Sci-Tech

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 […]

Stephen Hawking, other scientists share research at 2017 Tencent WE Summit

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — World-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and other scientists offered a surreal glimpse into the future as they shared their latest research findings at the 2017 Tencent WE Summit in Beijing on Sunday. Hawking made a video appearance at the annual exploration and innovation summit, saying that the human race has to “boldly go where no one has gone before” if it wants to continue on for another million years. According to him, […]

Electrode belt helps doctors ‘see’ inside the lungs

VIENNA, Austria (Reuters) — A new medical imaging technique, called Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), where electrodes are used to apply high-frequency currents through the body, could help doctors to continuously monitor the function of patients’ lungs during artificial respiration. Artificial ventilation is often vital to a patient’s rehabilitation, but doctors can find it difficult to gauge the correct air pressure for every individual, with too much possibly causing lung trauma. “Mechanical ventilation on one hand […]

In reversal, US tech firms back bill on human trafficking

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Major US tech firms reversed course Friday and endorsed a proposal in Congress which could hold website owners liable for human trafficking. The Internet Association, which includes giants Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, said in a statement it supported the measure after reaching a compromise with legislative sponsors. The association “is committed to combating sexual exploitation and sex trafficking online” president Michael Beckerman said in endorsing the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). “Important […]

We need to do more’ about misinformation, Google says

by Lucie Godeau Agence France-Presse DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — A top Google executive has said the US internet giant has to do more to crack down on illegal content and misinformation, after American firms were grilled in Congress over Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. “We’ve made some progress and we obviously need to do more,” Matt Brittin, president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, told reporters at Google’s European headquarters in Dublin on […]

China completes building of Asia’s largest cutter suction dredger

NANTONG, China (Reuters) — China launched Asia’s largest cutter suction dredger on Friday at the port of Nantong, east China’s Jiangsu Province, marking a big stride forward in the country’s building of dredgers. The dredger, “Tiankun”, is 140 meters long and 27.8 meters wide. It can smash underwater rocks, suck out sand, water and squirt to as far as 15 km at a speed of 6,000 cubic meters per hour, equivalent to three standard swimming […]

Global smartphone sales keep momentum: IDC

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The global smartphone market has momentum going into the year-end holiday shopping season, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by International Data Corporation (IDC). An estimated 373.1 million smartphones were shipped worldwide during the third quarter of this year in a 2.7 percent rise from the same period in 2016, IDC said in a statement. While IDC analysts considered the growth low, they saw it as a sign “the industry still has […]

Plane-sized ‘void’ discovered in Great Pyramid: scientists

by Mariette le Roux and Laurence Coustal Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A passenger plane-sized “void” has been discovered in the middle of the Great Pyramid of Egypt, where it has lain secret and untouched for 4,500 years, scientists revealed on Thursday. The space is one of four cavities, along with the king and queen’s chambers and “Grand Gallery”, now known to exist inside the giant monument constructed under pharaoh Khufu of ancient Egypt. […]

Apple delivers higher profit as iPhone X launches

by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple on Thursday reported profits rose on the back of strong iPhone sales in the past quarter, with the US tech giant set to begin selling its newest flagship handset seen as a key to its future. Net profit rose 19 percent from a year ago to $10.7 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter to September 30, Apple said. Revenues were up 12 percent to […]

Sarin, a deadly nerve agent used in chemical warfare

https://youtu.be/2f1_9qqt1_M United Nations investigators on Thursday blamed a sarin gas massacre on Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as the United States renewed its warning that he has no role in Syria’s future. Sarin is a deadly nerve agent used in chemical warfare. This man-made substance — originally developed as a pesticide in Germany — was banned under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. It attacks the body’s nervous system and is so toxic that a single drop can […]