Science, Space, & Robotics - Page 429

Tesla is wanting to see its Powerwall technology go mainstream, with the company pushing their Powerwall battery packs and new solar panels at 800 Home Depot locations across the US.

Bloomberg is reporting the news, stating that Tesla's solar panels and Powerwalls will be at 800 Home Depot locations soon, with this marking the first time Tesla has inked a major US retain chain to sell their products. Tesla won't be giving Home Depot all the power, as they will just be putting their products on Home Depot's shelves.

Tesla will have their own designated "Tesla-branded selling spaces" in Home Depots, similar to Samsung and Apple with their own specified spots in retail locations.

CES 2018 - Samsung has just pushed all-in with the future of artificial intelligence, with the company announcing it has a new consumer product strategy for AI during its CES 2018 keynote speech in Vegas.

The news comes directly from Samsung Research boss H.S. Kim who said that every product Samsung makes in 2020 will have built-in AI and would connect to the Internet of Things cloud, making everything the South Korean giant sells a smart product that will learn from everything you do.

Kim said this plan from Samsung would happen in a 3-fold pillar that would simplify its product stack, pushing them into a single-cloud approach that would include connectivity, cloud, and intelligence.

CES 2018 - LG is entering into the smart fridge with a new look and style, mixed in with a bunch of new features, with their new InstaView ThinQ changing up the refrigerator game.

LG's new InstaView ThinQ smart refrigerator packs a 29-inch touchscreen that when tapped twice, becomes transparent so that you can see inside of your fridge. Super cool. LG has been in the touch-your-fridge game for a while now, where they had their Smart InstaView Door-in-Door that run a full version of Windows 10, some two years ago but in the end the company never shipped the fridge.

This new version lets you control your food management using LG's own webOS software with a mix of Amazon Alexa, something that lets owners tag food with virtual stickers and expiration dates, as well as pushing automatic reminders to you when things are running low or about to go off. Very cool.

SpaceX has already begun with what it does best, launching rockets and landing them back on the ground again. This time though, the space exploration company has not revealed what is on board the rocket or even the motive for the mission in the first place.

The first mission for 2018 has been launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The payload has been given the codename "Zuma" which is basically all that is known about the launch so far as the mission has come under a government initiative.

The 'Zuma' mission has been known about for quite some time and was originally meant to take place last year in November, but due to investigative testing the launch has to be postponed until now. Even though we do not know what was on board the Falcon 9 rocket it has been confirmed that the launch was a success, as the rocket has been landed safely and securely back on the ground.

CES 2018 - Samsung has just unveiled their new Family Hub 3.0 refrigerator that features Bixby voice control, but the company hasn't explained what exactly you can do with voice controls on your fridge.

Samsung has explained that the Bixby-powered smart fridges will be capable of personalized responses to individual voices, where you can ask your fridge about your personal calendar and news updates, just for you... and maybe a drink or snack for you, too.

The new Family Hub 3.0 fridge integrates Samsung's own SmartThings ecosystem, something that lets owners control the lights inside of the fridge, make adjustments to temperature, or even monitor a security camera. Why would you need a speaker with Alexa or Google Assistant, when you can have it all in your fridge? Hell, there are built-in AKG speakers inside the fridge, promising great bass and mid-range... from your... fridge.

CES 2018 - LG is pushing more and more into the world of robotics, something it seems to be doubling down with at CES 2018 with their new CLOi branded robotics line.

LG's exciting new CLOi line of products come in three models for commercial use: Serving Robot, Porter Robot, and Shopping Cart Robot. Starting with the Serving Robot, we should expect to see LG's first robot creation at hotels, airport lounges, and even restaurants. This robot will deliver drinks and meals to customers with its built-in sliding tray - but hopefully it won't need a tip.

The Porter Robot will be used in hotels for express check-in and check-out, with payments accepted by the robots that will reduce waiting times. LG's new Porter Robot will even carry your suitcase around, but I'm sure it'll be carry-on size only and not your huge suitcase, or two, or five.

In the East African country of Rwanda, drones are flying through the sky with medical supplies like blood, thanks to a partnership between the Rwandan health ministry, and drone startup Zipline.

Zipline has already used drones to deliver over 5500 units of blood to aid crews working through remote areas, where medical supplies are near-impossible to f ind. The service is working with 12 hospitals that are all being accessed by the drone network, with these hospitals now able to provide treatment and life-saving aid to over 5 million people.

Drone deliveries make sense when you think that hospitals need a constant flow of fresh supplies on a regular basis, but without the proper infrastructure available, taking to the skies is the next best - and even better, thing.

Japanese engineers have created two humanoid robots that are designed to study the mechanics of muscle control and how the brain interacts with the body, they are named Kengoro and Kenshiro.

Kengoro and Kenshiro can perform a number of different activities that us humans take completely for granted. The robots humanoid abilities range from doing push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises to playing badminton poorly. It is believed through the robots doing these actions that a better understanding of the "human body in movement" will be achieved.

"We believe that the proposed human mimetic humanoid can be used to provide new opportunities in science, the team's research states. "For instance, to quantitatively analyse the internal data of a human body in movement."

Jinan, a Chinese city with a population of around 7 million people have begun construction of the world first photovoltaic express-way.

The express-way will be 1.2 miles (2km) and will be able to withstand the weight of medium sized trucks. The photovoltaic express-way is constructed using three separate layers, the first being the transparent concrete which has a very similar feel to that of asphalt.

Next, is the solar panels which are located beneath the concrete layer and are safely protected from nature while also absorbing the rays from the sun.

Can you imagine a future where the uber-rich travel to the International Space Station to stay in a $40 million per-week hotel? Well, Russian space corporation Roscomos plans on building a luxury hotel on the ISS for just that reason.

It might cost $40 million per week (and an additional $20 million if you want to go on a spacewalk with a cosmonaut), but Popular Mechanics is reporting that Russian space contractor RKK Energia is working on the idea that will see the construction of the second module it's building that will cost somewhere between $279 million and $446 million.

RKK Energia is already hard at work on the first of two modules, something that will act as a science laboratory and a power supply station. The second module on the other hand, will be paid for by RKK Energia, as the Russian government is only paying for the first one.