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Exploring the Concept of Virtual Identity: A Technical Analysis

Virtual Identity Explained

With the increasing use of technology, the concept of virtual identity has become a popular topic of discussion. Virtual identity refers to the digital representation of an individual, which includes personal information, behavior, and interactions in the online world. This article explores the technical aspects of virtual identity and its role in various digital platforms.

The Technical Aspects of Virtual Identity

Virtual identity is a complex concept that involves technical aspects such as data encryption, user authentication, and digital signatures. Data encryption is used to ensure that personal information is kept secure during transmission across networks. User authentication is the process of confirming the identity of an individual using a username and password, biometric verification, or other identification methods. Digital signatures are used to verify the authenticity of electronic documents and transactions.

Virtual Identity: The Role of Authentication

Authentication is a critical component of virtual identity, as it ensures that only authorized individuals have access to personal information and digital resources. In addition to usernames and passwords, modern authentication methods include multi-factor authentication, biometric verification, and behavioral analysis. Multi-factor authentication involves using more than one form of identification, such as a password and a security token. Biometric verification uses physical characteristics, such as fingerprints or facial recognition, to identify individuals. Behavioral analysis uses machine learning algorithms to analyze user behavior and detect anomalies that may indicate fraudulent activity.

Virtual Identity vs. Real Identity: A Comparison

Virtual identity differs from real identity in several ways. Real identity refers to an individual’s physical characteristics and personal information, such as name, date of birth, and address. Virtual identity includes this information, as well as online behavior, interactions, and preferences. Virtual identity can be more fluid than real identity, as individuals can create multiple virtual identities or change their online persona to fit different contexts.

Privacy Concerns in Virtual Identity

Privacy is a major concern in virtual identity, as personal information can be easily accessed and exploited in the online world. Individuals must be aware of the risks associated with sharing personal information online and take steps to protect their virtual identity. This includes using strong passwords, limiting the amount of personal information shared online, and being cautious when interacting with unknown individuals or sites.

Digital Footprint: Building Virtual Identity

A digital footprint is the trail of data left behind by an individual’s online activity. This includes social media posts, search engine queries, and website visits. A digital footprint can be used to build a virtual identity, as it provides insight into an individual’s behavior and interests. It is important for individuals to manage their digital footprint and ensure that it accurately represents their values and beliefs.

The Importance of Virtual Identity Management

Virtual identity management involves controlling and maintaining an individual’s online presence. This includes monitoring online behavior, managing privacy settings, and responding to negative content or reviews. Virtual identity management is important for individuals, businesses, and organizations to maintain a positive image and protect against reputation damage.

Virtual Identity and Cybersecurity

Virtual identity is closely tied to cybersecurity, as the protection of personal information and digital resources is essential to maintaining virtual identity. Cybersecurity involves protecting against unauthorized access, cyber-attacks, and data breaches. Individuals and businesses must implement strong security measures, such as firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems, to protect against cyber threats.

Virtual Identity in Social Media

Social media platforms are a major component of virtual identity, as they provide a space for individuals to express themselves and interact with others online. Social media profiles can be used to build a virtual identity, showcase skills and accomplishments, and connect with others in a professional or personal capacity. It is important for individuals to be mindful of their social media activity and ensure that it aligns with their desired virtual identity.

Virtual Identities in Gaming: A Technical Discussion

Virtual identities are also prevalent in the gaming world, where individuals can create avatars and interact with others in virtual environments. Gaming platforms must implement strong security measures to protect against hacking, cheating, and other forms of abuse. Virtual identities can be used to enhance the gaming experience, as players can customize their avatars and build relationships with other players.

Virtual Reality and Virtual Identity

Virtual reality technology allows individuals to immerse themselves in virtual environments and interact with others in a more realistic way. Virtual reality can enhance virtual identity by allowing individuals to create more realistic avatars and interact with others in a more natural way. It is important for individuals to be aware of the privacy risks associated with virtual reality and take steps to protect their personal information.

The Future of Virtual Identity

As technology continues to evolve, the concept of virtual identity will become increasingly important. It is up to individuals, businesses, and organizations to manage virtual identity effectively and protect against cyber threats. By understanding the technical aspects of virtual identity and implementing strong security measures, individuals can build a positive online presence and protect their personal information in the digital world.

