A robot in Moscow assaulted a 7-year-old boy, and broke his finger. Do you know why? The boy attempted a quick move during a game of chess. Palki Sharma brings you the story.

Gravitas: Robot breaks a 7-year-old boy's finger

In a bizarre incident, a chess-playing robot broke a seven-year-old player's finger during the Moscow Chess Open that was organised last week.

WION Fineprint: Chess robot breaks finger of opponent during a match at Moscow open

Chess robot breaks finger of opponent during a match at Moscow open

A chess-playing robot broke a seven-year-old boy’s finger&nbsp;during a tournament in Moscow, Russia, after the kid went for a swift move without waiting for the necessary time for the machine to complete its action.

The incident took place on July 19 at the Moscow Chess Open tournament. The vice president of the Chess Federation of Russia, Sergey Smagin, told state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that the boy is fine and that his fingers have been fractured, reports Newsweek.

"The boy is all right. They put a plaster cast on the finger to heal faster. Yes, there are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them and, when he made a move, did not notice that he had to wait. This is an extremely rare case, the first I can recall," he was quoted as saying.

A video has since gone viral, showing that the kid had his fingers trapped by the robot for a few seconds before a woman rushes to help him. Three men then intervene and manage to free the boy's finger from the robot's hold.

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All acquisition that advanced AI will destroy humanity is false. Not the powerful AI or breaching laws of robotics will destroy humanity, but engineers with both left hands :/ 
 
On video - a chess robot breaks a kid's finger at Moscow Chess Open today. <a href="https://t.co/bIGIbHztar">pic.twitter.com/bIGIbHztar</a>
— Pavel Osadchuk 👨‍💻💤 (@xakpc) <a href="https://twitter.com/xakpc/status/1550224137041371144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
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State-tv Baza reported that the boy’s name is Christopher and that he's among the 30 strongest chess players in Moscow aged up to nine years old.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-man-who-set-ex-wife-on-fire-during-tiktok-livestream-is-executed-500147" hreflang="en">Chinese man who set ex-wife on fire during livestream executed</a>

"The robot did not like such a hurry — he grabbed the boy's index finger and squeezed it hard," said the Russian news website.

"The people around rushed to help and pulled out the finger of the young player, but the fracture could not be avoided."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-sinkhole-opens-up-in-swimming-pool-dragging-man-into-43-foot-deep-hole-1-killed-500165" hreflang="en">Watch: Sinkhole opens up in swimming pool, dragging man into 43-foot-deep hole; 1 killed</a>

The news outlet reported that the chess robot had played three matches on the trot with Christopher.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A chess-playing robot broke a seven-year-old boy’s finger during a tournament in Moscow, Russia, after the kid went for a swift move without waiting for the necessary time for the machine to complete its action.

A chess-playing robot broke a seven-year-old boy’s finger during a tournament in Moscow, Russia, after the kid went for a swift move without waiting for the necessary time for the machine to complete its action. The incident took place on July 19 at the Moscow Chess Open tournament. The vice president of the Chess Federation of Russia, Sergey Smagin, told state-owned news agency RIA Novosti that the boy is fine and that his fingers have been fractured, reports Newsweek. "The boy is all right. They put a plaster cast on the finger to heal faster. Yes, there are certain safety rules and the child, apparently, violated them and, when he made a move, did not notice that he had to wait. This is an extremely rare case, the first I can recall," he was quoted as saying. A video has since gone viral, showing that the kid had his fingers trapped by the robot for a few seconds before a woman rushes to help him. Three men then intervene and manage to free the boy's finger from the robot's hold. All acquisition that advanced AI will destroy humanity is false. Not the powerful AI or breaching laws of robotics will destroy humanity, but engineers with both left hands :/ On video - a chess robot breaks a kid's finger at Moscow Chess Open today. pic.twitter.com/bIGIbHztar — Pavel Osadchuk 👨‍💻💤 (@xakpc) July 21, 2022 × State-tv Baza reported that the boy’s name is Christopher and that he's among the 30 strongest chess players in Moscow aged up to nine years old. Also read | Chinese man who set ex-wife on fire during livestream executed "The robot did not like such a hurry — he grabbed the boy's index finger and squeezed it hard," said the Russian news website. "The people around rushed to help and pulled out the finger of the young player, but the fracture could not be avoided." Also read | Watch: Sinkhole opens up in swimming pool, dragging man into 43-foot-deep hole; 1 killed The news outlet reported that the chess robot had played three matches on the trot with Christopher. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Watch: Chess-playing robot goes rogue, breaks boy’s finger during tournament in Moscow

Researchers in Japan have developed an advanced snake-shaped robot that can climb ladders and wind its way up drainpipes, raising hopes that such devices will soon be used in surveying inaccessible locations in disaster-hit areas. The new robot, which is 2.5 meters long and weighs 6kg, can be used for the inspection of collapsed buildings, according to Fumitoshi Matsuno, the robotics professor at Kyoto University leading the project. His team aims to put the device into practical use within two to three years, as reported by Nikkei Japan.

The snake, which is now patented technology, has been developed by UKAEA's RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) in a GPB2.7 million (USD3.4 million), a seven-year project. The snake will be delivered as part of EUROfusion's DEMO programme, which will be the successor to the ITER fusion device which is currently being built in southern France, as reported by World Nuclear News (WNN).

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexican-schoolboy-set-on-fire-badly-burnt-his-only-crime-speaking-indigenous-language-496858">Mexican schoolboy set on fire, badly burnt - his 'only crime' - speaking indigenous language</a>

The device can climb up and down a ladder by altering its body shape. Using a laser sensor attached to the tip, it detects the distance between each rung, works out the ideal trajectory and contorts itself to clamber its way up. The device is controlled remotely by an operator who can see images from a camera mounted on the tip. Each joint does not need to be manipulated individually; the operator merely has to input which way the robot should proceed after selecting the appropriate shape.

UKAEA Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Tristan Tremethick said, "Ultrasonic sensors enable the snake to find the correct position, where it then clamps to the pipe and performs the weld from the inside. After the weld, the tool retracts and is removed from the pipe where it can be redeployed. Robots are a key part of our mission to deliver low carbon fusion energy, and we need to become skilled in controlling machines like this one remotely. That's because they will be used to maintain fusion energy power plants."

(with inputs from agencies)

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Researchers in Japan have developed an advanced snake-shaped robot that can climb ladders and wind its way up drainpipes, raising hopes that such devices will soon be used in surveying inaccessible locations in disaster-hit areas.

Researchers in Japan have developed an advanced snake-shaped robot that can climb ladders and wind its way up drainpipes, raising hopes that such devices will soon be used in surveying inaccessible locations in disaster-hit areas. The new robot, which is 2.5 meters long and weighs 6kg, can be used for the inspection of collapsed buildings, according to Fumitoshi Matsuno, the robotics professor at Kyoto University leading the project. His team aims to put the device into practical use within two to three years, as reported by Nikkei Japan. The snake, which is now patented technology, has been developed by UKAEA's RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) in a GPB2.7 million (USD3.4 million), a seven-year project. The snake will be delivered as part of EUROfusion's DEMO programme, which will be the successor to the ITER fusion device which is currently being built in southern France, as reported by World Nuclear News (WNN). Also Read: Mexican schoolboy set on fire, badly burnt - his 'only crime' - speaking indigenous language The device can climb up and down a ladder by altering its body shape. Using a laser sensor attached to the tip, it detects the distance between each rung, works out the ideal trajectory and contorts itself to clamber its way up. The device is controlled remotely by an operator who can see images from a camera mounted on the tip. Each joint does not need to be manipulated individually; the operator merely has to input which way the robot should proceed after selecting the appropriate shape. UKAEA Lead Mechanical Design Engineer Tristan Tremethick said, "Ultrasonic sensors enable the snake to find the correct position, where it then clamps to the pipe and performs the weld from the inside. After the weld, the tool retracts and is removed from the pipe where it can be redeployed. Robots are a key part of our mission to deliver low carbon fusion energy, and we need to become skilled in controlling machines like this one remotely. That's because they will be used to maintain fusion energy power plants." (with inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Japan develops remotely operated snake-shaped robots for disaster site inspection

In a bid to help reduce the pollution caused by plastics in oceans. Scientists unveiled bionic robo-fish capable of hunting microplastics from the ocean surface.

Robots to solve ocean's pollution menace: 15mm long robo-fish to hunt for plastic

A number of industries have been using robots for a number of tasks and it looks like the world of bartending has joined the list. A robot in Munich can now create cocktails according to the customers’ orders and the bar regulars have accepted the innovation wholeheartedly. The Sausalitos bars in south Germany is the home of the two-armed robot which is mixing cocktails and helping the staff with the day-to-day jobs. ‘The bar element is our most important element. We are Germany’s largest cocktail chain, so the bar is to us what to others the kitchen is,” Sausalitos manager Christoph Heidt said in a video by Reuters. The bar designed the unique robot along with Inores Robotics AG.

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A bartending robot in Munich has arrived on the scene to mix a mean mojito and hopefully take some of the strain off the local bar staff <a href="https://t.co/KhvQF9gTm2">pic.twitter.com/KhvQF9gTm2</a>
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“This industry is suffering from staff shortages which means we would actually very much like to employ more staff if we could find more people willing to work in hospitality,” said Heidt in the video which showed off the various features of the robot. “We will keep the same amount of bar staff we had before, so we are not planning to replace anybody with the robot, rather it aims to be a help.”

The staff working in the bar have accepted the robot as their own. The introduction of the robots has made life easier for them and they were also impressed with how effective the robot has been.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ancient-buddhist-city-in-afghanistan-faces-existential-threat-490627" hreflang="en">In pics - Ancient Buddhist city in Afghanistan faces existential threat</a>

“I actually find ‘him’ pretty pleasant, he can’t talk back or complain,” bartender Julia Rahn said to Reuters.

“If after six weeks a lime is dropped here and there, then this is only human I would say,” he added.

A number of industries have been using robots for a number of tasks and it looks like the world of bartending has joined the list. A robot in Munich can now create cocktails according to the customers’ orders and the bar regulars have accepted the innovation wholeheartedly.

A number of industries have been using robots for a number of tasks and it looks like the world of bartending has joined the list. A robot in Munich can now create cocktails according to the customers’ orders and the bar regulars have accepted the innovation wholeheartedly. The Sausalitos bars in south Germany is the home of the two-armed robot which is mixing cocktails and helping the staff with the day-to-day jobs. ‘The bar element is our most important element. We are Germany’s largest cocktail chain, so the bar is to us what to others the kitchen is,” Sausalitos manager Christoph Heidt said in a video by Reuters. The bar designed the unique robot along with Inores Robotics AG. A bartending robot in Munich has arrived on the scene to mix a mean mojito and hopefully take some of the strain off the local bar staff pic.twitter.com/KhvQF9gTm2 — Reuters (@Reuters) June 22, 2022 × “This industry is suffering from staff shortages which means we would actually very much like to employ more staff if we could find more people willing to work in hospitality,” said Heidt in the video which showed off the various features of the robot. “We will keep the same amount of bar staff we had before, so we are not planning to replace anybody with the robot, rather it aims to be a help.” The staff working in the bar have accepted the robot as their own. The introduction of the robots has made life easier for them and they were also impressed with how effective the robot has been. Also read | In pics - Ancient Buddhist city in Afghanistan faces existential threat “I actually find ‘him’ pretty pleasant, he can’t talk back or complain,” bartender Julia Rahn said to Reuters. “If after six weeks a lime is dropped here and there, then this is only human I would say,” he added.

Bartending robot in Germany can mix brilliant cocktails - WATCH

Engineers from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan demonstrate their latest creation: a four-legged rideable robot modeled after an Ibex, a wild goat found in Europe, Asia, and northeastern Africa.

Japan innovate robot 'Bex' to help its ageing population

The ancient Italian city of Pompeii is to be monitored by a robot dog named 'Spot'. This technology aims to conserve ancient Archaeological site.

