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Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: do okt 04, 2018 2:45 pm
door Pilgrim
A new brain-inspired architecture could improve how computers handle data and advance AI

October 3, 2018 - American Institute of Physics

Afbeelding
Brain-inspired computing using phase change memory. Credit: Nature Nanotechnology/IBM Research

IBM researchers are developing a new computer architecture, better equipped to handle increased data loads from artificial intelligence. Their designs draw on concepts from the human brain and significantly outperform conventional computers in comparative studies. They report on their recent findings in the Journal of Applied Physics.

Today's computers are built on the von Neumann architecture, developed in the 1940s. Von Neumann computing systems feature a central processer that executes logic and arithmetic, a memory unit, storage, and input and output devices. Unlike the stovepipe components in conventional computers, the authors propose that brain-inspired computers could have coexisting processing and memory units.

Abu Sebastian, an author on the paper, explained that executing certain computational tasks in the computer's memory would increase the system's efficiency and save energy.

"If you look at human beings, we compute with 20 to 30 watts of power, whereas AI today is based on supercomputers which run on kilowatts or megawatts of power," Sebastian said. "In the brain, synapses are both computing and storing information. In a new architecture, going beyond von Neumann, memory has to play a more active role in computing."

The IBM team drew on three different levels of inspiration from the brain. The first level exploits a memory device's state dynamics to perform computational tasks in the memory itself, similar to how the brain's memory and processing are co-located. The second level draws on the brain's synaptic network structures as inspiration for arrays of phase change memory (PCM) devices to accelerate training for deep neural networks. Lastly, the dynamic and stochastic nature of neurons and synapses inspired the team to create a powerful computational substrate for spiking neural networks.

Phase change memory is a nanoscale memory device built from compounds of Ge, Te and Sb sandwiched between electrodes. These compounds exhibit different electrical properties depending on their atomic arrangement. For example, in a disordered phase, these materials exhibit high resistivity, whereas in a crystalline phase they show low resistivity.

By applying electrical pulses, the researchers modulated the ratio of material in the crystalline and the amorphous phases so the phase change memory devices could support a continuum of electrical resistance or conductance. This analog storage better resembles nonbinary, biological synapses and enables more information to be stored in a single nanoscale device.

Sebastian and his IBM colleagues have encountered surprising results in their comparative studies on the efficiency of these proposed systems. "We always expected these systems to be much better than conventional computing systems in some tasks, but we were surprised how much more efficient some of these approaches were."

Last year, they ran an unsupervised machine learning algorithm on a conventional computer and a prototype computational memory platform based on phase change memory devices. "We could achieve 200 times faster performance in the phase change memory computing systems as opposed to conventional computing systems." Sebastian said. "We always knew they would be efficient, but we didn't expect them to outperform by this much." The team continues to build prototype chips and systems based on brain-inspired concepts.

More information: Hiroto Kase et al, Biosensor response from target molecules with inhomogeneous charge localization, Journal of Applied Physics (2018). DOI: 10.1063/1.5036538

Provided by American Institute of Physics

Explore further: Novel synaptic architecture for brain inspired computing

https://phys.org/news/2018-10-brain-ins ... nce-ai.amp

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: do okt 04, 2018 11:11 pm
door Pilgrim
Scientists Have Found a New Way of Storing Information in a Single Atom

DAVID NIELD - 27 SEP 2018

Afbeelding

Imagine *terabytes* of data storage on your smartphone...

Humanity is producing so much data every single minute that we either need to slow down, or scientists need to crack the problem of finding better ways of storing that data ASAP. Now, new research has taken us one step closer to the ultimate in compact data storage: putting data on a single atom.

As the basic building blocks of all matter, atoms are the smallest object we could possibly store a bit (a 1 or a 0) on, potentially shrinking down the size of existing hard drives by about a thousand times or so, if we can figure out how to get it to work.

Scientists have already made progress in storing bits on atoms, but only on a small scale and in tightly controlled lab conditions, which usually means extremely cold setups.

In an exciting development, the latest study from a team at Radboud University in the Netherlands identifies a new mechanism that could potentially work at room temperature.

Afbeelding

One important factor was the choice of materials: single cobalt atoms on a layer of semiconducting black phosphorus. Another was the method used to magnetise the atoms to store bits, which differed from the usual approach of utilising spin angular momentum – the way electrons spin as they orbit the nucleus.

"Instead of this spin angular momentum, which previous researchers have used, we figured out a way to make an energy difference between a few of the orbitals of the cobalt atom and now use the orbital angular momentum for our atomic memory," says one of the team, Brian Kiraly.

"This has a much bigger energy barrier and might be viable to make the single atom memory stable at room temperature."

It's still a big "might" right now – it could take quite a while to get this proof-of-principle from the lab to your next computer – but the signs are promising. In particular, the new materials and method might solve the problem of keeping atoms both magnetised and stable enough to be useful.

"What defines a permanent magnet is that it has a north and a south pole, which remains in the same orientation," says one of the researchers, Alexander Khajetoorians.

"But when you get down to a single atom, the north and south pole of the atom start to flip and do not know what direction they should point, as they become extremely sensitive to their surroundings."

In previous research into single-atom storage, researchers have used extremely cold temperatures to ensure that stability, as low as 40 Kelvin or -233 degrees Celsius. The new experiment also required extreme cold to work, but the scientists predict it wouldn't be as sensitive to rises in temperature as other methods.

As in other studies, the team used a special scanning tunneling microscope to scan atoms – a device that uses the 'tunnelling phenomenon' of quantum mechanics to push electrons through a specific barrier.

It might be a while before the same kind of setup can be crammed into a laptop or a smartphone, but this study has put us closer to that goal. And when we get there, you should be able to save as many photos and videos as you like.

"What this work means is that, if we could construct a real hard drive from all these atoms – and we are still a long way from that – you could store thousands of times more information," says one of the researchers, Alexander Khajetoorians.

The research has been published in Nature Communications.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists ... ingle-atom

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: vr okt 05, 2018 12:57 am
door Pilgrim
Topman Boeing: prototype van luchttaxi binnen een jaar in de lucht

04 oktober 2018

Dennis Muilenburg, topman van vliegtuigmaker Boeing, verwacht dat een prototype van een vliegende taxi volgend jaar al getest kan worden. Het concern werkt samen met autoriteiten om binnen vijf jaar een verkeersmanagementsysteem op te zetten voor deze vliegtuigen.

Boeing zet voor de toekomst flink in op een scenario dat doet denken aan de Amerikaanse animatieserie The Jetsons waarin mensen en goederen via de lucht worden vervoerd tussen verstedelijkte gebieden. Uiteindelijk moeten de voertuigen ook zonder piloot bestuurd kunnen worden.

"Denk aan een toekomst waarin je driedimensionale snelwegen hebt om verkeersopstopping te verlichten", zegt Muilenburg in gesprek met Bloomberg. Hij vertelt verder dat het bedrijf werkt aan zowel de nieuwe voertuigen als een ecosysteem waarin die voertuigen gebruikt kunnen worden.

Om de expertise voor deze technologie in huis te halen, nam Boeing vorig jaar al dronepionier Aurora Flight Sciences over. Dit bedrijf wil onder meer een vliegende taxi bouwen voor Uber Technologies.

