Neuromorphic Computing, The Resolution Limit and exploring Jupiter
January 14
This week we will have a look at neromophic computing (computing mimicking the human nervous system) and breaking The Resolution Limit. We will also look at a spaceship that is designed to explore Jupiter and NFL’s Venture Capital Fund. Finally the CIA has released all of their records relating to UFO’s. Link below.
Neuromorphic Computing
Neuromorphic computing is based on a concept developed by Carver Mead in the late 1980’s. It is designed to mimic the architectures in the human nervous system. The goal is to develop a machines ability to learn from unstructured stimuli with the energy efficiency of the human brain. This will allow AI to develop sensing and perception abilities.
Current computer processors are not designed to deal with the demands of nerumorphic computing. Specialized processors are required. Swinburne University in Victoria has demonstrated the world’s fastest and most powerful neurotrophic processor designed specifically for AI applications.
The processor operates faster than 10 trillion operations per second allowing it to process ultra large scale data. This is more than 1,000 times faster than any previous processor. The processor allows applications such as full facial image recognition to be more accurate (current systems are error prone particularly for some ethic groups).
The breakthrough was achieved by using a relatively new device called a micro-comb (invented by the same team 10 years ago). Micro-combs act like a rainbow made up of hundreds of high quality infrared lasers on a single chip. They are smaller, lighter and cheaper than other optical sources. The team developed a technique that allows interweaving of data in time, wavelength and spatial dimensions through an integrated micro-comb source. The breakthrough makes new optical technology networks faster and more efficient.
Exploring Jupiter
Jupiter is a long, long way away. At the closest point in the orbits of the Earth and Jupiter they are 588 million kilometers apart. Earth and Jupiter are closest every 13 months. If we were to send an aircraft to explore Jupiter (rather than just fly by as the Voyager probes and other exploration vehicles have done) it would take a long time to get there and we would need to have the ability to move around the planet when we arrive.
Solar energy is very limited due to Jupiter’s distance from the sun, combustion can’t be used as there is not enough oxygen floating around the planet. An alternative is required. A team from Sofia University in Bulgaria has designed a nuclear powered aircraft to explore the planet.
Their aircraft is designed to operate in the Jovian atmosphere, which is thick and suitable for aerodynamic flight. There is no solid surface on the planet that can be contaminated and we have the atmospheric data to design the aircraft. Regular Earth airplanes (with a few tweaks) are suitable.
A nuclear powered aircraft would have the fuel to travel for many months, long enough to arrive at Jupiter and then fly around the planet and explore. The plane would use a ramjet engine which is lighter and has less moving parts than other engines.
The Resolution Limit
The Resolution Limit is the smallest distance two objects can be apart and for our systems still to be able to detect them as two objects. This is a well known effect in photos. Very small structures or textures can no longer be resolved.
Researchers from Paderborn University (in Germany) have now overcome the Resolution Limit by using quantum physics.
In laser distance measurements a detector registers two light pulses of different intensities with a time difference. The more precise the time measurement, the more accurately the distance between objects can be measured. When the time separation between the pulses is greater than the length of the pulses this works well. Below this has proven impossible, till now.
Using methods from Quantum Information Theory (Quantum Mechanics deals with the properties of matter at the microscopic level, Quantum Information extracts information from those properties) the researchers were able overcome the limitations of the established methods. Their method is 10,000 times more precise than previous efforts.
Applications for this breakthrough include more accurate LIDAR and GPS. It will take some time however for this to be built into a practical device.
Footy and Venture Capital
The World’s most profitable football league, the NFL in the US has established a Venture Capital Fund. The NFL generates approximately US$15 billion in revenue each year, twice the revenue generated by the NBA. The 55 football (soccer) leagues in Europe generate a combined US$25 billion in revenue.
All NFL team owners are vastly wealthy so what does the NFL do with all their income? The league has quietly built a US$100 million venture capital fund. In 2013 the 32 NFL team owners invested US$1 million each and they have since added another $2 million each.
So where does the NFL invest? Some of their investments include:
Stack Sports; software solutions for teams and athletes
STRIVR; virtual reality platform to train employees
Appetize; point of sale company now used in several NFL stadiums
Skillz; competitive mobile games platform
Fanatics; online sports apparel and memorabilia retailer (recently valued at US$6.2 Billion)
Hyperice; the NFL’s recovery technology partner
The NFL is not the only sports organization establishing a Venture Capital Fund. The NFL Players Association and Major League Baseball have also launched Venture Funds. By aligning their financial interests with companies like Fanatics and Hyperice the NFL can leverage their partnership for equity, eventually capturing some of the financial upside they helped to create. I may need to give the AFL in Melbourne a call.
CIA UFO Files
After years of effort from activists the CIA has finally released all of their files on UFO’s (at least they say they have released all of them). If you are a budding Mulder or Scully, you can find the documents on The Black Vault. There are over 2.2 million pages. That is a lot of conspiracy theories and strange flying objects. Let me know what you find.
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.