We look forward to interesting times, led by successes in aerospace and transport. Electric mobility will gain momentum and passenger vehicles will be more sought after than before. As Asia’s third-largest economy, India is preparing for a new growth story. Global think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noted this year that India is now … Read more
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have demonstrated that small quantum computers can be used to solve problems with real applications. Quantum computers hold the potential to exponentially expand computing power, transforming certain sectors such as cyber security and research. In 2019, Google researchers announced that they had reached “quantum supremacy”: a quantum computer … Read more
3D printers could present a risk to human health due to tiny particles that are released during the printing process, a study has found. With 3D printers gaining in popularity due to rapidly falling prices, a group of risk researchers have found that particles released during the printing process are small enough to infiltrate deep … Read more
Researchers from Duke University have trained a deep neural network to share its understanding of concepts, shedding light on how it processes visual information. Deep neural networks are loosely modelled on real brains, with layers of interconnected “neurons” which respond to features in the input data. For image recognition, input data is processed by the … Read more
A smart fibre, funded by the US Army, is being tested on the International Space Station (ISS). The material could be used to develop space dust telescopes and allow astronauts to ‘feel’ through their pressurised suits. Researchers at the Army’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT have developed an acoustic fabric so sensitive to vibrations that it can … Read more
Ahead of the publication of its full response to the Online Harms White Paper, the government has laid out some details of its plans to mitigate a range of online harms: from child exploitation to terrorist propaganda. According to the government, online platforms which fail their duty of care to users, such as by not … Read more
The EU Commission has outlined its long-awaited plans to overhaul ageing regulations for digital companies. Under the sweeping plans, the largest tech companies could face hefty fines and the threat of being broken up. The Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act will update the 20-year-old e-Commerce Directive, which regulates digital services in the EU. … Read more
Niche social media platforms like Gab, 4Chan and Telegram have been described as “deeply problematic” due to the amount of misinformation they carry, including broad scepticism over the coronavirus vaccine. Sarah Connolly, who works as director of security and online harms for the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), was asked by … Read more