link: https://forerunner.com.au/technology/technology-improves-sport-performance/ , https://medium.com/@davidjdeal/virtual-reality-helps-u-s-athletes-train-to-win-olympic-gold-bb8c8876449c

The days of professional athletes not being able to perfect their craft due to outside factors are gone. Through virtual reality, athletes now have the ability to train despite elements like a rainy day affecting them. Both tennis and golf players can continue their training through indoor simulations that provide realistic simulations and scenarios. Through 3D imagery, athletes can also be hooked up to a simulator with goggles that will provide them with a virtual reality of a real game scenario. Thus, they don’t necessarily need to run drills or have an opponent, but will be able to train on their own while gaining valuable experience.

Examples of these VR labs include STRIVR, a lab based out of Menlo Park, California which provides training to a variety of professional including NFL and Olympic athletes. STRIVR provides a headset that has a 360 video simulator that allows these athletes to experience real-life situations before they even happen, so they are prepared when/if they do. The NFL uses this lab to try and increase quarterbacks reaction time to limit their chance of getting hurt.

Winter Olympics gold medal recipient in the giant slalom race, Mikaela Shiffrin, used this lab to prepare for her race on the world stage. In 2016, her coach sought a technology to prepare not only Shiffrin but her teammates as well for the challenging Jeongseon course that would appear in the Olympics. STRIVR filmed the experience by attaching a camera to a coach and had him go down the course a plethora of times. They then took that footage and created a simulation to prepare the athletes for the course and assist them in becoming faster.

With new technologies like this developing, the world may start to see the greatest athletes known to man appear.

Labor availability in developing third world countries has been a struggle recently due to the socio-economic range and political issues. Right now, in California, farmers are finding it tough in the new era to find people who want to work long and brutal 10 hour days with next to no payment. This labor problem has only been made worse under new immigration laws and the US/Mexico border. Since the job market is strong, most seeking employment choose to work somewhere that is less physically demanding and pays more. Currently, in the US, the average age of those who work in agriculture are 69 years old.  A new wave of technology in the agriculture world has been developed to help the labor problem many countries (including ours) are facing.

A new intelligent tractor may change the speed and accuracy of farming. “Autonomous Tractors” have taken the agriculture world by storm. Not only are these tractors self-driven, but they can also automatically pick fruits and vegetables, and measure the growth rate of crops. They have the ability to replace the hard physical labor once needed while dually solving the labor problem in many countries. These tractors have already been developed and currently pick strawberries in the UK and Spain, and also pick apples in some parts of the US.

These tractors also have the ability to plant with extreme precision – which results in seed conservation and a bigger return on investment for farmers. The sensors on the tractor also have the ability to sense changes in the soil – they are able to determine current yield, moisture in the ground, the progress of the crops, and the amount of fuel used already. This would be very helpful for farmers to utilize because it provides them with a better understanding of the conditions of their crops while giving them a better knowledge of when to harvest. It also allows growers to understand how their crops are doing in bad conditions (dusty, storming, windy, etc.)

link: https://www.2wglobal.com/news-and-insights/articles/features/5-ways-technology-will-change-farming-in-2019-and-beyond/

link: http://www.bigag.com/topics/equipment/autonomous-tractors-future-farming/

link: https://www.npr.org/2018/05/03/607996811/worker-shortage-hurts-californias-agriculture-industry

link: https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2019/, https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/newgenerator-bringing-clean-water-and-energy-south-africa

Right now, over 2.3 billion individuals do not have access to good/clean sanitation. This causes bacteria to spread which leads to diseases and sickness in areas without sanitation. According to the article above, diarrhea is the cause of 1/9 deaths in children worldwide.

Researchers are working to fix this problem by creating a toilet that will allow both developing countries and areas without good sanitation the ability to fix their sanitation. It will be cheap enough for these countries to afford it while providing a service for the sanitation to be treated as well. This energy-efficient system will allow for cleaner water and will help with the spread of disease.

The NEWgenerator toilet, which was designed by the University of South Florida engineers, filters the water and rids it of pollutants. This is done through a membrane that acts like a coffee filter, a device which has pores smaller than bacteria so it can filter everything out before it hits the main water stream.

The NEWgenerator toilet is powered by solar panels making it both energy efficient and cheaper than regular sanitation systems. This toilet would have the ability to recycle water and reduce the water demand while also providing nutrients for fertilization.

This toilet will be tested in South Africa later this year in hopes of fixing the problems these developing countries face.

links: https://www.futurity.org/3d-printing-transforming-medicine-1525732/, https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/3d-printing-in-the-medical-field-applications/

Usually, when we think of advancements in medicine we think about a new pill to cure a disease, a new discovery in vaccinations, or a new piece of medical equipment that assists doctors in early detection. Never did we think that using a 3D printer to save lives would be a reality – until now.

Bioprinting is just one-way 3D printing will continue to save lives. Instead of printing in materials such as plastic, bioprinting would allow for the printing and organization of living cells that would mimic real organs. With this advancement, it can allow doctors to practice on these organs that act in the same way as “real” ones, which would further the knowledge and capabilities of doctors. It would also allow for cheaper and more readily -available transplants of human organs. As of early 2018, a company named Organovo has been experimenting with the printing of livers to assist in the understanding of its function and how to cure liver diseases.

Another way this new technology would assist in the medical field is the printing of prosthetic limbs. With this advancement, prosthetic limbs would be more customizable to the individual body and its makeup, while also making prosthetics cheaper for those who need one. 3D printing of prosthetic limbs would also speed up the process of making these prosthetics so patients who need a prosthetic limb don’t have to wait days, or weeks, or months – but instead just hours. This would most benefit children and the families of children who need prosthetic limbs because it allows for an easy replacement once the child has grown out of the limb.

The future of medicine and the future of technology go hand in hand. Once we are able to apply the developing technology to the medical field, more lives can be saved, and more people can afford the medical attention they need.

While some people fish for entertainment, others do it to make a career. For those who have seen the deadliest catch, it is obvious this can be a dangerous job at times. Sometimes fishermen risk their lives to try and find fish or crabs that may not even be in the area. PowerVision has created an underwater drone called a “PowerDolphin” that can obtain information about the fish in a certain area and take pictures and videos of the water below or above and live stream them back to the controller. It can not only carry information about fish distribution but topography as well. This way, fishermen have the ability to find the patterns and locations of fish to create an easier and safer job. The PowerDolphin automatically scans the area and is able to be wirelessly controlled no matter the water conditions.

For sport use, the PowerDolpin is able to recommend smart fishing points based on patterns and is equipped to tow a fishing rod and greatly extend the bait to seize an optimal fishing opportunity. Once the fish is caught, the PowerDolphin can drag the fish back using it’s the auto-return feature – this navigation is able to work no matter the weather conditions it will not be stranded in the middle of the ocean. With this, the PowerDolphin is also equipped with technology to remotely find those who are unable to swim and deliver a life preserver to them.

This is the first major underwater drone advancement that is able to capture both photo and video with a high tech dual camera while also assisting in life saving advancements for fishermen. The PowerDolphin is essentially able to save lives while making fishing for fun an easier and less time-consuming activity. This invention could lead to progress on the exploration of 95% of the ocean that is still unexplored. This technology could be used for environmental, scientific, and even medical advancement.

PowerDolphin

https://www.thedrive.com/aerial/17533/the-powerdolphin-underwater-drone-was-just-unveiled-at-ces