Robot News from RoboDaily.com
December 21, 2016
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ROBO SPACE
Research shows people can control a robotic arm with only their minds



Minneapolis, MN (SPX) Dec 16, 2016
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have made a major breakthrough that allows people to control a robotic arm using only their minds. The research has the potential to help millions of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases. "This is the first time in the world that people can operate a robotic arm to reach and grasp objects in a complex 3D environment using only their thoughts without a brain implant," said Bin He, a University of Minnesota biomedical engineering prof ... read more

ROBO SPACE
NIST device for detecting subatomic-scale motion may aid robotics, homeland security
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new device that measures the motion of super-tiny particles traversing distances almost unimaginably small - ... more
ROBO SPACE
Zuckerberg builds software butler for his home
Mark Zuckerberg's artificial intelligence-imbued software "butler" - named Jarvis - is now in service, and even plays with his family, the Facebook chief said Monday. ... more
MARSDAILY
Bremen robot team successfully simulates Mars mission in Utah
A major challenge in the exploration of Mars by robots is its uneven surface, which is marked by trenches and craters. Whether the systems can withstand the rough terrain on the Red Planet, they hav ... more
ROBO SPACE
Artificial intelligence creeps into daily life
Mark Zuckerberg envisions a software system inspired by the "Iron Man" character Jarvis as a virtual butler managing his household. ... more
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ROBO SPACE
A skillful rescue robot with remote-control function
A group of Japanese researchers developed a prototype construction robot for disaster relief situations. This prototype has drastically improved operability and mobility compared to conventional con ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
A new light on stellar death
Back in 2015 when astronomers discovered an intense flare in a distant galaxy, they considered it the brightest supernova ever observed. Now, UC Santa Barbara astrophysicists and a group of internat ... more
ROBO SPACE
Internal sensors help soft robot hand feel the world like a human
Most robots rely on external sensors to feel the outside world. To give robots a more human-like sense of touch, researchers at Cornell ditched those bulky and unnatural sensors for an internal system. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Chinese firm scraps German tech deal after US block
A Chinese company on Thursday said it had scrapped plans to purchase German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron after US President Barack Obama blocked a key element of the deal on security concerns. ... more
TECH SPACE
Orbital ATK to develop critical technology for in-orbit assembly
Orbital ATK has begun a public-private partnership with NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) to establish a Commercial Infrastructure for Robotic Assembly and Services (CIRAS) in space ... more


Wall-jumping robot is most vertically agile ever built

MOON DAILY
TeamIndus signs contract with ISRO for lunar mission
Domestic space technology startup TeamIndus on Thursday signed a first-of-its-kind contract with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to send a TeamIndus robot to the Moon. TeamIndus will l ... more
ROBO SPACE
Boeing to acquire Liquid Robotics
Boeing will soon purchase autonomous maritime systems developer Liquid Robotics, expanding its seabed-to-space autonomous assets. ... more


Ford studies using drones to guide self-driving cars
Ford Motor Co. is studying a system to use drones to help guide self-driving vehicles, including on off-road adventures, company officials said. Drones launched from an autonomous vehicle would help guide it by mapping the surrounding area beyond what the car's sensors can detect. Vehicle passengers can control the drone using the car's infotainment or navigation system. "At some point, ... more
Bird-like drone uses feathers for a more precise flight path

Malawi drone test centre to help with healthcare, disasters

Amazon completes its first drone delivery, in England

Uncovering the secrets of water and ice as materials
Water is vital to life on Earth and its importance simply can't be overstated - it's also deeply rooted within our conscience that there's something extremely special about it. Yet, from a scientific point of view, much remains unknown about water and its many solid phases, which display a plethora of unusual properties and so-called anomalies that, while central to water's chemical and biologic ... more
The hidden side of sulfur

Chemical trickery corrals 'hyperactive' metal-oxide cluster

High Resolution Imaging of Hypervelocity Impacts

World's smallest radio receiver has building blocks the size of 2 atoms
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have made the world's smallest radio receiver - built out of an assembly of atomic-scale defects in pink diamonds. This tiny radio - whose building blocks are the size of two atoms - can withstand extremely harsh environments and is biocompatible, meaning it could work anywhere from a probe on Venus to ... more
Stamping technique creates tiny circuits with electronic ink

Electron highway inside crystal

Further improvement of qubit lifetime for quantum computers

Japan pulls plug on troubled fast breeder reactor
Japan has scrapped plans to generate electricity at a multi-billion dollar experimental nuclear reactor, the government said Monday, giving up on the decades-old project due to spiralling costs. Once touted as a "dream reactor," the Monju facility was designed to generate more fuel than it consumes via nuclear chain reaction, an attractive alternative in a country with few natural resources. ... more
Bulgaria seeks investor to revive nuclear project

Japan switches on nuclear reactor after safety shutdown

Fukushima costs to double to nearly $180 bn: report



US military formally ends anti-IS operation in Libya's Sirte
The US military has officially ended operations in a former Islamic State bastion in Libya, officials announced Tuesday. The Pentagon had launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to help local forces push the jihadists from the coastal city of Sirte on August 1. "In partnership with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the operation succeeded in its core objective of enabling GNA-aligne ... more
2016, the year the IS 'caliphate' buckled

