Lugh

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submitted 3 months ago by Lugh to c/futurology
 

Unitree's older G1 robot was $16,000 - it will be interesting to see if the R1 has its capabilities. It should be noted that the full spec R1 costs $16,000, but the lowest spec one is $5,900. This has been primarily designed as a research, development, and demonstration platform. The G1 achieved some remarkable success in that. The G1 model has been used in teleoperated medical procedures e.g., ultrasound‑guided injections, emergency ventilation, palpation.

If Chinese manufacturing can build limited test models at this price, then economies of scale suggest that in a few years, it can mass produce them much cheaper. The future will likely be filled with humanoid robots that cost a small fraction of even the cheapest car.

People think of future economies as dominated by UBI & corporate feudalism. But what if it's a world filled with people owning several robot workers each, and bartering and trading the products of their work?

China’s Unitree Offers a Humanoid Robot for Under $6,000

 

Alongside the terrible price in human suffering and death, the two world wars spurred aviation, and with Germany's V2 rocket, started the space age. Hopefully, this time around, we can get some of the technological benefits while keeping the war to a stand-off with no fighting.

Much of this money will be spent in Europe. Germany is passing a law to restrict bidders for new projects to EU-based, and the EU may soon move to ban much of American AI.

Historically, small to medium-sized firms have been the backbone of European industry, and Germany has excelled under this model. Will it be the same for whatever new tech comes out of these developments?

Spy cockroaches and AI robots: Germany plots the future of warfare

 

"In early June, TSMC Chairperson C.C. Wei confirmed that demand for chips used in humanoid robots is growing rapidly. As per the Economic Daily News, TSMC projects that by 2030, 1.3 billion AI robots will be deployed, creating a market worth $35 billion. This number is expected to surge to 4 billion by 2050, including 650 million humanoid robots, the report adds."

Robotics is advancing so rapidly I think these projections may be possible. If anything, the 2050 figure for 650 million humanoids underestimates their numbers. I am sure there will be a vast, perhaps bigger, market of knock-off cheaper Chinese models that won't be as good as top quality producers, but often good enough for the price. That's the way it is with many other products today.

Needless to say, none of these people seem to anticipate any economic problems ahead with all the hundreds of millions of human jobs being replaced.

Million-unit AI robot army no longer a dream: Analyzing Foxconn's three-pronged strategy

TSMC Reportedly Eyes 10-Year Boom from Humanoids, Backed by NVIDIA Jetson and Tesla’s Chips

 

The transition from The Fossil Fuel Age to the Renewables Age continues apace. It's worth noting solar, wind and batteries have years more price falls ahead. In the 2030s, country after country will have near 100% renewables powered grids.

World on brink of climate breakthrough as fossil fuels ‘run out of road’, UN chief says

 

The EU's AI Act, now the law in the bloc's 27 member states, prohibits AI designed to distort a person’s decision-making through deceptive or manipulative techniques. This sets up a clash with the US, who want any AI eligible for federal contracts to only have right-wing viewpoints. Now we may get a glimpse of where the future is headed.

Twitter/X has already altered its algorithms to distort its user base towards right-wing content. That's against EU law, and France seems to have acted on it. It's worth noting that any of the other 26 countries can do the same. Ireland has often administered EU law, as almost all US Big Tech firms have their European HQ's there. But there's been a feeling that Ireland has been too lax in this role, as it gets so much money in corporate tax receipts from Big Tech.

X denies French allegations of algorithm manipulation

[–] Lugh 0 points 7 months ago

So if all goes to plan there should be three space stations in 2028 - when will there be a fourth? Russia has plans for an Russian Orbital Service Station. While no one doubts Russia has the necessary technical expertise, can it spare diverting the cash from its war in Ukraine?

Presumably that will be a commercial one someday, it doesn't seem like any other countries are in the pipeline for developing one. The ISS is slated to be deorbited around 2030. The US & ESA/Canada might well part ways when the ISS is decommissioned, and it seems unclear what will replace the ISS, and exactly how much longer it will last.

[–] Lugh 4 points 7 months ago

In fairness to China, they are now the world leader in battery tech, and delivering on their promises.

[–] Lugh 3 points 7 months ago

Yes, there's also the question of how long it lasts; but still, an amazing achievement.

[–] Lugh 8 points 7 months ago

This is only in 4 patients so far yet the results look amazing. 20 million people globally are living with some form of spinal cord injury. Hopefully insights gained from this work will quickly mean treatments for what was once seen as incurable.

[–] Lugh 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I always thought network states were just online communities

Perhaps for some, but the idea of making them physical territories has always been there too, and arguably is the idea in the ascendant now.

[–] Lugh 2 points 7 months ago

From Galileo to Newton to Einstein, we've so many times had our ideas of the Universe completely and utterly upended. It seems to me when people talk about dark matter and dark energy, they're just tinkering with current ideas. When we really find the explanation, our ideas of what reality is will be completely shaken once again.

[–] Lugh 4 points 7 months ago

Rock From Mars has reached Earth so many times via asteroid ejecta, I assume the opposite has happened. In which case if there is life there surely the probability is it comes from Earth?

[–] Lugh 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I wonder how long before the AI investor bubble bursts? OpenAI are still talking about raising hundreds of billions of dollars.

[–] Lugh 7 points 7 months ago

Exactly, At best, it's a stay of execution.

[–] Lugh 6 points 8 months ago (4 children)

According to the scientists, knowledge about the role of NEAT1 methylation in the recognition and repair of DNA damage could open up new therapeutic options for tumors with high NEAT1 expression. However, it must first be clarified whether these results, which were obtained in simple cell systems, can also be transferred to complex tumor models.

I wonder is AI developments can speed up this process of going from lab to (hopefully) a therapeutic treatment that is available.

[–] Lugh 13 points 8 months ago (2 children)

How are we supposed to police this? A vast global Orwellian monitoring system seems even worse.

[–] Lugh 2 points 8 months ago

Indeed, Israel, for one, already uses Made-in-America AI models in war.

Indiscriminately murdering dozens of children a day has been a real advertisement of how brilliant these are.

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