My kids won’t need a drivers license! (Part 1/2)

SERIOUSLY?

“My kids won’t need a drivers license!” That’s the thought that occurred to me when my 9 y.o. son asked me whether he could have our new car when he gets old enough to drive. Really? Will self-driving cars get here so quickly? Should we seriously expect that self-driving cars will be the norm by the early 2020s’? In order to find out the answer, let’s first look at what have we already achieved and how did we get to this point. This blog post is the first in a 2-post series regarding the self-driving car.  In the next post I’ll explore the positive and negative implications of self-driving car and try to decide whether in the early 2020s’ we’ll all be riding to work with a self-driving car.

THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE CAR

DARPA (US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) had been responsible for many technological inventions that made an enormous impact on modern society – Speech Recognition, GPS, Video Conferencing and even The Internet. In 2004 DARPA held the first DARPA Grand Challenge – a desert race for self-driving cars where the winner would get US$1,000,000. I wrote about it back then in my old blog and I have to admit that it sounded like absolute Science-Fiction at the time. Not surprisingly, on the day of the race, most cars couldn’t even cross a single kilometer and no car managed to complete the race. The winning team completed only 11.5 KM out of the 241 km track. No car was worthy of the prize, so they decided to move it to the following year and the teams went back to the drawing board… Despite the defeat in the previous year, the 2005 DARPA Challenge posed a more challenging race with a complicated and difficult track. 22 out of 23 groups passed the 12 km mark and 5 teams finished the entire 212 km track. This time the winner was a group from Stanford University who collected the $1M cheque. For the final DARPA challenge in 2007, a complex urban environment simulating a real life suburb along with traffic lights, dogs jumping into the street and road works. Stanford won again and collected $2M while Carnegie Mellon wasn’t far behind and won $1M for the second place. After just 3 short years of development, self-driving cars were here!

THEN CAME GOOGLE

After the DARPA challenges were completed, Google grabbed some of the key people from both winning teams and started working on their own self-driving (autonomous) car. One of the leaders in this field is Sebastian Thrun, a brilliant professor in Stanford who is leading the Google driver-less car. His TED talk back in 2011 was a milestone in the public understanding of self-dricing cars.

Google have since gone where no man (or Robot) has gone before – driving on real roads around the US – highways, bustling cities, suburbs and remote rural locations, day and night and in any weather. Today Google’s driver-less cars have long past the million kilometers of driving without a single accident (Over the years there were 2 minor incidents, both caused by humans and not because of the car or its autonomous ‘brain’). To get a technical glimpse on how it all works, check out these two following videos: On May 2014 Google unveiled its first prototype self-driving car that was designed completely from the ground up. The potential is huge – Google aims to take over automobile industry and the public transportation market providing a real affordable alternative to private car commute as well as direct competition for taxis, buses and trains. But Google isn’t alone…

THE GIANTS STEP IN

Google’s advancement did not go unnoticed. The automotive giants won’t let anyone steel their market, at least not without a fight. Today all large car manufacturers are working on future self-driving cars. Everyone. This includes Ford, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, GM, Peugeot, Nissan, Citroen and others. For example take a look at one of the latest self-driving concept car that comes form Mercedes. The following video looks like a it was made solely by digital animation, but that car did a an actual driver-less entry to the recent CES 2015 show. It’s pretty impressive: Another interesting Mercedes concept is the self-driving truck (unimaginatively) called ‘Future Truck 2025’: Interestingly the race to the self-driving car is not left only to the automotive giants. The artificial Intelligence required for the self-driving car is attracting some technology companies to join the race. We’ve already mentioned Google, but other IT companies such as Intel, Uber and maybe even Apple are working on their own models. The next few years are going to be very exciting. Just a few days ago a relatively unknown self-driving car company called Delphi completed the first US coast-to-coast self-driving trip going from San Francisco to New York. Delphi designed the self-driving system, not the car (they installed it in an Audi) and used it to drive autonomously only on the highways which caters for around 99% of their trip. Alex Davies from Wired magazine makes an interesting claim in his recent review of this journey – Probably the most remarkable feat of this journey was that it was quite unremarkable. So many other companies could have accomplished it which signifies just how far the self-driving car technology has advanced.

