Machine Learning

Ordinarily, when studying the behavior of animals, scientists have to watch many hours of video footage of the creatures going about their daily lives. That may soon no longer be necessary, however, thanks to a new critter-watching computer system.

At last week's GTC developer conference, Nvidia revealed a nifty AI tool that takes a bunch of 2D photos of the same scene from different angles and almost instantly transforms them into a three-dimensional digital rendering.

While it is already possible to control computers via hand gestures, doing so typically involves using peripheral electronic devices. The Typealike system, however, brings such functionality to existing computers, no added electronics required.

Scientists have demonstrated a new type of machine learning algorithm they say can detect structural changes in the brain and combined with standard memory tests to calculate the likelihood of someone going on to develop Alzheimer's.

For more than five years, a team has been developing and testing control software under Alphabet's X moonshot factory, aimed at making industrial robots smarter and easier to use. Now the project has branched out into a new company called Intrinsic.

Flashover is a very dangerous phenomenon, in which all of the exposed combustible materials in an enclosed area near-simultaneously ignite. Thanks to a new AI-based system, however, firefighters may soon receive warnings when flashover is imminent.

Imagine if in order to get apple juice, the whole tree had to be ground up, and then the juice had to be separated. Well, that's kind of how things currently are with plant extracts … but perhaps not for much longer, thanks to a tiny new harvester.

Machine learning has been used to develop algorithms that can analyze driving data and detect dementia in a driver. The researchers say it could be possible in the future to detect early signs of dementia using devices incorporated into car systems.

A new method of handwriting analysis is offering fresh clues as to who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. Testing the machine learning tool on one of the most famous ancient scrolls has revealed not one but two scribes were responsible for the ancient text.

When studying underwater marine life, it helps if you can use a device that doesn't scare the animals by appearing unnatural to them. MIT scientists have created a robo-starfish with that in mind, utilizing a new rapid development system.

Fish have a sensory system known as the lateral line, which allows them to detect movements and pressure gradients in the water. Scientists have now given a robotic fish its own version of that system, letting it determine the best swimming speed.

While it's important to keep crops irrigated, you certainly don't want to overwater them – particularly where water is scarce. With that in mind, scientists have now developed a method of gauging the moisture levels in soil, using an ordinary camera.