Italy: Robot Dog to be archaeologists' companion to surveil Pompeii

Imagine an electronic skin that is capable of actually experiencing pain that can be used in order to create a new generation of robots who will be able to feel certain things just like the humans. It may sound like the plot of a science fiction novel, but it is now a reality thanks to a team of researchers led by Ravinder Dahiya in the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering. The skin can be a huge step towards creating superior prosthetics and according to the researchers, this can also lead to “large-scale neuromorphic printed e-skin capable of responding appropriately to stimuli”.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-tv-mocks-opulent-queens-platinum-jubilee-warns-uk-to-brace-for-power-cuts-485183">Russian TV mocks ‘opulent’ Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations</a>

"We all learn early on in our lives to respond appropriately to unexpected stimuli like pain in order to prevent us from hurting ourselves again. Of course, the development of this new form of electronic skin didn't really involve inflicting pain as we know it - it's simply a shorthand way to explain the process of learning from external stimulus," professor&nbsp;Dahiya said according to PTI.

"What we've been able to create through this process is an electronic skin capable of distributed learning at the hardware level, which doesn't need to send messages back and forth to a central processor before taking action. Instead, it greatly accelerates the process of responding to touch by cutting down the amount of computation required," he added.

&nbsp;

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A new type of electronic skin capable of feeling 'pain' could help create a new generation of smart robots and prosthetics. 
 
The skin was developed by <a href="https://twitter.com/RavinderSDahiya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RavinderSDahiya</a> and his <a href="https://twitter.com/BEST_UofG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BEST_UofG</a> group at <a href="https://twitter.com/UofGEngineering?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UofGEngineering</a>. 
 
Read the full story here 👉 <a href="https://t.co/EE94KiwgNH">https://t.co/EE94KiwgNH</a> <a href="https://t.co/LRlHUZzEsL">pic.twitter.com/LRlHUZzEsL</a>
— University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofGlasgow/status/1532270797418508293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In the paper titled 'Printed Synaptic Transistors based Electronic Skin for Robots to Feel and Learn', the researchers explained that the e-skin uses a grid of 168 synaptic transistors made from zinc-oxide nanowires present on its surface to send a signal to the synaptic transistor.

When the sensor is alerted, it registers the amount of pressure applied on the nanowires and replicates the sensation of a touch – essentially how neurons work in a human body

Imagine an electronic skin that is capable of actually experiencing pain that can be used in order to create a new generation of robots who will be able to feel certain things just like the humans.

Imagine an electronic skin that is capable of actually experiencing pain that can be used in order to create a new generation of robots who will be able to feel certain things just like the humans. It may sound like the plot of a science fiction novel, but it is now a reality thanks to a team of researchers led by Ravinder Dahiya in the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering. The skin can be a huge step towards creating superior prosthetics and according to the researchers, this can also lead to “large-scale neuromorphic printed e-skin capable of responding appropriately to stimuli”. Also read | Russian TV mocks ‘opulent’ Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations "We all learn early on in our lives to respond appropriately to unexpected stimuli like pain in order to prevent us from hurting ourselves again. Of course, the development of this new form of electronic skin didn't really involve inflicting pain as we know it - it's simply a shorthand way to explain the process of learning from external stimulus," professor Dahiya said according to PTI. "What we've been able to create through this process is an electronic skin capable of distributed learning at the hardware level, which doesn't need to send messages back and forth to a central processor before taking action. Instead, it greatly accelerates the process of responding to touch by cutting down the amount of computation required," he added. A new type of electronic skin capable of feeling 'pain' could help create a new generation of smart robots and prosthetics. The skin was developed by @RavinderSDahiya and his @BEST_UofG group at @UofGEngineering. Read the full story here 👉 https://t.co/EE94KiwgNH pic.twitter.com/LRlHUZzEsL — University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) June 2, 2022 In the paper titled 'Printed Synaptic Transistors based Electronic Skin for Robots to Feel and Learn', the researchers explained that the e-skin uses a grid of 168 synaptic transistors made from zinc-oxide nanowires present on its surface to send a signal to the synaptic transistor. When the sensor is alerted, it registers the amount of pressure applied on the nanowires and replicates the sensation of a touch – essentially how neurons work in a human body

Electronic skin that can actually feel pain? Indian-origin researcher makes it a reality

Japan is a country that values technology while remaining true to its traditions. Because of the country's lengthy aversion to accepting immigrants, aided by its low birth rate, Japan's&nbsp;population is rapidly ageing.&nbsp;Even as the country is taking steps to relax its tough immigration policies, it continues to be plagued by a shortage of labour.&nbsp;Now, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a multinational company known for its industrial machines and heavy equipment have&nbsp;developed a robot that it believes will help with the country's labour shortage.&nbsp;And it is a quadruped robot, i.e., it is shaped like a four-footed animal, namely a goat.

The robot 'BEX' has been named after the wild goat species Ibex and it has horns.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-robot-learns-how-to-peel-banana-without-causing-any-damage-watch-469134">Japanese robot learns how to peel banana without causing any damage - Watch</a>

As per a Reuters report, BEX is still undergoing testing and the company behind the goat-robot hopes to commercialise it by 2023.

Yes, you read that right, the robot has large recurved horns and using its four legs it can easily walk over rough terrains. On smooth surfaces, it moves very quickly with the help of wheels it has tucked in its underbelly.

Watch |&nbsp;Singapore's robot workforce plugs labour gaps

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BEX can carry loads up to 100 kg or 220.4 lbs and is battery powered. It can be controlled by remote or move autonomously.

Kawasaki which is globally known for its motorcycles designed this robot for use in agricultural settings. The company started developing humanoid robots in the year 2017, however, those two-legged robots had a balancing problem. To counter that this four-legged robot has been developed.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-from-checking-on-construction-to-making-coffee-singapores-robots-to-fill-in-labour-gaps-483393">In pics: From checking on construction to making coffee, Singapore’s robots to fill in labour gaps</a>

Speaking to Reuters, Noboru Takagi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries', Division Executive Officer said that "In an ageing society, it can help elderly people who need to move around carrying heavy cargo. For example, it can support the farming or forestry industries where people need to move heavy cargo."

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Japan is a country that values technology while remaining true to its traditions. Because of the country's lengthy aversion to accepting immigrants, aided by its low birth rate, Japan's population is rapidly ageing.

Japan is a country that values technology while remaining true to its traditions. Because of the country's lengthy aversion to accepting immigrants, aided by its low birth rate, Japan's population is rapidly ageing. Even as the country is taking steps to relax its tough immigration policies, it continues to be plagued by a shortage of labour. Now, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a multinational company known for its industrial machines and heavy equipment have developed a robot that it believes will help with the country's labour shortage. And it is a quadruped robot, i.e., it is shaped like a four-footed animal, namely a goat. The robot 'BEX' has been named after the wild goat species Ibex and it has horns. Also read | Japanese robot learns how to peel banana without causing any damage - Watch As per a Reuters report, BEX is still undergoing testing and the company behind the goat-robot hopes to commercialise it by 2023. Yes, you read that right, the robot has large recurved horns and using its four legs it can easily walk over rough terrains. On smooth surfaces, it moves very quickly with the help of wheels it has tucked in its underbelly. Watch | Singapore's robot workforce plugs labour gaps BEX can carry loads up to 100 kg or 220.4 lbs and is battery powered. It can be controlled by remote or move autonomously. Kawasaki which is globally known for its motorcycles designed this robot for use in agricultural settings. The company started developing humanoid robots in the year 2017, however, those two-legged robots had a balancing problem. To counter that this four-legged robot has been developed. Also read | In pics: From checking on construction to making coffee, Singapore’s robots to fill in labour gaps Speaking to Reuters, Noboru Takagi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries', Division Executive Officer said that "In an ageing society, it can help elderly people who need to move around carrying heavy cargo. For example, it can support the farming or forestry industries where people need to move heavy cargo." Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

To meet labour crunch, aid an aging population Japan develops 'BEX' a goat-robot

Not every job can be done by a robot, some require emotion, may be even a personal touch, however, in Japan even such jobs are being delegated to robots.

Many nursing centres in Tokyo use robots. At first, it looks like a novel idea and proof of Japan's technological prowess. However, after WION visited&nbsp;a nursing home, it looked heartbreaking since not every question has an automated answer especially when real human lives are at stake.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-japan-prefers-higher-inflation-481910">Also Read:&nbsp;Why Japan prefers higher inflation</a>

At the nursing home 84-year-old Nomoto Takeo was seen sitting motionless in his wheelchair with drooping shoulders, hands clasped but his face betrayed a sense of amusement.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GravitasTokyoEdition?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GravitasTokyoEdition</a> | Can robots be used for therapy? In Japan, the answer is yes. Tech-savvy Japan is harnessing robots to care for its elderly, and tackle the country's loneliness epidemic. Is this a win for technology or loss for humanity? <a href="https://twitter.com/palkisu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@palkisu</a> brings you a ground report <a href="https://t.co/ATR0Cfomrb">pic.twitter.com/ATR0Cfomrb</a>
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Takeo's eyes peered intently into the creature in front of him - it sounded like a dog, behaved like a dog but it wasn't real. It was a computer with nuts and bolts, one of the many robots that work at the Shintomi nursing centre.

The place is known for "robot therapy" with full-blown Android sessions.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: How Japan uses robots for therapy

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What WION witnessed wasn't the triumph of technology, it was the loss of humanity as more than a dozen elderly Japanese live at&nbsp;the nursing home and the lifeless animals are a source of joy.&nbsp;&nbsp;The elderly&nbsp;pet them like real dogs and hold out their hands desperate for the warmth of anything living but cold metal is all they get.

Robots may dazzle with their nimble joints, and thick fur - all of it makes them seem almost real, however, at the end of the day these are lifeless bots running on batteries and they do not have emotions since they have protocols.

Japan is a country where 30 per cent of the population is over 65. Many of them live in nursing homes ignored by their children and loved by lifeless Androids.

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Not every job can be done by a robot, some require emotion, may be even a personal touch, however, in Japan even such jobs are being delegated to robots. Many nursing centres in Tokyo use robots.

Not every job can be done by a robot, some require emotion, may be even a personal touch, however, in Japan even such jobs are being delegated to robots. Many nursing centres in Tokyo use robots. At first, it looks like a novel idea and proof of Japan's technological prowess. However, after WION visited a nursing home, it looked heartbreaking since not every question has an automated answer especially when real human lives are at stake. Also Read: Why Japan prefers higher inflation At the nursing home 84-year-old Nomoto Takeo was seen sitting motionless in his wheelchair with drooping shoulders, hands clasped but his face betrayed a sense of amusement. #GravitasTokyoEdition | Can robots be used for therapy? In Japan, the answer is yes. Tech-savvy Japan is harnessing robots to care for its elderly, and tackle the country's loneliness epidemic. Is this a win for technology or loss for humanity? @palkisu brings you a ground report pic.twitter.com/ATR0Cfomrb — WION (@WIONews) May 24, 2022 × Takeo's eyes peered intently into the creature in front of him - it sounded like a dog, behaved like a dog but it wasn't real. It was a computer with nuts and bolts, one of the many robots that work at the Shintomi nursing centre. The place is known for "robot therapy" with full-blown Android sessions. Watch: Gravitas: How Japan uses robots for therapy × What WION witnessed wasn't the triumph of technology, it was the loss of humanity as more than a dozen elderly Japanese live at the nursing home and the lifeless animals are a source of joy. The elderly pet them like real dogs and hold out their hands desperate for the warmth of anything living but cold metal is all they get. Robots may dazzle with their nimble joints, and thick fur - all of it makes them seem almost real, however, at the end of the day these are lifeless bots running on batteries and they do not have emotions since they have protocols. Japan is a country where 30 per cent of the population is over 65. Many of them live in nursing homes ignored by their children and loved by lifeless Androids. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Robot therapy' for elderly in Japan: Win for technology or loss for humanity?

