Two years ago, inventor Pranav Mistry demoed the SixthSense technology on the TED stage -- and talked about open-sourcing the software behind it. SixthSense is a wearable interface that enables interaction between digital information and the physical world through hand gestures. (Watch his TEDTalk to see how it works.) As promised, Pranav and...

In its most recent September issue, Vogue offers a futuristic vision of fashion that blurs the line between gadget and accessory. A 12-page spread titled "The Final Frontier" features models wearing Oscar de la Renta and Gucci, gazing out over a space age landscape, taking in the view through the lenses of Google Glass. The subtle details of...

The venue that housed TEDxKalamata certainly had some history: held in an ancient amphitheater, this was the first TEDx event in an archaeological site. To be specific, the location was an ancient outdoor ekklesiasterion (assembly hall) in Messene, Greece, that has been used for public gatherings since 369 B.C. At TEDxKalamata, 18 speakers and...

Before there can be momentum, you need a spark to set it off. In the first session of TEDWomen, we hear from speakers with crackling ideas — from re-imagining an irksome weed as something useful, to helping technology sense and react to our emotions. Short recaps of these talks... A weed, transformed. The water hyacinth looks like a be...

When it comes to drones, a lot of ideas float in the ether. Technologists see potential for flying machines to help us in all sorts of unexpected ways, governments take measures that seem hard and fixed, and meanwhile the media oversimplifies and dramatizes the issue. The conversation on drones is ever changing -- especially with President O...

About this event: Ideas on the Runway, the theme for TEDxFountainHillsSalon in July, will focus on discussing the latest trends in combining sustainable fashion and impactful technological developments now and in the future. Our six visionaries in the field will share their developments, ideas and key issues affecting the industry from native american sheep herdi...

Here, some staff picks of smart, funny, bizarre and cool stuff on the interwebs this week, with a light Valentine's Day theme: Suleika Jaouad, who writes about being young with cancer, talks about the embarrassing but very real prospect of being a sexually active cancer patient. [The NYTimes Well Blog] For other unconventional responses to...

“I make paper interactive,” says Kate Stone in today’s talk, given at TED2013. Because this description of her work “really confuses most people,” the best way to understand it is to see it in action. So in this talk, Stone demonstrates some of her very cool creations -- like a poster that can pick the perfect slice of cake for you, a new...

"We need a different view of the world," says Chris Anderson, the host of Session 6: Radical Reframe, on the Wednesday morning of TED2015. Enjoy these recaps of the speaker in this session, who might just flip your thinking on things you thought you knew — from antibiotics to papayas. New metaphors, not new medicines. We often think that ...

They've helped us experience the thrill of jumping from 128,000 feet above the earth, showed us what it’s like to be a fireman saving a kitten, and let us hang out with lions in South Africa. TED is seeking a talk, to be delivered at our 2015 conference, about the increasingly common practice of documenting extreme sports and outdoor adve...

TED2015 promises to be our most provocative, thought-flipping conference yet. And we’ve added a few new speakers and performers to the lineup to join us March 16-20 in Vancouver. Below, a little introduction. Chris Urmson develops self-driving cars that thrive in both urban and off-roading environments. As the Director of Self-Driving Car...

With just one week left to go until TED2014, our speakers are putting the final touches on their talks. But that’s hardly all they’ve been up to. This week, check out which speaker has a bold prediction about artificial intelligence, which one put out a call for a more creative condom design, which one wrote about the science of goat arousal and...

As usual, the TED community has lots of news to share this week. Below, some highlights. A MacArthur for Rhiannon Giddens and Kate Orff. On October 11, the MacArthur Foundation released their list of 2017 Fellows. Among them are musician Rhiannon Giddens and landscape architect Kate Orff. Giddens, known for her rich reinterpretations of Ameri...

When 21-year-old guitar whiz Usman Riaz was growing up in Pakistan, he often found himself entranced by videos of Preston Reed, one of the pioneers of fingerstyle guitar. As a longtime admirer of Reed’s unique rhythms and plucky sounds, Riaz calls the experience of actually sharing a stage with him at TEDGlobal 2012 “very surreal.” “Throu...

Technologist

Please enjoy your weekly roundup of TED-related news: Good luck and farewell to the Cassini spacecraft. Launched 20 years ago, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will begin its final mission on April 26.  The spacecraft will embark on a series of 22 dives through the space between Saturn and its rings, transmitting data that may help us understand...

Biomechatronics

The TED community has been very busy over the past few weeks. Below, some newsy highlights. Powerful thoughts on slavery’s legacy. Last week, Bryan Stevenson spoke with The Marshall Project about the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In a Q&A, Stevenson shared his thoughts on the deeply en...

Wax-print cotton kimonos! Lacquer tribal stools! Since living in Japan, Cameroon-born artist Serge Mouangue has been creating the most fascinating aesthetic fusion. Artist and TED Fellow Serge Mouangue (TEDxConcorde talk: Le kimono africain) is used to moving fluidly among cultures. Born in Cameroon, he and his family immigrated to France when ...

Dolphins are “natural acousticians,” according to marine mammal behavioral biologist Denise Herzing. Individuals have signature whistles, just as we have names, and they can also send buzzes and tickles across long distances to physically signal one another. Echolocation clicks help them navigate in the water, and they erupt in bursts of squ...

Forget memorial plaques, tombstones and traditional funerals. High-tech ways to celebrate life and death are emerging, and they’re using your digital data. “What happens to your digital presence after you die?” Only a short while ago, no one had to consider what would become of the long trail of personal data we leave all over the internet. Now...

About this event: TEDxTilburgUniversity 2014 revolves around the idea of Living Limitless. Living, because the current social, cultural and economical developments combined with the new, ubiquitous nature of information technology will change and improve our society in ways we wouldn’t dare to dream of a mere decade ago. Limitless, because recent developments ...

In his TED talk, Sergey Brin of Google shares the idea that motivated the development of Google Glass: that while smartphones inherently take us away from experiencing the real world, a device could allow for a digitally-mediated experience within it. “This position you just saw me in – looking down at my phone – that’s one of the reasons behi...

Session number 1 of TEDYouth just wrapped, and here is a recap of all 13 speakers. There's still time to tune in for session 2, starting at 4pm EST! Head to the free livestream to watch >> Rick Smolan, photographer and data evangelist Rick Smolan's larger-than-life photographs capture deeper meaning in everyday moments. (Watch his TED...

In a session that honors the “deeply practical and the entirely improbable,” pyromantics and biosynthetic designers meet artists and flag-worshippers. Helen Walters, host of Session 10: Creative Ignition, calls this session a "celebration of the catalytic thinking that reshapes the world around us." Here's a recap: How to reboot society. ...

The TED Fellows program turns 10 in 2019 -- and to mark this important milestone, we're excited to kick off the year of celebration by announcing the impressive new group of TED2019 Fellows and Senior Fellows! This year's TED Fellows class represents 12 countries across four continents; they're leaders in their fields -- ranging from astrody...

About this event: You are cordially invited to the next TEDxTheHague salon! Our July edition — themed Technology: Friend or Foe? — is curated by TEDxTheHague regular Chris Kleingeld. Chris writes: "I think that technology is amazing. Technological advances have so much possibilities and potential that it changes our lives drastically. In terms of social media...

The speakers and performers who’ll be a part of TEDWomen 2015 know a bit about “Momentum.” Each of them has pushed forward fascinating research, created something out of a bold idea or moved the needle on a cause that’s central to them. The 34 speakers on our lineup — soon to be joined by a few more — range from former presidents (yes, plural...