The robots are coming! On our sidewalks, in our skies, in our every store… Over the next decade, robots will enter the mainstream of retail.
5 min read
Rise of the retail robots
By Peter H. Diamandis on Dec 3, 2020
Topics: Robotics Abundance Entrepreneurship Exponentials Abundance 360 robots exponential technology future tech
8 min read
AI & Shopping - A New Retail Era
By Peter H. Diamandis on Nov 24, 2019
AI and broadband are eating retail for breakfast. In the first half of 2019, we’ve seen 19 retailer bankruptcies. And the retail apocalypse is only accelerating.
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots materials networks connectivity smart cities construction connection Moonshots entrepreneur convergence aid exponential technology drone technology smart tracking mobile connectivity hyperloop Martine Rothblatt organ transplant
7 min read
Pursuing Moonshots: Martine Rothblatt’s Story
By Peter H. Diamandis on Nov 21, 2019
You just learned your daughter’s disease gives her less than 5 years to live. How do you react? Would you strive to make her last years the most fulfilling? Or would you search every medical journal, contact every scientist, and find her a cure?
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots materials networks connectivity smart cities construction connection Moonshots entrepreneur convergence aid exponential technology drone technology smart tracking mobile connectivity hyperloop Martine Rothblatt organ transplant
6 min read
transforming sick care into healthcare - part 1
By Peter H. Diamandis on Nov 17, 2019
The U.S. healthcare industry is in for a major disruption in the decade ahead.
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots Drones Autonomous Drones materials networks connectivity smart cities nanobots construction connection entrepreneur augmented manufacturing convergence catalyzer additive manufacturing convergence disaster relief humanitarian aid humanitarian aid exponential technology drone technology smart tracking mobile connectivity hyperloop
7 min read
Hyperloop, Rocket Travel, and Avatars
By Peter H. Diamandis on Nov 13, 2019
What’s faster than autonomous vehicles and flying cars?
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots Drones Autonomous Drones materials networks connectivity smart cities nanobots construction connection entrepreneur augmented manufacturing convergence catalyzer additive manufacturing convergence disaster relief humanitarian aid humanitarian aid exponential technology drone technology smart tracking mobile connectivity hyperloop
11 min read
Revolutionizing Disaster Relief: A Tale of Convergence
By Peter H. Diamandis on Nov 10, 2019
Between 2005 and 2014, natural disasters have claimed the lives of over 700,000 people and resulted in total damage of more than US$1.4 trillion.
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots Drones Autonomous Drones materials networks connectivity trillion sensor economy smart cities nanobots construction connection entrepreneur augmented manufacturing convergence catalyzer additive manufacturing convergence disaster relief humanitarian aid humanitarian aid exponential technology drone technology nanorobots smart tracking mobile connectivity
9 min read
Abundance Insider: July 27th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jul 27, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: IBM's open-source cancer-fighting AI tools, India's Moon-bound Chandrayaan-2, and a newly approved driverless parking system.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and home in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
IBM Just Made its Cancer-Fighting AI Projects Open-Source
What it is: IBM has just decided to make open-source three newly developed AI tools that could assist medical researchers in the battle against cancer. Now available for widespread use, IBM’s tools range from predicting the efficacy of new drugs to treatment personalization. While PaccMann, for instance, uses deep learning to predict the viability of certain compounds for anticancer drugs, INtERAcT can parse tomes of medical journals to identify critical updates in the field, and PIMKL helps doctors tailor care regimens to individual patients’ needs.
Why it’s important: Intended to streamline cancer drug development, IBM’s tools will be far more powerful in the hands of many, allowing medical practitioners and scientists to keep up with newly published research and develop treatments far more quickly. Part of a larger open-source movement, the release of IBM’s AI tools and similar others is poised to multiply innovation in a number of medical fields, accelerating iteration rates, algorithm feedback and improvement, and the development of highly effective drug therapies. Welcome to an era of AI- and crowd-driven medical discovery.
India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO) has just successfully launched its first Moon-bound spacecraft.
What it is: Early this week, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) — India’s equivalent of NASA — confirmed its successful launch of Moon-bound Chandrayaan-2. A 142-foot-tall rocket, Chandrayaan-2 is set to achieve the first-ever soft landing near the Moon’s South Pole, making India the fourth country to achieve a successful lunar landing. Beyond breaking records, however, Chandrayaan-2 is remarkably cost-efficient, with a mission budget of just $141 million (less than half the budget of the most recent Avengersmovie, for reference). This follows India’s previous launch of its Mars orbiter on a mere $74 million budget (compared to NASA’s $671 million budget for a Mars mission the same year).
Why it’s important: Next up: India is now planning its first manned mission to space, set for 2022, and construction of the nation’s own space station. By honing low-cost space exploration, the ISRO could spur a wave of development in democratized, affordable spaceflight, equalizing opportunity for developing nations, young engineers and future astronauts, regardless of geography. As explained by ISRO’s Chairman Dr. Sivan, “[It] is missions such as Chandrayaan [...] that excite the youth, unite the nation, and also pave a technological seed for the future.” | Share on Facebook.
In a bid to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Microsoft is investing $1 billion in OpenAI.
What it is: This week, Microsoft announced a $1 billion investment in startup OpenAI. While part of a parent non-profit organization dedicated to research in safe AGI, the company’s for-profit arm has developed AIs such as Dactyl (optimizing robot dexterity) and the Dota 2 AI gaming champion. In partnership, Microsoft provides OpenAI the needed capital to scale its R&D, while OpenAI offers a competitive edge in the popular pursuit of complex, brain-like machines. In effect, their partnership involves the joint development and training of new Azure AI supercomputing technologies, whereby Microsoft serves as OpenAI’s exclusive cloud provider.
Why it’s important: Co-founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI aims to promote A(G)I’s responsible and inclusive development while avoiding the technology’s ethical and existential risks. Beyond its research and long-term stewardship role, however, OpenAI has made tremendous strides in both AI-driven hardware and new software applications. Now boosted by Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure and new capital availability, OpenAI’s mission could play a vital role in our collective design, regulation and risk mitigation of AI development over the next decade. | Share on Facebook.
Bosch and Daimler’s driverless valet service has now received a green light for automated parking use.
What it is: Over the past two years, Bosch and Daimler have collaboratively developed a push-button, fully automated, and newly approved parking system. Achieving Level 4 automation (meaning true hands-off functionality in controlled environments), the parking system has just been implemented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Entering the sensor-laden parking deck, drivers can simply pull into the garage, exit their vehicles, and initiate autonomous parking remotely through a smartphone. Sensors embedded in the garage then help to guide self-driving cars to open spots, around detected obstacles, and back to initial drop-off spots at the end of a driver’s visit.
Why it’s important: Legal approval of autonomous parking systems such as that of Bosch and Daimler helps to validate the safety of tomorrow’s proliferating driverless networks. Whether in valet parking, interoffice delivery, household cleaning appliances, or in-home aid to the elderly, we are quickly witnessing the addition of an intelligence layer to countless environments via sensors and AI. At a fundamental level, this shift will soon allow all our transportation vessels — whether for passengers or goods — to communicate instantaneously with their environment and make far more efficient routing decisions in real time, independent of human input. | Share on Facebook.
Microsoft used mixed reality and AI to build a personal hologram that can speak any language in any voice.
What it is: Just last week, Microsoft executive Julia White presented at the company’s Inspire conference with a nearly indistinguishable full-size hologram. Most remarkably, however, White’s hologram presented her speech in fluent Japanese while maintaining the executive’s voice tones and inflections. To achieve this groundbreaking demo, Microsoft harnessed two key technologies: (1) a mixed reality capture studio that recorded White’s speech in English and (2) neural text-to-speech AI that established her “personalized voice signature.” Viewers wearing Microsoft HoloLens 2 glasses could then experience White’s speech with vocal translation in real time, no intermediary translators needed.
Why it’s important: Translation AIs and next-generation hologram technologies will soon enable the next world leaders, influential executives, and performers to connect with global audiences in real time, rendering distance and language barriers immaterial. Renowned professors will be able to teach any classroom. Executives will address international company offices directly. Local broadcasters will share their stories globally. As AR headsets like the HoloLens 2 and AI translation become increasingly mainstream consumer products, we are about to witness a surge in information access across newly web-connected users. | Share on Facebook.
Facebook will release its AI tool to the OpenStreetMap community, allowing anyone to add unmapped areas across the globe.
What it is: Aiming to map the world’s millions of miles of uncharted roads, Facebook has just announced the release of its Map with AI tool to the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community. Currently, Facebook relies on computer vision to spot roadway patterns in satellite imagery. The company’s deep neural network model can even distinguish unpaved roads and pedestrian walkways from walls or riverbeds in satellite images with a resolution of two square feet per pixel. Yet it is volunteers on OSM’s platform that will now be able to verify AI-mapped roads, collaboratively cataloguing uncharted areas across rural and infrastructurally developing regions. In one instance, local Thai and Indonesian communities worked with Facebook and its AI tool to map all of Thailand and 90% of Indonesia in under just 18 months.
