Artificial muscle for soft robotics: Low voltage, high hopes
Boston MA (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Soft robots do a lot of things well but they're not exactly known for their speed. The artificial muscles that move soft robots, called actuators, tend to rely on hydraulics or pneumatics, which are slow to respond and difficult to store.
Dielectric elastomers, soft materials that have good insulating properties, could offer an alternative to pneumatic actuators but they currently require ...
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Unconventional quasiparticles predicted in conventional crystals
Princeton NJ (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
An international team of researchers has predicted the existence of several previously unknown types of quantum particles in materials. The particles - which belong to the class of particles known as fermions - can be distinguished by several intrinsic properties, such as their responses to applied magnetic and electric fields. In several cases, fermions in the interior of the material show thei ...
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Quantum drag
Iowa City IA (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Friction and drag are commonplace in nature. You experience these phenomena when riding in an airplane, pairing electrical wiring, or rubbing pieces of sandpaper together.
Friction and drag also exist at the quantum level, the realm of atoms and molecules invisible to the naked eye. But how these forces interact across materials and energy sources remain in doubt.
In a new study, Uni ...
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New Yale-developed device lengthens the life of quantum information
New Haven CT (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Yale University scientists have reached a milestone in their efforts to extend the durability and dependability of quantum information.
For the first time, researchers at Yale have crossed the "break even" point in preserving a bit of quantum information for longer than the lifetime of its constituent parts. They have created a novel system to encode, spot errors, decode, and correct error ...
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Australian physicists revisit spin-bowling puzzle
London, UK (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
Latest calculations reveal why small variations in the rotation of the ball applied by slow bowlers in cricket can cause batsmen big problems even before deliveries have pitched on the ground
Spin bowlers in cricket are masters at making the ball loop slowly through the air to confuse batsmen. Legends of the game know the magic combinations of top-spin, side-spin and off-spin necessary to ...
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Minimalist swimming microrobots
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
When scaling down robots to the micrometer scale for tiny tasks such as incising tissue and puncturing retinal veins, minimalism is key. To make smaller, simpler microrobots, researchers at Drexel University have developed a fabrication method which utilizes the minimum geometric requirements for fluid motion - consisting of just two conjoined microparticles coated with bits of magnetic debris. ...
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France's EDF to decide on UK nuclear project next week
London (AFP) July 21, 2016 -
French energy giant EDF will decide next week whether to give the final green light to the controversial construction of two nuclear reactors in Britain, it said in a statement Thursday.
"EDF has today called a meeting of its Board of Directors which will be held on 28 July 2016," said the statement, published on the group's website.
"The agenda includes the final investment decision fo ...
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Tesla plans new truck, bus and car-sharing system
San Francisco (AFP) July 21, 2016 -
Tesla plans to build a new pick-up truck, and an urban bus, and launch a sharing system of self-driving cars, the company's founder Elon Musk announced Wednesday.
The projects are part of what the billionaire entrepreneur called a "secret" second master plan for the US electric car manufacturer posted on the company's website at a time it is looking to rebound from concerns over the safety o ...
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RMIT researchers make leap in measuring quantum states
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Jul 22, 2016 -
A breakthrough into the full characterisation of quantum states has been published today as a prestigious Editors' Suggestion in the journal Physical Review Letters.
The full characterisation (tomography) of quantum states is a necessity for future quantum computing. However, standard techniques are inadequate for the large quantum bit-strings necessary in full scale quantum computers.
...
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IS suicide bomber kills at least 15 in Baghdad
Baghdad (AFP) July 24, 2016 -
A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 15 people in a Shiite area of northern Baghdad on Sunday, security and medical officials said.
The bombing, which struck near a checkpoint in the Kadhimiyah area, home to a major Shiite shrine, also wounded at least 29 people, the officials said.
IS issued a statement claiming the attack, saying it targeted soldiers and ...
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Iraq PM seeks to speed up death penalty implementation
Baghdad (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
Iraq's prime minister is seeking to speed up the implementation of death sentences, his office said Saturday, despite persistent concerns over flaws in the judicial system that hands them down.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the formation of a committee "to determine the obstacles and causes that result in the delay in the implementation of death sentences," a statement said.
The ...
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Turkey Kurdish leader 'against both coup and Erdogan'
Ankara (AFP) July 22, 2016 -
Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party strongly opposes the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but will keep up its opposition to the "oppression" of the Turkish strongman, its leader says.
Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chairman of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), told AFP in an interview there was no contradiction between strongly opposing last week's putsch as well as Erdogan's ...
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Libya armed groups urge fight against French troops
Tripoli (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
Armed groups including Islamists have urged Libyans to mobilise against French and other foreign troops deployed in the country, denouncing their presence as a "blatant aggression".
The call by militias in the second city of Benghazi came after French President Francois Hollande confirmed on Wednesday that his country has soldiers in Libya.
