Technology Unleashed

In Blacksburg, Virginia, at Virginia Tech University, a new smartphone app is available for students, faculty, and staff for increased safety around campus. The app is called Live Safe and it is available for Android and iPhone devices.

What is LiveSafe?

Since the April 16^th incident on the Virginia Tech campus, the Virginia Tech community has had heightened security and safety awareness. The app was created by a former student of the university who survived the incident. In 2014, the LiveSafe app was added to protect the campus community.

According to the article, LiveSafe is an app that allows its users to send tips and messages to the Virginia Tech police, share their location with friends and families, find buildings on campus, and access emergency preparedness information. The app can message or call the police and provide GPS location so there will be a quicker police response.

 

The app has many features such as the Report Tips, which allows users to select an incident, like accident, assault, suspicious activity, or any other crime. Once selecting the incident, the user can enter a message solely with text, or they can add a photo, video, or audio attachment. In addition, the user can send an anonymous tip if they do not feel comfortable speaking with the police directly.

Another feature is called SafeWalk. This feature allows users to share their location while walking, and friends and family can watch their progress as they travel across campus. If the family or friends have a concern, a 911 button is available to call the police.

A final feature allows the user to find fire, police, and medical services in the nearby area, and allows the user to see a map of blue light phone locations. The app also notifies the user of other non-emergency tips as well.

The Virginia Tech Police Chief Kevin Foust stated “We are excited to offer the LiveSafe app to our community.  It is one of many tools that can be used to make personal safety and protection decisions. Best of all, it’s easy to download and use.”

The LiveSafe app is great safety asset to the Virginia Tech community and has been protecting students for 3 years now.

Pros v. Cons

Pros: The LiveSafe app has many security advantages. These include:

• The app decreases the police response time as it notifies police immediately and directly.
• The app is easy to download and use.
• Tips can be sent anonymously to the police.
• GPS location can be easily used in many features of the app to provide accurate location in an emergency.
• The student’s family and friends can use the app as well, so the student has many people looking out for their safety.

Cons: The app has very few disadvantages, but there are some. They include:

• The possibility of the app not functioning in an emergency situation, for instance if the server is down, or an update fails, etc.
• Another possible issue is the app does not notify campus police for whatever reason.
• The anonymity of the app could cause issues if a student decides to play a prank, for example.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this type of cellular technology does not cause any job loss. The app could create jobs if the college decides to hire a staff to maintain and use the app. The app also makes the job of the campus police easier, as the app increases efficiency of calls to campus police.

Overall, the LiveSafe app increases the security of the Virginia Tech campus as it provides many safety features that allow for better communication with campus police. Moreover, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. In addition, the app does not cause any job loss, but provides new jobs and makes jobs easier.

*If you would like to know more, here is a link to a video on the app.

LiveSafe app implemented on campus – Virginia Tech from VirginiaTech on Vimeo.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a local non-profit organization and a for-profit organization are joining together to bring the first robotic grocery store to Iowa. According to the Fox News article, the goal is to bring cheaper, higher-quality food to places in Des Moines that do not have access to this type of food.

How does the robotic grocery store work?

The grocery store is completely automated, much like a vending machine that one would see. The store will be about 260 square feet, which is rather small for a grocery store. The building will also have a glass facade so the customer can see each item that the store offers. The store is also fully refrigerated so it has the capability to contain cold products.

When the customer comes to the store, the first thing they will see is a touchscreen ordering system. On the touchscreen, the customer will see anywhere from 200-800 different items, the prices listed, and whether the item is in stock or not. The products can weigh up to 10 pounds, according to the video in the publication.

The robotic technology used in the grocery store is operated on a conveyor belt system. An extractor will retrieve the requested products from the shelves and places the product(s) on the conveyor belt, which then delivers the products to the customers. In addition, the robotic technology knows if it needs to make multiple trips in the case there is a large amount of products requested. The retrieval process protects products like bread and eggs from being damaged.

Another cool feature of the robotic grocery store is the robotic system automatically removes food and products that have expired.

As one can see, the robotic grocery store is very similar to a vending machine with its conveyor belt technology and retrieval process; however, it’s very technologically advanced robot technology gives it a modern twist.

Pros v. Cons

Pros: The robotic grocery store has many advantages as a new technology and for the community that it is going to be placed in. For example:

• The robotic grocery store will give access to quality food to an area in Des Moines that has limited access to it currently.
• The prices will be low so the area can afford the products.
• Expired food will not be an issue because of the advanced technology.
• The robotic grocery store is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so customers have access whenever is convenient for them.

Cons: The disadvantages, while few, are still important to address. For instance:

• If a customer needs a large product, the store may not have it because of the weight limit.
• If the robotic elements are broken, the entire store will have to close.
• With the above comes the problem of the expensive nature of the technology if it does need repair.

Job Outlook 

The robotic grocery store is also called the human-less grocery store as the store does not need any employees. If all grocery stores decide to go in the robotics route, many jobs will be lost as these types of grocery stores do not need employees.

In addition, the article talks about how this technology could possibly expand to apartment complexes, parking facilities, and military. If this technology does go into these areas, other grocery stores may suffer because of the convenience of the robotic grocery store.

In the words of Aubrey Alvarez, the executive director of the nonprofit involved stated “[the] project takes a simple and familiar idea, a vending machine, and turns it on its head. Robotic Retail will be accessible to everyone.” Robotic grocery stores will make grocery shopping easier in the future as this new technology rapidly takes off.

According to an article, published by Space.com, NASA has been diligently working to complete its new communications technology called LCRD, or Laser Communications Relay Demonstration. The NASA researchers say that the new system could become the “high-speed internet of the sky.”

