Less Like Us: An Alternate Theory of Artificial General Intelligence. The question of whether an artificial general intelligence will be developed in the future—and, if so, when it might arrive—is controversial. One (very uncertain) estimate suggests 2070 might be the ea...

Robots in Space. From ISS Astrobees to Robotic Explorers Throughout the Solar System. Buck Rogers had Twiki. Luke Skywalker palled around with C-3PO and R2-D2. And astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) now have their own robotic companions in space—Astrobee. A pair of ...

This Week’s Awesome Stories From Around the Web (Through June 1). ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DeepMind Can Now Beat Us at Multiplayer Games Too Cade Metz | The New York Times “DeepMind’s project is part of a broad effort to build artificial intelligence that can play eno...

The Futuristic Tech Disrupting Real Estate and Construction . In the wake of the housing market collapse of 2008, one entrepreneur decided to dive right into the failing real estate industry. But this time, he didn’t buy any real estate to begin with. Instead, Gl...

Sensor-Laden Gloves Could Give Robots a Sense of Touch. Machines are mastering vision and language, but one sense they’re lagging behind on is touch. Now researchers have created a sensor-laden glove for just $10 and recorded the most comprehensive tactile ...

Why Brain Simulation Is Indispensable in Future Neuroscience. “Do we have a chance of ever understanding brain function without brain simulations?” So asked the Human Brain Project (HBP), the brainchild of Henry Markram, in a new paper in the prestigious journal ...

A Roadmap for Paralyzed Patients to Walk Again. Just a decade ago, the Walk Again Project was a blue sky, Hail Mary moonshot at total neural rehab for those paralyzed. The project, a collaboration among fearless neuroengineers, has the lofty goal of...

Disrupting Real Estate and Construction. In the wake of the housing market collapse of 2008, one entrepreneur decided to dive right into the failing real estate industry. But this time, he didn’t buy any real estate to begin with. Instead, Gl...

Wood Gets a Makeover to Provide Energy-Free Air Conditioning. Powering buildings costs America $430 billion a year and accounts for 40 percent of total energy use. Almost half of that is used for heating and cooling. Now scientists have given our oldest building ...

This Week’s Awesome Stories From Around the Web (Through May 25). GENETICS Gene Therapy Might Have Its First Blockbuster Antonio Regalado | MIT Technology Review “…drug giant Novartis expects to win approval to launch what it says will be the first ‘blockbuster’ gene...