Machines are learning things fast and replacing humans at a faster rate than ever before. Fresh development in this direction is a robot that can taste food. And not only it can taste the food, it can do so while making the dish it is preparing! This further leads to the robot having the ability to recognise taste of the food in various stages of chewing when a human eats the food.

The robot chef was made by Mark Oleynik, a Russian mathematician and computer scientist. Researchers at the Cambride University trained the robot to 'taste' the food as it cooks it.

The robot had already been trained to cook egg omelets. The researchers at Cambridge University added a sensor to the robot which can recognise different levels of saltiness.

The robot then tasted nine different variations of scrambled eggs at three different levels of the chewing process.

The researchers at Cambridge University have published a paper in journal Frontiers in Robotics &amp; AI.

"We wanted to replicate a more realistic process of chewing and tasting in a robotic system, which should result in a tastier end-product," said Dr Arsen Abdulali. Dr Abdulali was quoted by BBC. He further said that in the experiments, the robot was able to 'see' the difference in the food as it chewed.

Machines are learning things fast and replacing humans at a faster rate than ever before. Fresh development in this direction is a robot that can taste food. And not only it can taste the food, it can do so while making the dish it is preparing!

Machines are learning things fast and replacing humans at a faster rate than ever before. Fresh development in this direction is a robot that can taste food. And not only it can taste the food, it can do so while making the dish it is preparing! This further leads to the robot having the ability to recognise taste of the food in various stages of chewing when a human eats the food. The robot chef was made by Mark Oleynik, a Russian mathematician and computer scientist. Researchers at the Cambride University trained the robot to 'taste' the food as it cooks it. The robot had already been trained to cook egg omelets. The researchers at Cambridge University added a sensor to the robot which can recognise different levels of saltiness. The robot then tasted nine different variations of scrambled eggs at three different levels of the chewing process. The researchers at Cambridge University have published a paper in journal Frontiers in Robotics & AI. "We wanted to replicate a more realistic process of chewing and tasting in a robotic system, which should result in a tastier end-product," said Dr Arsen Abdulali. Dr Abdulali was quoted by BBC. He further said that in the experiments, the robot was able to 'see' the difference in the food as it chewed.

Robot which can cook and taste food is here!

As robots begin to dominate our everyday lives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) researchers have taught a robot how to learn a new pick-and-place task with the help of human demonstrations.

The human demonstrations help to "reprogramme" the robot in random poses which it has never encountered earlier. The new technology allows the robot to quickly learn a new skill in&nbsp;10 to 15 minutes.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/elon-musk-announces-to-roll-out-robotaxi-with-no-wheels-or-pedals-by-2024-472851">Also Read:&nbsp;Musk announces to roll out robotaxi with no wheels or pedals by 2024</a>

According to the researchers, the new technology uses a "neural network" to reconstruct 3D images, the system quickly grasps what the neural network has learned and then executes it.

The new technology is set to be a gamechanger in e-commerce warehouse storage where robots have to perform a variety of tasks like storing mugs upside down and in various places.

Watch:&nbsp;&nbsp;Use of AI-based technology in hiring talent

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The researchers say the robot needs just ten demonstrations to learn a new technique for example on how to arrange&nbsp;bottles and bowls. The technology helps the robot to seamlessly manoeuvre through "unstructured environments".

According to the researchers, if a robot visualises a completely new scenario, it becomes a difficult task. It is here a neural network model&nbsp;Neural Descriptor Field (NDF) helps the robot to understand and learn. The 3D point cloud helps the robot to apply skills in the real world.

The robot is taught how to pick a mug with physical examples much like how a child is taught. The researchers say the new "pick-and-place tasks" has an 85 per cent success rate which is assessed on how accurately the robot grasps a new object and places it in a particular location.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Agencies)&nbsp;

Watch WION LIVE here

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As robots begin to dominate our everyday lives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) researchers have taught a robot how to learn a new pick-and-place task with the help of human demonstrations.

As robots begin to dominate our everyday lives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) researchers have taught a robot how to learn a new pick-and-place task with the help of human demonstrations. The human demonstrations help to "reprogramme" the robot in random poses which it has never encountered earlier. The new technology allows the robot to quickly learn a new skill in 10 to 15 minutes. Also Read: Musk announces to roll out robotaxi with no wheels or pedals by 2024 According to the researchers, the new technology uses a "neural network" to reconstruct 3D images, the system quickly grasps what the neural network has learned and then executes it. The new technology is set to be a gamechanger in e-commerce warehouse storage where robots have to perform a variety of tasks like storing mugs upside down and in various places. Watch: Use of AI-based technology in hiring talent The researchers say the robot needs just ten demonstrations to learn a new technique for example on how to arrange bottles and bowls. The technology helps the robot to seamlessly manoeuvre through "unstructured environments". According to the researchers, if a robot visualises a completely new scenario, it becomes a difficult task. It is here a neural network model Neural Descriptor Field (NDF) helps the robot to understand and learn. The 3D point cloud helps the robot to apply skills in the real world. The robot is taught how to pick a mug with physical examples much like how a child is taught. The researchers say the new "pick-and-place tasks" has an 85 per cent success rate which is assessed on how accurately the robot grasps a new object and places it in a particular location. (With inputs from Agencies) Watch WION LIVE here

How robots are learning new skills from humans

Optimus Prime? Nope, just a giant robot doing railway repair in Japan

The use of robots in factories and other industries for carrying out a number of menial jobs is not rare but researchers have been able to take a huge step in using robotics for far bigger functions. <o:p></o:p>

The researchers in Japan recently unveiled a robot who was able to complete the task of peeling a banana without causing any harm to the fruit. The video released by the University of Tokyo showed that the robot was able to pick up the banana and peel it in three minutes using both hands.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;</o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-disrupts-russian-hackers-takes-away-control-of-routers-and-firewall-appliances-469111" hreflang="en">FBI disrupts Russian hackers, takes away control of routers &amp; other appliances</a><o:p></o:p>

According to Reuters, the robot was able to successfully complete the task after around 13 hours of training but the success rate of the dual-armed robot still remains at 57 per cent for the time being.<o:p></o:p>

The completion of such a task requires a thorough understanding of complicated commands on the part of the machine and the researchers believe that this technology can be explored to extend the application of robots in carrying out tasks like moving metal parts from one place to another.

<o:p></o:p>

The Reuters report stated that Heecheol Kim and Yasuo Kuniyoshi were the minds behind the technology and they used the ‘deep imitation learning’ process in order to train the robot.

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This Japanese robot is capable of peeling bananas without squashing the fruit inside (most of the time) <a href="https://t.co/valcgJ2t8j">https://t.co/valcgJ2t8j</a> <a href="https://t.co/XQ3amvGDl0">pic.twitter.com/XQ3amvGDl0</a>
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&nbsp;

The process involves the robot going through the demonstration of the banana peeling process more than hundred times in order to gather the sufficient data needed to replicate it. <o:p></o:p>

Kuniyoshi told Reuters that he believes that the method used by them to train the robot can expand its use in various sectors and it can help Japan’s labour storage issues in the long run.<o:p></o:p>

The use of robots in factories and other industries for carrying out a number of menial jobs is not rare but researchers have been able to take a huge step in using robotics for far bigger functions.

The use of robots in factories and other industries for carrying out a number of menial jobs is not rare but researchers have been able to take a huge step in using robotics for far bigger functions. The researchers in Japan recently unveiled a robot who was able to complete the task of peeling a banana without causing any harm to the fruit. The video released by the University of Tokyo showed that the robot was able to pick up the banana and peel it in three minutes using both hands. Also read | FBI disrupts Russian hackers, takes away control of routers & other appliances According to Reuters, the robot was able to successfully complete the task after around 13 hours of training but the success rate of the dual-armed robot still remains at 57 per cent for the time being. The completion of such a task requires a thorough understanding of complicated commands on the part of the machine and the researchers believe that this technology can be explored to extend the application of robots in carrying out tasks like moving metal parts from one place to another. The Reuters report stated that Heecheol Kim and Yasuo Kuniyoshi were the minds behind the technology and they used the ‘deep imitation learning’ process in order to train the robot. This Japanese robot is capable of peeling bananas without squashing the fruit inside (most of the time) https://t.co/valcgJ2t8j pic.twitter.com/XQ3amvGDl0 — Reuters (@Reuters) April 6, 2022 × The process involves the robot going through the demonstration of the banana peeling process more than hundred times in order to gather the sufficient data needed to replicate it. Kuniyoshi told Reuters that he believes that the method used by them to train the robot can expand its use in various sectors and it can help Japan’s labour storage issues in the long run.

Japanese robot learns how to peel banana without causing any damage - Watch

A dog-like robot has been deployed to roam around the ruins of ancient Pompeii. It is identifying structural and safety issues and also inspecting tunnels dug by relic thieves. &nbsp;

The initiative is the latest in a series of technologies employed to better manage the archaeological park since 2013.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-worlds-most-expensive-french-fries-cost-200-why-is-it-special-466596" hreflang="en">World's most expensive french fries cost $200. Why is it special?</a>

Created by the US-based Boston Dynamics, the four-legged robot Spot is being used as part of a broader project. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The robot is capable of inspecting even the smallest of spaces while “gathering and recording data useful for the study and planning of interventions”, park authorities said. &nbsp;

The aim is to “improve both the quality of monitoring of the existing areas, and to further our knowledge of the state of progress of the works in areas undergoing recovery or restoration, and thereby to manage the safety of the site, as well as that of workers,” they added. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Rare wooden Fang mask fetches $4.6 million in an auction, Gabonese protest the sale of the mask

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Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director, Pompeii archaeological park, said, “Technological advances in the world of robotics, in the form of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, have produced solutions and innovations typically associated with the industrial and manufacturing world, but which until now had not found an application within archaeological sites due to the heterogeneity of environmental conditions, and the size of the site.”&nbsp; &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A dog-like robot has been deployed to roam around the ruins of ancient Pompeii. It is identifying structural and safety issues and also inspecting tunnels dug by relic thieves.

A dog-like robot has been deployed to roam around the ruins of ancient Pompeii. It is identifying structural and safety issues and also inspecting tunnels dug by relic thieves. The initiative is the latest in a series of technologies employed to better manage the archaeological park since 2013. Also Read: World's most expensive french fries cost $200. Why is it special? Created by the US-based Boston Dynamics, the four-legged robot Spot is being used as part of a broader project. The robot is capable of inspecting even the smallest of spaces while “gathering and recording data useful for the study and planning of interventions”, park authorities said. The aim is to “improve both the quality of monitoring of the existing areas, and to further our knowledge of the state of progress of the works in areas undergoing recovery or restoration, and thereby to manage the safety of the site, as well as that of workers,” they added. Watch: Rare wooden Fang mask fetches $4.6 million in an auction, Gabonese protest the sale of the mask × Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director, Pompeii archaeological park, said, “Technological advances in the world of robotics, in the form of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, have produced solutions and innovations typically associated with the industrial and manufacturing world, but which until now had not found an application within archaeological sites due to the heterogeneity of environmental conditions, and the size of the site.” (With inputs from agencies)

Dog-like robot Spot employed to help manage ruins of ancient Pompeii  

Gita, a robot designed by Piaggio Fast Forward, helps senior citizens do shopping and other chores and even lets people sit on it if they need to catch a break. The robot follows people like a loyal pet.