Verder werkt Boeing ook samen met SparkCognition en de Amerikaanse autoriteiten om een luchtverkeersleidingsysteem te ontwikkelen. Volgens Muilenburg zullen de ontwikkelingen de komende vijf jaar snel gaan.

Door: NU.nl

https://www.nu.nl/economie/5495747/topm ... lucht.html

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: vr okt 05, 2018 10:18 pm
door Pilgrim
VS wil zelfrijdende auto's zonder stuur, pedalen en spiegels toestaan

04 oktober 2018

De Amerikaanse transportautoriteit National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) overweegt zelfrijdende auto's vrij te stellen van bepaalde veiligheidsnormen.

Zelfrijdende auto's zouden daardoor zonder pedalen, spiegels en een stuur op de openbare weg kunnen, meldt persbureau Reuters donderdag op basis van documenten.

Autofabrikanten moeten in de VS voldoen aan ongeveer 75 veiligheidsnormen voordat hun voertuigen de weg op mogen. De NHTSA overweegt zelfrijdende auto's vrij te stellen van standaarden "die alleen relevant zijn als er een menselijke bestuurder aanwezig is."

Zelfrijdende auto's maken gebruik van camera's en andere sensoren om de omgeving waar te nemen. De NHTSA onderscheidt verschillende niveaus van autonome auto's. Op het hoogste niveau kan een auto alle rijtaken, op elk moment, zelfstandig uitvoeren.

De Amerikaanse minister van transport Elaine Chao zegt in het rapport, dat donderdag openbaar wordt, dat zelfrijdende auto's de potentie hebben om het aantal ongevallen en doden op de weg drastisch te verlagen. Toch maakt het volk zich volgens haar "terecht zorgen" om de veiligheid van de technologie.

Mensen zijn nog nodig
Voertuigen die door Amerikaanse bedrijven gebruikt worden om de technologie van zelfrijdende auto's te testen, raken regelmatig betrokken bij een ongeval. In maart kwam bij zo'n ongeval een voetganger om het leven, nadat een zelfrijdende auto van Uber haar aanreed.

Bedrijven die technologie voor zelfrijdende auto's testen, maken vooralsnog gebruik van menselijke bestuurders. Naast Uber rijden onder meer General Motors, Tesla en Waymo - een zusterbedrijf van Google - met testvoertuigen op de openbare weg.

Door: NU.nl/Reuters

https://www.nu.nl/gadgets/5496500/vs-wi ... staan.html

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: vr okt 05, 2018 11:53 pm
door Pilgrim
This Agile Robot Assists with Various Construction Tasks
Interesting Engineering - Gepubliceerd op 5 okt. 2018



AI Robots Full 2018 Documentary ~ Taking Over The World
Mr Documentary - Gepubliceerd op 19 jun. 2018


Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 17, 2018 2:06 am
door Pilgrim
Boeing's new hypersonic concept - presentation with Boeing's hypersonics engineer
MDx media - Gepubliceerd op 11 jul. 2018


Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 17, 2018 2:23 am
door Pilgrim
Tesla aims for new neural net computer in production in 6 months, results in 500-2000% increase in ops/sec, says Elon Musk

Fred Lambert - Oct. 16th 2018

Afbeelding

Tesla CEO Elon Musk updated the timeline to release the company’s new neural net computer, which they claimed will be the ‘world’s most advanced computer for autonomous driving’.

They are now aiming for the new computer to be in production in about 6 months and it could result in a 500-2000% increase in operation per second, according to Musk.

The release of this new computer with Tesla’s own AI chip would be the culmination of a long project that Tesla started about 3 years ago as it anticipated a need for more computing power in its vehicles.

Back in 2016, we first reported on Tesla quietly hiring legendary chip architect Jim Keller from AMD and we were fairly excited by the implications of Tesla hiring such an important chip architect.

At the time, we speculated that Tesla could be looking into making its own silicon at some point – speculation that was further reinforced after Keller’s hiring was followed by a team of chip architects and executives from AMD also joining Tesla.

Finally, our suspicions were confirmed two years later when Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla is working on its own AI chip.

Keller has since left Tesla, but the team is now led by Pete Bannon, who was amongst the other chip architects hired by Tesla over 2 years ago.

This summer, Bannon confirmed that the new chip will be released in a new ‘hardware 3’ suite for Autopilot which will take the form of a new computer that will replace the existing computer in the vehicles with Autopilot hardware 2.0 and 2.5 for those who ordered the Full Self-Driving Capability Package.

Timeline and Availability
At the time, Bannon confirmed that Tesla’s computer chip optimized for neural nets has been produced and they are aiming to release it next year.

Now Musk updated the timeline to “~6 months”
Elon Musk
@elonmusk

~6 months before it is in all new production cars. No change to sensors. This is simple replacement of the Autopilot computer. Will be done free of charge for those who ordered full self-driving.
9:50 AM - Oct 16, 2018
It means that they aim for the computer to enter production around the second quarter of 2019.

While it’s being introduced to new cars in production, Tesla will also need to produce a ton of computers for retrofits since there will likely be hundreds of thousands of cars eligible for the computer upgrade at that point.

Every owner who ordered the Full Self-Driving Capability Package, which has been available (to order) since October 2016, will receive the upgrade. The package has cost between $3,000 and $5,000 over the years.

Back in June, Tesla increased the price of its ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ package over-the-air update.

In order to get the package, buyers need to have the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ package, which costs $5,000 when ordering the vehicle and $6,000 if buying later through an over-the-air update.

Once you have this package, the ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ costs $3,000 when ordering and it used to cost $4,000 when buying over-the-air later until Tesla increased the price to $5,000 in June.

Tesla told Electrek that they will honor the original price for existing owners who didn’t buy the package thinking that they could later upgrade over-the-air for $4,000, but it has yet to fix the issue for many buyers.

Capabilities
Musk previously said that Tesla’s hardware 3 will be able to handle 2,000 frames per second with redundancy.

He explained that they achieved that by building the new chip from the ground up to act as a ‘neural network accelerator’ based on the neural net that Tesla’s AI and vision team have been building.

The team deployed a new neural net with the recent version 9 software update.

Yesterday, we shared an analysis from a deep learning expert who took a look at the neural net and estimated to be significantly bigger than the previous version.

Musk confirmed that it features an about “400% increase in useful ops/sec due to enabling integrated GPU and better use of discrete GPU.”

Those GPUs are from Nvidia on the Autopilot 2.0+ hardware suites.

The CEO said that Tesla’s neural net computer upgrade should result in another 500% to 2,000% increase:
Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Somewhere between 500% & 2000%
9:39 AM - Oct 16, 2018
Tesla’s end goal is to power a computer vision neural net powerful enough to drive the car in any condition.

While they are making some significant progress, Musk noted that they still have “a long way to go.”

https://electrek.co/2018/10/16/tesla-ne ... elon-musk/

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 17, 2018 2:50 am
door Pilgrim
How will NASA transform by joining forces with private space travel?

Contributed by Elizabeth Rayne - Oct 14, 2018

Afbeelding

60 years of NASA has brought us the first moon landing, the Voyagers, a progression of Mars rovers, Hubble, Cassini, TESS... and the next six decades are going to see it venturing even further into uncharted territory, but this time, the space agency will not be alone on the voyage.