Why it’s important: While often taken for granted, digitized mapping is an unsung hero of today’s hyper-connected world. Mobile maps and instantaneous routing provide us freedom of movement and — perhaps most importantly — ease of access to nodes of opportunity. Yet millions of miles of roads remain obscured from mobile users. While satellite imagery can assist in digital mapping efforts, AI-crowd collaboration has often proved the most robust method of achieving high-accuracy, low-cost, and rapid-fire results. As Facebook aims to “map the entire world,” identifying areas for rural internet access expansion, we are quickly approaching an era of eight billion web-connected minds. | Share on Facebook.
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
10 min read
Abundance Insider: July 20th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jul 21, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: "Smart" glass, an "EpiPen" for spinal cord injury, and the first-ever image of quantum entanglement.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and home in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
AI Beats Professionals In Six-Player Poker
What it is: Achieving the next frontier in AI game-playing prowess, an AI system developed by Carnegie Mellon researchers has now defeated the most skilled professional players at Texas hold ‘em poker. Developed in collaboration with Facebook AI, Pluribus’ core was constructed through competition against copies of itself. In success, five copies of Pluribus then played 5,000 hands of poker, proving formidable against both World Poker Tour record-holder Darren Elias and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, six-time winner at the World Series of Poker.
Why it's important: Having graduated from chess to the complex game of Go, AI has just hit an extraordinary new milestone. Particularly given poker’s involvement of complex human interactions and expression, Texas hold ‘em has been a far more challenging coup for AI than any previous game. Take chess, for instance. It has now been 21 years since IBM’s Deep Blue beat then-world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a six-game series. According to Moore’s Law, Pluribus’ victory therefore required 2^23 times the amount of computing power to achieve the same world record in poker. As AI continues to thrive on this surge in computing power, what other games or strategic mazes might AI overcome? Share on Facebook
A new immersive classroom uses AI and VR to teach Mandarin Chinese
What it is: Introducing VR to the classroom, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is now using a 360-degree virtual environment to teach its summer students Chinese. Partnering with IBM Research, two RPI faculty members initiated the project to replicate the benefits of language immersion in social interactions and role-playing games, maximizing language retention. In VR restaurant simulations, for instance, students can order food, ask about a dish’s history by pointing at it, or pose culinary questions to the narrative-generating AI. While integrating various commercially available products into the experience, the researchers have even developed their own tone analysis algorithm that detects student pronunciation and provides audiovisual correction in real time.
Why it's important: In a 2017 pilot of the program, researchers noted a significant qualitative improvement in engagement, inducing students' social investment in linguistic mastery. Beyond language learning, however, immersive virtual experiences could teleport students to the inside of a cell, the surface of the Moon, or hyper-realistic historic events. As AI simulations explode in quality — responding to user inputs from sensors, microphones and cameras — learning by doing will become an educational norm through personalized AI output and VR immersion. From professional skill sets, to language fluency, to engineering prowess, the love of learning will be available to all. Share on Facebook
Scientists Create An AI From A Sheet Of Glass
What it is: Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created “smart” glass that can recognize images without any sensors, electrical circuits, or even a power source. The researchers first placed tiny bubbles and light-absorbing impurities into a piece of glass, causing light to bend in association with specific images. Their first iteration, for instance, was designed to identify handwritten numbers. In this case, the glass’s impurities scattered lightwaves reflected off of written numbers onto one of 10 spots on the other side of the glass, each corresponding to an individual digit. Aiming to scale the technology beyond number identification, the researchers even posit “smart” glass’s potential in facial recognition and security applications.
Why it's important: While incredibly powerful, today’s facial recognition systems (powered by AI and its subset deep learning) consume massive computational and energy resources. If scaled in complexity, however, “smart” glass might one day become embedded in your personal cybersecurity system, no battery or power source required. Moreover, “smart” glass could multiply the speed of recognition, from traditional computing timeframes to (literally) the speed of light. Whether in quantum computing, optical computing, or even more peripheral biological computing schemes, “smart” glass and its coming successors could render failsafe and lightning-fast information transfer across countless use cases. Share on Facebook
Scientists Capture First-Ever Image Of Quantum Entanglement
What it is: By rigging a camera to capture 40,000 frames per second at -30 degrees Celsius, physicists at the University of Glasgow have now captured the first-ever image of two photons linked through quantum entanglement. A bizarre and fundamental phenomenon, quantum entanglement allows particles to remain connected, responding to each other’s physical properties and changes, even if separated by vast physical distances. While physicists have tested and confirmed quantum entanglement, applying the phenomenon in applications like quantum computing and cryptography, photographic proof has been a long-awaited feat.
Why it's important: Far beyond validating quantum entanglement with visual evidence, this breakthrough could serve to advance numerous emerging fields, from quantum computing to new imaging methods. As explained by senior author Miles Padgett, the experiment “shows that quantum effects do change the types of images that can be recorded.” As quantum mechanics continues to birth novel technologies, our ability to photograph underlying phenomena could prove a boon for new discoveries and computational platforms. Share on Facebook
This solar-powered device produces energy and cleans water at the same time
What it is: Scientists have constructed a water purification system that utilizes heat waste from solar panels to distill clean water. As solar cells generate electricity, solar panels’ otherwise unused heat drives evaporation in the water distiller below. This vapor then travels through several porous polystyrene membranes, resulting in the condensation of drinkable water on the other side. Working in symbiosis, the distillation system thereby solely exploits wasted heat, leaving solar panels’ electrical production capacity untouched.
Why it's important: Some of the world’s most brilliant minds, investors, and engineers have invested decades of R&D, capital, and energy to crack the code of clean water abundance. Yet the question still remains: how can we deliver low-cost, excess drinkable water to those who need it? By deriving value from waste, this low-cost contraption helps meet two vital human needs at once — energy and clean water — in a single elegant solution. Share on Facebook
An 'EpiPen' for spinal cord injuries
What it is: Our immune system’s response after spinal cord injury can be the difference between walking ability and paralysis. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan has developed an “EpiPen” of sorts, capable of preventing paralysis in the aftermath of trauma to the central nervous system. The injection uses nanoparticles to reprogram aggressive immune cells — thereby preventing the immune system from overreacting — to reduce inflammation and promote a therapeutic response.
Why it's important: Rather than attempting to overcome the body’s immune response, the researchers’ novel approach reprograms this response to aid in the healing process. By co-opting the immune system, this treatment marks a tremendous improvement over prior methods that attempt to offset the effects of inflammation (across the blood-brain barrier) after the fact. Given the immune system’s critical role in countless age-related diseases and chronic conditions, future iterations of this treatment could prove invaluable in mitigating immune response and managing disease. What applications would be most consequential? How might this impact our human healthspan? Share on Facebook
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
9 min read
Abundance Insider: July 12th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jul 12, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: AI-powered "aging clocks," VR in professional testing, and the first "solar sailing" spacecraft.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Do you meditate? I do. I use Sam Harris’ Waking Up app, and think of him as my meditation coach. He’s also a neuroscientist, philosopher, author, blogger, and podcast host. On July 17th at 2:00pm PDT, Sam and I will be sitting down for a LIVE conversation about meditation, the brain, and how to improve your productivity. You can register for the live conversation at this link.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Is Set To Launch The First-Ever 'Solar Sailing' Spacecraft Powered Purely By Light
What it is: Just last month, SpaceX launched its third Falcon Heavy rocket, deploying 24 satellites into orbit and unleashing a novel type of spacecraft: the LightSail 2. The first successfully deployed “solar sailing” spacecraft, LightSail 2 leverages tiny amounts of force exerted by the Sun’s emitted photons, which transfer some of their momentum upon contact. While far more negligible than forces on Earth, this “solar radiation pressure” adds up in the zero gravity of space, providing continuous acceleration without any pre-loaded fuel.
Why it's important: One of the most significant obstacles for the future of long space missions is the (seemingly) insurmountable constraint of fuel. LightSail 2 and its upcoming iterations, however, could soon change how vehicles propel themselves through space, capable of self-orienting and driven by the Sun’s constant beams at zero cost. Now that the Planetary Society’s mission is proving successful, we are fast approaching an era in which spacecrafts will set sail on cross-galactic journeys or pursue nearby solar systems, guided indefinitely by the “fuel” of our own star. Share on Facebook
With Little Training, Machine-Learning Algorithms Can Uncover Hidden Scientific Knowledge
What it is: Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have now developed an AI algorithm that can learn outside its training parameters. Scanning scores of articles, the AI system analyzes the relationships between words, effectively teaching itself the subject. In application, the algorithm “read” 3.3 million abstracts of research articles within materials science, successfully learning complex concepts, from the periodic table of elements to the crystal structure of metals. The AI even demonstrated an unprecedented ability to identify gaps in materials science research, accurately predicting the discovery of entirely new thermoelectric materials.
Why it's important: In success, algorithms such as this one could soon plug into any subject material, instantaneously becoming an expert, identifying existing research limitations, and proposing new ideas for expansion. Over a lifetime, human researchers can probe only a tiny fraction of what AI is now capable of devouring in a day. Streamlining the time-intensive process of cross-referencing articles, however, AIs could free human scientists to pursue open gaps and outstanding research questions. Driven by a newfound ability to digest tomes of research spanning decades and disciplines, scientific knowledge and resulting innovation are about to explode in scale. How can you use AI to ride this wave of data-driven innovation? Share on Facebook
Cooling/Heating Window Film Captures And Releases Solar Energy
What it is: A research team led by Professor Kasper Moth-Poulsen at Sweden’s Chalmers University has developed a window film capable of absorbing solar energy during the day and releasing it as heat into building interiors at night. A novel iteration on the same team’s MOlecular Solar Thermal (MOST) system, developed a few years ago, the clear film adapts the technology whereby solar energy is stored in a liquid medium, embedding a norbornadiene-quadricyclane molecule. When exposed to sunlight, this incorporated molecule absorbs the majority of solar energy emitted by the rays that bathe it, soon releasing the energy as heat once no longer in direct daylight.
