Tesla Model X driver dies in Mountain View crash

A Tesla vehicle is at the center of another tragic crash, and the company is coming under renewed scrutiny over safety concerns as a result. The driver of a Model X has died after his electric SUV collidedwith a median barrier on Highway 101 in Mountain View and was subsequently struck by two other vehicles. The incident destroyed the front half of the vehicle and sparked a fire that involved the battery, leading to Tesla sending an employee to investigate. Witnesses reported seeing a fireball during the crash.

It's not certain whether or not Autopilot was involved, or the degree to which the battery was involved in destroying the vehicle. Fires are common in crashes regardless of the power plant. We've asked Tesla for comment, but the California Highway Patrol believed the battery might have played a role.

Regardless of the causes, the crash highlights the uncertainties surrounding the safety of electric cars, especially as the introduce autonomous features. First responders still aren't certain how to deal with EV crashes, and there's now the potential for autonomous driving systems to play as much of a role as humans.

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The Largest Prime Number

Curtis Cooper, a mathematician of the Central University of Missouri (USA) discovered on 7 January, the largest prime number, known "Mersenne" and equivalent to 2^(74207281) -1 and contains more than 22.3 million digits, reports The New Scientist.

This prime number was discovered as part of the GIMPS (Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search) project. It is a shared calculation project in the form of software and is used by Internet users to search for the largest prime numbers of Mersenne.

These numbers named in honor of Marin Mersenne, a French mathematician (sixteenth century), are in the form 2^p -1, where "p" is also a prime number. The interest of writing a number in this form is that one can easily check whether it is prime or not.

We know only 49 prime numbers of Mersenne, the last fifteen being discovered thanks to the GIMPS project. There is nevertheless an infinite number of Mersenne prime numbers. Note that their discovery is useful for detecting computer bugs.

For the latest prime numbers research, one may consult the following website:
http://www.mersenne.org/prime.htm

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Quantum Computing

What is quantum computing?

Nature -- including molecules like caffeine -- follows the laws of quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that explores how the physical world works at the most fundamental levels. At this level, particles behave in strange ways, taking on more than one state at the same time, and interacting with other particles that are very far away. Quantum computing harnesses these quantum phenomena to process information in a novel and promising way.

What are classical computers?

The computers we use today are known as classical computers. They’ve been a driving force in the world for decades -- advancing everything from healthcare to how we shop. But there are certain problems that classical computers will simply never be able to solve. Consider the caffeine molecule in a cup of coffee. Surprisingly, it’s complex enough that no computer that exists or could be built would be capable of modeling caffeine and fully understanding its detailed structure and properties. This is the type of challenge quantum has the potential to tackle.

How do quantum computers work?

Classical computers encode information in bits. Each bit can take the value of 1 or 0. These 1s and 0s act as on/off switches that ultimately drive computer functions. Quantum computers, on the other hand, are based on qubits, which operate according to two key principles of quantum physics: superposition and entanglement. Superposition means that each qubit can represent both a 1 and a 0 at the same time. Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition can be correlated with each other; that is, the state of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can depend on the state of another. Using these two principles, qubits can act as more sophisticated switches, enabling quantum computers to function in ways that allow them to solve difficult problems that are intractable using today’s computers.

What can quantum computers do?

Quantum systems may untangle the complexity of molecular and chemical interactions leading to the discovery of new medicines and materials. They may enable ultra-efficient logistics and supply chains, such as optimizing fleet operations for deliveries during the holiday season. They may help us find new ways to model financial data and isolate key global risk factors to make better investments. And they may make facets of artificial intelligence such as machine learning much more powerful.

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XPRIZE Enlists Science Fiction Advisors to Dream Bigger

Source: Pixabay

The world 20 years ago would probably seem unrecognizable to many of them who have grown up with the Internet and mobile services, allowing a lifestyle always connected, all on demand. Imagine now moving forward and teleporting 20 years into the future to consider how science and technology may have shaped society in the world of 2037. This is the premise of an XPRIZE competition supported by some Of the best storytellers offering science fiction advisor.