Gita – A robot that helps senior citizens do shopping, lets you sit on it

Robots are the future. Well, quite literally. For the first time, a robot has successfully performed keyhole surgery on pigs on its own, without the human help, said a team of US researchers. &nbsp;

With the advancement in the technology, their role seems to be increasing in the world. &nbsp;

According to the researchers, the robot surgeon performed “significantly better” than humans. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-find-hundreds-of-complex-mysterious-strands-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way-448248" hreflang="en">Scientists find hundreds of complex, mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way</a>

The laparoscopic surgery, which looked to connect two ends of an intestine in four pigs was carried out by Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (Star). &nbsp;

The robot excelled at the procedure, which generally needs a high level of precision and repetitive movements, as per the paper published in Science Robotics. &nbsp;&nbsp;

This development is the first time a robot has performed laparoscopic surgery without any help from mankind, said Axel Krieger, assistant professor, mechanical engineering, Johns Hopkins University. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/frogs-regrow-amputated-limbs-in-lab-can-it-promise-a-future-beyond-prosthetics-for-humans-448183" hreflang="en">Frogs regrow amputated limbs in lab. Can it promise a future beyond prosthetics for humans?</a>

“Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. The Star performed the procedure in four animals and it produced significantly better results than humans performing the same procedure,” said Krieger. &nbsp;

Krieger had helped create this robot, which has a vision-guided system designed to suture soft tissue. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Robots are the future. Well, quite literally. For the first time, a robot has successfully performed keyhole surgery on pigs on its own, without the human help, said a team of US researchers.

Robots are the future. Well, quite literally. For the first time, a robot has successfully performed keyhole surgery on pigs on its own, without the human help, said a team of US researchers. With the advancement in the technology, their role seems to be increasing in the world. According to the researchers, the robot surgeon performed “significantly better” than humans. Also Read: Scientists find hundreds of complex, mysterious strands at the heart of the Milky Way The laparoscopic surgery, which looked to connect two ends of an intestine in four pigs was carried out by Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (Star). The robot excelled at the procedure, which generally needs a high level of precision and repetitive movements, as per the paper published in Science Robotics. This development is the first time a robot has performed laparoscopic surgery without any help from mankind, said Axel Krieger, assistant professor, mechanical engineering, Johns Hopkins University. Also Read: Frogs regrow amputated limbs in lab. Can it promise a future beyond prosthetics for humans? “Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. The Star performed the procedure in four animals and it produced significantly better results than humans performing the same procedure,” said Krieger. Krieger had helped create this robot, which has a vision-guided system designed to suture soft tissue. (With inputs from agencies)

Now, robot conducts surgery on pigs successfully without any help

It may have seemed like an obscure United Nations conclave, but a meeting this week in Geneva was followed intently by experts in artificial intelligence, military strategy, disarmament and humanitarian law.

The reason for the interest? Killer robots — drones, guns and bombs that decide on their own, with artificial brains, whether to attack and kill — and what should be done, if anything, to regulate or ban them.

Once the domain of science fiction films like the “Terminator” series and “RoboCop,” killer robots, more technically known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, have been invented and tested at an accelerated pace with little oversight. Some prototypes have even been used in actual conflicts.

The evolution of these machines is considered a potentially seismic event in warfare, akin to the invention of gunpowder and nuclear bombs.

This year, for the first time, a majority of the 125 nations that belong to an agreement called the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons said they wanted curbs on killer robots. But they were opposed by members that are developing these weapons, most notably the United States and Russia.

The group’s conference concluded Friday with only a vague statement about considering possible measures acceptable to all. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a disarmament group, said the outcome fell “drastically short.”

What is the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons?

Sometimes known as the Inhumane Weapons Convention, it is a framework of rules that ban or restrict weapons considered to cause unnecessary, unjustifiable and indiscriminate suffering, such as incendiary explosives, blinding lasers and booby traps that don’t distinguish between fighters and civilians. The convention has no provisions for killer robots.

What exactly are killer robots?

Opinions differ on an exact definition, but they are widely considered to be weapons that make decisions with little or no human involvement. Rapid improvements in robotics, AI and image recognition are making such armaments possible.

The drones the United States has used extensively in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere are not considered robots because they are operated remotely by people, who choose targets and decide whether to shoot.

Why are they considered attractive?

To war planners, the weapons offer the promise of keeping soldiers out of harm’s way, and making faster decisions than a human would, by giving more battlefield responsibilities to autonomous systems like pilotless drones and driverless tanks that independently decide when to strike.

What are the objections?

Critics argue it is morally repugnant to assign lethal decision making to machines, regardless of technological sophistication. How does a machine differentiate an adult from a child, a fighter with a bazooka from a civilian with a broom, a hostile combatant from a wounded or surrendering soldier?

“Fundamentally, autonomous weapon systems raise ethical concerns for society about substituting human decisions about life and death with sensor, software and machine processes,” Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross and an outspoken opponent of killer robots, told the Geneva conference.

In advance of the conference, Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic called for steps toward a legally binding agreement that requires human control at all times.

“Robots lack the compassion, empathy, mercy and judgment necessary to treat humans humanely, and they cannot understand the inherent worth of human life,” the groups argued in a briefing paper to support their recommendations.

Others said autonomous weapons, rather than reducing the risk of war, could do the opposite — by providing antagonists with ways of inflicting harm that minimize risks to their own soldiers.

“Mass-produced killer robots could lower the threshold for war by taking humans out of the kill chain and unleashing machines that could engage a human target without any human at the controls,” said Phil Twyford, New Zealand’s disarmament minister.

Why was the Geneva conference important?

The conference was widely considered by disarmament experts to be the best opportunity so far to devise ways to regulate, if not prohibit, the use of killer robots under the convention.

It was the culmination of years of discussions by a group of experts who had been asked to identify the challenges and possible approaches to reducing the threats from killer robots. But the experts could not even reach agreement on basic questions.

What do opponents of a new treaty say?

Some, like Russia, insist that any decisions on limits must be unanimous — in effect giving opponents a veto.

The United States argues that existing international laws are sufficient and that banning autonomous weapons technology would be premature. The chief U.S. delegate to the conference, Joshua Dorosin, proposed a nonbinding “code of conduct” for use of killer robots — an idea that disarmament advocates dismissed as a delaying tactic.

The U.S. military has invested heavily in AI, working with the biggest defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. The work has included projects to develop long-range missiles that detect moving targets based on radio frequency, swarm drones that can identify and attack a target, and automated missile defense systems, according to research by opponents of the weapons systems.

The complexity and varying uses of AI make it more difficult to regulate than nuclear weapons or land mines, said Maaike Verbruggen, an expert on emerging military security technology at the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy in Brussels. She said lack of transparency about what different countries are building has created “fear and concern” among military leaders that they must keep up.

“It’s very hard to get a sense of what another country is doing,” said Verbruggen, who is working toward a doctorate on the topic. “There is a lot of uncertainty and that drives military innovation.”

Franz-Stefan Gady, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the “arms race for autonomous weapons systems is already underway and won’t be called off anytime soon.”

Is there conflict in the defense establishment about killer robots?

Yes. Even as the technology becomes more advanced, there has been reluctance to use autonomous weapons in combat because of fears of mistakes, Gady said.

“Can military commanders trust the judgment of autonomous weapon systems? Here the answer at the moment is clearly ‘no’ and will remain so for the near future,” he said.

The debate over autonomous weapons has spilled into Silicon Valley. In 2018, Google said it would not renew a contract with the Pentagon after thousands of its employees signed a letter protesting the company’s work on a program using AI to interpret images that could be used to choose drone targets. The company also created new ethical guidelines prohibiting the use of its technology for weapons and surveillance.

Others believe the United States is not going far enough to compete with rivals.

In October, the former chief software officer for the Air Force, Nicolas Chaillan, told the Financial Times that he had resigned because of what he saw as weak technological progress inside the U.S. military, particularly the use of AI. He said policymakers are slowed down by questions about ethics, while countries like China press ahead.

Where have autonomous weapons been used?

There are not many verified battlefield examples, but critics point to a few incidents that show the technology’s potential.

In March, U.N. investigators said a “lethal autonomous weapons system” had been used by government-backed forces in Libya against militia fighters. A drone called Kargu-2, made by a Turkish defense contractor, tracked and attacked the fighters as they fled a rocket attack, according to the report, which left unclear whether any human controlled the drones.

In the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan fought Armenia with attack drones and missiles that loiter in the air until detecting the signal of an assigned target.

What happens now?

Many disarmament advocates said the outcome of the conference had hardened what they described as a resolve to push for a new treaty in the next few years, like those that prohibit land mines and cluster munitions.

Daan Kayser, an autonomous weapons expert at PAX, a Netherlands-based peace advocacy group, said the conference’s failure to agree to even negotiate on killer robots was “a really plain signal that the CCW isn’t up to the job.”

Noel Sharkey, an AI expert and chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, said the meeting had demonstrated that a new treaty was preferable to further convention deliberations.

“There was a sense of urgency in the room,” he said, that “if there’s no movement, we’re not prepared to stay on this treadmill.”

It may have seemed like an obscure United Nations conclave, but a meeting this week in Geneva was followed intently by experts in artificial intelligence, military strategy, disarmament and humanitarian law.

It may have seemed like an obscure United Nations conclave, but a meeting this week in Geneva was followed intently by experts in artificial intelligence, military strategy, disarmament and humanitarian law. The reason for the interest? Killer robots — drones, guns and bombs that decide on their own, with artificial brains, whether to attack and kill — and what should be done, if anything, to regulate or ban them. Once the domain of science fiction films like the “Terminator” series and “RoboCop,” killer robots, more technically known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, have been invented and tested at an accelerated pace with little oversight. Some prototypes have even been used in actual conflicts. The evolution of these machines is considered a potentially seismic event in warfare, akin to the invention of gunpowder and nuclear bombs. This year, for the first time, a majority of the 125 nations that belong to an agreement called the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons said they wanted curbs on killer robots. But they were opposed by members that are developing these weapons, most notably the United States and Russia. The group’s conference concluded Friday with only a vague statement about considering possible measures acceptable to all. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a disarmament group, said the outcome fell “drastically short.” What is the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons? Sometimes known as the Inhumane Weapons Convention, it is a framework of rules that ban or restrict weapons considered to cause unnecessary, unjustifiable and indiscriminate suffering, such as incendiary explosives, blinding lasers and booby traps that don’t distinguish between fighters and civilians. The convention has no provisions for killer robots. What exactly are killer robots? Opinions differ on an exact definition, but they are widely considered to be weapons that make decisions with little or no human involvement. Rapid improvements in robotics, AI and image recognition are making such armaments possible. The drones the United States has used extensively in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere are not considered robots because they are operated remotely by people, who choose targets and decide whether to shoot. Why are they considered attractive? To war planners, the weapons offer the promise of keeping soldiers out of harm’s way, and making faster decisions than a human would, by giving more battlefield responsibilities to autonomous systems like pilotless drones and driverless tanks that independently decide when to strike. What are the objections? Critics argue it is morally repugnant to assign lethal decision making to machines, regardless of technological sophistication. How does a machine differentiate an adult from a child, a fighter with a bazooka from a civilian with a broom, a hostile combatant from a wounded or surrendering soldier? “Fundamentally, autonomous weapon systems raise ethical concerns for society about substituting human decisions about life and death with sensor, software and machine processes,” Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross and an outspoken opponent of killer robots, told the Geneva conference. In advance of the conference, Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic called for steps toward a legally binding agreement that requires human control at all times. “Robots lack the compassion, empathy, mercy and judgment necessary to treat humans humanely, and they cannot understand the inherent worth of human life,” the groups argued in a briefing paper to support their recommendations. Others said autonomous weapons, rather than reducing the risk of war, could do the opposite — by providing antagonists with ways of inflicting harm that minimize risks to their own soldiers. “Mass-produced killer robots could lower the threshold for war by taking humans out of the kill chain and unleashing machines that could engage a human target without any human at the controls,” said Phil Twyford, New Zealand’s disarmament minister. Why was the Geneva conference important? The conference was widely considered by disarmament experts to be the best opportunity so far to devise ways to regulate, if not prohibit, the use of killer robots under the convention. It was the culmination of years of discussions by a group of experts who had been asked to identify the challenges and possible approaches to reducing the threats from killer robots. But the experts could not even reach agreement on basic questions. What do opponents of a new treaty say? Some, like Russia, insist that any decisions on limits must be unanimous — in effect giving opponents a veto. The United States argues that existing international laws are sufficient and that banning autonomous weapons technology would be premature. The chief U.S. delegate to the conference, Joshua Dorosin, proposed a nonbinding “code of conduct” for use of killer robots — an idea that disarmament advocates dismissed as a delaying tactic. The U.S. military has invested heavily in AI, working with the biggest defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. The work has included projects to develop long-range missiles that detect moving targets based on radio frequency, swarm drones that can identify and attack a target, and automated missile defense systems, according to research by opponents of the weapons systems. The complexity and varying uses of AI make it more difficult to regulate than nuclear weapons or land mines, said Maaike Verbruggen, an expert on emerging military security technology at the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy in Brussels. She said lack of transparency about what different countries are building has created “fear and concern” among military leaders that they must keep up. “It’s very hard to get a sense of what another country is doing,” said Verbruggen, who is working toward a doctorate on the topic. “There is a lot of uncertainty and that drives military innovation.” Franz-Stefan Gady, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the “arms race for autonomous weapons systems is already underway and won’t be called off anytime soon.” Is there conflict in the defense establishment about killer robots? Yes. Even as the technology becomes more advanced, there has been reluctance to use autonomous weapons in combat because of fears of mistakes, Gady said. “Can military commanders trust the judgment of autonomous weapon systems? Here the answer at the moment is clearly ‘no’ and will remain so for the near future,” he said. The debate over autonomous weapons has spilled into Silicon Valley. In 2018, Google said it would not renew a contract with the Pentagon after thousands of its employees signed a letter protesting the company’s work on a program using AI to interpret images that could be used to choose drone targets. The company also created new ethical guidelines prohibiting the use of its technology for weapons and surveillance. Others believe the United States is not going far enough to compete with rivals. In October, the former chief software officer for the Air Force, Nicolas Chaillan, told the Financial Times that he had resigned because of what he saw as weak technological progress inside the U.S. military, particularly the use of AI. He said policymakers are slowed down by questions about ethics, while countries like China press ahead. Where have autonomous weapons been used? There are not many verified battlefield examples, but critics point to a few incidents that show the technology’s potential. In March, U.N. investigators said a “lethal autonomous weapons system” had been used by government-backed forces in Libya against militia fighters. A drone called Kargu-2, made by a Turkish defense contractor, tracked and attacked the fighters as they fled a rocket attack, according to the report, which left unclear whether any human controlled the drones. In the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan fought Armenia with attack drones and missiles that loiter in the air until detecting the signal of an assigned target. What happens now? Many disarmament advocates said the outcome of the conference had hardened what they described as a resolve to push for a new treaty in the next few years, like those that prohibit land mines and cluster munitions. Daan Kayser, an autonomous weapons expert at PAX, a Netherlands-based peace advocacy group, said the conference’s failure to agree to even negotiate on killer robots was “a really plain signal that the CCW isn’t up to the job.” Noel Sharkey, an AI expert and chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, said the meeting had demonstrated that a new treaty was preferable to further convention deliberations. “There was a sense of urgency in the room,” he said, that “if there’s no movement, we’re not prepared to stay on this treadmill.”