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Blockchain: Fortifying Identity, Finance, and Privacy

The Power of Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology has emerged as a game-changer in the digital landscape, transforming the way we manage identity, finance, and privacy. At its core, blockchain is a decentralized, immutable, and transparent ledger that enables secure and instant transactions without the need for intermediaries or centralized authorities. This revolutionary technology has the potential to disrupt traditional industries, boost innovation, and empower individuals and communities.

In this article, we will explore how blockchain is fortifying identity, finance, and privacy, and its real-world applications, challenges, and future prospects. We will also discuss the legal, cybersecurity, and social impact implications of blockchain, and how it can contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.

Blockchain and Identity: A New Era of Digital Identity Management

Identity is a fundamental aspect of our lives, both online and offline. However, traditional identity management systems are often fragmented, insecure, and vulnerable to data breaches and identity theft. Blockchain offers a new paradigm for digital identity management, based on decentralized and self-sovereign identity (SSI) principles.

SSI allows individuals to own, control, and share their identity information securely and selectively, without relying on third-party intermediaries or central authorities. By using blockchain-based identity solutions, individuals can authenticate themselves seamlessly, access services and resources, and protect their privacy and security.

For instance, the Sovrin Network provides a decentralized identity infrastructure that enables trusted and verifiable digital identities, based on open standards and interoperability. Other blockchain-based identity platforms include uPort, Civic, and SelfKey, which offer similar features and benefits.

Blockchain and Finance: Towards a More Transparent and Secure Financial System

Finance is another area where blockchain is making significant strides, by enabling more transparent, efficient, and secure transactions. Blockchain-based finance, also known as decentralized finance (DeFi), is a rapidly growing ecosystem that offers a range of financial services, such as lending, borrowing, trading, and investing, without relying on traditional intermediaries or centralized authorities.

DeFi leverages blockchain’s features, such as smart contracts, tokenization, and interoperability, to provide more accessible and inclusive financial services, especially for underserved and unbanked populations. For example, stablecoins, which are blockchain-based digital currencies pegged to traditional assets, can provide a stable store of value and a more reliable means of exchange, especially in volatile markets.

Other DeFi applications include decentralized exchanges (DEXs), which allow peer-to-peer trading of digital assets without intermediaries, and yield farming, which enables users to earn interest on their crypto holdings by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols. However, DeFi is not without risks, such as smart contract vulnerabilities, liquidity issues, and regulatory challenges.

Blockchain and Privacy: Protecting Personal Data in a Decentralized World

Privacy is a critical aspect of digital life, as it enables individuals to control their personal information and prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or exploitation. However, traditional privacy solutions, such as centralized databases or encryption, have limitations and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals or surveillance agencies.

Blockchain offers a new approach to privacy, based on cryptographic techniques and distributed storage. By using blockchain-based privacy solutions, individuals can protect their data from unauthorized access, maintain anonymity, and ensure data integrity and immutability.

For example, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are cryptographic protocols that enable parties to prove the validity of a statement without revealing any additional information. ZKPs can be used to authenticate identities, verify transactions, and protect sensitive data without compromising privacy.

Other blockchain-based privacy solutions include homomorphic encryption, ring signatures, and multi-party computation, which offer different levels of privacy and security. However, privacy is not absolute, and there are trade-offs between privacy, usability, and scalability.

How Blockchain Works: The Fundamentals of Distributed Ledgers and Cryptography

To understand how blockchain works, we need to delve into its fundamental principles and components. At its core, blockchain is a distributed ledger that maintains a record of transactions, verified by a network of nodes, without the need for trust or intermediaries.

Each block in the blockchain contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, creating an immutable and tamper-evident chain of blocks. Transactions are validated and added to the blockchain through consensus mechanisms, such as proof-of-work (PoW) or proof-of-stake (PoS), which incentivize nodes to contribute computing power and verify transactions.

Blockchain also relies on various cryptographic techniques, such as public-key cryptography, hash functions, and digital signatures, to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. These techniques enable secure and transparent transactions, without revealing sensitive information or compromising privacy.

Blockchain technology is not limited to cryptocurrency transactions, but can also be applied to various use cases, such as supply chain management, voting systems, and intellectual property management.

