Robo News From RoboDaily.Com

January 31, 2018

Let's make a deal: Could AI compromise better than humans?

Provo, UT (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
Computers can play a pretty mean round of chess and keep up with the best of their human counterparts in other zero-sum games. But teaching them to cooperate and compromise instead of compete? With help from a new algorithm created by BYU computer science professors Jacob Crandall and Michael Goodrich, along with colleagues at MIT and other international universities, machine compromise and cooperation appears not just possible, but at times even more effective than among humans. "The end go ... read more

Space station spacewalk postponed until mid-February
Washington (UPI) Jan 29, 2018
What was to be the second of January's two spacewalks was scrubbed Monday and postponed until mid-February. ... more

Two US spacewalkers replace latching end of robotic arm
Miami (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
Two US astronauts floated outside the International Space Station on Tuesday for a seven-hour, 24-minute spacewalk to repair the orbiting outpost's aging robotic arm, NASA said. ... more

Data doom: 5 steps from Davos to digital dystopia
Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 26, 2018
Intelligent robots and all-knowing online networks threaten to drag humanity into a "totalitarian" nightmare of mind control, mass unemployment and children hooked on smartphones, experts warned at this week's Davos summit. ... more

Soft, self-healing devices mimic biological muscles
Boulder CO (SPX) Jan 31, 2018
In the basement of the Engineering Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, a group of researchers is working to create the next generation of robots. Instead of the metallic droids you may be ... more

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'Job-killing' robots, AI under scrutiny in Davos
Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 26, 2018
"Artificial intelligence and robots will kill many jobs." ... more

AI, virtual reality make inroads in tourism sector
Madrid (AFP) Jan 21, 2018
A hotel room automatically adjusting to the tastes of each guest, virtual reality headsets as brochures: the tourism sector is starting to embrace new technologies, hoping to benefit from lucrative personal data. ... more

Dutch robots help make cheese, 'smell' the roses
Delft, Netherlands (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
It might be one small move for a robot, but it could prove an important step for Dutch cheesemakers. Moonlander, invented by students, is here to help take the hard work out of curds and whey. ... more

Feedback enhances brainwave control of a novel hand-exoskeleton
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
An extremely lightweight and portable hand exoskeleton may one day help the physically impaired with daily living. These are the hopes of EPFL scientist Luca Randazzo who is developing the exoskelet ... more

New robot can help treat rare birth defect
Sheffield UK (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
Researchers at the University of Sheffield and Boston's Children Hospital, Harvard Medical School have created a robot that can be implanted into the body to aid the treatment of oesophageal atresia ... more

A miniaturized origami-inspired robot combines micrometer precision with high speed
Boston MA (SPX) Jan 19, 2018
Because of their high precision and speed, Delta robots are deployed in many industrial processes, including pick-and-place assemblies, machining, welding and food packaging. Starting with the first ... more

China spots four oil slicks from sunken tanker
Beijing (AFP) Jan 18, 2018
The spill from a sunken Iranian tanker off China's east coast has spawned four oil slicks as authorities prepared to send robots to the wreckage to assess the environmental damage. ... more

Potential brain-machine interface for hand paralysis

Army scientists improve human-agent teaming by making AI agents more transparent
Adelphi MD (SPX) Jan 15, 2018
U.S. Army Research Laboratory scientists developed ways to improve collaboration between humans and artificially intelligent agents in two projects recently completed for the Autonomy Research Pilot ... more

Stingray soft robot could lead to bio-inspired robotics
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2018
UCLA bioengineering professor Ali Khademhosseini has led the development of a tissue-based soft robot that mimics the biomechanics of a stingray. The new technology could lead to advances in bio-ins ... more

NASA team first to demonstrate x-ray navigation in space
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 15, 2018
In a technology first, a team of NASA engineers has demonstrated fully autonomous X-ray navigation in space - a capability that could revolutionize NASA's ability in the future to pilot robotic spac ... more

Old dog, new tricks: Sony unleashes 'intelligent' robot pet
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 11, 2018
As Japan celebrates the year of the dog, electronics giant Sony on Thursday unleashed its new robot canine companion, packed with artificial intelligence and internet connectivity. ... more

Robotic weeders: to a farm near you?
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 11, 2018
The future of weeding is here, and it comes in the form of a robot. The growing popularity of robotic weeders for specialty crops has grown partly out of necessity, says Steven Fennimore, an extensi ... more

Artificial muscles power up with new gel-based robotics
Matsumoto, Japan (SPX) Jan 11, 2018
Scientists are one step closer to artificial muscles. Orthotics have come a long way since their initial wood and strap designs, yet innovation lapsed when it came to compensating for muscle power-- ... more