Killer robots aren’t science fiction. A push to ban them is growing.

Robots may be frightening, such as the renowned military robot dog equipped with a weapon, and they can provide services, such as delivery robots, but they can also help people connect more deeply.

A local government in Japan has launched a ground-breaking programme to assist people who are socially isolated.&nbsp;

This green-eyed, nine-inch-tall robot serves as people's alter egos—and, the Japanese government believes, a solution for the country's legions of social recluses.

The robot, named OriHime, is being used in Japan to assist those who are afraid of social contact.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OriHime?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OriHime</a> series of alter-ego <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/robots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#robots</a> being developed by a Japanese start-up, will empower people who have difficulties in going outside for various reasons — engineers across Japan are accelerating their efforts to realize their dreams like this by 2020 !! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AvatarRobots?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AvatarRobots</a> <a href="https://t.co/FHWntVI3R5">pic.twitter.com/FHWntVI3R5</a>
— The Gov't of Japan (@JapanGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/JapanGov/status/1108489745355558912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Users may control the robot via an app on their smartphones or tablets, allowing them to connect with the outside world without ever leaving their homes.&nbsp;

Kobe City officials said this week that beginning in December, they will lend OriHime to hikikomori, or people who have experienced extreme social detachment.

It's the country's first local administration to use a robot for such tasks.&nbsp;

Concerns about Japan's hikikomori population arose in the 1990s, when the word was established.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, the issue garnered additional attention as a result of an increase in suicides and mental health issues, with governments resolving to do more to combat "loneliness," a broad term that encompasses hikikomori.

Japan created its first "loneliness minister" earlier this year, tasked with solving isolation concerns.

(With inputs from agencies)

Robots may be frightening, such as the renowned military robot dog equipped with a weapon, and they can provide services, such as delivery robots, but they can also help people connect more deeply.

Robots may be frightening, such as the renowned military robot dog equipped with a weapon, and they can provide services, such as delivery robots, but they can also help people connect more deeply. A local government in Japan has launched a ground-breaking programme to assist people who are socially isolated. This green-eyed, nine-inch-tall robot serves as people's alter egos—and, the Japanese government believes, a solution for the country's legions of social recluses. The robot, named OriHime, is being used in Japan to assist those who are afraid of social contact. The #OriHime series of alter-ego #robots being developed by a Japanese start-up, will empower people who have difficulties in going outside for various reasons — engineers across Japan are accelerating their efforts to realize their dreams like this by 2020 !! #AvatarRobots pic.twitter.com/FHWntVI3R5 — The Gov't of Japan (@JapanGov) March 20, 2019 × Users may control the robot via an app on their smartphones or tablets, allowing them to connect with the outside world without ever leaving their homes. Kobe City officials said this week that beginning in December, they will lend OriHime to hikikomori, or people who have experienced extreme social detachment. It's the country's first local administration to use a robot for such tasks. Concerns about Japan's hikikomori population arose in the 1990s, when the word was established. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the issue garnered additional attention as a result of an increase in suicides and mental health issues, with governments resolving to do more to combat "loneliness," a broad term that encompasses hikikomori. Japan created its first "loneliness minister" earlier this year, tasked with solving isolation concerns. (With inputs from agencies)

'Avatar' in real life? Japan's alter-ego robots for people with social anxiety

In a first, scientists from the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have created self-replicating living robots.&nbsp;Earlier, this same team developed&nbsp;the world's first living robot - Xenobots.

Now, these Xenobots can find single cells, gather hundreds of them together, and create their baby version inside their mouth. During the process, these embryonic cells would develop into skin.&nbsp;

These cells were designed in a lab&nbsp;from genome of a frog.

"People have thought for quite a long time that we've worked out all the ways that life can reproduce or replicate. But this is something that's never been observed before," says co-author Douglas Blackiston, PhD, the senior scientist at Tufts University.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/looking-for-friendly-faces-tech-company-will-pay-you-us-200000-for-the-rights-to-your-face-432921">Also read |&nbsp;Looking for 'friendly faces': Tech company will pay you US $200,000 for the rights to your face</a>

Experiments which were conducted earlier shocked scientists as to how the Xenobots could be designed complete easy tasks. Now they are stunned at their ability of replicating.&nbsp;

The scientists created Xenobots by scraping living stem cells from frog embryos. They then left them to incubate. After this, the cells were cut and reshaped into specific "body forms."

The cells later started to work on their own. The skin cells combined to form a structure. These pulsing heart muscle cells enabled the robot to move on its own. Little did the scientists&nbsp;know that the the Xenobot, once after it became a parent, was capable of forming a sphere.

"These are frog cells replicating in a way that is very different from how frogs do it. No animal or plant known to science replicates in this way," says Sam Kriegman, PhD, the lead author on the new study, in a report by Science Daily.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a first, scientists from the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have created self-replicating living robots.

In a first, scientists from the University of Vermont, Tufts University, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have created self-replicating living robots. Earlier, this same team developed the world's first living robot - Xenobots. Now, these Xenobots can find single cells, gather hundreds of them together, and create their baby version inside their mouth. During the process, these embryonic cells would develop into skin. These cells were designed in a lab from genome of a frog. "People have thought for quite a long time that we've worked out all the ways that life can reproduce or replicate. But this is something that's never been observed before," says co-author Douglas Blackiston, PhD, the senior scientist at Tufts University. Also read | Looking for 'friendly faces': Tech company will pay you US $200,000 for the rights to your face Experiments which were conducted earlier shocked scientists as to how the Xenobots could be designed complete easy tasks. Now they are stunned at their ability of replicating. The scientists created Xenobots by scraping living stem cells from frog embryos. They then left them to incubate. After this, the cells were cut and reshaped into specific "body forms." The cells later started to work on their own. The skin cells combined to form a structure. These pulsing heart muscle cells enabled the robot to move on its own. Little did the scientists know that the the Xenobot, once after it became a parent, was capable of forming a sphere. "These are frog cells replicating in a way that is very different from how frogs do it. No animal or plant known to science replicates in this way," says Sam Kriegman, PhD, the lead author on the new study, in a report by Science Daily. (With inputs from agencies)

Never seen before: Scientists say 'living robots' they created can reproduce on their own

From the rubble of Iraq's war-ravaged city of Mosul arises the sight of androids gliding in a restaurant to serve their amused clientele. The futuristic servers are the result of technology developed in part in the northern city formerly the stronghold of the militant Islamic State group.

Robot waiters take Iraq's Mosulites back to the future

NASA is scheduled on Saturday to launch a probe toward clusters of asteroids along Jupiter’s orbital path. They are known as the Trojan swarms, and they represent the final unexplored regions of asteroids in the solar system. The spacecraft, a deep-space robotic archaeologist named Lucy, will seek to answer pressing questions about the origins of the solar system, how the planets migrated to their current orbits and how life might have emerged on Earth.

“We have never gone this far to study asteroids,” said Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA. “In so doing, we’re going to be able to better understand the formation of the solar system, and better understand ourselves and our development.”

After a six-year cruise, Lucy will fly close to seven Trojan asteroids through 2033, completing wild circuits of the sun that conjure the outline of a Formula 1 racetrack in some graphic renderings.

The spacecraft will study the geology, composition, density and structure of the Trojans, which are small bodies locked in stable points along Jupiter’s orbit of the sun, fixed in their own orbits ahead or behind the massive planet.

“It’s always interesting to go somewhere for the first time,” said Cathy Olkin, the deputy principal investigator of the Lucy mission. “Every time we’ve done that, we’ve learned more and more about our solar system and the area in space that we live in.”

Humanity has explored a variety of small rocky bodies throughout the solar system. The NEAR mission landed on Eros in the inner asteroid belt. The Dawn mission orbited Ceres and Vesta, the two largest worlds in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Japan’s Hayabusa missions and NASA’s OSIRIS-REX completed close encounters with near earth asteroids. And the New Horizons mission visited Arrokoth, an object in the solar system’s distant Kuiper belt.

But the Trojans in Jupiter’s vicinity have yet to be investigated. About 10,000 such objects have been discovered. When the first was spotted more than a century ago, astronomers began naming them after heroes of Homer’s Iliad. The result was the overall descriptor of “Trojan.”

The mission name “Lucy” is a nod to the 3.2 million-year-old australopithecine skeleton discovered in 1974, which revealed secrets of human evolution. The NASA team hopes that the robotic Lucy does the same for the solar system’s evolution, and prehistory is a recurring theme among the mission’s scientists.

Tom Statler, the Lucy program scientist at NASA, describes Lucy as “planetary archaeology” and compares it to the study of the pyramids in Egypt.

“If you want to understand how the pyramids were built, you can go and look at the outsides of them, you can climb all over them,” Statler said. Doing that, however, will answer very little about how they were actually built.

“If you can find and excavate the abandoned construction site that’s next to the pyramids, however, and you find the tools used to build them, and you find the leftover blocks — the things that got broken and shaped but didn’t get used — then you start getting insight into a pyramid’s interior and how it got there,” he said.