The XPRIZE Foundation is best known for sponsoring competitions aimed at encouraging companies to achieve scientific and technological milestones such as sending robotic rovers to the moon or creating a medical "Tricorder" in the style of " Star Trek ". But this summer, the X-Prize Foundation unveiled a new science fiction advisory board composed of book, film and television storytellers such as Margaret Atwood ("The Handmaid's Tale"), Neil Gaiman ("American Gods" ), Andy Weir ("The Martian") and Veronica Roth (The Divergent series), among others. Some of these science fiction advisors have already written short stories that include passengers aboard ANA flight 008 from Tokyo to San Francisco which were thrown 20 years into the future.

The XPRIZE Seat 14C campaign also invites members of the public over the age of 18 to present their optimistic view of the future as a short story between 2,000 and 4,000 words. This contest for races until August 25, 2017, is when XPRIZE will reduce the finalists to three floors. Members of the Science Fiction Advisory Board will vote on the winning story and the writer, who will in turn receive a $ 10,000 Tokyo travel package, including a round-trip airfare In Tokyo for two, four nights in a 4 star hotel, $ 1,500 in spending money, a GoPro HERO5 Ultra HD camera and a universal translator illi Handheld.

"The stories will be judged on the basis of a unique vision of the future, adherence to history and alignment with a techno-optimistic vision of the future," according to a press release XPRIZE.

In other words, the XPRIZE Foundation hopes its science fiction advisors can help the nonprofit organization to consider realistic paths to create a "preferred future state". The main fly in the ointment is perhaps the fact that people often have very different ideas about Making a better future. But it is worth looking beyond the usual types of expertise to gather more distant ideas from many of the best storytellers of our time. After all, science fiction has already played a role in shaping the future by inspiring scientists and engineers for decades.

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Crucial Steps Ahead for Flying Cars

Source: Pixabay

Flying cars are up against a wall — literally. Turning aircraft into street-safe machines requires manufacturers to prove their safety standards in crash tests. So at least one expensive prototype needs to get smashed to smithereens, while its dummy passengers survive. This is no small financial hurdle, and for a decade the industry has been just a few years away from getting models street-certified.

Flying Cars, or Driveable Planes?

Farthest along, perhaps, are the MIT-graduate founders of Terrafugia, who began innovating “wheels in the air” concepts in 2006. They’ve been pushing their Transition—a light-sport aircraft with road-going capability to meet FAA regulations ever since, at a cost of more than $3.5 million. Recently, they have also begun developing a car with vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) capability, a design they call TF-X. Talks of a deal between Terrafugia and Volvo’s parent company Geely, may help the flying-car startup finally get its wings.

But while they’ve gotten the most attention so far from the public, they’re not the only game in town. Slovakia’s AeroMobil came onto the flying car scene in 2010, and has been quickly catching up. While showing off the company’s first commercially available vehicle at the Paris airshow last month, CEO Juraj Vaculik says their latest designs are built specifically to meet normal aircraft and car regulations.

“Over the last two years with this amazing international team each small piece was considered from different angles: how this will be produced, how this will be scaled, how this will be certified, how this will be manufactured,” he said.

Full transformation from ground to flight mode takes only three minutes. Most of that time involves the automatic deployment of the wings, which fan out like those on an insect. Indeed, with its yellow, black and white paint job, the AeroMobil 4.0 most resembles a wasp. In the air, the two front wheels tuck into the cabin to streamline the fuselage; the propeller hides in the vehicle’s rear when driving. Solar panels on the wings act as a bonus energy supply.

“We already started with the testing process,” says AeroMobil CCO Stefan Vadocz. “The standard certification process for the new vehicle is expected [to cost] in the hundreds of thousands or millions of Euros.” He estimates the tests will take another two years to complete and expects the machine to pass world vehicle crash and operational safety requirements as well as European, United States, and Asian general aviation regulations.

Safety features include the “tub,” as the engineers call the carbon composite housing that envelops and protects the pilot and passenger, and a “recovery parachute” to land the plane in one piece in case something goes wrong in the air.

“The incorporation of advanced restraint systems and crash worthiness will be a significant benefit in both road and air going operations,” Vadocz says.

Other Options

Seeing what a major obstacle these crash tests are, other companies have found ways around it. “Flying motorcycles,” as opposed to safer cars, are one possible solution. But why bother with the road at all when a VTOL aircraft could pop down and take you just about anywhere? Some places are even foregoing the pilot.