Blockchain Use Cases: Real-World Examples of Blockchain Applications

Blockchain has already demonstrated its potential to transform various industries and domains, from finance and identity to healthcare and energy. Some notable blockchain use cases include:

  • Supply chain management: Blockchain can provide end-to-end visibility and traceability of products, from raw materials to distribution, ensuring authenticity, quality, and compliance.
  • Healthcare: Blockchain can enable secure and interoperable sharing of patient data, as well as tracking of medical supplies and drugs, reducing errors, fraud, and inefficiencies.
  • Energy: Blockchain can facilitate peer-to-peer energy trading, renewable energy certificates, and carbon credits, enabling more sustainable and decentralized energy systems.
  • Gaming: Blockchain can enable secure and transparent ownership, transfer, and trading of in-game assets, as well as provably fair gaming outcomes, enhancing player experience and trust.

These are just a few examples of how blockchain is disrupting traditional industries and enabling new business models and opportunities.

Blockchain Challenges: Overcoming Scalability, Interoperability, and Adoption Hurdles

Despite its potential and benefits, blockchain also faces various challenges and limitations that hinder its widespread adoption and scalability. Some of these challenges include:

  • Scalability: Blockchain’s limited processing power and storage capacity can limit its throughput and transaction speed, especially for large-scale applications.
  • Interoperability: Blockchain’s fragmentation and lack of standardization can hinder its compatibility and integration with other systems and platforms, causing data silos and inefficiencies.
  • Adoption: Blockchain’s complexity and unfamiliarity can deter users and organizations from adopting it, especially in regulated industries or conservative environments.

To overcome these challenges, blockchain developers and researchers are exploring various solutions, such as sharding, sidechains, and interoperability protocols, as well as user-friendly interfaces and educational resources.

The Future of Blockchain: Beyond Cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings

Blockchain is still at an early stage of development, and its potential is far from fully realized. In the future, blockchain is likely to evolve and expand beyond its current applications and use cases, enabling new forms of value creation, governance, and social impact.

Some possible future developments of blockchain technology include:

  • Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs): DAOs are organizations that operate on blockchain-based smart contracts and are governed by their members. DAOs can enable more transparent and democratic decision-making, as well as more efficient and resilient organizations.
  • Internet of Things (IoT): Blockchain can provide secure and decentralized communication and data sharing among IoT devices, enabling more efficient and trustworthy IoT applications, such as smart homes, cities, and factories.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI): Blockchain can enable more secure and transparent training, validation, and deployment of AI models, as well as more accountable and ethical AI systems.

These are just some of the potential future applications of blockchain technology, and the possibilities are limited only by our imagination and creativity.

Blockchain Regulation: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Digital Assets

Blockchain’s decentralized and borderless nature poses significant challenges for regulatory frameworks and compliance measures. However, blockchain also offers opportunities for more efficient and effective regulation, based on transparency, accountability, and innovation.

The regulation of blockchain and digital assets varies across countries and jurisdictions, reflecting different legal, cultural, and economic contexts. Some countries, such as Malta, Switzerland, and Singapore, have adopted blockchain-friendly regulatory frameworks and attracted blockchain startups and investments.

Other countries, such as China and India, have adopted more restrictive policies and regulations, limiting the growth of blockchain and digital assets. However, the global trend is towards more regulatory clarity and convergence, as blockchain becomes more mainstream and recognized as a legitimate technology and asset class.

Blockchain and Cybersecurity: Enhancing Data Protection and Threat Detection

Cybersecurity is a critical aspect of blockchain, as it enables secure and trustworthy transactions and protects users from various threats, such as hacking, phishing, and malware. However, blockchain itself is not immune to cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, such as 51% attacks, smart contract bugs, and social engineering.

To enhance blockchain cybersecurity, various measures and solutions are being developed and deployed, such as:

  • Multi-factor authentication: This requires multiple forms of authentication, such as passwords, biometrics, and tokens, to access blockchain accounts and wallets.
  • Cold storage: This refers to storing cryptocurrencies and assets offline, in physical devices or paper wallets, to reduce the risk of online attacks.
  • Anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations: These require blockchain-based businesses and exchanges to verify the identity and source of funds of their users, to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing.
  • Cyber threat intelligence (CTI): This involves collecting and analyzing data on cyber threats and vulnerabilities, to proactively detect and prevent attacks on blockchain networks and applications.

