Tag Archives: generate

Study: Flamingos Utilize Beaks and Flexible Legs to Generate Water Tornadoes for Catching Prey

Posted on by
Reply

A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Georgia Tech has uncovered that flamingos are not mere passive filter feeders; instead, they are active predators that employ flow-guided traps to catch nimble invertebrates.

Flamingos feed by dragging their flattened beaks forward along the shallow lake bottom. To enhance feeding efficiency, they stomp their feet to stir up the bottom, create swirling vortices with their heads, and repeatedly slap their beaks to catch food like brine shrimp. Image credit: aztli ortega.

“Flamingos are predators actively seeking out moving animals underwater. The challenge they face is how to concentrate these prey items to attract and capture them.”

“Consider how spiders spin webs to catch insects. Flamingos utilize vortices to trap creatures such as brine shrimp.”

Dr. Ortega Zimenez and his team conducted the study using Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) sourced from the Nashville Zoo, where they were kept in aquariums for several weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbkrxu7n6kw

Utilizing high-speed cameras and particle image velocity measurements, the researchers documented and analyzed feeding behaviors, employing flow visualization techniques involving fine food particles and oxygen bubbles.

They discovered that the birds use their floppy, swaying feet to disturb the bottom sediment and propel themselves forward in a swirling motion. Additionally, the flamingos convulse their heads upward like plungers while creating mini-tornados to draw food from the water’s surface.

As the birds keep their heads inverted in a watery vortex, their angled beaks create small vortices that direct sediment and food into their mouths, enhancing their feeding efficiency.

The unique structure of the flamingo’s beak, with its flattened shape and angled front, enables a technique known as skimming. This involves the bird extending its long, S-shaped neck to push its head forward while rapidly beating its beak, generating a sheet-like vortex (von Karman vortex) that captures prey.

“These complex active feeding behaviors challenge the long-held belief that flamingos are merely passive filter feeders,” noted Dr. Ortega Zimenez.

“While they may appear to be filtering only passive particles, these birds are actively preying on moving organisms.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdziufdf3ka

The authors also applied computational fluid dynamics to simulate the 3D flow around the beak and feet of the flamingos.

They confirmed that the vortices indeed concentrate particles, similar to experiments that used a 3D printhead with aggressively swimming shrimp and passively floating brine shrimp eggs.

“We observed that when we placed 3D printed models in the water to replicate skimming, they generated symmetrical vortices along the sides of the beak, cycling particles in the water effectively,” Dr. Ortega Zimenez shared.

The team’s findings will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

____

Victor M. Ortega Zimenez et al. 2025. Flamingos use their L-shaped beak and morphing legs to induce vortex traps for prey capture. pnas 122 (21): E2503495122; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2503495122

Source: www.sci.news

TikTok’s Money-Making Secrets: How Kids’ Live Streams Generate Revenue

Posted on by
Reply

Three young children huddle in front of the camera, nibbling and fidgeting. “Support us. We are extremely poor,” the boy says, gazing into the lens.

They appear to be in a mud brick hut in Afghanistan, experiencing severe poverty. Despite this, their live broadcasts have reached audiences in the UK and worldwide through Tiktok Live.

They spend hours soliciting virtual “gifts” that can later be exchanged for money. When they receive a gift, they politely applaud. In one live stream, a girl jumps up and exclaims, “Thank you, we love you!” After receiving a digital rose from a woman in the US, which costs approximately 1p on Tiktok, when converted to cash, it’s worth less than a third of a penny.

Tiktok claims to prohibit child begging and other forms of exploitation, deeming it exploitative, and states that there is a strict policy for users participating in live shows.

However, research by Observer has revealed widespread practices of begging on live streams, actively promoted by algorithms and benefiting Tiktok, which takes up to 70% of fees and charges.

Olivier de Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, has criticized this trend as “a shocking development,” accusing Tiktok and its intermediaries of profiting from people’s misery. He urges Tiktok to take immediate action, implement stringent policies against exploitative begging, and scrutinize the individuals profiting from the world’s most vulnerable.