Hollande made the announcement after three Fren ...
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Philippines Duterte offers Muslim militants peace
Isabela, Philippines (AFP) July 21, 2016 -
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte stepped up efforts to bring peace to the country's insurgency-hit south during a visit there on Thursday, calling upon the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf to end its campaign of violence.
Speaking to local military and government leaders on the troubled island of Basilan, a base of the Abu Sayyaf group, Duterte said: "I am pleading for peace, even with ...
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US-backed forces give IS 48 hours to leave Syria's Manbij
Beirut (AFP) July 21, 2016 -
US-backed fighters on Thursday gave the Islamic State group 48 hours to leave the battleground Syrian town of Manbij, after US-led air strikes nearby killed scores reported to be civilians.
Elsewhere, a monitor said at least 51 civilians were killed in bombing raids on rebel-held areas across Syria.
The 48-hour ultimatum was issued by the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whic ...
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Terror attacks a growing economic threat: G20 ministers
Chengdu, China (AFP) July 24, 2016 -
Increasingly frequent terrorist attacks are becoming a growing threat to the global economy, finance chiefs from the world's leading economies said Sunday.
Earlier this month 84 people were killed in Nice when a Tunisian truck driver - suspected to be inspired by the Islamic State jihadist group - ploughed a 19-tonne vehicle through a holiday crowd. That followed Paris attacks last year wh ...
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Coalition air strikes hit Qaeda in Yemen
Aden (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck Al-Qaeda positions in southern Yemen on Saturday killing several jihadists, as government forces appeared set on a new offensive, military officials said.
Two air strikes targeted Al-Qaeda militants gathered on the outskirts of Jaar town in Abyan province, killing and wounding several jihadists, military officials said.
The raids came after several mi ...
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China's workforce may decline 23% by 2050: official
Beijing (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
The size of China's workforce may decline by as much as 23 percent by 2050, a government official said, as the population of the world's second-largest economy rapidly ages.
China's working age population, defined as those between the ages of 16 and 59, peaked in 2011 and would soon "experience a process of sharp decline", particularly after 2030, said Li Zhong, a spokesman for the Ministry ...
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Turkey extends police powers, shutters schools after coup
Istanbul (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
Turkey pushed on with a sweeping crackdown against suspected plotters of its failed coup Saturday, defiantly telling EU critics it had no choice but to root out hidden enemies.
Using new emergency powers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's cabinet decreed that police could now hold suspects for one month without charge, and also announced it would shut down over 1,000 private schools it deems ...
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Turkey tensions spill onto German streets
Berlin (AFP) July 22, 2016 -
The failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stoked tensions in Germany's three-million strong Turkish community, prompting demonstrations and threats that have put the authorities on edge.
After days of purges amid a crackdown on suspects and Erdogan's rivals in Turkey, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere issued a stern warning to partisans among the world's largest Tu ...
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July 15, 2016: The day Turkey changed
Ankara (AFP) July 22, 2016 -
For most people in Turkey, July 15, 2016 was just another brilliant summer day heading into a balmy night. Until around 10:30 pm.
Then came the F-16s roaring over Ankara, dropping bombs on targets including parliament. Tanks and heavily armed soldiers appeared on the Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul, where they were soon confronted by angry citizens.
A week after the coup that was meant to ...
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Turkey readies cross-party rally against coup, for democracy
Istanbul (AFP) July 24, 2016 -
Turkey readied Sunday for its first cross-party rally against the bloody putsch attempt, following the break up of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's presidential guard as sweeping purges of suspected state enemies continue.
The mass rally, to be held under tight security on Istanbul's iconic Taksim square, was called by the biggest opposition group, the secular and centre-left Republican People's Party ...
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Erdogan's 'secret keeper' under fire over Turkey coup lapse
Ankara (AFP) July 23, 2016 -
Turkey's shadowy spy chief Hakan Fidan has faced an unprecedented public dressing down in the wake of the failed coup but appears set to stay on in his post - at least for now.
There has been intense speculation over the future of Fidan, head of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and widely seen as one of Turkey's most powerful men, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said intell ...
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Clouds gather for Turkey economy after attempted coup
Ankara (AFP) July 24, 2016 -
A six percent loss in value of its currency, a plunge on the stock market and a downgrade by a key ratings agency.
The last week alone has shown that life is not going to be easy for Turkey's economy after the coup aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power.
But economists say a sharply lower economic performance including a recession is not inevitable and avoiding doom ...
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Turkey shakes up security forces in post-coup crackdown
Ankara (AFP) July 22, 2016 -
Turkey on Friday detained almost 300 members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's guard and began shaking up the security forces one week after a failed coup, as US President Barack Obama denied having any prior intelligence of the putsch.
Supporters celebrated the coup's failure to unseat Erdogan, but the Turkish strongman faced growing global criticism over the mass detentions and sackings ...
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