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Engineers build a soft robotics perception system inspired by humans![]() San Diego CA (SPX) Feb 01, 2019 An international team of researchers has developed a perception system for soft robots inspired by the way humans process information about their own bodies in space and in relation to other objects and people. They describe the system, which includes a motion capture system, soft sensors, a neural network, and a soft robotic finger, in the Jan. 30 issue of Science Robotics. The researchers' ultimate goal is to build a system that can predict a robot's movements and internal state without relying ... read more |
Building Trusted Human-Machine PartnershipsWashington DC (SPX) Feb 01, 2019 A key ingredient in effective teams - whether athletic, business, or military - is trust, which is based in part on mutual understanding of team members' competence to fulfill assigned roles. When i ... more
A step closer to self-aware machinesNew York NY (SPX) Feb 01, 2019 Robots that are self-aware have been science fiction fodder for decades, and now we may finally be getting closer. Humans are unique in being able to imagine themselves - to picture themselves in fu ... more
InSight's Seismometer Now Has a Cozy Shelter on MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Feb 05, 2019 For the past several weeks, NASA's InSight lander has been making adjustments to the seismometer it set on the Martian surface on Dec. 19. Now it's reached another milestone by placing a domed shiel ... more
First private spacecraft shoots for the moonColumbus OG (The Conversation) Feb 04, 2019 "Moon of Israel" is an epic 1924 film from the golden era of silent movies, and helped launch the directing career of Michael Curtiz, of "Casablanca" fame. Sequels seldom live up to the original. ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Feb 05 | Feb 04 | Feb 01 | Jan 31 | Jan 30 |
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Automation to hit most jobs, but overall impact 'muted': studyWashington (AFP) Jan 24, 2019 Artificial intelligence and automation will lead to job losses in "virtually all occupational groups" over the coming decades in the United States, but the overall impact on employment will be "muted," a prominent think tank study said Thursday. ... more
Is the world ready for the 'digital transformation'?Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 24, 2019 The annual business rendezvous in Davos is a hothouse of insider tech jargon, but this year's buzzword of "digital transformation" could translate into profound and painful changes for companies and workers. ... more
Information theory holds surprises for machine learningSanta Fe NM (SPX) Jan 25, 2019 New research challenges a popular conception of how machine learning algorithms "think" about certain tasks. The conception goes something like this: because of their ability to discard useles ... more
The first tendril-like soft robot able to climbRome, Italy (SPX) Jan 25, 2019 Researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia obtained the first soft robot mimicking plant tendrils: it is able to curl and climb, using the same physical principles determining water transpor ... more
Amazon rolls out 'Scout' delivery robotsSan Francisco (AFP) Jan 23, 2019 Amazon on Wednesday began putting cooler-sized robots to work delivering packages to customers in a neighborhood outside Seattle. ... more |
![]() NC State researchers create 3D-printed soft mesh robots
Paw patrol: Sony offers robocop dog at homeTokyo (AFP) Jan 23, 2019 Sony's puppy-sized robot dog aibo, equipped with cameras, artificial intelligence and internet capability, can now remotely check up on family members, children or even pets, the Japanese electronics giant said Wednesday. ... more |
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Increasing skepticism against robotsWurzburg, Germany (SPX) Jan 23, 2019 Robots performing in surgeries, robots in automobile production, and robots in caregiving. In some areas, the machines are already well-established, in others they are on the rise. The psychologists ... more
Smart microrobots that can adapt to their surroundingsLausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 21, 2019 One day we may be able to ingest tiny robots that deliver drugs directly to diseased tissue, thanks to research being carried out at EPFL and ETH Zurich. The group of scientists - led by Selma ... more
NASA's Campaign to Return to the Moon with Global PartnersWashington DC (SPX) Jan 21, 2019 The Moon is a fundamental part of Earth's past and future - an off-world location that may hold valuable resources to support space activity and scientific treasures that may tell us more about our ... more
WSU smart home tests first elder care robotPullman WA (SPX) Jan 15, 2019 A robot created by Washington State University scientists could help elderly people with dementia and other limitations live independently in their own homes. The Robot Activity Support System ... more
Amazon sets conference on robotics, artificial intelligenceNew York (AFP) Jan 17, 2019 Amazon announced plans Thursday to hold a conference open to the public on robotics, space and artificial intelligence, as well as to discuss future applications of emerging technologies. ... more |
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German Forces Begin Training Courses on Armed Israeli Surveillance Drones Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 05, 2019
German forces recently began a training course at the Tel Nof airbase in Rehovot, Israel, in an effort to learn the surveillance capabilities of the costly Heron TP unmanned surveillance drone.
The German officials, a pilot and sensor operator, began the eight-week training session in late January, according to the Jerusalem Post, which reported that the drone training is expected to conti ... more |
Self-growing materials that strengthen in response to force Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
A strategy inspired by the process responsible for muscle growth could lead to the development of stronger, longer-lasting materials.
Hokkaido University researchers have developed a strategy to fabricate materials that become stronger in response to mechanical stress - mimicking skeletal muscle growth. Their findings, published in the journal Science, could pave the way for long-lasting m ... more |
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Theoretical model may help solve molecular mystery Groningen, The Netherlands (SPX) Feb 06, 2019
When it comes to realizing low-power electronic devices, spintronics looks promising. Spin is a quantum-mechanical property of electrons that can best be imagined as electrons spinning around their own axis, causing them to behave like small compass needles. A current of electron spins could be used in electronic devices.