“We have put a lot of effort into saving you,” said Jeffrey Demarco, a Digital Rights expert at Save the Children. “Documented practices reveal serious abuses that require immediate action to ensure the platform no longer allows or benefits from such content.”

An analysis conducted between January and April 2025 found evidence of live begging and related behaviors in countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, and Kenya.

Many live streams show families begging in domestic settings, while some streams seem to involve organized begging activities.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Physicists generate quantum tornadoes in momentum space

Posted on by
Reply

Physicists have long known that electrons can form vortices from quantum materials. What's new is evidence that these small particles create tornado-like structures in momentum space.

In quantum materials called Tantalum harsenide (TAAS), electrons form vortices in momentum space. Image credits: Think-Design / Jochen Thamm.

Momentum space is a fundamental physics concept that explains electron motion in terms of energy and orientation rather than precise physical location.

The counterpart, the position space, is an area where familiar phenomena such as water vortices and hurricanes occur.

Until now, even quantum vortices of materials have been observed only in positional space.

Eight years ago, Dr. Roderrich Mossner of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Excellence ct.qmat of the Würzburg Denden cluster theorized that quantum tornadoes could also form in momentum spaces.

At the time, he described this phenomenon as a smoke ring. Because, like a ring of smoke, it is made up of vortices.

But up until now, no one knew how to measure them.

To detect quantum tornadoes in momentum space, Dr. Moessner and colleagues have enhanced a well-known technique called ARPES (angle-resolved light emission spectroscopy).

“ARPES is a fundamental tool in experimental solid-state physics,” explained Dr. Maximilian ünzelmann, researcher at the University of Werzburg, the experimental Physik VII and the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence Cluster.

“It involves shining light on a material sample, extracting electrons, and measuring energy and outlet angles.”

“This allows us to see the electronic structure of the material directly in the momentum space.”

“By skillfully adapting this method, we were able to measure orbital angular momentum.”

Team's work It will be displayed in the journal Physics Review x.

____

T. figgemeier et al. 2025. Imaging of orbital vortex lines in three-dimensional momentum space. Phys. Rev. X 15, 011032; doi:10.1103/physrevx.15.011032

Source: www.sci.news

Lightning can generate energy waves that travel vast distances into space.

Posted on by
Reply

Lightning can create special energy waves

Room the Agency/Alamy

This overlooked mechanism could allow lightning energy to reach the top of the atmosphere, threatening the safety of satellites and astronauts.

When lightning strikes, the energy it carries can create special electromagnetic waves called whistlers, so named because they can be converted into sound signals. For decades, researchers thought that the whistlers produced by lightning remained confined to altitudes relatively close to the Earth's surface, below about 1,000 kilometers.

now Vikas Sonwalkar and Amani Lady Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks discovered that some whistlers bounce off a layer of the atmosphere filled with charged particles called the ionosphere, which allows whistler waves and the energy they carry to travel up to 20,000 kilometers above Earth's surface—all the way into the magnetosphere, the region of space governed by Earth's magnetic field.

Researchers found evidence of these reflective whistlers in data from the Van Allen Probes, twin robotic spacecraft that measured the magnetosphere between 2012 and 2019. They also found hints of the phenomenon in studies published in the 1960s. Both the old and new data indicate that the phenomenon is very frequent and happens all the time, Reddy said.

In fact, the lightning may be depositing twice as much energy into this region as previously estimated, the researchers say, and this energy charges and accelerates nearby particles, creating electromagnetic radiation that can damage satellites and endanger the health of astronauts.

“Lightning has always been considered a bit of a smaller player. Until 10 years ago, this data wasn't available and we'd never looked at it at this level of detail.” Jacob Bortnick researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. He says the new study is a call for others to develop a more accurate picture of the magnetosphere.

Establishing the connection between lightning and the magnetosphere is also important because changes in Earth's climate could make lightning storms more frequent, Sonwalker said.

