| 
 
 | 
Space Maid: Robot Harpoon and Net System to Attempt Space Cleanup![]() Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 05, 2018 Humanity has grown accustomed to autonomous cleaning robots since the Roomba's debut in 2002. Now, we might have an upgrade: scientists have sent a prototype satellite equipped with a net and harpoon to the International Space Station to be tested. If successful, RemoveDEBRIS will lead to technology that will clean up Earth's space junk for us. It's been 61 years since the first launch of a satellite, Sputnik 1, into Earth's orbit. That's a long time to go without cleaning up after yourself and sc ... read more  | 
 
NASA's Idea to Send Swarm of Robots to MarsMoscow (Sputnik) Apr 05, 2018 NASA has announced their intent to fund research which will send a swarm of Robot bees up to Mars to explore the red planet. Sputnik spoke to Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics at the Universi ... more  
Cargo-packed Dragon arrives at space stationTampa (AFP) April 4, 2018 SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship arrived Wednesday at the International Space Station, packed with food, gear and science experiments for the astronauts living in orbit. ... more  
Visual recognition: Seeing the world through the eyes of rodentsTrieste, Italy (SPX) Apr 05, 2018 Man or woman, happy or sad. Sometimes a glance is enough to say it. Yet, the visual process that allows us to recognize the gender or emotional state of a person is very sophisticated. Until recentl ... more  
OFFSET "Sprinters" to Pursue State-of-the-art Solutions for Second Swarm SprintWashington DC (SPX) Apr 03, 2018 DARPA's OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program envisions future small-unit infantry forces using small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and/or small unmanned ground systems (UGSs) in swarm ... more  | 
 
 | 
| Previous Issues | Apr 05 | Apr 04 | Apr 03 | Apr 02 | Apr 01 | 
| 
 | 
| 
 | 
 
How accurate is your AIKyoto, Japan (SPX) Mar 23, 2018 As AI's role in society continues to expand, J B Brown of the Graduate School of Medicine reports on a new evaluation method for the type of AI that predicts yes/positive/true or no/negative/false a ... more  
New 'AR' Mobile App Features 3-D NASA SpacecraftPasadena CA (JPL) Mar 21, 2018 NASA spacecraft travel to far-off destinations in space, but a new mobile app produced by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, brings spacecraft to users. The new app, called Spac ... more  
A new way to combine soft materialsBoston MA (SPX) Mar 20, 2018 Every complex human tool, from the first spear to latest smartphone, has contained multiple materials wedged, tied, screwed, glued or soldered together. But the next generation of tools, from autono ... more  
Scientists mimic neural tissue in Army-funded researchResearch Triangle Park NC (SPX) Mar 18, 2018 U.S. Army-funded researchers at Brandeis University have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue. ... more  
360 Video: Tour a Mars Robot Test LabPasadena CA (JPL) Mar 12, 2018 NASA's InSight lander looks a bit like an oversized crane game: when it lands on Mars this November, its robotic arm will be used to grasp and move objects on another planet for the first time. ... more  | 
![]() Tokyo Tech's six-legged robots get closer to nature  
Next NASA Mars Rover Reaches Key Manufacturing MilestonePasadena CA (JPL) Mar 14, 2018 NASA's Mars 2020 mission has begun the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase of its development, on track for a July 2020 launch to Mars. The first planned ATLO activities will inv ... more  | 
| 
 | 
 