Blockchain and Social Impact: Empowering Communities and Reducing Inequality

Blockchain has the potential to contribute to social impact and sustainability goals, by enabling more democratic, transparent, and inclusive systems and applications. Blockchain-based solutions can empower marginalized communities, reduce inequalities, and promote social innovation and entrepreneurship.

For example, blockchain can enable:

  • Financial inclusion: Blockchain-based financial services, such as microlending, can provide access to capital for underserved and unbanked populations, reducing poverty and inequality.
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How Industry 4.0 technologies are changing manufacturing

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the way companies manufacture, improve and distribute their products. Manufacturers are integrating new technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and analytics, and AI and machine learning into their production facilities and throughout their operations.

These smart factories are equipped with advanced sensors, embedded software and robotics that collect and analyze data and allow for better decision making. Even higher value is created when data from production operations is combined with operational data from ERP, supply chain, customer service and other enterprise systems to create whole new levels of visibility and insight from previously siloed information.

This digital technologies lead to increased automation, predictive maintenance, self-optimization of process improvements and, above all, a new level of efficiencies and responsiveness to customers not previously possible.

Developing smart factories provides an incredible opportunity for the manufacturing industry to enter the fourth industrial revolution. Analyzing the large amounts of big data collected from sensors on the factory floor ensures real-time visibility of manufacturing assets and can provide tools for performing predictive maintenance in order to minimize equipment downtime. 

Using high-tech IoT devices in smart factories leads to higher productivity and improved quality. Replacing manual inspection business models with AI-powered visual insights reduces manufacturing errors and saves money and time. With minimal investment, quality control personnel can set up a smartphone connected to the cloud to monitor manufacturing processes from virtually anywhere. By applying machine learning algorithms, manufacturers can detect errors immediately, rather than at later stages when repair work is more expensive.

Industry 4.0 concepts and technologies can be applied across all types of industrial companies, including discrete and process manufacturing, as well as oil and gas, mining and other industrial segments. 

From steam to sensor: historical context for Industry 4.0

First industrial revolution

Starting in the late 18th century in Britain, the first industrial revolution helped enable mass production by using water and steam power instead of purely human and animal power. Finished goods were built with machines rather than painstakingly produced by hand.

Second industrial revolution

A century later, the second industrial revolution introduced assembly lines and the use of oil, gas and electric power. These new power sources, along with more advanced communications via telephone and telegraph, brought mass production and some degree of automation to manufacturing processes.

Third industrial revolution

The third industrial revolution, which began in the middle of the 20th century, added computers, advanced telecommunications and data analysis to manufacturing processes. The digitization of factories began by embedding programmable logic controllers (PLCs) into machinery to help automate some processes and collect and share data.

Fourth industrial revolution

We are now in the fourth industrial revolution, also referred to as Industry 4.0. Characterized by increasing automation and the employment of smart machines and smart factories, informed data helps to produce goods more efficiently and productively across the value chain. Flexibility is improved so that manufacturers can better meet customer demands using mass customization—ultimately seeking to achieve efficiency with, in many cases, a lot size of one. By collecting more data from the factory floor and combining that with other enterprise operational data, a smart factory can achieve information transparency and better decisions.

What technologies are driving Industry 4.0?

 

Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a key component of smart factories. Machines on the factory floor are equipped with sensors that feature an IP address that allows the machines to connect with other web-enabled devices. This mechanization and connectivity make it possible for large amounts of valuable data to be collected, analyzed and exchanged.

Take advantage of connected devices and data 
 

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is a cornerstone of any Industry 4.0 strategy. Full realization of smart manufacturing demands connectivity and integration of engineering, supply chain, production, sales and distribution, and service. Cloud helps make that possible. In addition, the typically large amount of data being stored and analyzed can be processed more efficiently and cost-effectively with cloud. Cloud computing can also reduce startup costs for small- and medium-sized manufacturers who can right-size their needs and scale as their business grows.

Explore cloud capabilities 
 

AI and machine learning

AI and machine learning allow manufacturing companies to take full advantage of the volume of information generated not just on the factory floor, but across their business units, and even from partners and third-party sources. AI and machine learning can create insights providing visibility, predictability and automation of operations and business processes. For instance: Industrial machines are prone to breaking down during the production process. Using data collected from these assets can help businesses perform predictive maintenance based on machine learning algorithms, resulting in more uptime and higher efficiency.