Why it's important: Beyond the obvious application of energy-efficient materials to skyscraper exteriors and home windows, similar materials science breakthroughs stand to transform the energy industry in numerous other settings. Moreover, while popular debate often targets solar energy in the context of the environment, innovative films and coating materials could have tremendous economic impacts, meeting global demands at a fraction of current prices. Long-term, how might we utilize energy-efficient materials in spacecrafts, clothing, or even smart city infrastructure? Share on Facebook
South Korean Tech Breakthrough Could Change Biofuels Forever
What it is: Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have engineered a novel method of more efficiently (and abundantly) producing biofuels. As standard biodiesel requires the transistorizing of vegetable oils or animal fats, a key obstacle to production is the need for large amounts of organic material and agricultural products. The KAIST team may have largely nullified this problem, however, developing an engineered bacterium that can produce greater volumes of fatty acids than ever before — a potential boon for biofuel cultivation.
Why it's important: Fuels from biomass could one day surpass petroleum-based fuels as the world’s most ordinary combustible fuel source. To achieve this, however, significant innovations are needed to make biodiesel cost-competitive with petroleum-based fuels, and the ratio of biomass to cultivated energy has proved a major barrier (i.e., optimal efficiency = deriving the maximum amount of energy from as minimal an amount of biomass as possible). By dramatically reducing the amount of biomass needed to achieve the same fuel density, KAIST’s breakthrough could chart a new future for biofuels, unleashing energy abundance renewably and more cheaply than ever before. Share on Facebook
Deep Aging Clocks: The Emergence Of AI-Based Biomarkers Of Aging And Longevity
What it is: Advances in deep learning have now begun to converge with a renaissance in longevity research, helping us identify new biomarkers of age and pharmaceutical discovery methods. By treating age as a dataset feature correlated with other biomarkers, deep learning algorithms can now glean much more from photographs, population-level blood chemistry, transcriptomic data (such as RNA sequencing), and wearables-tracked activity. When probed correctly, these new markers of aging — dubbed “deep aging clocks” — are now manifesting tremendous value in pharmaceutical applications. A new form of deep neural net architectures, generative adversarial networks (GANs) can now create synthetic patient data sets, age-specific immunotherapies and vaccines, or even the bases of novel, life-saving drug therapies.
Why it's important: Countless AI startups are now rushing to leverage today’s renaissance in longevity research, while others, like Y Combinator, jump on the bandwagon to provide seed funding. Among new contenders, AI methods such as GANs can vastly accelerate progress in target identification and drug discovery for a broad spectrum of age-related diseases. As a result, personalized medicine and low-cost drug development could soon add an additional 20 to 40 healthy years on our lifespan — what are the implications as 100 becomes the new 60? Share on Facebook
Walmart Is Using VR To Help Decide Who Should Get Promotions
What it is: Walmart is now employing virtual reality to assess its employees and identify outstanding candidates most qualified for management promotion. Already, 10,000 of Walmart’s 1.5 million employees have undergone the VR assessment, testing their knowledge of the store’s departments and how they react in simulated sales scenarios. A key component of the company’s initiative to enhance employee efficiency, VR’s roll-out at scale aims to identify high performers from the crowd and reduce management overstaffing across store branches.
Why it's important: As simulated virtual environments and VR hardware skyrocket in quality, this technology is rapidly permeating the professional training and hiring sphere. We might still be years away from AI simulations of human-like virtual customers, or brain-computer interfaces that augment our management and communication abilities. Yet Walmart’s wide-scale deployment of VR is a testament to its extraordinary present-day value in dematerializing and democratizing professional (and even psychological) skills training. What problems could you solve right now by deploying virtual simulation in your business? Share on Facebook
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
10 min read
Abundance Insider: July 6th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jul 6, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: A 3D bioprinter goes to space, this year's World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers, and an AI that can simulate the universe.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Happy July 4th weekend to our U.S. readers!
A BFF In Space! Bioprinter Will 3D-Print Human Tissue On The Space Station
What it is: Just this month, a new bioprinter will be launched aboard a SpaceX cargo mission, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). Dubbed the 3D BioFabrication Facility (or BFF), the 3D printer will initially use human cells and adult tissue-derived proteins (amino acid chains) as its source material for viable tissue. Eventually, BFF is intended to pave the way for spacefaring 3D printers that can create entire human organs for use on Earth and, perhaps, beyond. For now, BFF’s next planned phase will involve manufacturing heart patches in space for performance evaluation in small animals on Earth.
Why it's important: It might seem laughably expensive to bioprint human tissue in space just so that it can be put to use back on Earth. However, tissues produced on Earth typically collapse under their own weight as a result of our planet’s gravitational pull, rendering them unusable. In microgravity, on the other hand, 3D-printed tissues can remain highly stable, growing far stronger in a cell-culturing system than they would if Earthbound. As microgravity conditions enable BFF and its future iterations to generate healthy tissue in space, today’s severe shortage of donor organs might soon give way to an abundance of personalized, printed ones. While still years away, assembling fully functional human organs is now a dream within reach. Share on Facebook
Machine Learning Has Been Used To Automatically Translate Long-Lost Languages
What it is: Researchers from MIT and Google’s AI Lab have now developed a machine learning system capable of deciphering lost languages. While machine translation between even obscure languages has been commonplace for some time, accurate output typically requires massive, annotated data sets. By instead targeting the ways in which languages evolve, however, the team has achieved successful translations using far less data. To do so, the researchers applied a constraint to their translation system, setting “rules” by which languages change over time (such as the order of characters). Provided an earlier progenitor language is known, the system can then decipher a successor language without annotated data. When applied to the long-lost language of Linear B (which encodes an early version of ancient Greek), for instance, the team’s translation system achieved 67.8 percent accuracy.
Why it's important: This new machine translation approach marks a major victory on two fronts. Helping us decipher and restore long-lost languages with decimated data requirements, the team’s system could one day give way to a universal translator, à la Star Trek. Within the humanities, however, this development could be invaluable in helping us quantify and better understand our own communication methods and the way language maps our complex psychology. By addressing the evolution and methodology of our scripts, AI is now empowering us to read between the lines and even better glimpse our own humanity. Share on Facebook
New Analysis Techniques Unearth a Trove of Unusual Minerals
What it is: Rapid advances in imaging technology have given rise to a boom in new mineral discovery, enabling researchers to log previously unidentified minerals at an unprecedented rate. According to a database affiliated with the International Mineral Association, over 100 new minerals have been reported every year since 2009, on average. To offer perspective: of the 5,477 known minerals, more than 1,000 were discovered in the past decade alone. Much of this increase can be credited to technologies that enable observation of increasingly small specimens. As seen in some cases, today’s pure mineral chunks can be as miniscule as 50 microns wide and still be studied by new techniques such as x-ray Laue microdiffraction.
Why it's important: Not only are exponential technologies enabling the creation of countless new synthetic materials, but they are helping us unearth an abundance of naturally occurring minerals long hidden from view. As exclaimed by geologist Isabel Barton, “There are, gosh, nearly an uncountable number of possible combinations of elements, in a variety of different structures [...] We’ve barely scratched the surface at this point.” The age of Earth minerals discovery is far from over; quite the contrary, it is only speeding up. Share on Facebook
Physicists Use Light Waves To Accelerate Supercurrents, Enable Ultrafast Quantum Computing
What it is: Led by physics and astronomy professor Jigang Wang, a research team has just discovered that light waves can be used to tune some of the quantum properties of superconducting states. Superconductivity is the movement of electricity without resistance, which most typically occurs at extremely low temperatures (below -400 degrees Fahrenheit for “high-temperature” superconductors, for instance). Using terahertz light, the researchers have shown that such high-frequency light can control properties like macroscopic supercurrent flowing, and access high-frequency quantum oscillations once thought forbidden by symmetry.
Why it's important: As the researchers note, terahertz light-wave tuning of supercurrents is a universal tool, “key [to] pushing quantum functionalities to reach their ultimate limits in many cross-cutting disciplines.” Applications range from new sensors, quantum computing, modeling, and communications. More fundamentally, this discovery unlocks the possibility of controlled quantum manipulation with potentially far less energy required. As we edge ever closer to quantum supremacy, new tooling could soon extend the benefits of quantum control to use cases beyond supercomputers and modeling. What opportunities might this create? Share on Facebook
AI And Machine Learning Dominate World Economic Forum’s List Of 2019 Technology Pioneers
What it is: Early this week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) announced its selection of 56 Technology Pioneers, targeting everything from natural disasters and cybersecurity to smart cities and the legal system. A true testament to AI’s applicability in any industry, at least 20 of the WEF’s Technology Pioneers heavily employ AI or machine learning.