What are laser communications?

The first laser communications system developed by NASA was called LLCD, or Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration, and was tested by NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) in 2013.

The goal of LLCD was to show the capacity of high-speed laser-based communication, and the technology was a success. The LCRD will build on this system by adding better performance in varying weather conditions and longevity.

LCRD will use a beam of light to send data from space to Earth and vice versa. The system has a space switching unit, like a data router, which connects to two identical optical terminals and a radio-frequency downlink. This allows the system to convert digital data into a laser light, which then sends the information to Earth.

We're developing better ways to get more data using laser communications between spacecraft & Earth https://t.co/TADv5pSMs6 @NASALaserComm pic.twitter.com/ZxRVs9ekFA

— NASA (@NASA) March 22, 2017

In addition, the system has actuators. These allow stability, which gives the LCRD the ability to perfectly align itself in the sky for optimal communication with ground bases in Hawaii and California.

Currently, NASA engineers are testing whether the system can withstand launch conditions. The LCRD mission launch is planned for the summer of 2019. The system will orbit in the same rotation as Earth, also known as geosynchronous orbit, and will then communicate with the ground bases on Earth.

If the mission is a success, NASA officials say, “many other Earth-orbiting NASA missions will also fly copies of it to relay their data through LCRD to the ground.”

Pros v. Cons

Pros: NASA is very excited with the capabilities of this communications systems as it offers many advantages in data communication. For example:

• The new system will be 100 times faster than radio-frequency communication.
• The system is smaller than any other of its kind, which means that in the future, systems could have less weight and require less power. This benefit is crucial on long distance trips to Mars and other parts of deep space.
• The technology can operate for two to five years.

Cons: LCRD has very few disadvantages, but the most important are:

• The technology could possibly not withstand launch conditions, which would cause a setback for researchers.
• The total cost is three million dollars, according to NASA, a substantial amount to create a technology that could fail.

Job Outlook

This type of technology does not have as much impact on the job market because space technology is a research based job field. The use of this technology will have no impacts on the average American’s job.

According to an article in the India Times, astronauts around the world will enjoy the benefits of this new technology. The system gives them the possibility to have high speed internet while in space. In addition, the project will employ researchers, engineers, and scientists to help build, create, and test LCRD; therefore, LCRD has a positive job outlook.

In conclusion, LCRD has the capability to radically change data communications from space to Earth and vice versa.

By 2019, LCRD could be the first space internet provider!

In the field of medicine, researchers and scientists have made strides in the advancement of technology. A recent example is magnetic robots with the ability to fight disease.

What are magnetic robots?

An article by Charles Choi of Live Science, explains that in the medical field, scientists can guide medical devices through the human body by employing magnetic forces. The magnetic fields create a force that can remotely control objects.

Recently, scientists discovered that they can manipulate magnetic forces in the same way to control robots. These robots are microscopic, magnetic and controlled by their magnetic field.

In addition to the discovery of magnetic control, scientists also determined that they can control swarms of objects by the same technique; however, the problem was controlling each individual object to do its own unique task.

Scientists around the world have been experimenting with swarms of robots, magnets, and a variety of other objects. In the article, Jürgen Rahmer, a physicist from Hamburg Germany, has been researching magnetic robots to fight disease under Philips Innovative Technologies. His team has been working diligently in their research.

Rahmer and his fellow scientists created a way to control each member of the swarm, so each individual can complete their own unique task. Rahmer stated, “[Our] method may enable complex manipulations inside the human body.”

Their method involves the creation of tiny, identical magnetic screws, which are then frozen by a strong, uniform magnetic field to keep them in place. In the weak spots of the magnetic field, the screws are free to move on their own in a spinning motion.

In the experiments, they could make several of the magnetic screws spin in different directions at the same time with precision The implications of this new technology could allow for medical procedures without the use of batteries and motors.

Medical researchers could use this to fight cancer cells with accuracy through injectable microscopic pills. The pills would have magnetic screws spin to open the pills, and then cancer-killing radioactive seeds within the pill will target only cancerous cells without damaging healthy tissues. 

Another implementation could be medical implants that can change over time. The magnetic fields could alter the shape of the implants to better fit the patient’s body. To see the tiny magnetic screws, ultrasound scanners and x-ray technology would reveal the location, so doctors could see the progress of the procedure.

Pros v. Cons

Pros: According to The Atlantic, technology in the medical field has many benefits including:

• Assisting doctors with big tasks that they have trouble with or are incapable of completing.
• Maneuvering in spaces where human hands can’t fit.
• Reducing the risk of complications and the patient’s recovery time.

Cons: On the other hand, the technology has some disadvantages as well:

• In some cases, the procedure with the technology versus without the technology has no increased benefits.
• Procedures with the new technologies are more expensive.

Job Outlook

According to an article in the Tech Times, experts say that doctors and surgeons will not be out of work anytime soon for the following reasons:

• Most of the time, the technology created still needs a medical professional present to maneuver the device or supervise it.
• A doctor’s diagnosis will never be replaced because they offer psychological and emotional care, which computers will lack in the future.
• Sometimes, doctors must act with their instincts before a diagnosis is made. A machine cannot act on instincts as well as humans can.
• In the future, the article predicts that the task will be learning how both medical technology and doctors can work together, rather than separately.

Overall, new magnetic robots and other medical technology will make the lives of doctors and surgeons much easier; however, the technologies come with advantages and disadvantages that medical professionals and patients need to consider.

All in all, in 2017, humans can still expect to count on other humans for their medical care.

 

*If you would like to read more about the technology in today’s post, the scientists explained their findings in the Science Robotics journal.