NASA couldn’t even start fantasizing about private spaceflight—or collaborating with the private sector—when it first took off in 1958. Now companies like SpaceX, Boeing and Blue Origin will bring dreams that originally lived between the pages of science fiction books into reality. Dreams like space travel for anyone.

Private companies could potentially lower the cost of suborbital flights from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands. That still might sound astronomical to the average Earthling, but to NASA, it could mean more opportunities than ever. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is a collab with Boeing and SpaceX to fly astronauts to and from the ISS (which is not going to end up as space junk after all). SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner will start making crewed flights into low-Earth orbit as soon as next year.

Flying cargo to the ISS is another endeavor in which NASA and private entities will be stronger together. SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, both of which have carried many robotic cargo missions to the ISS, have received contracts from NASA’s emerging commercial cargo program to continue doing so. Low-earth orbit endeavors like this only give the space agency a boost because they allow it to do the science it does best without having to worry about the business end of spaceflight.



Deep space is still going to be handled by NASA on the science and viability end, but the involvement of private companies in terms of spacecraft and supplies will be integral to making human footprints on Mars a thing.

"The private sector wanting to move fast and wanting to be cost-effective and NASA having our 50 years of human spaceflight experience…you bring those two things together, and they actually complement each other very effectively," Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight at NASA, told Space.com.

While NASA’s budget reaches five times further than the next biggest national space agency on the planet, it still doesn’t stretch far enough to the meet the demands of some immense future projects. These projects also take considerable time to plan both technically and financially. Enter private companies, who are typically quick with making financial decisions and coming up with a general vision for the mission. With both a more extensive budget and fewer migraines, NASA can then take that vision and transform it with advanced science and technology.

This merging of brains, business and efficiency ultimately what will send our species into deep space, so long as the human body can tolerate it.

(via Space.com)

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-will- ... ace-travel

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 17, 2018 8:29 am
door xplosive
 
Artificial Intelligence Is Learning to Keep Learning
By Matthew Hutson | October 16, 2018 | Scientific American November 2018 Issue

What if you stopped learning after graduation? It sounds stultifying, but that is how most machine-learning systems are trained. They master a task once and then are deployed. But some computer scientists are now developing artificial intelligence that learns and adapts continuously, much like the human brain.

Machine-learning algorithms often take the form of a neural network, a large set of simple computing elements, or neurons, that communicate via connections between them that vary in strength, or "weight." Consider an algorithm designed to recognize images. If it mislabels a picture during training, the weights are adjusted. When mistakes are reduced below a certain threshold, the weights are frozen at set values.

The new technique splits each weight into two values that combine to influence how much one neuron can activate another. The first value is trained and frozen as in traditional systems. But the second value continually adjusts in response to surrounding activity in the network. Critically, the algorithm also learns how adjustable to make these weights. So the neural network learns patterns of behavior, as well as how much to modify each part of that behavior in response to new circumstances. The researchers presented their technique in July at a conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

Applying the technique, the team created a network that learned to reconstruct half-erased photographs after seeing the full images only a few times. In contrast, a traditional neural network would need to see many more images before it could reconstruct the original. The researchers also created a network that learned to identify handwritten alphabet letters—which are nonuniform, unlike typed ones—after seeing one example.

In another task, neural networks controlled a character moving in a simple maze to find rewards. After one million trials, a network with the new semiadjustable weights could find each reward three times as often per trial as could a network with only fixed weights. The static parts of the semiadjustable weights apparently learned the structure of the maze, whereas the dynamic parts learned how to adapt to new reward locations. "This is really powerful," says Nikhil Mishra, a computer scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research, "because the algorithms can adapt more quickly to new tasks and new situations, just like humans would."

Thomas Miconi, a computer scientist at the ride-sharing company Uber and the paper's lead author, says his team now plans to tackle more complicated tasks, such as robotic control and speech recognition. In related work, Miconi wants to simulate "neuromodulation," an instant networkwide adjustment of adaptability that allows humans to sop up information when something novel or important happens.

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 17, 2018 3:44 pm
door Pilgrim
SpaceX Killer - The Great Rocket Race | MUST WATCH | Part 1
Startup Division - Gepubliceerd op 18 jun. 2018



SpaceX Killer - The Great Rocket Race | MUST WATCH | Part 2
Startup Division - Gepubliceerd op 15 sep. 2018



How the battle of the Spacex and Blue Origin rockets could shape the future of our species?
ENGINEERING TODAY - Gepubliceerd op 17 sep. 2018



Why SpaceX is planning to develop its first Mars landing missions with Nasa? Top 4 facts
ENGINEERING TODAY - Gepubliceerd op 12 aug. 2018



Millions of People Living and Working in Space
Blue Origin - Gepubliceerd op 15 okt. 2018


Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: zo okt 21, 2018 7:07 pm
door Pilgrim
De Vierde Industriële Revolutie is begonnen: zijn we straks allemaal overbodig?

Caroline Kraaijvanger, 21 oktober 2018

Tegen 2025 zullen robots meer dan 50% van het huidige werk op zich nemen. Maar is dat erg?

De Eerste Industriële Revolutie zette de wereld op zijn kop. Goederen – zoals kleding – die millennia op rij met de hand vervaardigd waren, konden dankzij veelal door stoom aangedreven machines opeens op veel grotere schaal worden geproduceerd. De fabrieken waarin het allemaal gebeurde, bleken een enorme aantrekkingskracht te hebben: talloze mensen verlieten het platteland en vestigden zich in de directe omgeving van de fabriek. Gebieden verstedelijkten, mensen gingen in loondienst en raakten voor de productie van goederen afhankelijk van de industrie. Nog nauwelijks bekomen van die Eerste Industriële Revolutie, diende zich de tweede al aan: de textiel- en ijzerindustrie groeide en mede door nieuwe ontwikkelingen zagen nieuwe industrieën het levenslicht. De telefoon werd geboren, net als de gloeilamp en verbrandingsmotor. Enkele decennia later was het tijd voor de Derde Industriële Revolutie. Deze wordt gekenmerkt door enorme technologische vooruitgang, zoals de geboorte van de PC en het internet. Op de hielen van die Derde Industriële Revolutie treffen we de Vierde Industriële Revolutie aan: een revolutie waarin een hoofdrol is weggelegd voor onder meer robots en kunstmatige intelligentie. Deze Vierde Industriële Revolutie is inmiddels begonnen en boezemt velen angst in. Want: worden wij straks compleet overbodig?

De robot is er al
Het lijkt niet zo’n vergezochte vraag. We leven immers in een tijd waarin robots in tal van hoedanigheden reeds worden ingezet. Ze zetten onze auto’s in elkaar, maaien ons grasveldje of assisteren de chirurg tijdens die lastige operatie. Kortom: robots eisen in steeds meer disciplines hun plekje op en maken sommige werknemers en passant overbodig.

75 miljoen banen op de tocht
En dat is nog maar het begin, zo bleek dit najaar uit een rapport van het World Economic Forum. Volgens het rapport wordt op dit moment ongeveer 29% van de taken op de werkvloer door robots uitgevoerd. Maar tegen 2025 zullen zij meer dan 50% van die taken op zich nemen. Het zal er tussen nu en 2022 toe leiden dat zo’n 75 miljoen banen verdwijnen.

Afbeelding
Zowel accountants als klantenservicemedewerkers zullen in de nabije toekomst steeds meer moeite hebben met het vinden van een baan. Afbeelding: Alexas_Fotos / Pixabay.

