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Russia's Robot FEDOR to Be the First to Fly to Space on Board New Spacecraft![]() Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 04, 2018 The new Russian manned spacecraft Federatsiya (Federation) is designed to deliver people and cargo to low earth orbit, as well as to the moon. The first such spaceship is expected to be commissioned by 2021. It will be a modernized version of the humanoid robot FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research) that is expected to be the first to fly to outer space on board the state-of-the-art manned spacecraft Federatsiya (Federation), Yevgeny Dudorov, technical director of the Russian rob ... read more  | 
 
Space Maid: Robot Harpoon and Net System to Attempt Space CleanupMoscow (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 harpoo ... 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  
'Ideas' conference to grapple with dark side of techSan Francisco (AFP) April 9, 2018 At a conference where thinkers and luminaries gather to discuss world-changing ideas and innovations, the talk is shifting to the dark side. ... more  | 
 
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Make way for the mini flying machinesNew Orleans LA (SPX) Mar 23, 2018 Tiny floating robots could be useful in all kinds of ways, for example, to probe the human gut for disease or to search the environment for pollutants. In a step toward such devices, researchers des ... more  
Pipe-crawling robot will help decommission DOE nuclear facilityPittsburgh PA (SPX) Mar 23, 2018 A pair of autonomous robots developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute will soon be driving through miles of pipes at the U.S. Department of Energy's former uranium enrichment plan ... more  
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 research  
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  | 
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Tokyo Tech's six-legged robots get closer to natureTokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 13, 2018 A study led by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) has uncovered new ways of driving multi-legged robots by means of a two-level controller. The proposed controller uses a netw ... more  
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  | 
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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 | 
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  ... more | 
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Next-generation electronics one leap closer to reality Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Apr 09, 2018  
In 1991, University of Utah chemist Joel Miller developed the first magnet with carbon-based, or organic, components that was stable at room temperature. It was a great advance in magnetics, and he's been exploring the applications ever since. 
Twenty-five years later, physicists Christoph Boehme and Valy Vardeny demonstrated a method to convert quantum waves into electrical current. They t ... 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 | 
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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 | 
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NREL research overcomes major technical obstacles in magnesium-metal batteries Golden CO (SPX) Apr 09, 2018  
Scientists at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered a new approach for developing a rechargeable non-aqueous magnesium-metal battery. 
A proof-of-concept paper published in Nature Chemistry detailed how the scientists pioneered a method to enable the reversible chemistry of magnesium metal in the noncorrosive carbonate-based electrolytes and  ... 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 | 
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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 | 
ExoMars poised to start science mission Paris (ESA) Apr 10, 2018  
The ExoMars orbiter will soon begin its search for gases that may be linked to active geological or biological activity on the Red Planet. 
The Trace Gas Orbiter has reached its final orbit after a year of 'aerobraking' that ended in February. This exciting operation saw the craft skimming through the very top of the upper atmosphere, using drag on its solar wings to transform its initial h ... more | 
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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 | 
Philippine tourist island in chaos as shutdown looms Manila (AFP) April 6, 2018   The Philippine tourism industry scrambled Friday to manage the fallout from the temporary shutdown of its world-famous Boracay island, which threw into chaos trips planned by hundreds of thousands of tourists. 
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the once-idyllic white-sand resort closed to tourists for up to six months from April 26, after describing the country's top tourist attraction as a " ... more | 
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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 | 
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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  ... more | 
In Cambodia, fears tarantula may go off the menu Skun, Cambodia (AFP) April 6, 2018  
 While a plate piled high with hairy, palm-sized tarantulas is the stuff of nightmares for some, these garlic fried spiders are a coveted treat in Cambodia, where the only fear is that they may soon vanish due to deforestation and unchecked hunting. 
Taking a bite out of the plump arachnids has become a popular photo-op for squealing tourists who pass through Skun, the central Cambodian town n ... more | 
 
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