The research team now hopes to analyze data from more satellites to learn more about how lightning-based whistlers are distributed in the magnetosphere and how they are affected by space weather.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists harness bottled ‘lightning’ to generate essential ingredients for life

Posted on by
Reply

Nitrogen is an essential element for life and is an integral part of DNA and proteins. Most of the nitrogen on Earth exists in the atmosphere as gaseous nitrogen, denoted as N.2 However, most organisms cannot directly use nitrogen. In modern ecosystems, some microorganisms have specialized enzymes that convert nitrogen into nitrogen.2 It converts gases into a form that other living things can use. Fixed nitrogen These microorganisms Nitrogen fixing bacteria.

But 3 to 4 billion years ago, during a period in Earth's history called the Archean Era, life had not yet evolved and no nitrogen-fixing organisms existed, so scientists studying the origin of life are faced with a classic chicken-and-egg problem: life needed nitrogen to evolve, but before life evolved, there were no microorganisms to convert nitrogen into nitrogen.2 Let's turn gas into something we can use! So where did life get its nitrogen from before there were nitrogen-fixing organisms?

Researchers recently hypothesized that early life on Earth may have obtained fixed nitrogen from lightning. They propose that the high energy of a lightning spark could react with oxygen and N.2 Fixing atmospheric nitrogen2 The gas is converted into other usable forms of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides.

Geologists have studied the sedimentary rock record to understand nitrogen throughout Earth's history, but they had no way to distinguish lightning-derived nitrogen in rocks from other ancient sources of nitrogen. To explore whether lightning provided fixed nitrogen to early life, researchers led by Dr. Patrick Barth created “lightning” in a jar and tested whether it would react with nitrogen.2 It emitted gases and produced nitrogen oxides that had an identifiable signal.

To simulate lightning, the researchers used electrodes in glass flasks filled with different gas mixtures: To mimic modern-day Earth, Barth and his colleagues used a flask with a composition similar to our current atmosphere, containing 85 percent nitrogen.2 They also used flasks containing an atmosphere similar to that of Archean Earth, which scientists believe was about 83% nitrogen.20% oxygen, 16% carbon dioxide.

The researchers added 50 milliliters (about a quarter cup) of water to the bottom of each flask to allow any nitrogen oxides and other compounds produced during the reaction to dissolve in the water. They discharged each experimental flask to about 50 kilovolts for 15 to 60 minutes — nearly 10 times the voltage of an electric car battery.

The research team developed a device called Quadrupole Gas AnalyzerThey measured the nitrogen compounds in the gases coming out of each flask before and after they were ignited. They found that in the modern experiment, more fixed nitrogen was dissolved in the water than in the gas. But in the Archean experiment, the fixed nitrogen was split almost equally between the water and the gas.

After each reaction, the researchers placed the flask of water into an apparatus that measured the weight of the nitrogen atoms. Gas Source Mass SpectrometerThey explained that nitrogen atoms exist in two main forms with different masses, called isotopes. 14The N isotope is lighter and more abundant in nature, 15The N isotope is heavier and less common. The researchers used mass spectrometer data to calculate the ratios of nitrogen isotopes in the lightning-fixed nitrogen samples. They compared these nitrogen isotope ratios to those in rocks that are 3.1 to 3.8 billion years old to see if there was a match.

The researchers found that the nitrogen isotope ratio of the lightning-produced nitrogen was about 0.1% to 1% lighter than that of the rocks, and suggested that this difference in nitrogen isotopes indicates that most of the nitrogen in the Archean rocks was not produced by lightning.

The researchers also used the lightning flash rate on modern Earth to predict the amount of nitrogen oxides that lightning would produce per year. They estimated that the annual lightning flash rate alone could not have provided enough nitrogen to support ecosystems on early Earth. They explain that there was even less lightning in the Archean than there is today, so even less nitrogen was available to support early life.

The researchers concluded that lightning was not the main source of available nitrogen for early life. Because nitrogen-fixing organisms must have evolved very early in Earth's history, life did not need to rely solely on lightning, they suggested. However, one of the 3.7-billion-year-old rock samples showed nitrogen isotope ratios similar to lightning-fixed nitrogen, leading the researchers to speculate that small amounts of fixed nitrogen from lightning may have supported early life. Furthermore, the researchers suggested that the lightning-fixed nitrogen isotope ratios obtained in this study could be used to investigate how nitrogen is fixed on other planets in the solar system.


