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'iPal' robot companion for China's lonely children![]() Shanghai (AFP) June 14, 2018 It speaks two languages, gives math lessons, tells jokes and interacts with children through the tablet screen in its chest - China's latest robot is the babysitter every parent needs. The "iPal" was among a slew of new tech unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show Asia in Shanghai this week, offering education and company for lonely children and peace of mind for adults. The humanoid device stands as tall as a five-year-old, moves and dances on wheels and its eyes keep track of its charges t ... read more  | 
 
New Tesla software to offer 'full' autonomy, Musk saysWashington (AFP) June 11, 2018 An update to Tesla's Autopilot software coming in August will enable "full self-driving features" for the automaker's electric cars, chief executive Elon Musk says. ... more  
New NASA position to focus on exploration of Moon, Mars and worlds beyondWashington DC (SPX) Jun 13, 2018 NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is taking a giant leap focusing the agency's exploration of the Moon, Mars and our Solar System. Effective immediately, Steve Clarke is SMD's Deputy As ... more  
A fast, low-voltage actuator for soft and wearable roboticsSanta Barbara CA (SPX) Jun 18, 2018 In the world of robotics, soft robots are the new kids on the block. The unique capabilities of these automata are to bend, deform, stretch, twist or squeeze in all the ways that conventional rigid ... more  
Self-healing material a breakthrough for bio-inspired roboticsPittsburgh PA (SPX) Jun 12, 2018 Many natural organisms have the ability to repair themselves. Now, manufactured machines will be able to mimic this property. In findings published this week in Nature Materials, researchers at Carn ... more  | 
 