Scientists Share Ideas for Gateway Activities Near the MoonWashington DC (SPX) Mar 08, 2018 NASA is looking at how the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway can create value for both robotic and human exploration in deep space. In late 2017, the agency asked the global science community to submit ... more  
Self-driving robots collect water samples to create snapshots of ocean microbesHonolulu HI (SPX) Mar 14, 2018 For the first time, scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UH Manoa) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) will deploy a small fleet of long-range autonomous underwat ... more  
Ag robot speeds data collection, analyses of crops as they growChampaign IL (SPX) Mar 14, 2018 A new lightweight, low-cost agricultural robot could transform data collection and field scouting for agronomists, seed companies and farmers. The TerraSentia crop phenotyping robot, developed ... more  
Robotic spiders and bees: The rise of bioinspired microrobotsManchester UK (SPX) Mar 06, 2018 Jumping robot spiders and swarms of robotic bees sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers at The University of Manchester are already working on such projects and aiming to lead the ... more  
Novel 3-D printing method embeds sensing capabilities within robotic actuatorsBoston MA (SPX) Mar 06, 2018 Researchers at Harvard University have built soft robots inspired by nature that can crawl, swim, grasp delicate objects and even assist a beating heart, but none of these devices has been able to s ... more  | 
  | 
| 
OFFSET "Sprinters" to Pursue State-of-the-art Solutions for Second Swarm Sprint Washington DC (SPX) Apr 03, 2018  
DARPA's OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program envisions future small-unit infantry forces using small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and/or small unmanned ground systems (UGSs) in swarms of 250 robots or more to accomplish diverse missions in complex urban environments. By leveraging and combining emerging technologies in swarm autonomy and human-swarm teaming, the program seeks to  ... more | 
Berkeley Lab scientists print all-liquid 3-D structures Berkeley CA (SPX) Apr 04, 2018  
Scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil - sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. 
They envision their all-liquid material could be used to construct liquid electron ... more | 
 | 
| 
Broadcom moves back to the US San Francisco (AFP) April 5, 2018  
 Semi-conductor manufacturer Broadcom, which recently failed in a bid to buy US rival Qualcomm, has transferred its headquarters from Singapore to the US as promised. 
The move effective Wednesday was approved by shareholders on March 23 and then endorsed by the High Court of the Republic of Singapore on April 2, the company said. 
"The completion of our redomiciliation to the United States ... more | 
Nuclear safety: AREVA develops an innovative technology for reactor inspection Paris, France (SPX) Apr 05, 2018  
AREVA has developed a cutting-edge technology for nuclear reactor vessel inspections that optimizes both the safety and reliability of operations. The automated tool, known as Lower Girth Weld Inspection Tool (LGWIT), allows plant personnel to remotely perform inspections through narrow gaps of the reactor vessel internals. 
The tool's remote operation replaces the need for direct human int ... more | 
 | 
| 
Arrest over suspicious packages sent to US military bases, CIA Washington (AFP) March 27, 2018  
 A 43-year-old man has been arrested after around a dozen packages containing potentially explosive material were posted to military and intelligence facilities around the US capital, the FBI said Tuesday. 
Thanh Cong Phan, who lives near the northwestern city of Seattle, was taken into custody after the FBI "determined that the packages contained potential destructive devices and appeared to  ... more | 
Trump rolls back Obama-era fuel efficiency rules Washington (AFP) April 2, 2018   The Trump administration rolled back Obama-era pollution and fuel efficiency rules for cars and light trucks on Monday, saying they were too stringent.  
The decision by President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency means the emission standards for vehicles in the 2022-2025 model years will be revised, as sought by automakers. 
"The Obama administration's determination was wrong ... more | 
 | 
| 
Engineers turn plastic insulator into heat conductor Boston MA (SPX) Apr 04, 2018  
Plastics are excellent insulators, meaning they can efficiently trap heat - a quality that can be an advantage in something like a coffee cup sleeve. But this insulating property is less desirable in products such as plastic casings for laptops and mobile phones, which can overheat, in part because the coverings trap the heat that the devices produce. 
Now a team of engineers at MIT has dev ... more | 
China's 'space dream': A Long March to the moon Beijing (AFP) April 2, 2018  
 The plunge back to Earth of a defunct Chinese space laboratory will not slow down Beijing's ambitious plans to send humans to the moon. 
The Tiangong-1 space module, which crashed Monday, was intended to serve as a stepping stone to a manned station, but its problems highlight the difficulties of exploring outer space. 
But China has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United  ... more | 
 | 
| 
Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered Unity space craft launch Washington (UPI) Apr 5, 2018   Virgin Galactic successfully launched and landed its Unity spacecraft by rocket power, completing its first powered flight in almost four years. 
 Richard Branson's space company shared a photo of the SpaceShipTwo model spacecraft as it blasted into the air above the Mojave Air and Space Port before going supersonic and landing safely. 
 "VSS Unity completed her first supersonic, roc ... more | 
NASA's Idea to Send Swarm of Robots to Mars Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 05, 2018  
NASA has announced their intent to fund research which will send a swarm of Robot bees up to Mars to explore the red planet. Sputnik spoke to Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics at the University of Edinburgh, and former judge of the BBC's robot wars, about the 'swarm' technology format. 
 b>Sputnik:  /b>What is it about the bee as an insect that would make it a good model for NASA's M ... more | 
 | 
| 
Rocket Lab 'Its Business Time' launch window to open 20 April 2018 NZT Huntington Beach CA (SPX) Apr 05, 2018  
US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has confirmed it will open a 14-day launch window this month to conduct the company's first fully commercial launch. The mission, named 'It's Business Time', includes manifested payloads for Spire Global and GeoOptics Inc., built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. 
The 14-day 'It's Business Time' launch window will open on Friday April 20, 2018 NZT. Durin ... more | 
Philippines to close Boracay island to tourists for six months Manila (AFP) April 5, 2018  
 The Philippines has announced its best-known holiday island Boracay will be closed to tourists for six months over concerns that the once idyllic white-sand resort has become a "cesspool" tainted by dumped sewage. 
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the shutdown to start April 26, his spokesman Harry Roque said late Wednesday on Twitter, without providing further detail. 
The dec ... more | 
 | 
| 
US investigating fatal Tesla crash in California San Francisco (AFP) March 27, 2018  
 US federal investigators said Tuesday they were examining a fatal crash last week involving a Tesla electric automobile in California. 
The California Highway Patrol reported that a 38-year-old man died Friday after his 2017 Tesla Model X collided with a highway barrier near the town of Mountain View, according to The San Jose Mercury News. 
The vehicle caught fire before two other approac ... more | 
A treasure trove for nanotechnology experts Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 21, 2018  
2D materials, which consist of a few layers of atoms, may well be the future of nanotechnology. They offer potential new applications and could be used in small, higher-performance and more energy-efficient devices. 2D materials were first discovered almost 15 years ago, but only a few dozen of them have been synthesized so far. 
Now, thanks to an approach developed by researchers from EPFL ... more | 
 | 
| 
Berkeley Lab scientists print all-liquid 3-D structures Berkeley CA (SPX) Apr 04, 2018  
Scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil - sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. 
They envision their all-liquid material could be used to construct liquid electron ... more | 
Satellites, supercomputers, and machine learning provide real-time crop type data Urbana IL (SPX) Apr 06, 2018  
Corn and soybean fields look similar from space - at least they used to. But now, scientists have proven a new technique for distinguishing the two crops using satellite data and the processing power of supercomputers. 
"If we want to predict corn or soybean production for Illinois or the entire United States, we have to know where they are being grown," says Kaiyu Guan, assistant professor ... more | 
 
 | 
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement | 
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |