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An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impact![]() Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jul 26, 2018 In recent years, robotics experts have taken a page from the traditional Japanese practice of origami and come up with light and flexible - and highly innovative - robots and drones. Two types of origami-inspired structures have emerged: rigid structures that have a certain weight-bearing capacity but that break if that capacity is exceeded, and flexible yet resilient structures that cannot carry much of a load at all. EPFL researchers, applying what they observed about insect wings, have develope ... read more |
US Army selects Lockheed Martin as integrated systems developer for autonomous convoy programDallas TX (SPX) Jul 31, 2018 Lockheed Martin was selected by the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) as the Integrated Systems Developer for its Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) pro ... more
Cell-sized robots can sense their environmentBoston MA (SPX) Jul 25, 2018 Researchers at MIT have created what may be the smallest robots yet that can sense their environment, store data, and even carry out computational tasks. These devices, which are about the size of a ... more
If only AI had a brainPittsburgh PA (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Digital computation has rendered nearly all forms of analog computation obsolete since as far back as the 1950s. However, there is one major exception that rivals the computational power of the most ... more
Army researchers teaching robots to be more reliable teammates for soldiersAdelphi MD (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University developed a new technique to quickly teach robots novel traversal behaviors with minimal hum ... more |
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Emotional robot lets you feel how it's 'feeling'Ithaca NY (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 Cornell University researchers have developed a prototype of a robot that can express "emotions" through changes in its outer surface. The robot's skin covers a grid of texture units whose shapes ch ... more
In China, yellow robots deliver snacks to your homeBeijing (AFP) July 18, 2018 Along a quiet residential street on the outer edges of Beijing, a yellow and black cube about the size of a small washing machine trundles leisurely to its destination. ... more
Maxar Technologies' MDA Announces Acquisition of Neptec Design GroupBrampton, Canada (SPX) Jul 18, 2018 MDA reports it has acquired Neptec Design Group Ltd. (Neptec), the leading electro-optical and electro-mechanical systems and high-performance intelligent Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) company ... more
Training artificial intelligence with artificial X-raysToronto, Canada (SPX) Jul 17, 2018 Artificial intelligence (AI) holds real potential for improving both the speed and accuracy of medical diagnostics. But before clinicians can harness the power of AI to identify conditions in images ... more
Reducing the Data Demands of Smart MachinesWashington DC (SPX) Jul 13, 2018 Machine learning (ML) systems today learn by example, ingesting tons of data that has been individually labeled by human analysts to generate a desired output. As these systems have progressed, deep ... more |
![]() Dutch city to unveil world's first 3D-printed housing complex
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 |
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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
Rough terrain? No problem for beaver-inspired autonomous robotBuffalo 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 a ... 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
'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
Low-cost prosthetic foot mimics natural walkingBoston MA (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Prosthetic limb technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, giving amputees a range of bionic options, including artificial knees controlled by microchips, sensor-laden feet driven by artificial in ... more |
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AeroVironment awarded contract for drone data links for Norway Washington (UPI) Jul 27, 2018
AeroVironment, of Simi Valley, Calif., has received a $17.6 million contract for Digital Data Link M1 systems for two unmanned aerial vehicles of the U.S. Army.
The contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, provides for RQ-20B Puma AE II U.S. Digital Data Link M1 and RQ-12A Wasp Block IV U.S. Digital Data Link M1 systems and support. The project falls under foreign mili ... more |
Tech titans jostle as Pentagon calls for cloud contract bids Washington (AFP) July 26, 2018
US defense officials unveiled Thursday a much-anticipated final request for tech firms to bid on a massive contract to provide the Pentagon with a comprehensive cloud computing service.
Tech titans including Amazon and Microsoft have already spent months jockeying for a winning offer on the prestigious contract, which could be worth as much as $10 billion over a decade.
The Joint Enterpr ... more |
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EPFL uses excitons to take electronics into the future Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Excitons could revolutionize the way engineers approach electronics. A team of EPFL researchers has created a new type of transistor - one of the components of circuits - using these particles instead of electrons. What is remarkable is that their exciton-based transistor functions effectively at room temperature, a hitherto insurmountable obstacle.
They achieved this by using two 2D mater ... more |
Framatome becomes main distributor of Chesterton valve packing and seals for the nuclear energy industry Paris (SPX) Jul 27, 2018
Framatome recently signed a teaming agreement with AW Chesterton to become the exclusive distributor of its valve packing and mechanical seals to the majority of North America's nuclear energy fleet.
This agreement expands Framatome's valve and actuator machinery solutions, as well as its fluid sealing product lines, further solidifying the company's Nuclear Parts Center (NPC) as a one-sto ... more |
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Two Americans captured in Syria returned to US Washington (AFP) July 24, 2018
Two Americans who were captured in Syria and are accused of supporting the Islamic State group have been transferred back to the United States.
