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Self-healing robot skin created out of human cells
University of Tokyo researchers have created a living skin, made from human cells and collagen, for a robotic finger.
NASA’s last “Great Observatory” could be coming out of retirement
A startup’s audacious plan to revive NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope just secured a $250,000 Space Force contract.
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Hard Reset
Hacking the Anthropocene with survivalist robots
80% of our ocean floors have never been studied. This robot sailboat is unlocking the most treacherous parts.
10 must-see technologies from CES 2024
From super-hyped AI assistants to apps that translate babies’ cries, CES 2024 has given us a glimpse at the tech of tomorrow, today.
Tiny biobots surprise their creators by healing wound
Tiny “biobots” made from human windpipe cells, amazingly, helped damaged neural tissue to repair itself in a new study.
New harvesting robots are gentle enough to pick this fruit
A pair of harvesting robots are picking raspberries in Portugal, demonstrating the ability of tech to help combat seasonal labor shortages.
From robotic dogs to magnetic slime: 6 ways robots are helping humans
Robots are helping humans in a growing number of places - from archaeological sites to disaster zones to sewers.
How digital intelligence is helping to train the next generation of surgeons
In partnership with Intuitive
To optimize training, many surgeons have turned to robots and artificial intelligence.
How to build the skills needed for the age of AI
Knowledge-based workers already need to skill-up to coexist with sophisticated artificial intelligence technologies.
I used generative AI to create pictures of painting robots, but I’m not the artist — humanity is
Generative AI systems are incredible and hugely important, but they are not creative. In fact, they’re not even intelligent.
These are the next big breakthroughs in medicine
In partnership with Intuitive
These companies are working to change the future of health care.
World’s fastest “shoes” increase walking speed by 250%
Shift Robotics is taking pre-orders on Moonwalkers — $1,400 “shoes” that let you walk 2.5x faster without expending any extra energy.
DeepMind’s pricey robot simulator is now available for free
AI research lab DeepMind, a sister company of Google, has purchased and open-sourced the powerful robot simulator MuJoCo.
Is our world ready for mind-controllable robotic body parts?
Advanced neuroprosthetics are here, and they could hook our brains into the Internet of Things.
Students build reusable rocket, win $5,000 from NASA
The University of Alabama in Huntsville has won Student Launch 2023, NASA’s annual rocket-building competition.
6 tech trends at CES 2024 that are shaping the future
From AI to health and the metaverse, these tech trends promise to change our lives long after the excitement of the newest TV wears off.
This little robot is cleaning up beaches, one cigarette butt at a time
Robot litter picker, the BeachBot, uses artificial intelligence to detect trash like cigarette butts and help clean up beaches.
Tiny robots completely clear out deadly pneumonia infection in mice
Researchers have created microscopic robots capable of clearing pneumonia from the lungs of mice.
Science fiction books that predicted the future with terrifying accuracy
Science fiction writers have anticipated a variety of modern inventions, from cars to organ transplants. Some books barely seem like fiction.
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Operation: Reimagine Surgery
This amazing gel may help in the fight against cancer
In partnership with Intuitive
“Instead of thinking about a treatment, we can, really for the first time, think about a cure.”
Watch: Incredible jumping robot triples world record
A new jumping robot that can soar nearly 100 feet into the air might use the ability to explore the moon for NASA.
Elevator technology is going up
A new generation of elevator technology may soon change the way you ride.
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Hard Reset Gift Guide
LEGO, Mark Rober class & CRISPR kit: 5 futuristic gifts from Hard Reset
The LEGO BOOST toolbox, a Mark Rober Arduino course, and more — here are 5 great gifts for lifelong learners.
AI narrates 5,000 free audiobooks for Project Gutenberg
A new text-to-speech system developed by Microsoft and MIT was used to create nearly 5,000 audiobooks for Project Gutenberg.
Sophia the robot becomes first humanoid to be signed by a gaming org
Sophia the robot has signed to XSET, a gaming organization and lifestyle brand focused on diversity and inclusion.
A “magnetic tentacle robot” could hunt down cancer deep in your lungs
UK researchers have developed a small, flexible, snake-like "magnetic tentacle robot" to navigate deep into the lungs.
Joystick-operated robot could help surgeons treat stroke remotely
With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a robotic arm at another location to safely operate on a patient.
Life on Mars, together
Researchers spent two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station conducting an analog mission for potential future trips to Mars.
How low-cost surgical training programs could save lives in low-resource countries
In partnership with Intuitive
Lack of access to surgery leads to millions of deaths every year around the world. Meet the innovators who are working to reduce this toll.
Sophia the robot talks Elon Musk, climate change, and more
Celebrity humanoid Sophia the robot shares her “thoughts” on climate change, Elon Musk, and more with Freethink.
$26K solar car now has a factory
Solar car startup Aptera has purchased a factory where its vehicles will be carried from station to station by autonomous robots.
What does the future hold for generative AI?
Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, kicks off a symposium on the promise and pitfalls of increasingly powerful AI tools like ChatGPT.
Can your mind ever “own” an extra body part?
