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104 news posts in Future tech

Engineering

31 May 2016

Complexity of the unexpected

by Mikhail Prokopenko, Centre for Complex Systems, University of Sydney Complex systems is a new approach to science, engineering and management that studies how relationships between parts give rise to the collective behaviors of the entire system, and how the system interacts with its environment.  Dynamics of a complex system cannot be predicted, or explained, as a linear aggregation of the individual dynamics of its components, and the interactions among the many constituent microscopic parts bring about macroscopic phenomena that cannot be understood by considering any single part alone (“the whole is more than the sum of the parts”).   Complex systems are often confused with complicated systems which may also comprise a large number of components and interactions. This is not surprising: after all, both concepts express a notion opposite to being simple or straightforward. The two terms also share a common Latin origin: complexus originates from complectī ‎(“to entwine or encircle”), derived in turn from com- ‎(“together”) and plectere ‎(“to weave”), while complicātus is a form of complicāre (“to fold together”) which augments  com- ‎(“together”) with plecāre (“to fold”). So how significant is the difference between weaving and folding some parts together?    Naively, this subtle distinction reflects on different […]

Engineering

07 Apr 2016

Study shows best way to reduce energy consumption

By Fernando Bolaños, Science Writer We know adjusting the thermostat, using blinds, opening windows or using electronics such as a heater or air conditioning unit has an impact on the amount of energy consumed in homes. But a new study looks at which of these is the most efficient when it comes to saving power. “I was interested to find the trends of energy use in typical households and to understand the consumer behavior and the reasons behind high and low energy consumption. I have a strong belief that, if society boosts energy conservation (as well as other resources), we will have less of a challenge meeting future demands,” explained Dr. Gabriel Kamiel. Kamiel and Wei Yang and Yaolin Lin, associate professors at the Wuhan University of Technology in China developed a holistic and integrated model which considered the building enclosure, the mechanical systems, the external environment, the proportion of window opening and the shading factor based on data collected from 270 households including single and multiple units, as well as different heating methods. All houses were located in the city of Oshawa, Ontario, which is located 55 km east of Toronto, Canada. To calculate the building energy consumption, the […]

Robotics and AI

05 Apr 2016

Gestures improve communication – even with robots

  By Abigail Pattenden, science writer In the world of robot communication, it seems actions speak louder than words. Scientists in the UK have discovered that by getting robot avatars to “talk with their hands,” we understand them as well as we do our fellow human beings.   Avatars have been in existence since the 1980s and today are used by millions of people across the globe. They are big business too: from artificial intelligence to social media and psychotherapy to high-end video games, they are used to sell things, to solve problems, to teach us and to entertain us. As avatars become more sophisticated, and their use in society grows, research is focusing on how to improve communication with them.  Getting your message across with your avatar is more important than ever, and learning how to improve this communication is a big deal. Scientists Paul Bremner and Ute Leonards took on this challenge in a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology. They built their study around the hypothesis that if avatars were to use “iconic” hand gestures together with speech, we would understand them more easily. Iconic gestures have a distinct meaning, like opening a door or a book, […]

Robotics and AI

11 Feb 2016

VIDEO: Penn State scientist uses sensors to tackle real-world problems

by Kirstin Sonne Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly one of the buzzwords of our times and has become the subject of innumerable movies, TV series, novels and conspiracy theories. But despite the high-flying and fantastical predictions which appear ubiquitous in our popular culture, artificial intelligence is still surprisingly limited in many ways. Although computers are able to make calculations at a scale and speed that is unimaginable to humans, one of the areas in which we maintain a clear advantage over machines is in contextualizing information. “They can’t situate themselves in an environment,” explained Professor Shashi Phoha. Searching for new ways for computers to put information in context Currently Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Information Sciences & Technology Division at the Applied Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, Phoha is a leading figure in sensor networks and machine perception and intelligence. Her research focuses on improving the distributed automation of multiple interacting devices and achieving real-time data driven sensor fusion and self-organization algorithms for secure wireless sensor networks. Her achievements in the computational sciences have secured her senior positions in academia, government and industry, and she has over 200 research publications to her name. In […]

