User:Vtaylor/Computers and Society/CIS2 Grand Challenges/Summer 2020

2020.7 Changed from WikiEducator pages to individual public Google docs

=   Work Reimagined = XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling is a $5 million dollar, 30-month competition to quickly reskill under-resourced workers for the digital revolution. https://www.xprize.org/prizes/rapidreskilling

=   Rainforest Preservation = enhance our understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. https://www.xprize.org/prizes/rainforest

=   AI to Solve Global Issues = demonstrate how humans can work with AI to tackle global challenges. https://www.xprize.org/prizes/artificial-intelligence

Sarah Pollans
MidTerm - Grand Challenges: AI to Solve Global Issues

This AI XPrize grand challenge, grants a $5 million prize to teams who demonstrate how we can use Artificial Intelligence to take on global issues. The main reason for this challenge is to tailor the use of AI for good. There has often been a lot of controversy around AI and machine learning, perhaps leading us to a dystopian future, but this challenge is aiming to combat that. Teams are using technology in unprecedented ways in order to solve and mitigate large-scale societal issues. Each team uses AI to tackle what they believe is humanity’s greatest problem. The challenge is currently in the testing and certification stage, and there are ten semifinalist teams still competing.

One of these semifinalists is Aifred Health[1], a Canadian based organization that focuses on clinical mental healthcare and support. The team is using AI to predict the type of treatment a person may need by identifying patterns in patient data, in hopes to provide better care for those suffering from depression and other mental illnesses. Not only can this reduce the amount of time it takes for a patient to receive treatment, the active use of machine learning helps establish relationships within the data collected, allowing for better treatment in the future. Now, Aifred Health is looking to expand their experiments from Canada to the United State. It seems that this specific use of AI technology has the ability to help both current patients and future patients.

Clean Robotics[2] is a organization from Pittsburgh dedicated to using AI to combat environmental problems. Their robot, named TrashBot sorts through landfill, recycle, compost, etc. more accurately than humans do. When someone throws trash in a TrashBot, the machine senses and scans the item then sorts it into the correct bin to be disposed. This bot has the ability to reduce the errors made while throwing away trash and therefore also reduce landfill footprints.

Machine Genes[3], based in Brisbane, Australia, is working on finding a solution for the type 1 diabetes crisis. They are making an AI pancreas for those who have Type 1 diabetes that provides the body with the regular amount of insulin that they need. I don’t understand much of the science or technology that goes on behind their machines, but they are definitely making a large impact in both the biology and machine learning worlds.

Sponsored by IBM Watson, the challenge is judged by an independent panel of AI experts in various fields of study. Teams will mainly be judged on performance, real world and future impact, and ethics[4]. All teams of this XPrize have been granted an extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the winner will be officially announced in 2021. As this challenge is still in progress, one can only predict which team might win or which team will be successful in solving their chosen world issue. Of the teams I have mentioned as well as few others I have also looked at, all have made significant strides in mitigating their chosen problem, even if they do not end up winning the grand prize.

Resources:
 * [1] https://aifredhealth.com/
 * [2] https://cleanrobotics.com/
 * [3] http://www.machinegenes.com/xprize.html
 * [4] https://www.therobotreport.com/ibm-watson-ai-xprize-announces-10-semifinalist- teams/

Vibhav Rajkumar
The XPrize AI challenge had a broader scope than the other challenges; it challenges competitors to harness the power of AI to solve a global issue. One topic that particularly caught my interest was the mission of Aifred Health, a Montreal-based company. Aifred health attempts to use artificial intelligence in order to improve the support system surrounding mental health, specifically depression. The current protocols for treating those with depression are not as effective as they could be, as people who seek help have to go through a strenuous process that can take years to successfully be completed. This is because psychiatrists do not have one specific treatment for patients and it takes the aforementioned amount of time to be able to find the most effective pathway to positive results. Using AI, Aifred Health has developed tools for doctors which use AI in order to prescribe effective treatments on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, using AI to help those who have to deal with depression is effective because it eliminates the trial-and-error process that causes unneeded suffering.

