What is Artificial Intelligence?

DARPA announced that it is inviting proposals to tackle its latest project: "Transformer X (TX), a vertical takeoff and landing roadable air vehicle." The vehicle should have a maximum payload capacity of 1,000 pounds so that it can carry four passengers and their gear. It should also be capable of flying itself automatically, achieving an altitude of 1,000 feet, and traveling 250 miles on a single tank of fuel. And it should be built and ready for testing by 2015.

The closest thing to a flying car that has been built and tested is the Terrafugia Transition. The wings on this “roadable aircraft” can be folded up in 30 seconds with just a press of a button, enabling it to switch from flying to driving on roads. But the proposed TX would have some significant differences. It would be a robust off-road vehicle with road performance similar to an SUV, and that it would have the option to fly on autopilot.

Click here to read more about Transformer X Project, Project TX, Flying Car.

The world-renowned Honda Humanoid Robot has evolved into a desktop program assistant, ASIMO will be on your desktop for free! The ASIMO DESKTOP WIDGET brings the real humaoid ASIMO right onto your screen. The robot ASIMO does not only walk and run around your screen, but presents the latest news headlines from Honda, provides an easy memo function, and more. Although some functions need internet connection to work. The ASIMO Desktop Widget Features:

• walks to and fro and runs around your computer screen, and does many unique actions.
• RSS News Display - whenever available, ASIMO shows the latest Honda news all its Worldwide site.
• Menu - the main ASIMO Menu allows you to have access to the available functions below:
• - News: The latest news from the Honda Worldwide site
• - Search: Google search window
• - Memo Pad: A simple memo pad
• - Widget Settings: Balloon style, sound and automatic start settings
• - Quit: Quits the ASIMO DESKTOP WIDGET
• - Honda Logo: Opens your browser to the Honda Worldwide site

You can drag and drop the Menu window anywhere you want to place it on the screen. Click here to download the ASIMO DESKTOP WIDGET. Click here to read more about ASIMO Desktop Widget, Asimo Desktop Companion

The husband-and-wife team behind LaDiDa — Khush CTO Parag Chordia and CEO Prerna Gupta — have devised a “reverse karaoke” app that makes it simple for anyone with an iPhone or iPod Touch to make songs with full instrumentation using only their voice.

LaDiDa is a dream-come-true for those diehard singers out there. It creates harmonic and rhythmic elements after you’ve recorded yourself singing anything you please. It then corrects your pitch and adds some reverb, then aligns it with these elements and plays it back in a variety of styles that you can toggle through until you find the one that sounds best. You don’t need to have a good voice to use this app.

From there, the app lets you easily share your creation through Facebook or Twitter.

Click here to read more about LaDiDa, iPhone App, iPod Touch App.

Researchers in France claim to have made the first transistor that mimics connections in the human brain. Many believe that this could lead to new brain-based computers and help connect artificial structures to biological tissue.

This device which serves as an artificial version of a synapse is based on an organic semiconductor transistor made of pentacene, an insulation layer and gold nanoparticles. The resulting device is called a nanoparticle organic memory field-effect transistor or "NOMFET".

“In the NOMFET, the pre-synaptic signal is simply the pulse voltage applied to the device and the output signal is the drain current. The holes – the charge carriers in the p-type organic semiconductor employed – are trapped in the nanoparticles and act like the neurotransmitters. A certain number of holes are trapped for each incoming spike voltage and in the absence of pulses, the holes escape in a matter of seconds.”, explains Dominique Vuillaume of the University of Lille.

Click here to read more about NOMFET, Organic Transistor.

North Carolina’s Zenph Sound Innovations has this latest advance in artificial intelligence which “resurrects” musical legends of the past by tapping into old recordings to establish a musician's style and personality, then applying those attributes to newer recordings of old songs, or even to songs the musician never played before.

Zenph’s specially designed robotic pianos take hi-resolution MIDI files created by a software that simulates the style of classical and jazz performers from days gone by and then turns them into sound by literally lowering down the keys using between 12 and 24 high-resolution MIDI attributes.

Performing in “live” settings like the Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall and on the Live from Lincoln Center show, these robotic pianos have wowed thousands of crowds with their note-for-note renditions of performances of the past. Its engineers are almost done working on a playerless double bass. They also plan on working on the saxophone model next, with the ultimate goal of creating every instrument in a typical jazz band.

Click here to read more about Zenph, Zenph Sound Innovations.