However, to generate a suitable spin current, you need a relatively ... more |
Storage of nuclear waste a 'global crisis': report Paris (AFP) Jan 30, 2019
Nuclear waste is piling up around the world even as countries struggle to dispose of spent fuel that will remain highly toxic for many thousands of years, Greenpeace detailed in a report Wednesday.
An analysis of waste storage facilities in seven countries with nuclear power revealed that several were near saturation, the anti-nuclear NGO said.
All these nations also confronted other pro ... more |
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UK believes photographer held by IS still alive: reports London (AFP) Feb 5, 2019
A British photographer kidnapped by the Islamic State group more than six years ago could still be alive and in captivity, media reports said on Tuesday citing Britain's Security Minister Ben Wallace.
"Wallace told reporters in London that the British government believes (John) Cantlie is still being held by ISIS," CNN reported, using another name for the IS jihadist group.
The reports s ... more |
Keeping the lights on during extreme cold snaps takes investments and upgrades Ames IA (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
Polar vortexes. Hurricanes. Wildfires. With climate change making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, it is getting harder to keep the lights on and HVAC systems running.
As a power system researcher, I believe utilities need to get better at withstanding disasters and the disruption they cause. Investing more heavily is key, especially in infrastructure upgrades, renewable e ... more |
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Researchers find a way to boost sodium-ion battery performance Nagoya, Japan (SPX) Feb 04, 2019
Researchers at the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) in Japan have demonstrated that a specific material can act as an efficient battery component for sodium-ion batteries that will compete with lithium-ion batteries for several battery characteristics, especially speed of charge.
The findings were published in Scientific Reports in November of 2018 and was headed by Naoto Tanibata, ... more |
Seed of moon's first sprout: Chinese scientists' endeavor Beijing (XNA) Feb 05, 2019
An experiment that saw the first-ever plant sprouting on the moon last month was born in a natural disaster that devastated China's cotton-industry almost three decades ago.
Li Fuguang was one of the Chinese agricultural scientists whose years of hard work might one day help lead to a base and long-term human residence on the moon.
He was on the team that developed the cotton seeds c ... more |
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Russia to fly US Astronauts to ISS ahead of schedule Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 06, 2019
Russia will fulfil a contract on flying the US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and bringing them back on the Russian Soyuz manned spacecraft in December of 2019, a month and a half ahead of schedule, a source in the Russian space industry told Sputnik.
"The previous version of the ISS flight program provided for the return of foreign astronauts, under a contract with th ... more |
Beyond Mars, the Mini MarCO Spacecraft Fall Silent Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 06, 2019
Before the pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft known collectively as MarCO launched last year, their success was measured by survival: If they were able to operate in deep space at all, they would be pushing the limits of experimental technology.
Now well past Mars, the daring twins seem to have reached their limit. It's been over a month since engineers have heard from MarCO, which followe ... more |
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Arianespace orbits two telecommunications satellites on first Ariane 5 launch of 2019 Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Feb 05, 2019
Arianespace has successfully orbited two telecommunications satellites: the Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 condosat for operators KACST and Hellas Sat; and GSAT-31 for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Arianespace's first launch of the year took place on Tuesday, February 5 at 6:01 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French ... more |
A warming world increases air pollution Riverside CA (SPX) Feb 05, 2019
Climate change is warming the ocean, but it's warming land faster and that's really bad news for air quality all over the world, says a new University of California, Riverside study.
The study, published February 4 in Nature Climate Change, shows that the contrast in warming between the continents and sea, called the land-sea warming contrast, drives an increased concentration of aerosols ... more |
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Self-driving cars and geospatial data: Who holds the keys? Hanover NH (SPX) Feb 06, 2019
As self-driving cars continue to develop, there will be plenty of data amassed through cars' navigational technologies. Questions regarding privacy, ownership, cybersecurity and public safety arise, as heavily guarded mapping data is collected and leveraged by companies.
The geospatial data can be used to draw new maps identifying the spaces where we live and travel. That information is cu ... more |
Nano-infused ceramic could report on its own health Houston TX (SPX) Feb 06, 2019
A ceramic that becomes more electrically conductive under elastic strain and less conductive under plastic strain could lead to a new generation of sensors embedded into structures like buildings, bridges and aircraft able to monitor their own health.
The electrical disparity fostered by the two types of strain was not obvious until Rice University's Rouzbeh Shahsavari, an assistant profes ... more |
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Self-growing materials that strengthen in response to force Sapporo, Japan (SPX) Feb 01, 2019
A strategy inspired by the process responsible for muscle growth could lead to the development of stronger, longer-lasting materials.
Hokkaido University researchers have developed a strategy to fabricate materials that become stronger in response to mechanical stress - mimicking skeletal muscle growth. Their findings, published in the journal Science, could pave the way for long-lasting m ... more |
Insecticides blamed for honeybee deaths in California almond groves Washington (UPI) Feb 5, 2019
Researchers have identified a culprit for the dramatic honey bee die offs among the almond groves of California's Central Valley.
Experiments showed a mixture of insecticide and fungicides, harmless in isolation, combined to form a deadly chemical cocktail.
"Fungicides, often needed for crop protection, are routinely used during almond bloom, but in many cases growers were also a ... more |
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