A robotic finger can feel like a part of our hand after just a short time using it, suggesting that our brains can "own" extra body parts.
MIT’s “Mini Cheetah” teaches itself to run 8.7 mph, breaking speed record
The four-legged robots learn how to move through experience — both in the real world and in simulations.
3 ways autonomous farming is driving a new era of agriculture
Could autonomous tractors, drones, and seed-planters fill the growing labor shortage in the agricultural industry?
Chinese robot clones pigs with no human help
A robot that automates a common technique for animal cloning has been used to produce a litter of pigs in China.
Technology expert tells us why the AI “doomer” narrative is all wrong
Alex Kantrowitz believes “doomerism” is born of our misplaced and exaggerated human propensity for fear. Plus, fear sells.
Gates-backed company is using robots to build mega solar farms
With new capital from a Bill Gates-backed VC firm, Terabase wants to automate solar farm construction.
Flexible brain implant tested in people for the first time
Startup Precision Neuroscience has tested its flexible, ultra-thin brain implants in people for the first time.
See inside NASA’s simulated Mars base for the first time
NASA has unveiled Mars Dune Alpha, a simulated Mars base where volunteers will live like Mars astronauts for a year at a time.
The age of the autonomous forklift is here
Facing a skilled labor crunch, companies are turning to autonomous forklift fleets for a safer, faster, more efficient work environment.
Magnetic robot can save lives after a brain hemorrhage
Researchers have developed a microbot-containing, magnetically controlled catheter for removing blood from brain hemorrhages.
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Just Might Work
“Art exoskeleton” lets you feel opera
This Philadelphia theater puts robotic suits on guests before they watch Opera.
New exoskeleton lets you enter the boxing ring as a robot
Japanese company Skeletonics has developed a new exoskeleton that lets you enter the boxing ring as a nine-foot-tall robot.
Robot kid successfully conveys six emotions on its face
An android child capable of expressing six emotions puts us one step closer to a future in which we share our homes with companion robots.
China plans to build moon bases using robot masons and lunar dirt
China plans to start testing an ambitious plan to build moon bases using a robot mason and dirt bricks as soon as 2028.
Researchers release open-source space debris model
The MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool lets users model the long-term future space environment to map space debris.
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Challengers
The first wave of urban robots is here
The robot takeover is here — and it’s kinda cute.
Robot dogs are hiking the Alps and preparing for space
A robot dog reached the summit of an Alps trail more quickly than the average human — and the mechanical K9s are just getting started.
This prefabricated construction company aims to make buying a home as simple as buying a car
In partnership with Million Stories
Cover is a Los Angeles-based prefabricated home company that builds housing components in an off-site facility and then assembles them at the house site.
How to prevent mass extinction in the ocean using AI, robots, and 3D printers
There is currently no possibility of the world reaching the 30% target for marine protected areas with existing policies. Tech to the rescue?
“Universal” BCI lets anyone play games with their minds
A specially trained “decoder” slashes the time it takes a brain-computer interface (BCI) to read a user’s mind.
Your next surgery could be robotic, and that’s a good thing
In partnership with Intuitive
Robots are taking surgery to the next level. Here’s how.
T-Minus: Starship reaches new heights, volunteers discover “active” asteroids, and more
Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring Starship's third test flight, a new Mars volcano, and more.
Watch John McEnroe take on past versions of himself on the court
Thanks to AI, digital avatars, and robotic cannons, John McEnroe is taking on his toughest opponent: himself.
New personal robot carries stuff around your house
A personal robot that carries items between different parts of a home is helping people with mobility issues live more independently.
The biggest AI breakthroughs of the last year
Last year saw breakthroughs from AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepMind, and DALL-E, which generate text and code.
Shape-shifting material morphs robot from driving to flying
A shape-shifting material lets multifunctional robots morph from one shape to the next quickly and without the use of motors.
Boston Dynamics’ warehouse robots are taking over
DHL Supply Chain is paying Boston Dynamics $15 million for a fleet of its autonomous warehouse robots, which can each move 800 boxes/hour.
Solving the last mile problem with robotic delivery vehicles
Most of the cost of delivering goods is tied to moving “the last mile” from a hub to the final destination. A new robotic delivery bot being piloted in three cities may help solve the problem.
This bird-like drone can perch on branches, catch objects
Inspired by birds' perching abilities, researchers developed a drone with a bird-like structure that can land on a wide array of objects.
This robotics lab wants to develop the dream surgery
Chicago’s Surgical Innovation Training Lab is developing the robots, surgeons, and digital surgeries of the future.
Delivery robots get airbags to protect you in case of collision
Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro has added external airbags to its autonomous delivery robots to protect pedestrians.
Sun-powered soft robot could mop up the seas
Inspired by steam engines and water-walking insects, this soft robot may one day mop up oil spills at sea.
Humanoid robots are waking up — and they look eerily real
Engineered Arts, a robotics firm located in the United Kingdom, released a video showing a humanoid robot that looks exceptionally lifelike.