“That’s what we’re doing with asteroids,” he said. “We’re excavating the leftovers from the construction site.”

The mission was born of necessity.

Thirty years ago, the concept of planetary formation was much more orderly than it is today. A star formed in the center of a rotating disc of protoplanetary material. Gradually, the material condensed and collected into eight planets in simple orbits (as well as Pluto).

However, when Hal Levison, a planetary scientist, and fellow theorists tried to simulate the formation of the solar system, they repeatedly ran into a problem: It was virtually impossible to build Uranus and Neptune in their present orbits. To account for those worlds, known as the ice giants, Levison, now the principal investigator of the Lucy mission, and three other researchers developed the Nice model of solar system evolution (named for the city in France).

The model suggests that the giant planets formed much closer to the sun than their current orbits, and that the increasingly eccentric orbits of a young Jupiter and Saturn destabilized and rearranged the solar system. In the process, as the giant planets moved, and Uranus and Neptune bounded outward, they scattered the small bodies of the solar system. Some comets and asteroids were flung to the deep outer solar system, and others were ejected entirely out into the Milky Way.

A small minority of scattered asteroids were ensnared in two of Jupiter’s permanent Lagrange points, which are regions of space where the gravitational and orbital influences of the planet and the sun are balanced. The regions both lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit. Those asteroids are the Trojan swarms.

Today, the Nice model offers the predominant understanding of how a disc of dust and gas about 4.6 billion years ago became a system of planets circling a sun. Moreover, telescope observations of exoplanets prompted a broader scientific reevaluation of how star systems, including our own, can form. Some distant stars are orbited by giant planets that are closer to them than Mercury is to our sun.

Levison came to believe that the planetary science community’s ideas about planetary formation outpaced the data it had available. The best way to constrain variables in the Nice model would be to account for the origins of the Trojans.

“One of the surprising things about the Trojan population is that they are physically very different from one another but occupy a really small region of space,” he said. “That diversity in that small region is telling us something important about the early evolution of the solar system.”

To understand the secrets locked in the Trojans’ orbits, Levison needed to persuade NASA to build a spacecraft to study them and determine what formed where. Lucy is the result. It was chosen for flight in 2014 through NASA’s Discovery Program, in which scientists compete over smaller mission proposals.

Studying camera imagery will be an important part of the Lucy team’s scientific efforts. By counting the number of craters spotted on each asteroid, an object’s surface age is revealed. (Older surfaces will have been hit by more impactors and thus show more craters.) The scientists will also analyze the returned images for the distribution of color across the asteroids’ surfaces, which can be an indicator of what the rocks are made of: Thermal measurements will help identify the compositions and structures of the asteroids. They will also use infrared spectra to measure the presence of minerals, ices and organic molecules.

NASA is interested in finding primordial organic material on asteroids because billions of years ago, they may have seeded Earth with the chemical ingredients necessary for life.

Despite the Trojans sharing an orbit with Jupiter, Lucy will not visit Jupiter. Before the spacecraft even launches from Earth, it will be closer to Jupiter than when it visits the Trojans.

During its 12-year mission it will be powered by two giant solar arrays that are stowed at launch and gradually expand outward like folding fans. Lucy’s roller coaster-like trajectory will carry it farther than any solar-powered spacecraft has ever flown. And it will be moving at about 6 miles per second at its fastest clip.

“Its speed will be like running a 10K every second,” Olkin said.

The spacecraft will be in a sophisticated orbit of loop-the-loops across the solar system, circling the sun, borrowing gravity from Earth for free propulsion to Jupiter’s orbital path at a point known as Lagrange 4. Gravity will take it back around the sun to the Earth, whose gravity will again hurl it outward, this time to Lagrange 5, and back, the process repeating. The trajectory is driven by the positions of planets and gravity assists, meaning the spacecraft, if nothing stops it, will continue to do this for hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of years.

Each encounter will be at an altitude of 600 miles or less from the Trojan’s surface. After the final flyby, depending on Lucy’s health, NASA can target future asteroids and other celestial objects for analyses.

“As we are flying past a Trojan asteroid, we are taking data,” Olkin said.

NASA is scheduled on Saturday to launch a probe toward clusters of asteroids along Jupiter’s orbital path. They are known as the Trojan swarms, and they represent the final unexplored regions of asteroids in the solar system.

NASA is scheduled on Saturday to launch a probe toward clusters of asteroids along Jupiter’s orbital path. They are known as the Trojan swarms, and they represent the final unexplored regions of asteroids in the solar system. The spacecraft, a deep-space robotic archaeologist named Lucy, will seek to answer pressing questions about the origins of the solar system, how the planets migrated to their current orbits and how life might have emerged on Earth. “We have never gone this far to study asteroids,” said Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA. “In so doing, we’re going to be able to better understand the formation of the solar system, and better understand ourselves and our development.” After a six-year cruise, Lucy will fly close to seven Trojan asteroids through 2033, completing wild circuits of the sun that conjure the outline of a Formula 1 racetrack in some graphic renderings. The spacecraft will study the geology, composition, density and structure of the Trojans, which are small bodies locked in stable points along Jupiter’s orbit of the sun, fixed in their own orbits ahead or behind the massive planet. “It’s always interesting to go somewhere for the first time,” said Cathy Olkin, the deputy principal investigator of the Lucy mission. “Every time we’ve done that, we’ve learned more and more about our solar system and the area in space that we live in.” Humanity has explored a variety of small rocky bodies throughout the solar system. The NEAR mission landed on Eros in the inner asteroid belt. The Dawn mission orbited Ceres and Vesta, the two largest worlds in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Japan’s Hayabusa missions and NASA’s OSIRIS-REX completed close encounters with near earth asteroids. And the New Horizons mission visited Arrokoth, an object in the solar system’s distant Kuiper belt. But the Trojans in Jupiter’s vicinity have yet to be investigated. About 10,000 such objects have been discovered. When the first was spotted more than a century ago, astronomers began naming them after heroes of Homer’s Iliad. The result was the overall descriptor of “Trojan.” The mission name “Lucy” is a nod to the 3.2 million-year-old australopithecine skeleton discovered in 1974, which revealed secrets of human evolution. The NASA team hopes that the robotic Lucy does the same for the solar system’s evolution, and prehistory is a recurring theme among the mission’s scientists. Tom Statler, the Lucy program scientist at NASA, describes Lucy as “planetary archaeology” and compares it to the study of the pyramids in Egypt. “If you want to understand how the pyramids were built, you can go and look at the outsides of them, you can climb all over them,” Statler said. Doing that, however, will answer very little about how they were actually built. “If you can find and excavate the abandoned construction site that’s next to the pyramids, however, and you find the tools used to build them, and you find the leftover blocks — the things that got broken and shaped but didn’t get used — then you start getting insight into a pyramid’s interior and how it got there,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing with asteroids,” he said. “We’re excavating the leftovers from the construction site.” The mission was born of necessity. Thirty years ago, the concept of planetary formation was much more orderly than it is today. A star formed in the center of a rotating disc of protoplanetary material. Gradually, the material condensed and collected into eight planets in simple orbits (as well as Pluto). However, when Hal Levison, a planetary scientist, and fellow theorists tried to simulate the formation of the solar system, they repeatedly ran into a problem: It was virtually impossible to build Uranus and Neptune in their present orbits. To account for those worlds, known as the ice giants, Levison, now the principal investigator of the Lucy mission, and three other researchers developed the Nice model of solar system evolution (named for the city in France). The model suggests that the giant planets formed much closer to the sun than their current orbits, and that the increasingly eccentric orbits of a young Jupiter and Saturn destabilized and rearranged the solar system. In the process, as the giant planets moved, and Uranus and Neptune bounded outward, they scattered the small bodies of the solar system. Some comets and asteroids were flung to the deep outer solar system, and others were ejected entirely out into the Milky Way. A small minority of scattered asteroids were ensnared in two of Jupiter’s permanent Lagrange points, which are regions of space where the gravitational and orbital influences of the planet and the sun are balanced. The regions both lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit. Those asteroids are the Trojan swarms. Today, the Nice model offers the predominant understanding of how a disc of dust and gas about 4.6 billion years ago became a system of planets circling a sun. Moreover, telescope observations of exoplanets prompted a broader scientific reevaluation of how star systems, including our own, can form. Some distant stars are orbited by giant planets that are closer to them than Mercury is to our sun. Levison came to believe that the planetary science community’s ideas about planetary formation outpaced the data it had available. The best way to constrain variables in the Nice model would be to account for the origins of the Trojans. “One of the surprising things about the Trojan population is that they are physically very different from one another but occupy a really small region of space,” he said. “That diversity in that small region is telling us something important about the early evolution of the solar system.” To understand the secrets locked in the Trojans’ orbits, Levison needed to persuade NASA to build a spacecraft to study them and determine what formed where. Lucy is the result. It was chosen for flight in 2014 through NASA’s Discovery Program, in which scientists compete over smaller mission proposals. Studying camera imagery will be an important part of the Lucy team’s scientific efforts. By counting the number of craters spotted on each asteroid, an object’s surface age is revealed. (Older surfaces will have been hit by more impactors and thus show more craters.) The scientists will also analyze the returned images for the distribution of color across the asteroids’ surfaces, which can be an indicator of what the rocks are made of: Thermal measurements will help identify the compositions and structures of the asteroids. They will also use infrared spectra to measure the presence of minerals, ices and organic molecules. NASA is interested in finding primordial organic material on asteroids because billions of years ago, they may have seeded Earth with the chemical ingredients necessary for life. Despite the Trojans sharing an orbit with Jupiter, Lucy will not visit Jupiter. Before the spacecraft even launches from Earth, it will be closer to Jupiter than when it visits the Trojans. During its 12-year mission it will be powered by two giant solar arrays that are stowed at launch and gradually expand outward like folding fans. Lucy’s roller coaster-like trajectory will carry it farther than any solar-powered spacecraft has ever flown. And it will be moving at about 6 miles per second at its fastest clip. “Its speed will be like running a 10K every second,” Olkin said. The spacecraft will be in a sophisticated orbit of loop-the-loops across the solar system, circling the sun, borrowing gravity from Earth for free propulsion to Jupiter’s orbital path at a point known as Lagrange 4. Gravity will take it back around the sun to the Earth, whose gravity will again hurl it outward, this time to Lagrange 5, and back, the process repeating. The trajectory is driven by the positions of planets and gravity assists, meaning the spacecraft, if nothing stops it, will continue to do this for hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of years. Each encounter will be at an altitude of 600 miles or less from the Trojan’s surface. After the final flyby, depending on Lucy’s health, NASA can target future asteroids and other celestial objects for analyses. “As we are flying past a Trojan asteroid, we are taking data,” Olkin said.

Why NASA is launching a robotic archaeologist named Lucy

Researchers in California unveiled a bipedal robot on Wednesday that combines walking with flying to create a new type of locomotion, allowing it to jump, skateboard and walk on a slackline.

Meet Leo, a robot with multiple skills

Amazon announced a dog-like household robot called Astro and also a deal with Disney to imbue its voice-controlled tech in resorts. The company is taking steps to make its virtual assistant Alexa bigger part of consumers' lives.&nbsp;

The robot is designed to monitor home, set up routines and reminders. It can also play music and TV shows as it moved around the house.

The device has digital eyes on a rotating screen mounted on wheels.

<img alt="Amazon Astro" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0c93d9ca-866d-49ea-9ffc-faa1a278f97c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2021-09-28T205953Z_1_LYNXMPEH8R16X_RTROPTP_4_AMAZON-COM-DEVICES.JPG" />

Among other launches from Amazon were smart thermostat, smart display Echo Show 15 and a new health-tracking band called Halo View.

The Echo Show 15 can be mounted on a wall and is powered with AZ2 Neural Edge, a processor that helps users personalize the screen.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/winged-microchip-us-scientists-create-smallest-ever-human-made-flying-structure-416477">Winged microchip: US scientists create smallest-ever human-made flying structure</a> 
 
In its push to appeal to the next generation of customers - kids - the company introduced Amazon Glow, a gadget for playing games, reading or drawing while on a video call.

