Lidar, or light detection and ranging systems, uses lasers to detect objects, their distance, and velocity. Current lidar systems are bulky, but that may change with new acoustic lidar technology developed by Stanford engineers. They created a compact lidar system using lithium niobate coated with electrons to modulate light millions of times a second, capturing an object’s 3D shape. The lithium niobate changes shape when electricity passes through the electrodes, which allows it to modulate light so quickly. Further developments in this tech could lead to 3D smartphone cameras. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here
Merv
August 15, 2022
