Crazy things-9 – Hi-Tech – Kommersant

Artificial leaves that generate clean energy. Smart backpack. Shark repellent device. Innovative mobile chair for people with disabilities. Artificial intelligence, perfectly versed in the faces of people. Kommersant continues to talk about new and old inventions with great potential.

Look into my harsh eyes

It’s no secret that the first impression that a person’s appearance makes on us affects our attitude towards him in the future. The situation is not an exception when the employer considers the candidacy of a potential employee, users subscribe to someone on social networks, or the judge passes sentence on the defendant. Scientists at Stevens Technological University have developed algorithm artificial intelligence (AI), which studies the facial features of a person and reports how a person with such a face can be perceived by other people, what impression they will have from the first meeting with him, what stereotypes can be associated with such a face, etc. According to the developers, this algorithm, of course, will not explain why a particular face or facial expression causes any particular reaction or judgment of other people.

However, “it helps us understand how others perceive us,” says team leader cognitive scientist and AI expert Jordan Sakow. In addition, by examining pictures of the same face with different expressions, the algorithm can determine which of them will inspire the most trust in other people, which will be more pleasant, and which will be the most unpleasant or annoying. At the same time, scientists emphasize that the simulated reactions of people to a particular person do not in any way indicate the real character and advantages or disadvantages of the owner of this person. “We’re just studying people’s stereotypes,” they say.

In addition, the algorithm can also be used to make minor changes to the image of a person’s face so that the resulting image evokes the desired attitude and impression in people.

For example, a very convenient option for people seeking to build a political career: thanks to AI, their faces on posters will cause a positive reaction from potential voters and more confidence.

Given this aspect and the possibility of using the algorithm for unethical purposes, scientists have patented their development and are now creating a startup that will license the use of the algorithm for specific purposes that have received the approval of specialists.

Artificial leaves for the production of clean fuel

Scholars at the University of Cambridge developed an innovative device capable of producing environmentally friendly fuels using only water and sunlight. Scientists were prompted to create it by studying the processes of photosynthesis occurring in the leaves of living plants. The device obtained as a result of research is least of all similar to a certain aggregate, but it looks like a plant leaf, although it has a rectangular shape. The artificial sheet, as the developers have called it, is made using thin-film metal oxides and perovskite mineral materials that can be applied to flexible plastic and metal foils. On top of the sheet is covered with a water-repellent substance based on carbon micrometer thick.

It turns out a very thin, plastic, light sheet, which easily keeps on the surface of the water. As it floats, it splits water into hydrogen and oxygen or converts carbon dioxide into synthesis gas. Among the advantages of using artificial leaves, the developers also mention the fact that they can be used on the surface of any, even polluted, water bodies, in the sea, in port waters.

In the future, the clean fuel produced by such large leaf systems could be used by the shipping industry, and could also be provided to coastal communities or remote islands.

Smart backpack made of plastic from a landfill

Even such an ordinary and very common thing as a backpack can be made unusual. Well, for example, the Cypress Hero backpack, which released Targus, is able to accommodate a lot of necessary things, gadgets and accessories for them (it has three compartments and more than a dozen pockets of different sizes), it also has a special belt so that it can be securely attached to a suitcase on wheels. The backpack is combined with the Find My mobile application, through which you can find this backpack if it is lost. And Cypress Hero itself will help you find the owner’s smartphone. In addition, this backpack not only takes care of its contents and the property of the owner, it also takes care of nature, as it is made from recycled plastic bottles. One backpack takes 26 of these bottles. Raw materials were collected at a landfill, crushed, repolymerized, heated, pulled into threads, woven into fabric and sewn into a backpack. Thanks to this material, the backpack can withstand heavy loads and is wear-resistant.

Doesn’t bark, doesn’t bite, but drives away sharks

Every year, 100 million sharks and rays are caught in the seas and oceans of the planet, and they are caught by chance during commercial fishing. Sharks and rays simply peck at the bait intended for, for example, tuna. As a result, not only is the time and money spent by fishing companies, but the number of sharks and rays is rapidly declining, which upsets the natural balance.

Scientists estimate that since 1970, the number of sharks and rays in the oceans of the planet has decreased by 71% due to accidental fishing.

Engineering company FishTek Marine has partnered with the University of Exeter to develop a compact device that effectively repels sharks from nets and fishing boats, saving the life of these creatures and saving fishermen’s catch, time and money.

Device SharkGuard palm-sized attached to fishing gear next to baited hooks or on board a vessel. Every two seconds, it emits a short electrical impulse that affects the electroreceptors of sharks and rays and thereby scares off predators. Tests of the device’s effectiveness were conducted in the Mediterranean Sea and showed that with the help of SharkGuard it was possible to reduce the accidental catch of rays by 71% and blue sharks by 91%. According to the developers, the device will be available for commercial use from 2024, before that, tests will still be carried out in other seas and oceans.

Opportunity chair for people with disabilities

This year at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA), a folding, ultra-mobile and ultra-portable chair for people with disabilities was presented. Model Fcreated by Whill. The developers set out to create a chair for movement, first of all, not in a hospital environment, but to maintain an active lifestyle for people with disabilities. Hence its parameters and functionality. The chair weighs 24 kg with the battery removed and 26.7 kg with the battery, and it folds easily and compactly, making it easy to transport.

The developers have thought about the convenience of the owner of the chair when driving in rooms with limited space: Model F easily maneuvers and copes with turns.

The battery charges within five hours, and its charge lasts for 20 km of driving. The chair is able to safely move a person weighing up to 115 kg. The maximum speed is 6 km/h. The chair is connected to a mobile application through which you can remotely control its movement, check the battery level and the distance traveled.

Alena Miklashevskaya