The two detainees were picked up by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed ground force that has been fighting IS across parts of northern and eastern Syria.
"Two US citizens, charged in separate cases with federal violations, have been transf ... more |
Germany thwarts China by taking stake in 50Hertz power firm Berlin (AFP) July 27, 2018
The German government said Friday it took a minority stake in electricity transmission firm 50Hertz for "national security" reasons, thwarting Chinese investors from buying into the strategic company.
"On national security grounds, the federal government has a major interest in protecting critical energy infrastructure," the finance and economy ministries said in a joint statement.
Berli ... more |
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New class of materials could be used to make batteries that charge faster Cambridge UK (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Researchers have identified a group of materials that could be used to make even higher power batteries. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used materials with a complex crystalline structure and found that lithium ions move through them at rates that far exceed those of typical electrode materials, which equates to a much faster-charging battery.
Although these materials, ... more |
China developing in-orbit satellite transport vehicle Beijing (XNA) Jul 23, 2018
China is developing a space vehicle to help transport orbiting satellites that have run out of fuel, Science and Technology Daily reported Thursday.
Fuel is a key factor limiting the life of satellites. Most satellites function for years after entering orbit, but eventually, they have to end their missions and burn up into the atmosphere due to fuel exhaustion.
The vehicle is being d ... more |
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Space Station experiment reaches ultracold milestone Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 30, 2018
The International Space Station is officially home to the coolest experiment in space.
NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) was installed in the station's U.S. science lab in late May and is now producing clouds of ultracold atoms known as Bose-Einstein condensates. These "BECs" reach temperatures just above absolute zero, the point at which atoms should theoretically stop moving entirely. Th ... more |
Scientists looking for ways to grow crops on Red Planet Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 31, 2018
While humans prepare to land on Mars and eventually colonize it, the question about what people will eat on the Red Planet looms large.
Indeed, generating a stable supply of food poses a major challenge given the exorbitant cost of sending resources from Earth, the scientific journal Universe wrote.
This means that colonizers will need a high level of self-sufficiency and sustainable ... more |
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NASA certifies Russia's RD-180 rocket engines for manned flights Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 31, 2018
NASA and the US Air Force have certified Russia's RD-180 engines for Atlas V carrier rockets to used for manned spaceflights by US astronauts, Igor Arbuzov, director general of Russia's major rocket engine manufacturer JSC NPO Energomash and the United Launch Alliance, said in an interview with Sputnik.
"Yes, as of today, RD-180 is certified by NASA to perform manned flights," Arbuzov said ... more |
Hamburg Ironman swimmers sunk by algae Berlin (AFP) July 27, 2018 Organisers have been forced to scrap the swimming leg of the Hamburg Ironman this Sunday due to high levels of algae in the city's Alster river caused by the current heatwave.
The condition of the water has been deemed "potentially harmful to health", so the swimming has been replaced by a six-kilometre (3.7mile) run.
"In order to protect all athletes, there will be a 6km run instead of ... more |
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Uber hits brakes on self-driving trucks San Francisco (AFP) July 30, 2018
Uber on Monday said it is hitting the brakes on self-driving trucks, shifting gears to focus just on autonomous cars.
Uber is among a number of technology and car companies racing toward what some contend is an inevitable future in which vehicles drive themselves.
Uber's aspirations had included self-driving trucks, with the smartphone-summoned-ride service revving that effort with the p ... more |
Researchers use nanotechnology to improve the accuracy of measuring devices Moscow (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Scientists from Higher school of economics and the Federal Scientific Research Centre 'Crystallography and Photonics' have synthesized multi-layered nanowires in order to study their magnetoresistance properties.
Improving this effect will allow scientists to increase the accuracy of indicators of various measuring instruments, such as compasses and radiation monitors. The results of the s ... more |
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Tech titans jostle as Pentagon calls for cloud contract bids Washington (AFP) July 26, 2018
US defense officials unveiled Thursday a much-anticipated final request for tech firms to bid on a massive contract to provide the Pentagon with a comprehensive cloud computing service.
Tech titans including Amazon and Microsoft have already spent months jockeying for a winning offer on the prestigious contract, which could be worth as much as $10 billion over a decade.
The Joint Enterpr ... more |
To keep more carbon on the ground, halting farmland expansion is key Washington DC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018 The conversion of forests to farmland is recognized as a major contributor to rising levels of greenhouse gases. And yet it hasn't been clear how to best minimize the loss of sequestered carbon into the atmosphere. Is it better to maximize farm yields so as to use less land area over all? Or should farms be operated so as to retain more carbon on site, even at the expense of crop yields?
R ... more |
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