New 'emotional' robots aim to read human feelings
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 11, 2018
The robot called Forpheus does more than play a mean game of table tennis. It can read body language to gauge its opponent's ability, and offer advice and encouragement. ... more

Digital assistants duel for dominance at major electronics show
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 9, 2018
Virtual aides battled to rule "smart homes" on the eve of the official opening of the Consumer Electronics show gadget gala here. ... more

Opportunity Takes Images Over the Holiday Period
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 09, 2018
Opportunity is continuing her winter exploration of "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover is positioned upstream of a fork in the flow channels. Over the holiday ... more

Dragon space truck set for departure from Space Station
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
After delivering more than 4,800 pounds of science and supplies to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will depart the orbiting laboratory on Saturday, Jan. 13. NASA wi ... more

Gadgets for kids still big at tech show despite concerns

Virtual aide market a "wildfire" at CES gadget show
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2018
Voice-commanded virtual assistants packed into speakers and other devices will be a "game-changing" trend this year, Consumer Electronics Show researchers said Sunday. ... more

Scientists teach robots how to respect personal space
Beijing, China (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Robots have a lot to learn about humans, including how to respect their personal space. Scientists at the Institute of Automatics of the National University of San Juan in Argentina are giving mobil ... more

Machine learning will change jobs
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Machine learning computer systems, which get better with experience, are poised to transform the economy much as steam engines and electricity have in the past. They can outperform people in a numbe ... more

Robots and humans: How to improve physical interaction
Beijing, China (SPX) Jan 02, 2018
Popular entertainment often portrays robots as the perfect best friend, from Bender in the cartoon Futurama to the mighty Transformers. These close friendships don't exist off-screen yet, but humans ... more

Drones learn to navigate autonomously by imitating cars and bicycles
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 24, 2018

All today's commercial drones use GPS, which works fine above building roofs and in high alti-tudes. But what, when the drones have to navigate autonomously at low altitude among tall buildings or in the dense, unstructured city streets with cars, cyclists or pedestrians suddenly crossing their way? Until now, commercial drones are not able to quickly react to such unforeseen events. Resea ... more

+ Northrop Grumman tapped to service Army's Hunter drones

+ L-3 awarded $8.2M for retrofits to Predator simulators

+ General Atomics awarded $49M for Reaper drone software development

+ Australia lifesaving drone makes first rescue

+ Boeing unveils UAV prototype for cargo, logistics use

+ Russia's army warns of 'terrorist' drones after attacks

+ Air Force to upgrade Reaper drone fleet as the Predator begins retirement

Updates on recovery attempts for NASA IMAGE mission
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 30, 2018

After an amateur astronomer recorded observations of a satellite in high Earth orbit on Jan. 20, 2018, his initial research suggested it was the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) - a NASA mission launched into orbit around Earth on March 25, 2000. Seeking to ascertain whether the signal indeed came from IMAGE, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Mary ... more

+ Better than a hologram: Research produces 3-D images floating in 'thin air'

+ Scientists achieve high power with new smaller laser

+ Contact with lost NASA satellite IMAGE confirmed

+ UK to launch new radar against 'severe' Russian threat

+ Aerojet Rocketdyne seeks to reduce debris with recent SBIRS launch

+ Putting everyday computer parts to space radiation test

+ Quantum cocktail provides insights on memory control

Fundamental limitation in the key material for solid-state lighting
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 29, 2018

For the first time an international research group has revealed the core mechanism that limits the indium (In) content in indium gallium nitride ((In, Ga)N) thin films - the key material for blue light emitting diodes (LED). Increasing the In content in InGaN quantum wells is the common approach to shift the emission of III-Nitride based LEDs towards the green and, in particular, red part ... more

+ Quantum race accelerates development of silicon quantum chip

+ TU Wien develops new semiconductor processing technology

+ NMRCloudQ: A quantum cloud experience on a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computer

+ Intel gets lift from earnings, investors look past chip flaw

+ Artificial agent designs quantum experiments

+ US electronics innovation leaps forward via joint university microelectronics program

+ 2-D tin stanene without buckling: A possible topological insulator

Thorium reactors may dispose of enormous amounts of weapons-grade plutonium
Tomsk, Russia (SPX) Jan 30, 2018

Scientists from the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering of Tomsk Polytechnic University are developing a technology enabling the creation of high-temperature gas-cool low-power reactors with thorium fuel. TPU scientists propose to burn weapons-grade plutonium in these units, converting it into power and thermal energy. Thermal energy generated at thorium reactors may be used in hydro ... more

+ USA: Framatome to acquire Instrumentation and Control nuclear business of Schneider Electric

+ Framatome continues ramping up production at its Le Creusot site

+ Framatome nuclear fuel contract with CNNC

+ Framatome pursues the industrial and technological adventure of the nuclear energy business