Surgery robot outperforms humans at “keyhole surgery”
Johns Hopkins' autonomous surgery robot, STAR, performed a tricky keyhole surgery on live pigs better than a human surgeon could.
How “InstructGPT” lobotomizes the insanity of raw GPT
OpenAI has created a version of GPT, called "InstructGPT," that cuts down on the AI’s bizarre and irrational responses.
Using robotic fish to harness the “ecology of fear”
To fight an invasive fish threatening Australia’s critically endangered freshwater natives, researchers are looking to robotic predators — and the “ecology of fear” they create.
Watch a drone swarm navigate a bamboo forest
By arming each drone with its own sensors, researchers have created the first swarm capable of navigating a wide environment.
These robotic suits supercharge human workers
This new wearable robotic suit from German Bionic, can boost human strength, and it is powered by artificial intelligence
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Challengers
The man building robotic legs for kids with cerebral palsy
The medical industry wasn’t moving fast enough. So he built a robot to help his nephew with cerebral palsy walk.
Breakthrough artificial fingertip mimics our sense of touch
A new artificial fingertip replicates humans' sense of touch by mimicking the microscopic anatomy of our fingertips.
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Hard Reset
Should war robots have “license to kill?”
War is changing. As drones replace snipers, we must consider the ethics of machines making life or death decisions.
Generative AI: The technology of the year for 2022
It's made headlines so often that there is no question that 2022 will be remembered as the year that Generative AI stunned the world.
Goodyear puts airless tires on Starship delivery robots
Goodyear’s airless tires are now being used by a fleet of Starship's autonomous delivery robots on a college campus in the U.S.
NASA’s asteroid sample contains an abundance of carbon and water
On October 11, NASA shared its first update on the Bennu asteroid sample brought to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission.
T-Minus: Missing space tomato found, a stellar remnant revealed, and more
Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest space news, featuring NASA's missing space tomato, Webb's new stellar remnant image, and more.
“Muscle shirt” increases arm endurance by more than 200%
The Myoshirt acts like “wearable muscles,” using sensors and AI to help people with upper-limb impairments move their arms.
3D printing promises to transform architecture forever
Large-scale additive manufacturing, like 3D printing, involves building objects one layer at a time, transforming architecture as we know it.
What’s so wrong about sexbots?
These sexbots remember that you are 32 years old, and you like sushi, except on Thursdays — and they can teach us a lot about coexisting with AI.
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Challengers
Mind-reading technology – Are we ready for it?
Startup founders want to read your brainwaves - but how will they protect your data from tech giants?
Space elevators are inching closer to reality
Tremendous progress has been made developing the materials necessary for a space elevator — but our need for one could soon disappear.
Vaccine robot administers doses without needles or human help
Canadian startup Cobioni has built a vaccine robot that can deliver a dose into a patient’s arm without a needle or any human help.
The world’s biggest industrial robot lasers off airplane paint
Dutch company Xyrec recently demonstrated a 67-ton industrial robot that uses lasers to quickly strip paint from aircraft.
NASA funds AI lasers to zap space junk
NASA is funding the development of AI space lasers to protect its spacecraft and astronauts from potentially deadly space junk.
These “AI Artists” don’t want to ape existing art — they want to create something new entirely
We sat down with two prominent AI artists to talk about their projects and their quest to create new genres.
NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory to finally answer the epic question: “Are we alone?”
The Nancy Roman Telescope is already being built with a goal no smaller than to find inhabited planets beyond Earth.
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Challengers
Can robots save our oceans from poachers?
23% of fish sold in the US is caught illegally. This robot boat is a poacher’s worst nightmare.
Watch the first AI vs. human dogfight using military jets
An AI fighter pilot faced off against a human pilot in a “dogfight” using actual planes — a huge milestone in military automation.
AI for better crops
AI technology could transform how growers protect their harvests, by detecting plant diseases very early on.
NASA is spending $850,000 to make a bag for space trash
TransAstra has secured a $850,000 NASA contract to build an inflatable bag for capturing space trash, which could then be recycled in orbit.
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Heretics
Tim Urban’s case for transhumanism
We interviewed Tim Urban at Hereticon. Here’s what he had to say about Elon Musk & transhumanism.
Study: If there is a maximum human lifespan, we’ve yet to reach it
The current record for longest life is likely to be broken in the coming decades, according to a new study on the maximum human lifespan.
The AI behind ChatGPT is bringing this toy to life
Pop artist Grimes and Silicon Valley startup Curio have created an AI toy that can understand and talk to kids.
NASA spots an enormous water plume erupting on Saturn’s ocean moon
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers are gaining new insights into Enceladus, which holds a sea beneath its icy surface.
Caltech’s walking robot can also fly and skateboard
Caltech's new bipedal walking robot can fly to get around obstacles, and it's steady enough on its feet to skateboard or slackline.
Robot avatar safely trims trees around active power lines
A robot avatar that mimics the motions of a human controller could take the place of workers in dangerous jobs by the end of 2022.
How AI played an instrumental role in making mRNA vaccines
Years before Moderna created an effective mRNA vaccine against COVID, the company put into place AI systems to accelerate the research process.