Die 75 miljoen banen zijn – zoals je wellicht al verwachtte – niet keurig over alle denkbare functies verdeeld. De ene functie is als het om de opkomst van robots gaat, nu eenmaal wat kwetsbaarder dan de andere. Volgens het World Economic Forum moeten met name mensen die zich bezighouden met routinematig werk voor hun baan vrezen. In eerste instantie denk je daarbij misschien aan mensen die fysiek werk verrichten, bijvoorbeeld in fabrieken. Maar ook kantoormedewerkers kunnen de dans niet ontspringen, zo blijkt uit het rapport. Zo dreigen ook accountants en klantenservicemedewerkers overbodig te worden. Net als personeelsmanagers. “Banen waarbij je geïsoleerd in een kantoortje zit of op de fabrieksvloer werkt, zullen verdwijnen,” denkt David Deming, professor en onderzoeker aan de Harvard Graduate School of Education. “Op de lange termijn zullen banen die saai zijn verdwijnen. Op de lange termijn zijn we beter af.”

Nieuwe banen
Maar de Vierde Industriële Revolutie kost niet alleen banen; ze genereert ook werk. Sterker nog: door deze industriële revolutie wordt er meer werk gecreëerd dan er verloren gaat. Het World Economic Forum schat dat er tussen nu en 2022 133 miljoen nieuwe banen ontstaan. Zo zal er meer behoefte zijn aan data-analisten en wetenschappers, maar ook aan sales- en marketingprofessionals en specialisten op het gebied van kunstmatige intelligentie.

Omslag
Zo’n omslag op de arbeidsmarkt komt natuurlijk niet vanzelf. “Het is belangrijk dat bedrijven een actieve rol spelen en hun huidige personeel steunen middels her- en bijscholing,” aldus Klaus Schwab, oprichter van het World Economic Forum. Maar ook werknemers moeten pro-actief zijn en ervoor open staan om gedurende hun gehele werkzame leven nieuwe dingen te leveren. “En overheden moeten een omgeving creëren die deze transformatie op de arbeidsmarkt faciliteert,” aldus Schwab. “Dit is de grootste uitdaging van onze tijd.” Het World Economic Forum schat dat tegen 2022 zo’n 54% van alle werknemers toe is aan bij- of herscholing. Zo’n 35% daarvan zal tot wel zes maanden bezig zijn met bijleren, 9% heeft zelfs 6 tot 12 maanden nodig om zijn kennis op peil te brengen en de resterende 10% zou daar meer dan een jaar mee druk zijn.

Meerwaarde
Op de arbeidsmarkt van de nabije toekomst is dus zonder meer plek voor mensen. Maar we zullen ons enigszins aan moeten passen en moeten accepteren dat wij mensen niet langer voor elke functie de ideale kandidaat zijn. Als je dat even laat bezinken, rijst al snel de vraag wat de mens in de nabije toekomst nog aan de arbeidsmarkt toevoegt. Wat is onze meerwaarde? Dat wordt wel duidelijk als we inzoomen op de vaardigheden die volgens het World Economic Forum de komende jaren steeds belangrijker worden: creativiteit en emotionele intelligentie bijvoorbeeld. Een vergelijkbaar beeld doemde op tijdens een onderzoek dat Deming in 2017 uitvoerde, met als doel te achterhalen welke eigenschappen werkgevers belangrijk vinden. Hij ontdekte dat sociale vaardigheden meer en meer door werkgevers op prijs worden gesteld. Kortom: het zijn dus de gebieden waarop robots tekortschieten – sociale interactie, creativiteit, het tonen en begrijpen van emoties – waar wij mensen het verschil maken. Uiteindelijk worden felle concurrentieoorlogen tussen bedrijven namelijk niet bepaald door de machines die ze in huis hebben, maar door mensen die nieuwe, creatieve ideeën bedenken – die al dan niet door die machines worden uitgevoerd – hun omgeving inspireren en op innovatieve wijze het maximale uit robots en andere technologieën te halen.

De waarde van de mens versus de waarde van een robot
Dat klinkt natuurlijk prachtig. Maar het blijft niet bij woorden. De meerwaarde van mensen is ook uit te drukken in cijfers, zo toont het Korn Ferry Institute – een consultancybedrijf in de VS – aan. Het bedrijf baseert zich op een onderzoek onder 800 CEO’s van grote bedrijven in acht verschillende landen. Het onderzoek wijst uit dat de waarde van menselijk talent en menselijke intelligentie nog altijd twee keer zo groot is als de waarde van al het andere bedrijfskapitaal (ook al hebben CEO’s daar vaak een ander onderbuikgevoel bij). En dat blijft ook nog wel even zo. Dat heeft twee redenen. Terwijl de potentie van robots en andere machines vanaf het begin af aan vastligt en hun waarde met elke dag die verstrijkt alleen maar afneemt, kunnen mensen gestimuleerd worden om meer uit zichzelf te halen en neemt hun waarde naarmate ze meer kennis en ervaring opdoen, alleen maar toe. En daarmee blijven we dus ook als het op het onderste regeltje aankomt een streepje voorhebben op onze stalen collega’s.

Transformatie
Hoe de toekomst van de arbeidsmarkt er precies uitziet, blijft natuurlijk koffiedik kijken. Maar dat machines – hetzij binnenkort of over een iets langere periode – een steeds groter deel van die arbeidsmarkt op gaan eisen, lijkt buiten kijf te staan. Het idee dat steeds meer mensen in het kielzog van die ontwikkelingen met de handen in de zakken achterover kunnen leunen, lijkt – naarmate de robots zich opdringen – echter steeds minder houdbaar te zijn. In veel gevallen zullen we namelijk zij-aan-zij met de machines werken. En de banen die daadwerkelijk verdwijnen, worden gecompenseerd door compleet nieuwe functies waar we ons nu in veel gevallen nog nauwelijks een voorstelling van kunnen maken. De geschiedenis – en dan met name de perioden waarin de eerdere drie Industriële Revoluties zich voltrokken – lijkt dat te onderschrijven. De revoluties leidden tot grote veranderingen – vaak niet alleen op de arbeidsmarkt – en voltrokken zich ook zeker niet zonder slag of stoot. Maar keer op keer raakte de arbeidsmarkt uiteindelijk weer in balans en bleek er op die arbeidsmarkt nog alle ruimte te zijn voor mensen. En in veel gevallen kregen die mensen het – in ieder geval op langere termijn – beter dan voorheen (zie kader hieronder).

Technologische vooruitgang en welvaart
Technologische vooruitgang leidt vaak tot een hogere productiviteit. Er kan meer geproduceerd en dus verkocht worden. Na de eerste Industriële Revolutie zagen we dat het even duurde voor de werknemers daarvan profiteerden, maar uiteindelijk stegen de inkomens, waardoor zij meer geld te besteden hadden, er meer vraag naar (luxere) producten en diensten kwam en de economie groeide. Maar we kregen niet alleen meer te spenderen: sinds 1900 is het aantal uren dat in een werkweek wordt gemaakt, sterk afgenomen. En ook dat leidde grappig genoeg weer tot meer werkgelegenheid in de vrijetijdssector.

