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Scientists develop new method of teaching surgery to a robot

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A team of scientists has developed a new way of teaching surgery to a robot that they say is far more efficient than other methods.

In a paper entitled Semi-Supervised Representation Learning from Surgical Videos, the team at Cornell University calls its algorithm Motion2Vec.

The team – which is backed by Intel’s AI Labs, Google Brain, and UC Berkeley – says Motion2Vec learns from video observations “by minimizing a metric learning loss”. [Read more…] about Scientists develop new method of teaching surgery to a robot

Arctic pollution: Air quality monitoring at 40°C below zero

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Most people think of the Arctic as a highly pristine clean environment, but this is not always the case. During the long dark Arctic winter, the urban atmosphere can become extremely polluted.

Indeed, at some point during the year, the remote Alaskan city of Fairbanks turns into the most polluted city in the whole of the US.

This is due to the very cold Arctic winter when emissions of gases and particles (such as from wood-burning stoves, traffic, power stations) can become trapped locally at ground level due to the very stable meteorological conditions, with poor vertical mixing. [Read more…] about Arctic pollution: Air quality monitoring at 40°C below zero

Oman establishes innovation center for Liquid Robotics’ autonomous vessel

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The oil-rich Gulf Arab state of Oman has established an innovation center built around the Wave Glider, a small, solar-powered autonomous sea-going vessel mainly used for research developed by Liquid Robotics, a Boeing company. 

The Research Council of Oman says its Wave Glider Hub at Innovation Park Muscat is the first of its kind in the region, and is designed to serve as a center of excellence for Wave Glider operations.

It adds that the facility is tooled with necessary equipment to support maintenance, training and piloting of Wave Glider fleets, both in Oman and within the region. [Read more…] about Oman establishes innovation center for Liquid Robotics’ autonomous vessel

Heraeus and Aachen University develop ‘fastest-ever’ artificial synapses

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The boffins say that the secret is ‘foreign atoms in the oxide layer’ which have so far gone unnoticed by experts

Scientists and researchers from the materials science-oriented technology group Heraeus and the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance have developed what they describe as “artificial synapses” similar to the ones found in the human brain.

The collective of brainboxes say that their discovery could be useful in the development of branches of artificial intelligence, such as machine learning and deep learning.

The boffins discovered how the switching properties of artificial synapses can be specifically influenced. [Read more…] about Heraeus and Aachen University develop ‘fastest-ever’ artificial synapses

How automation can help fast track a vaccine

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When there’s a Covid-19 vaccine, we’ll all want one fast. Here’s how Honeywell says digital tools can help speed up the process…

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible.

The typical vaccine development and production process depends on how the vaccine is created, with the manufacturing process taking anywhere from several days to several weeks for a single batch.

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the urgency of being able to scale up a vaccine is even more critical. [Read more…] about How automation can help fast track a vaccine

Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power

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In today’s advanced and technological upbringings, the power of electricity has become more than a human necessity. People use electricity for heating, cooling, refrigerating, using a computer, and many more.

Similar to your mobile and home appliances, you cannot function and be productive without plugging in your devices or charging your mobile phones in a day. Hence, electricity has recalibrated our lives since the day of its discovery.

Today, the United States accounts for one of the economic leaders in the $6 trillion global energy market. [Read more…] about Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power

Toyota develops fuel cell system for maritime applications

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The former racing catamaran turned ship of the future, Energy Observer, has made waves as it has been navigating its six-year odyssey around the world as the first energy-autonomous hydrogen vessel.

Today, Toyota, official partner of Energy Observer and an avid supporter of their project from the start, announces that it has developed a fuel cell system for maritime applications, with its first delivery destined for Energy Observer.

Embarking in June 2017 from Saint Malo Port in France, Energy Observer is an electrically propelled vessel of the future that is operated using a mix of renewable energies and an on-board system that produces carbon-free hydrogen from seawater. [Read more…] about Toyota develops fuel cell system for maritime applications

India to send humanoid robot astronaut into space

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India is planning to send a humanoid robot astronaut into space, according to a number of media reports. (See video below.)

Called “Vyommitra”, the humanoid robot has been given a female form and does not have any legs. India Today reports that it can “recognise astronauts, converse with them and answer their questions”.

Sam Dyal, a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, says Vyommitra is referred to as “half humanoid” because it only has an upper body and has limited movement – “it can only bend sidewards and forward”. [Read more…] about India to send humanoid robot astronaut into space

Scientists use supercomputer to create ‘first living robot’

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Scientists at the University of Vermont and Tufts University have created what they claim is the world’s first living robot. (See video below.)

The scientists say they have repurposed living cells, taken from frog embryos, and assembled them into “entirely new life-forms”.

The millimeter-wide “xenobots” can move toward a target, perhaps pick up a payload – like a medicine that needs to be carried to a specific place inside a patient – and heal themselves after being cut. [Read more…] about Scientists use supercomputer to create ‘first living robot’

Columbia develops ‘robotic trunk support assists’ for people with spinal cord injuries

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Engineers at Columbia university have invented a robotic trunk-support-trainer to retrain patients with spinal cord injury to sit more stably and gain an expanded active sitting workspace. (See video below.)

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can cause devastating damage, including loss of mobility and sensation. Every year, there are an estimated 17,000 new SCIs in the US alone, a rate higher than in most regions of the world.

In addition, the rate of SCIs in people 65 years or older is expected to rise in the US, from 13 percent in 2010 to 16.1 percent by 2020. [Read more…] about Columbia develops ‘robotic trunk support assists’ for people with spinal cord injuries