Author Archives: Ciepielewska Aleksandra

DRIVE THROUGH SUPERMARKET

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Shopping can be tiring. Walking around shops, we constantly waste time looking for products. There is, however, a solution to this problem. Drive through supermarkets. They are a modern replacement for traditional supermarkets.

Firstly, a customer drives to one of the stores locations and then  starts to select products from column that has a vertical rotating shelves and is operated by a button. The customer then places selected products on the conveyor belt where they travel to the checkout. Checkout time is way shorter as you do not need to wait in a long queue.

The store would be set up just like a gas station. Above the shopping area is a floor where the supply warehouse is located. Items are constantly replaced by workers who put them into shelves that represent their counterpart shelf in the store below and report on their empty/full status. The products are taken by conveyor belt again to their corresponding shelf for restock.

This is a very good solution, especially during a pandemic. Thanks to this, we can make purchases without contact. This means greater safety and increased hygiene. Nobody has touched our products before us because they come straight to us from shops warehouse.

This idea could improve the customer service, there will be bigger variety of products, and also this type of store could be the most convenient. The whole shopping process takes less than 5 minutes.

The patent for this concept was filed by Russian inventor Semenov Dahir Kurmanbievich.

If you are interested in the topic of drive throuh supermarkets below there is a link to an animation showing how such a store would function.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1CIONBJzbQ

sources:

https://www.techlap.com/concepts/drive-through-supermarket-to-be-the-next-gen-shopping-concept/

https://smartstores.com/drive-market-drive-thru-store-concept/

WALMART ROBOTS

Reading Time: 2 minutesNowadays, many companies are choosing to upgrade. They add various machines and new technologies to make work more efficient. However, it does not always work. Sometimes it turns out that the existing solutions are more effective or new solutions do not bring any benefits.

In 2017 Walmart began using robots supplied by Bossa Nova Robotics. They were used in 50 locations. Robots in  store aisles were supposed to keep track of its inventory. They used machine vision to scan shelves and identify what products needed restocking.

Thanks to the introduction of robots, employees were supposed to have more time to help customers. However, that is not what happened. Walmart employees were assigned to handle the online orders. And they still had to circulate between the shelves to check the availability of the ordered goods and compare with the stock. This was due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many people during this time started shopping online. That is why employees were assigned to pack orders for them. It seems that these workers could then perform the same inventory checks as the robots. Walmarts experience is “an example of trying to force fit automation in situations where it doesn’t necessarily make sense,” said Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates. “Robots do very well in highly organized and standardized environments, but in complex environments with lots of products and disorganization, people are much more efficient. In those situations, robots make mistakes or can’t function and then need human invention anyway. So why not just have people there to begin with?”

sources:

https://www.sztucznainteligencja.org.pl/walmart-roboty-chwilowo-niepotrzebne/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/walmart-shelves-plan-to-have-robots-scan-shelves-11604345341

https://www.fierceelectronics.com/electronics/walmart-fires-store-robots-but-bossa-nova-remains-bullish

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/3/21547306/walmart-shelf-scanning-robots-automation-bossa-nova-robotics-contract-ended

 

CUSTOMIZABLE BIONIC HAND

Reading Time: < 1 minuteMohamed Dhaouafi founded the new startup Cure Bionics. He was inspired by his friend’s cousin who was born without arms, and her family couldn’t afford prosthetics. He decided that he would create an innovative project that would make it easier for people like her to function. He gathered investors, funds and together with a few engineers, they started working on the mechanical hand.

The parts from which the design was created were mostly printed by a 3D printer. AI sensors help adapt to a patient as their body grows and changes, meaning costly replacements are required less frequently. It is designed to be sleek and user-friendly. solar charging allows the prostheses to function in communities where electricity is intermittent.

Currently is in the testing process. Various types of VR games are used for testing. While playing, the device remembers the movements of our muscles in different situations. That’s why it’s so easy to learn how to use it. Cure Bionics’ prostheses cost much less than other prosthetics. The expected cost of the prosthesis is approximately $ 2000- $ 3000.


Dhaouafi has been included in the global list of promising innovators under 35, compiled by the renowned “MIT Technology Review”. Mohamed strongly believes that disabilities are not obstacles but opportunities and even superpowers and dreams of more inclusive communities.

 

Sources:

https://www.sztucznainteligencja.org.pl/reka-ladowana-sloncem/

Amputees in Developing Countries Often Can’t Afford Artificial Limbs. A Tunisian Engineer Is Changing That

UBER EATS DELIVERY DRONES

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Nowadays, companies are starting to use drones for package delivery. It is very profitable because the cost of delivering a package by a drone is about $0.20, while delivering the same package by courier is about $ 2-8. It also saves time because the drone will deliver such shipment much faster. Often, delivery drones are used inside the company to transport goods between warehouses.