De vierde Industriële Revolutie kan – net als haar voorgangers – even pijn doen. Maar op de langere termijn mag je natuurlijk hopen dat de revolutie meer oplevert dan zij kost. Onderzoekers zijn daar vrij optimistisch over, mits we massaal een beroep doen op die ene eigenschap waaraan we hoogstwaarschijnlijk te danken hebben dat we überhaupt – als enige mensensoort – nog op aarde rondlopen: ons grote aanpassingsvermogen.

https://www.scientias.nl/de-vierde-indu ... overbodig/

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: zo okt 21, 2018 7:09 pm
door Pilgrim
Humans beings on the brink of IMMORTALITY, top scientist claims

By Rachel O'Donoghue / Published 16th October 2018

Afbeelding
IMMORTAL: Human beings could soon live forever.

HUMAN beings becoming immortal is a step closer following the launch of a new start-up.

Dr Ian Pearson has previously said people will have the ability to “not die” by 2050 – just over 30 years from now.

Two of the methods he said humans might use were “body part renewal” and linking bodies with machines so that people are living their lives through an android.

But after Dr Pearson’s predictions, immortality may now be a step nearer following the launch of a new start-up.

Human is hoping to make the immortality dream a reality with an ambitious plan.

Josh Bocanegra, the CEO of the company, said he is hoping to use Artificial Intelligence technology to create its own human being in the next three decades.

He said: “We’re using artificial intelligence and nanotechnology to store data of conversational styles, behavioural patterns, thought processes and information about how your body functions from the inside-out.

“This data will be coded into multiple sensor technologies, which will be built into an artificial body with the brain of a deceased human.

“Using cloning technology, we will restore the brain as it matures."

Last year, UK-based stem cell bank StemProject said it could eventually potentially develop treatments that allow humans to live until 200.

Mark Hall, from StemProtect, said at the time: “In just the same way as we might replace a joint such as a hip with a specially made synthetic device, we can now replace cells in the body with new cells which are healthy and younger versions of the ones they’re replacing.

“That means we can replace diseased or ageing cells – and parts of the body – with entirely new ones which are completely natural and healthy.”

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird- ... 8lvFZSWZmM

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: zo okt 21, 2018 11:45 pm
door Ariel
Pilgrim schreef:
De Vierde Industriële Revolutie is begonnen: zijn we straks allemaal overbodig?

De vierde Industriële Revolutie kan – net als haar voorgangers – even pijn doen. Maar op de langere termijn mag je natuurlijk hopen dat de revolutie meer oplevert dan zij kost. Onderzoekers zijn daar vrij optimistisch over, mits we massaal een beroep doen op die ene eigenschap waaraan we hoogstwaarschijnlijk te danken hebben dat we überhaupt – als enige mensensoort – nog op aarde rondlopen: ons grote aanpassingsvermogen.
Het westen kan en zal zich aanpassen, maar Afrika zal nog meer problemen gaan krijgen.

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: ma okt 22, 2018 4:56 pm
door Pilgrim
Ariel schreef:Het westen kan en zal zich aanpassen, maar Afrika zal nog meer problemen gaan krijgen.
Met als gevolg nog meer illegale migranten... :unhappy:

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: ma okt 22, 2018 8:42 pm
door Pilgrim
How Boeing's Hypersonic Passenger Plane Concept Works

By Joe Pappalardo - Jun 26, 2018

Afbeelding

Building an airplane that can reach (and survive) Mach 5.

Boeing has revealed its first-ever concept for a hypersonic passenger plane that could cross an ocean in two hours for military or commercial customers. Debuted at an aerospace conference in Atlanta today, the design shows that the aerospace giant is ready to compete for this high-flying piece of the aviation future.

“There is an inherent value in speed,” says Kevin Bowcutt, Senior Technical Fellow of hypersonics in Boeing Research & Technology.

Boeing is the 800-pound gorilla in the room when it comes to hypersonics, the technology to fly faster than Mach 5. The company has been working on this research since 1956, breaking speed records with the X-15 and moving on to other experiential planes like the X-43 and X-51. Bowcutt says Boeing is pulling knowhow from those decades of testing, which could be the company’s ace in the hole as it competes with not only American firms like Lockheed Martin but also with Chinese and Russian engineers in this new hypersonic race.

How To Go Mach 5
Although the airplane Boeing showed off today is just a concept and will certainly change before its possible flight in 20 or 30 years, Bowcutt can showcase the engineering decision-making that goes into such a vehicle.

You don’t need (or want) to go Mach 5 during takeoff. Boeing’s designers envision using a commercial turbofan engine capable of a wide range of speeds that can be bypassed when it’s time for the airplane to really zoom. Besides, a traditional engine’s fan blades would disintegrate at such velocities. While traveling at hypersonic speeds, you don’t need fan blades to compress air anyway because the speed of the craft does that for you.

Afbeelding
Boeing’s hypersonic drone concept from early 2018 – Boeing

Although the airplane Boeing showed off today is just a concept and will certainly change before its possible flight in 20 or 30 years, Bowcutt can showcase the engineering decision-making that goes into such a vehicle.

You don’t need (or want) to go Mach 5 during takeoff. Boeing’s designers envision using a commercial turbofan engine capable of a wide range of speeds that can be bypassed when it’s time for the airplane to really zoom. Besides, a traditional engine’s fan blades would disintegrate at such velocities. While traveling at hypersonic speeds, you don’t need fan blades to compress air anyway because the speed of the craft does that for you.

That’s why most modern hypersonic jet designs rely on a ramjet, which uses the plane's forward motion to compress air, to reach truly awesome speeds. “The turboramjet would be designed to valve the air so it bypasses the (turbofan) engine and dumps into a combined afterburner ramjet,” Bowcutt says. “That same afterburner would function as a ramjet.” The ramjet would propel the vehicle to Mach 5, fast enough to get from New York to Tokyo in about 2 hours.

Such speed influences the design in radical ways that can be seen in the render. For one thing, as airplanes go faster, the ratio of lift–to-drag (the thing that makes airplanes fly) drops.

“We have to do a lot of work to keep the drag low,” Bowcutt says. “That’s why you have such shallow angles and sweptback leading edges.”

The tails of hypersonic airplanes represent an inherent challenge, too. The top sides of the wings generate expansion waves that distribute the flow away from the airplane. This creates very-low-pressure zones that hinder a tail in doing its job of stabilizing and steering.

“A tail doesn’t work in low pressure air—it needs that pressure to be effective,” Bowcutt says. “So you have to design a hypersonic aircraft so the tail is always grabbing high pressure flow.” Boeing’s solution is to split the tail, splay them, and put them in areas that can capture higher air pressure, which accounts for the funky rear of the render.

Sucking Wind
The faster an airplane goes, the less thrust its engine produces from the same amount of air. This is one reason engines get larger as an airplane is designed to go faster. The render shows an airplane that is designed to route as much air as possible into the engines, effectively making the sloped fuselage a route to find the engines’ air intakes. “You want to take advantage of the airplane to grab more air,” Bowcutt says.

