Technology

Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi carefully holding the rare Merlin manuscript fragment before inserting it into the Micro CT scanner at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology

Modern magic unlocks Merlin’s medieval secrets

Fragments of a rare Merlin manuscript from c. 1300 have been discovered and digitised in a ground-breaking three-year project at Cambridge University Library A fragile 13th century manuscript fragment, hidden in plain sight as the binding of a 16th-century archival register, has been discovered in Cambridge and revealed to contain rare medieval stories of Merlin…
Cyborg cockroach equipped with an electronic backpack designed for disaster management operations.

Cyborg insects to the rescue!

Will insects be joining forces with humans and robots in navigating disaster zones and monitoring hazardous environments? Cockroaches survived the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. In fact, they have survived multiple extinctions. Millions of years of evolution has made this creepy crawler the ultimate survivor. But the mere mention of these incredibly durable and virtually…
AI-powered VR platform helps users overcome public speaking anxiety and build confidence with photorealistic training environments

Free tech eliminates the fear of public speaking

Cambridge scientist launches free AI-enabled virtual reality platform that transforms users into skilled and confident public speakers Presenting in front of an audience is an important and unavoidable part of education and career progression, yet it’s also among the most feared activities, with surveys reporting as high as 80% of students finding this a source…
UC Berkeley professor discusses AI and language learning in a 101-second video

With AI and linguistics, this professor is decoding how animals and humans communicate

Watch a UC Berkeley linguistics professor explain his work in just 101 seconds. When Gašper Beguš began studying linguistics, he spent his time deciphering ancient, largely dead languages. “Nobody cared about linguistics,” he says in this episode of 101 in 101, a series from UC Berkeley that challenges professors and other experts to distill the…
A robot assisting a person in picking up a bowl.

Robotic helper making mistakes? Just nudge it in the right direction

New research could allow a person to correct a robot’s actions in real-time, using the kind of feedback they’d give another human. Imagine that a robot is helping you clean the dishes. You ask it to grab a soapy bowl out of the sink, but its gripper slightly misses the mark. Using a new framework…
Ocelot quantum chip developed by AWS and Caltech to reduce quantum errors

New Ocelot chip makes strides in quantum computing

Based on "cat qubits," the technology provides a new way to reduce quantum errors. Scientists based at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing on Caltech's campus have made a leap forward in figuring out how to suppress errors in quantum computers, a pesky problem that continues to be the greatest hurdle to building the machines…
Torque Clustering: Autonomous AI algorithm optimizing unsupervised learning and pattern detection

Truly autonomous AI is on the horizon

A new algorithm significantly improves how AI can independently learn and uncover patterns in data Researchers have developed a new AI algorithm, called Torque Clustering, that is much closer to natural intelligence than current methods. It significantly improves how AI systems learn and uncover patterns in data independently, without human guidance. Torque Clustering can efficiently…
Hoja de ruta para la tecnología de inteligencia artificial en las fuerzas de seguridad

A roadmap for AI technology in law enforcement

Researchers, policy makers and law enforcement personnel co-create guidelines and recommendations for the ethical use of AI in crime prevention. The world is changing rapidly, and artificial intelligence (AI) is central to the transformation. While AI is capable of revolutionising fields such as housing, healthcare, transportation and education, the deployment of AI by law enforcement…
Engineers enable a drone to determine its position in the dark and indoors

Engineers enable a drone to determine its position in the dark and indoors

A new low-power system using radio frequency waves takes a major step toward autonomous, indoor drone navigation. In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several football fields, zipping along hundreds of identical aisles before docking at the…
What do we know about the economics of AI?

What do we know about the economics of AI?

Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu has long studied technology-driven growth. Here’s how he’s thinking about AI’s effect on the economy For all the talk about artificial intelligence upending the world, its economic effects remain uncertain. There is massive investment in AI but little clarity about what it will produce. Examining AI has become a significant part…