Learn how to do more with Watson® AI 
 

Edge computing

The demands of real-time production operations mean that some data analysis must be done at the “edge”—that is, where the data is created. This minimizes latency time from when data is produced to when a response is required. For instance, the detection of a safety or quality issue may require near-real-time action with the equipment. The time needed to send data to the enterprise cloud and then back to the factory floor may be too lengthy and depends on the reliability of the network. Using edge computing also means that data stays near its source, reducing security risks.

Act on your data at its source 
 

Cybersecurity

Manufacturing companies have not always considered the importance of cybersecurity or cyber-physical systems. However, the same connectivity of operational equipment in the factory or field (OT) that enables more efficient manufacturing processes also exposes new entry paths for malicious attacks and malware. When undergoing a digital transformation to Industry 4.0, it is essential to consider a cybersecurity approach that encompasses IT and OT equipment.

Digital twin

The digital transformation offered by Industry 4.0 has allowed manufacturers to create digital twins that are virtual replicas of processes, production lines, factories and supply chains. A digital twin is created by pulling data from IoT sensors, devices, PLCs and other objects connected to the internet. Manufacturers can use digital twins to help increase productivity, improve workflows and design new products. By simulating a production process, for example, manufacturers can test changes to the process to find ways to minimize downtime or improve capacity.

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Why multiple identities are closer than you think

Identities are complex to form, hard to define and increasingly easier to steal and fake. Author Tracey Follows explains how will we define ourselves and what happens to our legacy identities as they drift through time and space?
Why multiple identities are closer than you think | What the Future: Identity
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Identity issue

The central question of this issue is how we will shape our identities in virtual spaces. Futurist Tracey Follows tackled this in her new book, “The Future of You.” While there are certainly questions that will still be answered over the coming decade, she offers some hints about what the future will hold. 

Matt Carmichael: How do we create our identities online today? 

Tracey Follows: It's somewhat of an elusive concept but then I don't go along with the people who say that it's just an illusory concept. Because you have to know who someone's identity is because you have to ascribe rights and duties and responsibilities and even emotions to a specific person. And that person has to have some continuity. In the past we would've said it was continuity over time, but now we're saying it's continuity over space. 

Carmichael: What do you mean by that? 

Follows: Are you the same person in real life as you are in these online worlds? Partially it depends on your philosophical take. It depends what culture you've grown up with? For some people and some groups, it's a very tribal thing and your identity's conferred on you by the group that you want to belong to. For Buddhists, the identity is something that is arrived at, towards the end of life because it's the summation of every single interaction you've had with every single person.

Carmichael: How do you see this changing as we have identities now in more virtual spaces? 

Follows: We will have much more fluid identities because we'll be in more fluid spaces. But then I see the counter trend which is the authorities or institutions needing to reclaim back or to manage these fluid identities with centrally organized, biometrically underpinned identity systems.

Carmichael: How do we keep control of our identity and our biometrics like our face, our fingerprints? 

Follows: It’s a vigilance on behalf of every single citizen. We have to stop thinking of ourselves just as consumers or users of these technology products and understand that we are citizens and that we have some digital rights. 

Carmichael: There’s a way in which this could allow people to be their more authentic selves in a safer space than would necessarily be in the real world. Then there's a clear counter to that where it becomes even more toxic in the online world than it is in the real world.

Follows: It will be interesting to watch is how different virtual reality and virtual media is from social media. I’m sure you know the Marshall McLuhan quote, “All forms of violence are quests for identity.” We see a lot of aggression and antagonistic behavior on social media, it's because people are fighting to get their identity represented. When we have sensory capabilities in virtual media, I think then we'll get a proper representation. I think it will be less antagonistic than we find social media right now and more empathetic. 

Carmichael: How many identities will you have in these sorts of worlds? 

Follows: We are used to having one authentic identity physicality because we're embodied in this physical body, but we won't have that. We could have many different identities in the metaverse or whatever you call it. That means that you could end up meeting up with yourselves. And I think that's the most interesting thing that you can bend time and space so that you don't have to be just one person living a very linear life. One could meet up with different versions of one self at different ages lifestyle ages, perhaps you could meet up with your younger self or older self, you know, all of these things could be possible and that will really give us a completely different sense of reality. 

