Lifeboat Foundation

Commercial prospects for robotaxi services remain uncertain in the near term due to the immaturity of the technology, the absence of legislation to clearly define responsibility in case of a self-driving accident, and persistently high costs associated with the complex self-driving systems.

Baidu’s autonomous driving unit has partnered with the luxury electric vehicle brand of BAIC Group to bring fifth generation Apollo Moon robotaxis to Chinese roads, cutting the cost of the vehicles by two thirds.

We’ve reached out to the DearMoon team to clarify the details.

Another SpaceX mission aims to send civilians to space very soon. Known as Inspiration4, it plans to send humans to orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, lifting off on top of a Falcon 9. It too is being bankrolled by a billionaire, Jared Isaacman, and it could fly before the end of the year.

Continue reading “SpaceX moon mission to take eight people ‘further than any human has ever gone’ from Earth” »

Eight months in, 2,021 has already become a record year in brain-computer interface (BCI) funding, tripling the $97 million raised in 2019.

Watch developer Plus testing an autonomous truck on the highway without a driver behind the wheel.

Autonomous tech developer Plus has recently completed a real-world demonstration of its Level 4 autonomous truck technology on a traffic-filled highway. The company tested the truck without a driver behind the wheel, and also without any other remote operator who could take control of the truck if needed. The test took place on the Wufengshan highway in the business hub of the Yangtze Delta region, with Plus being the first company to be granted a special permit to test Level 4 vehicles in the country.

Continue reading “Watch Plus Testing Level 4 Autonomous Truck without a Driver” »

Laser mining would allow for a no explosive option and not need huge machines increasing output as well. Also lasers could make more precise cuts rather than blades which would never get dull.

The application of the “Graduated Optical Colimator” (GOC) for the mining industry consists of a one-kilowatt optical power fiber laser to selectively spall igneous geological formations containing narrow veins of precious metals.

Continue reading “Laser mining – the light at the end of the tunnel?” »

NASA says the accusations are baseless.

NASA said the accusations against Expedition 56 flight engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor are baseless.

A simulated fault scenario marked the end of the first phase of testing for software designed to enable autonomous operations of a spacecraft’s operating and robotic systems. The software’s name is ISAAC – the Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking system.

But “we shouldn’t be worried about it very much.”

Why an upcoming mission to Phobos may reveal something spectacular.

Both NASA and the European Space Agency are operating or planning major missions to — and back from — the Red Planet in a hunt for signs the once wet planet also hosted microbial life forms.

But it’s possible the best place to look for life on Mars isn’t on Mars at all.

Continue reading “Phobos: Why the largest Martian moon may reveal alien life” »