In its partnership with Disney, it will launch an Alexa-powered voice assistant at Disney's theme park hotels, along with a paid feature that lets customers interact with Disney characters at home.

The feature is expected to launch next year and will let users interact with Disney characters with the 'Hey, Disney!' voice command.

(With inputs from agencies)

Amazon announced a dog-like household robot called Astro and also a deal with Disney to imbue its voice-controlled tech in resorts. The company is taking steps to make its virtual assistant Alexa bigger part of consumers' lives.

Amazon announced a dog-like household robot called Astro and also a deal with Disney to imbue its voice-controlled tech in resorts. The company is taking steps to make its virtual assistant Alexa bigger part of consumers' lives. The robot is designed to monitor home, set up routines and reminders. It can also play music and TV shows as it moved around the house. The device has digital eyes on a rotating screen mounted on wheels. Among other launches from Amazon were smart thermostat, smart display Echo Show 15 and a new health-tracking band called Halo View. The Echo Show 15 can be mounted on a wall and is powered with AZ2 Neural Edge, a processor that helps users personalize the screen. Also Read | Winged microchip: US scientists create smallest-ever human-made flying structure In its push to appeal to the next generation of customers - kids - the company introduced Amazon Glow, a gadget for playing games, reading or drawing while on a video call. In its partnership with Disney, it will launch an Alexa-powered voice assistant at Disney's theme park hotels, along with a paid feature that lets customers interact with Disney characters at home. The feature is expected to launch next year and will let users interact with Disney characters with the 'Hey, Disney!' voice command. (With inputs from agencies)

Amazon launches dog-like robot that can monitor your home

Singapore&nbsp;has started trialing robots to patrol public areas and deter poor social behaviour in its latest effort to further augment its strong portfolio of surveillance tools.

Ranked one of the safest countries in the world,&nbsp;Singapore&nbsp;has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such as flouting of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> safety measures, smoking in prohibited areas and the improper parking of bicycles,&nbsp;Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency said in a statement on Sunday.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-to-ease-some-covid-19-curbs-as-vaccination-rate-soars-403577">Singapore to ease some COVID-19 curbs as vaccination rate soars</a>

It said the two patrol robots, named Xavier, are equipped with cameras that can detect bad social behaviour and trigger real-time alerts to the command and control centre.

The trial is taking place at an area with high foot traffic in central&nbsp;Singapore.

The agency said that during the three-week trial, the robots would be used for surveillance and displaying messages to educate the public on proper behaviour. A spokesperson from the agency said on Monday the robots would not be used for law enforcement during the trial.

Also read |&nbsp;​​​​​​​<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-lab-grown-chicken-nugget-debuts-in-singapore-351667">Now, lab-grown chicken nugget debuts in Singapore</a>

"The deployment of Xavier will support the work of public officers as it will reduce the manpower required for foot patrols and improve operation efficiency," the agency said.

Singapore's home affairs minister, K Shanmugam, said in August the city-state aimed to have more than 200,000 police cameras&nbsp;by 2030, more than double the current number of cameras deployed across the island state in Southeast Asia.

Singapore has started trialing robots to patrol public areas and deter poor social behaviour in its latest effort to further augment its strong portfolio of surveillance tools.

Singapore has started trialing robots to patrol public areas and deter poor social behaviour in its latest effort to further augment its strong portfolio of surveillance tools. Ranked one of the safest countries in the world, Singapore has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such as flouting of COVID-19 safety measures, smoking in prohibited areas and the improper parking of bicycles, Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency said in a statement on Sunday. Also read | Singapore to ease some COVID-19 curbs as vaccination rate soars It said the two patrol robots, named Xavier, are equipped with cameras that can detect bad social behaviour and trigger real-time alerts to the command and control centre. The trial is taking place at an area with high foot traffic in central Singapore. The agency said that during the three-week trial, the robots would be used for surveillance and displaying messages to educate the public on proper behaviour. A spokesperson from the agency said on Monday the robots would not be used for law enforcement during the trial. Also read | Now, lab-grown chicken nugget debuts in Singapore "The deployment of Xavier will support the work of public officers as it will reduce the manpower required for foot patrols and improve operation efficiency," the agency said. Singapore's home affairs minister, K Shanmugam, said in August the city-state aimed to have more than 200,000 police cameras by 2030, more than double the current number of cameras deployed across the island state in Southeast Asia.

Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour

&nbsp;Self-driving startups like Cruise and Pony.ai have begun testing their driverless cars in some parts of California in the past year, with an additional feature: Human operators.

While there is no driver behind the wheel, the passenger seat is occupied by a safety operator who "has a red button that can stop the vehicle just in case anything happens," Pony.ai CEO James Peng told Reuters.

The operator will be removed next year when Pony.ai, whose investors include Toyota Motor Corp, plans to deploy its driverless ride-hailing vehicles in certain areas of California. Still, a remote operator will monitor vehicles and provide guidance when the vehicles run into trouble, Peng said.

Alphabet Inc`s Waymo keeps personnel wearing fluorescent yellow vests at the ready to provide roadside assistance for its automated minivans in Phoenix, according to videos and to one of its avid riders, Joel Johnson, who has witnessed this.

Cruise, majority-owned by General Motors Co, started operating five driverless vehicles in San Francisco at night in October 2020 with a human in the front seat. The minder has "the ability to stop the vehicle at any point during the ride," a Cruise spokesman said.

"Cruise views the development of self-driving vehicles as not only a tech race, but also a trust race," the spokesman added. "Given that, we keep&nbsp;humans in the&nbsp;loop in testing driverless vehicles not&nbsp;only as a means of safe development, but also, beyond that, in order to build trust with the public."

South Korea`s automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group has invested in remote operation startup Ottopia, which will provide remote assistance for the robotaxi fleets by Hyundai`s self-driving car joint venture, Motional.

TESLA TO DRIVERS: `BE READY TO ACT`

The continued human presence in what are supposed to be software-driven, automated vehicles underscores the challenges facing the automated vehicle industry, which has consumed billions of dollars in investor capital over the past decade.

With no end in sight to the technical and regulatory obstacles to free-range, driverless robotaxis, some self-driving companies are accepting the need for human minders and scaling down their ambitions so they can start generating revenue in the near future, according to interviews with investors and startup executives.&nbsp;

Even Tesla Inc, which recently launched a new test version of what it calls “Full Self-Driving" software https://www.reuters.com/technology/musks-ai-day-confronts-tough-questions-about-teslas-technology-2021-08-18, said in a message to owners that drivers should "be prepared to act immediately, especially around blind corners, crossing intersections, and in narrow driving situations.” U.S. safety regulators have opened a formal investigation of the automaker`s Autopilot driver assistance system following a series of fatal accidents&nbsp;

WAYMO`S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

Waymo has been developing self-driving technology for more than a decade, and launched the first commercial robotaxis in Phoenix. But the successor to the pioneering Google self-driving car project still keeps humans in the loop.

 
Waymo told Reuters it runs four teams monitoring and assisting the fleet. Duties range from responding to riders` questions to providing, remotely, a "second pair of eyes" in tricky situations such as road closures. One of its teams provides roadside assistance to respond to collisions and other incidents.

The teams "work together to orchestrate the operation of our fully autonomous fleet throughout the day," Nathaniel Fairfield, a software engineer at Waymo, said in a statement to Reuters. 
Waymo does not operate vehicles by remote control, he said.

"We don’t use remote takeover, or `joysticking,` because we don`t think remote humans actually add safety," he said, citing potential wireless connection problems.

Waymo now plans to start commercial autonomous vehicle operations in San Francisco with safety drivers initially. The company relies on an army of vehicle operators to ramp up testing in the dense and complex city environment.

A former Waymo operator who participated in San Francisco testing this year said he had to "disengage" and intervene roughly 30 times a day in cases including the car failing to stop fast enough for red lights or vehicles in front that abruptly slow down or stop.

"You are on your toes... There are times where (you think) `Oh, I did not predict this behaviour at all. "This behaviour doesn`t usually happen,`" said the experienced safety operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to confidentiality concerns.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Regulators are also keeping humans involved with automated vehicles. California laws "call for a two-way communication link that allows the manufacturer to continuously monitor the (driverless) vehicle’s location/status," the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement to Reuters.

Other robotaxi companies are using remote operation as a way to get vehicles on the road.

In Las Vegas, startup Halo allows customers to summon a driverless car, which is driven by a remote human operator over fast, fifth-generation wireless networks operated by T-Mobile US Inc.

"Just a few years back, remote human assistance was a dirty little secret in this space,"&nbsp;said Elliot Katz, co-founder of teleoperation firm Phantom Auto.

"Virtually no one talked about it publicly because there was still this facade that these vehicles were just going to be able to drive autonomously, everywhere they need to go and do everything that a human driver would do."

He added: "Everyone now knows that`s not going to be the case."

Self-driving startups like Cruise and Pony.ai have begun testing their driverless cars in some parts of California in the past year, with an additional feature: Human operators.

Self-driving startups like Cruise and Pony.ai have begun testing their driverless cars in some parts of California in the past year, with an additional feature: Human operators. While there is no driver behind the wheel, the passenger seat is occupied by a safety operator who "has a red button that can stop the vehicle just in case anything happens," Pony.ai CEO James Peng told Reuters. The operator will be removed next year when Pony.ai, whose investors include Toyota Motor Corp, plans to deploy its driverless ride-hailing vehicles in certain areas of California. Still, a remote operator will monitor vehicles and provide guidance when the vehicles run into trouble, Peng said. Alphabet Inc`s Waymo keeps personnel wearing fluorescent yellow vests at the ready to provide roadside assistance for its automated minivans in Phoenix, according to videos and to one of its avid riders, Joel Johnson, who has witnessed this. Cruise, majority-owned by General Motors Co, started operating five driverless vehicles in San Francisco at night in October 2020 with a human in the front seat. The minder has "the ability to stop the vehicle at any point during the ride," a Cruise spokesman said. "Cruise views the development of self-driving vehicles as not only a tech race, but also a trust race," the spokesman added. "Given that, we keep humans in the loop in testing driverless vehicles not only as a means of safe development, but also, beyond that, in order to build trust with the public." South Korea`s automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group has invested in remote operation startup Ottopia, which will provide remote assistance for the robotaxi fleets by Hyundai`s self-driving car joint venture, Motional. TESLA TO DRIVERS: `BE READY TO ACT` The continued human presence in what are supposed to be software-driven, automated vehicles underscores the challenges facing the automated vehicle industry, which has consumed billions of dollars in investor capital over the past decade. With no end in sight to the technical and regulatory obstacles to free-range, driverless robotaxis, some self-driving companies are accepting the need for human minders and scaling down their ambitions so they can start generating revenue in the near future, according to interviews with investors and startup executives. Even Tesla Inc, which recently launched a new test version of what it calls “Full Self-Driving" software https://www.reuters.com/technology/musks-ai-day-confronts-tough-questions-about-teslas-technology-2021-08-18, said in a message to owners that drivers should "be prepared to act immediately, especially around blind corners, crossing intersections, and in narrow driving situations.” U.S. safety regulators have opened a formal investigation of the automaker`s Autopilot driver assistance system following a series of fatal accidents WAYMO`S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE Waymo has been developing self-driving technology for more than a decade, and launched the first commercial robotaxis in Phoenix. But the successor to the pioneering Google self-driving car project still keeps humans in the loop. Waymo told Reuters it runs four teams monitoring and assisting the fleet. Duties range from responding to riders` questions to providing, remotely, a "second pair of eyes" in tricky situations such as road closures. One of its teams provides roadside assistance to respond to collisions and other incidents. The teams "work together to orchestrate the operation of our fully autonomous fleet throughout the day," Nathaniel Fairfield, a software engineer at Waymo, said in a statement to Reuters. Waymo does not operate vehicles by remote control, he said. "We don’t use remote takeover, or `joysticking,` because we don`t think remote humans actually add safety," he said, citing potential wireless connection problems. Waymo now plans to start commercial autonomous vehicle operations in San Francisco with safety drivers initially. The company relies on an army of vehicle operators to ramp up testing in the dense and complex city environment. A former Waymo operator who participated in San Francisco testing this year said he had to "disengage" and intervene roughly 30 times a day in cases including the car failing to stop fast enough for red lights or vehicles in front that abruptly slow down or stop. "You are on your toes... There are times where (you think) `Oh, I did not predict this behaviour at all. "This behaviour doesn`t usually happen,`" said the experienced safety operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to confidentiality concerns. DIRTY LITTLE SECRET Regulators are also keeping humans involved with automated vehicles. California laws "call for a two-way communication link that allows the manufacturer to continuously monitor the (driverless) vehicle’s location/status," the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement to Reuters. Other robotaxi companies are using remote operation as a way to get vehicles on the road. In Las Vegas, startup Halo allows customers to summon a driverless car, which is driven by a remote human operator over fast, fifth-generation wireless networks operated by T-Mobile US Inc. "Just a few years back, remote human assistance was a dirty little secret in this space," said Elliot Katz, co-founder of teleoperation firm Phantom Auto. "Virtually no one talked about it publicly because there was still this facade that these vehicles were just going to be able to drive autonomously, everywhere they need to go and do everything that a human driver would do." He added: "Everyone now knows that`s not going to be the case."

