3-in-3: Transforming Homes, Robotics, and Our Environmental Impact

We're looking at some exciting developments this week - from the innovation of 3D-printed neighborhoods and cutting-edge AI and robotics to a revealing perspective on our environmental impact over the generations.

Let's dive in!

Thing 1 - The future of homebuilding?

1 min video

ICON is on the verge of completing a groundbreaking project: the world's largest 3D-printed neighborhood. Since November 2022, their massive Vulcan printer has been churning out homes layer by layer using a special concrete mix. This innovative approach speeds up construction, cuts down on waste, and requires less labor.

These houses have impressive durability and resistance to the elements (going for $450,000 to $600,000 in this neighborhood). While their thick walls offer excellent insulation, they can interfere with wireless signals. They are solving this with mesh network routers.

Some families have already begun moving into the completed homes!

But ICON isn't stopping there. They've partnered with NASA to develop construction technology for the moon!

(source 1, source 2)

Thing 2 - AI of the week

• Hugging Face acquired XetHub
  Let's say you have a 10GB file in git. You add a single row. Today you need to re-upload 10GB. With XetHub, you will need to re-upload just a few chunks containing the new row.
• Figure revealed the world's most advanced humanoid robot: Figure 02.
  Testing in progress on BMW Production Line, Plant Spartanburg - SC

~2 min introduction to figure, looking very science-fictiony

• Mistral introduced customization - the ability to customize their flagship and specialist models using base prompts, few-shot prompting, or fine-tuning.
• Google made a ping-pong-playing robot that you'd have fun playing against
  Human-level performance in terms of accuracy, speed, and adaptability is a challenge for robotics so this is great progress!
• Mistral launched an early version of Agents, which wrap models with additional context and instruction, enabling custom behavior and workflows.
• Google's Imagen 3 model launched in the US
• Google reduced prices for Gemini Flash by over 70%
• OpenAI reduced prices too
• OpenAI also introduced structured outputs. This will make many applications easier to do.

Thing 3 - Generational Footprints: The Carbon Legacy of Our Lifetimes

If you've just hit the big 3-0, over 50% of all global fossil fuel emissions since 1751 happened in your lifetime!

Percentage of Global fossil fuel emissions by Neil Kaye

For the 50-year-olds in the crowd, it's a staggering 75%. Yes, three-quarters of all fossil fuel emissions have occurred in your lifetime.

And if you're blessed to have reached 85 (and are reading this, that's awesome), around 90% of all emissions have happened while you were around.

So, what does this mean? Are we the bad guys in a dystopian drama, or is this the wake-up call in the third act of an eco-thriller where we turn things around?

Or just Sheldonesque fun facts?

Cheers, Zvonimir