Several companies are vying for Dubai’s airspace after the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum vowed that autonomous vehicles, such as autonomous air taxis, would provide 25 percent of the city’s commuter transport by 2030. Currently, the 18-rotor Volocopter, built by E-Volo GmbH in Germany, is first on the launch docket.

“The German Volocopter company was selected thanks to its compliance with the international safety and security standards, and passing the rigorous standards of the German Aviation Authority,” said Director-General of Roads and Transport Authority Mattar Al Tayer in a statement.

The trial operation of the all-electric Volocopter will begin gradually in the fourth quarter of 2017, but it may be five more years before legislation clears the way for passengers to begin hailing an air taxi from the rooftop of a Dubai skyscraper.

And don’t count out China’s EHang 184, an autonomous passenger drone still considered a top player in Dubai, having conducted many test flights in the city.

As the red tape clears and more companies see a way to make money on flying vehicles, we may finally be close to the futuristic dream of commuting and getting around in the air.

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How Artificial Intelligence Invests the Banking Industry

Today, artificial intelligence allows you to process an application form in 5 seconds, rather than in 58 minutes. Applied to a rapidly changing banking sector, this technology has much to offer to one of the oldest trades in the world, which must urgently modernize in order to better meet its customers' needs and to conserve them, but also to stay Competitive with fintechs that are multiplying.
The mutation is on.


Transforming the customer experience

Today, for the bank as for many sectors, exploiting information has become paramount: it is an invaluable resource for a financial institution. Artificial intelligence intervenes at this stage: a part of the processes of semantic comprehension and analysis of textual contents can and must be treated by technologies such as AI and machine learning.

The natural language search transforms the customer experience via chatbots and intelligent question-answering forums on websites. The more questions addressed in natural language - as opposed to the keyword search - are addressed precisely, the more easily and quickly the client is satisfied, to the level of a human service but free from any risk of stress or conflict and In 24/7 mode.

Because certain categories of customers will never change to 100% digital, it is also possible to reduce the service call time by providing intelligent assistance to agents. The consequences are immediate: on the one hand, costs are merging and the performance of call centers is optimized, and on the other hand, customer satisfaction is growing strongly.

The multichannel analysis of the customer's voice makes it possible to identify the subjects of interest of the customers or a potential risk of attrition on their part. It also makes it possible to adopt effective corrective actions when problems are detected and to capture the weak signals likely to feed the group's marketing strategy during the remodeling phase of its product and service offerings.

This recognition by IA allows a real revolution in the user experience as it exists today. This dynamic leads us to a new type of client-bank relationship where the permanent link is no longer only reserved for online banks but democratized to all banking institutions. Or how to compete fintechs while modernizing its image ...


Scalable analysis capability

Deployed in the service of economic intelligence and marketing, AI can be a real asset for banks, especially by allowing them to build a 360 ° vision of their clients. For this purpose, artificial intelligence can monitor the web and social networks in order to evaluate the e-reputation of an institution or analyze the verbatim and emails sent by the agencies in order to qualify the customer relationship and Measure the associated satisfaction rate. It can also be a tool of choice to achieve a more competitive reaction time in processing customer returns. This watch must also be part of the benchmarks: it is today a key tool to study the products and services, the type of communication or the mode of customer relations adopted by challengers, and adapt Its strategy accordingly.

Moreover, the assistance of an artificial intelligence can be a concrete asset with a view to reducing operational and contractual risks, in particular in the context of the fight against money laundering. Indeed, by analyzing, according to defined rules, contracts signed in order to deduce a risk rate associated in the context of an investment or a credit for example, the AI ​​can compress the required investigation time Reducing it from several weeks to a few minutes! Artificial semantic intelligence can thus provide an almost instantaneous response by analyzing data from different private and public sources. Risk exposure may be reduced.

Automate business processes

At the present time, the bank could win to reduce the processing time of applications. Indeed, theft / loss of bank cards or claims, must now become automated processes, to improve productivity and optimize costs. AI assistance can also simplify internal processes such as recruitment: by automatically analyzing and comparing published job offers and applications received, it is now possible to accelerate the detection of relevant candidates and hence to accelerate recruitment.

