Computer & Information Technology

27 Jun 23

Peculiar Pangolin Bot Is a Pill-Size Prototype

Computer & Information Technology

A tiny robot version of the scaly mammal known as the pangolin may one day perform medical procedures inside the body, a new study finds. Scientists are increasingly exploring how miniature robots might find use in medicine—for instance, to carry drugs, genes, or cells into the body. Soft robots especially…

23 Jun 23

The Internet Isn’t Completely Weird Yet; AI Can Fix That

Computer & Information Technology

The Internet is hurtling into a hurricane of AI-generated nonsense, and no one knows how to stop it.That’s the sobering possibility presented in a pair of papers that examine AI models trained on AI-generated data. This possibly avoidable fate isn’t news for AI researchers. But these two new findings foreground…

23 Jun 23

IBM: Quantum Computers Are Already Doing Heavy Lifting

Computer & Information Technology

As powerful as quantum computers may theoretically one day be, they are currently so prone to error that their ultimate utility is often questioned. Now, however, IBM argues that quantum computing may be entering a new era of utility sooner than expected, with its 127-qubit Eagle quantum computer potentially delivering…

21 Jun 23

The AI Apocalypse: A Scorecard

Computer & Information Technology

What should we make of OpenAI’s GPT-4, anyway? Is the large language model a major step on the way to an artificial general intelligence (AGI)—the insider’s term for an AI system with a flexible human-level intellect? And if we do create an AGI, might it be so different from human…

18 Jun 23

Qubit Quest Takes a Topological Turn

Computer & Information Technology

The math that explains why a donut is really the same shape as coffee mug but not a waste bin could be the key to making quantum computers practicable. Two teams of researchers have used topology, a centuries-old field of mathematics, and a new kind of “quasiparticle” to come up…

15 Jun 23

U.S. SEC Puts Cryptocurrency Future In Crosshairs

Computer & Information Technology

The future of the U.S. cryptocurrency industry hangs in the balance after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and Coinbase. The cases hinge on the technology’s ambiguous legal status, but if the SEC wins the outcome may well not be ambiguous at all. Some outcomes could…

12 Jun 23

New Nano-Tattoos Don’t Need Batteries or Wires

Computer & Information Technology

Researchers at two institutions in Istanbul have created nano-tattoos capable of passive wireless communications with nearby devices, without the need for external power sources such as batteries. The advance could lead to numerous bio-sensing technologies that have, up until now, been stymied by relying on a bulky external power source…

09 Jun 23

This Brain-Spine Interface Sidesteps Spinal Cord Injuries

Computer & Information Technology

In 2011, Gert-Jan Oskam lost the ability to walk. 12 years later, neuroscientists at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland have helped him get back on his feet.Oskam, who suffered a traumatic cervical spine injury from a cycling accident, regained control of his legs with the help…

08 Jun 23

Diamond Rotors Could Put a New Spin on Protein Studies

Computer & Information Technology

For decades, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been one of the key technologies used to study the atomic structures of complex biological compounds. The most popular technique, solid-state NMR, involves putting the material to be analyzed inside tiny cylindrical rotors which are then spun to high frequencies. The big…

08 Jun 23

Nvidia Spools Up Quantum Jet Engine Simulations

Computer & Information Technology

Simulating how air and gases flow through a jet engine is one of the most challenging computing problems in engineering. Engineers at Rolls-Royce think quantum computers could give these calculations a significant boost. So they’ve collaborated with Nvidia to simulate the largest ever quantum circuit for computational fluid dynamics (CFD).…