That high-speed airflow slows down once it gets inside the engine, and that produces unwanted heat. The airplane will need a cooling system to handle that heat, and Bowcutt says Boeing is looking into ways to use fuels like liquid methane to double as coolants, instead of water. The presence of passengers also makes cooling a major part of future research, since the skin of the aircraft (probably made of titanium) gets as hot as 1,100 degrees F during flight because of air friction.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight ... e-concept/

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: ma okt 22, 2018 9:15 pm
door Pilgrim
Routine Hypersonic Flight: The Final Frontier of Aeronautics | Kevin Bowcutt | TEDxSnoIsleLibraries

TEDx Talks - Gepubliceerd op 21 dec. 2016



Hypersonic flight powered by ramjets and scramjets will continue to shrink our planet by reducing international flight time to a couple hours. This will enable us realize our dreams of exploring, industrializing, and even colonizing space by dramatically reducing the cost and inconvenience of space travel.

This talk was given at TEDxSnoIsleLibraries 2016 in Edmonds, Washington.

http://www.sno-isle.org/tedx

Kevin Bowcutt has been on the leading edge of aerospace science for the last three decades, whether leading classes of advanced engineering students or scientists. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and member of the National Academy of Engineering. Highlights of his 30-year career include leading the team that designed reusable space launch vehicles with the National Aerospace Plane program and investigating the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Kevin is now at Boeing Research & Technology.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
Supersonic flight is coming - get ready! | Blake Scholl | TEDxMileHigh

TEDx Talks - Gepubliceerd op 13 sep. 2017



Technology in the 21st century is developing with exponential speed, but aviation has fallen behind. In fact, commercial flight today is slower than it was fifty years ago. How can this be? Join entrepreneur Blake Scholl for an awe-inspiring look at the future of aviation where the cheapest flight is also the fastest one. Blake Scholl is the Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, a Denver startup that is building supersonic passenger aircraft capable of flying from San Francisco to Tokyo in under six hours. Previously, Blake held leadership roles at Amazon.com and was the co-founder and CEO at Kima Labs (acquired by Groupon). Blake is an avid pilot who holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: di okt 23, 2018 12:12 am
door Pilgrim
Het probleem met de sonische knal bij supersonische vluchten lijkt opgelost te zijn.
NASA's "nearly silent" supersonic X-Plane goes into production

Natashah Hitti | 2 May 2018 15 comments

Afbeelding

NASA has started production of a plane that will fly faster than the speed of sound, but will be almost inaudible from the ground below.

The US space agency plans to bring supersonic speeds back to commercial air travel with the X-Plane. But unlike its predecessor Concorde, its sonic booms will be too soft to be noticed from the ground.

If all goes to plan, the piloted aircraft will be built and delivered to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Centre by the end of 2021, and will be approved for commercial use by 2025.

"It is super exciting to be back designing and flying X-planes at this scale," said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA. "Our long tradition of solving the technical barriers of supersonic flight to benefit everyone continues."

Commercial supersonic flight came to a close when the iconic Concorde aircraft went out of service in 2003. The Concorde's main downfall was the noise generated by its sonic boom.

These booms occurred when travelling faster than 1234.8 kilometres per hour – the speed of sound. They were so loud that most overland flight paths were banned, severely limiting the plane's viability.


NASA's X-Plane will fly faster than the speed of sound, but will be almost inaudible from the ground below

For the X-Plane, NASA has partnered with aerospace company Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to develop quiet supersonic technology, suitable for overland flights.

The conceptual design was revealed back in March 2016. Just two years later, on 2 April 2018, NASA has invested $247.5 million in a contract to make the concept a reality.

"We've reached this important milestone only because of the work NASA has led with its many partners from other government agencies, the aerospace industry and forward-thinking academic institutions everywhere," said Peter Coen, project manager for commercial supersonic technology at NASA.

The X-Plane's design is based on a preliminary model developed by Lockheed Martin in 2016, but is also the product of extensive research from NASA, using results from wind-tunnel testing, advanced computer simulation tools and flight tests.

Its muted sonic boom is the result of a uniquely-shaped hull – the part of the aircraft that generates supersonic shockwaves.

As NASA explains, in conventional aircraft design, shockwaves merge as they expand away from the plane's nose and tail, which results in two distinct and thunderous sonic booms.

However, due to the X-Plane's shape, these shockwaves are directed away from the aircraft, preventing them coming together to create these loud booms. Instead, the much weaker shockwaves reach the ground while still separate, causing them to create a series of soft, rhythmic thumps that, according to NASA, are barely noticeable.

Afbeelding
If all goes to plan, the piloted aircraft will be approved for commercial use by 2025

The X-Plane measures 94 feet long (28 metres) with a wingspan of 29.5 feet (nine metres). It has a fully-fuelled takeoff weight of 32,300 pounds (14,600 kilograms).

The plane is expected to reach speeds of 940 miles per hour while at a cruising altitude of 55,000 feet, with a top speed of 990 miles per hour.

The jet is propelled by a single General Electric F414 engine – the same used by F/A-18E/F fighter aircrafts.

"There are so many people at NASA who have put in their very best efforts to get us to this point," added Jaiwon Shin. "Thanks to their work so far and the work to come, we will be able to use this X-Plane to generate the scientifically collected community response data critical to changing the current rules to transforming aviation!"

Once the construction of the aircraft is completed in 2021, a series of test flights will be made to ensure that the aircraft is safe to fly and meets all of NASA’s performance requirements.

From 2023 to 2025, NASA will be collecting community responses to the test flights in four to six cities around the United States.

NASA also recently partnered with Uber to develop an on-demand electric aircraft taxi service, which is scheduled to begin flights in Los Angeles in 2020.

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/05/02/nasa- ... ly-silent/

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: di okt 23, 2018 1:19 am
door xplosive
Hier waren vroeger mensen voor nodig :


Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: di okt 23, 2018 7:38 am
door Ali Yas
Pilgrim schreef:Het probleem met de sonische knal bij supersonische vluchten lijkt opgelost te zijn.
Die knal is hooguit verminderd, voor dit speciale geval waar één man in past.

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 24, 2018 8:04 pm
door Pilgrim
Uber wil vanaf 2021 maaltijden bezorgen per drone

22 oktober 2018

Taxibedrijf Uber is van plan binnen drie jaar drones te gaan inzetten die maaltijden kunnen bezorgen, meldt The Wall Street Journal maandag.

Uber wil bezorgdrones in 2021 kunnen inzetten om maaltijden bij mensen te brengen, blijkt volgens de krant uit een vacature op de website van het bedrijf.

Nadat de krant navraag deed bij Uber, werd de vacature offline gehaald. Een woordvoerder zei dat het bericht "het programma niet helemaal goed beschreef". Het plan zou zich nog in een vroeg stadium bevinden.

Het bedrijf was op zoek naar iemand die ervoor kan zorgen dat de drones over drie jaar inzetbaar zijn. Volgend jaar zouden de eerste drones al moeten functioneren. Ze moeten deel uitmaken van UberEats, de bezorgtak van Uber.

Al langer plannen voor bezorgdrones
In mei zei Uber-directeur Dara Khosrowshahi al dat het bedrijf kleine tests met bezorgdrones wil uitvoeren. "We hebben vliegende hamburgers nodig", zei hij toen. Khosrowshahi stelde dat bezorgingen binnen vijf minuten tot een half uur mogelijk gehaald konden worden.

Uber is niet het enige bedrijf dat bezorgdrones wil inzetten. Zo experimenteert de Amerikaanse webwinkel Amazon met bezorgingen per drone, net als de Amerikaanse winkelketen Walmart.

