H+ Weekly - Issue #8
ISSUE #8
Today, on H+ Weekly – an open letter to ban weaponization of AI, cyborgs, uploading mind to computer, drones, robots and more!
More than human
How Brain Implants (and Other Technology) Could Make the Death Penalty Obsolete
Zoltan Istvan on how futuristic technologies, like brain implants, nanotechnology, cryonics, and current cutting edge solutions could change how we treat criminals and prisoners.
'Hunger Games' Actress Angel Giuffria Talks Life As A Cyborg
An interview with 'Hunger Games' actress and self-proclaimed “cyborg,” Angel Giuffria, on augmenting human bodies, future prosthetics and it is to live with the bionic arm.
Why China won’t listen to Western scientists about genetically modifying the human embryo
A tale on how cultural differences cast shadows on researches, and how these shadows are holding one group, but not the other.
Become Who You Are: The World's First Legally Recognized Cyborg May Be Onto Something
Huffington Post tells the story of Neil Harbisson, the first person legally recognized as a cyborg, and asks a question - would you be willing to update your body and become a cyborg?
What Happens When We Upload Our Minds?
Some see uploading as the next chapter in human evolution. Others fear the promise of immortality has been oversold, and that sending our brains off to the cloud without carefully weighing the consequences could be disastrous. Who's right?
Prosthetic Legs That Anchor Directly To The Bone
The FDA has approved leg prosthetics that anchor directly to the bone, which could change the lives of amputees who cannot use typical ball-and-socket prosthetics.
Artificial Intelligence
Musk and Hawking lead 1,000 strong call for AI weapons ban
Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and more than 1,000 other AI and robotics researchers (primarily) have put their names to an open letter calling for caution around the introduction of AI weaponry. You can read full letter here.
We Should Not Ban ‘Killer Robots,’ and Here’s Why
For balance, here's an article from IEEE Spectrum proving that Musk's and Hawking's initiative is pointless.
Is AI Dangerous? That Depends…
But really, should we be worried about if AI is dangerous? This article from Scientific American looks on both sides with calm and tries to predict if or how we can create strong AI.
Google’s Artificial Intelligence Speaks, and She’s a Woman
Her name is Julia. She was born on July 20th, 1977, and she feels good.
5 Tests for Artificial Intelligence
Quick explanation on how will test if we build a true artificial intelligence. Including Turing Test, Lovelace Test and Lovelace Test 2.0, The Winograd Schema and Ex Machina Test.
IBM's Watson computing technology learns Japanese
IBM's supercomputer Watson is starting to learn Japanese. All because IBM signed a deal with Softbank Corp., the company that brought the robot named Pepper, to share Watson with startups and universities in Japan.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Drugs Better And Faster
Genomic data will be soon taking more space that YouTube. That's a lot of data to crunch. Luckily, we have the technology needed to analyze huge amount of data. It's called machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Robotics
Why Robotic Sports Will One Day Rival The NFL
Seven reasons why robotics will be the new mass sport. Can you imagine drone racing or robot fights on big stadium filled with crowd?
China’s Troubling Robot Revolution
China is now shifting its appetite to robots and it will have more installed manufacturing robots than any other country by 2017. That transition will have significant consequences for China’s economy — and the world’s.
China sets up first unmanned factory; all processes are operated by robots
Anyway, it's happening.
3D Printed Helmet Morphs According to Your State of Mind
A 3D printed helmet from Behnaz Farahi that morphs into different shapes in response to the wearer’s brain waves.
WiFi Hacking Drones
Recently hacked Hacking Team was exploring the possibility of using drones to run cyber attacks on computers and mobile devices through Wi-Fi networks. And some people were thinking that paparazzi-drone is their biggest problem.
THORwin humanoid machine wins robotic soccer championship
The US-made machine has just won top prize in the adult-sized category at this year's RoboCup in China, an international annual soccer competition for robots that aims to pit them against human players by 2050.
Genetics
Easy DNA Editing Will Remake the World. Buckle Up.
Great article from Wired about genetic modifications, CRISPR and how cheap and easy DNA editing will change everything.
Something to watch...
How to Upload Your Mind
SciShow explains what it needs to upload your mind to a computer and where we are now.
The Second Machine Age
Andrew McAfee tells about advancements in AI and robotics development, and where it is leading us.
The beauty of ethical robots
With his extensive knowledge in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Mavritis doesn't explore only the future of Human-Robot Interaction and Collective Intelligence, but examines the role of “Ethics” and “Beauty” in the world-to-come.
4 Ways Humans Could Beat Death
Trace Dominguez from TestTube lists how we could beat death with technology and science.
Ekso Bionics: Building Stronger Humans
Guys from Makezine went to visit Ekso Bionics to test their newest industrial exoskeleton.
Show and Tell: Robugtix T8X Robot Spider
Guys from Tested.com are testing a robot spider.
... and something to listen to
NPR Planet Money did a series of podcast episodes on the impact of robotics and AI revolution on society, jobs and ourselves.
Episode 621: When Luddites Attack
Episode 622: Humans vs. Robots
Episode 623: The Machine Comes To Town
Episode 624: I, Waiter
Episode 625: The Last Job
Episode 626: This Is The End
Share this issue to your friends!