Post View: 47

Source: sciworthy.com

Blockchain experts forecast which tokens will generate profits

Posted on by
Reply

As Polkadot (DOT) adoption soars, investors are looking to diversify with promising tokens. Learn about RCO Finance (RCOF) and how it can help you maximize your profits.

Despite being a revolutionary technology, Polkadot (DOT) has struggled to gain adoption since its launch. The coin showed a downward trend through most of 2023. However, the trend reversed in the fourth quarter of 2023 with increased user and developer adoption.

This marked the beginning of significant growth for Polkadot (DOT), reflecting the platform’s growing influence in the cryptocurrency scene. In the last 24 hours 37.51% increase in trading volume, $225 million.

Given the market trends, crypto analysts expect Polkadot (DOT) to continue its bull run soon. Investors are also considering adding tokens such as: RCO Finance (RCOF) We have solid growth potential in our portfolio.

Polkadot (DOT) Bull Run’s future expectations

The current market price of Polkadot (DOT) is: $6.98 is expected to rise further in the coming days. Cryptocurrency expert We predict that the asset will skyrocket and increase by 229.98% to $22.82 by next month.

Based on technical analysis, Polkadot (DOT) has gained 33% in the past 30 days.

They predict prices will remain around $6.92 at the 2025 low end. Their analysts predict that Polkadot (DOT) will hit a high of $32.90. If Polkadot (DOT) reaches the upper end of the target price, investors who buy this coin today could earn a return of 377.90% by next year.

Sure, a 300% ROI on a token would be great, but other assets could yield even more returns in the long run. Investors who prioritize portfolio diversification are always looking for new profitable projects to get into early.

AI-powered investment platform to discover promising altcoins

RCO Finance (RCOF) Decentralized stock trading platform This allows investors to buy and trade cryptocurrencies and stocks without the need for fiat currency. This provides both novice and seasoned investors with several investment opportunities that improve on traditional improvements.

RCO Finance (RCOF) allows users to participate in various DeFi activities such as providing liquidity, participating in yield farming, and automated market making. Investors can also buy real-world stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, and other alternative investments while managing all their assets from her one place at the same time.

It also features an AI trading platform that prioritizes user experience and recommends profitable investment opportunities. AI tools study trends in the cryptocurrency market and provide valuable insights into which trades to exit and optimal trading times based on changing market dynamics.

Both beginners and seasoned crypto traders can take advantage of this tool to expand their portfolios with promising assets that can yield huge profits.

Investors look forward to a 1000% return on this hidden gem

Apart from the potential profits you can get from buying stocks and cryptocurrencies, RCO Finance (RCOF), early investors who purchase RCOF pre-sale tokens stand to gain more profits. RCOF is currently in its first pre-sale stage, priced at $0.0127 per token.

As the token completes more pre-sale stages, the price will rise rapidly. When the popular crypto trading platform finally lists his RCO Finance (RCOF), investors who bought it incredibly cheap during this initial pre-sale stage could reap drool-worthy profits .

For more information on the RCO Finance presale, please see below.

Access RCO Finance Presale

Join the RCO Finance Community

Source: www.the-blockchain.com

Tackling the Issue of Pedophiles Using AI to Generate Nude Images of Children for Extortion, Charity Warns

Posted on by
Reply

An organization dedicated to fighting child abuse has reported that pedophiles are being encouraged to utilize artificial intelligence to generate nude images of children and coerce them into producing more explicit content.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) stated that a manual discovered on the dark web included a section advising criminals to use a “denuding” tool to strip clothing from photos sent by children. These photos could then be used for blackmail purposes to obtain further graphic material.

The IWF expressed concern over the fact that perpetrators are now discussing and promoting the use of AI technologies for these malicious purposes.


The charity, known for identifying and removing child sexual abuse content online, initiated an investigation into cases of sextortion last year. They observed a rise in incidents where victims were coerced into sharing explicit images under threat of exposure. Additionally, the use of AI to create highly realistic abusive content was noted.

