Future Timeline

(Science Alert) Scientists have been able to direct a swarm of microscopic swimming robots to clear out pneumonia microbes in the lungs of mice, raising hopes that a similar treatment could be developed to treat deadly bacterial pneumonia in humans.

The microbots are made from algae cells and covered with a layer of antibiotic nanoparticles. The algae provide movement through the lungs, which is key to the treatment being targeted and effective.

In experiments, the infections in the mice treated with the algae bots all cleared up, whereas the mice that weren't treated all died within three days.
The technology is still at a proof-of-concept stage, but the early signs are very promising.

"Based on this mouse data, we see that the microrobots could potentially improve antibiotic penetration to kill bacterial pathogens and save more patients' lives," says Victor Nizet, a physician and professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego.

The nanoparticles on the algae cells are made of tiny polymer spheres coated with the membranes of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. These membranes neutralize inflammatory molecules produced by bacteria and the body's own immune system, and both the nanoparticles and the algae degrade naturally.

This Friday, Elon Musk is expected to unveil a prototype of his Optimus robot — better known as the Tesla Bot. When Musk announced last August that Tesla was developing a general-purpose robot capable of handling “unsafe, repetitive or boring” tasks, the reaction from experts was skeptical. A year on and not much has changed, with roboticists telling The Verge that we’re a long way off building a robot that can outright replace human labor.

That doesn’t mean, though, that they’re not excited to see what Tesla has come up with.

“We still have fundamental robotics technology gaps that need to be solved before we will see ‘human level’ anything,” Will Jackson, CEO of robotics company Engineered Arts, tells The Verge. Jackson sees a lack of artificial muscle that matches biological muscle as one such problem. “Maybe Tesla [has] solved it — if they have, it will be an absolute game changer — however, it feels unlikely as it would be a great leap forward out of nowhere.”

agi wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:13 pm

Restaurants have been struggling with labor shortages since the worst days of the pandemic, and the situation doesn’t seem to be getting any better. After employees quit in droves and millions of restaurants shut down and laid off their entire staff, people seem to have found other ways to earn a living. The result for restaurant-goers? Long waits, slow service, and disappointing meals.

While there may not be a ton that robots can do to help at traditional sit-down restaurants, they’re quickly moving in to fast food and fast-casual restaurants. Miso Robotics’ Flippy, initially debuted in 2017 to flip burgers at a California fast food chain, got hired at 100 White Castles earlier this year (with expanded capabilities!). It turns out Flippy has a cousin, and that cousin is rolling up its sleeves to go to work at Chipotle. Its name, while maybe not terribly original, is pretty spot-on for its task (and for rhyming with the name of its predecessor): Chippy.