Highlighted Pioneers: While Bright Machines applies machine learning and computer vision to newly intelligent manufacturing facilities, ImpactVision leverages AI in food supply chains, using hyper-spectral imaging technology to improve food quality and reduce waste. Democratizing medicine, DabaDoc connects millions of patients with doctors across Africa, employing machine learning in health education alongside its telehealth initiative. Addressing mental health, 7 Cups uses adaptive machine learning for smartphone-based emotional support, while Holmusk works to build today’s largest real-world evidence (RWE) platform to research and reform best practices. Or take the legal realm: on the back end, Luminance Technologies utilizes machine learning for legal language understanding, while Marinus Analytics uses AI to guide law enforcement in better protecting our most vulnerable community members. Showcased by this range of pioneers, AI can empower any firm with acute perception and smarter decisions. Share on Facebook
World’s First AI Universe Simulator Knows Things It Shouldn’t
What it is: A team of international research scientists has created an AI system capable of constructing three-dimensional simulations of the universe. Dubbed the Deep Density Displacement Model (D3M), the technology was originally developed to model the ways in which gravity has shaped our universe. In a groundbreaking feat, D3M produced its own simulated model of a cube universe 600 million light-years across in a mere 30 milliseconds. Even more notable, however, D3M demonstrated the ability to create simulations within parameters on which it was not even trained. As explained by researcher Shirley Ho, “It’s like teaching image recognition software with lots of pictures of cats and dogs, but then it’s able to recognize elephants.”
Why it's important: The monumental impact of D3M is two-fold: holding scientific significance in its understanding of our universe’s evolution, and technological import through the “learning capability” of its AI. Given its grasp of gravity’s role in shaping the universe, D3M could help chart numerous discoveries regarding the origins of our universe through sheer simulation. In the software realm, D3M’s ability to learn outside of a granted training set loosely resembles the human ability to make inferences, indirect connections, and extrapolate across disciplines. As AI grows increasingly independent in learning capacity and decision-making, this exponential technology could play ever more consequential roles across business, healthcare, policy, and now, space exploration. Share on Facebook
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from receiving Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
12 min read
Abundance Insider: June 29th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jun 29, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: Breakthroughs in energy storage, a noninvasive mind-controlled robotic arm, and SpinLaunch’s new way of launching rockets.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
New mind-controlled robot arm first to work without brain implant
What it is: A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has made extraordinary headway in the field of high-tech prosthetics, creating a bionic arm that functions smoothly without a brain implant. Previous robotic prosthetics required a patient to undergo high-risk, invasive surgery for a brain implant to achieve maximum robotic mobility. This arm, however, bridges the gap between seamless function and non-surgical bionics. In one instance, it was shown capable of following a computer screen cursor in real time without exhibiting the jerky motions and intermittent delays typical of other non-surgical mind-controlled prosthetics.
Why it's important: This innovation represents a fundamental leap in the age-old mission to enhance the quality of life and autonomy of individuals who have lost a limb. By improving prosthetic quality at significantly diminished risk, non-invasive bionics no longer require patients to risk their health to enjoy long-term use of a high-functioning, mind-controlled limb. As brain-computer interface (BCI) technology continues to surge forward, we are quickly charting the path to a future wherein responsive prosthetics will serve countless uses, from limb replacement to assistive aids in any number of industries and professions. | Share on Facebook
Siemens Gamesa Unveils World's First Electrothermal Energy Storage System
What it is: Siemens Gamesa is now leveraging the Earth’s surface for a future of energy abundance. The large-scale renewable energy technology manufacturer has just begun operations of what it claims is the world’s first electrothermal energy storage system. Already, Siemens Gamesa has turned a section of volcanic rock into a massive organic battery, capable of storing up to 130 megawatt-hours of energy for a week. The company additionally reports that its electrothermal energy storage system is significantly less expensive than conventional storage solutions. If we can begin to harness organic material for energy storage, how would this influence the modern-day power grid and storage solutions?
Why it's important: Renewable energy has long been promoted as an alternative solution to fossil fuels and other contemporary sources of energy. However, their oft-cited limitation is that of energy storage. If Siemens Gamesa demonstrates the successful scale-up of its sustainable solution to the storage problem, pervasive implementation of renewable energy sources would become a much more feasible option, and long-term implications would abound. If communities could soon store energy beneath their homes for extended periods of time, how might this influence real estate values and opportunities for expansion? What new microgrid networks and local economies would arise? | Share on Facebook
This fully biodegradable “leather” is welded together from waste
Story submitted by Steve Pierz, Chief Innovation Officer at Fastbrick Robotics.
What it is: An innovative player in the cow-free leather market, Natural Fiber Welding has developed a new plant-based product called Mirum. Fully biodegradable, Mirum entirely eschews the synthetic glues and plastics typically employed by other plant-based leather products. As explained by Founder and CEO Luke Haverhals, “We figured out ways to get 100 percent natural composites that are bonded together using clever, controlled chemistry.” Coconut fiber can be blended with (bottle) cork powder, for instance, to create strong “leathers” at low cost. Mirum is moreover price-competitive, as Natural Fiber Welding plans large-scale rollout of its product in 2020 and will soon produce millions of square feet of the low-cost, sustainable leather.
Why it's important: While numerous startups have pursued plant-based, zero-footprint leathers, the majority of these products are either difficult to scale or contain harmful synthetic materials like polyurethane. Yet nature offers a treasure trove of complex material candidates, which, when leveraged correctly, can yield vastly scalable, low-cost, compostable products. As high-tech welding processes and natural materials data continue to progress, materials like Mirum could profoundly disrupt the future of manufacturing, birthing closed-loop systems. | Share on Facebook
Fake blood pumps life into this robotic fish
What it is: Exponential progress in sensors and AI has led to remarkable advancements in autonomous robotics, but battery weight remains a stubborn obstacle to designing more nimble and long-lasting robots. Similarly, hard exoskeletons have proved a challenging barrier to safe interaction with humans, particularly in industrial settings. Enter Robert Shepherd and a team from Cornell University, who have created a soft robotic lionfish that pumps an electrolyte solution through synthetic blood vessels. When the solution passes over electrode stations, electricity is generated in what is commonly known as a flow battery. As hydraulic systems can account for 90 percent of a robot’s volume, combining these systems with the power source poses sizable advantages for design. The lionfish robot can consequently swim for up to 36 hours upstream, completely untethered.
Why it's important: By providing electrical energy with part-liquid, part-solid battery components, the researchers have proved that synthetic circulatory systems can serve a dual purpose: powering soft robots and controlling their movement. This breakthrough could be leveraged for countless multifunctional iterations, heralding a new era of low-risk, direct human-robot interaction. Use cases abound, from autonomous robotic surgeons to robotic search-and-rescue teams. | Share on Facebook
Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs unveils its high-tech ‘city-within-a-city’ plan for Toronto
What it is: Long in the works, Sidewalk Labs’ plan to build out a high-tech utopia on Toronto’s waterfront is now out. While still subject to a thorough public vetting process — principally by government-appointed, non-profit partner Waterfront Toronto — the plan outlines an urban model for integrated smart cities of the future. Dubbed “the most innovative district in the world” by Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff, the pitch’s most pioneering components include autonomous vehicle networks, ubiquitous public Wi-Fi, an 89 percent reduction in greenhouse gases, and countless sensors for collection of “urban data” to optimize civil engineering decisions.
Why it's important: Already, Sidewalk Labs’ comprehensive plan has been projected to help create 44,000 jobs and generate $4.3 billion in annual tax revenue. Sidewalk Labs has additionally stated it will spend $1.3 billion on the project with the aim of spurring $38 billion in private sector investment by 2040. Beyond the targeted district, however, a materialized smart city plan could become an ideal testing ground for next-generation breakthrough technologies and automated ecosystems that provide seamlessly delivered public services and predictive routing. | Share on Facebook
Secretive Startup SpinLaunch Gets 1st Launch Contract for US Military
What it is: Since entrepreneur Jonathan Yaney founded SpinLaunch in 2014, the alternative space launch company has raised $40 million. Now, the company has just received its first “launch prototype contract” from the U.S. Department of Defense under a deal with the Defense Innovation Unit, and aims to launch its first test flights in early 2020. SpinLaunch’s system employs a giant centrifuge as its orbital rockets leverage kinetic energy during launch, as opposed to chemical energy. While details about SpinLaunch’s technology have been kept largely under wraps, the company previously stated its intentions to launch small payloads as frequently as five times per day. At a cost of $250,000 per flight, these would be conducted at the company’s $7 million Spaceport America launch site.
Why it's important: SpinLaunch serves as an ideal example of the entrepreneurial deployment of first principles thinking to disrupt preconceived cognitive biases, transform an industry, and pursue a moonshot. By distilling the complex problem of launching things into space to a fundamental physics question, Jonathan Yaney and his team may soon drive space launch costs down by an order of magnitude. How can you use first principles thinking to make a 10X gain by disrupting your industry’s heritage processes and creatively deploying technology? | Share on Facebook
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University Program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
15 min read
Abundance Insider: June 21st 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jun 21, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: New plant-based meat alternatives, Cadillac’s 200,000 miles of hands-free driving, and a spacecraft 3D-printing hub.
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of coursework and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Facebook Announces Libra Cryptocurrency: All You Need To Know
What it is: Earlier this week, Facebook released details of its new cryptocurrency, Libra. With a public launch set for 2020, Libra is backed by more than a dozen companies, including Visa, MasterCard, Western Union, PayPal, Stripe, and Uber. Having invested at least $10 million USD to fund development of the coin, each backer is part of the Libra Association, an independent entity of founding members tasked with governing the coin. Libra will be what is known as a stable coin, backed by a basket of government currencies to offset volatility.
