Cross training helps humans and robots work better together

Cross training helps humans and robots work better together:

Like many people, I spend most of my time worrying about the inevitable robot uprising. MIT is doing its bit to put off that day with its experiments in teaching robots and humans to work together peacefully. Using cross-training techniques, the researchers got robots and humans to swap jobs so they could see things from the others' point of view and carry out tasks more efficiently when working together. .. Continue Reading Cross training helps humans and robots work better together

Section: Robotics

Tags: MIT, Robots, Training

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Sony patents universal 3D glasses

Sony patents universal 3D glasses:

Sony has filed a US patent for 3D glasses that can be used with any 3D TV set. The glasses use a variety of downloadable software and interchangeable modules that hold out the promise of cheaper 3D glasses that aren't tied to a single receiver model. .. Continue Reading Sony patents universal 3D glasses

Section: Electronics

Tags: 3D Glasses, 3D TVs, Patent, Sony

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Contradiction department

From my BBC RSS feed:

Stranded US cruise ship nears land

How?

Alfa Romeo 4C to debut at Geneva Motor Show

Alfa Romeo 4C to debut at Geneva Motor Show:

The Alfa Romeo 4C is set to make its debut at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva next month. A production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept which combines the efforts of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, the new mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, two-seater coupé will also mark the return of the Italian marque to the U.S. market later this year... Continue Reading Alfa Romeo 4C to debut at Geneva Motor Show

Section: Automotive

Tags: Alfa Romeo, Geneva Motor Show 2013, Maserati, Supercars

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Laser device designed for Mars unmasks counterfeit honey

Laser device designed for Mars unmasks counterfeit honey:

When someone mentions counterfeiting, it brings up images of money, watches or DVDs. It certainly doesn't make honey spring to mind, yet honey smuggling and counterfeiting is an international problem involving hundreds of millions of dollars. In an effort to combat this, the European Space Agency (ESA) is funding a demonstration project to adopt lasers designed to study the Martian atmosphere, to detect fake honey... Continue Reading Laser device designed for Mars unmasks counterfeit honey

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Counterfeiting, ESA, Food, Laser

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STRaND-1 – world's first smartphone-based satellite set to launch

STRaND-1 – world's first smartphone-based satellite set to launch:

The University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) are set to launch the world’s first smartphone-based satellite. Built around a Google Nexus One smartphone running on the Android operating system, the STRaND-1 (Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator) satellite will also be the U.K.’s first CubeSat to go into space. .. Continue Reading STRaND-1 – world's first smartphone-based satellite set to launch

Section: Aero Gizmo

Tags: CubeSat, Launch, Satellite, Smartphones, Space, Spacecraft, SSTL, Surrey University

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Golden-i wearable hands-free computer interface

Golden-i wearable hands-free computer interface:

Back in 2009, the Kopin Corporation’s Golden-i headset promised a hands-free, natural-speech-recognition interface for wireless remote control over a range of devices including mobile phones, PCs, company networks and wireless systems, but it was also little more than a concept. Four years on, the company is marketing the wearable, hands free computer interfacing devices for heavy and light industries, professionals and first responders. The Golden-i headsets allow the user to send and receive audiovisual information from multiple platforms by means of both voice and motion control while leaving the hands free to get on with the job... Continue Reading Golden-i wearable hands-free computer interface

Section: Wearable Electronics

Tags: Computers, Gesture Control, Hands-free, Headset, Kopin, Motorola, Voice recognition

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Royal Academy of Engineering says UK better prepared for solar superstorm

Royal Academy of Engineering says UK better prepared for solar superstorm:

Britain is better prepared for a solar superstorm than many countries, including the United States. The Royal Academy of Engineering has released a multi-disciplinary report on space weather’s impact on Britain, as part of the UK National Risk Assessment. The declassified portion of the assessment shows the level of UK preparedness in the face of severe solar storms, and outlines the dangers Earth faces from superstorms and how to avoid or mitigate damage... Continue Reading Royal Academy of Engineering says UK better prepared for solar superstorm

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Communications, Disasters, Emergency, Power, Royal Academy of Engineering, Space

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Pope resigns

I recommend checking the little fingers of any papal candidates.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is resigning–the first pope to do so since 1415.

Ill health is cited, but I was watching my boxed set of The Invaders last night, so I have my own theories.

Kia Cross GT Concept CUV unveiled in Chicago

Kia Cross GT Concept CUV unveiled in Chicago:

Kia has chosen the Chicago Motor Show to unveil its Cross GT Concept CUV. Designed at the Kia Design Centre America, which is also behind the designs for Kia’s Track'ster, KV7 and Soul'ster concepts, and the 2014 Forte sedan (which is still marketed as the Cerato in some markets), it’s intended as a demonstration of Kia’s plan to one day market a GT that is a full-size luxury crossover... Continue Reading Kia Cross GT Concept CUV unveiled in Chicago

Section: Automotive

Tags: Chicago Auto Show 2013, Concept Cars, Crossover, Hybrid, Kia

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3 Series Gran Turismo heads BMW line-up for 2013 Geneva Motor Show

3 Series Gran Turismo heads BMW line-up for 2013 Geneva Motor Show:

The BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is set to make its world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. The third body variation on the mid-range premium segment model, the aerodynamically focused Gran Turismo leads a BMW line-up for the show that includes the M6 Gran Coupe, Z4, Concept Active Tourer and i3 Concept Coupe... Continue Reading 3 Series Gran Turismo heads BMW line-up for 2013 Geneva Motor Show

