This week we will look at AlphaFold, an AI from Google’s DeepMind, that has solved one of biology’s greatest challenges. We also look at 3D printed rockets, some future robots and describe how to hack a vacuum cleaner to record conversations. Finally we look at where in the world Facial Recognition is currently being used.
Folding Proteins
DeepMind (UK founded, now owned by Google) has solved one of biology’s greatest challenges. AlphaFold can predict the shape of proteins to within the width of an atom.
You may recall that AlphaGo, also from DeepMind, defeated the world Go champion in 2016. Go being one of the most complex games played by humans. DeepMind’s ultimate goal was not to beat humans at playing games but to develop an AI that helps us understand the world. They have achieved this with AlphaFold.
Proteins are made from a ribbon of amino acids (human bodies use 20 amino acids to make up an estimated 2,000,000 plus proteins). The amino acids fold themselves together with many complex twists and turns. The final structure and shape determines what the protein does. Figuring out what each protein does is key to understanding the basic mechanisms of life.
We currently understand the sequence of amino acids in each protein but not the contorted shape they fold into. There are an astronomical number of possible shapes for each sequence. AlphaFold has solved this problem.
Traditionally researchers used cryo-electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray crystallography to map out the structure of proteins. These techniques are expensive and slow, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take years of trial and error for each protein. AlphaFold can find a protein’s shape in a few days.
AlphaFold could help researchers design new drugs, understand diseases, design synthetic proteins that increase crop yields or make plants more nutritious. The code for the AlphaFold version that was used is available on Github. You can read more detail here.
3D Printed Rockets
Relativity Space is the first company to 3D print an entire rocket using (what they claim to be) the largest 3D metal printer in the world. The company specializes in rockets for delivery of new satellite systems in Low Earth Orbits.
The first printed rocket is the Terran 1 orbital rocket which is due to be launched in 2021 from Cape Canaveral. The rocket uses an Aeon 1 engine with 23,000 pounds of thrust from a liquid methane and liquid oxygen gas generator engine. Testing has been successfully completed.
Relativity claims 100 times fewer parts than conventional rockets, 10 times faster production and flexibility due to no fixed tooling. They can print a rocket from raw material and be in flight within 60 days. This allows new designs and specialized design variations to enter service very quickly thus reducing the cost of access to space.
The maximum payload for Low Earth Orbit is 1,250kgs. The ultimate goal is to print and launch the first rocket made on Mars.
Future Robots
Hypr
Some readers will recall our review of the self driving experience from Zoox, an Australian startup self driving car company in May last year. Since then the founder Tim Kentley-Klay has left Zoox and the company was bought by Amazon (US$1.2Billion).
Hypr is Tim’s latest idea. Mining billionaire Twiggy Forrest and Venture Capitalist, R7 Partners have invested US$10 Million in a seed round on a rumored US$200 Million valuation. Hypr is developing robotic systems that have the ability to master their environments in real-time, in-situ, without the human-in-the-loop instruction or supervision. In essence a robot walks into a new room, sees the room and is able to navigate its’ way around the room immediately. No experience or training necessary.
If they are able to achieve this goal it will enable a step change in commercial applications of autonomous robotics e.g. autonomous delivery to anywhere or search and rescue amongst many other potential applications.
Robot Cooked Chicken
Hyundai and KFC have entered into an agreement to develop robotic systems to automate the chicken preparation and cooking process in KFC factories and stores.
They will be using collaborative robots that are able to work with and around humans and with each other. The research will also completely redesign the cooking equipment to be more suitable for robotic operation.
Robot only operated kitchens are known as dark kitchens (robots don’t need lights to see) or cloud or ghost kitchens. Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, has a new venture that is developing these types of kitchens for online food delivery companies.
Your Vacuum Cleaner might be spying on you
Academics from the University of Maryland and National University of Singapore have developed a hack that hijacks the Lidar navigation in a smart vacuum cleaner and turns it into a microphone. This allows conversations to be recorded.
Laser microphones are not new. They were used during the cold war to record conversations from far away. Spies pointed lasers at a window in a room being used for a meeting. The laser monitored how the glass vibrated and then decoded the conversation. 20 years ago I was warned by the security team at a Global Tech Company that I was working for, not to have important meetings in external rooms with large windows as they could be easily monitored from miles away.
For the vacuum cleaner, the hacker would need to be able to upload a malicious virus to update the firmware that controls the vacuum’s Lidar. They would then need to stop the vacuum from rotating and have it focus on a single nearby object that has a flat surface. The hacker could then use the laser in the Lidar to record how the surface vibrated when hit by sound waves. That signal would then be boosted and decoded.
Facial Recognition Around the World
This great graphic from The Visual Capitalist shows the extent of the use of Facial Recognition around the world. Countries in Green are using Facial Recognition, blue approved but not yet using, yellow still considering, light pink no use yet and dark pink it is banned.
Only Belgium and Morocco have banned Facial Recognition. Northern Africa is yet to implement any systems. Smile in the rest of the world because some sort of facial recognition system is or soon will be watching.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com or comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Till next week.