By now we all know the image: bipedal mechanoids designed in our own likeness, used to aid the human race in all walks of life. Through stories, films, practical applications and our own imagination, robots are synonymous with the human psyche.
Will the machines save us or kill us all? – that is the question. While many are thrilled with the latest AI
breakthroughs and dream of a shinning AI-powered world, others, like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and the late
and legendary Stephen Hawking, expressed concerns about the evolution of the machines and warned about an
apocalyptic future.
http://www.altitude.com/
Over 23 million software developers in 2018, this
number is expected to reach 26.4 million by the end of 2019 and
27.7 million by 2023 according to Evans Data Corporation. The
number of programmers continues to grow to this day as
technology is the Forthcoming, especially in the AI field. Where
there are 300,000 “AI researchers and practitioners” in the world,
but the market demand is for millions of roles, so many people
Siding to this field. Nowadays, most people learn the
programming field as inquisitiveness but for their interest,
however, they delve deeper into this field, which enhances their
passion for and leaves their work to practice programming as
occupation due to the availability of jobs and the most request for
it. Over time, new languages have emerged, it has evolved to
meet human needs in the form of programming languages. You
can instruct the computer in the human-readable form where
programming will enable you to learn the significance of clarity
of expression, many determinations can be achieved,
importantly, relationships, semantics, and grammar can be
defined.
Will the machines save us or kill us all? – that is the question. While many are thrilled with the latest AI
breakthroughs and dream of a shinning AI-powered world, others, like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and the late
and legendary Stephen Hawking, expressed concerns about the evolution of the machines and warned about an
apocalyptic future.
http://www.altitude.com/
Over 23 million software developers in 2018, this
number is expected to reach 26.4 million by the end of 2019 and
27.7 million by 2023 according to Evans Data Corporation. The
number of programmers continues to grow to this day as
technology is the Forthcoming, especially in the AI field. Where
there are 300,000 “AI researchers and practitioners” in the world,
but the market demand is for millions of roles, so many people
Siding to this field. Nowadays, most people learn the
programming field as inquisitiveness but for their interest,
however, they delve deeper into this field, which enhances their
passion for and leaves their work to practice programming as
occupation due to the availability of jobs and the most request for
it. Over time, new languages have emerged, it has evolved to
meet human needs in the form of programming languages. You
can instruct the computer in the human-readable form where
programming will enable you to learn the significance of clarity
of expression, many determinations can be achieved,
importantly, relationships, semantics, and grammar can be
defined.
Artificial Intelligence has become an essential part in our day-to-day life, and with the advancements in this field and how close we got to the Artificial Consciousness it’s getting into all types of digital media and even the film and TV industry. Machines now can author novels, create art, generate videos, act as news anchors, write fiction, compose music and the skies are the limit.
Where is AI taking us to future with digital media? Will there become a day that it will totally replace us? What is Digital Creativity and how close it is to our human creativity? How can we deal with a future where all these scary factors are approaching fast?
All these topics and more will be the core of the subject of the speech. It’s a conversation long due now and we should initiate it now before it’s too late. My experience in both Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence alongside with my recent research about Artificial Consciousness makes me qualified to carry such a tough conversation and bring it to light. I always say: Machines are NOT coming,they’re already here.
On March 26, 2015 Steve Omohundro gave a talk in the IBM Research 2015 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Accelerated Discovery Lab, IBM Research, Almaden.
Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Baidu, Foxconn, and others have recently made multi-billion dollar investments in artificial intelligence and robotics. Some of these investments are aimed at increasing productivity and enhancing coordination and cooperation. Others are aimed at creating strategic gains in competitive interactions. This is creating “arms races” in high-frequency trading, cyber warfare, drone warfare, stealth technology, surveillance systems, and missile warfare. Recently, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and others have issued strong cautionary statements about the safety of intelligent technologies. We describe the potentially antisocial “rational drives” of self-preservation, resource acquisition, replication, and self-improvement that uncontrolled autonomous systems naturally exhibit. We describe the “Safe-AI Scaffolding Strategy” for developing these systems with a high confidence of safety based on the insight that even superintelligences are constrained by the laws of physics, mathematical proof, and cryptographic complexity. “Smart contracts” are a promising decentralized cryptographic technology used in Ethereum and other second-generation cryptocurrencies. They can express economic, legal, and political rules and will be a key component in governing autonomous technologies. If we are able to meet the challenges, AI and robotics have the potential to dramatically improve every aspect of human life.
Artificial intelligence and open sourceCarlos Toxtli
Artificial Intelligence and open source are intimately related. In this talk, we explain how AI exists because of open source, and open source exists because of AI.
A brief history of the notion of the Singularity, why some think it is coming soon, why some disagree, and why some are afraid of it. This is a very old presentation. See the updated one at www.scaruffi.com/singular
Artificial intelligence - (A seminar on Emerging Trends of Technology) ileomax
This presentation got the first prize for the competition at a seminar Emerging Trends of Technology @ MGM Indore.
Please leave your comments if you like/unlike it..
Transhumanism is the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by means of science and technology. The more we explored this subject, the more we got fascinated to see how people are riding on the current era technologies to surpass the capabilities of human body. If the current explorations in transhumanism are anything to go by, then, we believe the future will be very exciting!
In this report we explore the various technologies, people involved and the advancements made in the field of Transhumanism. We would love to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions. Please mail us at ice@humanfactors.com
Artificial Intelligence has become an essential part in our day-to-day life, and with the advancements in this field and how close we got to the Artificial Consciousness it’s getting into all types of digital media and even the film and TV industry. Machines now can author novels, create art, generate videos, act as news anchors, write fiction, compose music and the skies are the limit.
Where is AI taking us to future with digital media? Will there become a day that it will totally replace us? What is Digital Creativity and how close it is to our human creativity? How can we deal with a future where all these scary factors are approaching fast?
All these topics and more will be the core of the subject of the speech. It’s a conversation long due now and we should initiate it now before it’s too late. My experience in both Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence alongside with my recent research about Artificial Consciousness makes me qualified to carry such a tough conversation and bring it to light. I always say: Machines are NOT coming,they’re already here.
On March 26, 2015 Steve Omohundro gave a talk in the IBM Research 2015 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Accelerated Discovery Lab, IBM Research, Almaden.
Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Baidu, Foxconn, and others have recently made multi-billion dollar investments in artificial intelligence and robotics. Some of these investments are aimed at increasing productivity and enhancing coordination and cooperation. Others are aimed at creating strategic gains in competitive interactions. This is creating “arms races” in high-frequency trading, cyber warfare, drone warfare, stealth technology, surveillance systems, and missile warfare. Recently, Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and others have issued strong cautionary statements about the safety of intelligent technologies. We describe the potentially antisocial “rational drives” of self-preservation, resource acquisition, replication, and self-improvement that uncontrolled autonomous systems naturally exhibit. We describe the “Safe-AI Scaffolding Strategy” for developing these systems with a high confidence of safety based on the insight that even superintelligences are constrained by the laws of physics, mathematical proof, and cryptographic complexity. “Smart contracts” are a promising decentralized cryptographic technology used in Ethereum and other second-generation cryptocurrencies. They can express economic, legal, and political rules and will be a key component in governing autonomous technologies. If we are able to meet the challenges, AI and robotics have the potential to dramatically improve every aspect of human life.
Artificial intelligence and open sourceCarlos Toxtli
Artificial Intelligence and open source are intimately related. In this talk, we explain how AI exists because of open source, and open source exists because of AI.