Section: Automotive

Tags: BMW, Geneva Motor Show 2013, Gran Turismo

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Curiosity collects first bedrock drill sample

Curiosity collects first bedrock drill sample:

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity collected its first drilling sample on Saturday. The 4x4-sized robot used the drill in its hand to collect samples from the interior of a flat, veiny sedimentary bedrock that was formed by ancient Martian water... Continue Reading Curiosity collects first bedrock drill sample

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Curiosity Rover, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, NASA, Space

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Curiosity conducts historic first drilling on Mars

Curiosity conducts historic first drilling on Mars:

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity made the historic first drilling ever attempted on the Red Planet on February 6. The drilling, at a patch of flat, vein-bearing rock called "John Klein" at Gale Crater, was the 4X4-sized robot’s first full use of its drilling unit and a major test before it uses the drill to collect pulverized rock samples for analysis in its internal laboratories... Continue Reading Curiosity conducts historic first drilling on Mars

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Curiosity Rover, Historic, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, NASA, Space

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BMW designs a car to a four year-old's specifications

BMW designs a car to a four year-old's specifications:

Who says that car makers don’t listen to their customers? A reader at Jalopnik asked for help in producing a concept image for a car built to the specifications of his four year-old nephew, Eli – BMW responded with the ride we all secretly wish we owned. .. Continue Reading BMW designs a car to a four year-old's specifications

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Tags: Art, BMW, Children, Concept Cars

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Lernstift digital pen vibrates to indicate bad spelling, grammar and penmanship

Lernstift digital pen vibrates to indicate bad spelling, grammar and penmanship:

Use digital technology long enough and you start to become dependent upon it for such mundane tasks as spell checking. That means when you pick up a garden variety ballpoint pen you’re back in dictionary and “I before E except after C” territory. Like LiveScribe, the creators of the Lernstift digital pen hope to bring handwriting into the 21st century by having the pen vibrate to indicate when the writer makes spelling and grammatical errors or exhibits poor penmanship... Continue Reading Lernstift digital pen vibrates to indicate bad spelling, grammar and penmanship

Section: Good Thinking

Tags: Handwriting, Learning, Linux, Writing

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New water jets to give U.S. Navy littoral combat ships extra punch

New water jets to give U.S. Navy littoral combat ships extra punch:

The U.S. Navy is fitting Rolls Royce water jets to its Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The new water jets can pump out half a million gallons (1.9 million liters) of high-density seawater per minute, pushing the LCS at over 40 knots (46 mph, 74 km/h) while providing more power for less weight. .. Continue Reading New water jets to give U.S. Navy littoral combat ships extra punch

Section: Military

Tags: Littoral Combat Ships, ONR, Ships, US Navy

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Super Earths may actually be mini-Neptunes

Super Earths may actually be mini-Neptunes:

In the past couple of decades, nearly 900 planets have been identified outside of our Solar System with thousands more candidates to be considered. Among the most exciting of these exoplanets are the so-called “super-Earths” – planets somewhat larger than the Earth, yet some of which might be capable of supporting life. Unfortunately, a team led by Helmut Lammer at the Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has produced new models that indicate some of these super-Earths may really be mini-Neptunes, with deep, hydrogen-rich envelopes covering a small rocky core... Continue Reading Super Earths may actually be mini-Neptunes

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Tags: Exoplanet, Space, Super-Earth

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NASA to fly largest solar sail ever, in 2014

NASA to fly largest solar sail ever, in 2014:

NASA is getting ready to ride the “winds” of space on sails lighter than gossamer, yet large enough to cover a small field. The space agency’s Solar Sail Demonstration, also known as the Sunjammer Project, may launch as early as 2014 when it will send the largest solar sail yet built into orbit, to demonstrate the technical viability of the device... Continue Reading NASA to fly largest solar sail ever, in 2014

Section: Science and Education

Tags: NASA, Solar Sail, Space, Spacecraft, Sunlight

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Researchers develop coating that shakes fouling material off ship hulls

Researchers develop coating that shakes fouling material off ship hulls:

Engineers at Duke University have developed a polymer that keeps ships’ bottoms clean by twitching like living skin. The paint-like material combats hull fouling by preventing marine organisms from collecting on hulls by physically moving on the microscopic level and thus dislodging bacteria from the surface without toxic chemicals... Continue Reading Researchers develop coating that shakes fouling material off ship hulls

Section: On the Water

Tags: Bacteria, Coatings, Duke University, Polymer, Ships

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Cassini watches storm on Saturn choke itself

Cassini watches storm on Saturn choke itself:

NASA’s Cassini probe witnessed a giant storm on Saturn that raced around the ringed planet, ran into its own tail, and consumed itself like the legendary Ouroboros – a snake that eats its tail. The storm, which at its peak was almost as wide as the Earth, lasted for 267 days and was marked by violent lightning bursts and an unusual rise in air temperature. This self-destructing storm is a phenomenon never seen before, and sheds new light on Saturn’s meteorology that could help with weather prediction on Earth... Continue Reading Cassini watches storm on Saturn choke itself

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Cassini, ESA, NASA, Space

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