Moravec‘s Paradox

Most metallic glass alloys form a hard, smooth surface. This gives metallic glass gears a long lifetime without the need for liquid lubricants, making them appealing for NASA robotics that operate in cold environments, where lubricants need to be warmed before operations. Credit: NASA Bulk metallic glass could slash prices…

Tree squirrels are the Olympic divers of the rodent world, leaping gracefully among branches and structures high above the ground. And as with human divers, a squirrel’s success in this competition requires both physical strength and mental adaptability. The Jacobs lab studies cognition in free-ranging fox squirrels on the Berkeley…

CHRISTINA LARSON, AP Science Writer Aug. 6, 2021Updated: Aug. 6, 2021 6:21 p.m. FILE - This Tuesday, April 6, 2021 image made available by NASA shows the Perseverance Mars rover, foreground, and the Ingenuity helicopter about 13 feet (3.9 meters) behind. This composite image was made by the WASTON camera on the…

It's an all-too-common ploy, and legitimate manufacturing companies and distributors suffer mightily as a result of it. But the danger runs much deeper than getting ripped off when you were seeking a bargain. When purchasing pharmaceuticals, for example, you'd be putting your health in jeopardy if you didn't receive the…

Analyst firm IDC has predicted that by the year 2025 more money will be spent on artificial intelligence software and services than on infrastructure-as-a-service and platforms-as-a-service. The firm on Wednesday published details of its Worldwide Semi-annual Artificial Intelligence Tracker, which predicted global spending of $341.8 billion this year – representing…

Geek+, a Chinese logistics company specializing in robotics and AI, is considering an IPO that could raise about $500 million, Bloomberg reported Thursday. The Beijing-based firm is considering going public in either the US or Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style STAR board. Last June, the company secured its most recent funding, a Series…

There’s a lot of talk about bringing Silicon Valley–style innovation to America’s heartland. But when the heartland needs tech, it still comes to Silicon Valley. On Thursday, John Deere announced that it would acquire Bear Flag Robotics, a Silicon Valley startup that makes fully autonomous tractors for farms, for $250…

In a future where humanity has abandoned its home planet—or perhaps gone entirely extinct, as bits of atomic-bomb imagery suggest—robots rule, but it’s a lonely and strange existence. They’re drawn to things that remind them of the past, like libraries and TV sets, but also feel more primal urges, like…

The Eggman Robot Battle Set from Jakks Pacific It’s rare for me to want to mention honest-to-goodness toys here, particularly the stuff that Jakks Pacific puts out, but I’ll make an eggception for this Eggman Robot Battle Set based on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It’s so cool. I mean it.…

The quick-service chain rolls out AI-assisted call center software to help humans focus more on making and delivering its pizzas. Rafapress / Shutterstock Chain restaurants of all culinary persuasions have experimented with virtual assistants, which provide another digital channel through which customers may order food. However, few quick-service chains are…