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China recently banned the export of the minerals gallium and germanium to the US amid growing tensions between the two countries on trade. The minerals are of critical economic value because they are used in computer chips, in military technology such as night vision goggles, and in the rene... Read Full article on HadNews.com

The walking, talking, dancing Optimus robots at the recent Tesla demonstration generated huge excitement. But this turned to disappointment as it became apparent that much of what was happening was actually being controlled remotely by humans. As much as this might still be a fascinating glimpse of the future, it’s not the first time that robots have turned out to be a little too good to be true. Take Sophia, for instance, the robot created by Texas-based Hanson Robotics back in 2016. She was presented by the company as essentially an intelligent being, prompting numerous tech specialists to call this out as well beyond our capabilities a...... Read Full article on HadNews

Since it was founded nearly two decades ago, 23andMe has grown into one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world. Millions of people have used its simple genetic testing service, which involves ordering a saliva test, spitting into a tube, and sending it back to the company for a detailed DNA analysis. But now the company is on the brink of bankruptcy. This has raised concerns about what will happen to the troves of genetic data it has in its possession. The company’s chief executive, Anne Wojcicki, has said she is committed to customer privacy and will “maintain our current privacy policy”. But what can customers of 23a...... Read Full article on HadNews

The development of new female humanoid robots from the US and Japan has taken the world by storm. These robots are so realistic and technologically advanced that they have shocked experts and spectators alike. The level of detail and naturalness of their movements are so lifelike that they are almost indistinguishable from actual humans. This groundbreaking achievement in robotics and artificial intelligence has opened up new possibilities and horizons for the future. The robots have amazed people with their capabilities and potential applications in various fields. The videos showcasing these robots have garnered a lot of attention an...... Read Full article on HadNews

Computer systems across Australia and overseas have failed this afternoon after an update was pushed out by global security software provider CrowdStrike. The software affected by the update appears to be the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, which is installed by businesses or other organisations on desktop computers and notebooks to provide security monitoring. What’s happening? The software failure has caused a major IT outage affecting organisations across Australia and around the world. The websites of the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, the ABC and many others have been affected, according to crowdsourced outage reporting website DownDe...... Read Full article on HadNews

Imagine you’re 90 years old, a grandmother of three and your husband is also elderly and ailing. You need help with almost everything, getting out of a chair, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, eating and remembering your medications. Despite advances in life expectancy, ageing has not been kind, and you feel like a burden to your husband and the healthcare professionals who care for you. Now, imagine being offered a robot that could help with many of these things – from walking to the bathroom to keeping track of your doctor’s appointments. This robot’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) learns your preferences, knows your birthday...... Read Full article on HadNews

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RoboCup 2024: 17–22 July 2024, EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS ICRA@40: 23–26 September 2024, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS IROS 2024: 14–18 October 2024, ABU DHABI, UAE ICSR 2024: 23–26 October 2024, ODENSE, DENMARK Cybathlon 2024: 25–27 October 2024, ZURICH Enjoy today’s videos! At ICRA 2024, Spectrum editor Evan Ackerman sat down with Unitree Founder and CEO Xingxing Wang and Tony Yang, VP of Business Dev...... Read Full article on HadNews

Among the many things that humans cannot do (without some fairly substantial modification) is shifting our body morphology around on demand. It sounds a little extreme to be talking about things like self-amputation, and itis a little extreme, but it’s also not at all uncommon for other animals to do—lizards can disconnect their tails to escape a predator, for example. And it works in the other direction, too, with animals like ants adding to their morphology by connecting to each other to traverse gaps that a single ant couldn’t cross alone. In a new paper, roboticists fromThe Faboratory at Yale University have given a soft robot t...... Read Full article on HadNews

Google has announced the discontinuation of yet another product, this time the VPN service One VPN which was provided to subscribers to Google One. The service will shut down on Jul 20, 2024. One VPN was launched in 2020 to higher tier customers of Google One, Google’s expanded storage subscription service. Then in 2023, the service was expanded to include all One subscribers. Google described VPNs as a valuable service that added an important layer of security, especially for anyone using public wifi networks. They also launched dedicated Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS apps. However, despite the tool’s utility, Google’s stated reason ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Food prep is one of those problems that seems like it should be solvable by robots. It’s a predictable, repetitive, basic manipulation task in a semi-structured environment—seems ideal, right? And obviously there’s a huge need, because human labor is expensive and getting harder and harder to find in these contexts. There are currently over a million unfilled jobs in the food industry in the United States, and even with jobs that are filled, the annual turnover rate is 150 percent (meaning a lot of workers don’t even last a year). Food prep seems like a great opportunity for robots, which is why Chef Robotics and a handful of other ro...... Read Full article on HadNews

