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Must do better: Japan eyes AI robots in class to boost English![]() Tokyo (AFP) Aug 21, 2018 English-speaking AI robots will be helping out in some 500 Japanese classrooms from next year as the country seeks to improve its English skills among both children and teachers. The education ministry plans a pilot project costing around 250 million yen ($227,000) to improve Japanese students' notoriously weak oral and written English, an official told AFP. "AI robots already on the market have various functions. For example, they can check the pronunciation of each student's English, which i ... read more |
Shape-shifting material can morph, reverse itself using heat, lightBoulder CO (SPX) Aug 27, 2018 A new material developed by University of Colorado Boulder engineers can transform into complex, pre-programmed shapes via light and temperature stimuli, allowing a literal square peg to morph and f ... more
UNC builds better particle tracking software using artificial intelligenceChapel Hill NC (SPX) Aug 27, 2018 Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a new method of particle tracking based on machine learning that is far more accurate and provides better automation than t ... more
Sony to release AI-infused robotic pups in the USSan Francisco (AFP) Aug 23, 2018 Sony on Thursday announced that its Aibo robotic dogs infused with artificial intelligence will be unleashed on the US market by the year-end holiday season, with a price tag of $2,899. ... more
Nanobot pumps destroy nerve agentsWashington DC (SPX) Aug 22, 2018 Once in the territory of science fiction, "nanobots" are closer than ever to becoming a reality, with possible applications in medicine, manufacturing, robotics and fluidics. Today, scientists repor ... more |
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Scientist begins developing instrument for finding extraterrestrial bacteriaGreenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 A NASA scientist wants to create a planetary robot that would mimic what biologists do every day in terrestrial laboratories: look through microscopes to visually identify microbial life living in s ... more
A system to synthesize realistic sounds for computer animationStanford CA (SPX) Aug 09, 2018 Advances in computer-generated imagery have brought vivid, realistic animations to life, but the sounds associated with what we see simulated on screen, such as two objects colliding, are often reco ... more
Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers power generator for Mars 2020 RoverLos Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 08, 2018 Aerojet Rocketdyne, in collaboration with Teledyne, recently delivered the electrical power generator for NASA's Mars 2020 rover to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (I ... more
A kernel of promise in popcorn-powered robotsIthaca NY (SPX) Aug 07, 2018 Cornell University researchers have discovered how to power simple robots with a novel substance that, when heated, can expand more than 10 times in size, change its viscosity by a factor of 10 and ... more
Chip labour: Robots replace waiters in China restaurantShanghai (AFP) Aug 5, 2018 The little robotic waiter wheels up to the table, raises its glass lid to reveal a steaming plate of local Shanghai-style crayfish and announces in low, mechanical tones, "Enjoy your meal." ... more |
![]() Research identifies key weakness in modern computer vision systems
Optical fibers that can feel the materials around themLausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 02, 2018 In recent years optical fibers have served as sensors to detect changes in temperature, like a thermometer, and pressure, like an artificial nerve. This technique is particularly useful in structure ... more |
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An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impactLausanne, 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 or ... more
Students can now build their own rover modelPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 02, 2018 Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a machine like NASA's Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory project? Now students, hobbyists and enthusiasts can get a taste of what it i ... 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 |
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General Atomics receives contract for MQ-9 drones for France Washington (UPI) Aug 24, 2018
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been awarded a contract for $123 million for the French 3rd/4th Systems MQ-9 Block 5 program.
Work on the contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, will be performed in Poway, Calif., and is expected to be completed by May 2020. The program falls under a foreign military sale to France.
The MQ-9 SkyGuardian, also known as ... more |
Researchers develop novel process to 3D print one of the strongest materials on Earth Blacksburg VA (SPX) Aug 24, 2018
Researchers from Virginia Tech and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a novel way to 3D print complex objects of one of the highest-performing materials used in the battery and aerospace industries.
Previously, researchers could only print this material, known as graphene, in 2D sheets or basic structures. But Virginia Tech engineers have now collaborated on a project th ... more |
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Helping the microchip industry go with the flow Washington DC (SPX) Aug 27, 2018
A new study by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has uncovered a source of error in an industry-standard calibration method that could lead microchip manufacturers to lose a million dollars or more in a single fabrication run. The problem is expected to become progressively more acute as chipmakers pack ever more features into ever smaller space.
The e ... more |
Framatome supports its customers with a solution to increase plant efficiency Paris (SPX) Aug 22, 2018
Over the last weeks, a heat wave has broken temperature records notably in Scandinavia and the British Isles. As a consequence, conventional and nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Europe have been forced to reduce electricity generation because of an increase in cooling water temperatures.
Nuclear power plants in France, Finland, Sweden and Germany have also been affected by this situation, wh ... more |
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Counting Islamic State members, an impossible task Paris (AFP) Aug 23, 2018 Dramatically weakened on the ground, the Islamic State group faces military defeat in its one-time "caliphate" - but experts say it is almost impossible to know how many members it still has.
