Daily Archives: November 30, 2008

FastForward Radio

Sunday night Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon discussed The Singularity 101, with special guest futurist Tyler Emerson.

singularityart.jpg

Following up on last week’s discussion about what is possible and what it is reasonable to expect will happen in the future, guys outlined the basics of what we mean when we use the term “singularity,” and the role that organizations such as the Singularity Institute and events such as the Singularity Summit play not only in helping us to understand the singularity, but in helping to bring it about.


Or:

add_to_itunes.gif

Or download MP3′s for all the archived shows at:

Listen to FastForward Radio... on Blog Talk Radio

Our Guest:

tyleremerson.jpgTyler Emerson is founding executive director of the Singularity Institute, a nonprofit for the long term study of advanced artificial intelligence systems. He is curator of the Singularity Summit, an annual conference for gathering the smartest people around to explore the biggest ideas of our time, cofounded in 2006 with inventor Ray Kurzweil and investor Peter Thiel. He is a cofounder and managing trustee of Innerspace Foundation, created to fund research that creates tomorrow’s interfaces for accelerating learning and memory. He is a cofounder and director of Humanity+, which is dedicated to fostering emerging innovation that can radically benefit the human condition. He has five years experience in long term philanthropy, concentrating on communications, fundraising, events, strategy, and community organizing.

Better All The Time Thanksgiving Dispatch #9



Dispatches from a rapidly changing, rapidly improving
world


Special
Dispatch #9
Thanksgiving,
2008

This concludes our special Thanksgiving series. Thanks for joining us!

 

Item 9

Honda
unveils robotic legs that could improve people’s mobility

HONDA has unveiled a new walking assist machine designed to make it easier
for the elderly to climb stairs and help factory workers.

The computerised leg device is the latest addition to walking technology
developed by the Japanese automaker, which announced the world’s first two-legged
walking robot, ASIMO, in 2000.

The 6.5kg device – consisting of a saddle, leg-like frames and shoes – can
reduce the load on users’ legs while walking or climbing and descending stairs
by supporting bodyweight, Honda said.

Honda said the motor-powered machine is still at an experimental stage, but
elderly people and people undergoing rehabilitation who need support for their
leg muscles and joints are the main target.

The Good News

Technology that promises to improve the mobility of the elderly and the disabled
is a wonderful thing. Of course, the endgame here is to develop medical technologies
which provide everyone with sound and healthy bodies throughout their long lives
(and progress
is definitely being made along those lines) and to develop full-blown robots
to assist us in all aspects of our lives.

This is nice early step towards both f those ends. We’ll take it.

robotlegs.jpg

 

Live to see it!