Why it's important: This is the first major operation by a large, multinational platform to develop its own digital cryptocurrency, not to mention an accompanying programming language. As founding backers pursue businesses' acceptance of Libra for payment and even provide customer rewards, Libra's growth is newly elevating the "crypto" conversation in both profile and potential long-term economic significance. Watch how this conversation unfolds, not only in the U.S., but also in nations like India that have historically remained hostile to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. How will regulators and users respond? Could this be an inflection point in the adoption curve? Share on Facebook
Cadillac Super Cruise Expansion Means 200,000 Miles Of Hands-Free Driving
What it is: Cadillac just announced the addition of 70,000 miles to its Super Cruise hands-free driving system on the auto manufacturer’s CT6 Sedan. Currently the only semi-autonomous system that offers hands-free driving at maximum highway speeds, Super Cruise will now be fully functional on 200,000 miles of roads. While only programmed to work on mapped roadways, Cadillac’s system draws from vehicle sensors, cameras, and a compiled database of LIDAR-mapped roads for its robust hands-free functionality. To ensure continuous driver attention, Cadillac additionally uses sensors to monitor the position of a driver’s head, so sleeping behind the wheel is not an option!
Why it's important: Autonomous vehicles have arrived, and they will dramatically impact the structure of our days, not to mention the way we work. Riding advancements in machine learning and sensor technologies, self-driving cars will soon surpass the driving skills of any human. Lengthy commutes to work will become time-abundant opportunities: to get an extra hour of sleep, collaborate remotely on a project, or watch a movie. Eliminating transition times and travel interruptions enables a more seamless and productive day, courtesy of today’s numerous converging technologies. As autonomous driving multiplies our most precious resource, time, how will you maximize your efficiency? What new projects will you take on? Share on Facebook
Beyond Meat Upgrades Its Burger With Better Marbling And Complete Protein
What it is: Just last week, plant-based meat substitute producer Beyond Meat released its new and improved Beyond Burger. Now available in major grocery stores — Whole Foods, Safeway, Target, Sprouts, among others — the upgraded patty is now a source of “complete protein,” containing all nine amino acids required in a human diet. One of the burger’s most widely lauded feats, however, is its impressive “marbled” texture, leveraging coconut oil and cocoa to imitate the richly flavored, fatty specks in real meat. Nonetheless, while stocked with 20 grams of protein (comparable to that of a beef burger), Beyond Meat uses pea, mung bean, and rice protein in lieu of a cholesterol-laden beef base.
Why it's important: As growing evidence reveals the health hazards and environmental footprint of meat consumption and animal agriculture, plant-based alternatives are beginning to play in the big leagues. Having enjoyed this year’s most successful IPO to date, Beyond Meat tripled its sales last quarter. Meanwhile, competitor Impossible Foods is now selling its plant-based burgers in Burger Kings nationwide, not to mention its patty's appearance on countless other restaurant menus. While both struggling to meet demand, these two players are part of a nascent but powerful new market, one poised to revolutionize the future of food and decimate its ecological impact. Share on Facebook
Meet Endel: The First-Ever Algorithm To Sign A Music Distribution Deal With A Major Label
What it is: Endel, a music-generating AI, is now the first-ever algorithm to sign an album distribution deal with a major label conglomerate. One of the “big three” labels, Warner Music Group has agreed to distribute Endel’s AI-generated soundscapes. As part of the deal, Endel will generate twenty new albums for the label, in addition to the five it has already produced. Endel creates personalized meditation music for relaxation and focus. Thanks to its innovative music software, the startup has already attracted high-profile investors, from Amazon’s Alexa Fund to Japanese entertainment giant Avex Group.
Why it's important: From Neolithic cave paintings to today’s contemporary montages, art represents an evolutionary leap from base intelligence to complex, self-aware, and abstract thought. Many believe that our ability to create art corroborates humanity’s elevated position above other species. For this reason, some experts speculate that art will be the last industry disrupted by AI, if at all. Endel’s (and other softwares’) ability to create music thereby serves as an early indication that art is no longer a domain exclusive to human creatives. Just as IBM’s Deep Blue beat the world’s greatest chess player, Gary Kasparov, in an historic 1997 chess match, moments like these demonstrate just how quickly and multifariously AI is accelerating. Share on Facebook
Relativity Is Building A 3D-Printing Rocket Manufacturing Hub In Mississippi
What it is: 3D-printed spacecraft manufacturer Relativity Space has now sealed its agreement with NASA to open a $59 million manufacturing facility at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock, Mississippi. While Relativity already runs four proprietary 3D printers at its Los Angeles operations base, the startup will build twelve larger, second-generation printers at Stennis. With 220,000 square feet newly at its disposal, Relativity initially plans to use this Stennis infrastructure for construction of its Terran1 rocket. As affirmed by Stennis Space Center Director Dr. Rick Gilbrech, the collaboration reinforces NASA’s commitment to expand “commercial access to low Earth orbit.” Meanwhile, Relativity is given free rein to fully leverage the power of additive manufacturing.
Why it's important: Rockets are some of the most complex machines humankind has ever invented, constantly iterated upon and requiring extreme precision. 3D printing can simplify much of this complexity, requiring fewer parts, delivering a more seamless manufacturing process, and minimizing risk of human error. In the near future, additive manufacturing will be a key catalyst for exploration of and expansion throughout our solar system. Imagine shipping one of Relativity’s printers to Mars to manufacture critical components in situ, needed for return to Earth. Relativity's methods demonstrate a prime example of converging technologies that together decimate costs and open the floodgates for new industries. Share on Facebook
Tyson Foods Unveils Plant-Based Nuggets As It Moves Into Meat Alternatives
What it is: Signaling a fundamental shift in today’s meat industry, Tyson Foods — the U.S.’s largest meat processor — has announced its upcoming debut of plant-based nuggets. Slated to hit shelves this summer, the product is part of Tyson’s new brand, Raised & Rooted, focused on plant-based protein. Yet unlike competitors Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, Raised & Rooted will include both pure plant-based substitutes and blended products, such as a burger consisting of pea protein and Angus beef. With an eye to consumer trends, Tyson has even revealed future plans to enhance its range of plant protein alternatives.
Why it's important: By 2040, traditional meat supply is projected to fall by over 33 percent, according to a recent A.T. Kearney analysis. Already, consumer meat-eating habits (particularly in the U.S.) are changing at a staggering rate. While Mintel reports that almost 60 percent of U.S. consumers are interested in eating less meat, Euromonitor forecasts a $22.9 billion global market for meat alternatives by 2023. As fast-growing startups rush to capitalize on this hot new market, the entrance of corporate incumbents like Tyson is perhaps the most compelling validator of an underlying shift towards plant-heavy protein consumption. Whether overtaken by lab-grown meat or plant-based alternatives, the meat industry faces disruption of epic proportions. What do you envision on your plate in 2045? Share on Facebook
Say Hello To Dot, An Autonomous Farming Solution
Guest contribution by Robert Saik, CEO of Dot Farm Solutions.
What it is: Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Dot (named after its inventor’s mother) is the largest autonomous agriculture robot in the world. Dot’s patented, U-shape design enables the 173 Hp Diesel Power Platform unit to connect with a wide variety of Dot Ready implements, such as seed drills, planters, sprayers, fertilizer, spreaders and grain carts. Dot’s initial market is broad-acre agriculture, whereby farmers need to rapidly cover thousands of acres. Once farmers load perimeter and obstacle GIS field maps into Dot, the robot navigates using path-planning software at sub-inch GPS accuracy. This enables Dot to autonomously apply crop inputs like seed, fertilizer, or pesticides with 100% precision. Geared with LIDAR, radar and photometrics, Dot then leverages machine learning to increase real-time field analysis, efficiency and safety. As additional Dot-certified crop sensors are added to the platform, these will be further tethered to Dot’s Data Cloud, enabling deep analytics.
Why it's important: Most broad-acre farming operations suffer from acute shortage of qualified machinery operators. With the Dot Farming Solution, one operator can tender several Dot autonomous systems to multiply efficiency and dramatically reduce farmers’ time spent in tractor cabs. Highly versatile, Dot offers a path to autonomous agriculture for short-line manufacturers, expanding beyond broad-acre farming into small vegetable farms, vineyards, and even sectors like forestry, mining or construction. Today’s farmers additionally face exorbitant operational costs. A fraction of the cost of a self-propelled, high-clearance sprayer, Dot further reduces both soil compaction and operational costs by “cradling” (rather than “pulling”) its Dot Ready Implements. The world needs to produce 10,000 years worth of food in the next 30 years. Empowered by a wave of new tools, tomorrow’s farmers will need to rapidly adopt autonomous AgTech solutions, like Dot, to address agricultural constraints and unleash global food abundance. Share on Facebook
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by my team of entrepreneurs and technology scouts, including contributions from standout technology experts and innovators.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University Program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Energy Robotics AI food Artificial Intellegence robots future of food lab grown meat
13 min read
Abundance Insider: June 1st, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Jun 1, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: Self-driving USPS trucks, CRISPR in space, and multilingual robot writers.
Cheers,
Peter, Marissa, Kelley, Greg, Bri, Jarom, Joseph, Derek, Jason, Claire, Max and Nora
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of course work and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Space Robotics Transportation health Artificial Intellegence robots autonomous vehicles self-driving cars biotech
14 min read
Abundance Insider: May 24th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on May 25, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: Tiny robotic bees, lung cancer-detecting AIs, and a new synthetic biology milestone.