Online, IS propaganda claims it is undefeated in what's left of its territory - a small patch of eastern Syria - which is a fraction of the land it once controlled spanning the war-wracked country an ... more |
Electricity crisis leaves Iraqis gasping for cool air Baghdad (AFP) Aug 1, 2018
As the stultifying summer heat sends Iraqis in search of cool spots, restaurateur Ali Hussein provides sanctuary - even though it means hooking up to an expensive generator.
"The clients must be comfortable when they eat," said Hussein, who stakes his reputation on ensuring customers are constantly blasted by air conditioning.
Outside, temperatures at this time of year can reach 50 degr ... more |
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AECOM and Lockheed Martin enhance energy resilience at Fort Carson with battery peaker Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 24, 2018
AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, announced that it has begun construction of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Fort Carson, Colorado, using Lockheed Martin's GridStar Lithium energy storage system. The 4.25 MW/8.5 MWh BESS is part of an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) project to reduce Fort Carson's energy costs and increase its energy resilience. ... more |
China unveils Chang'e-4 rover to explore Moon's far side Beijing (XNA) Aug 17, 2018
China's moon lander and rover for the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, which is expected to land on the far side of the moon this year, was unveiled Wednesday.
Images displayed at Wednesday's press conference showed the rover was a rectangular box with two foldable solar panels and six wheels. It is 1.5 meters long, 1 meter wide and 1.1 meters high.
Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China's lun ... more |
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Roscosmos, Abu Dhabi discuss UAE cosmonaut's month-long flight to ISS Moscow (Sputnik) Aug 22, 2018
The Russian state space corporation Roscosmos is holding talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on sending a UAE cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) for a month, the corporation's press service told Sputnik.
"The flight with the participation of the UAE cosmonaut is scheduled for April 2019. The launch will be carried out with the help of the manned transport spacecraft S ... more |
NASA's InSight passes halfway to Mars, instruments check in Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 21, 2018
NASA's InSight spacecraft, en route to a Nov. 26 landing on Mars, passed the halfway mark on Aug. 6. All of its instruments have been tested and are working well.
As of Aug. 20, the spacecraft had covered 172 million miles (277 million kilometers) since its launch 107 days ago. In another 98 days, it will travel another 129 million miles (208 million kilometers) and touch down in Mars' Ely ... more |
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Chinese private space company to launch first carrier rocket Beijing (XNA) Aug 24, 2018
China will launch its first solid-propellant carrier rocket developed by a Chinese private company late this year.
The ZQ-1 rocket was developed by Landspace, a Beijing-based rocket-maker. Its technicians are former state-owned aerospace industry workers.
Carrying a small satellite, the rocket will be launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the company sai ... more |
Air pollution reduces global life expectancy by more than one year Austin TX (SPX) Aug 27, 2018
Air pollution shortens human lives by more than a year, according to a new study from a team of leading environmental engineers and public health researchers. Better air quality could lead to a significant extension of lifespans around the world.
This is the first time that data on air pollution and lifespan has been studied together in order to examine the global variations in how they af ... more |
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Uber hires CFO on the road to IPO San Francisco (AFP) Aug 21, 2018
Uber on Tuesday named a news chief financial officer as the smartphone-summoned ride service remained on the road to a stock market debut next year.
Nelson Chai came on board from Chicago-based insurance firm Warranty Group, where he was chief executive, according to Uber.
"I'm incredibly excited to bring on someone as experienced and thoughtful as Nelson," Uber chief executive Dara Khos ... more |
Big-picture thinking can advance nanoparticle manufacturing Washington DC (SPX) Aug 23, 2018
Nanoparticle manufacturing, the production of material units less than 100 nanometers in size (100,000 times smaller than a marble), is proving the adage that "good things come in small packages."
Today's engineered nanoparticles are integral components of everything from the quantum dot nanocrystals coloring the brilliant displays of state-of-the-art televisions to the miniscule bits of s ... more |
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Researchers develop novel process to 3D print one of the strongest materials on Earth Blacksburg VA (SPX) Aug 24, 2018
Researchers from Virginia Tech and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a novel way to 3D print complex objects of one of the highest-performing materials used in the battery and aerospace industries.
Previously, researchers could only print this material, known as graphene, in 2D sheets or basic structures. But Virginia Tech engineers have now collaborated on a project th ... more |
French tomato grower takes on Monsanto over weedkiller Celles-Sur-Aisne, France (AFP) Aug 24, 2018
Weaving through the aisles of his greenhouse in northern France, Jean-Claude Terlet, a retired farmer who grows tomatoes for local markets, seems to be brimming with energy.
"That's a beef tomato, they're delicious," he says, showing off his produce which, he stresses, is 100 percent organic.
But since he was treated for prostate cancer in 2017, the 70-year-old says he feels constantly e ... more |
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