From smart sheep to telepathic advertising, technology took us in some strange directions during 2015. In this brave new world of robot chefs, mind-controlled drones and scary AI, we celebrate the weirdest news of the year.
Google reveals robot dog… and starts kicking it
Google has revealed the latest automaton to come out of its Boston Dynamics lab, a robotic dog which can withstand a hefty kick from a human.
World War 3 avoided: Sony premieres ‘The Interview’ online after hacking controversy
Sony Pictures has expanded distribution of its controversial comedy film The Interview to include more theatres and video-on-demand platforms, after hackers threatened to attack cinemas screening the film.
Telepathic advertising? Facebook wants to read your mind
Not content with knowing you’re entire social life, Facebook now wants to read your mind- and has the technology to do it, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Qantas crew wears All Blacks rugby kit after losing Twitter bet
Staff at Australian airline Qantas have kept up their end of a bizarre social media bet after New Zealand triumphed in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.
A bet is a bet. Today we followed through with #AirlineWager and we accepted jerseys from @FlyAirNZ. pic.twitter.com/2Vk6zJGfNV
— Qantas (@Qantas) November 2, 2015
‘Robot chef’ can cook 2,000 meals in home kitchen
A pair of robot hands could soon be found in every home, able to stir, pour and bake its way to creating meals for their human owners, following the launch of a new robo-chef prototype this week.
Smart sheep: Farmers use app to keep track of flock
In further evidence of how the internet of things is spreading to new industries, a new app is helping sheep farmers keep track of their flock via a smartphone app.
Hands-free flying: Mind controlled drones take off
A mind controlled drone project called ‘Brainflight’ has been revealed in Portugal, hinting at how hands free interfaces could work in the future.
Watch the video demonstration courtesy of BBC news below:
Facebook friends ‘could affect user’s credit scores for a loan’
Will marketers become able to target products and services based on the sensitive personal data of not just you, but also your friends? That’s what Facebook believes according to latest patent filings.
Driverless car gets pulled over (but avoids a ticket)
US police pulled over one of Google’s self-driving cars this year for driving slowly, but there was no traffic infraction. The vehicle was caught driving 24 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, according to a police report, and was pulled over after a traffic officer noticed traffic backing up behind it.
Presented without comment.Image ©2015 Aleksandr Milewski
Posted by Zandr Milewski on Thursday, 12 November 2015
Computer created recipe app goes live
IBM’s supercomputer Watson has turned its hand to cooking, with a new app that creates new recipes based on user’s selected ingredients.Some of the initial dishes cooked up by Chef Watson were pretty outlandish – such as Baltic Apple pie which included a layer of pork. There are even more bizarre flavour combinations on the app – including Strawberry Curry.
Google’s nihilistic AI robot reveals the meaning of life
Forget Marvin the Paranoid Android- we now have Google the Nihilistic Synthetic. The web giant’s new super-intelligent robot has answered some of life’s biggest philosophical questions, providing some rather creepy answers that highlight challenges facing AI technology in the future.
