Lifeboat Foundation

Given the demands of the modern world, many people find solace and relaxation when they disconnect from their smart phones, computers and email. But what if you could improve your overall happiness simply by playing games on your phone? In a recent interview, tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Happify Ofer Leidner said gamification can make people “happier”, and that the development of technology that improves well-being is only just getting beginning.

Image credit: x-bility.com

It should be noted that not just any game on your phone can help one live a happier, healthier life. Instead, Happify and other comparable platforms use science-based games to drive behavior and to help people learn skills for generally improving their outlook on life. It’s still gaming and gamification, but gaming done with a meaningful purpose.

“After telling us a little bit about themselves, we recommend a certain track, which is a topic around which (Happify users) want to build those skills for greater emotional fitness. We then prescribe for them a set of activities and interventions that have been transformed into an interactive app,” Leidner said. “You can do them on your phone, when you’re commuting, or you can do it at night. What we’re doing, in terms of the measurement of improved outcome, is we’re actually measuring them based on scientific event reports.”

Continue reading “Can Technology Help Fine-Tune Your Happiness?” »

Servicing elevators more effectively with Microsoft Hololens.

NEW YORK, September 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ —

Is this the end of not wearing pants during video calls?

Apple’s iOS might be first to support an augmented reality contact lens system currently in development at EP Global Communications, as the two companies are scheduled to meet next week to discuss potential platform integrations.

Actiongram was developed specifically for Microsoft’s Hololens, and it comes with a host of remarkable holograms…holograms that you can transport to the center of your living room.

Technology can be confusing when it begins moving at such an accelerated rate, perfectly exemplified by the 3D industry, and encompassing all that goes with it, from 3D scanning to 3D printing and then peripheral industries that are often connected too such as augmented and virtual realities. We’ve barely digested all the stunning innovations making impacts in so many different sectors, from 3D printed medical models that allow for more complex surgeries, to 3D printed parts for a suspension system that make racing bikes go faster, all the way to incredible toys for your kids using augmented reality systems.

Yet, while work is definitely just beginning in the 3D realm, scientists have already begun exploring a range of uses for 4D technology that should prove offer impacts in just as many applications, from the medical field to electronics and far beyond. It might seem like a lot all at once, but the two technologies definitely work together, with the 4D emphasis adding a more intuitive, smart angle to fabrication.

As we’ve seen in other studies using the application of heat, it would appear that 3D printed objects can be treated or manipulated to cause shapes to morph according to their environment, as well as remembering their previous state and going back to it in the appropriate conditions. Now, teams from both MIT and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) are employing light in their endeavors to create smart structures. They’ve had good success too, if the amount of torturing they’ve put these materials through is any indication. According to the engineers, they’ve twisted, bent, and stretched everything from small coils to flowers fabricated out of numerous materials, and even a replica they made of the Eiffel tower. As is the case with structures being pushed into the 4D realm, all of the above materials reverted.

Wait until they see what is happening with smart AR contacts and Bluetooths.

A pair of contact lenses do not just let you see clearer without the hassle of spectacles or glasses, but what if they are now smarter with connectivity to your smartphone? Could the science fiction world now be a step closer to reality?

The 1st Church of Singularity — guess Ray is preaching again.

By Jodi Schiller

Continue reading “The First Church of the Singularity: Roko’s Basilik” »

A write-up from Popular Science on the bioethics conference I was a part of recently and the corresponding 2-min highlight video. It was truly a fascinating event, inspired by Deus Ex! http://www.popsci.com/augmented-reality-or-augmented-humanity And here’s the video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4p7uld_human-by-design-conference-recap_tech

With the release of the new video game, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Human By Design holds a conference to discuss the future of human augmentation.