Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
Armed U.S. Drones Over Baghdad
June 28th, 2014Via: CNN: Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 29 others were wounded on Saturday in clashes between Iraqi security forces and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Iraqi security officials said. ISIS fighters attacked a military base in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Baghdad on Saturday […]
Google Pulls Robot from Military Competition to Focus on Commercial Product
June 27th, 2014Via: The Verge: The $2 million Robotics Challenge, run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is a competition for the most advanced robots in the world. The three-year competition is less than halfway over, but there was already a clear frontrunner: the Japanese team Schaft, which posted videos on YouTube of their incredible […]
Robot Truck Convoy Tested In Nevada
June 25th, 2014A human steers, but drafting is automated. Via: Popular Science: Like Olympic skiers racing in single file to reduce air resistance, two 18-wheeler trucks in Nevada recently proved that uncomfortably close convoys can save drivers fuel and money. The key, instead of bold Olympic athleticism, is robotic assistance. A computer-assisted truck was able to follow […]
U.S. Army MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System)
June 25th, 2014Via: Bloomberg: One of the most advanced breeds of pint-sized robotic tanks is currently being tested by the U.S. Army. MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System) is a 3-foot tall, remote-controlled ground vehicle that can assist in anything from camera surveillance to launching grenades. MAARS can take on the riskiest of tasks, like disarming IEDs […]
FAA Bans Use of Drones to Deliver Packages
June 24th, 2014Via: Ars Technica: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that online shopping powerhouse Amazon may not employ drones to deliver packages, at least not anytime soon. … In Monday’s announcement, published in the Federal Register, the FAA named Amazon’s December proposal as an example of what is barred under regulations that allow the use of […]
Elon Musk on Artificial Intelligence: “I Think There Is Potentially a Dangerous Outcome There”
June 20th, 2014Via: Guardian: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk worries about a “Terminator” scenario arising from research into artificial intelligence. Musk was an early investor in AI firm DeepMind, which was later acquired by Google, and in March made an investment San Francisco-based Vicarious, another company working to improve machine intelligence. Speaking to US news channel CNBC, […]
South Africa: Riot Control Drone Can Fire a Variety of Ammunition to Subdue Unruly Crowds
June 18th, 2014“Payload capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is 40 kg” 40KG? Via: Defense Web: South African company Desert Wolf yesterday unveiled its Skunk riot control drone at the IFSEC security exhibition outside Johannesburg. Armed with four paintball guns, it can fire a variety of ammunition to subdue unruly crowds. The Skunk is designed to […]
Office of Naval Research: U.S. Marine Ground Vehicles Will Carry Lasers to Shoot Down Drones
June 16th, 2014Via: Office of Naval Research: As the Navy prepares to deploy its first laser weapon on a ship later this summer, Office of Naval Research (ONR) officials announced June 11 that they have finished awarding contracts to develop a similar weapon to be used on ground vehicles. The Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move program, […]
FAA for the First Time OKs Commercial Drone Flights Over Land
June 11th, 2014Via: Los Angeles Times: Marking a milestone for the industry, Monrovia drone maker AeroVironment Inc. has announced a contract to use an unmanned aircraft to perform routine commercial services over land in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The company’s small drone, called Puma AE, is now scouring BP Exploration Inc.’s Prudhoe Bay oil field […]
Chatbot Passes Turing Test for First Time
June 9th, 2014Via: ZDNet: A computer program that pretends to be a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy called Eugene Goostman passed a Turing test at the Royal Society in London yesterday (Saturday 6 June) by convincing 33 percent of the judges that it was human during a five-minute typed conversation. The test was suggested by computer scientist Alan Turing […]