A secret weapon for self-driving car startups: Humans

A pasta order comes in and the robotic arm springs into action at the Roboeatz eatery in Riga. After five minutes of gyrations, a piping hot plate is ready.

The Riga cafe, located under a crumbling concrete bridge, is designed in such a way that customers can observe the robotic arm at work.

It also has a seating area, although most customers prefer&nbsp;take away since vaccination certificates are required to be able to eat indoors in Latvia.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/first-instance-of-killer-robot-attacking-human-without-orders-recorded-in-libya-un-report-388344">First instance of 'killer robot' attacking human without orders recorded in Libya: UN report</a>

A Roboeatz app allows customers to order and pay for their dish before picking it up at the cafe.&nbsp;

"The&nbsp;food&nbsp;tasted better than I expected!" said customer Iveta Ratinika, a teacher and a member of the Latvian capital's education board.

Ratinika said she would encourage schoolchildren to come and observe the robotic arm in action and mused that there could be robots working at the school cafeteria within "a few years".

Kitchen design is 'real challenge'&nbsp;

Roboeatz was set up in January 2018 by Konstantins Korcjomkins and Janis Poruks, who have been running the Woki Toki&nbsp;fast&nbsp;food&nbsp;chain in Latvia since 2009.

Their aim? To revolutionise the fast-food&nbsp;industry.

"This robot replaces four to six human employees, reducing labour costs significantly," said Poruks, who has a background in engineering.&nbsp;

But he stressed that the introduction of such robots would not push up unemployment rates since "people are not lining up to flip burgers".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-a-cockroach-inspired-robot-that-cant-be-squashed-withstands-1-million-times-its-weight-396703">Watch: A cockroach-inspired robot that can't be squashed; withstands 1 million times its weight</a>

"The robot will not replace people who are willing to have a career in restaurants and catering, becoming chefs or other&nbsp;food&nbsp;celebrities. The robot will take those low-paid jobs which most people already do not want," he said.

Automated kitchen technology has been gaining interest in recent years, and that has been accelerated by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">pandemic</a>.

At a newly opened eatery in Paris, customers can watch robots build, bake and box up pizzas at a rate of up to 80 an hour.

In the US, a robot named "Sally" belonging to the startup Chowbotics can whip up salads sold through a vending machine.

And, for the ultimate household luxury, a UK-based company last year unveiled a fully robotic kitchen that will set customers back a minimum of £248,000 (291,000 euros, $347,000).

The designers of Roboeatz say it is designed to take over some of the&nbsp;food&nbsp;prep tasks while improving&nbsp;food&nbsp;safety and eliminating the infection risks of crowded kitchens.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/japan-is-sending-a-shape-shifting-miniature-robot-to-the-moon-388783">Japan is sending a shape-shifting miniature robot to the Moon</a>

During a visit by AFP this week, the robotic arm was programmed to make three different pasta dishes.

Its creators say it can be programmed to make hundreds of recipes, taking into account the owner's favourites and&nbsp;food&nbsp;allergies.

"The robotic arm actually makes the least trouble of all, we just programme it to do what we need," said Korcjomkins.

"The real challenge is to design and invent an entire kitchen around the robot, which should contain all the&nbsp;food&nbsp;ingredients, spices, sauces, rotating pots for boiling and frying," he said.

'As popular as electric cars'

The co-founders said the robotic arm would pay for itself within two years at most.

"On average in the European Union, one employee in the kitchen costs the company around 16 euros ($19) an hour, which includes salary, taxes, insurance, training and everything else," said Poruks.

"The robot does not need health insurance, its kids cannot get sick, it does not go on vacation or maternity leave, it does not complain and it cannot bring Covid from home to work," he said.

The company has big expansion plans with sales offices in Canada and the United States and a technical team in Riga to programme the robots.

The technology was shown off earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US.

The co-founders said they were unconcerned about competition from similar robots, such as the pizza-making one in France.

"Our robot is designed to do more tasks and jobs than just make pizza. Our goal is to create a robot that can be useful for many kinds of foods, cuisines and dishes," said Korcjomkins.

"Hopefully a robot in kitchen will become as popular as electric cars!"

A pasta order comes in and the robotic arm springs into action at the Roboeatz eatery in Riga. After five minutes of gyrations, a piping hot plate is ready. The Riga cafe, located under a crumbling concrete bridge, is designed in such a way that customers can observe the robotic arm at work.

A pasta order comes in and the robotic arm springs into action at the Roboeatz eatery in Riga. After five minutes of gyrations, a piping hot plate is ready. The Riga cafe, located under a crumbling concrete bridge, is designed in such a way that customers can observe the robotic arm at work. It also has a seating area, although most customers prefer take away since vaccination certificates are required to be able to eat indoors in Latvia. Also read | First instance of 'killer robot' attacking human without orders recorded in Libya: UN report A Roboeatz app allows customers to order and pay for their dish before picking it up at the cafe. "The food tasted better than I expected!" said customer Iveta Ratinika, a teacher and a member of the Latvian capital's education board. Ratinika said she would encourage schoolchildren to come and observe the robotic arm in action and mused that there could be robots working at the school cafeteria within "a few years". Kitchen design is 'real challenge' Roboeatz was set up in January 2018 by Konstantins Korcjomkins and Janis Poruks, who have been running the Woki Toki fast food chain in Latvia since 2009. Their aim? To revolutionise the fast-food industry. "This robot replaces four to six human employees, reducing labour costs significantly," said Poruks, who has a background in engineering. But he stressed that the introduction of such robots would not push up unemployment rates since "people are not lining up to flip burgers". Also read | Watch: A cockroach-inspired robot that can't be squashed; withstands 1 million times its weight "The robot will not replace people who are willing to have a career in restaurants and catering, becoming chefs or other food celebrities. The robot will take those low-paid jobs which most people already do not want," he said. Automated kitchen technology has been gaining interest in recent years, and that has been accelerated by the pandemic. At a newly opened eatery in Paris, customers can watch robots build, bake and box up pizzas at a rate of up to 80 an hour. In the US, a robot named "Sally" belonging to the startup Chowbotics can whip up salads sold through a vending machine. And, for the ultimate household luxury, a UK-based company last year unveiled a fully robotic kitchen that will set customers back a minimum of £248,000 (291,000 euros, $347,000). The designers of Roboeatz say it is designed to take over some of the food prep tasks while improving food safety and eliminating the infection risks of crowded kitchens. Also read | Japan is sending a shape-shifting miniature robot to the Moon During a visit by AFP this week, the robotic arm was programmed to make three different pasta dishes. Its creators say it can be programmed to make hundreds of recipes, taking into account the owner's favourites and food allergies. "The robotic arm actually makes the least trouble of all, we just programme it to do what we need," said Korcjomkins. "The real challenge is to design and invent an entire kitchen around the robot, which should contain all the food ingredients, spices, sauces, rotating pots for boiling and frying," he said. 'As popular as electric cars' The co-founders said the robotic arm would pay for itself within two years at most. "On average in the European Union, one employee in the kitchen costs the company around 16 euros ($19) an hour, which includes salary, taxes, insurance, training and everything else," said Poruks. "The robot does not need health insurance, its kids cannot get sick, it does not go on vacation or maternity leave, it does not complain and it cannot bring Covid from home to work," he said. The company has big expansion plans with sales offices in Canada and the United States and a technical team in Riga to programme the robots. The technology was shown off earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US. The co-founders said they were unconcerned about competition from similar robots, such as the pizza-making one in France. "Our robot is designed to do more tasks and jobs than just make pizza. Our goal is to create a robot that can be useful for many kinds of foods, cuisines and dishes," said Korcjomkins. "Hopefully a robot in kitchen will become as popular as electric cars!"

Robo-Chef 'cooks-up' the future, pasta in five minutes

The Jellyfishbot flickered a yellow glow amongst white boats docked at a southern French port, as the robotic sea-cleaning boat gobbled up plastic bags, discarded drinks bottles, and even used surgical masks floating on the water. At the port of the French city of Cassis, the remote-controlled electric powered boat weaves around the harbour sucking the trash into a net that it trails behind its hulls.

Meet Jellyfishbot, the robot that eats trash on the sea

Nature has inspired some of the best robots; innovations in robotics are bringing us synchronized swarms of robot fish, and drones with flapping dragonfly-like wings.

Engineers have now created a little, scurrying bot modelled on the common cockroach that has nearly the same speed and squash ability as its biological counterpart.

The unnamed soft robot, which is about the size of a postage stamp, can move at a pace of 20 body lengths per second and withstand a million times its weight in tension.

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Weighing at between 20-65 milligrams (several prototypes have been developed), it can impressively withstand loads of about 60 kilograms without breaking, which is approximately one million times its own weight.

It simply gets up and goes about its business.

"Most of the robots at this particular small scale are very fragile. If you step on them, you pretty much destroy the robot. We found that if we put weight on our robot, it still more or less functions, " a report by sciencealert.com quoted mechanical engineer Liwei Lin, from the University of California, Berkeley, as saying.

Cockroaches are well-known for their toughness. Though the assumption that they would survive a nuclear holocaust is a little overblown, they do demonstrate a high level of radiation resistance under specific situations.

(With inputs from agencies)

Nature has inspired some of the best robots; innovations in robotics are bringing us synchronized swarms of robot fish, and drones with flapping dragonfly-like wings.

Nature has inspired some of the best robots; innovations in robotics are bringing us synchronized swarms of robot fish, and drones with flapping dragonfly-like wings. Engineers have now created a little, scurrying bot modelled on the common cockroach that has nearly the same speed and squash ability as its biological counterpart. The unnamed soft robot, which is about the size of a postage stamp, can move at a pace of 20 body lengths per second and withstand a million times its weight in tension. × Weighing at between 20-65 milligrams (several prototypes have been developed), it can impressively withstand loads of about 60 kilograms without breaking, which is approximately one million times its own weight. It simply gets up and goes about its business. "Most of the robots at this particular small scale are very fragile. If you step on them, you pretty much destroy the robot. We found that if we put weight on our robot, it still more or less functions, " a report by sciencealert.com quoted mechanical engineer Liwei Lin, from the University of California, Berkeley, as saying. Cockroaches are well-known for their toughness. Though the assumption that they would survive a nuclear holocaust is a little overblown, they do demonstrate a high level of radiation resistance under specific situations. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: A cockroach-inspired robot that can't be squashed; withstands 1 million times its weight

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