A brief history of the notion of the Singularity, why some think it is coming soon, why some disagree, and why some are afraid of it. This is a very old presentation. See the updated one at www.scaruffi.com/singular
Artificial intelligence - (A seminar on Emerging Trends of Technology) ileomax
This presentation got the first prize for the competition at a seminar Emerging Trends of Technology @ MGM Indore.
Please leave your comments if you like/unlike it..
Transhumanism is the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by means of science and technology. The more we explored this subject, the more we got fascinated to see how people are riding on the current era technologies to surpass the capabilities of human body. If the current explorations in transhumanism are anything to go by, then, we believe the future will be very exciting!
In this report we explore the various technologies, people involved and the advancements made in the field of Transhumanism. We would love to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions. Please mail us at ice@humanfactors.com
Artificial Intelligence or the Brainization of the EconomyWilly Braun
60 years ago, John McCarthy used for the first time the term “Artificial Intelligence”. What does it mean and how has it evolved since 1956?
This is what daphni tried to answer in this in-depth report about AI. We’ve interviewed some of the brightest minds in the field: Bruno Maisonnier (founder of Aldebaran robotics), Massimiliano Versaca (CEO Neurala), Alexandre Lebrun (co-founder of wit.ai), Luc Julia (VP Innovation Samsung).
By Paul Bazin and Pierre-Eric Leibovici
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a topic of research since the term was first coined by John McCarthy in 1956. In the last six decades, development of AI has experienced an uneven ride. Recently, the successful application of deep learning in Google AlphaGo triggered a wave of revolutionary advances in AI.
Robotics and AI have developed as inseparable twins. This presentation will briefly trace the history of the relationship between the two, survey various types of robots, and identify the contribution of AI to robot intelligence. In particular, we will consider the robot system architecture and how AI techniques are associated with its various capacities and functions.
Technology is replacing people in many jobs, but also creating new and better work and conditions in some cases. Scientists have estimated that machines could take 50% of our jobs in the next 30 years. Who will own the machines? Join me to explore the future challenges and issues of AI and robotics.
In our daily life we often undergo stressful situations. There is no avoiding them. The stress that one experiences is nothing but the response of the body to outer environment and the mind to our inner fears.
Garamantes, the lost kings of the Sahara. One millennia ago, Garamantes not only survived the harsh conditions of their environment, but thrived thanks to trade and technological supremacy. Paco Gonzalez will guide us through enigmatic cave paintings and strange pyramidal tombs.
PERSONALISED MEDICINE: Use of Personalised Medicine in the prevention of disease and the maintenance of wellness
THE ENIGMA OF THE THRACIANS AND THE ORPHEUS MYTH: Journey to the Past Orphic Mysteries
, AND THE LORD OF THE NIGHT SKY: Observe top spring objects with a robotic telescope from home
Issue number 10 means 10 reasons to be happy. Hold tight because we are celebrating it with amazing featured contents. For starters, our expert in Psychology, Rob Hutchinson, talks about Dark Tourism. Over the past few years visiting sights of death and destruction has been growing in popularity. What powers our desire to go and see the places where many people have suffered terrible deaths?
Varna Culture is thought to be one of the most advanced civilizations of ancient Europe. Older than the empires of Mesopotamia and Egypt, Varna has the largest prehistoric necropolis in South-eastern Europe and, as far as we know, was the first to craft golden artifacts. April Holloway introduces us to its cultural practices, complex funerary rites, belief systems, and more. Boyan Slat was only 17 when he solved a problem that most said was insoluble, and had thus never been attempted: cleaning the floating plastic from the oceans. He then launched The Ocean Cleanup Project and has so far raised $2 million to make his idea reality. Jacquelyn Keun has interviewed this teenager who is amazing the world and leading a unique environmental initiative. Rob Hutchinson returns in this issue with surprising psychological phenomena. Have you ever wondered why you believe in determined things? Let’s change the question to explain the trick: why do we believe what we want to believe?
There was a man who wanted to stop time. So deep was his love for the idea that he actually did it. We refer to Dr. Harold Edgerton, the inventor of the strobe flash. Through his photography, he stopped time in its tracks and for the first time we were able to see the wonderful details that escape human eyes. There is no one better then, than Gus Kayafas, Edgerton’s longtime assistant and editor, to provide an article about him. For those who are in London, I suggest you to visit the exhibition at Michael Hoppen Gallery about his work.
Our second topic is going to challenge the way that we think about height. We have always been told that taller people have many social advantages. Maybe this is true, but Thomas T. Samaras, author of The Truth About Your Height, shows us that taller height can have a dangerous trend…
I have an important question to put to you before continuing with the summary of this issue. Do you care about first impressions?
Ancient civilizations… what mysteries
do they hide? This issue opens with a
fascinating article about Nabta Playa, a
remarkable site composed of hundreds of
prehistoric tumuli, stelae, and megalithic
structures located in the Nubian Desert
(Egypt).
Following our tradition, our psychology
section brings you the most interesting
topics in the field. On this occasion,
we approach the figure of William Tuke,
the first person to view mental illness
as a disease from which a sufferer could
actually recover; this was reflected in his
treatment of patients with sympathy and
dignity rather than disgust.
Our readers know that Ispectrum Magazine
always has the privilege of interviewing
renowned scientists and researchers from
all the fields, and this time our interview
was with Mona Lisa Schultz, psychiatrist
and neuroscientist, who spoke to us
about emotions. Do they matter for our
physical health? How much? What can
we do to manage our emotions?
Controversial or not, Dan Winter always
shoots fire with his theories like this one
about the electrical origin and history of
negentropic centripetal fields in blood,
titled History and Physics of Fire in the
Blood.
Issue #5 commences with “Flashbulb Memories”. I am sure you remember what you were doing during the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre Towers. Do you want to know why you remember? You will have to read this. Markus Köller went to an important international symposium in Münster, Germany, to interview Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker about climate change. It’s a matter of importance to listen to what he has to say. Elaine Vieira is a well known scientist and a tireless researcher. She shares with us in this issue her latest discoveries in the field of our biological clock and healthy sleep. What do they have to do with obesity, diabetes and other diseases? We will find out by reading about her findings.
THE BLISSFUL BRAIN The neuroscientist Shanida Nataraja, author of The Blissful Brain, has proven that meditation has real benefits for brain functioning. She explains to us what effects’ meditating has on blood pressure and depression, through the latest insights of brain imaging studies. THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES Universal Melody. The Romantic Dance between the Sun and the Earth. What do Jupiter or Neptune Sound Like? MONEY REDUCES TRUST IN SMALL GROUPS Are we more selfish when money is involved? Why is money able to change the way we behave? IS THERE A PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR NDE? Psychological theories and Evidences for the Near Death Experience
The third issue of Ispectrum Magazine arrives full of interesting content, starting with an interview with neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, who after years of being a skeptic of NDEs (Near Death Experiences) changed his mind due to meningitis that kept him in a coma for seven days. Do you want to know what he has to tell the readers of ISPECTRUM MAGAZINE?
Every issue of Ispectrum Magazine delivers:The latest news and theories in the world of anthropology health,science,economy technology,archaelogy,space,environment psychology,X-Files
Slide 1: Title Slide
Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Slide 2: Introduction to Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Definition: Extrachromosomal inheritance refers to the transmission of genetic material that is not found within the nucleus.
Key Components: Involves genes located in mitochondria, chloroplasts, and plasmids.
Slide 3: Mitochondrial Inheritance
Mitochondria: Organelles responsible for energy production.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): Circular DNA molecule found in mitochondria.
Inheritance Pattern: Maternally inherited, meaning it is passed from mothers to all their offspring.
Diseases: Examples include Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and mitochondrial myopathy.
Slide 4: Chloroplast Inheritance
Chloroplasts: Organelles responsible for photosynthesis in plants.
Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA): Circular DNA molecule found in chloroplasts.
Inheritance Pattern: Often maternally inherited in most plants, but can vary in some species.
Examples: Variegation in plants, where leaf color patterns are determined by chloroplast DNA.
Slide 5: Plasmid Inheritance
Plasmids: Small, circular DNA molecules found in bacteria and some eukaryotes.
Features: Can carry antibiotic resistance genes and can be transferred between cells through processes like conjugation.
Significance: Important in biotechnology for gene cloning and genetic engineering.
Slide 6: Mechanisms of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Non-Mendelian Patterns: Do not follow Mendel’s laws of inheritance.
Cytoplasmic Segregation: During cell division, organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts are randomly distributed to daughter cells.
Heteroplasmy: Presence of more than one type of organellar genome within a cell, leading to variation in expression.
Slide 7: Examples of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Four O’clock Plant (Mirabilis jalapa): Shows variegated leaves due to different cpDNA in leaf cells.
Petite Mutants in Yeast: Result from mutations in mitochondrial DNA affecting respiration.
Slide 8: Importance of Extrachromosomal Inheritance
Evolution: Provides insight into the evolution of eukaryotic cells.
Medicine: Understanding mitochondrial inheritance helps in diagnosing and treating mitochondrial diseases.
Agriculture: Chloroplast inheritance can be used in plant breeding and genetic modification.
Slide 9: Recent Research and Advances
Gene Editing: Techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 are being used to edit mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA.
Therapies: Development of mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) for preventing mitochondrial diseases.
Slide 10: Conclusion
Summary: Extrachromosomal inheritance involves the transmission of genetic material outside the nucleus and plays a crucial role in genetics, medicine, and biotechnology.
Future Directions: Continued research and technological advancements hold promise for new treatments and applications.
Slide 11: Questions and Discussion
Invite Audience: Open the floor for any questions or further discussion on the topic.
Richard's aventures in two entangled wonderlandsRichard Gill
Since the loophole-free Bell experiments of 2020 and the Nobel prizes in physics of 2022, critics of Bell's work have retreated to the fortress of super-determinism. Now, super-determinism is a derogatory word - it just means "determinism". Palmer, Hance and Hossenfelder argue that quantum mechanics and determinism are not incompatible, using a sophisticated mathematical construction based on a subtle thinning of allowed states and measurements in quantum mechanics, such that what is left appears to make Bell's argument fail, without altering the empirical predictions of quantum mechanics. I think however that it is a smoke screen, and the slogan "lost in math" comes to my mind. I will discuss some other recent disproofs of Bell's theorem using the language of causality based on causal graphs. Causal thinking is also central to law and justice. I will mention surprising connections to my work on serial killer nurse cases, in particular the Dutch case of Lucia de Berk and the current UK case of Lucy Letby.
This pdf is about the Schizophrenia.
For more details visit on YouTube; @SELF-EXPLANATORY;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiarMZDNhe1A3Rnpr_WkzA/videos
Thanks...!
What is greenhouse gasses and how many gasses are there to affect the Earth.moosaasad1975
What are greenhouse gasses how they affect the earth and its environment what is the future of the environment and earth how the weather and the climate effects.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE SAMPLE RETURN.Sérgio Sacani
The return of a sample of near-surface atmosphere from Mars would facilitate answers to several first-order science questions surrounding the formation and evolution of the planet. One of the important aspects of terrestrial planet formation in general is the role that primary atmospheres played in influencing the chemistry and structure of the planets and their antecedents. Studies of the martian atmosphere can be used to investigate the role of a primary atmosphere in its history. Atmosphere samples would also inform our understanding of the near-surface chemistry of the planet, and ultimately the prospects for life. High-precision isotopic analyses of constituent gases are needed to address these questions, requiring that the analyses are made on returned samples rather than in situ.
A brief information about the SCOP protein database used in bioinformatics.
The Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) database is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for the structural and evolutionary relationships of proteins. It provides a detailed and curated classification of protein structures, grouping them into families, superfamilies, and folds based on their structural and sequence similarities.
(May 29th, 2024) Advancements in Intravital Microscopy- Insights for Preclini...Scintica Instrumentation
Intravital microscopy (IVM) is a powerful tool utilized to study cellular behavior over time and space in vivo. Much of our understanding of cell biology has been accomplished using various in vitro and ex vivo methods; however, these studies do not necessarily reflect the natural dynamics of biological processes. Unlike traditional cell culture or fixed tissue imaging, IVM allows for the ultra-fast high-resolution imaging of cellular processes over time and space and were studied in its natural environment. Real-time visualization of biological processes in the context of an intact organism helps maintain physiological relevance and provide insights into the progression of disease, response to treatments or developmental processes.
In this webinar we give an overview of advanced applications of the IVM system in preclinical research. IVIM technology is a provider of all-in-one intravital microscopy systems and solutions optimized for in vivo imaging of live animal models at sub-micron resolution. The system’s unique features and user-friendly software enables researchers to probe fast dynamic biological processes such as immune cell tracking, cell-cell interaction as well as vascularization and tumor metastasis with exceptional detail. This webinar will also give an overview of IVM being utilized in drug development, offering a view into the intricate interaction between drugs/nanoparticles and tissues in vivo and allows for the evaluation of therapeutic intervention in a variety of tissues and organs. This interdisciplinary collaboration continues to drive the advancements of novel therapeutic strategies.
2. 1
Features
03
Robots
09 When does a Robot become an
AI?
12 Robots in the Modern World
21 Our Future Or Our End?
24
Reversing Fly ash
28 Conversion of Fly ash
30 Natural Equilibrium Transition
31
Egyptology
33 Temples
34 Art of ancient Egypt
35 Language of the Gods
38
Gravitation
Energy of the Future
39 Moving object to produce
Electricity
12
31 38
24
CONTENTS
3
3. 2
Mado Martinez
Editorial Director
Editorial Director
Mado Martinez,
madomartinez@ispectrummagazine.com
Art Director
Rayna Petrova
raynapetrova@ispectrummagazine.com
Contributing Editors
Matt Loveday
mattloveday@ispectrummagazine.com
Bradley Terblanche
Laura Hayes
Contributing Writers
Matt Loveday
Dimitre Assenov
Ellie Pownall
Anatoly I. Nikolayenko
Images
commons.wikimeadia.org
freeimages.com
pixabay.com
editorial
Ispectrum
magazine
A new issue full of featured contents is
here. We start with robots and technol-
ogy. We are hearing about them, but are
robots our future or our end? This is the
challenging question that Matt Loveday
proposes to us.
On the other hand, Dimitre Assenov helps
us to understand a groundbreaking tech-
nology, for converting fly ash and liquid
waste from coal-fired power plants into
artificial aggregates for concrete, asphalt
and road base.
In this issue we also travel to Egypt with
Ellie Pownall. Enter with us into a world
of gods, kings and hieroglyphics, and
find out what mysteries are still waiting
to be unveiled.
And finally, Anatoly I. Nikolayenko brings
us an interesting view of gravitation as
the energy of the future.
Enjoy reading!
www.ispectrummagazine.com
Follow Us
admin@ispectrummagazine.com
+44 7517 864 167 (UK)
Published Bimonthly ISSN 2053-1869
4. 3
y now we all know the
image: bipedal mechanoids
designed in our own like-
ness, used to aid the human race
in all walks of life. Through sto-
ries, films, practical applications
and our own imagination, robots
are synonymous with the human
psy-che.
But what exactly is a robot?
Is the synthetic human all
they are and have been?
