Drones Are Changing Healthcare

Drones are becoming more and more popular in various different ways including product and food delivery. However, according to Scientific American, arguably one of the most important ways drones are benefitting our lives is through healthcare. For example, drones are able to deliver life-saving tools to victims in need. For example, researchers completed a study that showed that drones were able to deliver defibrillators to victims 16 minutes faster than the speed of an ambulance. Assuming people near the victim were able to use tools like defibrillators, this drone could save countless more lives simply because of how much quicker the travel time is for drones.

Another positive of drones is being able to deliver people their medications. One example of this is the Health Wagon Clinic in Virginia that flew a drone approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to residents in Appalachia to deliver their medication. This made it so residents were able to receive their medication easily, allowed them to take it on time, and reduce the issues of traveling to a pharmacy.

One creative measure that drones could be utilized for is to shower contraceptives over areas with increased STIs and unintentional pregnancies. The United Nations organized multiple drones to airdrop contraceptives, like condoms, in many different countries such as Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and more. Also, drones are being used to transfer blood samples to labs at quicker rates in areas with increased HIV rates. UNICEF and various other partners are beginning to work on this technology in areas like Malawi where 1 in 10 people are affected with HIV and only has eight lab testing centers.

Another benefit of drones is through emergency care. When natural disasters or terrorist attacks hit, there are many people in critical care and bystanders who aren’t sure how to help. The William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine is working with Google Class to deliver emergency care kits via drones to those in disaster situations. Bystanders will be able to connect with someone via Google Class who will guide them in helping victims in the area. This way, victims are able to receive care quickly when healthcare professionals aren’t present.

Yet another way drones are benefitting the healthcare world is through transferring blood units to surgeons in remote countries. A California-based company called Zipline opened a facility in Muhanga which uses drones to transfer units of blood to surgeons in Rwanda where blood units aren’t abundant or readily available. With more than 350 flights completed, Zipline is utilizing drones to allow surgeons to complete healthier, more successful surgeries.

Overall, drones are completely changing the healthcare industry and will become a must larger aspect of care in the years ahead.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/6-ways-drones-could-change-health-care/

Pet Translators – Changing Communication Forever

All of us wish that animals, including our pets, were able to speak to us. This concept has never been a possibility, until now. According to NBC News, by using artificial intelligence, AI, many scientists believe that we might be able to know what animals are saying/what they mean through noises and facial expressions within the next decade. Currently, some AI systems are being used to analyze a sheep’s face to determine if an animal is in pain, and another is being used to analyze the communication calls of marmoset monkeys.

One biology professor, Dr. Con Slobodchikoff of Northern Arizona University, has been studying the communication of prairie dogs for the past 30 years. He has observed that the prairie dogs’ calls to one another explain the type and size of an approaching predator and even the color of a human’s clothing. Taking it a step further, Dr. Con Slobodchikoff worked with a computer scientist to create an algorithm that changes the prairie dogs’ calls into English.

The goal of this new program is to eventually be able to translate a pet’s facial expressions, sounds, and body movements to English. Dr. Con Slobodchikoff is currently compiling thousands of videos of dogs in order to teach this AI algorithm what the dogs are saying. Dr. Con Slobodchikoff wants to eventually be able to create a product that can immediately translate a dog’s barks to “I want to play”, “I want to eat”, etc.

By developing a product like this, it would mean that humans and animals would be able to develop stronger relationships. Also, we would be able to understand how an animal feels including why/if they are in pain, what makes them happy or sad, and if they are sick. This could reduce unwanted pet deaths since we would be able to immediately point to what an issue is and solve it much quicker than we currently do.

Although much more research needs to go into this algorithm, once completed, it is something that will forever change the way pets and humans coexist.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/dogs-can-t-speak-human-here-s-tech-could-change-ncna836811

Plastic for Cars

According to CNet, there are thousands of sea creatures dying each year because of unrecycled plastic littering Earth’s waters. However, scientists are now researching how this plastic can be turned into hydrogen. By turning it into hydrogen, there might be a way for it to fuel hydrogen-powered cars. Since there are billions of tons of unrecycled plastic every year, this would be a great way to put it all to use instead of having it be the cause of so much ocean-life deaths.

The process of turning this plastic into hydrogen works by roughening and cutting the plastic, then adding a photocatalyst. Once added, this material is able to absorb and transform sunlight into chemical energy. Simply put, researchers are creating chemical energy from solar energy by using the unrecycled plastics.

 

The plastic is then placed in an alkaline solution. Bubbles will then be produced on the surface once sunlight is shown onto the plastic. These bubbles are hydrogen gas. The created hydrogen gas can be used to fuel a car powered by hydrogen. This is a huge advancement for environmentalists as this process costs much less than recycling the plastic.

Although creating hydrogen gas from recycled plastic is still in its beginning phases, researches are working hard to expand the amount and type of plastics that can be used in this process. This is important because companies like Toyota have big plans for hydrogen-powered cars. For example, Toyota is planning on selling 1 million hydrogen-powered cars across the world by 2030.

