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NASA plans to send mini-helicopter to Mars![]() Tampa (AFP) May 11, 2018 The US space agency said Friday it plans to launch the first-ever helicopter to Mars in 2020, a miniature, unmanned drone-like chopper that could boost our understanding of the Red Planet. Known simply as "The Mars Helicopter," the device weighs less than four pounds (1.8 kilograms), and its main body section, or fuselage, is about the size of a softball. It will be attached to the belly pan of the Mars 2020 rover, a wheeled robot that aims to determine the habitability of the Martian environmen ... read more |
Finnish robot car aims for 24/7 driving - also sees through fogHelsinki, Finland (SPX) May 14, 2018 VTT's robot car, Marilyn, sees better than humans in foggy, and even snowy, conditions, and can now navigate without stopping - including in bad weather. It can also see a human through fog and avoi ... more
Human-sounding Google Assistant sparks ethics questionsSan Francisco (AFP) May 10, 2018 The new Google digital assistant converses so naturally it may seem like a real person. ... more
Google pitches artificial intelligence to help unplugMountain View, United States (AFP) May 9, 2018 Google unveiled Tuesday an artificial intelligence tool capable of handling routine tasks - such as making restaurant bookings - as a way to help people disconnect from their smartphone screens. ... more
First robotic system plays tic tac toe to improve task performanceNew York NY (SPX) May 07, 2018 Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer-Sheva, Israel have demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of a robotic system that plays Tic Tac Toe with rehabilitation pa ... more |
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| Previous Issues | May 11 | May 10 | May 09 | May 08 | May 07 |
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Scientists shocked as NASA cuts only moon roverTampa (AFP) Apr 28, 2018 In a move that shocked lunar scientists, NASA has cancelled the only robotic vehicle under development to explore the surface of the Moon, despite President Donald Trump's vow to return people there ... more
Interview with a robot: AI revolution hits human resourcesParis (AFP) April 27, 2018 You have a telephone interview for your dream job, and you're feeling nervous. You make yourself a cup of tea as you wait for the phone to ring, and you count to three before picking up. ... more
Transparent eel-like soft robot can swim silently underwaterSan Diego CA (SPX) Apr 26, 2018 An innovative, eel-like robot developed by engineers and marine biologists at the University of California can swim silently in salt water without an electric motor. Instead, the robot uses artifici ... more
Invertebrates inspire first fully 3-D printed active materials for robotsAdelphi MD (SPX) Apr 22, 2018 To overcome the material rigidity and actuation limitations in current robotic systems, a joint U.S. Army Research Laboratory and University of Minnesota research project sought inspiration from inv ... more
China's 'makers' battle mistrust in hi-tech communityShenzhen, China (AFP) April 24, 2018 Engineers, computer programmers and children tinker with self-made radio-controlled toy cars and robotic arms in China's southern city of Shenzhen, home to "makers" who belie the country's reputation as a hub for technology copycats. ... more |
![]() For heavy lifting, use exoskeletons with caution
Face recognition for galaxies: Artificial intelligence brings new tools to astronomySanta Cruz CA (SPX) Apr 24, 2018 A machine learning method called "deep learning," which has been widely used in face recognition and other image- and speech-recognition applications, has shown promise in helping astronomers analyz ... more |
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A robot by NTU Singapore autonomously assembles an IKEA chairSingapore (SPX) Apr 19, 2018 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a robot that can autonomously assemble an IKEA chair without interruption. Designed by Assistant Professor ... more
Researchers design 'soft' robots that can move on their ownHouston TX (SPX) Apr 19, 2018 If Star Wars' R2-D2 is your idea of a robot, think again. Researchers led by a University of Houston engineer have reported a new class of soft robot, composed of ultrathin sensing, actuating electr ... more
Two robots are better than one for NIST's 5G antenna measurement researchWashington DC (SPX) Apr 17, 2018 Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continue to pioneer new antenna measurement methods, this time for future 5G wireless communications systems. NIST's ne ... more
Storm hunter in positionParis (ESA) Apr 16, 2018 The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, also known as the Space Storm Hunter, was installed outside the European space laboratory Columbus. Operators in Canada commanded the International S ... more
UK designer Christopher Raeburn transforms the unexpectedLondon, United Kingdom (AFP) April 13, 2018 After a childhood building tree houses and robots, British designer Christopher Raeburn has made a career out of transforming unusual materials - including parachutes - into clothes ready for the catwalk. ... more |
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Gremlins on Track for Demonstration Flights in 2019 Washington DC (SPX) May 11, 2018 DARPA is progressing toward its plan to demonstrate airborne launch and recovery of multiple unmanned aerial systems (UASs), targeted for late 2019. Now in its third and final phase, the goal for the Gremlins program is to develop a full-scale technology demonstration featuring the air recovery of multiple low-cost, reusable UASs, or "gremlins."
Safety, reliability, and affordability are t ... more |
Step aside Superman, steel is no competition for this new material Washington DC (SPX) May 10, 2018
When it comes to materials, there is no question as to who wins the strongman competition. Spider silk is known as being the strongest fabric, and steel, ceramics and glass fibers are the best building materials. But now, researchers are reporting in ACS Nano that specially arranged nano-sized cellulose fibers are the strongest material of them all, in a move that might cause some to re-name Sup ... more |
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Smart microchip can self-start and operate when battery runs out Singapore (SPX) May 04, 2018 The Internet of Things (IoT), while still in its infancy, is shaping the future of many industries and will also impact our daily lives in significant ways. One of the key challenges of moving IoT devices from concept to reality is to have long-lasting operation under tightly constrained energy sources, thus demanding extreme power efficiency. IoT devices - such as sensors - are often deployed o ... more |
Demonstration proves nuclear fission system can provide space exploration power Cleveland OH (SPX) May 03, 2018
NASA and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have successfully demonstrated a new nuclear reactor power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond.