Engineering

12 Jan 2016

Frontiers in Built Environment publishes its first eBook

We are very proud to announce the publication of Frontiers in Built Environment‘s first eBook: “Critical Earthquake Response of Elastic-Plastic Structures Under Near-Fault or Long-Duration Ground Motions: Closed-Form Approach via Impulse Input” which can be accessed and freely downloaded here: fron.tiers.in/go/J3u5ts   Containing four original research papers, in addition to the Specialty Grand Challenge article, on the critical earthquake response of elastic-plastic structures under near-fault or long-duration ground motions, this eBook represents the culmination of outstanding recent research by Specialty and Field Chief Editor, Prof. Izuru Takewaki. Those who avail of the opportunity to host a Research Topic in Frontiers in Built Environment can also benefit by collating their curated collection of papers in a free eBook upon successful closing of their Topic. —   Launched in February 2015, Frontiers in Built Environment is already establishing a solid reputation and setting a standard for high-quality, open-access publishing in a number of sections in the built environment field. Specialty sections currently open for submission include:   Bridge Engineering Digital Architecture Earthquake Engineering  Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Hydrosphere Structural Materials Structural Sensing  Sustainable Design and Construction Wind Engineering and Science   We will also soon be launching the following specialty sections:  Urban Science Transportation and Transit Systems […]

Engineering

05 Nov 2015

Frontiers in Built Environment welcomes Prof Takewaki as Field Chief Editor

Frontiers in Built Environment is very pleased to announce Prof. Izuru Takewaki as the journal’s new Field Chief Editor. Based at Kyoto University, and currently leading the Earthquake Engineering specialty section of the journal, Prof. Takewaki also recently served as Vice President of the Architectural Institute of Japan. Demonstrating an holistic understanding of how the various sections of Frontiers in Built Environment interact with each other, Prof. Takewaki writes in the journal’s Mission Statement: “The modern society and cities are mostly vulnerable to extreme natural disasters caused by earthquakes, strong winds and other unexpected disturbances, and are also faced with global climate change issues. In order to overcome such unavoidable issues, smart methodologies for designing, protecting and upgrading built environments including infrastructures and buildings are strongly desired recently (…)” Read more here. Launched on 18 February 2015, Frontiers in Built Environment currently has 9 specialty sections and one Research Topic open for submission. : Bridge Engineering Digital Architecture Earthquake Engineering Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Hydrosphere Structural Materials Structural Sensing Sustainable Design and Construction Wind Engineering and Science Several other specialty sections are due to be launched in the coming months, so do keep an eye out! Already confirmed are: Transportation and Transit Systems (Specialty Chief Editors: Dr Sakdirat […]

Robotics and AI

30 Oct 2015

Everything that we see or seem: The secrets behind virtual reality

Frontiers Science Hero: Mel Slater from Frontiers on Vimeo. Prof. Mel Slater has always been intrigued by the science that lies behind virtual reality. “I think one of the things that fascinated me about it was the question why people, when they go into a virtual reality even though what they see may not look real, they nevertheless have a strong illusion that what is happening is real and also a strong illusion that they are in the virtual place,” he said. Mel Slater is an ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona, and became Professor of Virtual Environments at University College London in 1997. Slater started working in the area of virtual reality during the early 1990s with the aim of understanding our mindset when it comes to a virtual world. “I set out to try to understand why this illusion happens and what factors we as engineers can introduce into our applications to promote those feelings and realistic responses to virtual reality,” he said. The power of virtual reality Throughout his career, Slater has made several important discoveries. “I was one of the first people in this field who worked in this area of understanding the impact […]

