Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers from the University of Tokyo devised a better air cooling system for robots that is modeled on their as-yet-overlords, sweaty humans. The 3D-printed bones have spaces for tiny pores, allowing Kengoro to do pushups for 11 minutes without overheating. Meanwhile MIT discovered that spinach plants can be engineered into living sensors that send notifications when they detect pollutants in their water. It's an interesting bit of engineering with plants that they are calling "plant nanobionics," read more about it here. Finally the NASA video is here while the poor schlub who got punked by his friends as Woody from Toy Story is here.

A viral Facebook post has been shared by more than a million people – but there's one very important catch. The "Standing Rock check-in post claims that police monitoring protests over the North Dakota Access Pipeline will be obstructed if people check in to the area on Facebook. The local sheriffs have been using Facebook "to find out who is at Standing Rock in order to target them in attempts to disrupt the prayer camps", the message reads, and so falsely checking in can stop them from doing so. But both local sheriffs and the Sacred Stone Camp that is the centre of the protests have said that the message doesn't actually interrupt any ongoing surveillance or monitoring operations, and isn't likely to make any immediate difference to the protests. Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo. A Toyota Motors employee demonstrates a smartphone app with the company's pocket plug-in hybrid (PHV) ...

So many works of film and fiction are hooked on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and what it might mean for humanity. They are often apocalyptic tales – Blade Runner, Alien, Terminator – where mankind comes off badly. But now that AI is being spearheaded by internet giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon, and our daily lives are increasingly affected by AI systems – chat bots, purchase prediction, news generation – what will really happen? In 2015 the UK media widely picked up on American media organisation NPR's calculator that could predict which jobs are susceptible to computerisation. The calculator, using research by the University of Oxford, said accountants have a 95% chance of losing their jobs as machines take over the number crunching and data analysis.

Israel-based equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd is launching a sector specific fund fully focused on digital health -- touting it as Israel's first fund with such a focus. The fund, called OurCrowd Qure, will invest in early stage startups at the seed and Series A level. Fundraising is starting now, with a target of $50 million for the first raise. Managing partner Dr Yossi Bahagon tells TechCrunch the team expects to make about 15 investments with the first fund. He says typical investments will start at $500,000 for the earliest stage startups, rising to up to about $3 million at the Series A level.

People who use Facebook live longer, according to a new study. Using the site to stay in touch with people appears to suggest that using the site is associated with living longer. Scientists have long known that people have stronger social networks and relationships also tend to live longer. The new study shows that the same is true of the online world. "Interacting online seems to be healthy when the online activity is moderate and complements interactions offline," said author William Hobbs in a statement.

Spending on cognitive systems and artificial intelligence (AI) across a broad range of industries will drive worldwide revenues from nearly $8.0 billion in 2016 to more than $47 billion in 2020. In its Worldwide Semiannual Cognitive/Artificial Intelligence Systems Spending Guide IDC said the market for cognitive/AI solutions will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 55.1 per cent over the 2016-2020 forecast period. According to David Schubmehl, research director, Cognitive Systems and Content Analytics at IDC, "Software developers and end user organizations have already begun the process of embedding and deploying cognitive/artificial intelligence into almost every kind of enterprise application or process" "Recent announcements by several large technology vendors and the booming venture capital market for AI startups illustrate the need for organizations to be planning and undertaking strategies that incorporate these wide-ranging technologies," he said. Schubmehl said identifying, understanding, and acting on the use cases, technologies, and growth opportunities for cognitive/AI systems will be a differentiating factor for most enterprises and the digital disruption caused by these technologies will be significant. The ability to recognize and respond to data flows using algorithms and rule-based logic enables cognitive/AI systems to automate a broad range of functions across many industries.

Head of SK Telecom----s Corporate R&D Center Choi Jin-sung (left in the picture) and Intel Korea----s Chief Executive Officer Kwon Myung-sook [Photo provided by SK Telecom Co.] South Korea----s top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. said it will work with the world----s biggest chipmaker Intel Corp. to develop connected car system piloted by artificial intelligence. SK Telecom last Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel to cooperate on developing Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication and deep-learning based video recognition technologies, the telecommunication company said on Monday. The V2X communication refers to wireless technology transferring information from a vehicle to everything that may affect the vehicle. The Korean telecom company will provide vehicular communications and video recognition technologies while Intel contribute its expertise in 5G networks and deep-learning, or data-based machine learning, system to develop a platform for automated connected car. The two firms aim to demonstrate the new connected car technology as early as next year.

In the previous part of this series, we discussed how ARM Holdings (ARMH) designs chips that are used in almost all smartphones across the globe. Intel's (INTC) Atom processors could not compete with ARM's power-efficient, low-cost processors in the mobile space. Using ARM-based chips, Qualcomm (QCOM), Apple (AAPL), and Samsung (SSNLF) have dominated the mobile processor market. Now ARM is moving toward IoT (Internet of Things) and has already gained a 26% share in the IoT market. The company expects to gain a 50% market share by 2020, growing at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 7%.

According to Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, who heads up the automaker's research division, the move is expected to happen next year. Matsumoto said in an interview that it is hoped bringing the teams together will allow closer co-operation between Honda's scientists and engineers, leading to new AI-enabled products being made available to the public. AI is crucial in the development of autonomous cars, Matsumoto said, acting as the brain that combines elements of robotics, sensing, navigation, and connectivity. Japan has a strong track record developing new hardware, but has arguably lagged behind in software. Matsumoto feels basing its efforts in Japan will allow Honda to progress quicker.

Apple is trying to introduce wireless charging into the next iPhone, according to reports. Rumours have long swirled around the iPhone 8 – even before the iPhone 7 was released this year. Reports have suggested that Apple is planning a major redesign for the new handset, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, which might include an entirely glass body and a screen that takes up all of the front of the phone. And new reports suggest that Apple is currently exploring the possibility of adding wireless charging modules to the next phone, too. That would mean that it would just need to be set down on a special surface to charge it – in keeping with Apple's commitment to keep moving towards a wireless future, which it stressed when it dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone.