Machine learning

Robots ‘capture’ shadows to sense touch

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Researchers in the US have developed a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch.  The method, devised by a team at Cornell University in New York, uses a USB camera located inside the robot that “captures” the shadow movements of hand gestures on … Read more

Bias study hopes to inspire development of fairer facial recognition technology

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A study looking into the accuracy and bias of gender and skin colour in automatic face recognition algorithms tested with real-world data has found that some demographics show higher false positive or false negative rates.  Facial recognition has been routinely used by both private and governmental organisations worldwide. Automatic face recognition can be used for … Read more

Deep learning harnessed to suggest new purposes for drugs

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  Researchers from Ohio State University have developed a machine learning method which helps to determine which existing medications could be applied to improve outcomes in diseases for which they have not been prescribed.  Drug repurposing – which accelerates the commercialisation of drugs and lowers the risk associated with safety testing – is not a new concept. … Read more

AI and satellite data used to build British air pollution map

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Researchers from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have led a study using AI and remote-sensing satellite technologies to produce the most detailed nationwide map of air pollution.  The novel method offers an impressive level of detail, with daily measurements provided in a 1x1km grid across Britain. This could transform understanding of the health … Read more

AI tool could predict future ratings of films

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Researchers have developed an AI tool that can rate a film’s content in a matter of seconds, based on the film script and before a single scene has been shot.  Ratings can determine a film’s appeal to consumers and the size of its potential audience. Thus, they have an impact on a film’s bottom line. … Read more

Nanopores and AI used to classify respiratory viruses

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Researchers at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses, based on dips in electrical current as they pass through silicon nanopores. The method could form the basis of a rapid new Covid-19 test.  Efforts to restrict the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic have emphasised rapid, widespread … Read more

AI model detects Covid-19 from sound of coughing

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MIT researchers have developed a model which can distinguish people with asymptomatic Covid-19 from healthy people, using the sound of their coughs. These differences are impossible to detect with the human ear.  Previously, researchers have trained algorithms to detect conditions such as pneumonia and asthma based on basic phone recordings of coughs. The MIT team, … Read more

AMD powers into the AI chip market’s blowoff top

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The AI surge makes the PC processor maker’s purchase of Xilinx look like a one-way bet, but trouble may surface not that long from now.  The parabolic blowoff top is a common feature of stock markets. Sometimes things get so frothy that there is no stopping investors and traders from piling into buying a particular … Read more

AI-ready nations in danger of entrenching inequality

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A report from Oxford Insights and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has assessed countries on the basis of their AI readiness and responsibility and found that some are at risk of furthering inequality and marginalisation. The ‘Government AI Readiness Index’ in the report ranked the US at number one and the UK at number two … Read more