The author of the online manual, who remains anonymous, claimed to have successfully coerced 13-year-old girls into sharing nude images online. The IWF reported the document to the UK National Crime Agency.

Recent reports by The Guardian suggested that there were discussions within the Labour party about banning tools that create nude imagery.

According to the IWF, 2023 witnessed a record number of extreme cases of child sexual abuse. Over 275,000 web pages containing such material, including content depicting rape, sadism, and bestiality, were identified, marking the highest number on record. This included a significant amount of Category A content, the most severe form containing explicit and harmful images.

The IWF further discovered 2,401 images of self-produced child sexual abuse material involving children aged three to six, where victims were manipulated or threatened to record their own abuse. The incidents were observed in domestic settings like bedrooms and kitchens.

Susie Hargreaves, the CEO of IWF, emphasized the urgent need to educate children on recognizing danger and safeguarding themselves against manipulative criminals. She stressed the importance of the recently passed Online Safety Act to protect children on social media platforms.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat advised parents to engage in conversations with their children about safe internet usage. He emphasized the responsibility of tech companies to implement stronger safeguards against abuse.

Research published by Ofcom revealed that a significant percentage of young children own mobile phones and engage in social media. The government is considering measures such as raising the minimum age for social media use and restricting smartphone sales to minors.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Strong winds have the power to generate massive waves, scientists reveal

Posted on by
Reply

A rogue wave is a single swell that is much higher than nearby waves and can cause damage to ships and coastal infrastructure. Ocean waves are one of the most powerful natural forces on Earth, and they could become even more powerful as global trends suggest ocean winds will blow even stronger with climate change. there is. Scientists at the University of Melbourne have discovered in a new study that rogue waves are generated by strong winds and unpredictable wave patterns, confirming an idea previously only proven in the lab.

Toffoli other.We report direct observations of surface waves from a stereo camera system and simultaneous measurements of wind speed during an expedition across the Southern Ocean during the Antarctic winter aboard a South African icebreaker. SA Agulhas II. Image credit: Alessandro Toffoli.

“Rogue waves are huge, twice as tall as nearby waves, and appear out of nowhere,” said University of Melbourne’s Professor Alessandro Toffoli, lead author of the study.

Using cutting-edge technology and embarking on an expedition to one of the most unstable ocean regions on Earth, Professor Toffoli and colleagues have introduced a new technique for 3D imaging of ocean waves.

Operating a stereo camera on a South African icebreaker SA Agulhas II During their 2017 Antarctic expedition, they captured valuable insights into the behavior of waves in this remote region.

Their method, which mimics human vision through continuous imaging, allowed researchers to reconstruct the wavy ocean surface in three dimensions, providing unprecedented clarity into ocean wave dynamics. Ta.

The first scientific measurement of a rogue wave was the 25.6 m Draupner wave recorded in the North Sea in 1995. Since the beginning of the 21st century, 16 cases of suspected rogue waves have been reported to him.

“Scientists have long theorized that Antarctica’s rough seas and fierce winds can cause large waves to ‘self-amplify’, resulting in rogue wave frequencies. “However, this has not yet been tested underwater,” Professor Toffoli said.

The team’s observations, using numerical and laboratory studies that suggested the role of wind in the formation of rogue waves, provided validation of these theories in a real marine environment.

“Our observations show that unique sea conditions with rough waves occur during the ‘young’ stage of the waves, when they are most susceptible to wind effects. This suggests that wind parameters are the missing link,” Professor Toffoli said.

“Wind creates a chaotic situation where waves of different dimensions and directions coexist.”

“The wind causes young waves to grow higher, longer and faster.”

“During this self-amplification, waves grow disproportionately at the expense of neighboring waves.”

“We show that young waves are showing signs of self-amplification and are likely to be wind-driven.”

“Once every six hours, we recorded waves that were twice as high as nearby waves.”

“This reflects laboratory models. The theory is that sea conditions are more likely to self-amplify, creating more rogue waves.”

