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The First Profession to Be Replaced by Robots Could Be … Sports Referees?

Robotic refs

In theory, a robotic referee would never miss a call, show bias or be bribed. It would make decisions instantly and eliminate the sometimes-agonizing wait involved in sports where video replay is used to review and sometimes change a call already made on the field. In other words, the data shows robots would make much better … Read more

Remaking Classic Cars into the EVs of the Future

Classic cars EV remodels

When I was a kid and we would travel to India, all the taxis looked the same. The model that dominated back then, and for decades before and after was the Ambassador—alternately described as “virtually indestructible” and voted “the world’s best taxi.” Despite the fact that the factory making them operated from the 50s until closing in 2014, … Read more

Can Tech in Cars Make Us More Considerate or Better Drivers?

Nissan

As part of our Olympics trip this summer, we made a side visit to Lyon and drove across the border to Switzerland. Driving in Europe, one thing that became immediately clear is that drivers there understand the concept of a passing lane. In most places across the US, this seems to be a concept that … Read more

In a World of Digital Silence, What Should Anything Sound Like?

In a World of Digital Silence, What Should Anything Sound Like

Electric cars are quiet. Maybe too quiet. The problem, as some public health groups warn, is that electric cars dramatically increase the risk of accidents with pedestrians. The absence of sound creates danger, because we expect to be able to hear a car coming. Now that legislation spearheaded by groups advocating for the blind and visually … Read more

Neuralink May Create a Generation of Gamers with Superhuman Reflexes

Earlier this year Noland Arbaugh became the first patient to receive a brain-computer chip implanted by Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink after a diving accident left him paralyzed. Aside from being able to move a cursor with his mind now, he recently told podcaster Joe Rogan that the implant has also given him near superhuman reflexes in a handful of … Read more

Scent Camera Recreates Travel Smells and More Core77 Design Award Winners

Scent Camera Recreates Travel Smells

For the 12th year, the Core 77 Design Awards have spanned 22 categories and showcased product, branding and conceptual ideas from students and professionals imagining solutions to global challenges. This year’s range of winners span from shape-shifting fabric concepts to speculative design of a dystopian capitalist future. The entire site and descriptions of winners is the … Read more

Why the Titan Submersible Sub Tragedy Is One We Can’t Look Away From

Why the Titan Submersible Sub Tragedy Is One We Can’t Look Away From

It has been nearly a year since the OceanGate Titan submersible submarine imploded, killing its five passengers which included Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate. The details that emerged in the aftermath of the disaster painted a tale of overconfidence, ill-advised cost-cutting and plenty of ignored warning signs and safety messages. This week WIRED magazine published a … Read more

Soundproof Silk May Transform How We Manage Noise at Home and Work

Early in the pandemic I decided to make a home studio and looked into installing sound panels. Unfortunately, they were generally expensive, bulky and needed professional installation. Researchers from MIT may have developed a solution for this and many other problems with a new noise cancelling silk fabric about the width of a human hair that uses … Read more

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In addition to Non-Obvious Thinking, Rohit is the author of 10 books on trends, the future of business, building a more human brand with storytelling and how to create a more diverse and inclusive world.

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