Time reports a similar story to Aifred. Research has shown that even when antidepressants are prescribed by doctors, they typically take at minimum four weeks to become effective and moreover, just 30% of people have positive responses to the prescribed antidepressant. A team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is using a different approach to Aifred, as instead of using an app to prescribe treatments, they used AI to analyze data of brainwaves from people diagnosed with depression. By looking at this data, the team’s algorithm was able to decipher whether or not an individual would respond positively to a certain type of antidepressant. Artificial Intelligence is also being used to help therapy apps and chatbots to personalize the messages they send to each user. Although much of this research has only started recently, it is most definitely a positive step, as a study where AI was able to accurately predict a person’s mental health status based on Facebook posts showed. Potentially the largest benefit of expanding AI into the mental health world is that it can be far more cost effective than traditional methods.

Leanne Williams, a professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University summed up the issues surrounding current mental health treatments, when she noted that current protocols are very subjective. Williams and her team formulated an algorithm which was able to analyze brainwave patterns in a similar fashion to the UT Southwestern Medical Center’s AI. This AI, however, was able to accurately predict how symptoms of depression would change with differing treatments, thus allowing doctors to accurately prescribe treatments that fit each individual patient’s profile. The major solution offered by this AI is that it helps to eliminate the subjectivity of current treatments. Furthermore, the algorithm developed by Williams and her team is able to identify symptoms that often fly under the radar when traditional methods are used.

Taliaz, a startup based in Tel-Aviv, Israel, is also attempting to create new, more effective methods for helping those that have depression. They used a very large study on depression to develop PREDICTX, a product that helps physicians treat individual patients in the best way possible. PREDICTX simply needs a DNA sample, along with the patient’s medical history to accurately and swiftly prescribe a pathway to positive results. PREDICTX provides services to the UK’s healthcare service, the NHS. The EU commissioned another Israeli startup, Elminda, to help those struggling with depression in the European Union. Elminda developed software to both help prescribe effective treatments and to help doctors verify the success of the treatments.

I believe that the work being done to combat depression is very admirable. Mental health is serious and oftentimes there is a stigma surrounding it. Add this to the fact that current treatments are ineffective, and it leads to a situation where people are fearful of reaching out to get help. By creating a highly effective system that uses technology to get positive results, we can help to end the fear that people have to seek help and we can provide those that need help with effective support. I would suggest expanding this operation to other mental health conditions. This is something that Aifred have discussed, but I believe by harnessing AI to help treat other conditions, we can provide effective support systems to millions of people. I would also suggest making this as cost effective as possible. Whether that means using free chatbots or another free resource for therapy, everyone should have access to a support system when dealing with mental health issues.

Sources:

https://time.com/5786081/depression-medication-treatment-artificial-intelligence/

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/06/24/ai-predicts-effective-depression-treatment-based-on-brainwave-patterns/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startupnationcentral/2019/04/22/can-ai-help-doctors-treat-depression-these-startup-think-so/#3d415ca4280e

Yash Kolwalkar
XPRIZE: AI to Solve Global Issues

Current Status: Testing and Certification
 * https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/02/5-global-problems-that-ai-could-help-us-solve/
 * http://news.mit.edu/2020/faculty-receive-funding-develop-novel-ai-techniques-combat-covid-19-0717/
 * https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-will-accelerate-ai-health-care-revolution/

The development of and research into artificial intelligence is greatly affecting society as we know it. A prime example today is the COVID-19 pandemic; according to MIT, “techniques of machine learning and natural language processing be used to track and report Covid-19 infection rates, but other AI techniques can also be used to make smarter decisions about everything from when states should reopen to how vaccines are designed”. With the right approach, AI will be useful in bringing the pandemic to a close. Other countries are also in on the AI health care race as well. Location based messaging is used to warn people in South Korea when they are nearing a confirmed case.

Dayanara Villanueva
The current status of AL is that it reaches the output with more accuracy and efficiency. This tool can also personalize and optimize our lives. Technology will help meet this challenge because they are using artificial intelligence. A major advance was the Apollo program. They conducted experiments with things like solar wind, social mechanics, and magnetic feilds.