Overall, this process of using unrecycled plastic for powering hydrogen-fueled cars is a huge step in the right direction for saving marine life and reducing the use of harmful materials.

https://www.cnet.com/news/plastic-waste-could-be-used-to-fuel-hydrogen-cars/

Amazon Go in NYC

Amazon has had huge success in recent years by providing people with low-cost products that can be easily purchased online and arrive at your doorstep in as little as 1 to 2 days. According to CNet, in January of 2018, they decided to expand their success into physical stores that are cashierless. Many wondered how a store can be cashierless, but Amazon has made it possible with an app. To shop in an Amazon Go store, you simply scan the Amazon Go app on your smartphone, grab the products you want from inside the store, then walk out. When you walk out, Amazon will automatically charge your Amazon Go account.

There are currently two Amazon Go stores open and both are in Seattle. However, a third will be opening in New York City within the coming months. Amazon has also confirmed that they will be opening more stores in San Francisco and Chicago within the next few years.

Although Amazon is leading the way in terms of this new concept of cashierless stores, it is rumored that Microsoft is working on creating very similar technology to be implemented in stores. The idea of cashierless stores is very exciting. The point of having a cashierless store is to make it much quicker and easier to purchase convenience store and small market goods. Instead of having to wait in long lines, people will be able to get in and get out as quick as they wish.

According to Slate, one fear that many are having is whether or not cashierless stores will eliminate the jobs of over 3 million cashiers. However, Gianna Perini, an Amazon executive and a leader of the Amazon Go stores, explained that it comes down to the reorganization of jobs. Although there will not be cashiers, she explains that jobs will shift from cashiers to customer assistance, shelf stockers, etc.

Overall, cashierless stores are paving the way into a whole new shopping experience for consumers.

https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-go-the-cashierless-store-is-coming-to-new-york/

https://slate.com/business/2018/01/will-amazon-go-eliminate-cashier-jobs.html

Social Media Tracking our Location

I believe that social media tracking your location is a very prevalent topic of debate. According to Business Insider, there are many social media apps that are tracking your exact location. For example, Facebook tracks your location from where you send messages via the messenger app. If your location services are turned on in your settings, your exact location can appear on a map using a Google Chrome extension called Marauder’s Map. A person using the extension is also able to see your location even if you aren’t friends with them but still messaging them.

Instagram also tracks your location in a very similar way. When you post a picture, you have the option to name the location where the photo was taken. However, Instagram still tracks where you post a picture through geotagging even without you posting the location yourself as long as the photo map setting is turned on. This map allows anyone to see the location of where you posted a photo. Meaning, if you are at home or at work posting a picture, people are able to see the exact location of your house or office.

Foursquare has an app called Swarm which allows you to check in your location so that you are able to look back on your past travels. However, if a person has “Neighborhood Sharing” turned on in their location settings, their exact location can be seen by anyone. Many believe that “Neighborhood Sharing” means that just what neighborhood they are in appears, but in reality, your location can be seen down to which street you are on.

The good news is that all of these settings can be turned off to prevent others from seeing where you are at all times. Many people are not comfortable with their online friends, let alone people they aren’t friends with, knowing exactly where they are. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep your personal information private in the world of social media. Because of this, it is becoming increasingly more important to educate yourself about the apps you’re using, what information apps are taking from you, and how to help prevent apps from taking information that you do not wish to share.

https://www.businessinsider.com/three-ways-social-media-is-tracking-you-2015-5

Why Our Culture is Not Dying

Technology has changed the way we operate in the 21st century. Many believe that the culture we once had is dead, but others believe that our culture has just changed to new and exciting heights. According to The New York Times, one of the most affected aspects of our culture since technology has grown is business culture. For example, when people were able to get news content online for free rather than paying for physical newspapers, many newspaper companies were in fear of going out of business. However, business culture changed that by having people pay for online subscriptions and placing ads on their websites in order to avoid losing the income they once had.

 

People also began paying for entertainment subscriptions through companies such as Netflix, Apple Music, YouTube, and much more. Instead of physical stores selling CDs/DVDs, companies have shifted to all online services and are now financed in drastically different ways. As a result, our culture has changed in terms of how we view and receive entertainment. Most of us no longer place such a high importance on face-to-face interaction and prefer the ease of entertainment at our fingertips.

We are also able to make careers out of our impact on social media through ad revenue, sponsorship deals, and donations through companies such as Patreon. This new culture that has been created through technology has given us a whole new outlook as to what we consider a sustainable job. People are able to make solid careers off of what they post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. They are able to have a much more flexible schedule in terms of being able to choose the content they create if they wish to work from home, and how many hours they feel they must put into their content creations.

The development of technology has caused large shifts in both how businesses operate and how people finance themselves. As a result, our culture is simply growing, not dying.