet another prediction: the technological singularity will happen sometime in the next 30 years. Kurzweil’s time-table for the singularity is consistent with other predictions. Notably those of Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, who predicts that the dawn of super-intelligent machines will happen by 2047. But for Kurzweil, the process towards this singularity has already begun. [Read the full story.]( recommended book book | Immortality, Inc. Renegade science, Silicon Valley billions, and the quest to live forever. by Chip Walter --- letter from Ray Kurzweil --- Dear readers, I’m happy to recommend this excellent book by best-selling non-fiction author — and my friend — Chip Walter. The book is titled Immortality, Inc. He’s dedicated several years to investigating the global efforts to end human aging + disease. I fully believe in this multi-pronged research that crosses science, technology, policy, ethics, finance, and futurism. This will be humanity’s next great step forward — the inevitable, necessary evolution of biology. It’s time for society to rise-up against the defeatist concept that disease, aging, and death are part of life. We can’t accept anything less than life-long health + immortality. I believe that today’s steady stream of new knowledge in medicine + physics will join hands with advanced medical tech — to finally win this battle. This decade will see progress in wide-ranging fields that affect health + life-span: - genetic engineering + protein studies - food engineering + agriculture - ecology + sustainability - abundance + basic needs - tele-medicine + robotics - infectious disease + immunology The next step on the map to immortality: is to live long enough — stay healthy enough — to get to this fast-approaching time in history when we end aging + disease. Chip Walter’s book is an excellent primer — a tour of the people, places, know-how, and ideas that will conquer death. I hope you’ll be intrigued by his well-researched book. I believe we have to look toward to the future, with the understanding that 1,000s of tiny steps in progress can quickly add-up to sudden, tremendous breakthrough — enabling a huge leap for humanity. I hope you enjoy reading the many excerpts from the book, click below. — Ray Kurzweil [see the book | Read the author-curated excerpts.]( the Kurzweil Library | Tracking the acceleration of intelligence. by Kurzweil Technologies co. This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Kurzweil Network | accelerating intelligence · 935 Great Plain Ave. | no. 111 · Needham, MA 02492 · USA