In this issue of the Tech Digest: an AI system builds more powerful gaming laptops, an AI program studies proteins and promotes drug development, and AI technology helps dentists with accurate diagnostics, offering a second set of eyes. All that and more in a 10-minute read.
AI to Open New Path For Drug Discovery
Nearly every process in our bodies involves protein teamwork. Knowing what proteins do and how they interact with each other helps get a better understanding of human diseases. This in turn helps develop effective drugs. And that’s where one UK company managed to succeed.
An AI laboratory DeepLab created an AI program that can easily solve the protein folding problem. Proteins have a three-dimensional structure which determines how they work with other proteins in the body. Drugs often work in a similar way, latching onto the shape of specific parts of a protein. The technology is able to predict the 3D structure of proteins given their amino acid sequence. It breaks new grounds for drug development. Read on to learn more about the achievement and why it matters.
AI to Optimize Computing Architectures
Much has been said about how AI is becoming more and more applicable in developing software. For example, last year San Francisco-based research lab OpenAI released Codex, an AI model for translating natural language commands into application code. The model can automate the software development and maintenance. AI has now stepped in to optimize hardware and components placement in laptops as well.
Recently, Nvidia collaborated with AMD and Intel to improve the power efficiency and performance of gaming laptops. To achieve this goal, they use AI to optimize the system architecture: AI improves component placement and the routing of power and heat between CPU and GPU. And gaming laptops are only the initial objective of this collaboration. Learn how the three giants are planning to ensure improvements in laptops’ usage.
AI to Shape the Future of Dentistry
Dentistry is the ideal frontier for the application of AI technologies. First, there are more dental radiographs in the world than any other form of medical imagery. This large number of images is a main ground for developing precise AI-based medical solutions. Second, as in any branch of medicine, dentistry usually needs a second doctor's opinion. To increase the accuracy of diagnosis, AI can be of great help.
One such solution was designed by Pearl, a Los Angeles-based computer vision company. The company focuses on solving challenging problems in the dental industry. Called Second Opinion, the solution provides comprehensive detection capabilities for dentists. Using it, doctors gain a second set of eyes. This helps ensure that they've considered every sign of disease in their patients' radiographs, and detect many dental pathologies.
A Smart Bulb to Track Health Metrics
Smart home devices are invading the world. Most of them are used to enable the remote monitoring and management of home appliances. But some of them have already gone beyond the traditional usage. Do you want your light bulb to know how well you snooze overnight? The smart lighting company Sengled will help get that data soon.
Their innovative smart health monitoring bulb uses radar technology to read a user’s vital signs from the ceiling. It’s designed to track sleep, heart rate, body temperature, and other vitals. The bulb can work alone or with multiple bulbs connected via a Bluetooth mesh network. This helps create a virtual map that tracks human behavior. The manufacturer states it could even determine if someone has fallen. The product is still under development and due to launch in the fourth quarter of 2022. Learn more about this ambitious smart light innovation and its features.