Among all these processes, the interest of artificial intelligence is the drastic reduction of the processing of the files, which can approach the 50%. Indeed, the documentation received by banking institutions, and particularly those with an insurance offer, requires time-consuming and costly analysis that may be detrimental to the satisfaction of their clients. The AI ​​now makes it possible to extract the important information contained in a claim record, to analyze the type of damage in question, to understand whether it is covered by the insurance policy or not. The relevant data can then be imported into a claims database, thus helping agents trigger the appropriate compensation process. Nevertheless, the AI ​​is not intended to treat these sensitive cases: it must assist the decision-making by diagnosing the percentage of risk that can then lead to a human decision.

By investing in the banking sector, artificial intelligence makes it possible to defer the tedious work of understanding the context to the technology so that the agent can concentrate solely on value-added tasks. Reducing human error, speeding responses and customer satisfaction: the AI ​​is there to assist the agent in his decision-making by identifying possible inaccuracies, the risks of fraud, and by optimizing the ratio between profit, Profitability and customer satisfaction.

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Telephone with his finger is now possible

 

In a few months, someone will call with his finger, it will no longer science fiction. Designed by Innomdle Lab, a South Korean start-up, this bracelet has a connected BCU module (Body Conduction Unit). With this system, the user can use his finger as a receiver. The Sgnl arrive on the market in 2017.

Happiness is as simple as a finger in the ear. This could be the slogan for future launch Sgnl! This smart bracelet to call by simply placing his index finger in the ear. The principle is simple: Sgnl connects to the smartphone via a Bluetooth wireless connection. The mobile can remain in a pocket or bag. Upon receiving a call, it sends a signal to the bracelet will vibrate. The person taking the call by pressing a large button. It then places a finger in the ear and begins to speak, his voice being picked up by a microphone built into the bracelet. The finger transmits sound while blocking out ambient noise. Which of course significantly improves the quality of the conversation especially in a noisy environment.Technically, how does it work? The sound is transmitted via the index due to vibrations produced by the Body Conduction Unit (BCU), a small device installed in the bracelet, an audio algorithm, selectively leads the caller's voice. This sound is finally naturally amplified into the ear. It is also not necessary to press too deeply finger in the ear, in particular to avoid disperse too much earwax in its environment after each call.Then she demanded 50,000 dollars Innomdle Lab, the company behind the project has already received more than $ 800,000 on Kickstarter to make our finger telephone. According to the schedule provided by the company, the production of Sgnl would start in December 2016. Each bracelet would cost 129 dollars.First, it can be used as a wrist watch and it also works with an Apple Watch. The Sgnl also acts as an electronic coach. Innomdle Lab has developed a special program to monitor the various activities of the wearer. Finally, the device reports the receipt of an e-mail, a message or a call. Technically, a full charge would provide four hours of communication and this bracelet would take a week in standby mode. Moreover, a recharging time sufficient to bring it afloat. Note that the Sngl is certified IP 56, is resistant to dust and water jets.
 

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Lyon is testing mini-bus without a driver

 

 An autonomous shuttle service, electric and driverless but with passengers is launched from September 2, 2016 in Lyon to be tested for a year in the new district of Confluence. Already tested in other French cities, but without passengers, these mini-buses also run in Sion, Switzerland.

Two shuttles "Arma" of French society Navya, a prototype was tested in 2013 on the hill of the Croix-Rousse, must serve rotations in 10 minutes five stops on route commissioned between the Hotel de Region and the tip of the peninsula of the city, Saône side. 1.3 km long and dubbed Navly, the service is open to the public since September 5. Fifteen people in total can be carried in each vehicle. Developed by Keolis, the network operator of the Lyon public transport (TCL) and Navya, a specialist in innovative mobility solutions, the project "meets the challenges of serving the last kilometer," said Pascal Jacquesson, CEO Keolis Lyon. Supported by the Metropolis of Lyon and approved in July by the Ministry of Ecology, the "fine service" must supplement the local tram and bus provides TCL, attention including employees of large companies and institutions administrative and cultural district, "he said." This one-year period is intended to test everything from technology to economic model ", for its part, Christophe Sapet, Chairman of Navya headquartered in Villeurbanne . Limited to a speed of 20 km / h for the service, Arma shuttle is a jewel of technology to € 200,000 room, equipped guiding cameras in stereovision, laser sensors, GPS and a battery life of six to eight hours.
 

