Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 6, 2017 -
Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn told a tech gathering Thursday the automaker is committed to self-driving cars, as he unveiled a series of initiatives to advance the technology.
Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ghosn said the Franco-Japanese group would adopt an autonomous system which keeps a human in the loop if something goes wrong with the technology.
He said ...
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Boston (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
Material scientists at MIT have developed a super strong but lightweight material by fusing graphene flakes into a porous, 3D form.
In its 2D form, graphene is one of the strongest materials yet tested, but researchers have struggled to maintain graphene's physical qualities in 3D form. A team of researchers at MIT found a way around the problem.
When compressed in the lab using ...
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Tallahassee FL (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
A Florida State University research team has discovered a new crystal structure of organic-inorganic hybrid materials that could open the door to new applications for optoelectronic devices like light-emitting diodes and lasers. The research was published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Biwu Ma has been working with ...
moreNew crystal structure holds promise for optoelectronic devices
Tallahassee FL (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
A Florida State University research team has discovered a new crystal structure of organic-inorganic hybrid materials that could open the door to new applications for optoelectronic devices like light-emitting diodes and lasers. The research was published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Biwu Ma has been working with ...
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MIT scientists create super strong, lightweight 3D graphene
Boston (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
Material scientists at MIT have developed a super strong but lightweight material by fusing graphene flakes into a porous, 3D form.
In its 2D form, graphene is one of the strongest materials yet tested, but researchers have struggled to maintain graphene's physical qualities in 3D form. A team of researchers at MIT found a way around the problem.
When compressed in the lab using ...
more | |
Renault-Nissan doubles down on autonomous cars
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 6, 2017 -
Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn told a tech gathering Thursday the automaker is committed to self-driving cars, as he unveiled a series of initiatives to advance the technology.
Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ghosn said the Franco-Japanese group would adopt an autonomous system which keeps a human in the loop if something goes wrong with the technology.
He said ...
more | |
 China takes global lead in clean energy: report 
Paris (AFP) Jan 6, 2017 -
China's overseas investment in renewable energy projects jumped last year by 60 percent to a record $32 billion (30 billion euros), marking its leadership in the global market for clean energy, a report said Friday.
In 2016, China finalised 11 foreign deals worth more than a billion dollars each, and is expected to pick up the pace this year, according to the Institute for Energy Economics a ...
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 For 'intelligent' robot, chess is just a hobby 
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2017 -
A robot developed by engineers in Taiwan can pour coffee and move chess pieces on a board against an opponent, but he's looking for a real job.
The robot developed by Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute, which spent the week playing games against opponents at the Consumer Electronics Show, was displaying what developers call an "intelligent vision system" which can see its envi ...
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 Rex Tillerson goes to Washington, gets mixed review 
Washington (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
The U.S. nominee for secretary of state and former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson must address his close ties to Russia, a Senate Democrat said.
Tillerson and Exxon this week parted ways in an effort to address potential conflicts of interest between his financial ties to one of the biggest oil companies in the world and becoming the nation's top diplomat. Having never served in public o ...
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Gas prices last year were the lowest in 12 years 
Washington (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
A federal survey of retail gasoline prices in the United States in 2016 found consumers paid the lowest average price at the pump last year in 12 years.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said the average retail price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the country last year was $2.14, 12 percent lower than the previous year and the lowest annual average price since 200 ...
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Weak start for oil prices after U.S. labor data 
New York (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
U.S. labor figures supportive of growth sentiments from central bankers and optimism about a price floor did little to kick off an oil price rally early Friday.
The U.S. Labor Department said Friday the unemployment rate of 4.7 percent and the number of those sidelined from the workforce at 7.5 million changed little in December. "Both measures edged down in the fourth quarter, after sh ...
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Safety issues found in Norwegian oil field audit 
Stavanger, Norway (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
A Norwegian energy group has until February to address issues at one of its offshore assets, including evacuation routes, a safety regulator said.
The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway published the results of an October audit of operations at the Ivar Aasen field in the national waters of the North Sea. Aker BP, a merger of Norwegian energy companies and a national subsidiary of BP, ...
