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Mathematics of sea slug movement points to future robots![]() Washington DC (SPX) Mar 11, 2019 What do pizza slices, sea slugs and one possible design for future soft-bodied robots have in common? They all have frilly surfaces, and new insights about the surprising geometry of frilly surfaces may help a future generation of energy-efficient and extremely flexible soft-body robots move. The complex folds of a frilly surface like coral reefs or kale leaves is a surface mathematicians refer to as an "inflected nonsmooth surface." It changes the direction in which it bends. "People have l ... read more |
Robots help bees and fish communicateWashington (UPI) Mar 21, 2019 Bees and fish can now converse with each other thanks to new robotics technology designed by researchers in Europe. ... more
Seeing through a robot's eyes helps those with profound motor impairmentsAtlanta GA (SPX) Mar 21, 2019 An interface system that uses augmented reality technology could help individuals with profound motor impairments operate a humanoid robot to feed themselves and perform routine personal care tasks ... more
Robot made of many simple particles has no centralized control or single failure pointNew York NY (SPX) Mar 21, 2019 The concept of "gray goo," a robot comprised of billions of nanoparticles, has fascinated science fiction fans for decades. But most researchers have dismissed it as just a wild theory. Curren ... more
Terminator-like liquid metal moves and stretches in 3D spaceWashington DC (SPX) Mar 21, 2019 In the blockbuster Terminator movie franchise, an evil robot morphs into different human forms and objects and oozes through narrow openings, thanks to its "liquid-metal" composition. Although ... more |
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Will artificial intelligence be the future of music?Austin (AFP) March 12, 2019 They may never be able to fill a stadium for a rock concert, but computers are making inroads in the music industry, capable of producing songs - and convincingly so - as illustrated at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. ... more
China is overtaking US in artificial intelligence: researchersWashington (AFP) March 13, 2019 China is poised to overtake the United States in artificial intelligence with a surge in academic research on the key technology, an analysis published Wednesday showed. ... more
Movie technology inspires wearable liquid unit that aims to harvest energyWest Lafayette IN (SPX) Mar 13, 2019 A fascination with movie technology that showed robots perform self-repair through a liquid formula inspired a Purdue University professor to make his own discoveries - which are now helping to lead ... more
A robotic leg, born without prior knowledge, learns to walkLos Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 13, 2019 For a newborn giraffe or wildebeest, being born can be a perilous introduction to the world - predators lie in wait for an opportunity to make a meal of the herd's weakest member. This is why many s ... more
Ultra-low power chips help make small robots more capableAtlanta GA (SPX) Mar 11, 2019 An ultra-low power hybrid chip inspired by the brain could help give palm-sized robots the ability to collaborate and learn from their experiences. Combined with new generations of low-power motors ... more |
![]() How intelligent is artificial intelligence?
Robo-journalism gains traction in shifting media landscapeWashington (AFP) March 10, 2019 A text-generating "bot" nicknamed Tobi produced nearly 40,000 news stories about the results of the November 2018 elections in Switzerland for the media giant Tamedia - in just five minutes. ... more |
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Business with human and robotic explorationParis (ESA) Mar 12, 2019 Space is profitable - each euro spent on the International Space Station produces 1.8 euros added value to European economies. Research in low Earth orbit has already contributed to the econom ... more
Progress on lifelong learning machines shows potential for bio-inspired algorithmsWashington DC (SPX) Mar 13, 2019 Today's machine learning systems are restricted by their inability to continuously learn or adapt as they encounter new situations; their programs are fixed after training, leaving them unable to re ... more
Waymo to sell its self-driving tech to outside firmsSan Francisco (AFP) March 6, 2019 Waymo, the former Google car division developing self-driving technology, said Wednesday it would sell a key innovation to companies that don't compete with its autonomous cars. ... more
Researchers engineer a tougher fiberRaleigh NC (SPX) Mar 11, 2019 North Carolina State University researchers have developed a fiber that combines the elasticity of rubber with the strength of a metal, resulting in a tougher material that could be incorporated int ... more
Gateway to the MoonParis (ESA) Mar 12, 2019 The International Space Station partners have endorsed plans to continue the development of the Gateway, an outpost around the Moon that will act as a base to support both robots and astronauts expl ... more |
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Yemenis score legal win in Germany over US drone strikes Berlin (AFP) March 19, 2019
Germany must ensure that the United States respects international laws when deploying drones over Yemen, a German court ruled Tuesday, in what amounted to a partial victory for three Yemeni plaintiffs.
The trio had turned to the court after losing close relatives to a drone attack in 2012 in Hadramaut province.
Pointing to the significance of the US airbase in the German town of Ramstein ... more |
A decade on, smartphone-like software finally heads to space Washington (AFP) March 20, 2019
Once a traditional satellite is launched into space, its physical hardware and computer software stay mostly immutable for the rest of its existence as it orbits the Earth, even as the technology it serves on the ground continues to change.
Just as some aerospace start-ups are developing technologies to repair, modify or refuel satellites to prolong their lives, some satellite manufacturers ... more |
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Researchers discover new material to help power electronics Columbus OH (SPX) Mar 19, 2019
Electronics rule our world, but electrons rule our electronics. A research team at The Ohio State University has discovered a way to simplify how electronic devices use those electrons - using a material that can serve dual roles in electronics, where historically multiple materials have been necessary.
