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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.
Magnets pull these tiny medical robots deep into the brain
LA-based startup Bionaut Labs is developing micro-sized medical robots that are guided through the body by magnets.
Watch a robot barista create latte art
New funding will allow Seattle-based startup Artly Coffee to bring its robot barista to more US locations.
Target is now offering the world’s first “robot manicure”
A robot that uses AI and 3D cameras to paint fingernails is now giving Target customers 10-minute manicures for just $8.
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.
First-of-its-kind exoskeleton for stroke rehab cleared by FDA
The FDA has cleared Wandercraft's self-balancing, hands-free Atalante exoskeleton for use during stroke rehab.
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Operation: Reimagine Surgery
The visionaries bringing you the future of surgery
In partnership with Intuitive
Here’s what it’s like to use a robotic surgical system.
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.
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.
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.
Watch NASA’s flying space bots work alongside astronauts
The three Astrobee robots aboard the ISS foreshadow a future in which autonomous bots are NASA astronauts’ partners in space.
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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.
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.
NASA is sending a robot surgeon to the ISS (Updated)
A MIRA surgical robot is heading to the ISS in 2024 so developers can test its potential to help astronauts survive medical emergencies.
Why futurist Amy Webb sees a “technology supercycle” headed our way
Amy Webb's data suggests we are on the cusp of a new tech revolution that will reshape the world in much the same way the steam engine and internet did in the past.
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Hard Reset
The robot solving America’s trash crisis
This robot sorts trash with 99% accuracy.
These are the next big breakthroughs in medicine
In partnership with Intuitive
These companies are working to change the future of health care.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
T-Minus: Starship reaches new heights, volunteers discover “active” asteroids, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring Starship's third test flight, a new Mars volcano, and more.
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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.”
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.
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.
Tiny robotic crab, controlled by lasers, can run, twist, and jump
A new robotic crab has a sophisticated structure for its size, but it can still be manufactured using a relatively simple process.
Elevator technology is going up
A new generation of elevator technology may soon change the way you ride.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Tiny robots completely clear out deadly pneumonia infection in mice
Researchers have created microscopic robots capable of clearing pneumonia from the lungs of mice.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
T-Minus: Counting down 10 upcoming moon missions
A countdown of 10 upcoming moon missions, all leading up to the one expected to return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface.
$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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Magnetic robot can save lives after a brain hemorrhage
Researchers have developed a microbot-containing, magnetically controlled catheter for removing blood from brain hemorrhages.
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.
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.
First person with a Neuralink brain implant reveals how he uses it
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has revealed the identity of the first person to receive its brain implant — and the man says it has changed his life.
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.
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.
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.
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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Challengers
The first wave of urban robots is here
The robot takeover is here — and it’s kinda cute.
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.
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.
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.
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.
New AI algorithm transforms 2D photos into 3D maps
A new method named MonoXiver uses AI to build up reliable 3D maps of a camera’s surroundings based only on 2D photos.
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.
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.
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.
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.
T-Minus: How will solar storms affect Mars astronauts?
Freethink’s breakdown of the biggest space news, featuring NASA's efforts to protect astronauts from intense solar storms.
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.
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.
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.
AI for better crops
AI technology could transform how growers protect their harvests, by detecting plant diseases very early on.
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.
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.
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.
Xwing puts autonomous flight on the runway to approval
Autonomous flight startup Xwing has filed for approval to do crewless cargo flights, a first step towards pilotless commercial aviation.
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.
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.
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.
What are “meta-skills” and how can they supercharge your life?
There are many meta-skills out there, but feeling, seeing, dreaming, making, and learning are likely the most important in the modern world.
We need more than ChatGPT to have “true AI.” It is merely the first ingredient in a complex recipe
LLMs might be one ingredient in the recipe for true artificial general intelligence, but they are surely not the whole recipe.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
Why aliens are likely to be AI
Fundamental biological limitations will make long-distance space travel all but impossible for organisms. AI is more suitable.
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.
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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.