=   Anywhere is Possible = create an avatar system that can transport human presence to a remote location in real time. https://www.xprize.org/prizes/avatar

Andrew Hsieh
Discovering the Mysteries of the Deep Sea

Before starting any project one must ask what is the purpose of exploring the unknown? What benefits will we get from knowing what is at the bottom of the ocean? From reading up about this challenge we can see that most of our oxygen comes from the ocean. We can also note that the ocean provides food, energy, and a safe way of navigation. There are many more reasons why knowing what lies in the ocean is important to not only mankind but all the animals and plants that need it to survive. The current status is that this competition and project has already taken place but this just means the start of learning what lies in the ocean. The winner of the competition GEBCO-NF (international) created a low cost unmanned vessel along with a data processing system to allow for quick seabed visualization. This was successful and caught the eyes of the judges since vessels were expensive and visualizing the seabed before would take hundreds of yearsyear but now it can be done in ten.

1. https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/explore/instruments/seafloor-mapping-systems/ This article mentions EM300mentions of EM300 which is used to obtain detaileddetail maps of the seafloor. Although not perfect, it can map out volcanic seamountsseamount and ocean ridges. It is able to measure out the seabed through pings of energy. The reason why this technology is useful since it can map out areas quickly with a ship that is traveling between 7 to 10 knots per hour. Also it can map out seabeds 10 meters deep all the way to 5000 meters deep. However, there are some disadvantages such that the mapping can be of low quality due to how fast and how many signal errors occur. Ultimately, the EM300 was successful since it could map quickly compared to other systems but it still lacked the ability to be of high quality.

2. http://www.apl.washington.edu/project/project.php?id=seaglider This article mentions one way thing the contest winners used which was a seaglider. Seagliders go through the water and use minimal energy through buoyancy principles and the shape to reduce drag. These are unmanned vessels able to travel 1000 meters deep so compared to traditional research vessels, this technology is successful because of it’s cheaper cost and labor. Seagliders are able to work since they transfer all their data through satellitessatellite which can indicate their global position. Seagliders have internal sensors and external sensors to determine depth, water properties, etc.

3. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/lewis_clark01/background/seafloormapping/seafloormapping.html This article mentions thementions of the use of sonar and the development of it to map sea floors. Sonar was first used in WW1 to map deep water and was later improved by WW2 to identify features like trenches and ridges. This was still inefficient as it could only measure the ship’s tracks. However, the use of multibeammultibean technology is what made sonar usable to this day. This is what makes this technology successful, being able to track not only the ship’s track but a significant distance perpendicular to the ship’s track. This was the first major breakthrough of being able to track the ocean floor more easily. Although thisAlthough, this process would still take many years, it has been significantly reduced due to the technology developed that is still being used today.

Conclusion: After reading up on articles regarding the technology needed to scan the ocean floor and map it out, I came to the conclusion that there are a couple factors namely time, money, and accuracy. If I were to solve this challenge of being able to map the ocean floor, I would need multiple devices to accommodate time, money, and accuracy. Each one of the articles mentions a technique or a device that is able to map out the ocean floor but each one has it’s advantages and disadvantages. The EM300 is able to map it out fast but it can be low quality. Seagliders can only go about 1000 meters deep but it is a fraction of a cost compared to research vessels. We can see that sonar has developed over the years and is improving the rate at which the ocean floor is mapped. However, new techniques are being developed today to challenge the use of sonar. Overall, you would need a combination of techniques and devices to minimize time and money but increase accuracy at the same time.

=   Turning CO2 into Products = develop breakthrough technologies to convert CO₂ emissions into usable products. https://www.xprize.org/prizes/carbon

Ethan Ma
Turning CO2 into Products

Currently, this project of creating different products made of carbon dioxide is in one of the final stages, finding the best products and testing their usability. The idea of this project is all about creating new technology that recycles waste from our environment. Carbon dioxide is a known greenhouse gas and everyday, our society accumulates more and more of it through manufacturing, automobiles, and fossil fuels. The aim of this project was to reduce climate change, since carbon dioxide emissions are a known factor in causing global warming, Companies from all around the world participated in this challenge: Air Co. from the United States, Breathe from India, and Carbon Capture Machine from the United Kingdom, and more. These companies developed products like yoga mats, dumbbells, watches, and more all entirely from carbon dioxide. If these products are commercialized and produced worldwide, our carbon footprint can be reduced and possibly save our environment from climate change.

