Inspired By Cheetahs, Researchers Build Fastest Soft Robots Yet !!

Inspired by the biomechanics of cheetahs, researchers have developed a new type of soft robot that is capable of moving more quickly on a solid surfaces or in the water than previous generations of soft robots. The new soft robotics are also capable of grabbing objects delicately — or with sufficient strength to lift heavy objects. “Cheetahs are the fastest creatures on land, and they derive their speed and power from the flexing of their spines,” says Jie Yin, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina…

Meet Chirag Chopra, the Delhi developer whose biggest Possession is a game on Apple Arcade !!

“In my childhood, we weren’t financially strong. But then things started changing when we started buying sometimes useful, sometimes luxury objects. That’s where the name ‘Possessions’ comes from…our possessions tells us what we are.” Chirag Chopra, the 27-year-old founder of Lucid Labs, the only Indian developer to make it to Apple Arcade, is a matter of fact on why his game is called Possessions. The word ‘Possession’ has deep philosophical meaning, says Chopra, adding he decided to name the game thus because it tells us how successful or financially independent we…

Zuckerberg Says Facebook Will Review its Policies Around State Use of Force and Voter Supression !!

Despite rising criticism over Facebook’s inaction over recent comments from US President Donald Trump, despite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently stating that he believes in the company’s policy direction is well thought out and on the right track. In light of the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter protests, and internal unrest over its approach, Zuckerberg has today announced that Facebook will review its policies as part of a broader effort to improve, and address concerns around racial inequality. In a long post on his Facebook profile, Zuckerberg shared a memo, which he’d initially posted to Facebook employees, which outlines his thoughts…

How Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) Used In Education — Real World Examples Of Today And A Peek Into The Future !!

While the debate regarding how much screen time is appropriate for children rages on among educators, psychologists, and parents, it’s another emerging technology in the form of artificial intelligence and machine learning that is beginning to alter education tools and institutions and changing what the future might look like in education. It is expected that artificial intelligence in U.S. Education will grow by 47.5% from 2017-2021 according to the Artificial Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector report. Even though  the most experts believe the critical presence of teachers is irreplaceable, there will be many changes…

GST reduction, scrappage policy to help revive commercial vehicle industry: Ashok Leyland !!

New Delhi: Reduction in GST rate and introduction of scrappage policy would help in reviving the commercial vehicle sector which has been facing headwinds for quite for some time now, a top Ashok LeylandNSE 5.68 % official said. The Hinduja Group flagship company also expects the situation due to the current downturn in the industry, most recently due to the coronavirus pandemic, to improve gradually during the current fiscal. “The answer is yes, it certainly will,” Ashok Leyland MD and CEO Vipin Sondhi told when asked if the GST rate…

Medical Devices Startups Look To Ride Healthtech Wave As Regulatory Barriers Lower !!

With the shifting market in dynamics caused by Covid-19 pandemic, pretty much everything is in overhaul mode. Within the burgeoning health tech ecosystem, the medical devices market is also witnessing a dramatic shift as policies are being changed to accommodate the high demand. But at the same time, it also becomes crucial for medical device manufacturers, hospitals, research institutions and regulators to validate medical devices thoroughly for safety, reliability and quality, thereby following stringent testing protocols, safety measures and ethical approval processes.  So the industry is currently balancing the seemingly…

A worldwide hackathon’: Hospitals turn to crowdsourcing and 3D printing amid equipment shortages !!

  Earlier this month, the CEO of an Italian 3D-printing startup learned that a hospital near the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy was running short on a small but crucial component: the valves that connect respirators to oxygen masks. The company that makes the valves couldn’t keep up with the demand, and doctors were in search of a solution. “When we heard about the shortage, we got in touch with the hospital immediately. We printed some prototypes. The hospital tested them and told us they worked,” the CEO,Cristain…

Tracing app challenge, Innovation Awards and more: best of the week’s news !!

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Korea had the worst outbreak outside China of Covid-19. The government seized data and immediately put together and implemented a test-and-trace system. This country of 51 million people has recorded 273 deaths to date, with only a couple in the last five days. The UK has a population of nearly 67 million – 31%  more than South Korea – and has a recorded a death toll of 40,000 (although there are another 20,000 over the seasonal average that are unaccounted for)…

Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials !!

For engineers developing new materials or protective coatings, there are billions of different possibilities to sort through. Lab tests or even detailed computer simulations to determine their exact properties, such as toughness, can take hours, days, or more for each variation. Now, a new artificial intelligence-based approach developed at MIT could reduce that to a matter of milliseconds, making it practical to screen vast arrays of candidate materials. The system, which MIT researchers hope could be used to develop an stronger protective coatings or structural materials — for example, to…

Big Data, Artificial Intelligence & Related Technologies with Relevance To Current Education Trends !!

As has been the case with every industry that the magic hand of Information Technology (IT) has touched, education too, is undergoing a tumultuous revolution. It is one of the fastest growing industries in recent times thanks to IT. The first & foremost aspect of this revolution is the ‘access’. The Internet has made so much information available at the simple click of a button. The old brick and mortar situation where at any given point of time the ‘guru’ knows more than the ‘sishya’ is a thing of the past….