And how exactly do they
interact with our modern
world? What does the
future hold and, ulti-
mately, are robots our
future or our end?
B
by
Matt Loveday
ROBOTS
5. 4
The Oxford English Dictionary
defines a Robot as:
“A machine capable of carrying out
a complex series of actions auto-
matically, especially one program-
mable by a com-puter”.
If we are to apply the credence of
“a machine carrying out a com-
plex series of actions automati-
cally”, constituting a robot, then it
can be argued that the first robot
ever devised - according to infor-
mation currently available - was a
mechanical bird-like feature con-
structed out of wood in circa 400BC
by Archytas - regarded by some to
be the Father of Mechanical Engi-
neering.1
Amongst other additions
to this new race, this ethos was
then consolidated in 1495 with the
first ever faux-humanoid robot,
built and devised by none other
than Leonardo Da Vinci.
PART 1: SYSTEM
START-UP
PART 1: SYSTEM
START-UP
What is a Robot?
6. 5
This robot was believed to be a
Knight - although no concept draw-
ings have ever been discovered
amongst Da Vinci’s works - and
was capable of rudimentary move-
ments: sitting down; standing up
and pulling its visor down amongst
others.2
However, if we are to associate the
term “robot” with a more modern
day outlook, i.e. “especially one pro-
grammable by a computer”, then a
case can be made for the first ever
robot being a computer-aided man-
ufacturing device made by MIT’s
Servomechanisms Laboratory.
Through a language known as
The steam-powered flying pigeon
of Archytas
Model of Leonardo’s robot with
inner workings, as displayed in
Berlin
Photocredit:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401242648021017371/
7. APT (Automated
P r o g r a m m i n g
Language), the school
pro-grammed its
machine to carry out
milling machine opera-
tions.3
A spiritual suc-
cessor to this progeni-
tor though was the first
ever industrial robot, in
the form of “UNIMATE”.
Conceived by Joe
EngelbergerandGeorge
Devol, UNIMATE was
de-ployed at General
Motors and helped
stack die-cast metal
via a set of instructions
stored in a magnetic
drum.4
6
Unimate was the first
industrial robot,which
worked on a General
Motors assembly line
at the Inland Fisher
Guide Plant in Ewing
Township, New Jersey,
in 1961
8. 7
Already then, the term
robot does not neces-
sarily equate to one
specific form or precon-
ception. If these exam-
ples do indeed consti-
tute a robot or robots,
then that already con-
flicts with the staple of
the bipedal mechanism
we sometimes assume
when we talk and think
about these creations.
So what of the anthro-
pomorphic robot? It is
believed that the first
ever real attempt to
re-create a person’s
actions and thought
processes through the
implementation of a
computer system’s AI
(Artificial Intelligence )
lay within “SHAKEY”, a
robot developed by SRI
International in 1970.
SHAKEY was deployed
via a problem-solving
program called STRIPS.
It used various sensors
to assimilate informa-
tion about its surround-
ings and environment,
and was able to calcu-
late how to navigate the
corridors of the compa-
ny’s headquarters. The
sensors included a TV
camera; a laser range
finder and bump sen-
sors to establish the
limit of its negotiable
parameters.5
SRI’s Shakey, the first mobile robot that
could make decisions about how to move in
its surroundings
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Unported
9. 8
Since the arrival of SHAKEY in 1970,
robots have infiltrated almost every
aspect of our daily lives, from man-
ufacturing to communications to
cars and even to our own pockets.
But, until SHAKEY, all forms of robot
are believed to have been passive;
an empty shell that - regardless
of its design - was still redundant
without human manipulation. The
essence inaugurated in SHAKEY
has grown through numerous dif-
ferent homunculi to, for example,
Honda’s “ASIMO” (Advanced Step in
Innovative Mobility) in 2000,6
and
beyond through numerous other
incarnations.
It would seem that there are numer-
ous ways of defining what a robot
actually is, but it is undoubtedly the
anthropomorphic humanoid robot -
the active robot - that has the most
potential for future development,
and if this is true, the transition
from passive to active begs the
question...
ASIMO, an is a humanoid robot designed
and developed by Honda
10. Artificial Intelligence (AI) amounts
to simulating or re-creating the
way human beings think; learn
and adapt, through the implemen-
tation of computer circuitry and
software. In what is now regarded
as a landmark paper from 1950,
Alan Turing (a man you can find
out a lot more about in issue 3
of ISPECTRUM Magazine and the
Benedict-Cumberbatch-starring
film “The Imitation Game”), hypoth-
esised that it would be possible to
create an electronic brain. He creat-
ed an experimental process named
The Turing Test which was used to
postulate whether a machine could
think. While the test was some-
what limited by today’s standards,
it still gave rise to the plausibility
of a thinking machine, and became
the bedrock for the philosophy of
Artificial Intelligence that continues
to this day.
Further to this, a group of sci-
entists conducted The Dartmouth
Conference in 1956. Led by Marvin
Minsky and John McCarthy, it was
arranged to show that “...every
aspect of learning or any other fea-
ture of intelligence can be so pre-
cisely described that a machine can
be made to simulate it”. The con-
ference ultimately coined the term
Artificial Intelligence.7
It was from
here that a series of major discov-
eries were made in the field of AI,
which resulted in millions of dollars
being spent on research around the
world.
Though research into the progress
of Artificial Intelligence would accel-
erate and decelerate in the coming
decades, Alan Turing’s 1950 gaunt-
let would ultimately lead to the birth
of Expert Systems in the 1980s -
highly sophisticated AIs that were
programmed with extensive infor-
mation directly from experts in a
particular subject matter. For the
first time, machines were capable of
a range of things in a specific sub-
ject area; rather than one bespoke
- usually experimental - service.
These systems were considered
9
When does a Robot
become an AI?
11. 10
the pinnacle of AI at
the time. In 1980, an
Expert System called
XCON was reported to
be saving its company
- the Digital Equipment
Corporation - over 40
million dollars annually
by 1986.8
While the advances in
AI were intense, there
was still however noth-
ing to suggest that
robots and AI had a
future together as one
symbiotic being. Robots
and Expert Systems
were still two different
things, and no mat-
ter how useful Expert
Systems proved to be,
they were still only
collections of pre-pro-
grammed data - highly
intelligent data, yes, -
but they still weren’t
learning anything.
12. 11
In 1980, several
researchers suggested
that the best way for
an AI to be able to learn
would be through the
use of a physical body,
rather than through
p r e - p r o g r a m m e d
instruction bases. In
other words, it would
only be through robot-
ics that AI could truly
flourish. This new the-
ory was rooted in The
Embodied Cognitive
Approach, and argues
that no amount of intel-
ligence could react in
the same way a human
does without the stimu-
lus of an external envi-
ronment. For example,
only through a body
i Don’t Work
for No Body
13. 12
could a machine
see, move, and
use its surround-
ing environment as
a yardstick to apply its
stored data to - thus ‘un-
derstanding’ why it thinks like it
does, rather than just referring
to stored data that ultimately it
doesn’t understand the mean-ing
for.9
For the first time, both robots
and Artificial Intelligence needed
the same thing: vision.
The eyes are the window to the
soul indeed.
If a robot needed to be intelligent
to serve its purpose, and an AI
needed a body in order to learn,
had robots and AI - for the first
time in history - become one and
the same?
“The Body Cannot Live Without
the Mind” - Morpheus. From “The
Matrix”, by the Wachowski Brothers.
“The Body Cannot Live Without
the Mind”
- Morpheus. From “The Matrix”,
by the Wachowski Brothers.
