Sci-Tech

‘Bots battle for the ball, and the globe, in Robot Olympiad

by Marc Burleigh Agence France Presse SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AFP) — The World Robotics Olympiad, being held in Costa Rica this weekend, shows human athletes still have little to worry about: sweat and glory do not compute well when relegated to faceless automatons. But the same may not be true for workers, especially those in menial or transport activities where robots are steadily taking over. Think factory assemblers and sorters, or even self-driving cars. […]

Orbital ATK launches eighth cargo mission to space

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An unmanned cargo ship packed with 7,400 pounds (3,350 kilograms) of food and supplies for the astronauts living at the International Space Station blasted off Sunday from Wallops Island, Virginia. Orbital ATK’s barrel-shaped Cygnus cargo ship launched atop an Antares rocket at 7:19 am (1219 GMT), a day after a last-second delay due to an unexpected aircraft in the area. “Five, four, three, two, one and we have ignition,” said […]

Massive data breach has cost Equifax nearly $90 million

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A massive security breach that hit Equifax has cost the US credit bureau nearly $90 million so far, a figure that is set to rise further, its chief financial officer said on Thursday. The company, which gathers data on consumers to help lenders determine borrowers’ creditworthiness, revealed in September that hackers had stolen the personal details, including names, dates of birth and social security numbers, of nearly 146 million people. In […]

Huge solar plant aims for brighter Brazil energy production

PIRAPORA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil has lagged far behind in the shift to solar power, but the biggest facility on the continent now being built in the south-east aims to give the country its place in the sun. The plant in Pirapora, in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, has 1.2 million solar panels, covering the equivalent of more than 1,200 soccer fields. It first began producing power in September, with the second of three phases […]

Real life ‘Iron man’ sets new record

(AFP) — Richard Browning, founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, has soared into the record books with the brand new Guinness World Records title for the fastest speed in a body-controlled jet engine power suit. On a dramatic day at Lagoona Park, Reading, Browning achieved a speed of 32.02 mph (51.53 km/h) on his third and final timed attempt before mistiming a turn and dropping into the lake in celebration of Guinness World […]

For online retailers like Ali Baba, robotics changes the face of modern logistics

SHANGHAI / SUQIAN, Jiangsu Province, China (Reuters) — Bright red, grey and black, they are the robot postmen of the future, and are controlled from a command center 40 kilometers (25 miles) away by e-commerce giant JD.com. Online retailers Alibaba, JD.com and S.F. Express have been investing in drone programs they hope will one day perform so-called last-mile deliveries, especially in hard to reach rural areas. Others, like delivery firm BEST Inc, have begun testing […]

Daredevils fly into Guinness World Record books

ENGLAND, United Kingdom (AFP) — A number of Guinness World Records fell across the world over the last week. British Inventor and entrepreneur, Richard Browning, soared into the record books when he made the fastest ever speed in a body-controlled jet engine power suit. The founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries achieved a speed of 32.02 mph (51.53 km/h) on his third and final timed effort over a lake in Reading, England. World […]

Robot ANYmal takes the elevator

ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) —Meet ANYmal. ANYmal is an autonomous quadrupedal robot designed to navigate industrial sites, with the eventual aim of inspecting oil and gas sites without human help. The four-legged robot relies on compliant and torque controllable actuators and can run and also climb stairs at up to 45-degree angles. Laser sensors and cameras help ANYmal perceive its environment, and plan its path autonomously, helping it avoid obstacles that suddenly appear in its path. […]

Twitter purists mourn end of 140-character limit on posts

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — It was a sad day for Twitter purists, dismayed that the 140-character limit restricting users on the social media platform to crisp, succinct posts had been doubled to a gaudy 280. And they have been expressing their outrage — how else? — with short tweets and hashtags like #140forlife. “Personally, I enjoyed the challenge of fitting my thoughts into 140 characters!” tweeted Weather Channel meteorologist Maria LaRosa, with the hashtag #lessismore. “Like […]

Waymo cars hit the road without drivers

by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Waymo on Tuesday said that its self-driving cars are hitting the road without anyone behind the wheel as the Alphabet subsidiary steers toward launching an automated ride service. The subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet has been testing autonomous cars for years, but with a driver behind the wheel to take over if needed. Waymo chief executive John Krafcik used the Web Summit in Lisbon to announce […]

Origami drone could deliver to hard-to-reach places

LAUSSANE, Switzerland (Reuters) — An origami-inspired prototype delivery drone which can transport packages to hard-to-reach destinations has been invented by a PhD student in Switzerland. Przemyslaw Kornatowski’s drone in effect becomes the package by wrapping itself around the cargo before flight. Made of carbon-fiber the cage, which can be folded or unfolded in a single movement, protects both drone and cargo if involved in a collision or fall. “The cage provides safety because it separates […]

Speech analyzer could tell if you’re too tired to drive

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — Knowing exactly when your fatigue reaches a level that could affect your driving ability isn’t always easy to judge, with long-haul truck drivers most at risk of falling asleep behind the wheel. But speech scientists are working on a method to detect the subtle changes in a person’s voice that could indicate that it’s time to take a break. Audio recordings of a person’s voice are fed into an algorithm […]