“In contrast, no rough waves were detected in mature oceans that are not influenced by winds.”

The authors highlight the critical importance of integrating wind dynamics into predictive models for rough sea prediction.

“This shows that scientists need to take wind into account thoroughly when developing tools to predict rogue waves,” Professor Toffoli said.

of findings It was published in the magazine physical review letter.

_____

A. Toffoli other. 2024. Observation of the bad waters of the Southern Ocean. Physics.pastor rhett 132 (15): 154101; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.154101

Source: www.sci.news

Cotton fiber with enhanced conductivity to generate electricity

Posted on by
Reply

Researchers have developed a new fiber that blends the flexibility of cotton with the electrical conductivity of the polymer polyaniline. This innovative material, detailed in Carbohydrate Polymers, shows potential in creating wearable electronic textiles for applications such as health monitoring and hazardous exposure detection. (Artist’s concept) Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A Washington State University breakthrough combines the flexibility of cotton with the electrical conductivity of polymers, paving the way for advanced wearable electronic textiles.

A single fiber developed at Washington State University has the flexibility of cotton and the electrical conductivity of a polymer called polyaniline.

The newly developed material showed great potential as a wearable electronic textile. WSU researchers tested the fibers with a system that powers LED lights and a system that senses ammonia gas, and detailed their results in the journal Nature. carbohydrate polymer.

Microscopic image of the newly developed fiber. It shows a parallel mix, with one side containing cotton and the other side a polyanaline polymer that can conduct electrical current.Credit: Washington State University

“One fiber is divided into two sections. One section is traditional cotton, flexible and strong enough for everyday use, and the other side is a conductive material,” says WSU Textile Research. said Hang Liu, a researcher and corresponding author of the study. “Cotton can support conductive materials that can provide the required functionality.”

Potential applications in wearable technology

Although further development is required, the idea is to incorporate such fibers into apparel as sensor patches with flexible circuitry. These patches could become part of the uniforms of firefighters, soldiers, and workers who work with chemicals to detect hazardous exposures. Other applications include health monitoring and exercise shirts with features beyond today’s fitness monitors.

“We have some smart wearable products like smartwatches that can track people’s movements and people’s vital signs, but in the future we hope that everyday wear will also have these features. “We are doing so,” Liu said. “Fashion is more than just colors and styles, as many people think. Fashion is a science.”

Han Liu, a textile researcher at Washington State University.Credit: Washington State University Dean Hare

Technical challenges and solutions

In this study, the WSU team worked to overcome the challenge of blending conductive polymers with cotton cellulose. Polymers are substances with very large molecules that have repeating patterns. In this case, the researchers used polyaniline, also known as PANI, a synthetic polymer with conductive properties that is already used in applications such as printed circuit board manufacturing.

Although polyaniline is inherently conductive, it is brittle and cannot be made into textile fibers on its own. To solve this, WSU researchers dissolved cotton cellulose from recycled T-shirts in a solution and a conductive polymer in another solution. He then combined the two solutions side by side and extruded the material to create a single fiber.

Han Liu, a textile researcher at Washington State University, shows a microscopic image of the newly developed fiber, showing a side-by-side mixture containing cotton on one side and a polyanaline polymer that can conduct electrical current on the other side. We are confirming that there is.Credit: Washington State University Dean Hare

The results showed good interfacial bonding. This means that the molecules of different materials stay together even when stretched or bent.

Achieving the right mixture at the cotton cellulose and polyaniline interface required a delicate balance, Liu said.

“We’ve made these two solutions work so that when the cotton and conductive polymer come in contact with each other, they mix to some extent in a glue-like state. But don’t mix too much; don’t do that. And it becomes less conductive,” she said.

Reference: “Novel structural design of cellulose-based conductive composite fibers for wearable electronic textiles” Wangcheng Liu, Hang Liu, Zihui Zhao, Dan Liang, Wei-Hong Zhong, Jinwen Zhang, August 18, 2023. carbohydrate polymer.
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121308

In addition to lead author Wangcheng Liu, WSU authors of the study also include Zihui Zhao, Dan Liang, Wei-Hong Zhong, and Jinwen Zhang. This research received support from the National Science Foundation and the Walmart Foundation Project.

