Yara International has announced that it will soon commence commercial operations of its long-awaited Yara Birkeland, the world’s first electric and self-propelled container ship. It will also begin a two-year test period prior to entering full autonomous operation on a route off the coast of Norway. The Yara Birkeland is powered by a Leclanché...
At San Francsco's Clockwork, you can now make an appointment with a robot "manicurist." Insert your hands into the robot and it will perfectly paint your nails in less than 10 minutes. Just choose your colors and the robot takes care of the rest. There is a hand rest to keep your hand stabilized "so that when the robot goes to paint, it can...
Move over Tesla Autopilot and GM Super Cruise. German automaker Mercedes-Benz is the world’s first automaker to gain internationally valid regulatory approval in producing vehicles capable of Level 3 autonomous or “conditionally automated” driving. Mercedes-Benz’s updated Drive Pilot system can take over the driving chores while the vehicle is...
Alphabet’s AI research company DeepMind has released the next generation of its language model, and it says that it has close to the reading comprehension of a high schooler. The language model, called Gopher, was able to significantly improve its reading comprehension by ingesting massive repositories of texts online. Such a system could allow...
Eye drops that could replace reading glasses for millions of people were approved by the Food and Drug Administration and hit the market this week. The drops, called pilocarpine and marketed as Vuity by Allergan, can sharpen closeup vision for six to 10 hours. They work by using the eye’s existing ability to reduce its pupil size. “Reducing the...
Dubai has become the world's first government to turn 100 percent paperless. All internal, external transactions and procedures in the Government of Dubai are now digital. In addition to making governmental activities easier, more transparent, faster and more accessible, the initiative is said to save about USD $350 million and 14-million-man...
IKEA has announced the launch of STROMMA in Sweden, an electricity subscription service that will enable customers to buy affordable, certified electricity from solar and wind, and use an app to track their own electricity usage. IKEA already offers solar panels to customers in 11 markets, with plans to expand the offering to all Ingka Group...
Aiming to halt harm to livestock animals and to the planet, pet food brand Because Animals will soon be launching a lab-grown alternative: Harmless Hunt Mouse Cookies for Cats. The snacks are made with meat grown from mouse cells, which are collected from mice in a procedure that Because Animals compares to an ear piercing. Those mice then '...
Diners in Singapore restaurant Kebaya got a first glimpse—and taste—of the world’s first cell-cultured crab meat created by Chef José Luis Del Amo of TheTasteLab. Two crab dishes, Crab Cakes and Chilli Crab, were cultured from lab-grown cells. While beef and lamb are the most carbon-intensive meats, crustaceans like crab, lobster and shrimp...
In an almost cruel twist of irony, Amazon is allegedly planning on opening large physical stores akin to department stores in the near future. These brick-and-mortar locations will allow customers to purchase clothes, electronics, kitchen appliances, and more. The ecommerce and web hosting giant is slated to first open their department stores...