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Aerial robot that can morph in flightMarseille, France (SPX) Jun 01, 2018 Marking a world first, researchers from the Etienne Jules Marey Institute of Movement Sciences (CNRS / Aix-Marseille Universite) have drawn inspiration from birds to design an aerial robot capable o ... more  
Cell-like nanorobots clear bacteria and toxins from bloodSan Diego CA (SPX) Jun 05, 2018 Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed tiny ultrasound-powered robots that can swim through blood, removing harmful bacteria along with the toxins they produce. These pro ... more  
Researchers use magnets to move tiny DNA-based nano-devicesColumbus OH (SPX) Jun 04, 2018 Researchers have devised a magnetic control system to make tiny DNA-based robots move on demand - and much faster than recently possible. In the journal Nature Communications, Carlos Castro and Ratn ... more  
Opportunity Mars rover ready to study rock targets up closeMoscow (Sputnik) May 31, 2018 Opportunity is halfway down in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater, pursuing hypotheses as to the origin of the valley. The rover is still positioned near some tabular ro ... more  
'Smart' material enables novel applications in autonomous driving and roboticsLuxembourg (SPX) May 30, 2018 Research led by scientists from the University of Luxembourg has shown the potential of liquid crystal shells as enabling material for a vast array of future applications, ranging from autonomous dr ... more  | 
![]() An elastic fiber filled with electrodes set to revolutionize smart clothes  
New robot concept uses responsive materials to swim through waterPasadena CA (SPX) May 16, 2018 Engineers at Caltech and ETH Zurich have developed robots capable of self-propulsion without using any motors, servos, or power supply. Instead, these first-of-their-kind devices paddle through wate ... more  | 
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NASA: Commercial Partners Key to Sustainable Moon PresenceWashington DC (SPX) May 25, 2018 As NASA shifts human exploration back to the Moon, U.S. commercial partnerships will be a key to expediting missions and building a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. The agency is orchestra ... more  
Opportunity Collects Panoramas for Site Awareness and Future Drive PlanningPasadena CA (JPL) May 25, 2018 Opportunity is still about halfway down in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater, pursuing hypotheses as to the origin of the valley. The rover is positioned next to some t ... more  
Aerojet Rocketdyne demonstrates low-cost, high thrust space engineRedmond WA (SPX) May 24, 2018 Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully completed hot-fire testing of a new in-space engine, designated ISE-100. Developed for commercial in-space applications, ISE-100 has the potential to be a critical el ... more  
Robotic assembly of the world's smallest houseWashington DC (SPX) May 21, 2018 A French nanorobotics team from the Femto-ST Institute in Besancon, France, assembled a new microrobotics system that pushes forward the frontiers of optical nanotechnologies. Combining several exis ... more  
Autonomous glider can fly like an albatross, cruise like a sailboatBoston MA (SPX) May 18, 2018 MIT engineers have designed a robotic glider that can skim along the water's surface, riding the wind like an albatross while also surfing the waves like a sailboat. In regions of high wind, t ... more  | 
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NASA flies large unmanned aircraft in public airspace without chase plane for first time Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Jun 18, 2018  
NASA's remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully flew its first mission in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft on Tuesday. This historic flight moves the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots. 
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Reaktor Space Lab and VTT investigate a new frequency band for telecommunications satellites Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 15, 2018  
Reaktor Space Lab and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are participating in an ESA project, which involves investigating a new frequency band for next-generation telecommunication satellites. 
A nanosatellite to be constructed as part of the project will feature a Finnish platform and radio transmitter. As the number of satellites and the speed required for data communications incre ... more | 
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Designer materials with completely random structures might enable quantum computing Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 18, 2018  
Topological randomness may be the answer for lossless electronics and making the nuts and bolts of quantum computers. Complete randomness in the structures of superconductors and insulators could lower the requirements of pristine crystalline ordering - and make them more accessible to industry. 
Designing quantum materials with exotic and unprecedented electrical properties has the field o ... more | 
Bulgarian parliament moves to revive nuclear project Sofia (AFP) June 7, 2018  
 Bulgaria's parliament opened the way Thursday to revive a long-delayed project to build a new nuclear power plant by tasking the energy minister to hold talks with potential strategic investors. 
The decision was backed by 172 MPs from all parties in the 240-seat chamber, with only 14 voting against. 
It will allow Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to enter into negotiations with possible ... more | 
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Iraqi refugee held in France on suspicion of IS 'war crimes' Paris (AFP) June 8, 2018  
 An Iraqi refugee in France thought to be a former senior member of the Islamic State group has been arrested in Paris and indicted on suspicion of "war crimes" over his alleged involvement in a massacre in his country. 
The 33-year-old man, referred to as Ahmed H, is accused of having participated in the June 2014 capture and execution of an estimated 1,700 young, mainly Shiite army recruits  ... more | 
Hong Kong consortium makes $9.8 bn bid for Australia's APA Sydney (AFP) June 13, 2018  
 A consortium led by Hong Kong's CK Infrastructure Holdings made an unsolicited Aus$13 billion (US$9.8 billion) bid for gas pipeline company APA Wednesday, with the Australian firm agreeing to open its books. 
APA's assets include gas transmission pipelines and storage, along with wind and solar farms across Australia. The firm's website said its 15,000 kilometres (9,300 miles) of gas pipeline ... more | 
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Rutgers-led research could lead to more efficient electronics New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jun 18, 2018  
A Rutgers-led team of physicists has demonstrated a way to conduct electricity between transistors without energy loss, opening the door to low-power electronics and, potentially, quantum computing that would be far faster than today's computers. 
Their findings, which involved using a special mix of materials with magnetic and insulator properties, are published online in Nature Physics.  ... more | 
China confirms reception of data from Gaofen-6 satellite Beijing (XNA) Jun 07, 2018  
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed that one of its institutes Monday successfully tracked and received imaging data from the newly-launched Earth observation satellite Gaofen-6. 
The Aerospace Information Research Institute said the Miyun station of China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station received the first batch of observation data from the Gaofen-6 satellite. There was  ... more | 
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Peggy Whitson, NASA's most experienced astronaut, retires Washington (UPI) Jun 15, 2018  
 After nearly four decades with NASA, including 22 years as an astronaut, Peggy Whitson is leaving the space agency. Her retirement is effective Friday, NASA announced. 
 "It's been the greatest honor to live out my lifelong dream of being a @NASA Astronaut," Whitson wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to the #NASAVillage and all who have supported me along the way. As I reminisce on my many trea ... more | 
NASA spacecraft studying massive Martian dust storm Washington (UPI) Jun 14, 2018  
 A record dust storm has been swirling on Mars for nearly two weeks. While the weather has forced the Opportunity rover to bunker down and suspend all scientific activities, several other spacecraft are taking the opportunity to study the storm. 
 "This is the ideal storm for Mars science," Jim Watzin, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, said in a news release. " ... more | 
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Girls' Rocketry Challenge team wins three awards at national model rocketry competition Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 13, 2018  
Three school teams from the second cycle of the Girls' Rocketry Challenge (GRC), Lockheed Martin's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education program in Japan, have successfully competed in the 32nd National Model Rocketry Competition, taking home three awards. The competition, held at JAXA, Tsukuba on May 19, marks the final milestone of the program. 
The team from I ... more | 
Delhi reels as summer haze catches Indian capital off guard New Delhi (AFP) June 14, 2018  
 Air pollution soared in New Delhi on Thursday to hazardous levels rarely seen outside winter as sand blown from deserts enveloped the Indian capital in a once-in-a-decade phenomenon. 
Doctors warned the grit carried by hot summer winds posed serious health risks to the city of 20 million and there was little to do "but pray for rain". 
Smog spikes during winter in Delhi, already one of the ... more | 
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New Tesla software to offer 'full' autonomy, Musk says Washington (AFP) June 11, 2018  
 An update to Tesla's Autopilot software coming in August will enable "full self-driving features" for the automaker's electric cars, chief executive Elon Musk says. 
Musk's comments come amid a race by automakers and tech firms to roll out fully autonomous vehicles, but also rising concerns about the safety of robotic systems. 
The Tesla founder made the disclosure in a Twitter conversatio ... more | 
Squeezing light at the nanoscale Boston MA (SPX) Jun 18, 2018  
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new technique to squeeze infrared light into ultra-confined spaces, generating an intense, nanoscale antenna that could be used to detect single biomolecules. 
The researchers harnessed the power of polaritons, particles that blur the distinction between light and matter. This ultra ... more | 
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Reaktor Space Lab and VTT investigate a new frequency band for telecommunications satellites Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jun 15, 2018  
Reaktor Space Lab and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are participating in an ESA project, which involves investigating a new frequency band for next-generation telecommunication satellites. 
A nanosatellite to be constructed as part of the project will feature a Finnish platform and radio transmitter. As the number of satellites and the speed required for data communications incre ... more | 
Unusual Supreme Court tie hands victory to Native Americans, salmon Washington (AFP) June 11, 2018  
 A rare US Supreme Court deadlock on Monday is being hailed as a victory for the Pacific salmon and Native American fishing rights. 
The court tied 4-4 in a case pitting Washington state against the northwestern state's 21 Native American tribes. 
The deadlock leaves in place a lower court ruling that required Washington state to make costly repairs to road culverts that impede salmon migra ... more | 
 
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