Source: scitechdaily.com

AI-powered tools from Stability AI now generate 3D models using artificial intelligence

Posted on by
Reply

Stability AI, the startup behind the text-to-image AI model Stable Diffusion, believes 3D modeling tools could be the next big thing in generative AI.

At least, that’s the message the company is sending with the release of Stable 3D, an AI-powered app that generates textured 3D objects for modeling and game development platforms like Blender, Maya, Unreal Engine, and Unity.

Available in private preview for select customers who contact Stability through their company Inquiry formStable 3D is designed to help non-experts generate “draft-quality” 3D models “in minutes.” blog.

“Creating 3D content is one of the most complex and time-consuming tasks for graphic designers, digital artists, and game developers, as it can take hours or even days to create a moderately complex 3D object. is common,” the company writes. “Stable 3D levels the playing field for independent designers, artists and developers, allowing him to create thousands of 3D objects a day for very little cost.”

All hype aside, Stable 3D seems to be pretty robust and on par with other model generation tools on the market in terms of its functionality. Users can describe the 3D model they want to create in natural language, or upload existing images and illustrations and convert them into a model. Stable 3D outputs 3D models in “.obj” file format. This allows you to edit and manipulate it using most standard 3D modeling tools.

Stability has not disclosed what data it used to train Stable 3D. Given that generative AI models tend to regurgitate training data, this could be a concern for commercial users of the tool in the future. If any of the data is copyrighted and Stability AI did not obtain the appropriate license, Stable 3D customers could unknowingly incorporate works that infringe on intellectual property into their projects. There is a gender.

Stability AI also doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to respecting intellectual property. Earlier this year, Getty and several artists sued the startup for copying and processing millions of images in their possession without proper notice or compensation to train stable spreaders.

Stability AI recently partnered with startup Spawning to honor “opt-out” requests from artists, but it’s unclear whether that partnership covers Stable 3D’s training data. We have reached out to Stability AI for more information and will update this post if we hear back.

Potential legal implications aside, Stable 3D marks Stability AI’s entry into the nascent but already crowded field of AI-powered 3D model generation.

The 3D model was generated with Stability AI’s new Stable 3D tool.

There are 3D object creation platforms like 3DFY and Scenario, as well as startups like Kaedim, Auctoria, Mirage, Luma, and Hypothetic. Even established companies like Autodesk and Nvidia are starting to dip their toe into the field with apps like Get3D, which converts images into 3D models, and ClipForge, which generates models from text descriptions.

It’s also in the meta experimented Uses techniques to generate 3D assets from prompts. OpenAI is no different, releasing Point-E last December. It is an AI that synthesizes 3D models with potential applications in 3D printing, game design, and animation.

Stable 3D appears to be Stability AI’s latest attempt to diversify or pivot in the face of increasing competition from generative AI platforms that create art, such as Midjourney and the aforementioned OpenAI.

April, Semaphor report Stability AI has been found to be draining cash and fueling executive hunts to boost sales. according to According to Forbes, the company repeatedly delayed paying wages and payroll taxes, or didn’t pay them at all, resulting in AWS access to Stability’s GPU instances, which Stability uses for calculations to train its models. He is threatening to cancel the.

Recent stability AI raised The company received $25 million through convertible notes (i.e., debt that converts into equity), bringing its funding to more than $125 million. However, it has not completed new financing at a higher valuation. The startup was last valued at $1 billion. Stability is said to be aiming to quadruple that figure in the coming months, even though revenues remain low.

In what looks like another attempt to differentiate itself and drive sales, Stability AI today announced new features for its online AI-powered photo editing suite. This includes model tweaking features and “Sky Replacers” that allow users to personalize the underlying art generation model. A tool to replace the sky color and beauty in your photos with preset alternatives.

The new tools join Stability AI’s growing portfolio of AI-powered products, including music generation suite Stable Audio, doodle-making app Stable Doodle, and chatbots like ChatGPT.

Source: techcrunch.com