Category: Technology

New type of hologram uses ultrasound waves to trace 3D objects with a tiny polystyrene grain.
It can trace an object within one-tenth of a second, making the movement of the grain completely invisible to our eyes, and leaving just the visualised object.
The device relies on two horizontal plates which control the movement of the grain, and built-in LED lights that add color to the objects.
This is a promising technology which, in the far future, could lead to 3D holograms which look like real objects.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on November 15, 2019

reuters.com

Prices of lithium have dropped because there’s too much of this metal on the market -- but the oversupply is in ‘technical-grade’ lithium, used for small devices.
The supply of high-quality lithium, good enough to make batteries for electric vehicles, is actually locked up until 2024.
Which means the price of the metal is dropping, but factories need to keep ramping up production to meet future demand for high-quality lithium.
Some analysts say that the future supply of battery-grade materials is in doubt, others see this as a momentary slump, and look toward a bright future.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on November 15, 2019

cnbc.com

China wants to lead the world in terms of several most promising technologies -- AI, blockchain, fintech, and 5G networking.
The state plans to make their AI industry worth $147.7 billion by 2030, and they’re already the first country to roll-out countrywide AI systems.
In terms of mobile payments, they are already leading the world, since cash and credit cards are already a thing of the past in China.
Additionally, three out of 5 top smartphone vendors are Chinese, and the government plans to invest heavily in blockchain.
Lastly, China turned 5G networks on ahead of their 2020 date, and will account for the most 5G connections by 2025, more than North America and Europe combined.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on November 15, 2019

Stacks of charged electrochemical plates, under low voltage, hold promise to be the most cost-effective way to capture CO2, useful in a variety of applications.
The method is precise and flexible, works in any concentration of CO2, and could be used to produce CO2 for soft-drink bottling plants, or even to produce fuel.
All other methods require additional thermal, pressure, or chemical inputs to work — this method only needs a source of electricity.
Researchers who discovered this method have set up a company, aiming to commercialize the project.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on November 8, 2019

AI agent AlphaStar has been trained, using novel techniques, to be better than 99.8% Starcraft II players, and achieve Grandmaster level for all 3 races in the game.
The AI uses a camera interface, it’s limited to receiving similar input information, and playing at a similar speed to human players, and plays anonymously on Battle.net.
One of the key innovations was using a League self-play system, which involved flaw-exposing agents alongside win-oriented agents.
Other techniques included neural networks, multi-agent learning and imitation learning.
The study helped improve those methods by adapting them to a complex, dynamic environment, contributing to the safety and robustness of AI systems in general.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on November 1, 2019

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