DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist

DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

ELON MUSK'S NEURALINK's 1st HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS

Source: Stock

Elon Musk's brain implant start-up Neuralink is set to start its 1st human clinical trials. Here's what we know:

Neuralink, a controversial biotech startup, is recruiting participants for its first human clinical trials
It's offering brain implants for patients with paralysis
These are wireless Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI)
Purpose is to see if the implant can help paralyzed people control external devices like a computer cursor or keyboard with their thoughts
A robot will insert the brain chip into the area of the patient's brain that controls the intention to move
The chip sends and records brain signals to an app
These 1st human trials, according to Neuralink, have been approved by the FDA
For the participants this will entail a 6-year study
The technology connects the human brain to a computer via the chip
Musk hopes this new technology, paired with advanced AI, will eventually treat brain diseases like dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

PUFFER JACKET WITH BEER-POWERED COOLING SYSTEM

Source: Izzy Du

London-based fashion designer Izzy Du and Tiger Beer have teamed-up to produce a puffer jacket that can cool you off by 40-degrees Fahrenheit in the hot temperatures of summer by the power of beer. Here's what we know:

It's called the Tiger Summer Puffer
The jacket is unique and such a counterintuitive remedy to cool off in the heat
It's a puffer to wear to cool off in summer
Will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week
It's bright orange with a network of hidden tubes filled with cold beer that is pumped throughout the jacket
Looks like a normal puffer jacket but it's a form of personal air conditioning
The beer tubes make contact with arteries close to the skin to cool the body fast
Integrated cooling system is on the back of the jacket
Powered by an internal breast pocket filled with icy Tiger beer that harvests its cold for a refreshing feel
Tiger Beer says it's capable of cooling the body down by 41-degrees F
The tech is similar to that used to cool astronauts in severe temperatures
No word on when it will go on sale or how much it might cost
Tons of interest from fashion experts saying this is the coolest and most innovative design they've seen in a long time.

TOYOTA USES AI TO FAST TRAIN ROBOTS

Source: TRI

Toyota's Research Institute (TRI) is using generative AI to teach robots very new, difficult skills in hours, including 2-handed tasks like making eggs. It's a revolutionary approach to robot education and may prove to be an industry breakthrough. Here's what we know:

TRI says it's using generative AI to teach robots very difficult tasks that require a great deal of dexterity and, until now, have been very difficult for robots to perform
It's a move to create "Large Behavior Models" for robots that are similar to "Large Language Models" that underpin conversational AI
The robots have learned 60 new tasks including pouring liquids and using tools
To learn the new skills, the robots were fed data; it didn't require writing new code
One of the key roboticists behind this is Russ Tedrake, TRI VP of Robotic Research & MIT's Toyota Professor of EE, ME & Computer Science
He calls the pacing, rate and reliability of the robotic learning "simply amazing" and "so exciting"
He says the robots are learning within a few hours from camera images, tactical sensing and learned representations
They've learned 60 new skills so far
The TRI team targets hundreds more by the end of this year and a thousand more in 2024.

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