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Energysquare the wireless charger and without induction

 

Have in common our smartphones, laptops, touch tablets? They usually spend a lot of time on a desktop, cabinet, table ... "We wanted to find a way to capitalize on the time our smartphones and tablets pass laid on a flat surface," says Timothy Le Quesne, patron of EnergySquare. With its Telecom ParisTech classmates, he has worked to develop a different wireless charging solution systems by induction that are most prevalent today.  "We wanted to provide a source of energy available everywhere, not having to think about charging their devices," says the young leader. 
Thus was born the EnergySquare solution. It comes in the form of an adhesive strip to be plated on the back of a smartphone or tablet and that connects to the physical jack on the device: Micro USB for Android devices, Lightning for iPhone and iPad and even the new standard USB-C. At both ends of the sticker, a contactor. They are the ones that allow the charge when the device is placed on a tray connected to the mains. Measuring 30 x 30 centimeters, it looks a bit like a slim checkerboard composed of small conductive tiles. When the electrodes of the sticker are in simultaneous contact with two slabs, the load is automatically switched. 

"As long as there is no battery detected, the surface of the plateau remains inert, says Timothy Le Quesne. One can ask what you want it, there is no danger. "According EnergySquare, his system would be as effective as a wired charger. Depending on the dimensions, it is possible to charge three to four smartphones at the same time and at the same speed.  

The technology emits no electromagnetic wave, and does not lead to loss of current or load speed. Unlike induction that requires precise positioning of the terminal so that the load can be engaged, mobile devices can be charged from the Energysquare without requiring a precise position. However, the system can not function as a smartphone shell, but Energysquare team works on hulls with embedded connectors.The sticker has been designed to be personalized with shapes and colors. "It can even make office communication support for brands." Its maximum lifespan of four to five months and costing less than one euro.  
 
Available in 2017, a kit comprising five stickers and a load plate will cost around 60 euros. 

Energysquare designers hope to see emerge an ecosystem that goes beyond smartphones and tablets. The next priority will be laptops, but also drones, with automatic charging stations, or nomadic wireless speakers.

 

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Mars: six scientists are enclosed in a dome for 1 year

 

As part of future Mars missions of NASA, six scientists lived in a dome of less than 100 m2 for 365 days in Hawaii. Their mission has just ended.
Today ended the mission of 1 year scientists who were locked in a dome on the island of Hawaii, as part of a mission for NASA to prepare the first trips to Mars, the red planet. A French, Cyprien Verseux, was part of the team that found itself virtually cut off from the world for 365 days.

End of the mission of 1 year life on Mars simulation
There is 1 year six scientific entered a dome of 92 m2, placed at 2400 meters above sea level on a volcano in Hawaii. They were going to live so isolated from the world for 365 days to simulate the conditions of life on Mars for Nasa. This mission ended today and the French Cyprien Verseux, astrobiologist and doctoral student, was among the team members.
In the "Huffington Post" Cyprien told that this unprecedented experience left him "many pleasant memories to mind, like the first day, Christmas, explorations of lava tunnels. There were difficult moments, those where something happened to relatives on Earth and I could not be there for them, or even call them. " For 1 year scientists were isolated from the outside world, they could not use the Internet for their work and could not access social networks. The few authorized outlets (4 times per week) were made in diving, one that would bear the first men on Mars.

Days punctuated by the work, discussions and exercise
The purpose of this experiment for NASA was to analyze the physical impact but also of such a psychological isolation. The six scientists have worked hard in their fields. "I wanted to see especially if they could use cyanobacteria (green microbes that make photosynthesis) to convert the elements present on Mars in plant nutrients, to grow past from local resources," explained Mr. Verseux.
This mission was not the first of its kind for the US space agency had already made three but it was the longest.

Source : huffingtonpost.fr

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Visa Launches NFC ring for contactless payments

 

Source: Unsplash

After payment by credit cards, after payment via a smartphone, now Visa proposes to pay through NFC ring. The contactless payment system tested during the Rio Olympics will democratize. 

