Sci-Tech

New planet could support life: ESO observatory

PARIS, France (AFP) — A new extrasolar system planet can be added to a handful of fellow exoplanets which could theoretically support life, the European Southern Observatory said Wednesday. The ESO said it had discovered the planet, Ross 128b, orbiting a star within the constellation of Virgo and it is comparatively ‘close’ at just 11 light years outside the Solar System. One light year is equivalent to 9.46 trillion kilometers (5.85 trillion miles). But in […]

MekaMon mixes robotics and augmented reality gaming

LONDON, England, United Kingdom (Reuters) — A real robot in a virtual war. MekaMon inhabits both real life and augmented reality. No toy, Reach Robotics say this programming platform is a world first. “MekaMon is the world’s first gaming robot so that’s a robot that you control from your smartphone or tablet. Think of it as a video game character in real life, your personal robot and then you can take it into lots of […]

Heat-map device reveals warning signs of diabetic ulcers

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — A foot-temperature monitoring system could help detect when diabetic patients are developing foot ulcers, a common complication that can lead to infections and amputations. Diabetic foot ulcers typically develop on the bottom of the big toe or the ball of the foot, often when people wear ill-fitting shoes. Patients with diabetes frequently have nerve damage that limits their ability to feel pain, and as a result they don’t notice developing […]

China launches Fengyun-3D meteorological satellite

SHANXI, China (CCTV) — China launched a new meteorological satellite, Fengyun-3D, at 2:35 a.m. Beijing Time Wednesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China’s Shanxi Province. A Long March-4C rocket carried the satellite into space. The satellite has entered its orbit. Fengyun-3D is one of China’s second generation of Polar-Orbiting Meteorological Satellites, which can provide global three dimensional all-weather and multi-spectral remote sensing images. The satellite will form a network with the Fengyun-3C […]

Vietnamese researcher shows iPhone X face ID ‘hack’

HANOI, Vietnam (Reuters) — A researcher in Vietnam has demonstrated how he apparently fooled Apple Inc’s face recognition ID software on its new iPhone X using a mask made with a 3D printer, silicone and paper tape. An announcement on Friday (November 10) by Bkav, a Vietnamese cybersecurity firm, that it had cracked Apple’s Face ID, and a subsequent video apparently showing an iPhone being unlocked when pointed at a mask, were greeted with some […]

US approves first pill with digital tracking device

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US regulators have approved the first pill that contains a digital tracking sensor to alert doctors and caregivers as to whether a patient is taking a medication as scheduled. The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor), is designed for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. A patient ingests the pill, and a sensor inside the pill activates when it […]

Cygnus cargo ship arrives at space station

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Orbital ATK’s unmanned Cygnus cargo ship arrived Tuesday at the International Space Station carrying more than 7,400 pounds (3,400 kilograms) of food, supplies and experiments, the US space agency said. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli and his US colleague Randy Bresnik maneuvered the station’s robotic arm to capture the barrel-shaped capsule, which was bolted onto the space lab at 7:15 am (1215 GMT), NASA said. The cargo ship launched Sunday atop […]

China maintains reign over world supercomputer rankings: survey

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China now has more high-performance supercomputers than ever before, again besting the United States in global rankings, a supercomputer tracking organization said. The standing corresponds to China’s growing reputation as the global leader in supercomputers, as the Asian power prepares to launch in June 2018 a prototype exascale computing machine — a “super supercomputer.” Some 202 of the world’s fastest supercomputers are in China — compared with 143 in the US […]

UN to host first talks on use of ‘killer robots’

by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations is set to host the first-ever talks on the use of autonomous weapons, but those hoping for a ban on the machines dubbed killer robots will be disappointed, the ambassador leading the discussions said Friday. More than 100 artificial intelligence entrepreneurs led by Tesla’s Elon Musk in August urged the UN to enforce a global ban on fully-automated weapons, echoing calls from activists […]

‘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 […]