Samsung has introduced its latest Galaxy wearables and foldable phones at the recent Unpacked event in Paris, featuring the new Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Galaxy Z Fold 6. Here’s everything you need to know about all the latest products, including its innovations in artificial intelligence. Samsung Galaxy Ring After months of anticipation since its teaser in January, the Samsung Galaxy Ring was officially revealed. The device has three sensors that monitor various aspects of its user’s health, such as sleep, heart rate, and activity levels. Unlike the Oura Ring, it offers personalized insights without needing...... Read Full article on HadNews

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RoboCup 2024: 17–22 July 2024, EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS ICRA@40: 23–26 September 2024, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS IROS 2024: 14–18 October 2024, ABU DHABI, UAE ICSR 2024: 23–26 October 2024, ODENSE, DENMARK Cybathlon 2024: 25–27 October 2024, ZURICH Enjoy today’s videos! Figure is making progress toward a humanoid robot that can do something useful, but keep in mind that the “full use case” here is...... Read Full article on HadNews

Google Pixel smartphones have previously been beset with some issues that have been repeated through different generations of the series.  Aspects such as outdated camera sensors, limited wide cameras, and sluggish charging speeds have been reported while another problem has been the temperamental fingerprint sensor.  As featured by Android Authority, Google appears set to apply a fix for the upcoming Pixel 9 Series with the introduction of an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. It has been claimed the upgrade in biometric security will be rolled out to the full range, including the standard Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and the new Pixel 9 Pro XL...... Read Full article on HadNews

Amazon has secured a A$2 billion contract with the Australian Signals Directorate – the agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence and information security. A local subsidiary of Amazon Web Services will build a Top Secret Cloud to provide secure data storage for military intelligence. The deal will securely manage top secret data vital to Australia’s national security. This contract is expected to last over a decade. It will build three secure data centres at undisclosed locations in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated this project will “bolster our defence and national intelligence community to ensure they c...... Read Full article on HadNews

Anthropic, a company that does research into AI safety, is calling for proposals on ways to evaluate advanced learning models. The rapid growth of AI means there are new AI providers and models all the time. Every major tech company has its own model, while there are dozens more smaller ones as well. That means that the industry has a rising benchmarking problem, making it tough to accurately evaluate how well an AI model performs. Not only is it hard to state how effective a model is, but it’s also hard to evaluate the risks involved with AI safety. Anthropic is calling for proposals to plug this gap in AI evaluation. “Developing high...... Read Full article on HadNews

The astounding rise in social media use in the past few years is seeing policy responses come to a head, both internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. Some estimates put the number using social media globally above five billion, with an annualised growth rate of more than 5%. Accelerated concerns about smartphone addiction, cyberbullying, misinformation and extremist content have often seen digital devices and social media blamed for declines in mental and social wellbeing, in young people in particular. The American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls them “the anxious generation”, and politicians and policymakers are scra...... Read Full article on HadNews

You might have heard that artificial intelligence is going to revolutionize everything, save the world and give everyone superhuman powers. Alternatively, you might have heard that it will take your job, make you lazy and stupid, and make the world a cyberpunk dystopia. Consider another way to look at AI: as an assistive technology – something that helps you function. With that view, also consider a community of experts in giving and receiving assistance: the disability community. Many disabled people use technology extensively, both dedicated assistive technologies such as wheelchairs and general-use technologies such as smart home devices...... Read Full article on HadNews

As we eagerly await the release of the Apple iPhone 16 family in the fall of 2024, rumors are growing surrounding the potential of an Ultra version being included for the first time. Talk of an Ultra model has been rumbling on for some time now, especially following Apple’s release of the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022. The feeling was that Apple would likely extend its Ultra offering to its flagship smartphones. Here’s what we know so far. iPhone 16 Ultra: What we know so far and rumors Design & Display For an Ultra model to stand out from the iPhone 16 family, it’s likely Apple will need to make some tweaks to the overall design of the...... Read Full article on HadNews

In the intriguing short film “Robort,” we are transported to a futuristic world where robots have taken over various roles in society. The protagonist, Robert, is a former singer who now works as an accountant, feeling disconnected from his passion for music. However, when he loses his job due to the increasing presence of robots, Robert decides to reinvent himself as a robot singer named ROBORT. As ROBORT, Robert quickly rises to fame, but his success comes with a price. When his true identity as a human is uncovered, it sparks a shift in society’s perception of human musicians, making Robert an unexpected hero. The film beautifully e...... Read Full article on HadNews

The latest innovation in robotics has arrived with the unveiling of the Boston Dynamics New Atlas AI Robot. This cutting-edge robot is equipped with an astonishing 44-50 Degrees of Freedom (DoF), allowing for unparalleled dexterity and movement. With its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, the Atlas 2.0 is set to revolutionize the field of robotics. Not to be outdone, Google Deepmind has also introduced their latest creation, the Aloha 2 General Robots. Featuring generalizable manipulators, this robot is designed to handle a wide range of tasks with ease and efficiency. Additionally, Stability has announced a new API that pr...... Read Full article on HadNews