Visa had taken advantage of his sponsor status at the Olympic games to experiment and promotionner same time an NFC ring, which can pay for purchases easily. It seems that this phase has met the group, since Visa announced that pre-orders of this ring were open for 39.99 GBP, or about 47 euros (12 euros postage for France).

Visa guarantees transaction security with its NFC ring
 The first deliveries of this revolutionary product in the field of contactless payments will begin at the end of the year, during the month of December. Many think that this is a geek gadget, but the Visa firm said on his ring, in addition to making payments very simply, it can also unlock a smartphone or a door, for example. The device is able to exchange information and requires no charging. So this is a product that goes beyond the single payment and therefore may find many applications in everyday life.Visa emphasized that its NFC ring "replaces the sensitive payment information such as the account number to 16 digits, a unique numeric identifier that can be used to make payments without revealing the details of the real account".

A growth of 335% for contactless payments

 If Visa seeks to provide a new contactless payment method, it is precisely because this market is exploding and changing. The general public have confidence in this technology and it may one day these new payment methods replace the traditional credit card.

For example, in China 90% of new credit cards have NFC technology, in Canada 75% of stores have a payment terminal accepting NFC. The figures speak for themselves since Visa this year recorded an increase of 335% of transactions carried out via a contactless payment system. Strong growth is not about to stop and that should enable the ring of Visa to democratize quickly.

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World's first self-driving taxis debut in Singapore

Uber has recently announced plans to offer customers free spins in self-driving vehicles it is testing its driverless car sharing service in Pittsburgh. However, Uber is not the only ride-hailing company that has continued this car technology, as the world's first taxi driver course is now operational in Singapore.

nuTonomy announced in a statement that from August 25, users in Singapore would be invited to try the service. The trial will be available in the business district of north, where the Company made self-driving car tests since April.

Autonomous taxi fleet includes Renault Zoe or Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicles that have been modified to read and interpret the data captured by special sensors. The cars will still have a driver behind the wheel, ready to take control if necessary. The engineer will also observe the system performance, the car itself drives around the city.

The service will be available to selected testers, as autonomous walks Uber.

nuTonomy also operates the self-driving cars in Michigan and the United Kingdom, with Jaguar Land Rover is included in the trials. However, the independent taxi service is only available in Singapore now.

The company hopes that it will be able to launch a commercial service widely available robo-taxis in the country in 2018, after the first test.

A video showing the action and press release below follow.

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Parrot Disco: an amazing flying wing

Source: Pixabay

 
 Parrot Disco and its accessories (remote control and virtual reality helmet).


Disco Parrot is a flying wing 115 centimeters wingspan just 750 grams. Of great strength, it was designed to optimize the stability and flight speed of the drone that can reach 80 km / h and withstand winds of 40 km / h.

To take off the device, simply launch Disco hand, much like a paper airplane. Then the drone is controlled from Parrot Skycontroller2, a new MIMO wireless remote control with a theoretical range of 2 km, more compact than other French brand models. It can also accommodate a smartphone with the application FreeFlight Pro (available for Android and iOS) to enjoy a smooth video back and fine-tune the aircraft in flight. Note that the model enthusiasts can, if they wish, pilot Parrot Disco manually from their RC remote control via the addition of a module (purchase separately).

 The autonomy of Disco Parrot is announced 45 minutes and 32 GB of built-in memory allows him to record several minutes of shooting.

The Cockpitglasses helmet allows for him to realize the dream of Icarus, plunging the user at the heart of the action with the live broadcast of the images filmed by the front camera 14 megapixel Disco and telemetry data theft. Virtual reality is here exploited to good effect, although in this case, the headset user needs a copilot to direct the drone.

The pack, sold 1.299 euros, is already available for pre-order on the Parrot site for deliveries scheduled in early September. Still, this type of device reopens the debate on the regulation of drones and respect for privacy, especially in urban areas.
 

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Exoplanet GJ 1132b Might Have a Thin Oxygen Atmosphere

 

New research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics reveals that the Venus-like Exoplanet GJ 1132b might possess a thin, oxygen atmosphere – but no life due to its extreme heat.

