Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Robots That Learn Through Repetition, Not Programming
September 23rd, 2014Via: MIT Technology Review: Eugene Izhikevich thinks you shouldn’t have to write code in order to teach robots new tricks. “It should be more like training a dog,” he says. “Instead of programming, you show it consistent examples of desired behavior.” Izhikevich’s startup, Brain Corporation, based in San Diego, has developed an operating system for […]
Luxury Sports Car Powered by Flow Battery, Goes 373 Miles on a Tank of… Saltwater?
September 21st, 2014Via: Inhabitat: The Quant e-Sportlimousine was originally unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, where it met criticism from skeptics – but now that it’s been approved to drive on public roads, there’s renewed interest in the saltwater-powered vehicle. How does it work? An electrochemical reaction is created by combining two liquids with […]
Tiny Humanoid Robot Learning to Fly Real Airplanes
September 19th, 2014Definitely see: Lack of Experienced Pilots, Boneheaded FAA Policies and Over Reliance on Flight Automation Systems Will Cause More Plane Crashes. Via: IEEE: The little robot in the picture above is a PIBOT, a small, very low-cost humanoid (actually a Bioloid Premium from Robotis). It’s been slightly modified to be able to work the controls […]
Concrete Evidence of Widespread Forced Labor Among Foreign Migrant Workers in Malaysian Electronics Industry
September 18th, 2014Via: Verité: You might think about debt bondage in relation to making bricks in South Asia or building skyscrapers in the Middle East, not putting together the pieces of your newest mobile phone or laser printer in Malaysia. But if you are reading this on a tablet, smartphone or computer monitor, then you may be […]
Air Force Funds Pocket-Sized Drone for Surveilling Tight Spaces
September 18th, 2014Via: Ars Technica: The US Air Force has awarded a contract to CyPhy Works, a Danvers, Massachusetts-based startup led by CEO (and iRobot co-founder) Helen Greiner. CyPhy will design and deliver a pocket-sized drone for use in search and rescue operations in collapsed buildings, tunnels, and other confined spaces and steep grades that may be […]
John Key Concedes Edward Snowden May Well Be Right, While Repeating Absurd Denials
September 16th, 2014Thanks, Captain. Via: New Zealand Herald: Prime Minister John Key acknowledged today that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s claim that New Zealanders’ data is accessible through the controversial XKeyscore system “may well be right”. However, he maintained that information will not have been gathered under any Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) mass surveillance programme as the […]
EMP Hardened Data Centers
September 16th, 2014Via: Computerworld: In Boyers, Pa., a recently opened 2,000-sq.-ft. data center has been purpose-built to protect against an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), either generated by a solar storm or a nuclear event. The company that built the facility isn’t disclosing exactly how the data center was constructed or what materials were used. But broadly, it did […]
MIT/DARPA: “Cheetah” Robot Runs and Jumps, Untethered, Across Grass
September 16th, 2014Via: MIT: Speed and agility are hallmarks of the cheetah: The big predator is the fastest land animal on Earth, able to accelerate to 60 mph in just a few seconds. As it ramps up to top speed, a cheetah pumps its legs in tandem, bounding until it reaches a full gallop. Now MIT researchers […]
University of Virginia/MITRE: 3D Printed UAV
September 16th, 2014Via: Wired: We have 3-D printed keys, guns and shoes—now a research team at the University of Virginia has created a 3D printed UAV drone for the Department of Defense. In the works for three years, the aircraft, no bigger than a remote-controlled plane, can carry a 1.5-pound payload. If it crashes or needs a […]
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Isn’t Telling the Truth About Mass Surveillance
September 15th, 2014Via: First Look: Let me be clear: any statement that mass surveillance is not performed in New Zealand, or that the internet communications are not comprehensively intercepted and monitored, or that this is not intentionally and actively abetted by the GCSB, is categorically false. If you live in New Zealand, you are being watched. At […]
