Posted 08/25/08 at 08:21:16 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Intel’s CTO, Justin Rattner, delivered a pretty phantasmagoric keynote at the IDF in San Francisco. Invariably most keynotes by tech honchos are about future technologies. But Rattner just didn’t concern himself with the imminent future – the Nehalems and Larrabees - but he allowed his imagination take unbridled flight. He pictured what the world might be like in 2050, where computers would be smarter than us frizzled, frayed Homo sapiens.

“There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future,” Rattner said.

Rattner even demonstrated a couple of personal robot prototypes, which employ razor-sharp sensing technologies, though only crude precursors to the “2050 machines”. The first robot – a robotic arm actually - was equipped with electric field pre-touch technology that allows it to sense objects before even touching them. And, just for your knowledge, fish are bestowed with this capability. The second robot is capable of recognizing faces and performing simple tasks as commanded.

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intel, Software, hardware, IDF, robots, justin rattner, 2050, a.i, machines

Posted 07/21/08 at 03:42:14 PM by Norman Chan

Like the American Idol finale and Superbowl Sunday, Shark Week is a hallowed American tradition that celebrates the special bond between a couch potato and his high-definition television. And in case you haven’t glanced at the big red circle on your wall calendar recently, the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week is coming up next week. This year’s line up features hour-long specials including “Surviving Sharks” and “Mysteries of the Shark Coast,” but the highlight of the event for us is going to be the Mythbusters’ Shark Special. Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman, and gang will hit the Bahamas this year to investigate shark myths (ie. Do dogs attract sharks? Does chili powder repel them?). The highlight of this year’s show has to be their 16-foot robo-shark (frickin’ laser beams not confirmed).

Click through the jump for some photos from the upcoming episode, set to air on July 27th at 9pm (PST). 

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robots, Mythbusters, sharks, shark week, adam savage, jamie myneman, myths

Posted 06/23/08 at 04:12:47 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Ace Ventura vividly described women as “a temple to house the miracle of procreation” in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, but scientists at a British University have ushered in an era in which robots will also be endowed with the divine gift of reproduction, or more precisely, replication. Researchers at the University of Bath have successfully developed RepRap, self-replicating machine that can copy itself ad infinitum.

Despite all the technological advancements you still have no choice but to click on the "Read More" link to know how the self-replicating robot might be a step closer to the ultimate sci-fi nightmare and how you can build one yourself.

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design, Sci-fi, robots, self-replicating, reproduction