Cheers,
Peter, Marissa, Kelley, Greg, Bri, Jarom, Joseph, Derek, Jason, Claire, Max and Nora
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital includes 100+ hours of course work and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Penny-Sized Robotic Bee Is The Most Sci-Fi Thing You'll See All Week
What it is: Harvard’s RoboBee — one of the smallest flying robots ever built — has just gotten a major upgrade. Thanks to the engineering exploits of a research team at the University of Southern California (USC), a new and improved Bee Plus now weighs in at just 95 milligrams and barely straddles the diameter of a penny. Its biggest achievement, however, involves the bee’s actuators and doubled wing count. Using an actuator design called a unimorph, the USC team was able to successfully halve the weight of those actuators used in the Harvard RoboBee precursor. This in turn allowed them to install four (as opposed to two) wings, each with a span of 33 millimeters. Rendering much smoother flight, its wings now allow Bee Plus to perch, land, swim, pursue a path, and even avoid obstacles.
Why it's important: While Bee Plus and similar robo-insect prototypes are still restricted by a power-supplying tether, as on-board energy storage remains a significant engineering obstacle, USC’s team has already begun to tackle it. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the team is now working on an approach that involves catalytic artificial muscles. Long-term, future descendants of the Bee Plus might one day artificially pollinate flowers, conduct search and rescue missions, or even monitor climate conditions in huge swarms. Farther afield, Professor Perez-Arancibia even imagines a future in which “our robots [fly] on Mars and Titan,” becoming “ant-inspired colonies of explorers.” What eventualities can you envision once these air-faring bots spread their wings? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
Google’s Lung Cancer Detection AI Outperforms 6 Human Radiologists
What it is: In partnership with Northwestern Medicine, Google researchers created an AI system that detects lung cancer from CT scans better than well-trained humans. Engineers trained the deep learning model using 42,000 CT scans from 15,000 patients taken during a 2002 NIH study. Compared to six expert radiologists, when analyzing these CT scans, the deep learning model proved to detect cancer 5 percent more often, with an 11 percent reduction in false positives.
Why it's important: While the human eye is limited to the visible spectra and feature sizes on images, AI systems can take a pixel-by-pixel approach to data analysis. Also note Google’s deployment of old NIH data: we don't need access to advanced AI systems right now to start preparing for their arrival. What data are you generating right now that you could proactively collect to help fuel future AI initiatives? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
Scientists Created Bacteria With a Synthetic Genome. Is This Artificial Life?
What it is: In an effort to understand how genes encode proteins and fundamentally create life, a team led by Jason Chin at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Britain has rewritten the DNA of the bacteria Escherichia coli to create an synthetic genome 4x larger than anything previously created. Part of what Chin wanted to explore was how genes encode for amino acids and how genetic redundancy works: six snippets of DNA encode for serine, for example. To find out why, the team treated the genome like a text file, finding and replacing codons and reducing the total variation to just four. That new synthetic genome was inserted into a cell, and surprisingly, the synthetic version remained alive.
Why it's important: As we digitize biology, we're uncovering new truths about genomics. This may lead to organisms that produce novel medicines or other valuable molecules as living factories. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
SpaceX Launches 60 Prototypes Of Its Starlink Satellites Into Orbit
What it is: On Thursday night, SpaceX successfully deployed 60 prototype satellites for its Starlink constellation. Starlink is a large-scale development effort by SpaceX to develop a low-cost satellite and accompanying ground stations (to receive signals from the satellites), with the goal of establishing a new space-based global internet communication network. Last year, SpaceX received approval from the US FCC to fully deploy 12,000 Starlink Satellites over the next decade. The company expects development, manufacturing, and deployment to cost over $10 billion in that time span.
Why it's important: Starlink’s prototype deployment is a small step for its connectivity business, but a giant leap for humanity toward communications abundance. As Peter often says, if you want to make a billion dollars, discover a way to help a billion people. By turning our species into a hyper-connected organism, Elon Musk and SpaceX will help billions of people come online and participate in the global economy. In the process, they will generate significant revenue (estimates place Starlink revenue at over $30 billion per year once deployed) to further fund Musk’s vision for colonizing the solar system. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
Experimental Brain-Controlled Hearing Aid Decodes, Identifies Who You Want To Hear
What it is: Even in the noisiest environments, our brains can pick out an individual voice and amplify it over others. Yet some of the most advanced hearing aids still struggle to achieve this brain hack, instead amplifying all voices at once. Columbia engineers might now have a solution. Building on a previous discovery that in a two-person conversation, the speaker’s brain waves begin to resemble those of the listener, researchers first leveraged neural networks to create an algorithm that separates out individual voices (from a group). Once separated, these inputted voices are then individually compared to the listener’s brain waves (monitored via implanted electrodes). Lastly, any speaker whose voice pattern most closely resembles the listener’s brain waves is amplified over all others.
Why it's important: A remarkable win for deep learning and brain-imitating mathematical models, this system might soon render a universally decoding mechanism, no longer constrained to pretrained voices or a cacophony of many. As explained by senior author Dr. Mesgarani, “By creating a device that harnesses the power of the brain itself, we hope our work will lead to technological improvements that enable the hundreds of millions of hearing-impaired people worldwide to communicate just as easily as their friends and family do." With promising test results, the team now aims to transform their prototype into a noninvasive device and grant true versatility to hearing-impaired individuals in any environment. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
Advancing AI By Teaching Robots To Learn
What it is: Facebook AI is experimenting with robotics to push the limits of what AI can accomplish. Facebook and teams from UC Berkeley and NYU are working on systems that are learning to walk on their own and to learn from touch to manipulate objects effectively. At the heart of all of these approaches is a model driven by a curiosity reward function that seeks to learn by reducing uncertainly in the immediate environment.
Why it's important: Facebook’s idea is that by developing self-supervising systems that interact with the real world -- where the data is noiser and conditions more uncertain than cleanly labeled data sets — we will be able to develop more robust robotics as well as AI systems that can generalize across modalities and learn more efficiently. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by Marissa Brassfield in preparation for Abundance 360. Read more about A360 below.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, Peter's 360-person executive mastermind, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital is Peter’s online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Space Robotics health google Artificial Intellegence robots communication communications SpaceX satellites biotech automation
12 min read
Abundance Insider: May 17th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on May 17, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: Tomato-picking robots, BCIs for addiction treatment, and a lab-on-a-chip for studying the microbiome.
Cheers,
Peter, Marissa, Kelley, Greg, Bri, Jarom, Joseph, Derek, Jason, Claire, Max and Nora
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, includes 100+ hours of course work and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Amazon's New Machines Pack Boxes Up To 5x Faster Than Humans
What it is: Amazon has revealed that it is piloting warehouse automation technology from Italian firm CMC SRL. CMC’s CartonWrap machines can pack up to 700 boxes per hour, and are already in use at JD.com, Shutterfly, and Walmart. Early projections estimate that each machine could replace as many as 24 roles in each fulfillment center, in addition to the cost and time to train new packing employees in roles with high turnover. Amazon expects that “the efficiency savings will be reinvested in new services for customers, where new jobs will continue to be created.”
Why it's important: We’re no longer expecting that robotics will automate many laborious, routine, and potentially dangerous jobs—that time is already here. As this happens, it’s critical to highlight the messaging around the rollout, which focuses on safety, reinvestment, and the high employee turnover in fulfillment center jobs. How can you emulate this approach as you roll out politically and socially sensitive future initiatives? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
Human Gut Microbiome Physiology Can Now Be Studied In Vitro Using Organ Chip Technology
What it is: Up until now, it has proved extraordinarily challenging to study direct interactions between the human microbiome and intestinal tissue in the lab. However, researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have now leveraged ‘organ-on-a-chip’ technology for an effective new solution. The team first employs its Intestine Chip, comprised of two parallel microchannels divided by a porous membrane—the upper channel containing human intestinal epithelial cells, and the lower channel hosting vascular endothelial cells from intestinal microvessels. The team then establishes an oxygen gradient across the two channels, providing high oxygen levels to the chip’s intestinal epithelium and endothelium, and low levels to the bacteria-inhabited lumen. In a remarkable feat, the Intestine Chip was found to stably maintain microbial diversity in direct contact with human intestinal tissue for a full 5 days.
Why it's important: As explained by team lead and the Wyss Institute's Founding Director Donald Ingber, “This new anaerobic Intestine Chip technology now provides a way to study clinically relevant human host-microbiome interactions at the cellular and molecular levels under highly controlled conditions in vitro." No longer relying on mere correlational studies between disease and bacterial DNA in human stool samples, researchers’ effective use of organs-on-a-chip affords us a powerful new tool to understand the ways in which human gut flora profoundly affect human health and disease. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
Experimental Surgery Gains Support As Opioid Deaths Rise
What it is: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been used for years in the treatment of Parkinson’s and other movement-related disorders. Now, doctors at Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital are seeing promising results in the treatment of opioid addiction. Five of eight patients in China have stayed off heroin for at least two years, and a patient who received a device six months ago has been off drugs for the duration. A number of factors have led to delays in experimentation in Europe and the U.S., including the high cost of devices ($100,000 in the U.S. vs $25,000 in China), difficulties in recruiting patients, and failed attempts to use DBS in the treatment of depression, which altered the risk-reward balance in the U.S. China, however, is moving ahead. To date, eight clinical trials have been registered throughout the world, six of which are in China.