+ Struggling Westinghouse Electric sold to Brookfield for $4.6 bn

+ Russia to build nuclear power plant in Sudan

+ Dominion Energy to buy troubled SCANA and shuttered nuclear projects

Trump says almost 100% of territory regained from IS
Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 26, 2018

US President Donald Trump said Friday that US-backed coalition forces had won back almost 100 percent of territory occupied by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. "The coalition to defeat ISIS (IS) has retaken almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria," Trump said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "There is still ... more

+ Dutch jihadist gets six years for joining al-Nusra

+ Amnesty says Nigerian air force killed 35 people in raids

+ Now defeated, Iraq's most feared jihadists await their fate

+ US-led strikes kill up to 150 IS fighters in Syria: coalition

+ Iraq condemns German woman to death for belonging to IS

+ Facebook, Twitter, YouTube pressed over terror content

+ Four Shabaab militants killed in Somalia; Boko Haram attack kills 7 in Niger

State utilities called to pass U.S. tax benefits to consumers
Washington (UPI) Jan 24, 2018

U.S. consumers should be the ones sharing in the corporate tax breaks for utility companies outlined in the federal code reform, state energy agencies said. President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the federal tax code in late December, extending temporary relief to American taxpayers and permanent breaks for corporations, with oil, gas and utility companies sharing ... more

+ Magnetic liquids improve energy efficiency of buildings

+ US energy watchdog rejects plan to subsidize coal, nuclear sectors

+ U.S. utility regulator ponders grid reliability

+ U.S. blizzard to test gas, electric markets

+ 'Virtual gold' may glitter, but mining it can be really dirty

+ Science for a resilient EU power grid

+ Alaskan microgrids offer energy resilience and independence

20 percent more trees in megacities would mean cleaner air and water, lower carbon and energy use
New York NY (SPX) Jan 29, 2018

Planting 20 percent more trees in our megacities would double the benefits of urban forests, like pollution reduction, carbon sequestration and energy reduction, according to a study in Ecological Modelling. The authors of the study, which was carried out at Parthenope University of Naples in Italy, say city planners, residents and other stakeholders should start looking within cities for natura ... more

+ Coupling experiments to theory to build a better battery

+ Graphene girders doubles life of lithium batteries

+ Making fuel cells for a fraction of the cost

+ A new approach to rechargeable batteries

+ Siberian chemists have improved hydrogen sensors

+ Using electricity to switch magnetism

+ Hazardous contamination found around lead battery recycling plants in 7 African countries

China's first successful lunar laser ranging accomplished
Beijing (XNA) Jan 29, 2018

China has accomplished its first successful Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), with a 1.2-meter telescope laser ranging system. Based on the signals of laser pulses reflected by the lunar retro-reflector planted by the U.S. manned mission Apollo 15, the applied astronomy group from the Yunnan Observatories measured the distance between the Apollo 15 retro-reflector and the Yunnan Observatories gro ... more

+ No space for China's stay-at-home taikonauts

+ Yang Liwei looks back at China's first manned space mission

+ Backgrounder: China's six manned space missions

+ Space agency to pick those with the right stuff

+ China to select astronauts for its space station

+ China Focus: The making of heroes - the women and men of China's space program

+ China to launch first student satellite for scientific education

Microbes may help astronauts transform human waste into food
University Park PA (SPX) Jan 29, 2018

Human waste may one day be a valuable resource for astronauts on deep-space missions. Now, a Penn State research team has shown that it is possible to rapidly break down solid and liquid waste to grow food with a series of microbial reactors, while simultaneously minimizing pathogen growth. "We envisioned and tested the concept of simultaneously treating astronauts' waste with microbes whi ... more

+ Two US spacewalkers replace latching end of robotic arm

+ NASA-JAXA Joint Statement on Space Exploration

+ Space, the final frontier -- for nightclubs

+ Space station spacewalk postponed until mid-February

+ Orion Spacecraft Recovery Rehearsal Underway

+ Looking up a century ago, a vision of the future of space exploration

+ Explorer 1: The Beginning of American Space Science

European-Russian space mission steps up the search for life on Mars
Moscowm Russia (SPX) Jan 25, 2018

In 2013, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos - the Russian governmental body responsible for space research - agreed to cooperate on ExoMars, the first joint interplanetary mission between ESA and Russia. This project now involves scientists from 29 research organizations, including MIPT and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is the leading contributor of ... more

+ A vista from Mars rover looks back over journey so far

+ Opportunity prepares software update as Sol 5000 approaches

+ Mystery Solved for Mega-Avalanches in Tibet - and Perhaps on Mars

+ NASA's Next Mars Lander Spreads its Solar Wings

+ NASA tests power system to support manned missions to Mars

+ Dust storms linked to gas escape from Mars atmosphere

+ Opportunity gets dust cleaning and passes 45 kilometers of driving

Irish first as Elfordstown tracks and monitors Rocket Lab satellite deployment
Elfordstown, Ireland (SPX) Jan 24, 2018