NASA announced the results of the demonstration, called the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment,during a news conference We ... more |
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Pentagon probe finds training, command issues in Niger ambush Washington (AFP) May 10, 2018 A comprehensive probe into last year's deadly attack on US and local forces in Niger uncovered a series of avoidable blunders leading up to the assault, the Pentagon said Thursday.
Four American soldiers and four members of Nigerien partner forces were killed in the October 4 ambush, when scores of jihadists overran their convoy in southwestern Niger, near the Mali border.
While the Pent ... more |
Carbon taxes can be both fair and effective, study shows Boston MA (SPX) Apr 11, 2018
Putting a price on carbon, in the form of a fee or tax on the use of fossil fuels, coupled with returning the generated revenue to the public in one form or another, can be an effective way to curb emissions of greenhouse gases. That's one of the conclusions of an extensive analysis of several versions of such proposals, carried out by researchers at MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laborat ... more |
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Heat and sound wave interactions in solids could run engines, refrigerators West Lafayette, IN (SPX) May 11, 2018 A solid can serve as a medium for heat and sound wave interactions just like a fluid does for thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators - resulting in leak-free machines that can stay operating longer.
Leaky systems have limited how engineers design thermoacoustic devices that rely on the interplay between temperature oscillations and sound waves. Researchers at Purdue and the University of ... more |
Sunrise for China's commercial space industry? Beijing (XNA) May 14, 2018
Launching rockets and satellites has long been the preserve of China's state-owned aerospace companies, but private space firms are now popping up hoping to find gold in the space dust.
A report by Beijing-based investment institution FutureAerospace says more than 60 private Chinese firms have entered the commercial space industry over the past three years, focusing on the production and ... more |
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Russia Offers Space Tourist Flight to US, European Astronauts, UAE Citizen Moscow (Sputnik) May 09, 2018
A United Arab Emirates (UAE) national currently stands as the main candidate to become a space tourist on the International Space Station (ISS) in the spring of 2019, although similar offers of this opportunity were also sent to US-based company Space Adventures, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, sources told Sputnik.
The tourist is supposed to arrive at the ISS on board Russia's S ... more |
Opportunity team continues studies on origin of 'Perseverance Valley' Pasadena CA (JPL) May 14, 2018
Opportunity is only halfway down in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour crater, pursuing several scientific hypotheses as to the origin of the valley including both water and wind erosion.
The next objective is to investigate some tabular rocks up close that are of interest to the science team. On Sol 5074 (May 3, 2018), Opportunity backed up about 6.07 feet (1.85 meters) to ... more |
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TDM Bridge Builder: Daniel Herman, Solar Electric Propulsion System Lead Huntsville AL (SPX) May 09, 2018
When it comes to NASA's Solar Electric Propulsion project, Daniel Herman helps lead the charge.
As an experienced electric propulsion team lead at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, he was a natural choice for the SEP project's electric propulsion system lead, providing technical oversight for all activities tied to the project - an alternative to using conventional chemical system ... more |
Toxic water fears in Pakistan region infamous for deformities Kot Assadullah, Pakistan (AFP) May 11, 2018 Basharat Ali was 15 when his legs began to falter, a condition doctors have blamed on polluted water in a Pakistani region infamous for the deformities that afflict many of its people.
Too weak to carry his own schoolbag, he was taken to hospital, where doctors said water laden with toxic levels of arsenic, fluoride, minerals and various metals was to blame.
"It was a big blow to me as I ... more |
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Self-driving cars for country roads Boston MA (SPX) May 10, 2018
Uber's recent self-driving car fatality underscores the fact that the technology is still not ready for widespread adoption. One reason is that there aren't many places where self-driving cars can actually drive. Companies like Google only test their fleets in major cities where they've spent countless hours meticulously labeling the exact 3D positions of lanes, curbs, off-ramps and stop signs. ... more |
A new Bose-Einstein condensate created at Aalto University Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Apr 22, 2018
Nearly a hundred years ago, Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose predicted that quantum mechanics can force a large number of particles to behave in concert as if they were only a single particle. The phenomenon is called Bose-Einstein condensation, and it took until 1995 to create the first such condensate of a gas of alkali atoms.
Although Bose-Einstein condensation has been observed ... more |
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Step aside Superman, steel is no competition for this new material Washington DC (SPX) May 10, 2018
When it comes to materials, there is no question as to who wins the strongman competition. Spider silk is known as being the strongest fabric, and steel, ceramics and glass fibers are the best building materials. But now, researchers are reporting in ACS Nano that specially arranged nano-sized cellulose fibers are the strongest material of them all, in a move that might cause some to re-name Sup ... more |
Cassava breeding hasn't improved photosynthesis or yield potential Urbana IL (SPX) May 14, 2018
Cassava is a staple in the diet of more than one billion people across 105 countries, yet this "orphaned crop" has received little attention compared to popular crops like corn and soybeans. While advances in breeding have helped cassava withstand pests and diseases, cassava yields no more s than it did in 1963. Corn yields, by comparison, have more than doubled.
University of Illinois res ... more |
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