1. Tactile VR
https://nextbridge.com/tactile-virtual-reality-technology/
https://demakistech.com/the-newest-vr-interface-tactile-vr/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/microfluidics
- Researchers are currently looking into how to add the element of touch into the VR experience. There are currently several technologies that are being developed which could have this capability. The main one is known as "Haptic technology", based on Haptics, a branch of science that is focused on exploring touch and tactile stimulation.
- Haptic devices emulate touch through vibrations, applications of pressure, and changes in temperature.
- For example, haptic bodysuits, such as those being developed by Valkyrie Industries (shown below), use electrical stimulation to create touch. Some of these suits even have sensors which use Infrared Radiation to either heat or cool down the body, depending on the virtual environment.
- There's also haptic gloves, which detect your hand movements in-game and restricts your grip when it comes into contact with an object, therefore giving it a sense of reality.
- HaptX are a leading company in the development of Haptic technology, and have created HaptX gloves, which create a sense of touch using "microfluidic technology", which is a very new innovation that allows for the manipulation of extremely small volumes of liquids.
2. Mercedes VISION AVTR concept car
https://www.pioneeringminds.com/graphene-based-organic-battery/
https://www.lshauto.co.uk/news/mercedes-benz-vision-avtr-inspired-by-avatar/
Inspired by AVATAR, this car has many innovative features which make it distinct from current cars.
- The overall design of the vehicle is very alien and futuristic.
- Each of the wheels have separately controllable motors and are a lot more mobile than current car wheels. This allows the car to move sideways at around a 30 degree angle, akin to a crab.
- Engine power exceeds 350 kW. The car uses Mercedes' EQ power system, which raises its energy efficiency to a level not seen by any other vehicle.
- The car runs on a completely compostable and 100% battery. Its use of organic cell chemistry makes it completely free of toxic material. It also completely negates the need to use fossil fuels.
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| These 33 solar plates, akin to reptile scales, serve as an efficient supply of energy, which can move in any required direction. |
- The car's "neuromorphic hardware" aims to minimise the amount of power each component consumes.
- The interior and exterior of the car is designed in a way to give a more immersive driving experience which allows passengers to connect better to each other, the car and the environment.
- The car's interior is produced specifically with low emissions and energy consumption in mind. The seats are covered by Vegan Leather, which is made from recycled clothes, flags and plastic bottles. Other areas such as the sky and back shell of the seats are covered with a fabric that changes between light and darker shades of blue depending on the lighting. This feature was inspired by the colours of the sea.
- Instead of a conventional dashboard, is a display that shows a 3D real-time display of the surroundings, which allows passengers to directly interact with the environment. This display even shows things that the human eye can't, such as magnetic fields, bioenergy and UV light.
- The car is driven by a hand operated console in the center of the two seats. The driver connects to the car via biometrics, and the vehicle recognises the driver's heartbeat and breathing.
- The lights move and change in relation to the energy flow of the car and its surroundings.
3. Artificial neurons on silicon chips
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20191203/Scientists-develop-artificial-neurons-on-silicon-chips.aspx
https://www.medgadget.com/2019/12/silicon-chips-as-artificial-neurons.html
- These tiny computer chips are able to respond to and give out electrical signals exactly like the neurons in the body.
- The electrical signals that neurons emit aren't exactly linear, which adds an extra level of complexity that has to be considered. However, UK scientists have collected a large amount of data on this process, and have modelled the chips based on this research.
- This innovation could be used to cure conditions where neurons are either malfunctioning, have had their connections severed, or have died.
- So far they have only been able to use this technology to mimic respiratory and hippocampal neurons. With further development, these artificial neurons have the potential to treat chronic and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.
- The chips also only require 140 nanowatts of power to operate, a mere billionth of what microprocessors use.
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