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Power struggle risks tipping Libya deeper into crisis 
Tripoli (AFP) Jan 6, 2017 -
Escalating tensions between rival Libyan armed forces threaten to plunge the North African country deeper into turmoil only weeks after the fall of the Islamic State group's bastion Sirte.
The deeply tribal nation has been sharply divided since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival militias vying for influence and control of oil resources.
The power struggle pit ...
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Houston TX (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
A few nanoscale adjustments may be all that is required to make graphene-nanotube junctions excel at transferring heat, according to Rice University scientists. The Rice lab of theoretical physicist Boris Yakobson found that putting a cone-like "chimney" between the graphene and nanotube all but eliminates a barrier that blocks heat from escaping.
The research appears in the American Chemi ...
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Corvallis OR (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
A new study offers a new understanding of the complex cellular machinery that animal and fungi cells use to ensure normal cell division, and scientists say it could one day lead to new treatment approaches for certain types of cancers.
The research revealed a totally unexpected behavior about a "motor" protein that functions as chromosomes are segregated during cell division. The findings ...
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Espoo, Finland (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
The Engine for Likelihood-Free Inference is open to everyone, and it can help significantly reduce the number of simulator runs.
Researchers have succeeded in building an engine for likelihood-free inference, which can be used to model reality as accurately as possible in a simulator. The engine may revolutionise the many fields in which computational simulation is utilised.
This dev ...
more
Austin, Texas (UPI) Jan 6, 2017 -
A stronger U.S. dollar and last year's decline in the energy sector could be a "small shock" that weakens economic expansion, a Texas economist said.
A November decision from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to limit production starting in 2017 helped establish a $50 per barrel floor under crude oil prices, which in early 2016 dipped below the $30 mark.
In late D ...
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Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 7, 2017 -
Hoverboards are aiming for a comeback after a series of debacles and recalls for the quirky wheeled personal transport devices.
A handful of new self-balancing skateboard-like gadgets made their appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.
These personal transport gizmos made a splash at the show two years ago and were hot holiday items in 2015 before a series of b ...
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New York (AFP) Jan 6, 2017 -
Volkswagen is close to a deal to pay $2 billion to settle a US criminal investigation into the emissions-cheating scandal involving its diesel cars, the New York Times reported Friday.
A settlement between the US Department of Justice and the German auto giant could come as early as next week, the newspaper said, citing three people who were not identified.
VW told AFP it was continuing ...
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Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2017 -
The car of the future doesn't just want to drive you. It wants to know you.
The automotive technology showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show over the past week was in part about self-driving vehicles, but also about personalizing the driving experience.
Artificial intelligence and facial recognition will allow vehicles to let you in (if it's your car), and adjust the seating, lightin ...
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Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 7, 2017 -
US startup Hyperloop One on Friday disclosed a list of locations around the world vying to put near-supersonic rail transit system to the test.
The startup company keen to revolutionize the way people and cargo travel said that 35 contenders remained from a field of 2,600 teams in a Hyperloop One Grand Challenge launched in May 2015.
Viable submissions had to be condoned by government ag ...
more
Espoo, Finland (SPX) Jan 06, 2017 -
The Engine for Likelihood-Free Inference is open to everyone, and it can help significantly reduce the number of simulator runs.
Researchers have succeeded in building an engine for likelihood-free inference, which can be used to model reality as accurately as possible in a simulator. The engine may revolutionise the many fields in which computational simulation is utilised.
This dev ...
more
Grand Rapids, Mich. (UPI) Jan 9, 2017 -
Lawrence Molnar, a professor of astronomy and physics at Calvin College, has crunched the numbers on KIC 9832227, a contact binary star system.
According to his math, the two stars will collide and explode in 2022, generating a red nova. The light generated by the explosion will register at a magnitude 2 - as bright as Polaris, the North Star.
"It's a one-in-a-million chance tha ...
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Hanscom AFB MA (AFNS) Jan 09, 2017 -
The Air Force, through its Life Cycle Management Center, has stood up the Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapons Systems (CROWS).
Although the office's primary operating location and senior leadership will be at Hanscom Air Force Base, contributing staff will come from various Air Force organizations and geographic locations. It will focus on integrating activities across the Air Force to ens ...
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