14. 13
While robots may have progressed
over hundreds of years from a
wooden bird to walking humanoids
through the marriage of robotics
and AI, the reality around us today
PART 2: SYSTEM
READY
Robots in the
Modern World
15. is that robots are every-
where. Manufacturing
processes - such as
car making - are highly
automated. Cars them-
selves are starting to
be self-driven by highly
adaptable AIs. Mobile
phones are starting to
come pre-packaged
with a speaking per-
sonal assistant ready
to meet your every
need. The dynamic
of military artillery has
been transformed by
the development of
robots. And these are
the proverbial tip of
the iceberg.
Perhaps the area of our
lives most transformed
by the dawn of robot-
ics however, is that of
healthcare and medi-
cine. The examples in
this field are too numer-
ous too encapsulate,
but they include:
Aethon TUG
Essentially a mobile
cart, the Aethon TUG
patrols hospitals carry-
ing replacement linen,
medical supplies, food
etc., from one area of
a hospital to another.
While it is essentially a
‘runner’ it costs less to
run than one full-time
human employee yet
can carry out as much
work as three full-time
human employees,
according to Aethon.
the TUG “doesn’t get
distracted...”, and can
“accomplish more in
less time” than a real
person.10
Cosmobot
Cosmobot is one of
many new robots to
be used in the field of
child therapy or “robot
therapy”. It is used in
helping disabled young
children or develop-
mentally challenged
people as a one-to-one
companion. Robots can
make a difficult ther-
apy process more fun
14
16. 15
and light-hearted and
they also offer a better
way to measure results
and collect data.11
Microbots
Microbots are a form
of nano technology - a
field that is still emerg-
ing. The concept is to
produce nano robots
and machines that
are so small they can
actually fit inside the
human body, and carry
out various functions.
Imagine for example,
a micro-bot that can be
injected into a person
that specifically locates
cancer tumours, and
can deposit medical
bacteria directly into
its target. Or a micro-
machine equipped with
a tiny drill head that can
remove plaque from
blood vessels. How
about a robot equipped
with a tiny camera that
can be used for dis-
ease screening without
the need for open sur-
gery? The “Robot Pills”
machines, “Plaque
Buster” microbot and
many others, includ-
ing the “Steerable
Surgeon”, are designed
to carry out these tasks
and more.12
NeuroArm
Used in neurosur-
gery, such as removing
lesions from a brain,
the NeuroArm is a pin-
point precision robot
programmed to be
used in the same way
a human arm would
operate. The robot
can be operated by a
human from a terminal
that doesn’t even have
to be in the same room
as the patient.13,14
But these don’t really
even scratch the sur-
face. It is believed that
in the not-too-distant-
future robots will be
indispensable in car-
ing for the elderly. By
2050, there could be
more people aged 65
and over in the UK
than ever before - a
number of people that
existing care homes
could never cater for.
Robots are being tout-
ed as new companions
for the elderly, help-
ing them to stay inde-
pendent, acting as a
friend to help them
through treatment and
domestic commitments
among others.15
But of course this rise
of the robots inevita-
bly leaves a potentially
dangerous and dam-
aging polar: If robots
are doing all this work,
what is happening to
the job roles for us
humans?
17. 16
Martin Ford is the
author of two books
that discuss the idea
that robots will take
over an enormous
number of human
jobs: 2009’s self-pub-
lished ‘The Lights in the
Tunnel: Automation,
A c c e l e r a t i n g
Technology and the
Economy of the Future’,
and 2015’s ‘Rise of the
Robots: Technology
and the Threat of a
Jobless Future’. Ford is
a pioneer of the argu-
ment that automated
robots will, in coming
decades, make a per-
centage of the human
workforce obsolete.
Ironically enough, he
says that it is in health-
care - despite the
examples above - that
will be most immune
to this new effect, stat-
ing that doctors, for
example, who need to
interact with hundreds
of different people with
different ailments - who
need individual diag-
nosis and perpetual
treatment - will still be
18. 17
required, as a robot that adaptable
and diverse is still not possible.
But outside healthcare, it is not just
unskilled and manufacturing areas
of work that will be affected as
one might assume; but the people
right at the ‘top of the pile’ too. The
trouble is not just that people will
be out of work, but that those peo-
ple will therefore not have money
to buy products, and if nobody is
buying, then the entire economy
can be affected. In an interview for
www.mercurynews.com, Ford said
of these issues...
“In order to have a successful
economy, even the people at the
top have got to sell something.
They need consumers for that. If
we really got into a situation where
most people just don’t have the
income, that could create a defla-
tionary spiral, financial crisis, drag-
ging the wealthy into it as well”.
“There’s some evidence inequality
is already undermining the econo-
my to some extent. Businesses like
Wal-Mart are struggling because
their customers can’t afford to buy
things. You need customers to drive
demand. And you’re not going to
have sustained innovation without
a market to inspire entrepreneurs”.
Ford’s proposed solution to this
possible outcome is that of a mini-
mum income for all (an idea that
has been touted by numerous dif-
ferent sources since the 1930s,
as Ford openly states), whereby
money at an equal ratio is simply
given to people, thereby still being
able to sustain consumerism even
if people are not directly involved
in an actual working role, to a cer-
tain extent. But this in itself poses
problems. There is the argument
that people who simply ‘spend’ will
become lost in a paradigm where
lives become structureless, and
the absence of a full-time job that
provides a system - no matter how
mundane - for the brain and body
to live by, will give rise to people
becoming miserable and frustrated
and lost simply because they’re
not doing anything. The financial
problem, as Ford attests, is clear,
but the problem of direction-less
19. 18
humans living in a society where
their minds are not governed and
stimulated is not as easy to pre-
dict. Ford does concede however
that, despite his efforts to bring
the potential to people’s attention,
change is unlikely until a clear cri-
sis occurs.16,17,18
After nearly two and a half thou-
sand years of humans experiment-
ing with robots and robotics, is
the future truly as bleak as some
predict? Or do robots still have a
trump card to play in the future of
human evolution?
PART 3: SYSTEM
FAILURE?
Hawk-i
20. 19
Through both passive
and active robots; auto-
mated systems and
entities that can aid;
transform and perhaps
even redefine what it
is to be human, robot
development is increas-
ing into a cognitive
unknown. Is
the next step
b e y o n d
what we
as hu-
m a n s
are even
c a p a b l e
of under-
standing?
In an interview with
the BBC in November
of 2014, Professor
Stephen Hawking
warned that “the devel-
opment of full artificial
intelligence could spell
an end to the human
race”. While the pro-
fessor explained that
numerous forms of AI
have already proved
useful to humans - not
least the new AI system
that powers his ability
to communicate - the
danger will lie in try-
ing to create machines
that are more intelli-
gent than humans, and
ones that will evolve a
lot quicker. He says:
“Humans, who are lim-
ited by slow biologi-
cal evolution, couldn’t
compete, and would be
superseded”, and that
the intelligent system
“...would take off on
its own, and re-design
itself at an ever increas-
ing rate”.19
It goes without say-
ing that AIs can think
i m m e a s u r a b l y
faster than
a human
being.
While
the ideas
presented to us
through films and
stories suggest that
a self-aware system
could take years - or
even decades - to per-
ceive us as either a
threat or obsolete, per-
haps Hawking’s com-
ments imply that a fully
intelligent system could
decide our fate within
mere seconds of being
activated, extrapolat-
“the development of full
artificial intelligence could
spell an end to the human
race”.
-Stephen Hawking
21. 20
ing its thought pro-
cesses at a rate
that we could
never keep
up with or
even under-
stand. But,
it remains,
that we
would still
have to be
the ones
who press
‘on’.
