Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
‘After Boston, Lawmakers See Case for Use of Drones to Kill Americans’
April 24th, 2013Via: U.S. News and World Report: In the aftermath of the Boston bombing standoff that ended last Friday, lawmakers have changed their tune on whether a drone should ever be used to target an American citizen on U.S. soil. The use of drones to kill American citizens is not “inherently illegal,” as long as that […]
After U.S. Troops Leave, Armed Drones Will Patrol Afghanistan’s Opium Poppy Farms Skies
April 23rd, 2013
Via: Wired: One of the major elements of Afghanistan’s air war will remain after most U.S. troops have headed home, the U.S. military command confirmed today. Armed drones, operated by the U.S., will remain over Afghanistan after 2014. “I come back to the remotely piloted aircraft,” Air Force Maj. Gen. H.D. Polumbo, the commander of […]
DARPA’s ‘Physical Intelligence’ Brain
April 12th, 2013Via: National Defense Magazine: The next frontier for the robotics industry is to build machines that think like humans. Scientists have pursued that elusive goal for decades, and they believe they are now just inches away from the finish line. A Pentagon-funded team of researchers has constructed a tiny machine that would allow robots to […]
Boston Dynamics: PETMAN
April 11th, 2013They expect us to believe that this is just a sort of moving mannequin to test military clothing. Have a nice day. Via: Boston Dynamics / YouTube: The PETMAN robot was developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from the DoD CBD program. It is used to test the performance of protective clothing designed for hazardous […]
U.S. Killer Robot Operators ‘Weren’t Always Certain Who They Were Killing’
April 11th, 2013Via: McClatchy: Contrary to assurances it has deployed U.S. drones only against known senior leaders of al Qaida and allied groups, the Obama administration has targeted and killed hundreds of suspected lower-level Afghan, Pakistani and unidentified “other” militants in scores of strikes in Pakistan’s rugged tribal area, classified U.S. intelligence reports show. The administration has […]
Navy Unveils Drone-Killing Laser
April 9th, 2013Via: U.S. News and World Report: The Navy’s top officer unveiled new technology Monday that allows ships to shoot down drones or other vehicles for about the cost of a pack of gum. The USS Dewey tested an onboard laser weapons system in July 2012, in which it successfully shot down a test drone. Navy […]
‘The Labor Market Is in Worse Shape Than You Think’
April 7th, 2013Via: Daily Ticker: Harding says the shift to low-wage jobs from “good, middle-class” jobs such as construction workers, bookkeepers, typists, bank tellers and data entry employees, has led to growing income inequality. These positions have been replaced by modern IT systems that companies are using to cut costs and increase their bottom lines. “Companies are […]
And Now… Harvard and MIT Magic 8 Ball Will Grade Essays
April 5th, 2013Via: New York Times: Imagine taking a college exam, and, instead of handing in a blue book and getting a grade from a professor a few weeks later, clicking the “send” button when you are done and receiving a grade back instantly, your essay scored by a software program. And then, instead of being done […]
BionicOpter: Festo’s Giant Robotic Dragonfly
March 29th, 2013Via: Canadian Manufacturing: Building on the work of last year’s bionic creation, the Smart Bird, Festo announced that it will literally launch its latest creation, the BionicOpter, at Hannover Messe in April. With a wingspan of 63 cm and weighing in at 175 grams, the robotic dragonfly mimics all forms of flight as its natural […]
Navy Wants Lasers on Marines’ Trucks to Shoot Down Drones
March 29th, 2013Via: Wired: If there was any doubt that the military has new confidence in its forthcoming laser arsenal, the Navy’s top geeks want to outfit Marines with a laser cannon to shoot small drones out of the sky. Specifically, the Office of Naval Research thinks that Marine air-ground task forces are too vulnerable to adversaries […]