Why it's important: Most of the concern in experimentation outside of the U.S. centers on the ethical risks of implants and surgery. While it’s important to note the cultural differences here in perception of a massive problem (which seems to carry a higher cost in China), as more devices are implanted, we’ll gain a much better understanding of how the brain functions overall. Follow this line of research, whether you’re exploring the potential of BCI or the treatment of other disorders. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
This Robot Picks Tomatoes Without Bruising Them And Detects Ripeness Better Than Humans
What it is: Massachusetts-based startup Root AI has developed its first agricultural robot, the Virgo 1, an expert tomato picker. Geared with sensors, cameras and onboard lights for nighttime harvesting, this self-driving robot can autonomously navigate huge commercial greenhouses, regardless of the time of day. Operated by its AI software brain, Virgo 1 then detects which tomatoes are sufficiently ripe for harvest, now with a success rate higher than that of humans. Once the right candidates are chosen, Virgo 1’s dexterous robotic hand can pluck tomatoes without bruising them or tearing down connected vines. Made from a food-safe, easy-to-clean plastic, these robotic fingers are even designed to eliminate the spread of mold, viruses or insects, protecting clean crops from faulty counterparts.
Why it's important: Virgo’s sensors and grippers can be reconfigured, and its AI software rewritten, to handle any number of crops. As noted by Root AI’s CEO Josh Lessing, “It’s a complete mobile platform enabled to harvest whatever you need.” Today, farmers spend over $34 billion per year on agricultural labor in the U.S. alone. Swiftly disrupting this labor-intensive sector, however, is a global smart agriculture market projected to reach nearly US$24 billion in value by the end of 2025. Already, exponential technologies from synthetic biology to computer vision are closing in on traditional agriculture from all directions, and AgTech robots like Virgo 1 are poised to become tomorrow’s harvesters. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
Wireless Network Brings Dust-Sized Brain Implants A Step Closer
What it is: Brain computer interfaces (BCI) of the future that enable high-fidelity, high-speed brain-to-computer communications will require a decentralized wireless network of thousands of nano- to micro-scale units embedded throughout our neural system. Engineers from Brown University, Qualcomm, and the University of California at San Diego presented a communication scheme to overcome the critical issue of coordinating communications between these decentralized BCIs. Their system will allow two-way communication between each BCI unit and an external device at a rate of 10 Mb/s uplink and a downlink rate of 1 Mb/s. The engineering team dubbed their 0.25-square-millimeter implants “neurograins.”
Why it's important: Over the past year, we’ve featured incredible breakthroughs in BCI technologies. While these breakthroughs are technological marvels, they are rudimentary compared to the everyday BCIs we’ll see later in the 21st century. As Ray Kurzweil predicts, and as these researchers are taking active steps to achieve, we’ll soon have thousands of nanobots monitoring and regulating every aspect of our physiology -- from our brains to other vital organs. In the age of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, will networks of nanoscopic BCIs provide humans the next evolutionary boost needed to thrive alongside and coevolve with hyperintelligent machines? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by Marissa Brassfield in preparation for Abundance 360. Read more about A360 below.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, a Singularity University Program, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital, a Singularity University Program, is an online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Robotics health robots Amazon Brain computer interface automation bci brain machine interface
12 min read
Revolutionizing Disaster Relief: A Tale of Convergence
By Peter H. Diamandis on Apr 7, 2019
Between 2005 and 2014, natural disasters have claimed the lives of over 700,000 people and resulted in total damage of more than US$1.4 trillion.
Topics: 3D Printing Robotics Materials Science Manufacturing Sensors Entrepreneurship Exponentials Technology Artificial Intellegence robots Drones Autonomous Drones materials networks connectivity trillion sensor economy smart cities nanobots construction connection entrepreneur augmented manufacturing convergence catalyzer additive manufacturing convergence disaster relief humanitarian aid humanitarian aid exponential technology drone technology nanorobots smart tracking mobile connectivity
14 min read
Abundance Insider: March 8th, 2019
By Peter H. Diamandis on Mar 8, 2019
In this week's Abundance Insider: Backflipping zoomorphic robots, SpaceX’s autonomous ISS mission, and a new breakthrough in HIV+ treatment.
Cheers,
Peter, Marissa, Kelley, Greg, Bri, Jarom, Joseph, Derek, Jason, Claire and Max
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital includes 100+ hours of course work and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
This AI Lets You Customize How You Sound And Effectively Create A DIY Voice Deepfake
What it is: Modulate, a startup from Cambridge, Massachusetts, is bringing the human voice into the digital age. Using a generative adversarial network, Modulate allows you to add a voice “skin” to your digital avatar. Beyond the cool factor, the team’s goal is to allow you to speak up in games, social networks, or streaming chats with a level of anonymity that removes any fear of discrimination or harassment. All processing runs on your device to eliminate latency concerns, meaning you might be able to hear your digital voice in real time. Importantly, the technology also incorporates a digital audio watermark, acknowledging the potential for misuse.
Why it's important: While Modulate’s immediate focus markets right now lie in gaming — think World of Warcraft and social chat apps — additional near-term use cases include giving brands a unique voice, providing multiple speakers a consistent voice, or customizing voice in apps like Waze or Alexa. Zooming out, this illustrates how AI and GANs “as a Service” are becoming easier to create, use, and share with the world. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
Tesla To Close Retail Stores, Only Sell Cars Online
What it is: To bring its Model 3 to market at a $35,000 price point, Tesla recently announced that it would be closing all retail sales and moving to an online-only sales model. The company is estimating an approximate cost reduction of 6 percent from the move, which will be passed to customers on the Model 3, Model S and Model X. Tesla also reduced its upfront deposit to $1,000, and is now allowing customers to return their vehicles for any reason up to 1,000 miles. In related news, Volvo unveiled the Polestar 2 all-electric sedan at the Geneva Motor Show. With a base model starting at $63,000 before $7,500 in federal incentives, the Polestar 2 will also be sold exclusively online, but goes a step further by offering an all-inclusive monthly price tag that includes insurance and maintenance.
Why it's important: These data points — combined with GM’s Cadillac subscription model, which we’ve previously featured in Abundance Insider — signal a dematerialization of auto sales and demonetization of adjacent products and services that were once an annoying hassle (e.g. maintenance at the dealer/body shop, insurance through your bank/broker). As this trend continues and converges with autonomy, look for business model experimentation to accelerate. If your business is related to auto sales, how will you adapt to take advantage of this opportunity? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Peter H. Diamandis & Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
HIV Is Reported Cured In A Second Patient, A Milestone In The Global AIDS Epidemic
What it is: For the second time after 12 years, an HIV-positive patient has entered long-term remission. The reported cure, however, was not purposefully engineered but rather discovered by chance: a true eureka moment for modern medicine. Intending to treat cancer in both HIV+ patients, doctors administered bone marrow transplants from donors with mutations in cell surface protein CCR5, and — astonishingly — cured both. While HIV uses CCR5 to enter immune cells, the virus cannot latch onto a mutated version of the protein, halting its spread. After introducing this genetic variation to his immune system, the “London patient” has now become the first since Timothy Ray Brown (cured in the late 2000s) to remain virus-free for over a year after antiretroviral therapy.
Why it's important: While scientists are debating whether bone-marrow transplants are a realistic option for general HIV treatment in the future, the implications are staggering. Many have already proposed much less invasive uses of the genetic mutation in CCR5, such as gene-therapy approaches that knock out the protein on immune cells or even predecessor stem cells. Yet others are investigating viral delivery systems that could hunt and delete CCR5 receptors. And new stem cell research might even allow HIV-resistant donors to offer resistant stem cells to any patient. We are truly living in an era that defies the impossible. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Max Goldberg / Written by Claire Adair
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Team Nails Their First Major Milestones - Next Stop: A Crewed U.S. Space Mission
What it is: In the early hours of Saturday morning on March 2, SpaceX launched the historic Crew Demo-1 mission. With Crew Dragon, SpaceX became the first company to design, build, test, launch, and dock a spacecraft made to fly people to the International Space Station -- or anywhere in Earth’s orbit. Next, SpaceX is scheduled to launch Crew Demo-2, which will be the first manned orbital spaceflight to launch from American soil since the space shuttle last launched in 2011. It’s official: we’ve entered the next era of manned spaceflight.
Why it's important: Compounding on this historic achievement, Crew Demo-1 exemplifies the extraordinary progress and impact of the private space industry over the past two decades. And private companies like SpaceX are just getting started. It’s poignant that this extraordinary year for spaceflight falls on the 50th anniversary of humankind first landing on the Moon. What new discoveries and breakthroughs will we make in this next era of space travel? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
Goodyear’s New Aero Tire Is Built With Flying Cars In Mind
What it is: At this week’s Geneva International Motor Show, Goodyear unveiled its new concept Aero tire, designed to run on roads and double as a propulsion system for flying vehicles. With a non-pneumatic structure (not supported by air pressure), the tire would incorporate flexible new materials capable of both absorbing road shock and weathering stress during the car’s transition from horizontal to airborne. Another 2-in-1 would involve Aero’s propellor blades, built for the dual purpose of providing lift for an ascending car and supporting the weight of a moving, manned vehicle.