Carmichael: How do you build trust in those communities if you don't really know who you're interacting with and if it's really them? 

Follows: Eric Schmidt has suggested that we'll all have of AI assistants who are very good at detecting what's authentic and what's not. Sort of an AI detective on your shoulder trying to work out the digital forensics. I'm not entirely sure people want to live like that. I don’t see it as this huge, unfettered progress. People will stop doing certain things and decide, oh no, we want much more human contact again. It’ll be cyclical. Then they’ll come back to doing much socializing or work in the virtual environment. 

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Hive Mind: discovering natural intelligence!

According to the concept of sociology and philosophy hive mind are the collective consciousness and collective intelligence. It is most familiar term in science fiction. Through hive mind, everyone would be connected to everyone else telepathically and we could share our thoughts, memories even dreams. Though a global hive mind would be susceptible to things like hacking or thought control, it could also lead to almost unimaginable levels of innovation. Many researchers buckling down to connect human brains to communicate using this hive mind concept.

First successful demonstration of the brain to brain communication in human was done in 2014 by neuroscientists. The experiment allowed the subjects to exchange mentally conjured despite being 5,000 miles apart. It’s the neuroscientific equivalent of instant messaging. Two human subjects, one in India and one in France, successfully transmitted the words “hola” and “ciao” in a computer-assisted brain-to-brain transmission using internet-linked electroencephalogram (EEG) and robot-assisted image-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technologies.

To this experiment, Researchers used EEG technology to make interconnection of one human mind to another human mind. They recruited four participants, one of whom was assigned to the brain-computer interface (BCI) branch, the part of the chain where the messages were to originate. The other three participants were assigned to the computer-brain interface (CBI) branch to receive the messages being transmitted to them.

Using EEG, the researchers translated the greetings “hola” and “ciao” into binary, and then emailed the results from India to France. At this receiving location, a CBI transmitted the message to the receivers’ brains through noninvasive brain stimulation. This was experienced as phosphenes — flashes of light in their peripheral vision. The light appeared in the numerical sequences that allowed the receivers to decode the data in the message. It’s important to note that this information was not conveyed to the subjects via tactile, visual, or auditory cues; special measures were taken to block sensory input. This ensured that the communication was exclusively mind-to-mind — though it was channeled through several different mediums.

A second experiment was conducted between individuals in Spain and France, achieving a total error rate of just 15% percent (11% on the decoding end and 5% on the initial coding site).

This in itself is a remarkable step in human communication, but being able to do so across a distance of thousands of miles is a critically important proof-of-principle for the development of brain-to-brain communications.

Alternatively, we can say that hive mind is the apparent intelligence that emerges at the group level in some social species, particular insects like honeybees and ants. An individual honeybee might not be very bright (although that’s debatable), but the honeybee colony as a collective might be very intelligent.

 

Other works on hive mind:

Google hive mind robot:

Google’s electrical engineer Sergey Levine has published a paper on ArXiv about the developments the team has made in creating deep learning software that tries to mimic humans picking up objects. Levine and his fellow researchers have decided that the best option is to hook up 14 robots to a hive mind – like the Borg race in Star Trek – and force them to pick up objects over and over again.

Once one of them figures out how to pick up a particular object, it will pass on the information to the others in the neural network.

 

read more Blackhole, the kinky hole

 

Observing the behavior of the arms over 800,000 grasp attempts, the researchers have shown no major improvement in terms of their ability to pick up objects in a more human-like manner, but their decisions in how they pick things up – such as where is the best place to grasp it – has reached almost human levels.

Scientists from MIT’s Sloan Neuroeconomics Lab and Princeton University decided to look for a better way to harvest the boundless potential of the hive mind. Through their research, which is published in the journal “Nature”, they were able to develop a technique that they dubbed the “surprisingly popular” algorithm. This algorithm can more accurately pinpoint correct answers from large groups of people through a rather simple technique. People are asked a question, and they must give two answers. The first is what they think the correct answer is, and the second is what they think the popular opinion will be. The overall deviation between the crowd’s two responses indicates the correct answer.

In the future, the scientists hope to utilize their method in a number of different settings, such as political forecasting, making economic predictions, pricing artwork, or grading research proposals.

One day soon, the hive mind may be used as the primary way for us to make predictions and prepare for whatever the future holds.

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