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Mars dust storm clears, raising hope for stalled NASA rover![]() Tampa (AFP) Aug 31, 2018 One of the biggest Martian dust storms on record is clearing up after nearly three months, raising hope that NASA's stranded, solar-powered robotic vehicle, Opportunity, will soon come back to life. The storm was first detected on May 30, and the US space agency's 15-year-old rover was last heard from on June 10, when it went into "sleep" mode as dust blocked out the Sun and darkness enveloped the Red Planet. A NASA statement issued late Thursday called the situation "critical," but added that " ... read more |
'Robat' uses sound to navigate and map unique environmentsTel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Sep 07, 2018 The "Robat" is a fully autonomous terrestrial robot with bat-like qualities that uses echolocation to move through novel environments while mapping them based only on sound. It was developed at Tel ... more
A cyborg cockroach could someday save your lifeStorrs CT (SPX) Sep 07, 2018 A tiny neuro-controller created by researchers at the University of Connecticut could provide more precise control of futuristic biobots, such as cyborg cockroaches that are already being tested for ... more
If military robot falls, it can get itself upAberdeen Proving Ground, MD (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed software to ensure that if a robot falls, it can get itself back up, meanin ... more
NASA's InSight has a thermometer for MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 31, 2018 Ambitious climbers, forget Mt. Everest. Dream about Mars. The Red Planet has some of the tallest mountains in the solar system. They include Olympus Mons, a volcano nearly three times the height of ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Sep 06 | Sep 05 | Sep 04 | Sep 03 | Aug 31 |
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Activists urge killer robot ban 'before it is too late'Geneva (AFP) Aug 27, 2018 Countries should quickly agree a treaty banning the use of so-called killer robots "before it is too late", activists said Monday as talks on the issue resumed at the UN. ... 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
Must do better: Japan eyes AI robots in class to boost EnglishTokyo (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. ... 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 |
![]() Robotic payload for RSGS mission moves to next phase of development
Robot wars: China shows off automated doctors, teachers and combat starsBeijing (AFP) Aug 19, 2018 Robots that can diagnose diseases, play badminton and wow audiences with their musical skills are among the machines China hopes could revolutionise its economy, with visitors to a Beijing exhibition offered a glimpse of an automated future. ... more |
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DIY robots help marine biologists discover new deep-sea dwellersNew York NY (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 While the cold and airless deep sea is inhabitable for humans, it is filled with delicate organisms that thrive in its harsh environment. Studying those organisms requires specialized equipment moun ... more
UCLA-developed artificial intelligence device identifies objects at the speed of lightLos Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 A team of UCLA electrical and computer engineers has created a physical artificial neural network - a device modeled on how the human brain works - that can analyze large volumes of data and identif ... more
Soft multi-functional robots get really small and spider-shapedBoston MA (SPX) Aug 10, 2018 Roboticists are envisioning a future in which soft, animal-inspired robots could be safely deployed in difficult-to-access natural and man-made environments, such as in delicate surgical procedures ... more
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 |
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3D printed impeller allows unmanned aircraft to operate for thousands of hours without need for repairs San Antonio TX (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
Southwest Research Institute engineers are developing a cooled, radial gas turbine for a small generator that provides thousands of hours of electricity to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a significant improvement to current UAV turbines that only operate a few hundred hours before wearing out.
Turbines are rotary mechanical devices that, when combined with a generator, produce electrica ... more |
New smart materials could open new research field College Station TX (SPX) Sep 05, 2018
A group of new smart materials discovered by researchers at Texas A and M University and their colleagues has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of fuel burn in jet engines, cutting the cost of flying. The materials, which could also reduce airplane noise over residential areas, have additional applications in a variety of other industries.
"What excites me is that we ha ... more |
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New molecular wires for single-molecule electronic devices Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology designed a new type of molecular wire doped with organometallic ruthenium to achieve unprecedentedly higher conductance than earlier molecular wires. The origin of high conductance in these wires is fundamentally different from similar molecular devices and suggests a potential strategy for developing highly conducting "doped" molecular wires.
Si ... more |
MIT Energy Initiative study reports on the future of nuclear energy Boston MA (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
How can the world achieve the deep carbon emissions reductions that are necessary to slow or reverse the impacts of climate change? The authors of a new MIT study say that unless nuclear energy is meaningfully incorporated into the global mix of low-carbon energy technologies, the challenge of climate change will be much more difficult and costly to solve. For nuclear energy to take its place as ... more |
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'Zero' evidence Syria rebels will use chemical weapons: Mattis New Delhi (AFP) Sept 5, 2018 The Pentagon has seen "zero" evidence to suggest that opposition groups in Syria's Idlib province could use chemical weapons, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday, despite Russian claims to the contrary.