Bedrijven hebben nog enkele hordes te nemen. Zo moet de regelgeving nog worden aangepast. Technische problemen, zoals hoe de drone precies bij de klant landt, moeten ook nog worden verholpen.

Door: NU.nl

https://www.nu.nl/gadgets/5526794/uber- ... drone.html

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: wo okt 24, 2018 9:34 pm
door xplosive
 
Artificial Intelligence: Parking a Car with only 12 Neurons
2018-10-22 [ Florian Aigner | Press Release 89/2018 ]

Computer scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) are improving Artificial Intelligence by drawing inspiration from biology. The new approaches achieve amazing results with surprisingly little effort.

A naturally grown brain works quite differently than an ordinary computer program. It does not use code consisting of clear logical instructions, it is a network of cells that communicate with each other. Simulating such networks on a computer can help to solve problems which are difficult to break down into logical operations.

At TU Wien (Vienna), in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a new approach for programming such neural networks has now been developed, which models the time evolution of the nerve signals in a completely different way. It was inspired by a particularly simple and well-researched creature, the roundworm C. elegans. Neural circuits from its nervous system were simulated on the computer, and then the model was adapted with machine learning algorithms. This way, it was possible to solve remarkable tasks with an extremely low number of simulated nerve cells – for example parking a car. Even though the worm-inspired network only consists of 12 neurons, it can be trained to steer a rover robot to a given spot. Ramin Hasani from the Institute of Computer Engineering at TU Wien has now presented his work at the TEDx conference in Vienna on October 20.

It can be shown that these novel neural networks are extremely versatile. Another advantage is that their internal dynamics can be understood - in contrast to standard artificial neural networks, which are often regarded as a useful but inscrutable "black box".

Signals in branched networks
"Neural networks have to be trained" says Ramin Hasani. "You provide a specific input and adjust the connections between the neurons so that the desired output is delivered."

The input, for example, can be a photograph, and the output can be the name of the person in the picture. "Time usually does no play an important role in this process," says Radu Grosu from the Institute of Computer Engineering of TU Wien. For most neural networks, all the input is delivered at once, immediately resulting in a certain output. But in nature things are very different.

Speech recognition, for example, is always time-dependent, as are simultaneous translations or sequences of movements reacting to a changing environment. "Such tasks can be handled better using what we call RNN, or recurrent neural networks", says Ramin Hasani. "This is an architecture that can capture sequences, because it makes neurons remember what happened previously."

Hasani and his colleagues propose a novel RNN-architecture based on a biophysical neuron and synapse model that allows time-varying dynamics. "In a standard RNN-model, there is a constant link between neuron one and neuron two, defining how strongly the activity of neuron one influences the activity of neuron two", says Ramin Hasani. "In our novel RNN architecture, this link is a nonlinear function of time."

The Worm Brain that can Park a Car
Allowing cell activities and links between cells to vary over time opens up completely new possibilities. Ramin Hasani, Mathias Lechner and their coworkers showed theoretically that their architecture can, in principle, approximate arbitrary dynamics. To demonstrate the versatility of the new approach, they developed and trained a small neural network: "We re-purposed a neural circuit from the nervous system of the nematode C. elegans. It is responsible for generating a simple reflexive behavior - the touch-withdrawal," says Mathias Lechner, who is now working at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria. "This neural network was simulated and trained to control real-life applications."

The success is remarkable: the small, simple network with only 12 neurons can (after appropriate training) solve challenging tasks. For instance, it was trained to manoeuvre a vehicle into a parking space along a pre-defined path. "The output of the neural network, which in nature would control the movement of nematode worms, is used in our case to steer and accelerate a vehicle", says Hasani. "We theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that our novel neural networks can solve complex tasks in real-life and in simulated physical environments."

The new approach has another important advantage: it provides a better insight into the inner workings of the neural network. Previous neural networks, which often consisted of many thousands of nodes, have been so complex that only the final results could be analysed. Obtaining a deeper understanding of what is going on inside was hardly possible. The smaller but extremely powerful network of the Vienna team is easier to analyse, and so scientists can at least partially understand, which nerve cells cause which effects. "This is a great advantage which encourages us to further research their properties", says Hasani.

Of course, this does not mean that cars will be parked by artificial worms in the future, but it shows that artificial intelligence with a more brain-like architecture can be far more powerful than previously thought.

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: do okt 25, 2018 1:21 am
door Pilgrim
Nog wat recente filmpjes met nieuwtjes over het ruimtevliegtuig Skylon.
Breaking News - Skylon spaceplane could be a reality by 2025 following new backing

US Sciencetech - Gepubliceerd op 26 mei 2018



A revolutionary spaceplane that could take tourists into orbit at five times the speed of sound could be ready by 2025 thanks to a funding boost. Dubbed Skylon, the plane will use an 'air-breathing' jet engine capable of sending it to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere in just 15 minutes. It will then switch to rocket power to stay in orbit, according to Reaction Engines Limited (REL), which is hoping to beat the likes of Nasa in building the world's first 'hypersonic' engine. In a statement today, Oxfordshire-based REL announced a major new joint £26.5 million ($37m) investment in the technology, with contributions from Boeing and Rolls Royce. The investment puts the aircraft's first flight on track for 2025 provided ground tests of REL's engine - set to begin in 2020 - are successful. REL's latest funding boost takes the total capital it has raised over the past three years to £100 million ($140m).

'Rolls Royce and Boeing - these are really big names, and it's fantastic to be in this position,' REL CEO Mark Thomas told BBC News. 'Rolls are super-positive about the technology. They want us to be independent and innovative, and to push our technology as hard as possible.' And Boeing - that's amazing. They are the world's biggest aerospace company, have decades of expertise and future plans that, for us I'm sure, will be really exciting. REL is developing what it calls the Sabre engine, a turbine designed to fire aircraft from the runway to orbit in a single step. It would work like a jet engine up to Mach 5.5 (5.5 times the speed of sound or 1.9 km per second) before switching to a rocket mode for the rest of the ascent. In its rocket flight configuration the aircraft could reach speeds of Mach 25, or around 5.3 miles per second (8.5 km per second). Sabre works by burning atmospheric air in combustion chambers, creating heat that then turbo-charges the engine.

At the moment, rockets and spaceplanes have to carry liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to power them, a heavy and therefore expensive burden. The new engine creates its own liquid oxygen by cooling air entering the engine from 1,000°C to minus 150°C in a hundredth of a second – six times faster than the blink of an eye – without creating ice blockages.

The technology could be used in vehicles designed to deliver communications satellites or tourists to orbit at rapid speeds before returning to Earth. Aircraft that fly at hypersonic speeds from point to point on Earth's surface may also employ the technology - an application that clearly interests Boeing. The firm's investment arm, Horizon X Ventures, is fronting the new joint fund in what is its first investment in a UK-based company. 'As Reaction Engines unlocks advanced propulsion that could change the future of air and space travel, we expect to leverage their revolutionary technology to support Boeing's pursuit of hypersonic flight,' said HorizonX vice president, Steve Nordlund.Rolls-Royce has invested in the project before, part-funding research into AutoNews-

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech ... paign=1490
Skylon... Pre-cooler HTX test programme

S-S-T-O - Gepubliceerd op 16 jul. 2018



The HTX test programme is a manufacturing and performance ground level demonstration of a pre-cooler type heat exchanger in a high enthalpy (temperature) environment, similar to that expected to be seen by the SABRE engine during its air-breathing flight regime – up to ~1000°C air inlet temperature.

