Techtonics

Facial recognition systems are widely employed across the world today. The use of facial recognition systems brings real public safety benefits such as apprehending criminals and maintaining law and order. However, their proliferation also raises concerns about fundamental rights and privacy. The EU AI Act has sought to impose strict restrictions on the use of facial recognition in public spaces. Could this be a model for others to emulate?

The nuclear energy industry has received significant bad press following incidents like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and most recently, Fukushima. Strong anti-nuclear energy lobbies have developed across the world from India to Germany to the USA and Japan. Small Modular Reactors, which have various potential advantages over traditional reactors, could be a golden bullet for the nuclear industry and simultaneously for the climate change movement.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has been synonymous with the world oil markets for decades. However, in recent years, there has been a concerted effort by the states in the grouping to diversify their economies and reduce dependency on oil. Investments in high technology and STEM education has quickly developed as a major marker of this shift.

An F-35 jet flew over US territory in a zombie mode for several hours in September 2023 after the pilot ejected following a malfunction. The jet, known for its advanced stealth capabilities, gave the US military a real test before it could be located and its debris recovered. A series of crashes in recent times point to the larger flaws within the F-35 program.

Nano drones is the next frontier in the evolution of drones. Due to their small size, these drones present a tremendous scope for application across military and civilian spheres. However, several moral and ethical considerations ought to be resolved to allow humanity to fully benefit from them.

Drones have become nearly omnipresent across multiple areas of applications over the past two decades. Nano drones is the newest and most cutting-edge development in this arena. Their evolution has been realized by advances in various fields of technologies including sophisticated sensors, AI-driven autonomy and improved communication.

Industry 4.0 represents a new era in manufacturing and production. Internet of Things (IoT) herein features as a central enabler of smart manufacturing. In a high-risk, high-stakes industry such as chemicals, IoT holds immense potential to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Nanotechnology has emerged as a critical technology with a plethora of commercial applications across industries. Silver nanoparticles have become one of the most widely used nanomaterials with applications in fields ranging from medicine and pharmaceuticals to agriculture and food processing. The Asia-Pacific region leads the market share in silver nanoparticles and is projected to remain the dominant force in this industry, driven by states such as China, India and South Korea.

Technopolitics understands technology and politics as a co-constitutive process, each influencing and being influenced by the other. Data and digitalisation today are at the core of this process. As with most things capable of influencing power outcomes at a systemic level, a tussle for regulating the digital revolution is presently underway. Whether a top-down approach controlled by states and big business or a bottom-up, individual-centric approach of data transparency and privacy wins out could be the defining issue of the 21st Century.

Nuclear fusion has been hyped as the ultimate solution to the most pressing challenges facing humanity including climate change. The technology has the potential to serve as a source of unlimited clean energy. However, several complex challenges need to be overcome before it can really get there.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been fought as much on the ground, air and sea, as it has been in the minds of the global populace. Both sides have made concerted efforts from Day 0 to win the information war, with claims and counterclaims ruling the roost. A recent campaign has pitted Russia’s Kinzhal hypersonic missile against US-made and Ukraine-operated Patriot missile defence systems. Did Patriot stop the Kinzhal in its tracks or did it meet its match at the hands of Russia’s ‘invincible’ weapon?

There is a major problem with integrating AI into high-stakes decision making. Deep learning algorithms cannot explain themselves, nor can their thinking be understood by humans. Efforts toward achieving explainable AI seek to tackle this problem. But can explainable AI meet humanity’s expectations?

Indian Air Force modernization has been a grand project in the anvil for many decades. The IAF is currently short of at least eight more squadrons of fighter aircraft to defend India against growing threats from the eastern and western fronts. Matters stand further complicated by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and consequently, Russia’s inability to provide routine upgrades and maintenance. How does the IAF intend to cope in this scenario?

The global quest for ensuring sustainable access to energy for all is at the heart of the perennial debate on climate change and sustainable development. A technological fix herein is very much the need of the hour. Can breakthroughs in nanomaterials pave the way forward for a clean energy revolution?

It is but a matter of time before mankind's exploration of the cosmos moves towards active exploitation of viable resources. How soon this happens could well depend on the pace of advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.

With a success rate near 90%, the contribution of the Iron Dome to Israel’s national security has been immense. It is no surprise that this missile defence system is today one of the most sought-after advanced weapons platforms in the world.

The commissioning of its second aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, has placed India in an exclusive league of naval powers. The Vikrant symbolises India’s drive for indigenisation in the defence sector and gives credence to the Indian Navy’s blue-water capabilities.

The USA-led NATO forces widely employed drones to carry out counter-terror operations during the War on Terror. A few short years later, however, drones are now fast becoming a technology to be feared in the hands of the very groups they were designed to hunt.

NASA successfully demonstrated its asteroid redirect mission, DART. But is humanity really facing an extinction-level threat from space?

As the dawn of the Artificial Intelligence age beckons, can standards ensure that AI is 'ethical' or 'humane'? A technology that at once holds great potential to help humans address some of the biggest problems facing mankind, could also evolve as a threat if its development is left unregulated.