Technology – IdeasXChange

Editorial: Innovative Artificial Intelligence

Crystal Lam on February 21, 2017

Presently, technology redefines what a necessity is as it adds more capability to tools that we need to function as a post-modern being. For instance, a real-time digital map that guides us to our next meal, a platform to provide us with endless information and many more are condensed into a smartphone with a humanoid voice that carries out these demands. The artificial intelligence industry is skyrocketing because it finds innovative ways to engrave itself into our daily lives.

What exactly is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial Intelligence is the development of computer functions that mirror human tasks such as visual perception, facial and voice recognition, as well as critical decision-making. Artificial Intelligence stems even further from smartphone development, as it boosts the efficiency of the medical industry to geographical analysis to start-ups. Listed below are three extraordinary ways in which Artificial Intelligence has enhanced our lives.

Vegan alternatives closely mirror meat products not only in appearance, but also in taste thanks to molecular duplication in plant material. Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Calling for increased environmental benefits in Veganism

Veganism is a lifestyle that more people are adopting, either for its health or environmental benefits, or both. This calls for more variety in veganism to cater to a wider range of tastes and lifestyles. As of now, vegans are demanding more meat alternatives besides tofu and salad, for example, fully-fledged plant-based menus that are not limited to vegan burger patties and vegan bacon.

The reason why there has not been a large variety of vegan food is because the alternatives in supermarkets are lacking in taste and do not seem well-received by customers. Artificial Intelligence proposes a solution for this problem. The Giuseppe algorithm developed by the Not Company tracks the molecular patterns of meat and generates similar ones applicable to plant-based foods, calling for exponentially better tasting vegan alternatives.

The algorithm retains the sustainability of plants being used to produce these foods, as the quota and distribution of nutritional value in the plants are still available. As mass-farming of animals is often unethical and unsustainable due to agricultural practices and water usage, the creation of A.I. Giuseppe visualizes a healthier future for the environment and human beings.

A viable solution to vector-borne diseases that are difficult to control is AIME, an algorithm that predicts epidemic outbreaks. Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Predicting medical epidemics and crises

The first ground-breaking result of Artificial Intelligence development in the past year would be the creation of the AIME (Artificial Intelligence in Medical Epidemiology). A 2016 Deloitte report on Artificial Intelligence Innovation reveals that this A.I. algorithm predicts the 400-meter radius of an epidemic outbreak from its epicenter, approximately three months before it occurs.

This invention can completely enhance the efficiency of medical supply allocation and medicinal development because it helps scientists confirm the conditions under which an epidemic germinates. Additionally, this allows for leverage to create fast-acting procedures to treat patients because we know when and where diseases start to spread.

On the logistics side, how exactly does this work? The algorithm uses epidemiological research on regional populations that have been impacted by disease and epidemics, tracking the wind frequencies, as well as the quality of shelter and medical care that those affected receive. Then, from this detailed data, the algorithm calculates a percentage chance for the outbreak of a similar case by recognizing the time span between each occurrence.

Artificial intelligence has completely transformed the ability for start up entrepreneurs to gain outreach. Image courtesy of Pixabay.

A start-up’s helping hand

Businesses in today’s market need online presence. However, a simple website that portrays block texts of descriptors does not suffice. Websites that are aesthetically-pleasing and trendy to evoke a professional personality are effective in catching the attention of consumers. However, not every entrepreneur has an artistic eye, nor the time and resources to create the perfect website at the beginning of their careers.

To combat this problem, algorithms such as ‘The Grid’ was created to make the building of the perfect website much more efficient, and this is achieved by utilizing a “layout filter”. This layout filter provides a back-bone structure of the site (text, picture and ad placements) to allow for the creative focus of a consistent theme throughout the site. It contains the function to automatically re-apply the changes made to one particular element onto others, with a wide variety of design techniques, for example, shading and shadows for a three-dimensional effect. A complex website design that once took days to complete can now be done and published in minutes, giving businesses an easier boost in outreach.

There is no denying that Artificial Intelligence has innovated and shaped our lives to be as convenient and comfortable as they are today.

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A new design could bring Internet access to the entire globe

Azadeh Kojouri on January 27, 2016

More than three billion people don’t have Internet access across the globe – imagine connecting to the web just by attaching a thin panel to the back of a tablet.

Professor George Eleftheriades and his team in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have created a metamaterial surface – an engineered material not found in nature. This surface focuses electromagnetic waves into a concentrated beam optimizing the way antenna works.

The work was originally published in the journal “Nature Communications.” The prototype is an inexpensive, thin antenna similar to a patterned ceiling tile allowing the transmission of a signal, such as broadband internet directly from space.

“The beams that come off of this surface are like lasers – we can send this energy very far, maybe even all the way to a satellite in orbit,” said Eleftheriades in a statement.

Cavity-excited Huygens’ metasurface antenna. (Courtesy of: www.Nature.com)

A typical satellite requires a tripod-shaped structure at its centre, helping maintain a certain distance from the surface to focus beams. The satellite therefore results in a bulky and large set up.

The leading-edge technology in the new design makes a thin, flat and uniformly illuminated antenna compared to a bulky rooftop satellite dish.

“With this design, we’ve optimized the way the antenna works to overcome the traditional compromise between the size of low-profile aperture antennas, and the strength of their beams,” said Eleftheriades.

Currently their structure is two centimetres thick, and their goal is to design a thinner and more sharply focused panel.

“Many companies are working toward providing Internet to the rest of the world,” explained Eleftheriades. “They’re looking for low-cost, low-profile, antennas to communicate with statellites, and they have to be portable. We think this design is a step toward that.”

Grow your own rainforest with the world’s first Smart Microhabitat

IDX Staff on November 28, 2015

You can now grow your own organic vegetables, herbs and even rainforest in your own home.

BioPod is the world’s first Smart Microhabitat – just tap the environment you wish to have on the BioPod App and it will produce the conditions necessary to create it.

The tank comes with an IOS and Android app – through your phone you can regulate lighting, humidity, temperature and rainfall. The BioPod also comes with a high definition camera allowing users to check in on what’s happening while they’re away.

Currently, three versions of the tank are in development: The Biopod One is suitable for vegetables, herbs and small animals; the BioPod Terra is the same, but of a larger size; and finally, the BioPod Aqua, which works like an ecosystem designed for plants and fish – it uses fish and fish waste in combination with plants to grown food.

The BioPod was created by Canadian biologist and BioPod Founder Jared Wolfe, with the purpose of mimicking a rainforest environment to help save endangered frogs from extinction.

The company states their vision on their website: “to bring a community of plant and animals lovers together in order to solve some of earth’s conservation and sustainability issues.”