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***End of part one*** In the next post we’ll discuss the potential implications and time frames for this new technology. When do you think we’ll see driver-less cars on the roads as the main means of transportation? I’d be happy to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Planning to buy a property? Watch this first!

The Australian property market is on fire! Prices have exploded over decades and many Australians are under the notion that an investment in real estate, at least in the large cities, cannot fail in the long run. I know this because I was under the same impression myself. In fact I recently bought a townhouse thinking that it’s a great future investment. But recently I realise that a new technology may destroy everything we know about the property market.

3D Printing

3D Printing isn’t exactly new. The origins of this technology started around 30 years ago, but only over the last few years the technology is becoming small, accurate and robust enough to make actual useful and cost-efficient artifacts. 3D Printing is getting a lot of media exposure over the last couple of years and I believe that all my readers have heard about it a while ago.

So yeah, you can (slowly) print small single-coloured plastic models. Better yet, spend 5 minutes on Shapeways.com and you’ll get a glimpse of what can easily be made today – amazing items printed from dozens of different materials. This is all very exciting, the ultimate geek-toy if you will. But it’s not exactly a game changer yet. Still technology advances fast and the rate of change is becoming faster and faster. It’s called exponential growth and is common in many current technologies including 3D Printing.

Building Printing

One of the side branches of the 3D printing technology is ‘Building Printing‘ – 3D Printing of structures and buildings. Today there are a growing number of companies that build construction printers that lay cement-like mixture to create actual walls, ceilings and window frames. Interestingly enough the greatest innovation and thought-leadership in this technology comes from China.

Building Printing is just a few years old and already someone built a 3D printed castle:

I demonstrate Building Printing as part of my TechScience courses by showing this video along with another very interesting video depicting the printing of 10 actual houses in 24 hours by a company in China.

These two videos were released less than a year ago, and I thought these were just amazing. Sure, the walls are very rough and the structures are quite simple, but it’s still a superb example of where we are heading.

Then a couple of months ago, the following video was released and I realised that we are no longer heading towards, rather we are already there…

While this technology still in its infancy, the future is becoming clearer and it seems inevitable that Building Printing will become a key component for any construction including for building colonies on the Moon, Mars and beyond:

The Dark Side of Building Printing

But this amazing technology has a dark side that we must all consider. This disruptive technology may sharply reduce the values of properties. Of course the land value is still a major component in the price of any house or unit, but if the cost of Building Printing an entire house drops from, say, $400,000 to $50,000, the value of all existing properties is likely to be slashed over a very short period of time.

If you don’t own a property, this may initially sound like great news. But remember that the Australian economy is heavily based on the property market and such a crash is likely to cause a chain reaction that will ultimately leave the Australian economy significantly bruised and our entire society may be influenced by this change.

Another significant impact is unemployment – According to the Construction & Property Services Industry Skills Council (CPSISC), The construction industry includes 995,300 people which is the third largest workforce of all Australian workers. Almost a million Australians work in construction and many new tradies are joining them every day. What will all these people do when 3D Printing technology machines will replace so many of them? Where will they work and who will pay the money required to support all these good people and their families during their hour of need?

Such questions are not unique to Building Printing. Many new disruptive technologies bring with them very similar questions going back to the days of the early industrial revolution. In the long run it seems that humans eventually find ways to benefit from disruptive technologies but the transition could be very painful.

I believe that we need to start and think about the implications. We need to start a discussion so that we can be prepared sooner rather than later for the future that is about to come.

