Sunday 26 May 2019

This robot helps you lift objects—by looking at your biceps

We humans are very good at collaboration. For instance, when two people work together to carry a heavy object like a table or a sofa, they tend to instinctively coordinate their motions, constantly recalibrating to make sure their hands are at the same height as the other person's. Our natural ability to make these types of adjustments allows us to collaborate on tasks big and small.

* This article was originally published here

Mobile phone app designed to boost physical activity in women shows promise in trial

Activity trackers and mobile phone apps are all the rage, but do they really help users increase and maintain physical activity? A new study has found that one mobile phone app designed for inactive women did help when combined with an activity tracker and personal counseling.

* This article was originally published here

PixelGreen: A hybrid, green media wall for existing high-rise buildings

Researchers at Deakin University and the University of Hong Kong have recently designed a hybrid green architectural wall system for high-rise buildings that integrates a vertical micro-farm and a media screen. They presented this wall, called PixelGreen, in a paper published on Research Gate. PIXEL GREEN is designed for integration into the wall surfaces of existing buildings, turning them into analogue media screens.

* This article was originally published here

An approach to enhance machine learning explanations

Researchers at IBM Research U.K., the U.S. Military Academy and Cardiff University have recently proposed a technique they call Local Interpretable Model Agnostic Explanations (LIME) for attaining a better understanding of the conclusions reached by machine learning algorithms. Their paper, published on SPIE digital library, could inform the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that provide exhaustive explanations of how they reached a particular outcome or conclusion.

* This article was originally published here

100% renewables doesn't equal zero-carbon energy, and the difference is growing

While 160 companies around the world have committed to use "100 percent renewable energy," that does not mean "100 percent carbon-free energy." The difference will grow as power grids become less reliant on fossil power, according to a new Stanford study published today in Joule. Entities committed to fighting climate change can and should measure the environmental benefits of their renewable strategies accurately, the authors write.

* This article was originally published here

NASA's Mars 2020 mission drops in on Death Valley

On a test flight in Death Valley, California, an Airbus helicopter carried an engineering model of the Lander Vision System (LVS) that will help guide NASA's next Mars mission to a safe touchdown on the Red Planet. During the flight - one in a series—the helicopter (which is not part of the mission and was used just for testing) and its two-person crew flew a pre-planned sequence of maneuvers while LVS collected and analyzed imagery of the barren, mountainous terrain below.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers discover how three-dimensional organization of the genome regulates cell differentiation

A new study from the University of Minnesota Medical School clarifies how the three-dimensional organization of the genome is regulated at the onset of skeletal muscle formation. Although the DNA sequence of the genome is a linear code, like a long sentence, the actual DNA molecule twists and folds in 3-D space, with some sequences that are distant from each other in sequence being physically close to each other in space. These 3-D interactions are thought to allow proteins that bind DNA to regulate the activity of genes that are distant from where they are binding.

* This article was originally published here

Drug-resistant infections: If you can't beat 'em, starve 'em, scientists find

How do you fight a fungal infection that is becoming increasingly resistant to medicine? By starving it, found a team of University at Buffalo and Temple University researchers.

* This article was originally published here

Renault, Fiat Chrysler in tie-up talks (Update)

French and Italian-US auto giants Renault and Fiat Chrysler are set to announce talks on an alliance, with a view to a potential merger, informed sources said on Sunday.

* This article was originally published here

'Neural Lander' uses AI to land drones smoothly

Landing multi-rotor drones smoothly is difficult. Complex turbulence is created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground as the ground grows ever closer during a descent. This turbulence is not well understood nor is it easy to compensate for, particularly for autonomous drones. That is why takeoff and landing are often the two trickiest parts of a drone flight. Drones typically wobble and inch slowly toward a landing until power is finally cut, and they drop the remaining distance to the ground.

* This article was originally published here

Vertical plating offers benefit for mandibular body fractures

(HealthDay)—For treatment of mandibular body fractures, vertical plating offers equal or greater resistance to torsional forces and is associated with reduced incidence of postoperative complications and operative time, according to a study published online May 23 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

* This article was originally published here

Electrified methane reformer produces far less carbon dioxide

A team of researchers from several institutions in Denmark, along with colleagues from Sintex and Haldor Topsoe, has developed an electrified methane reformer that produces far less CO2 than conventional steam-methane reformers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their new technology and how well it works. Kevin Van Geem, Vladimir Galvita and Guy Marin with the Laboratory for Chemical Technology and Center for Sustainable Chemistry in Ghent have published a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue.

* This article was originally published here

World celebrates centenary of confirmation of relativity

Celebrations are underway across the globe to commemorate 100 years since a UK-led expedition confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. The theory fundamentally changed our understanding of physics and astronomy, and underpins critical modern technologies such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). A series of public events in the UK and around the world will mark this seminal anniversary.

* This article was originally published here

Meteor magnets in outer space—study finds elusive giant planets

Astronomers believe planets like Jupiter shield us from space objects that would otherwise slam into Earth. Now they're closer to learning whether giant planets act as guardians of solar systems elsewhere in the galaxy.

* This article was originally published here

Ex-Facebook exec recommends Zuckerberg step down as CEO

Facebook's former security chief is disagreeing with calls to break up the social network.

* This article was originally published here

Huawei could be stripped of Google services after US ban

Huawei could lose its grip on the No. 2 ranking in worldwide cellphone sales after Google announced it would comply with U.S. government restrictions meant to punish the Chinese tech powerhouse.

* This article was originally published here