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Taking inspiration from the animal kingdom, Flinders University researchers are developing affordable, flexible and highly responsive ‘whiskers’ to attach to robots. Their article, “Optimising electromechanical whisker design for contact localisation,” has been published in the journal Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.

While lasers and camera vision is used to instruct robot movement, the additional support of light-weight, cheap and flexible whiskers would give workplace and domestic robots additional tactile abilities in confined or cluttered spaces.

Like a rat’s whiskers, these sensors can be used to overcome a robot’s range-finder or camera blind spots which may not ‘see’ or register an object close by, says Flinders College of Science and Engineering Ph.D. candidate Simon Pegoli. Additionally, whiskers uncover properties of objects, such as moveability, not possible with camera or regular range-finder sensors.

The structure and function of the kidneys is altered by space flight, with galactic radiation causing permanent damage that would jeopardise any mission to Mars, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is the largest analysis of kidney health in space flight to date and includes the first health dataset for commercial astronauts. It is published as part of a Nature special collection of papers on space and health.

Researchers have known that space flight causes certain health issues since the 1970s, in the years after humans first travelled beyond Earth’s magnetic field, most famously during the first moon landing in 1969. These issues include loss of bone mass, weakening of the heart and eyesight, and development of kidney stones.

Tesla’s autopilot technology and the increasing affordability of electric vehicles are set to revolutionize the transportation industry, making transportation as a service cheaper and safer, and leading to a significant drop in oil demand and potential geopolitical implications Questions to inspire discussion How safe.

There was a time when futurists were predicting that the advent of 3D printing was going to change our lives…

A Texas company — driven by a mission to create faster, better and more affordable housing — is 3D printing homes. It’s also working with NASA to 3D print on the Moon. Lesley Stahl reports.

In January 2024, Figure signed its first commercial agreement with BMW to deploy its humanoid robot in the German carmaker’s production facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Now, the California-based robotics firm has released a video showcasing its 1 humanoid robot executing its first job by…

Continue reading “Watch: Figure’s 01 humanoids now working at BMW’s car plant in US” »

Apple removes 25 VPN apps from its Russian App Store following a request from Russia’s Roskomnadzor, intensifying internet control.

GootLoader malware evolves with new versions, using SEO poisoning and disguised payloads to compromise systems.

Discover Zergeca, a new sophisticated botnet capable of DDoS attacks and more. Learn about its features, targets, and potential impact on cybersecurit.

Brazil bans Meta from using personal data for AI training, citing privacy concerns and risks to children. Meta has 5 days to comply or face fines.