"We have essentially found a dual-personality material," said Joseph Heremans, co-autho ... more |
China to start construction of its 1st floating nuclear power plant Beijing (Sputnik) Mar 22, 2019
The construction of China's first ever floating nuclear power plant is set to be launched before the end of 2019, the Global Times newspaper reported, citing the head of China's Nuclear Power Institute (NPI), Luo Qi.
Luo noted that such a plant would be protected from earthquakes, take up much less space than a conventional nuclear power plant and will emit zero pollution into the environm ... more |
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Doomed jihadists retreat within shrinking Syria bastion Baghouz , Syria (AFP) March 19, 2019
Holdout jihadists scurried along the reedy banks of the Euphrates in an increasingly desperate defence Tuesday of the last scrap of their "caliphate" in eastern Syria.
Advancing Kurdish-led forces forced diehard fighters from the Islamic State group out of the main encampment where they had been confined in recent days.
The move brought a months-old operation to wipe out the last vestige ... more |
Forget about coal - broadband is the best bet for rural America Glen Allen, VA (SPX) Mar 22, 2019
Coal will never again be king, but electric co-ops actually could help revitalize struggling rural communities by rolling out high-speed Internet access, writes LeClairRyan attorney Roy M. Palk in a column for elp.com, the website of Electric Light and Power and POWERGRID International.
In the March 12 piece, Palk, who is Senior Energy Industry Advisor for the national law firm and former ... more |
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Speeding the development of fusion power to create unlimited energy on Earth Princeton NJ (SPX) Mar 20, 2019
Can tokamak fusion facilities, the most widely used devices for harvesting on Earth the fusion reactions that power the sun and stars, be developed more quickly to produce safe, clean, and virtually limitless energy for generating electricity? Physicist Jon Menard of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has examined that question in a detailed look at ... more |
Super-powerful Long March 9 said to begin missions around 2030 Xichang (XNA) Mar 12, 2019
Chinese scientists are designing what is expected to be the world's most powerful rocket, according to a senior researcher.
Li Hong, deputy general manager at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, said the Long March 9 super heavy-lift carrier rocket will be capable of lifting 140 metric tons of payload into a low-Earth orbit, or a 50-ton spacecraft to a lunar transfer orbit. The gi ... more |
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NASA schedules its first women-only spacewalk Washington DC (SPX) Mar 21, 2019
U.S. space agency NASA will send astronauts Anne McClain, 39, and Christina Koch, 40, on NASA's first women-only spacewalk on March 29.
The all-female spacewalk will be supported by a female ground crew: Mary Lawrence will serve as lead flight director and Jackie Kagey will be lead spacewalk flight controller at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
It's a fitting milestone for Wom ... more |
ExoMars landing platform arrives in Europe with a name Paris (ESA) Mar 22, 2019
The platform destined to land on the Red Planet as part of the next ExoMars mission has arrived in Europe for final assembly and testing - and been given a name.
An announcement was made by the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos of its new name: 'Kazachok'.
The ExoMars programme is a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos and comprises two missions. The Trace Gas Orbiter is ... more |
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Ariane 6 maiden flight will deploy satellites for OneWeb, additional launches booked Evry, France (SPX) Mar 21, 2019
OneWeb is the developer of a new global, high-speed, low latency satellite-based network designed to address the most demanding global connectivity challenges worldwide. Ariane 6 will be available to OneWeb from the second half of 2020 to provide launch capacity that supports the full deployment and replenishment of the OneWeb constellation.
The launch service agreement specifies the use o ... more |
A tale of two Delhis: Deadly air exposes rich poor divide New Delhi (AFP) March 21, 2019
Walls draped in lush vertical gardens and air filtered through purifiers insulate diners at a swanky New Delhi food court from the choking haze outside in one of the most polluted places on earth.
But these eco-eateries, offering cleaner air as well as modern menus to the well heeled are beyond reach for the poor, who have little means of escaping the deadly smog which coats the city for muc ... more |
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New wheel units could bring vehicle costs down Waterloo, Canada (SPX) Mar 21, 2019
Vehicles could be affordably produced for a wide variety of specialized purposes using a sophisticated wheel unit developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo.
The self-contained unit combines a wheel and an electric motor with braking, suspension, steering and a control system in a single module designed to be bolted to any vehicle frame.
It would free manufacturers from m ... more |
Researchers report new light-activated micro pump Houston TX (SPX) Mar 15, 2019
Even the smallest mechanical pumps have limitations, from the complex microfabrication techniques required to make them to the fact that there are limits on how small they can be. Researchers have announced a potential solution - a laser-driven photoacoustic microfluidic pump, capable of moving fluids in any direction without moving parts or electrical contacts.
The work is described in th ... more |
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A decade on, smartphone-like software finally heads to space Washington (AFP) March 20, 2019
Once a traditional satellite is launched into space, its physical hardware and computer software stay mostly immutable for the rest of its existence as it orbits the Earth, even as the technology it serves on the ground continues to change.
Just as some aerospace start-ups are developing technologies to repair, modify or refuel satellites to prolong their lives, some satellite manufacturers ... more |
From tree killing beetles to crop disease: Central America's struggles with drought Valle De Angeles, Honduras (AFP) March 21, 2019
Honduran conservationists are worried. A deadly insect that wiped out more than a quarter of the Central American country's conifers between 2013 and 2017 is back.
The southern pine beetle - or gorgojo, as it is known locally - appears in large numbers during droughts brought on by El Nino, a climatic phenomenon that occurs every few years and can be a threat to agriculture and even drinki ... more |
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