Oh, and if you are 18-year old thinking to develop a career as a brick layer, maybe consider 3D Design instead…

TechScience Program

 

The TechScience program includes 4 terms, each with 6 weekly sessions. Each week we discuss a different topic and we alter between Science and Technology. Here is the full list of topics: 

 

 

Find out more at http://www.TechScience.com.au

Radio Interview

I was celebrating the National Science Week by holding a few events including one in the Manly Library. I also attended some fantastic lectures including one by one of my personal heroes – the Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield at the Powerhouse Museum. 

 

Here is an interview I had at 89.7FM Radio as part of the National Science Week talking about Future Technologies and their effects on humanity:  Radio Interview about Future Technologies – 89.7FM

 

TechScience is growing!

We’ve been running TechScience for only 9 months or so, but it is growing faster and better than our wildest dreams!

Check out the official TechScience Video:

 

Find out more: http://www.TechScience.com.au

Science & Technology Program for kids

I’m holding a special program for kids focusing on future technologies and science. My aim is to promote science, prepare the children to their future and teach about the importance of critical thinking. The course currently takes place in Manly, NSW. You can find more details on the website: techscience.com.au or on our Facebook page: facebook.com/TechscienceAustralia

The Philosophy of the Future – Cyborgs

Cyborg is a term coined to describe organisms who are part-human and part-machines. The last few years have seen the concept of Cyborgs come out of science fiction and into reality as a new generation of artificial arms, ears and even eyes are developed in research labs. These revolutionary devices integrate directly with the nerve system and the brain and allow blind people to see, amputees to enjoy the freedom of movement and deaf children to hear.

Moreover, researchers have managed to create remote controlled insects, cyborg monkeys, robots that are controlled by a mixture of computer chips and rat neurons and they have even managed to record and transfer memories between mice. This is just the beginning as we are witnessing the dawn of the cyborg era.

In this presentation I discuss some of the philosophical aspects of this new era and declare that the age-old Dualism is essentially dead.

Presentation Slides

Presentation Video

Event Photos

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Thanks and credit

This was my second lecture for this great group. I would like to thank first and foremost Jes Gisbert who is the orginaser and founder of ‘The Philosophers Corner‘ as well as Lee, Carolyn and Ric who provided amazing assistance. I’d also like to thank Stephen and Ariel Bookshop who provided a fantastic location. Last but not least I’d like to thank all those who came to hear the lecture. It was an honour to meet such a group of intellectuals!

Video Lecture – The Philosophy of Cyberspace

Overview

I have recently created and presented this presentation for a wonderful group of people called ‘The Philosophers Corner”. This lecture is focused on the philosophical aspects of cyberspace and tries to warn from some of the dangers while emphasising the benefits of cyberspace.

The term ‘Cyberspace’ encapsulates fascinating technologies such as 3D displays, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality as well as simply surfing the web. Therefore Cyberspace is a relevant concept to almost everyone even today.

• Why are we attracted to Cyberspace?

• The moral issues and aspects faced in Cyberspace

• Hierarchies of realities and Platos’ concept of ‘Ideas’

• Rene’ Descartes and scepticism – Can we differentiate between realities?

• Are we faced with the worst drugs ever known to mankind?

You can find some more details and pictures from the event here.

Presentation video

Presentation slides:

Finally, here are some photos from the event. It was great to meet so many people who were interested in philosophy and technology. I particularly loved the variety – people from various backgrounds, origins and age groups. It was fantastic!

Photos from the event

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Thanks and credit

I would like to thank first and foremost Jes Gisbert who is the orginaser and founder of ‘The Philosophers Corner‘ as well as Lee, Carolyn and Ric who provided amazing assistance. I’d also like to thank Stephen and Ariel Bookshop who provided a fantastic location as well as great wine and nibbles. Last but not least I’d like to thank all those who came to hear the lecture. It was an honour to meet such a group of intellectuals!