US space launch provider Rocket Lab successfully reached orbit this weekend with the test flight of its second Electron orbital launch vehicle 'Still Testing' deploying 3 client satellites safely into space. The separation of the payload from the rocket was remotely tracked and monitored from Elfordstown Earthstation in Cork. This is the first time a satellite orbital insertion has been monitore ... more

+ Launch Vehicle Lingo

+ Ariane 5 satellites in orbit but not in right location yet

+ ASU student payloads selected to fly on Blue Origin space vehicle

+ Texas firm completes "tie down test flight" of suborbital SARGE Rocket

+ ULA to market Atlas V commercial launches

+ SpaceX CEO Sets Date for First Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch

+ Russia Working On Own, 100-Use, Environmentally Friendly Rocket

EU summons France, Germany, UK to 'final chance' pollution talks
Brussels (AFP) Jan 30, 2018

The EU summoned ministers from France, Germany, Britain and six other polluting member states for a "final chance" on Tuesday to comply with air quality standards. Brussels could follow through on threats to take them to the European Court of Justice, the bloc's highest tribunal, if they fail to change course. EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella "will give ministers the opportunity ... more

+ 'Toxic bloc' warned of EU legal action over air pollution

+ China's waste import ban upends global recycling industry

+ Global models offer new insights into Great Lakes mercury pollution

+ Temporary 'bathtub drains' in the ocean concentrate flotsam

+ Hong Kong engulfed in smog as fears grow over air

+ Southwest Iran suffocates under dust cloud

+ New research to help reduce number of algae blooms that form annually

California wants 5 million 'green' cars on roads by 2030
Los Angeles (AFP) Jan 27, 2018

California Governor Jerry Brown Friday signed an executive order detailing aims to have five million electric cars on the state's roads by 2030 - by accelerating the production of such vehicles using financial incentives and rebates. The $2.5 billion, eight-year plan also involves the installation of 250,000 electric vehicle charging stations and 200 hydrogen fueling stations by 2025. " ... more

+ Waymo ramps up self-driving fleet with 'thousands' of cars

+ Plug-in vehicles not yet straining U.S. grid

+ NREL research determines integration of plug-in electric vehicles

+ German carmakers under fire for diesel tests on humans, monkeys

+ Tesla founder Musk will only be paid if firm meets goals

+ China considers tech center for alternative energy vehicles

+ VW suspends chief lobbyist over emission tests on monkeys

Optical nanoscope allows imaging of quantum dots
Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 29, 2018

Physicists have developed a technique based on optical microscopy that can be used to create images of atoms on the nanoscale. In particular, the new method allows the imaging of quantum dots in a semiconductor chip. Together with colleagues from the University of Bochum, scientists from the University of Basel's Department of Physics and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute reported the findings in ... more

+ Touchy nanotubes work better when clean

+ On the rebound as nanoparticles self-heal

+ Ultra-thin optical fibers offer new way to 3-D print microstructures

+ Nanowrinkles could save billions in shipping and aquaculture

+ Building molecular wires, one atom at a time

+ Nanotube fibers in a jiffy

+ Silver nanoparticles take spectroscopy to new dimension

Updates on recovery attempts for NASA IMAGE mission
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 30, 2018

+ Better than a hologram: Research produces 3-D images floating in 'thin air'

+ Scientists achieve high power with new smaller laser

+ Contact with lost NASA satellite IMAGE confirmed

+ UK to launch new radar against 'severe' Russian threat

+ Aerojet Rocketdyne seeks to reduce debris with recent SBIRS launch

+ Putting everyday computer parts to space radiation test

+ Quantum cocktail provides insights on memory control

Dairy sector trembles at EU powdered milk mountain
Herstal, Belgium (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Hundreds of thousands of sacks of powdered milk lie stacked on pallets in a warehouse on a nondescript industrial estate in eastern Belgium: part of a vast EU stockpile that is causing dairy producers sleepless nights. The European Union, through its member states, bought up hundreds of millions of tonnes of powder from 2015 onwards in a bid to stabilise milk prices that were in freefall as ... more

+ Researchers reveal how microbes cope in phosphorus-deficient tropical soil

+ Root discovery may lead to crops that need less fertilizer

+ Ancient rice heralds a new future for rice production

+ New 'Buck' naked barley: Food, feed, brew

+ In sweet corn, workhorses win

+ New process could slash energy needs of fertilizer, nitrogen-based chemicals

+ Setback for Romanian farmer's bid to graze sheep near NATO base

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