Why it's important: With an eye to the future of transportation, Goodyear’s Aero concept reflects a major paradigm shift towards multimodal tools and versatile structures that seamlessly transition between tasks, intelligently self-correct and meet any number of different demands. Beyond new tire technology, Goodyear has already begun to envision an Urban Aerial Mobility Ecosystem of 5G-enabled vehicle-to-vehicle communication, sensor-geared tire materials and condition-monitoring AIs. Combine these visions with the future of infrastructure, roadways and smart traffic flow, and Goodyear will need good company. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
MIT’s Speedy Mini Cheetah Robot Learns To Backflip
What it is: MIT’s latest Cheetah robot weighs only 20 pounds, but it can thrust itself into a 360-degree backflip, run at 5 miles per hour, and perform agile footwork. This lightweight, high-powered design marks the first time that a four-legged robot has performed a backflip. Further, the MIT engineers behind the robot built it to be incredibly robust and rugged. In the rare case that a part of the robot does break during its impressive acrobatics, it’s easy and inexpensive to fix. MIT’s goal with this robust robotics platform is “to form a mini cheetah research consortium of engineers who can invent, swap, and even compete with new ideas.”
Why it's important: Robots are becoming less expensive and more capable everyday. Beyond Cheetah’s applications in disaster relief, this robust robotics platform enables researchers to innovate in ways that will transform how we interact with technology in the future. How might you use anthropomorphic and zoomorphic robots in your everyday life? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by Marissa Brassfield in preparation for Abundance 360. Read more about A360 below.
Want more conversations like this?
Join Peter Diamandis in Dubai, the City of the Future, for the inaugural Abundance 360 Dubai Summit on March 26 - 27, 2019. Hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation and the Crown Prince of Dubai, this two-day experience offers exponential leaders an immersive look into how technology will transform every industry. Read more about the program and apply here to join.
Abundance Digital is Peter’s online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.
Topics: Abundance Insider Space Robotics Transportation retail Artificial Intellegence robots healthcare Tesla SpaceX biotech deepfakes future of retail flying cars
14 min read
Abundance Insider: October 19th, 2018
By Peter H. Diamandis on Oct 19, 2018
In this week's Abundance Insider: Self-balancing bipedal bots, California chatbot regulations and next-gen autonomous farming.
Cheers,
Peter, Marissa, Kelley, Greg, Bri, Jarom, Joseph, Derek, Jason, Claire and Max
P.S. Send any tips to our team by clicking here, and send your friends and family to this link to subscribe to Abundance Insider.
P.P.S. Want to learn more about exponential technologies and hone in on your MTP/ Moonshot? Abundance Digital includes 100+ hours of course work and video archives for entrepreneurs, like you. Keep up to date on exponential news and get feedback on your boldest ideas from an experienced, supportive community. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Inside Silicon Valley’s Newest, Most Autonomous Farm Yet
What it is: Led by CEO Brandon Alexander, formerly of X (formerly Google X), digital agriculture company Iron Ox built a unique robotic farm designed to operate fully autonomously. The company recently transitioned their prototype farm into a full production facility. The first of these farms, situated in a 1,000-square-foot, San Carlos, California-based warehouse, grows romaine lettuce, bok choy, cilantro, and two dozen other types of greens. The farm can produce nearly 30 times more produce than a traditional 1 acre farm and uses 90 percent less water than traditional farming. Iron Ox uses a horizontal, single-floor layout fueled by natural overhead sunlight.
Why it's important: The global food supply chain is highly inefficient. Iron Ox’s scalable, autonomous approach to locally grown food is one of the many digital agriculture solutions bringing farming closer to the table. Produce can travel nearly around the globe before it lands on your plate, resulting in nearly half the cost of food coming from transportation. What if we could dramatically reduce (or eliminate) these costs? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
Honda Is Giving Cars The Ability To See Around Corners To Avoid Accidents
What it is: Building out what it calls “vehicle-to-everything” communication (or V2X), Honda is now partnering with the city of Marysville, Ohio to test the company’s Smart Intersection technology. In an effort to address the limitations of existing autonomous vehicle sensors, which cannot see around corners, Honda’s 33 Smart Mobility Corridor project leverages proprietary object recognition software and cameras installed at intersections to provide a 360-degree view of a given street, with distance of up to 300 feet. Intersection-mounted cameras then communicate this data directly to vehicles, allowing them to see around corners and ‘through’ obstructing buildings to preemptively avoid collisions and other threats.
Why it's important: According to Honda’s reported statistics, about 40 percent of all car collisions, and almost 20 percent of the U.S.’ annual 35,000 traffic-related fatalities, take place at intersections. While autonomous vehicles will dramatically reduce these figures, even the most advanced sensors leave gaping blind spots behind adjacent buildings and other obstructions. As smart city infrastructure comes online, however, V2X technology will grant any connected vehicle the data it needs for contextual vision and preventative decisionmaking. Such smart traffic systems can enable a zero-collision record and remarkable efficiency improvements. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
‘Venus Flytrap’ Spheres Catch and Destroy BPA
What it is: Scientists have just developed micron-sized spheres capable of catching and destroying BPA, a synthetic compound used to make certain plastics and resins. Commonly found in coatings inside food cans, water supply lines and bottle tops, BPA has been suspected of damaging children’s health and contributing to high blood pressure in cases of prolonged exposure. One known solution involves reactive oxygen species (ROS), which degrades BPA into harmless chemicals. Leveraging titanium dioxide, which releases ROS when triggered by UV light, researchers built flowerlike spheres composed of titanium dioxide pedals, enhanced with cyclodextrin (a benign sugar-based molecule). And with these new 3- to 5-micron spherical particles of enhanced titanium dioxide, scientists found that only 200 mg of these spheres per liter of contaminated water successfully degraded 90 percent of BPA in only one hour.
Why it's important: As explained by Rice University’s Materials Science, Nanoengineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Pedro Alvarez, “This new material helps overcome two significant technological barriers for photocatalytic water treatment.” One involves the efficiency of water treatment as a result of reducing the scavenging of ROS by other constituents in the water that prevent it from primarily catching and neutralizing BPA. These enhanced titanium dioxide spheres are rechargeable once recovered, allowing them to be separated and reused at low cost. At scale, this material could pose a highly effective solution for decontaminating BPA-tainted water. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Claire Adair
The World’s First Lions Conceived By Artificial Insemination Have Been Born
What it is: Following nearly 18 months of studying the lion reproductive system, researchers at the University of Pretoria achieved a breakthrough: the world’s first African lions born by artificial insemination. Due to declining numbers and inbreeding, lions don’t breed as well in the wild, and the logistics present a challenge to breeding in captivity. This can potentially slow the decline of African lions, whose population has dropped by almost 98 percent over the last 220 years.
Why it's important: Science and technology give us truly superhuman powers -- in this case, the ability to help prevent the loss of endangered and vulnerable species to extinction. How might this breakthrough impact ecology and conservation efforts? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
Robot Masters Human Balancing Act
What it is: Researchers at the University of Texas Austin are leveraging lessons from human biomechanics to optimize biped robots. Their new biped robot Mercury replicates the fine motor skills that allow humans to walk through crowded spaces without bumping into people or objects. In the researchers' words, "[The technique teaches] autonomous robots how to maintain balance even when they are hit unexpectedly or a force is applied without warning." The UT-Austin team translated key human dynamics into a set of math equations used to program Mercury. These underlying equations can, theoretically, be programmed into any AI-powered biped robot to improve its balance. The team recently demonstrated a prototype of this self-balancing biped robot, and last week presented their work at the Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.
Why it's important: Advanced motor skills may eventually be applied to robots in emergency rescue, defense, entertainment, food service and more. Leveraging lessons from artificial intelligence and biomechanics, we're seeing increasingly humanlike robots under development. Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Max Goldberg
A California Law Now Means Chatbots Have To Disclose They’re Not Human
What it is: Last month, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB-1001 into law, requiring companies to disclose to customers when they are communicating with a bot. The new law is intended to cover commercial and political communications in environments like social media, but will likely face significant litigation before it goes into effect next July. For starters, it is not easy to define what constitutes commercial or political speech, and the difference between an automated script used to reply to emails versus a third-party service like Marketo or Infusionsoft is unclear. Regardless of the outcome, as we’ve seen with GDPR in the EU, the world will be watching, as it is difficult to draw geographic lines on the Internet.
Why it's important: This is likely to be the first of many legislative battles around the use of AI and bots in daily lives. What opportunities do you see for increasing trust and transparency into the system to head off the potential for regulatory overreach? Share on Facebook
Spotted by Marissa Brassfield / Written by Jason Goodwin
What is Abundance Insider?
This email is a briefing of the week's most compelling, abundance-enabling tech developments, curated by Marissa Brassfield in preparation for Abundance 360. Read more about A360 below.
Want more conversations like this?
At Abundance 360, Peter's 360-person executive mastermind, we teach the metatrends, implications and unfair advantages for entrepreneurs enabled by breakthroughs like those featured above. We're looking for CEOs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The program is highly selective. If you'd like to be considered, apply here.
Abundance Digital is Peter’s online educational portal and community of abundance-minded entrepreneurs. You’ll find weekly video updates from Peter, a curated newsfeed of exponential news, and a place to share your bold ideas. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Know someone who would benefit from getting Abundance Insider? Send them to this link to sign up.