Today, most robots and machines that need to move around use motors to do it. In the future, they might use artificial muscles that work more like our own biological versions. Researchers from the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois have created a new artificial muscle design based on . They say this material can lift more than 12,000 times its own weight. Coiled artificial muscles are not an entirely new idea, but other teams have used nylon fibers. The University of Illinois team believed greater strength-to-weight ratios were possible with a more versatile base material.
Earth is completely overrun with humans. There are billions of us living and dying on this planet, leaving signs of our existence in the soil, atmosphere, and even in space. Are we the first, though? Researchers from the University of Rochester and NASA have produced a paper that details how we might be able to tell if humans are the first civilization to arise on Earth. They call the possibility that we’re not the first rulers of Earth the Silurian Hypothesis, . Human history can seem extensive, but we’ve only existed for a geologic blink of the eye.
If you’ve been a Windows PC user for any length of time, chances are you’ve had to take a screenshot. The simplest (and one of the oldest) methods is to hit the Print Screen (PrtScn) button next to the F12 key, open your preferred photo editor, and paste the screenshot in using Ctrl-V. But it’s not the only method, and not even the most useful, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Advanced Print Screen Features First, you can use the Alt key to take a screenshot of the foreground application, even when multiple applications are open at the same time.
Google made waves when it launched Google Glass a few years back, but that particular face computer was . Google killed Glass in 2015 as a result. hoped not to repeat Google’s mistake when it revealed the Vaunt smart glasses earlier this year. However, Intel is already throwing in the towel. , and so is the entire division that created it. Intel started work on the hardware that would become the Vaunt in 2013 when it founded the New Devices Group (NDG). The Vaunt didn’t look like Google Glass or any of the other augmented reality glasses that followed.
Looking for a powerful laptop that’s still affordable? Right now, Dell is offering up the 15.6-inch Inspiron 15 5000 with a seventh generation Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a dedicated Radeon R7 M445 graphics card for just 700 bucks. You can also pick up the new Nintendo LABO, save on the Google DayDream VR viewer, and enjoy and extra 20 percent discount on select Amazon warehouse deals. Featured Deals with 16GB RAM, 4GB AMD GPU for $699.99 at Dell (List price: $899.99). for $349.99 at Dell (List price: $449.99).
About a month ago, Kyle Bennett at HardOCP broke a story on Nvidia’s GeForce Partner Program (GPP), alleging that Nvidia is using the program to systemically disadvantage AMD GPUs. According to Bennett, all companies that wish to be part of GPP must have its “Gaming Brand Aligned Exclusively With GeForce.” The controversy has been simmering quietly in the background for about a month, but recent GPU launches from Asus may indicate the rumors about GPP’s restrictions are true. Here’s how HardOCP last month. The Asus example below was hypothetical at the time it was written; it may not be so hypothetical after today:
The BMW X3 compact SUV is the standout among a dozen premium compact SUVs: a triumph of sporty handling, technology, driver assists, roominess for all passengers, and comfortable ride. Drive the X3 to work today, take it to the track tomorrow for a lapping day, carry two couples for a long weekend in the country. The X3 does it all. Features that others have, BMW does better. BMW’s excellence comes at a price: the cost of options. The base X3 starts at $42,000, with rear drive and vinyl seats. The features that make the car so desirable, such as a giant center stack display and adaptive suspension, can push the price into the high fifties.
We’ve seen technology take off in recent years as companies like Google and IBM create ever-smarter machines. Computers can beat humans at Go and spot exoplanets now, but there’s a potentially darker side to this technology. Several months ago, a group of developers released a power face-swapping neural network, which was, of course, used to make porn. Now, Buzzfeed has created a video that shows a more troubling side of this technology. The video shows former President Barack Obama , and it looks surprisingly believable. The tool is known as FakeApp, but the videos are usually called “Deepfakes” because that’s the handle used by the original developer on Reddit.
Like all the other stars in the universe, our sun was not born in isolation. The same clouds of dust and gas that gave rise to the sun and all the planets coalesced into other star systems that have since drifted away from us. Scientists from Australia have completed the most ambitious analysis yet of stellar “DNA” to . With this newly released data, astronomers may be able to find our sun’s siblings and learn about the evolution of the galaxy. As we look out on the universe, scientists have spotted many regions of star formation. These places are dense with stars, but our little corner of the galaxy isn’t so dense.
