Octopus robot makes waves with ultra-fast propulsion
Southampton, UK (SPX) Feb 10, 2015 -
Scientists have developed an octopus-like robot, which can zoom through water with ultra-fast propulsion and acceleration never before seen in man-made underwater vehicles.
Most fast aquatic animals are sleek and slender to help them move easily through the water but cephalopods, such as the octopus, are capable of high-speed escapes by filling their bodies with water and then quickly expe ...
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IBM brings Watson supercomputer to Japan via SoftBank
New York (AFP) Feb 10, 2015 -
IBM announced plans Tuesday to bring its Watson supercomputer to Japan with mobile telecom group SoftBank, in a deal aimed at developing new applications for robotics and other services.
"IBM is teaching Watson to speak, and think, in Japanese, one of most difficult languages for a computer to navigate because of its reliance on the complex diagrammatical alphabet known as kanji," a statemen ...
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SpaceX cargo craft returns to Earth
Miami (AFP) Feb 11, 2015 -
SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship returned to Earth on Tuesday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after a month-long stay at the International Space Station.
The Dragon spacecraft was released from the ISS's robotic arm at 2:10 pm (1910 GMT) and came down in the waters southwest of Long Beach, California about five and a half hours later.
"Dragon splashdown confirmed!" the California ...
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Europe tests space plane in step to strategic goal
Paris (AFP) Feb 11, 2015 -
Europe on Wednesday said it successfully launched and brought back to Earth a prototype space plane in a strategy to join an elite club of space powers.
In a 100-minute operation, the European Space Agency (ESA) took a wedge-shaped wingless robot craft on a sub-orbital flight to test re-entry technologies.
It marks the first step in an effort to emulate the United States, Russia and Chin ...
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Talking Japanese space robot back on Earth
Tokyo (AFP) Feb 12, 2015 -
A pint-sized Japanese robot that became the first android to converse with an astronaut in space has returned to Earth after 18 months in orbit, project organisers said Thursday.
"Kirobo" - roughly the size of a chihuahua - hitched a ride back from the International Space Station (ISS) on a cargo supply spacecraft that splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, sponsors including Toyota Motor and ...
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HAPTIX Starts Work to Provide Prosthetic Hands with Sense of Touch
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 10, 2015 -
Despite recent advances in technology for upper-limb prostheses, artificial arms and hands are still unable to provide users with sensory feedback, such as the "feel" of things being touched or awareness of limb position and movement. Without this feedback, even the most advanced prosthetic limbs remain numb to users, a factor that impairs the limbs' effectiveness and their wearers' willingness ...
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Europe destroys last space truck to ISS
Paris (AFP) Feb 15, 2015 -
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Sunday said it had destroyed its last supply ship to the International Space Station, bringing a seven-year venture to a successful close.
The last of five robot delivery vessels that ESA pledged for the US-led ISS project, the Georges Lemaitre, burned up in a suicide plunge into Earth's atmosphere, the agency said.
At the control centre in Toulouse, th ...
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