Furthermore,
while AIs are
already common-
place, others believe
that a fully self-aware
system that utilizes
what the profes-sor
referredtoas“fullAI”,is
still technically impos-
sible. Philosopher John
Searle’s ‘The Chinese
Room Problem’,20
insiststhatnomat-
ter what respons-
es computers and
robots are able
to provide - such
as in The Turing Test
- they still ultimately
amount to systems
reading stored infor-
mation, and that giv-
ing any given machine
more and more infor-
mation still does not
constitute intelligence.
A computer scientist,
Edsger Dijkstra, once
even stated that “the
question of whether
machines can think is
about as relevant as
the question of wheth-
er submarines can
swim”.21
It seems that
no matter how much
information a robot
can hold, there is an
inescapable difference
between knowledge
and intelligence.
22. 21
Robots have trans-
formed our lives. The
working landscape has
changed forever and
will continue to change.
The development of
prosthetic limbs and
body enhancements
that can be controlled
just by thought contin-
ues. Human interaction
has the potential to be
contorted as robots
could become our new
best friends. Even the
ability to plug our own
nervous systems into
the internet via robot-
ics has been explored.
What does the future
hold for robots, and
indeed for us? Are fears
of unemployment and
dangerous AIs genu-
ine problems? And
what other positives do
robotics seem set to
bring to our future? The
melting pot of human
experimentation and
thinking robots may
plunge hand-in-hand
into the future, but
what comes out the
other side remains to
be seen.
Our Future Or Our
End?
23. 22
1. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.
php/2010/10/the-first-known-robot-was-creat-
ed-around-400-bc-and-was-a-mechanical-bird/.
‘The First Known Robot Was Created Around 400
BC and Was a Mechanical Bird’, by Daven Hiskey.
2. http://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/robotic-
knight.aspx. ‘Robotic Knight’, by da-vinci-inven-
tions.com.
3. http://www.computerhistory.org/
timeline/?category=rai. ‘Timeline of Computer
History’, by Computer History Museum.
4. http://www.computerhistory.org/
timeline/?category=rai. ‘Timeline of Computer
History’, by Computer History Museum.
5. http://www.computerhistory.org/
timeline/?category=rai. ‘Timeline of Computer
History’, by Computer History Museum.
6. http://asimo.honda.com/default.aspx. ‘The
World’s Most Advanced Humanoid Robot’, by
Honda.
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_
artificial_intelligence. ‘The History of Artificial
Intelligence’, by Wikipedia.
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_
artificial_intelligence. ‘The History of Artificial
Intelligence’, by Wikipedia.
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_
artificial_intelligence. ‘The History of Artificial
Intelligence’, by Wikipedia.
10. http://www.informationweek.com/
mobile/10-medical-robots-that-could-change-
healthcare/d/d-id/1107696?page_number=3.
‘10 Medical Robots that Could Change Healthcare’,
by Michelle Mcnickle.
11. http://www.informationweek.com/
mobile/10-medical-robots-that-could-change-
healthcare/d/d-id/1107696?page_number=7.
‘10 Medical Robots that Could Change Healthcare’,
by Michelle Mcnickle.
12. http://www.informationweek.com/
mobile/10-medical-robots-that-could-change-
healthcare/d/d-id/1107696?page_number=8.
‘10 Medical Robots that Could Change Healthcare’,
by Michelle Mcnickle.
13. https://technicallyeasy.net/2011/10/how-
robots-are-being-used-in-medicine/. ‘How
Robots Are Being Used in Medi-cine’, by Paul
Salmon.
14. http://www.neuroarm.org/. ‘The Future of
Neurosurgery’, by Neuroarm.
15. http://www.kineticconsulting.co.uk/robots.
html. ‘Robots in Healthcare’, by Kinetic Consulting.
16. ‘Rise of the Robots: Technology and the
Threat of a Jobless Future’ (Basic Books), by
Martin Ford.
17. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/
ci_28301217/q-martin-ford-robots-coming-
your-job. ‘Q&A: Martin Ford, on the robots com-
ing for your job’, by Matt O’Brien.
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Ford_
(author). ‘Martin Ford (author)’, by Wikipedia.
19. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technolo-
gy-30290540. ‘Stephen Hawking Warns Artificial
Intelligence Could End Man-kind’, by Rory Cellan-
Jones.
20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technol-
ogy-17547694. ‘Can Computers Have True
Artificial Intelligence?’, by BBC News.
21. http://www.bbc.com/future/
story/20120516-can-computers-ever-think-like-
us ‘Will we ever ... pass The Turing Test for
computers?’, by John Pavlus
REFERENCES:
24. Groundbreaking technology
for converting fly ash and
liquid waste from coal-fired
power plants into artificial
aggregates for concrete,
asphalt and road base.
Reversing Fly ash
by
Dimitre Assenov
23
25. oal combustion products
(CCPs) are formed with the
production of electricity in
coal-fired power plants all
over the world. The production is
increasing worldwide by the high-
er demand for electricity due to a
growing population and economic
development.
CCPs include combustion residues
such as boiler slag, bottom slag
and fly ash from different types of
boilers as well as desulphurization
products like spray dry absorption
products, FGD gypsum, a large
amount of scrubber sludge and liq-
uid waste from the coal prepara-
tion.
C
24
26. 25
The CCPs are mainly
utilized in the build-
ing material industry,
in civil engineering, in
road construction, for
construction work in
underground coal min-
ing as well as for recul-
tivation and restoration
purposes in open cast
mines. This requires
CCPs to meet certain
requirements of stan-
dards or other specifi-
cations with respect to
utilization in a specific
area.
Fly ash samples
27. 26
The CCPs’ production is
monitored via a periodi-
cal report on “Worldwide
production of coal ash
and utilization in con-
crete and other prod-
ucts”. The first report
in 1997 (ref. to Oskar
Manz) pointed out that
the total worldwide fly
ash production was 459
million tons. Recently,
this production almost
doubled. It needs to be
pointed out that 68% of
the total CCPs are pro-
duced as fly ash.
Fly ash has complex
properties that limit or
impose additional costly
processing for achiev-
ing complete utilization,
such as: a) it is Calcium
Alumina Silicate with
granular size between
25 and 85 microns with
high Carbon residue, b)
very high alkali activity
(pH 10 to 11) c) very
high surface activity,
d) contains residue of
28. 27
Mercury, heavy metals and up to 6
natural radioactive isotopes. All of
these pose an environmental haz-
ard, such as leaching into ground-
water, air borne particulates pollu-
tion and radiation that causes can-
cer. US National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurement con-
cluded that fly ash emitted by
coal-fired power plants carries into
the surrounding environment 100
times more radiation than a nucle-
ar power plant producing the same
amount of energy.
The recently patented new ground-
breaking technology in US (ref. to
US patent 8,987,541 B2 – Coal
waste treatment processes and
products) resolves all these issues.
The process design is simplified,
environmentally clean, technologi-
cally cost-effective and does not
leave any “footprint” – this means
it does not produce any additional
by-product required for purification
(the production filters at the end of
their life cycle are also converted
into artificial aggregates). The
production facility is mobile and
utilizes off-the shelf equipment,
which is cost-effective and easy to
deploy and decommission, avoiding
any transportation. It captures the
reaming mercury residue, perma-
nently immobilizing all heavy met-
als and radioactive isotopes into
artificial geo polymer aggregates,
replacing those produced by open
quarries. For additional utilization
of available access power, the pro-
duction facility is recommended to
be deployed at the site of a coal-
fired power plant.
29. The product mimic mineral for-
mation found in nature, such as
Feldspar, constitutes over 50% of
the Earth’s crust and is a major
ingredient of quarry-produced
aggregates.
Technologically, the process is sim-
ple: comprising mixing of fly ash
with liquid waste for a setting time
predetermined by specific Job Mix
Formula for formation of Calcium
Alumina Silicate crystalline clus-
ters. Once formed, the mixture is
introduced into an off-the shelve
Continue Flow/Batch Reactor (simi-
lar to one used in the community
waste treatment plants) and after
a predetermined time, defined by
the JMF at the thermal equilibrium
of Bowen Reaction series, stable
Calcium Alumina Silicate Feldspar
geo polymer is formed. The aggre-
gates’ mechanical properties are
controlled for variables such as loss
of abrasion (durability) and alkali
solubility and absorption, via edit-
ing minor quantities of Calcium in
the form of other cheap industrial
by-products (controlling the vol-
ume of mineral Anortite).
Aggregatesareformedfromthemelt
via a very simple and cost-effective
process of dropping the melt over a
high-speed rotating hedgehog cyl-
inder, promoting the gravitational
ejection of droplets (required round
geometry for concrete and road
base). Forming asphalt aggregates
with required rectangular geom-
etry (for interlocking) is achieved
by dropping the very hot pellets
on the inclinated metal surface –
28
30. the impact deforms the
almost perfect sphere
geometry into a sharp
rectangular shape.
To avoid a silicon coat-
ing, the pellets are rolled
down into a shallow hot
water pond equipped
with a perforated bot-
tom elevator, which
moves the pellets into
a dry silo. Forced cold
air silo ventilation cools
the pellets. Once the
temperature drops to
ambient, the pellets are
ready for transportation
to the concrete, asphalt
or road base produc-
tion facilities – produc-
tion QC/ QA furnished
required product eval-
uation. The produced
aggregates are clean
(washed) unlike the
aggregates from quar-
ries.Thesizeofproduced
aggregates is controlled
by two elements – the
dropping height of the
melt and the rotating
speed of the hedgehog
cylinder. The variation
of the granular size is
very limited and easily
matches the required
granular size standard
fractions, unlike the
quarry-produced aggre-
gates that required
additional screening.
Significant variations
will be expected only
at the time of inciden-
tal stopping/starting
of the production line.
Such produced aggre-
gates will be used in an
untreated base course,
or recycled, crushed
and returned to the
beginning of the pro-
cess. All production fil-
ters and the water from
the cooling basin are
recycled into artificial
aggregates – this pro-
cess does not produce
any other waste.
The replacement of
quarry-produced aggre-
29
31. 30
gates with ones pro-
duced from fly ash has
several global environ-
mental benefits.
From the other side the
demand for aggregates
in construction industry
is so high that it will
easily absorb the entire
produced annual quan-
tities of fly ash/liquid
waste, removing them
from the list of industri-
al wastes. Also, all open
quarries are subject
to heavy environmen-
tal scrutiny, significant
upfront investment and
costly heavy machinery
maintenance.
We should there-
fore be cognizant that
the planet Earth is a
closed system; noth-
ing is gained or lost.
In the fundamentals
of natural equilibrium
law, all matter in this
closed system makes
the transition from one
stable form into anoth-
er. Our responsibility is
to adjust our lives by
following this rule of
natural equilibrium law,
transitioning all indus-
trial by-products into
other useful products.
The conversion of fly
ash/liquid waste into
artificial aggregates and
their immediate use in
concrete, asphalt and
road base production
is reversing fly ash to
become part of that nat-
ural equilibrium transi-
tion we need to sustain.
33. E
32
gyptology: a world of gods,
kings and hieroglyphics has
been studied and analyzed
since the first discovery of
The Great Pyramid by Arab traveller ,
Caliph Al Mamum in 800 A.D. Although
the range of creating these massive
cultural landmarks was spread over
thousands of years, today, the work of
the Egyptians can be seen clearly and
in fantastic colour inside the walls of
many ancient tombs. The most mys-
terious element of the Egyptians has
always been the supernatural, from
the almighty ‘Ra’ to Gods’ with the
heads of falcons, crocodiles and jack-
als; a world frequently challenged
and misunderstood by present day
historians.
34. 33
The pyramids and tem-
ples of Ancient Egypt
serve two different
purposes: Pyramids
to house the spirit of
a deceased king and
Temples, to honour dif-
ferent Gods. The design
of each temple serves
a diverse purpose, for
example, the temple of
Komombo - whilst hon-
ouring the two Gods,
Hathour and Sobek with
huge pillars and murals
- a birthing chamber
is also located to the
north of the temple, to
honour the god of fertil-
ity, Meen. Architectural
features of “late period
temples” can be seen in
the temple of Hathour,
as it displays the Pure
chapel and open court in
front of the inner sanc-
tum. This court, is where
many divine statuettes
were anointed, clothed
and ornamented to pre-
pare them for the fes-
tival of unification with
the solar disk. Many of
the rooms within this
temple were often open
to the sky and intended
for the cult worship of
the sun god. The pre-
historic blue prints of
each temple were care-
fully designed to access
all spiritual and aes-
thetically impressive
elements of Egyptian
life, and in doing so,
successfully created a
shrine of culture which
has been admired for
thousands of years.
Throughout the world,
35. 34
over the course of mil-
lennia, Egyptian art
has delighted the eye,
earning the admiration
of countless travellers
and museum visitors.
Serving as a foundation
for western art, it con-
tinues to inspire artists
today. Concepts such
as the ideal form for
the human figure, per-
spective, movement,
and hierarchy were
all codified within the
first few dynasties and,
with only the occasion-
al exceptions, remained
unchanged. Murals con-
taining detailed draw-
ings including, scenes
of ‘the trail of justice’,
pregnancy, coronation
of the pharaoh and
mummification offer a
valid insight into life
in Ancient Egypt. Some
paintings of this kind
remainfullyincolourdue
to the mix of ‘tempura’
in which each colour
had a different mean-
ing and manufactur-
ing process, For exam-
ple ; Black was made
from soot or charcoal
symbolizing the under
world and Egyptian god
‘Osiris’. Many important
scenes were repeated
on the walls of each sig-
nificant god or pharaoh,
which made it easier for
archaeologists to recog-
nise important figures in
Ancient Egyptian hier-
archy. It is notable that
whilst native Egyptian
and classic styles were
understood, admired
and even juxtaposed,
they have seldom been
combined with other
artistic methods.
36. 35
Hieroglyphic writing emerged more
or less suddenly as an essen-
tially complete system that would
then survive unchanged for over
three and a half thousand years.
References suggest completed
books existed from as early as the
First Dynasty (2950 BC) proving
the Egyptians impressive compre-
hension way ahead of the global
population. A French man, Jean-
François Champollion (the first deci-
pher of the hieroglyph language)
counted over 1,400 hieroglyphs,
which eventually developed into a
400 page work detailing the idea
that despite the outward appear-
ance, hieroglyphs were in fact not
a pictorial language. Papyrus paper
is world re-owned for it’s beau-
ty and strength, the methodology
involved in its creation was devel-
oped by the Egyptians. This pro-
cess used the stems of papyrus
plant pressed together to create
layers thick enough the write on,
a method which was later modern-
ized to create the writing paper of
today. Scribes also had a important
role in the Egyptian language, one
quote shows how important they
became to Egyptian life; “Become
a scribe, take that to the heart,
so that your name should become
equally as immortal! A scroll is more
useful than a painted stele, than a
solid wall. Books erect temples and
pyramids in the heart of him who
speaks of their name...” (Papyrus
Chester Beatty IV). Scribes’ work
37. 36
as well as the textual artefacts
accessible to us today are vast in
number, and yet they must repre-
sent only a comparatively tiny frac-
tion of all the writing that did not
withstand the ravages of time.
