Daimler to supply self-driving cars for Uber

Daimler to supply self-driving cars for Uber Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Jan 31, 2017 - German auto giant Daimler on Tuesday said it had struck a partnership with Uber to supply self-driving cars for the US ride-hailing company. The tie-up comes as both carmakers and ridesharing firms are jockeying to establish themselves as leading players in the burgeoning world of autonomous driving, seen as the future of the auto industry. "Under the terms of the cooperation, Daimler pl ... more

Average U.S. gas prices decline for 21 consecutive days Washington (UPI) Jan 31, 2017 - The national average for gasoline prices declined for 21 consecutive days, buoyed by the increase in crude oil production in the United States and lower driving demand, according to retail analysis. The national average for regular unleaded gas is $2.27 a gallon, which is 4 cents lower than one week ago and 5 cents less than a month ago, according to motor club AAA. GasBuddy also report ... more

Russia's nuclear giant pushes into wind energy Moscow (AFP) Jan 31, 2017 - Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom said Tuesday that it was joining with a Dutch company to create a wind turbine venture, hoping to tap a domestic market worth billions of euros each year. The Russian government wants wind energy to generate two percent of the country's electricity output by 2024, and Rosatom already has a contract to build 26 wind farms in the south of the country. It had ... more

Saudi Arabia takes low-carbon energy approach Paris (UPI) Jan 30, 2017 - French energy company ENGIE said it was making progress on its efforts to advance its low carbon portfolio with a new contract in Saudi Arabia. The French energy company said it was awarded a contract to help build a gas-power plant in Saudi Arabia. With the contract, ENGIE said it was taking a lead position as a power producer in the Middle East. "The Fadhili project is in line ... more

iPhone sales lift Apple to record quarter San Francisco (AFP) Jan 31, 2017 - Apple on Tuesday reported a rebound in iPhone sales to lift the tech giant to record revenue in the past quarter in quarterly results that eased concerns of slowing growth. The results showed strong demand for Apple's iPhone 7 models launched last years, even as profits dipped 2.6 percent to $17.9 billion. Revenue climbed to an all-time record $78.4 billion compared with $75.9 billion in ... more

New wave of robots set to deliver the goods Washington (AFP) Jan 29, 2017 - The robots of the future will be coming soon, rolling along at a lumbering pace with those goods you just ordered. The six-wheeled, knee-high robots from startup Starship Technologies are part of a new wave of automated systems taking aim at the "last mile" delivery of goods to consumers. Starship is launching a pilot project of robotic deliveries of parcels, groceries and prepared foods ... more

Tech firms unite to challenge Trump on immigration Washington (AFP) Jan 31, 2017 - A broad coalition of US technology firms has begun planning a joint legal strategy challenging President Donald Trump's executive order barring refugees and many Muslims from American soil, sources say. More than 20 firms from the sector were expected to attend a meeting to discuss legal options on the ban, which was expected to have a large impact on Silicon Valley and other tech firms that ... more

New white paper reviews latest support for Redefinition of the Kilogram by 2018 Griefensee, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 31, 2017 - The NewKILO JRP, a three-year project of the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) involving 13 National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and co-funded by the European Union (EU), was completed in May 2015. The future definition will require the unit of mass to be realized in a vacuum, instead being maintained and used in air, which presents some challenges to establishing traceability to the ... more

DuPont Industrial Biosciences to develop new high-efficiency biogas enzyme method Leiden, The Netherlands (SPX) Jan 31, 2017 - DuPont Industrial Biosciences has been awarded a grant from the European Commission to demonstrate high-efficiency enzyme production to increase biogas yields as part of the DEMETER project, funded from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program. Enzyme technology has been proven to improve biogas yields and process robustne ... more

Eltek to provide solar energy for hospitals in Zimbabwe under UNDP programme Drammen, Norway (SPX) Jan 31, 2017 - Eltek has announced a contract with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide complete photovoltaic solar solutions for 104 hospitals in Zimbabwe. Eltek will provide full delivery, installation, service and monitoring of the solar systems which use Eltek's breakthrough Rectiverter technology as a key component. The Rectiverter combines the functions of a rectifier and an inver ... more