The first product I found interesting were the watches made of carbon dioxide. It was created by the team Carbon Upcycling-NLT. This product uses roughly 50-150 kg of carbon dioxide per ton of materials. A second product I found interesting were these dumbbells made by Carbon Cure. It takes advantage of concrete, the world’s most significant building material, and adds carbon dioxide to create an environmentally friendly and stronger product. Although it is only a prototype, this product can go a long way since many gyms and people use products like these for workouts often. A final product I found interesting were these pens made from a mix of carbon dioxide, plastic, and concrete. Similar to the watches, it uses about 50-150 kg of carbon dioxide per ton of material and was designed by 22 Design Studios. These are just some of the prototypes using carbon dioxide. If more of these ideas are used, we will be able to reduce our carbon footprint and help save our environment.

Samuel Martinez
From Bad to Good

When it comes to discussing CO2, many will say “CO2 is hurting our environment.” Of course, it is, we are burning more fossil fuels than never before. Well, not right now since we are all under quarantine due to the unprecedented Covid-19. But before Covid-19, China, India, LA they had the worst smog in the world. There was so much pollution that you could not even see some days. It was thicker than fog and more dangerous than fog. Instead of us just procrastinating on the devastation of CO2 in the air, we should come together and be creative. In New York City, cofounders of Air Co, Stafford Sheehan, and Gregory Constantine have created a bottle of Vodka out of greenhouse gases. According to CNBC spokesperson, “One bottle of Air Co Vodkas removes approx 13 gallons of Greenhouse gases from the air.” They are not just creating another Vodka company, they are making the Vodka company that will not just make you feel loose but good. You are contributing in healing our earth but also saving lives.

Sources
 * https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/07/air-co-is-making-eco-friendly-vodka-using-carbon-dioxide-and-water.html
 * https://www.xprize.org/prizes/carbon/product/vodka-made-of-co2

Sreehari Sreedev
Carbon: Grand Challenge

The Challenge category that I selected was the carbon challenge, which awards $20 million to the team that can convert the most CO2 from the atmosphere into the most usable consumer products. Right now, the project is in the testing and certification phase. One of the teams (C2CNT) converts CO2 from greenhouse gases into materials with super strength by creating carbon nanotubes, graphene, and other strengthened carbon structural materials. Carbon composites like these are not only stronger than comparable metals, but are much lighter weight. The best part about this solution is that these carbon composites can be used to make any product that any other company wishes, so the possibilities are endless. For example, the materials can not only be used to make all sorts of consumer products such as bicycles and cars, but also things like wind turbines and airplanes. With airplanes, there will be a direct impact on global warming due to lighter weight, and stronger material will increase flight safety and prevent hull loss. One early example of the revolutionary use of carbon fibers is the Boeing 787. The Boeing 787 first flew in 2011, and it was the first airliner with an airframe made primarily of composite materials. To get these composite materials, you could either burn oil or extract carbon from the atmosphere. It used to be more economic to burn oil no matter what, but now some people are penalizing companies for their carbon emissions, such as California with its carbon credits. In the near future it may cost more to burn oil to create these high-demand carbon materials than to simply extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Works Cited
 * Our Mission, Jeff Zehnder, https://www.c2cnt.com/
 * “5 Surprising Products Companies Are Making from Carbon Dioxide.”, Cassandra Sweet, https://www.greenbiz.com/article/5-surprising-products-companies-are-making-carbon-dioxide
 * C2CNT | Carbon XPRIZE, https://carbon.xprize.org/prizes/carbon/teams/c2cnt
 * Carbon Credit Definition, Will Kenton, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/carbon_credit.asp
 * Boeing: 787 By Design: By Design: Advanced Composite Use, http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787/by-design/#/advanced-composite-use