From the first stone tools proving
the evidence of human life in the
Nile valley to the massive discovery
of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922,
Ancient Egypt has been a constant,
changing mystery in which many
Egyptologists have dedicated years
to its unravelling. Overall, Egypt
offers one of the largest historical
38. 37
gold mines of artefacts, sculptures,
culture and art work in the world,
which historians are still discover-
ing to this very day.
Golden mask of Tutankhamun
39. Gravitation
by
Anatoly I. Nikolayenko
I
38
- Energy of the Future
Forget for a moment what modern
inquisition says. If every piece of
the puzzle is falling into place, what
does common sense tell you?
t is not a big secret that in
the lifetime of this genera-
tion, usual energy such as
oil, natural gas and coal will
be exhausted. Electricity also will
go down to scarce supply. As alter-
native solutions, scientist propose
solar, wind and other renewable
energies, but with incredible stub-
bornness, they ignore the most
affordable one: the power of uni-
versal gravitation. Gravitation is
the one solution capable of provid-
ing the required amount of energy
at a lesser price. Unfortunately,
the idea itself is so discredited
that no PhD dares to talk about it,
not at least publicly.
40. 39
There is nothing new
in this idea, and as
everyone before me, I
encountered the same
problem: lifting the
object takes far more
energy.
To resolve the prob-
lem, I took a different
approach and employed
balance, leverage and
counterbalances as
shown on the picture
#1. The large circle rep-
resents the downward
moving object or bal-
ance*, smaller circles
represent counterbal-
ances (combined mass
of both counterbalanc-
es equal to the mass of
the balance**), black
triangles represent ful-
crums, and lines con-
necting centers of the
circles represent levers.
The leverage ratio is
1:2. Due to this ratio,
when balance is mov-
ing downwards, only
half of the energy is
used to lift the coun-
terbalances.
But not so fast – if
we try to flip the sys-
tem around axis X and
repeat the move, we
will soon discover that
The concept of this invention is employment
of a downwards moving object to produce
electricity
the side where balance
is located is heavier
than the side with the
counterbalances; all
energy gain will be lost
on flipping. It is obvi-
ous on the picture #1
that the center of the
large circle is twice far-
ther from rotation axis
X than centers of both
counterbalances.
41. On July 17, 2014, a
solution of the prob-
lem came unexpected-
ly, and I replaced the
middle parts of the two
leverages with a leaf
spring (picture #2).
As a result, balance
shifted downwards lift-
ing both counterbal-
ances and the entire
system kept its equi-
librium. Later I named
it ‘compound leverage’.
Keep in mind, the sys-
tem does not induce its
rotation, a small motor
is needed.
40
Replacing the balance* (middle piece) with a linear generator allows gravity-to-electricity con-
version. Due to system equilibrium, only a small portion of that energy is spent on rotation.
42. 41
It is hard to deny that the described
system ensures the balance of
downward movement, lifts coun-
terbalances using only half of that
energy and maintains equilibrium
if rotated around axis X. Let’s take
a closer look. On picture #3, the
system is depicted from a differ-
ent point of view (Axis X is pointing
directly at your eye). Also, a pen-
dulum is attached.
1) Pendulum and its
trajectory
2) Counterbalances
(second is hidden
behind)
3) Point of 180 degree
rotation (axis X as if
pictures #1 and #2 are
directed towards you)
4) Compound leverage
5) Balance*
This device has no conflict with Newtonian
Law; it transforms 1/3 of the gravitational
force applied to a linear generator (middle
piece) into ready-to-consume electricity
43. 42
The supposed pendu-
lum does not move until
the balance reached
its lowest point – con-
versely, balance does
not move until the
pendulum reached its
highest point on the
other side, also fric-
tion in bearings sup-
porting system rotation
and aerodynamic resis-
tance does not exist.
What will happen then?
The pendulum will not
stop, the system will
move forever and the
generator will produce
electricity, A.K.A ‘per-
petual motion‘.
Now back to real-
ity. The ideal condi-
tion is movement with-
out friction (but this
does not exist). But,
we can reduce friction
to a minimum. Also,
an increase of bal-
ance/counterbalance
mass has a negligible
impact on a pendu-
lum’s movement. This
means that electricity
produced by a genera-
tor weighing 1kg is not
enough to sustain its
rotation. A generator
weighing 100 pounds
will produce enough
power to rotate itself
forever, and a genera-
tor weighing 10 tons
will produce electricity
for your entire neigh-
bourhood. Need more?
Make it heavier.
Previously, I described
the simplest model.
But what if rotation
and reciprocal balance
movement are happen-
ing at the same time?
It might produce some
new force obstructing
system rotation to the
point of making the
entire invention use-
less.
First, separation of two
movements using a
pendulum as previous-
ly described will elimi-
nate such force.
Second, yes, centrifu-
gal force shall be taken
into account building
this machine. Look at
the picture #4; the sys-
tem is rotating around
Intriguing? Let’s go further
44. 43
axis X. In the situa-
tion shown on #4a, the
balance and counter-
balances are moving
towards axis X until
they reach it – cen-
trifugal force opposes
this move, but past the
axis X picture #4b, ‘au
contraire’, the centrifu-
gal force enforces the
move. In other words,
in a certain period of
the rotation, we are
losing energy due to
centrifugal force; in the
other period, we are
gaining it back. Total
gain/loss of energy is
equal to zero.
But this is not all. There
is another effect that
affects system perfor-
mance. I call it the
‘figure skater effect’.
When a figure skater is
spinning, extending his
arms slows him down –
contrary to holding his
arms as close as possi-
ble, which accelerates
his rotation.
This similar to centrifu-
gal effect: it happens
during coincident rota-
tion and back-and-forth
movements.
Now take a look at pic-
ture #4a again. The
figure skater is pulling
his arm in accelerates
him. Picture #4b, the
figure skater extend-
ing his arms slows
him down. Here again,
in one period we are
losing energy and in
another we are gaining
energy.
As you might notice in
the situation depicted
on #4a, we are los-
ing momentum due to
centrifugal force but
gaining it due to fig-
ure skater effect – on
picture #4b, a reverse
centrifugal force is giv-
45. 44
ing back the figure skater’s taking
away.
Consider this. A fully loaded gener-
ator makes one full rotation in 5-10
seconds. More load less speed
less figure skater and centrifugal
effects. Both of the forces suppos-
edly impeding the Gravity Powered
Generator are compensating for
each other bringing their combined
result to zero. Combined zero hin-
dering is exactly what is needed.
In aiming to reduce the friction,
the conventional generator can-
not be used; a linear DC genera-
tor is an obvious choice. Full rota-
tion of the machine takes between
5 and 10 seconds to complete.
During this time the generator*
performs one complete back-and-
forth movement. On picture #5a
is a displayed electric current pro-
duced by such movement. The
graphic is similar to alternate cur-
rent but 250-600 times slower.
Also, the graphic shows interrup-
tion in electric current caused by a
period between the generator’s full
stop and resuming its movement
in another direction; depending on
apparatus design, this interruption
can last from a ’fraction of a heart-
beat’ or, like in the pendulum’s
case, up to 3 seconds.
We can easily flip the low part of
the graphic upwards using a rec-
tifier and generator brushes, etc.
Then by interconnecting several
generators on a different rotation
period, we will get a direct current,
see picture #5b. It sounds com-
plicated, but your computer like
most electrical devices around you
takes AC and transforms it into DC;
there is no alternate current inside
it. Chemical plants, smelters, steel
mills, railways, and subways con-
sume mostly DC.
What kind of
electricity
are we getting?
47. 46
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