Drones that can fly and steer themselves show promise for tasks such as carrying urgent medical supplies or making farming more efficient. But to be truly independent, they also need to launch, land, and take care of themselves on the ground without …Continue reading
Will the Climate Treaty Get the Money It Needs?
Reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to comply with the Paris agreement will require technological breakthroughs, which is why more than 20 countries formed a plan called Mission Innovation. It aims to double research and development in clean energy technologies over the next boar years. …Continue reading
Uber’s Ad-Toting Drones Are Heckling Drivers Stuck in Traffic
Drivers stuck in traffic in Mexico City lately have found themselves being buzzed by a fleet of sign-toting drones. “Driving by yourself?” some scolded in Spanish. “This is why you can never see the volcanoes”—a reference to the smog that often hovers …Continue reading
Spray-On RNA Protects Plants from Viruses for Weeks
Scientists have demonstrated that they can use a crop spray to silence genes in plants, rendering the plants resistant to a virus for several weeks. A team at the University of Queensland in Australia has developed a technique that allows it to …Continue reading
Connecting the Unconnected
A spotlight on Pakistan’s telecom sector in the backdrop of smart cities. With a teledensity of 71 percent, 133 million mobile subscribers and 31.8 million mobile broadband (MBB) subscribers, Pakistan ranks sixth in the top ten smartphone markets for growth potential. This …Continue reading
Building the Cities of Tomorrow
Before smart cities initiatives, the government needs to prepare for the Internet of Things (IoT) implementation. Change is the only constant if you look at history. For example, the first industrial revolution was fueled by steam power that created a big boom …Continue reading
Machines Can Now Recognize Something After Seeing It Once
Most of us can recognize an object after seeing it once or twice. But the algorithms that power computer vision and voice recognition need thousands of examples to become familiar with each new image or word. Researchers at Google DeepMind now have …Continue reading
Obama’s Drilling Ban Is Just One of Many Forces Pushing the U.S. Toward Renewables
Barack Obama has banned new oil and gas drilling in huge stretches of U.S.-owned waters across the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. In a statement, the White House deemed “the vast majority of U.S. waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas as indefinitely …Continue reading
Why Insurance Companies Want to Subsidize Your Smart Home
Insurers such USAA and American Family have lately begun offering to strike a high-tech bargain: wire your home with Internet-connected devices such as a new thermostat, and get a discount on your home insurance policy in return. Offers like that could speed …Continue reading
How Pakistan Turned Around Its Vaccination Program Using Technology
It’s the last ball of the match, Bilal’s team needs two runs to win. The captain and the bowler have a discussion and make some last minute changes to the field. The bowler returns to his mark, and starts his run up. …Continue reading