Norway, Finland, Singapore, and China may be on their way to developing independent shipping vessels, free from human navigators. By 2020, a 237-foot electric ship will set sail from a shipyard in Norway. However, the popularity of these marine technologies is spreading as Finland has plans for a automated ferry, China has defined a testing area for autonomous ships, and Japan has planned to create over 200 remote-controlled cargo ships. Sean T.Pribyl, a maritime attorney has described the global competition of creating unmanned ships, saying, “It’s kind of a space race.” The idea of instituting technology in the shipping industry has come by surprise because of the many obstacles of implementation, including the lack of sectioned ocean space to run tests, heavily-trafficked paths, and regulations. Google has recently paired with Rolls-Royce to help engineer the machine learning technology necessary to bring the designs to life. Some advantages to the ships would be safety, environmental sustainability, and lower shipping costs, since there would be no need to pay the costs associated with a crew.

I think the idea of ships sailing without a single person onboard is a really interesting technological development. These projects are so huge that I am curious to see how the ships will fare when sent out on their own. The concern that I have for the ships are the same concern I have for self-driving cars. What if they lose the connection to the ship? I am wonder if it would be easier for others to usurp control of the ship and steal the cargo.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/global-race-to-develop-self-navigating-ships-leaves-us-behind/ar-AAwiiPj

To all of my fellow college students who struggle to get enough sleep, Phillips may have a solution for you. Philips has decided to make a SmartSleep headband to help users feel more refreshed by offering better quality sleep, rather than a higher quantity of sleep. According to their research, about 40% of adults between the ages of 25-54 get less than 7 hours of sleep. Similarly, 30% of adults in the U.S. and 15-17% of adults in Europe suffer from insomnia. The rationale behind this decision is the fact that more hours of sleep are only beneficial if they are part of a deep sleep cycle.

The SmartSleep headband, made of comfortable foam, is meant to be worn at night. It is equipped with sensors can recognize when you have entered a deep sleep. At this point, the headband will start to play quiet audio tones through its speakers, meant to elongate this quality sleep period. After you have been using the headband, it will track the patterns in your sleep and adjust its methods based on these patterns. An app can also be paired with the device to communicate the data of your sleep performance. The product is now being tested in U.S. and Germany, and will be launched in certain areas on September 1. Philips has also designed an alarm clock, the Somneo, that gently wakes you by imitating a sunrise and playing your choice of calming sounds, instead of creating a jarring noise. The Somneo has another feature that guides you through a breathing technique to help you fall asleep.

As a sleep-deprived college student, it is difficult for me to get 7 or 8 hours or sleep every night. Even when I try to take naps during the day, I feel even less energized. I would support a product that could understand my sleep schedule and work to give me the best rest, regardless of my time restraints. I do have doubts about whether this product would provide beneficial results, however, because it only engages once the user has fell asleep instead of inducing sleep. I do not know whether I would enjoy sleeping with a headband every night, but if it performs well in testing, I would be willing to give the SmartSleep headband a try. I think the Somneo sounds very interesting, I would love the opportunity to wake up to a sunrise rather than the sound of my alarm, which I have come to hate.

https://www.techradar.com/news/philips-wants-to-help-you-doze-off-more-effectively

Researchers from the University of Washington and Allen Institute for AI are investigating whether they can create perceptive AI systems by modeling them after highly-intelligent beings: dogs. These researchers are hopeful that, by studying the behaviors of canines they can train AI systems and robots to interpret new data. In order to collect this data, the researchers have enlisted the help of Kelp, a Malamute dog equipped with multiple sensors, cameras, and a GoPro. These devices monitor Kelp’s daily movement and capture videos to be analyzed by the researchers using deep learning, an AI technique used to pair the motion data to the visual data. This technique was then be applied to the AI systems to teach it to predict Kelp’s behavior in different situations.

Aside from just predicting behavior, the researchers wanted to take a step further and determine whether the AI systems learned any other information that they were not designed to interpret. To do this, the researchers tested whether the neural networks could label different environments and places that a dog could walk. The neural networks were able to pass the assessments with decent accuracy, proving that they had found patterns from Kelp’s behavior and used it to make seemingly knowledgeable decisions.

This experiment proves that animals could be a viable training device for AI systems in teaching them how to model information that would take much longer to program into the systems. Who knows, we may have very realistic robot pets in the future.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/14/17234570/artificial-intelligence-dogs-research-science-learning

Starting on May 25, the EU will institute tougher data regulation rules for organizations with access to user data. Amid the stricter consequences outlined by the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, Apple has developed a software update affecting iOS, MacOS, and tvOS, aimed at helping the public understand how their data is being used. The update will provide an information display about the type of data being collected when they open Apple apps for the for the first time. Apple has not made changes to the amount of data that it collects. The update simply acts as a transparency measure to alert individuals about how their data is being used. Additionally, these individuals cannot opt out of certain data collection without forgoing their ability to use certain Apple apps, such as the App Store. However, Apple users will have some control. They will be able to download the information that Apple has retrieved about them, prevent Apple from utilizing their data by deactivating their Apple ID for a short period of time, and deleting the data that Apple stores by permanently shutting down their Apple ID. Many Open Rights Groups are applauding the changes, declaring that new privacy rights gives power back to the people and forces companies to be aware of their users concerns.

I personally never thought much about the amount of information I was giving away to companies. I did not realize that when I was using a platform for free, I was actually paying for it with my data. Considering that I spend so much time protecting my information from malware, software, and phishing by using secure passwords and other security measures, I should not be so lax about how my information is disseminated. As an Apple user, I will take advantage of the new update to understand which information Apple is storing. Once I become more knowledgeable, than I can determine if I want to taken even more preventive measures to protect my data.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43571809