Uber Eats plans to use such technology. The company has unveiled more details about its plans for drone delivery in mid-2019. In 2019, the drones were in the testing phase and by the end of 2023 it is planned to put them into service.

Drones have the ability to travel a maximum of eight minutes, including loading and unloading. The total flight range is 18 miles, with a round-trip delivery range of 12 miles. The cargo capacity for the drone is a meal for two.

These devices were not intended to completely replace uber’s suppliers. First, the package with the order would be attached to the bottom of the drone. Then it would transport it to the deliverer and land on the roofs of delivery cars. And then the deliverer would have a much shorter way to the customer.

The first tests were scheduled to begin in San Diego in 2020, but no new information is available so far. Bringing delivery drones into common use could surely improve meal delievery. Maybe even in the future, drones could complately replace deliverers.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/28/heres-what-the-uber-eats-delivery-drone-looks-like/

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/28/20936410/uber-eats-food-delivery-drone-design

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bizcarson/2019/10/28/first-look-uber-unveils-new-design-for-uber-eats-delivery-drone/?sh=2e3d6f6678f2

PROS AND CONS OF HUMAN MICROCHIP IMPLANT

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology has been around for many years. It is a tag, label or card that can exchange data with a reader using radio frequency (RF) signals.The RFID chip is very similar to a barcode label as it usually works with a scanner or reader as well. The microchips used for human implants are about the size of a grain of rice. A special device inserts the chip into the fleshy area between a person’s thumb and first finger. Once the microchip is inside the body, an individual can wave his or her hand in front of a reader and unlock or transact with compatible systems as desired. The implantable devices rely on near-field communication (NFC), which means a reader must be located nearby. Implantable chips have some utility and they can provide some convenience, but the question is whether such an invasive technology is desirable. Although proponents of the technology argue it improves today’s authentication and security schemes, critics have expressed serious concerns.

In 1998 the first-ever human to receive an RFID microchip implant was British scientist Kevin Warwick. This experiment allowed a computer to monitor Warwick as he moved through halls and offices of the Department of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, using a unique identifying signal emitted by the implanted chip. He could operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers without lifting a finger.

ADVANTAGES

  • Easier Identification – microchip allows us to use technology for payments, trips and travels. We have everything in place, there is no possibility of loss, theft or mistake.

  • Acces Control– Providing the chip confirms our identity and membership, for example at the gym. Often, having a chip comes with privileges such as skipping the line.

  • Easily acccesible medical history– Gathering medical information in one place can be very beneficial in case of an emergency.

  • Keeping tabs on patients, children and criminals– this type of information can be very useful in case of disappearances, kidnappings or escapes.

  • Automatic control of your devices– introduction of the chip allows for technological improvements, for example automatic switching on the TV, automatic door opening or temperature change.

  • Your weapon can only be used by you – because more and more people decide to buy weapons, the chip allows it to be used only by the owner in a safe way.

 

 

DISADVANTAGES

  • RFID chips may pose a threat to our health – we need to remember that a chip is a piece of metal that is inserted into our body. Apart from the fact that it can move in an uncontrolled way, it can cause infections, allergies, and even serious diseases such as cancer.

  • Microchips may take away our freedom of choice- control over where and when we are and what we do will make us start living like a robot, there is no room for errors and emotions.

  • Chips may make us prime targets for people with bad intentions – just like in real life a thief breaking into our house could now be able to hack the chip, obtaining a lot of data about us, which can be more dangerous.

  • We need to think about who really benefits from human microchipping – the chip gives great power over us to the government, large corporations, police, etc.

Chips are already present in our lives. They are used to track animals, people with different diseases and products in inventory. Undoubtedly, the world of technology is developing very quickly, but let’s ask ourselves if we want to give up our freedom, our ability to make mistakes and privacy in exchange for faster service, easier use of devices or limiting contact with other people. In order to maintain freedom, we must be able to choose whether we want such a chip implanted in our hand or not.

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8472435/New-Michigan-law-makes-illegal-companies-force-workers-implanted-microchips.html

https://www.richardvanhooijdonk.com/blog/en/human-microchipping-the-benefits-and-downsides/

https://cacm.acm.org/news/232099-chip-implants-get-real/fulltext

https://www.katinamichael.com/research/tag/microchip+implants