Speaking to reporters as he headed for talks in New Delhi on Thursday, Mattis rebuffed suggestions that the US may facilitate a chemical attack, then blame Russia and the Syrian re ... 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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Device harvests energy from low-frequency vibrations University Park PA (SPX) Sep 03, 2018
A wearable energy-harvesting device could generate energy from the swing of an arm while walking or jogging, according to a team of researchers from Penn State's Materials Research Institute and the University of Utah. The device, about the size of a wristwatch, produces enough power to run a personal health monitoring system.
"The devices we make using our optimized materials run somewher ... more |
China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules Beijing, China (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Engineers have successfully tested the propulsion system of China's planned space station lab capsules, a key step in its space station program.
Weighing 66 tonnes, the space station will comprise a core module and two lab capsules. The propulsion system will determine whether lab capsules can move in space.
Engineers designed 36 engines for the propulsion system with four to adjust ... more |
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Going up! Japan to test mini 'space elevator' Tokyo (AFP) Sept 4, 2018
A Japanese team working to develop a "space elevator" will conduct a first trial this month, blasting off a miniature version on satellites to test the technology.
The test equipment, produced by researchers at Shizuoka University, will hitch a ride on an H-2B rocket being launched by Japan's space agency from southern island of Tanegashima next week.
The test involves a miniature elevat ... more |
Curiosity Surveys a Mystery Under Dusty Skies Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 07, 2018
After snagging a new rock sample on Aug. 9, NASA's Curiosity rover surveyed its surroundings on Mars, producing a 360-degree panorama of its current location on Vera Rubin Ridge.
The panorama includes umber skies, darkened by a fading global dust storm. It also includes a rare view by the Mast Camera of the rover itself, revealing a thin layer of dust on Curiosity's deck. In the foreground ... more |
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Elon Musk muses about life over whiskey and weed San Francisco (AFP) Sept 7, 2018
Entrepreneur Elon Musk sipped whiskey and puffed a little weed while musing at length late Thursday about artificial intelligence, colonizing space, and the need to give love a chance.
Musk shared thoughts on those topics and more during a podcast with comedian Joe Rogan that lasted more than two hours and stretched into Friday.
At one point, Musk described the constant barrage of ideas ... more |
Cleaning up Tokyo's beaches: An Olympic task Tokyo (AFP) Sept 6, 2018
On a blazing hot Tokyo summer day, children squeal with delight as they splash about on a sandy beach, with the skyline of the world's biggest city shimmering behind them.
The scene may seem unremarkable but it was unthinkable until recently when local activists decided to clean up the polluted water at city beaches, hoping to leave a legacy from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
"Tokyo Bay ... more |
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China launches safety audit on Didi, ride-hail firms Beijing (AFP) Sept 5, 2018
Chinese authorities launched a security audit of ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing on Wednesday following a public outcry over the rape and murder of a passenger last month, the transport ministry said.
Officials from 10 different government departments, including the public security ministry and the market regulator, will be stationed at Didi for a fortnight, the transport ministry said in a ... more |
Cannibalistic materials feed on themselves to grow new nanostructures Oak Ridge TN (SPX) Sep 04, 2018
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory induced a two-dimensional material to cannibalize itself for atomic "building blocks" from which stable structures formed.
The findings, reported in Nature Communications, provide insights that may improve design of 2D materials for fast-charging energy-storage and electronic devices.
"Under our experimental condi ... more |
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New smart materials could open new research field College Station TX (SPX) Sep 05, 2018
A group of new smart materials discovered by researchers at Texas A and M University and their colleagues has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of fuel burn in jet engines, cutting the cost of flying. The materials, which could also reduce airplane noise over residential areas, have additional applications in a variety of other industries.
"What excites me is that we ha ... more |
Blue-green algae promises to help boost food crop yields Canberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have engineered tiny carbon-capturing engines from blue-green algae into plants, in a breakthrough that promises to help boost the yields of important food crops such as wheat, cowpeas and cassava.
Lead researcher Dr Ben Long from ANU said the discovery was a major leap forward in improving the way crops convert carbon dioxide, water a ... more |
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