. 24/7 Space News .
CHIP TECH
In new leap for AI: computer chips that can smell
By Fran BLANDY
Arusha, Tanzania (AFP) Aug 28, 2017


Nigerian neuroscientist Oshiorenoya Agabi may have found a way to solve one of life's puzzling dilemmas: how to make air travel pleasant again.

What if you could skip tedious airport security lines, while a special device able to sniff out explosives works silently in the background?

This is only one of the possible uses of what Agabi says is the world's first neurotechnology device developed by his Silicon Valley-based start-up Koniku and unveiled at the TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania Sunday.

While those in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are working furiously to create machines that can mimic the brain, or -- like tech entrepreneur Elon Musk -- implant computers in our brains, Agabi has found a way to merge lab-grown neurons with electronic circuitry.

As many grapple with the finite processing power of silicon, the 38-year-old said he had looked to the brain which is "the most powerful processor the universe has ever seen."

To simulate the power of just 204 brain neurons would require a supercomputer, he said.

"Instead of copying a neuron, why not just take the biological cell itself and use it as it is? That thought is radical. The consequence of this is mind-boggling," he said.

So he and a team of geneticists, physicists, bio-engineers, molecular biologists and others set about doing just that, focusing on the problems that were particularly hard for silicon devices to solve.

This includes detecting volatile chemicals and explosives or even illnesses such as cancer.

- 'A world first' -

Agabi said the Koniku Kore device is "a world first" and able to do just that, essentially through breathing in and smelling the air.

He said "major brands", including those in the travel industry, had signed up and the start-up's current revenues of $8 million (7 million euros) were expected to leap to $30 million by 2018.

One of the main challenges was finding a way to keep the neurons alive, a secret Agabi did not wish to expand on, saying only they could be kept alive for two years in a lab environment and two months in the device.

As AI improves in leaps and bounds, scientists are trying to make and succeeding in making machines more like our brains, able to learn and understand their surroundings: a prospect that is terrifying for many.

Musk, who has repeatedly warned about the perils of AI making humans obsolete, is working on a new project to implant "neural lace" brain-interface technology to prevent humans becoming like a "house cat" to potential machine masters.

However, Agabi, who grew up in Lagos where he helped his mother sell food on the streets, believes the future of AI lies in making machines more alive.

He believes his company could build a cognitive humanoid system based on synthetic living neurons in the next five to seven years.

"It's not science fiction," he told AFP.

"We want to build a brain of biological neurons -- an autonomous system that has intelligence. We do not want to build a human brain."

Agabi did a bachelors degree in theoretical physics in Lagos before taking an interest in neuroscience and bio-engineering for his PhD in London.

- African innovation at TED -

He spoke at the opening session of the four-day TEDGlobal conference, putting African ideas, innovation and creativity in the spotlight with a variety of speakers who each get an 18-minute window to get across their message of choice.

TED -- originally known as Technology, Entertainment and Design -- has built a global following for its online videos of inspiring talks devoted to "ideas worth spreading."

The annual international version is taking place in Africa for the first time in a decade with a new crop of "TED Fellows" from the continent to take to the stage.

"This gathering couldn't come a moment too soon," said TEDGlobal co-curator Emeka Okafor.

"Africa has experienced spectacular economic, demographic and creative growth, but both opportunity and danger are rising at an exponential rate. Our conference will gather the idea catalysts, problem-solvers and change-makers already hard at work here charting Africa's own path to modernity."

CHIP TECH
Conformal metasurface coating eliminates crosstalk and shrinks waveguides
University Park PA (SPX) Aug 28, 2017
The properties of materials can behave in funny ways. Tweak one aspect to make a device smaller or less leaky, for example, and something else might change in an undesirable way, so that engineers play a game of balancing one characteristic against another. Now a team of Penn State electrical engineers have a way to simultaneously control diverse optical properties of dielectric waveguides by us ... read more

Related Links
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

CHIP TECH
'Gifted' high-tech takes spotlight at Berlin's IFA fair

NASA Offers Space Station as Catalyst for Discovery in Washington

Forty years on, Voyager still hurtles through space

ISS Orbit Increases Almost 2,000 Feet After Adjustment Maneuver - Control Center

CHIP TECH
ISRO Develops Ship-Based Antenna System to Track Satellite Launches

Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg

SpaceX launches Taiwan's first home-built satellite

Indian Space Agency, Israeli counterpart to formalize strategic collaborations

CHIP TECH
For Moratorium on Sending Commands to Mars, Blame the Sun

Tributes to wetter times on Mars

Opportunity will spend three weeks at current location due to Solar Conjunction

Curiosity Mars Rover Begins Study of Ridge Destination

CHIP TECH
ESA and Chinese astronauts train together

To boldly go where no startup has gone before

China's satellite sends unbreakable cipher from space

Xian Satellite Control Center resolves over 10 major satellite faults in 50 years

CHIP TECH
ASTROSCALE Raises a Total of $25 Million in Series C Led by Private Companies

LISA Pathfinder: bake, rattle and roll

Bids for government funding prove strong interest in LaunchUK

Blue Sky Network Reaffirms Commitment to Brazilian Market

CHIP TECH
Clamping down on causality by probing laser cavities

Rare-metals in the Himalayas: The potential world-class treasure

Why does rubbing a balloon on your hair make it stick?

Making 3-D printing safer

CHIP TECH
A New Search for Extrasolar Planets from the Arecibo Observatory

Gulf of Mexico tube worm is one of the longest-living animals in the world

Molecular Outflow Launched Beyond Disk Around Young Star

Scientists take first snapshots of a molecular propeller that runs at 100 degrees Celsius

CHIP TECH
New Horizons Video Soars over Pluto's Majestic Mountains and Icy Plains

Juno spots Jupiter's Great Red Spot

New evidence in support of the Planet Nine hypothesis

Scientists probe Neptune's depths to reveal secrets of icy planets









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.