Jihadists' return from frontline a major threat, US experts warn

Drone strike kills IS figures in Syria, some with Paris attack ties

MIT Energy Initiative report provides guidance for evolving electric power sector
Distributed energy resources - relatively small-scale power technologies such as solar, wind, energy storage, and power electronics and control devices - are being deployed rapidly in the global shift toward a low-carbon energy future. To ensure that both distributed and centralized energy resources are integrated efficiently, however, electric power systems in the U.S., Europe, and other ... more
Toward energy solutions for northern regions

Energy-hungry Asia slowing down, lender says

US push to low-carbon future 'unstoppable': Biden



Scientists track chemical and structural evolution of catalytic nanoparticles in 3-D
Catalysts are at the heart of fuel cells-devices that convert hydrogen and oxygen to water and enough electricity to power vehicles for hundreds of miles. But finding effective, inexpensive catalysts has been a key challenge to getting more of these hydrogen-powered, emission-free vehicles out on the road. To help tackle this challenge, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) B ... more
Scientists boost catalytic activity for key chemical reaction in fuel cells

Lower cost of LEDs reduce profitability for manufacturing landscape

Scientists turn to AI to create safer lithium-ion batteries

Chinese missile giant seeks 20% of a satellite market
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the largest missile maker in the country, is taking aim at 20 percent or more of the small-satellite launch contracts in the world by 2020, company executives said. "We estimate that from 2017 to 2020, we will send aloft at least 10 solid-fuel carrier rockets each year, to send about 50 small satellites into orbit," said Guo Yong, president of the ... more
China-made satellites in high demand

Space exploration plans unveiled

China launches 4th data relay satellite



Spacewalk for Thomas Pesquet at ISS
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will be the 11th European to perform a spacewalk when he ventures outside the International Space Station next month. Lasting up to seven hours on 13 January, its goal is to ensure the power supply of the International Space Station from the 2500 sq m of solar panels. The Station commander, Shane Kimbrough, will lead the spacewalk, accompanied by Thomas. ... more
NASA's Exo-Brake 'Parachute' to Enable Safe Return for Small Spacecraft

Trump sits down with tech execs, including critics

Trump sits down with tech execs, including critics

All eyes on Trump over Mars
The year 2016 has seen a rekindling of the human desire to conquer Mars, with public and private interests openly vying to take the first step on the Red Planet, possibly with a stopover on the Moon. Space-faring nations are mostly united in viewing Mars as the next frontier with many still pooling their money and expertise to make the dream a reality, despite souring relations between them. ... more
Opportunity performs several drives to ancient gully

Full go-ahead for building ExoMars 2020

Skimming an alien atmosphere



United Launch Alliance launches EchoStar XIX satellite
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the EchoStar XIX satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 Dec. 18 at 2:13 p.m. EST. EchoStar XIX will dramatically increase capacity for HughesNet high-speed satellite Internet service to homes and businesses in North America. Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services procured the Atlas V for this mission. This is ULA's 12th ... more
NASA Engineers Test Combustion Chamber to Advance 3-D Printed Rocket Engine Design

Ultra-Cold Storage - Liquid Hydrogen may be Fuel of the Future

Technical glitch postpones NASA satellite launch

China chokes under heavy smog with worse ahead
Hospital visits spiked, roads were closed and flights cancelled Monday as China choked under a vast cloud of toxic smog, with forecasters warning worse was yet to come. At least 23 cities in the world's most populous nation have issued red alerts for air pollution since Friday, according to the official Xinhua news agency. A host of emergency measures have been implemented to protect the ... more
Planes grounded as smog chokes China for fifth day

Mosul battle leaving legacy of environmental damage

Beijing issues red alert for severe air pollution



Better road planning could boost food production while protect forests
Conservation scientists have used layers of data on biodiversity, climate, transport and crop yields to construct a colour-coded mapping system that shows where new road-building projects should go to be most beneficial for food production at the same time as being least destructive to the environment. The hope is that this "trade-off" strategy might guide governments, investors and develo ... more
VW reaches $1 bn compensation deal in 3.0-liter diesel case

VW settles Canada drivers' class action over emissions

Google's Waymo adds 100 Chryslers to self-driving fleet

Nanocubes simplify printing and imaging in color and infrared
Duke University researchers believe they have overcome a longstanding hurdle to producing cheaper, more robust ways to print and image across a range of colors extending into the infrared. As any mantis shrimp will tell you, there are a wide range of "colors" along the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see but which provide a wealth of information. Sensors that extend into the in ... more
New aspect of atom mimicry for nanotechnology applications

ANU demonstrates 'ghost imaging' with atoms

Supersonic spray yields new nanomaterial for bendable, wearable electronics

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Uncovering the secrets of water and ice as materials
Water is vital to life on Earth and its importance simply can't be overstated - it's also deeply rooted within our conscience that there's something extremely special about it. Yet, from a scientific point of view, much remains unknown about water and its many solid phases, which display a plethora of unusual properties and so-called anomalies that, while central to water's chemical and biologic ... more
The hidden side of sulfur

Chemical trickery corrals 'hyperactive' metal-oxide cluster

High Resolution Imaging of Hypervelocity Impacts

In Benin, 'Smart-Valleys' bring rice bounty
Daniel Aboko proudly shows off the 11 hectares (27 acres) of paddy fields he shares with other farmers - a small spread that produces a bounty of food thanks to smart irrigation and a hardy strain of rice. In just four years, small farmers in Ouinhi, southeastern Benin, have seen their rice harvest double from three to six tonnes of rice per hectare (1.2 to 2.4 tonnes per acre). They pr ... more
Many GMO studies have financial conflicts of interest

Corn yield modeling towards sustainable agriculture

S. Korea issues top bird flu alert



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