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Rough terrain? No problem for beaver-inspired autonomous robot![]() Buffalo NY (SPX) Jul 04, 2018 Autonomous robots excel in factories and other manmade spaces, but they struggle with the randomness of nature. To help these machines overcome uneven terrain and other obstacles, University at Buffalo researchers have turned to beavers, termites and other animals that build structures in response to simple environmental cues, as opposed to following predetermined plans. "When a beaver builds a dam, it's not following a blueprint. Instead, it's reacting to moving water. It's trying to stop t ... read more |
Next-generation robotic cockroach can explore under water environmentsBoston MA (SPX) Jul 04, 2018 In nature, cockroaches can survive underwater for up to 30 minutes. Now, a robotic cockroach can do even better. Harvard's Ambulatory Microrobot, known as HAMR, can walk on land, swim on the surface ... more
MIT's Cheetah 3 robot avoids obstacles without the help of visionWashington (UPI) Jul 5, 2018 Cheetah 3, a robot designed by engineers at MIT, can run, jump and climb across complex terrain, avoiding obstacles along the way - all without the benefit of sight. ... more
Illinois' crop-counting robot earns top recognition at leading robotics conferenceUrbana IL (SPX) Jul 06, 2018 Today's crop breeders are trying to boost yields while also preparing crops to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in c ... more
'Flying brain' blasts off on cargo ship toward space stationTampa (AFP) June 29, 2018 A ball-shaped artificial intelligence robot nicknamed the "flying brain" because it is trained to follow and interact with a German astronaut blasted off Friday toward the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship. ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Jul 07 | Jul 06 | Jul 05 | Jul 04 | Jul 03 |
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NASA will seek partnership with US Industry to develop lunar gatewayWashington DC (SPX) Jun 25, 2018 As part of the agency's Exploration Campaign, NASA's Gateway will become the orbital outpost for robotic and human exploration operations in deep space. Built with commercial and international partn ... more
Rutgers researchers develop automated robotic device for faster blood testingNew Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jun 22, 2018 Rutgers researchers have created an automated blood drawing and testing device that provides rapid results, potentially improving the workflow in hospitals and other health-related institutions to a ... more
NASA, NSF plunge into ocean twilight zone to explore ecosystem carbon flowWashington DC (SPX) Jun 22, 2018 A large multidisciplinary team of scientists, equipped with advanced underwater robotics and an array of analytical instrumentation, will set sail for the northeastern Pacific Ocean this August. ... more
Shapeshifting minibots printed with 3-D 'ink'Paris (AFP) June 13, 2018 Engineers have created a soft, malleable 3-D "ink" to print devices that can roll, jump, even grasp objects at the wave of a magnet, they said on Wednesday. ... more
Robots learn by checking in on team membersThuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jun 19, 2018 The software and hardware needed to co-ordinate a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can communicate and work toward a common goal have recently been developed by KAUST researchers. ... more |
![]() Future robots need no motors
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 |
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'iPal' robot companion for China's lonely childrenShanghai (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. ... more
Cometh the cyborg: improved integration of living muscles into robotsTokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 12, 2018 The new field of biohybrid robotics involves the use of living tissue within robots, rather than just metal and plastic. Muscle is one potential key component of such robots, providing the driving f ... more
C2-A2 AGRODROID the world's new Smart Farming productMoscow, Russia (SPX) Jun 12, 2018 European software developer 'Cognitive Technologies' has developed the world's first industrial agrodroid for international agricultural market. Cognitive Technologies - one of the top develop ... 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
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 |
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Rolls-Royce awarded $420M contract for drone engines Washington (UPI) Jul 5, 2018
Rolls-Royce Corp. has been awarded a contract for the maintenance, repair and rebuilding of engines used on MQ-4C Triton and RQ-4 Global Hawk drones.
The contract, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, is valued at $420 million and provides for the maintenance, repair and rebuilding of AE 3007H engines, as well as for program management and sustaining engineering services. ... more |
Astronomer Reveals When Soviet-Era Interplanetary Station Will Crash to Earth Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 09, 2018
A station was unsuccessfully launched as a part of the USSR's space exploration program and has been orbiting the Earth ever since, but the station's deterioration is bringing its "homecoming" closer with each passing year.
The Kosmos 482 interplanetary station, which was unsuccessfully sent towards Venus in 1972 by the USSR, may crash land on Earth between 2023 and 2025, astronomer and co ... more |
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Scientists pump up chances for quantum computing Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Jul 06, 2018
University of Adelaide-led research has moved the world one step closer to reliable, high-performance quantum computing.