Engineering

08 Oct 2015

Smart physics models for designing new glass compositions

Frontiers Science Hero: John Mauro from Frontiers on Vimeo. Frontiers Science Hero, John Mauro is Frontiers’ Chief Editor of Glass Science. He is also Senior Research Manager in Glass Research at industrial glass company Corning Inc. in Corning, NY, USA. A Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, Mauro is also the co-inventor of several new glass compositions. “If it’s glass, I’m interested,” says Mauro, in an interview with Frontiers where he shares how his passion for glass initially started. “I first fell in love with glass when I was 6 years old,” he says. Better understanding the structure and the properties of matter, makes it possible to produce glass with better characteristics for industrial applications. “Glass is well known as one of the most difficult problems in condensed matter physics,” he says. As part of his job, John Mauro builds new glass models, together with colleagues, to understand the material’s behaviour. These models can, in turn, be used to efficiently design new glass compositions. But John Mauro is not only interested in the scientific aspect of the material. He also loves the artistic side of glass applications. In this interview, he tells us about Corning’s work with artists to help him “learn […]

Engineering

13 Sep 2015

In celebration of Programmer’s Day!

Today, the 256th day of the year, is Programmer’s day! The curious non-programmers might wonder, like I did, “Why day 256?”. The official answer is because the standard binary system of 8-bits in a byte, with power of 2, allows to produce 256 different values (0b11111111 !). If you have no idea what I’m talking about, grab a coffee with a programmer and they can attempt to provide you with an enlightening explanation! These computer wizards called programmers, developers, coders and software engineers are very much a part of many companies’ life nowadays, tech or not, and scientific publishing is no exception. Technology, and the programmers behind it, permitted a couple of decades ago the unprecedented digital sharing of science to the world and continues to make open access and open science more accessible and more open. Programmers are scripting this revolution with new peer-review platforms, researchers networks, data repositories, altmetrics and apps. The fact that Frontiers was awarded the ALPSP award for Innovation in Publishing in 2014 is certainly a tribute to the incredible work of our programmers and engineers. At Frontiers, we embrace innovation and the people who help achieve it. While we are celebrating our own programmers […]

Engineering

09 Sep 2015

Celebrating Software Tester Day

By Mark Bettex Here at Frontiers, we do give names to our meeting rooms. Names of great scientists. Next to Marie Curie, there is a small one that is called Grace Hopper, after the famous computer scientist. Among the many stories that she enjoyed retelling, one happened exactly 68 years ago, on September 9th, 1947. At that time, she was working on the Harvard Mark II computer. An incredible machine, 51 feet long, 8 feet high and 8 feet deep, capable of doing as much as 8 additions per second! That day, engineers spent hours investigating an error and finally found its cause: a moth trapped in relay #70, panel F. Somebody grabbed the insect with a pair of tweezers, taped it in the computer’s log book and labelled it “First actual case of bug being found”. This story became the founding myth of a whole subsection of the IT industry: software testing. This branch is so important today that we have a whole team of people dedicated to it at Frontiers. They are Kokila, Raquel, Gabriele and Sergi in our Lausanne office, and over there in our Madrid office, they are Christina, Laura, Marina, Sandra, Gonzalo and Pau. They […]

Robotics and AI

06 Jan 2015

Social Robotics: An Interview with Sebastian Loth

Frontiers presents an exclusive interview with Sebastian Loth, part of the Psycholinguistics research group at Bielefeld University, Germany. Sebastian is a member of the EU-funded JAMES project (Joint Action for Multimodal Embodied Social Systems), formed to further research into social robotics and human-robot interactions. How did you first get interested in social robotics?  Social robotics investigates the predictability of social behavior, asking which signals are most informative for understanding behavior. I started with a degree in Linguistics and Informatics and then moved on to a PhD in Psychology with a focus on visual word recognition. From there it was clear that social robotics and psycholinguistics are related on an abstract level. For example, in visual word recognition you might be interested in the predictability of letters. In social robotics, “letters” are events, behaviors, signals and so on. However, the question of how predictable certain events are and how they relate to other events is similar. This is interesting, because the ability to anticipate and rely on expectations is fundamental to the human condition. Exceeding or falling short of expectations is what defines a success versus a failure. This makes it very intriguing to understand how expectations are formed and how […]