The pre-cooler is designed to absorb over 5 megawatts of heat energy from the incoming hot air passing through it so that the outlet air temperature is just above ambient. Proving the capability and performance of this type of heat exchanger in these extreme environmental conditions opens up the capability of operating at the high supersonic cruise speeds envisaged for the SABRE engine in its air-breathing mode.

The complete test assembly and equipment required to undertake this demonstration is being designed, built and assembled by Reaction Engines and its partners at its headquarters in Oxfordshire, UK. Generating the environmental conditions relevant to high speed operation in a ground test facility is possible through the controlled thermal conditions delivered by the TF2 facility in Colorado, managed by Reaction Engines Inc.

One of the great advantages of the SABRE propulsion concept is that it is totally modular from both design and operational perspectives. This means in practice that all of the key parts in the engine can be developed and tested individually before being integrated into the rest of the machine. Applying this principle to the whole propulsion system itself, it becomes apparent that the complete engine ‘core’ can be tested at ground-level static conditions, right up to its operational design condition of Mach 5, and 25 km altitude. This is only possible because of the unique operational characteristics of the Pre-Cooler, which sits in front of the main engine core. The Pre-Cooler ensures the core sees cool ambient air conditions, right up to that high speed operating point. There is thus no need to test the SABRE core at actual Mach 5 conditions.

A major programme was launched in October 2016 to design, build and demonstrate a complete SABRE engine core, which is the whole engine minus the Pre-cooler and rocket nozzle (these systems are being developed separately). This Core design and development activity is a major undertaking, and will start delivering results in 2019, culminating in full system testing in 2020, at which point the world’s first air-breathing engine capable of accelerating from zero to Mach 5 will have been demonstrated.

Naturally this demonstrator engine has been designed at a scale that is totally representative of a SABRE flight engine and is completely consistent with the design of the new test facility, TF1 at Westcott.

https://www.reactionengines.co.uk/sabre/htx

https://www.reactionengines.co.uk/sabre ... monstrator

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: do okt 25, 2018 5:36 pm
door Pilgrim
Autonome vliegende taxi kiest volgend jaar het luchtruim in Singapore

Caroline Kraaijvanger, 25 oktober 2018

Afbeelding

De vliegende taxi wordt in de tweede helft van 2019 in de binnenstad getest.

Voluit worden het Electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing Air Taxis genoemd. Zoals die mondvol al doet vermoeden, gaat het om vliegende taxi’s die verticaal kunnen opstijgen en landen en vliegen op elektriciteit. Volgens het Duitse bedrijf dat deze vliegende taxi’s – ook wel Volocopters genoemd – ontwikkeld heeft, lijken ze aan de buitenzijde nog het meest op helikopters. Maar dat zijn het niet; de vliegende gevaarten zijn namelijk gebaseerd op drone-technologie. In tegenstelling tot de onbemande drones die nu al ingezet worden voor het monitoren of fotograferen van gebieden, biedt de Volocopter echter ruimte aan twee passagiers. Zij kunnen met de Volocopter over een afstand van bijna 30 kilometer vervoerd worden.

Afbeelding
Afbeelding: Volocopter.

De Volocopters zijn specifiek ontworpen voor gebruik in de binnenstad en onderscheiden zich niet alleen van de traditionele taxi doordat zij het luchtruim kiezen. Wat misschien nog wel veel revolutionairder is, is dat de Volocopter ook zonder piloot aan boord kan vliegen. In dat scenario wordt deze vanaf de grond bestuurd of vliegt de Volocopter zelfs geheel autonoom.

Singapore
Het klinkt misschien allemaal heel futuristisch, maar deze vliegende taxi kun je volgend jaar al tegenkomen in Singapore. Naar verwachting wordt de vliegende taxi in de tweede helft van 2019 in Singapore getest. En die testfase wordt – als alles volgens plan gaat – afgesloten met een aantal openbare demonstratievluchten.

Mijlpalen
Er wordt al jaren aan de Volocopter gewerkt en de afgelopen tijd zijn er verschillende mijlpalen bereikt. Zo maakte de vliegende taxi in 2017 al een testvlucht in Dubai. Dat men aldaar interesse heeft in de Volocopter is niet verwonderlijk; de overheid van Dubai wil dat tegen 2030 zeker een kwart van de reizen binnen Dubai plaatsvindt in autonome transportmiddelen.



App
De Volocopter wordt gezien als een ideaal vervoersmiddel voor grote, drukke steden. Het idee is dat je de Volocopter straks met een app kunt boeken en vervolgens gewoon vanuit je kantoor of huis instapt. De reis naar je bestemming in de stad duurt waarschijnlijk een stuk korter dan wanneer je een taxi of de auto pakt; de Volocopter ondervindt immers geen hinder van files. Ook qua duurzaamheid zit het met de vliegende taxi wel goed: de Volocopter vliegt op elektriciteit en is emissievrij. Ook maakt de vliegende taxi volgens het Duitse bedrijf dat deze ontwikkeld heeft, nauwelijks lawaai.

Is dit dan het vervoersmiddel van de toekomst? Zover zijn we nog niet; er zullen nog behoorlijk wat testvluchten georganiseerd moeten worden om overheden – en de uiteindelijke gebruiker – het vertrouwen te geven dat nodig is om een autonome luchttaxi tot een succes te maken. En toch ziet de toekomst van deze luchttaxi’s er volgens luchtvaartdeskundige Hans Heerkens een stuk rooskleuriger uit dan die van bijvoorbeeld de vliegende auto. Lees er hier meer over!

https://www.scientias.nl/autonome-vlieg ... singapore/

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: do okt 25, 2018 5:44 pm
door Pilgrim
WOLKENKRATZER: die höchsten und innovativsten Projekte 2017-2045
Dein Universum - Gepubliceerd op 9 sep. 2017



De wolkenkrabbers worden steeds hoger en/of innovatiever...

Re: Futuristische ontwikkelingen

Geplaatst: vr nov 02, 2018 3:27 am
door xplosive
 
Successful anti-aging would be over ten times better than curing all cancer
Brian Wang | October 31, 2018

Dr. James Peyer of ApolloVC discussed tactical paths to bring longevity promoting therapeutics to market as quickly as possible.

The cost of developing a drug is $2.6 billion. Pharma companies need to have each successful drug approved has to pay for ten failed drugs. Each drug from discovery through clinical trials averages out to a cost of $260 million.

Anti-aging companies and anti-aging investors need to focus on an initial aging disease to get approval to treat. They then target a second and third anti-aging disease. After that they can look at trying to follow metformin for general anti-aging approval. Metformin is the first anti-aging treatment that the FDA is looking at for a general antiaging approval.

There is increasing of pharmaceutical company engagement via disease-focused proof of concept trials. This talk was given at the Ending Age-Related Diseases conference in NYC.



Curing all cancers would add 3.5 years to average human lifespan. If anti-aging could delay the start of aging disease from 50 or 60 by two or three decades then this could be ten times better than curing cancer.

$50 billion per year is spent on curing cancer. If medical research was allocated based upon potential impact then anti-aging should be at a funding level of $500 billion per year.