An international team has developed a ground-breaking single-electron "pump". The electron pump device developed by the researchers can produce one billion electrons per second and uses quantum mechanics to control them one-by-one. And it's so precise they have been able ... more |
Greenpeace activists 'crash' drone into French nuclear plant Lyon (AFP) July 3, 2018
Greenpeace activists said Tuesday they had flown a drone fitted out as a flying Superman into a nuclear energy plant in southeast France, aiming to show how the country's reactors are vulnerable to terror attacks.
A video released by the environmental group shows the drone zipping through restricted airspace above the Bugey plant about 25 kilometres (16 miles) outside Lyon before crashing in ... more |
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Building a chemical weapons detector with Legos Washington DC (SPX) Jun 28, 2018
Nerve agents are scary stuff. They are among the most deadly substances on earth, yet can be odorless, tasteless and difficult to detect. But researchers now report in ACS Central Science that they have adapted building materials normally associated with children's toys and a cell phone to help sense these compounds. The new method can sensitively detect these poisons, quantify the amount and di ... more |
Path to zero emissions starts out easy, but gets steep Washington DC (SPX) Jul 03, 2018
Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities must approach zero within several decades to avoid risking grave damage from the effects of climate change. This will require creativity and innovation, because some types of industrial sources of atmospheric carbon lack affordable emissions-free substitutes, according to a new paper in Science from team of experts led by University of California Ir ... more |
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New experimental results from the largest and most sophisticated stellerator Washington DC (SPX) Jul 04, 2018
An international team of scientists is running tests on the largest and most sophisticated stellerator, the Wendelstein 7-X fusion experiment. This complex machine is housed at the Max-Planck-Institute of Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany.
Besides preparing for new experiments, researchers are analyzing data from the first experiment campaign that took place in 2016, hoping to understa ... more |
China launches new space science program Beijing (XNA) Jul 06, 2018
China Wednesday launched a new space science program focusing on the origin and evolution of the universe, black holes, gravitational waves and relationship between the solar system and human.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced to develop a group of four satellites in the program.
The program includes a satellite named "Einstein-Probe (EP)", which is tasked with discover ... more |
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Successful Flight Testing Of Crew Escape System - Technology Demonstrator New Delhi (SPX) Jul 06, 2018
ISRO carried out a major technology demonstration July 05, 2018, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape System, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight.
The Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort.
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Mars to Pamper Gazers With Stunning Sight Amid NASA's Dust Storm Concerns Washington DC (Sputnik) Jul 06, 2018
On July 27 and several days afterwards, the Red Planet will become especially visible due to a so-called "opposition," with Earth coming equally close both to Mars and the sun, international media reported.
Although it generally occurs nearly every two years, this year is unique, as in light of a Martian year being almost twice as long and both planets orbiting more elliptically than circu ... more |
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China to develop new series of carrier rockets: expert Beijing (XNA) Jul 03, 2018
China aims to develop a new series of small, medium, large and heavy-lift Long March carrier rockets by 2030 to meet the demands of its space operations, according to an expert.
The capacity of Chinese rockets would reach 140 tonnes for low-Earth orbit, 44 tonnes for Earth-Mars transfer orbit, 50 tonnes for Earth-Moon transfer orbit and 66 tonnes for geosynchronous transfer orbit in 2030, ... more |
India's most populous state bans plastic, yet again New Delhi (AFP) July 6, 2018
India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, home to 220 million people, announced Friday a ban on plastic cups and polythene use from July 15, in its third such attempt.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to make India free of single-use plastic by 2022, and the majority of India's 29 states have a full or partial ban.
However the law is rarely enforced, and Uttar Pradesh's previou ... more |
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China's Baidu rolls out self-driving buses Beijing (AFP) July 4, 2018
China's internet giant Baidu announced Wednesday it had begun mass producing the country's first autonomous mini-bus, as the firm prepares to roll them out in tourist spots and airports.
CEO Robin Li watched the 100th vehicle roll off a production line of a factory in the southeastern city of Xiamen.
"2018 marks the first year of commercialisation for autonomous driving. From the mass pr ... 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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Astronomer Reveals When Soviet-Era Interplanetary Station Will Crash to Earth Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 09, 2018
A station was unsuccessfully launched as a part of the USSR's space exploration program and has been orbiting the Earth ever since, but the station's deterioration is bringing its "homecoming" closer with each passing year.
The Kosmos 482 interplanetary station, which was unsuccessfully sent towards Venus in 1972 by the USSR, may crash land on Earth between 2023 and 2025, astronomer and co ... more |
US farmers caught in trade war with China Harvard, United States (AFP) July 8, 2018
Terry Davidson expects to be farming long after the US-China trade tariffs that took effect Friday become a distant memory.
The Illinois soybean grower is more optimistic than others that things will work out, but many farmers in the Midwestern farm belt are not so sure, following the opening salvos in a trade war.
All are caught in the middle, after Washington on Friday imposed 25-perc ... more |
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