The Dawn of the Cyborgs

I’ve recently organised a TED-style event which was called ‘Kshurim Bareshet‘. The event included 5 lectures about science and technology. The event proved to be quite popular and about 250 participants filled the convention centre. I really enjoyed it. The other lectures were great and the audience was amazing!

This is the presentation I have done in the event. It is called ‘The Dawn of the Cyborgs’. Connecting machines to the human bodies and brains is an amazing science which has provided some unbelievable inventions. In the near future these technologies might have a significant effect on many of us. In this presentation I explore these new technologies and the effect that they might have on humanity.

The Dawn of the Cyborgs – Presentation Transcript

1. The Dawn of the Cyborgs “We Know What We Are, But We Don’t Know What We Can Become” (William Shakespeare)
2. Artificial Biology Genetics Engineering Biological Brain Biology Interaction Interaction
3. Biological Interaction
4. Bionic Arm (2005)
5. Bionic Arm (2008)
6. Bionic Arm (2010)
7. Bionic Eyes (2005)
8. Bionic Eyes (2008)
9. Interacting with the Brain
10. EEG Based Interface (Emotive)
11. Interacting with the Brain • Cyborg insects • Monkeys control robotic hands using neurons • Robots with rat brains • Recording mice memory to computer chips • Brain Implants to treat Parkinson disease • Reconstructing visual images from the brain 2002
12. The Blue Brain Project • Computer simulation of the brain • 10,000 parallel processors = 1 Millionth of the brain • Complete set of software tools • In 5 years – a complete mouse brain • In 20 years (?) – a complete human brain
13. Cyborgs • Cyborg = Cybernetic Organism • Coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline • Combining man and machine • Where do we end and technology begins? Cyborg (Star Trek)
14. Where Is The Border? Ray Kurzweil Marshall Mcluhan
15. What Does The Future Hold? • Human Cyborgs • Real VR • Extended brain capabilities • Instant learning • Dream manipulation • Telepathy • Artificial Intelligence • Virtual Existence Cyborg (Star Trek) http://www.AmnonCarmel.com
16. Questions? “If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith” (Albert Einstein)

Connecting Machines To Human Brains

I’ve uploaded a new presentation that highlights the new and amazing field of BMI (Brain-Machine Interface). This is the stuff Science Fiction is made of – Real Cyborgs and they are living among us already.

Brain-Machine Interface is one of the most interesting and important scientific field of research. There has been tremendous progress over the last 5-7 years and some of these technologies are already available in the market. In this lecture I discuss some of the interesting aspects of this new technology.

Connecting Machines To Human Brains – Presentation Transcript

1. Welcome to the Future Amnon Carmel
2. Brain Machine Interface (BMI) “We Know What We Are, But We Don’t Know What We Can Become” (William Shakespeare)
3. Understanding Humanity • Genetics Human Genome Project Completed in 2005 Stem cells research • Engineering biology Cells, Tissue Organs Advanced mechanics • Interacting with the brain Amazing progress over the last 5-7 years The next big challenge…
4. The Matrix http://www.AmnonCarmel.com Terminator
5. In The Research Labs • Remote controlled cockroaches • Monkeys control robotic hands using neurons • Robots with rat brains • Cyborg insects • Recording mice memory to computer chips • Reconstructing visual images from the brain 2002 http://www.AmnonCarmel.com
6. Jesse Sullivan
7. 2 Years Later…
8. Bionic Eyes
9. Brain-Computer Interface
10. The Blue Brain Project • Computer simulation of the brain • About 10,000 parallel processors = 1 Millionth of the brain • Complete set of software tools • In 5 years – a complete mouse brain • In 20 years (?) – a complete human brain
11. What Does The Future Hold? • Human Cyborgs • Real VR • Extended brain capabilities • Instant learning • Dream manipulation • Telepathy • Artificial Intelligence • Virtual Existence Cyborg (Star Trek) http://www.AmnonCarmel.com
12. Questions? “If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith” (Albert Einstein)