The distant planet GJ 1132b intrigued astronomers when it was discovered last year. Located just 39 light-years from Earth, it might have an atmosphere despite being baked to a temperature of around 450 degrees Fahrenheit. But would that atmosphere be thick and soupy or thin and wispy? New research suggests the latter is much more likely.
Harvard astronomer Laura Schaefer (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, or CfA) and her colleagues examined the question of what would happen to GJ 1132b over time if it began with a steamy, water-rich atmosphere.
Orbiting so close to its star, at a distance of just 1.4 million miles, the planet is flooded with ultraviolet or UV light. UV light breaks apart water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, both of which then can be lost into space. However, since hydrogen is lighter it escapes more readily, while oxygen lingers behind.
“On cooler planets, oxygen could be a sign of alien life and habitability. But on a hot planet like GJ 1132b, it’s a sign of the exact opposite – a planet that’s being baked and sterilized,” said Schaefer.
Since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, the planet would have a strong greenhouse effect, amplifying the star’s already intense heat. As a result, its surface could stay molten for millions of years.
A “magma ocean” would interact with the atmosphere, absorbing some of the oxygen, but how much? Only about one-tenth, according to the model created by Schaefer and her colleagues. Most of the remaining 90 percent of leftover oxygen streams off into space, however some might linger.
“This planet might be the first time we detect oxygen on a rocky planet outside the solar system,” said co-author Robin Wordsworth (Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences).
If any oxygen does still cling to GJ 1132b, next-generation telescopes like the Giant Magellan Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect and analyze it.
The magma ocean-atmosphere model could help scientists solve the puzzle of how Venus evolved over time. Venus probably began with Earthlike amounts of water, which would have been broken apart by sunlight. Yet it shows few signs of lingering oxygen. The missing oxygen problem continues to baffle astronomers.
Schaefer predicts that their model also will provide insights into other, similar exoplanets. For example, the system TRAPPIST-1 contains three planets that may lie in the habitable zone. Since they are cooler than GJ 1132b, they have a better chance of retaining an atmosphere.
This work has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. The journal paper is authored by Laura Schaefer , Robin Wordsworth, Zachory Berta-Thompson (University of Colorado, Boulder), and Dimitar Sasselov (CfA).



Source: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

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Seeing nature through a molecular engineer’s eye

 

Source: Unsplash

Researchers have long studied the mechanism that causes blood to form clots in response to a wound, but new aspects came to light once MIT’s Alfredo Alexander-Katz began looking into the complex, dynamic process.
It turns out that when blood suddenly begins to flow more rapidly, as it does when tissue is cut, this disrupts a delicate balance between molecules that lead to clotting and others that prevent it. Clotting is thus a carefully choreographed mechanism that depends on both the hydrodynamics of the flow and the biochemistry of the molecules, and the interactions between the two.

Read full article here

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MIT researchers are developing a system that could triple the transmission speed of wireless data

MIT researchers belonging to CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab) said they had developed a new wireless technology able to triple the transmission speed of Wi-Fi data while doubling the signal range. The team, led by the good care of Professor Dina Katabi, wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of its prototype called MegaMIMO 2.0. 

The key to the operation of the system that will soon be marketed in the ability to coordinate multiple simultaneously access points at the same frequency and without creating interference. This means that in theory MegaMIMO 2.0 will be able to significantly improve the speed and robustness of wireless connections to networks, which will be very useful for example during events where connections could be stretched as concerts , conventions or other large gathering of people. 

MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) using networked devices work better by combining multiple transmitters and receivers who will work simultaneously, allowing you to send and receive more than one data signal at the same time. MegaMIMO 2.0 allows multiple routers to work in harmony, transmitting data over the same spectrum. 

Mobile broadband services are currently undergoing exponential growth resulting in a significant increase in data traffic. The increase in traffic is encouraged by the growing number of mobile subscribers, especially Smartphone users. The rapid rise in traffic has led several organizations such as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission, which is responsible for regulating the use of radio frequencies in the US) to talk about the possibility of a "crisis of the spectrum." This formulation refers to the potential lack of wireless spectrum needed to support a growing number of user devices and the frequency bands used by the government and the private sector. Many experts consider that the crisis is a risk spectrum in telecommunications and wireless networking with profound implications for the immediate future. 

"In the wireless world today, you can not resolve the crisis of the spectrum by simply throwing more transmitters, because they will always interfere with each other," said Ezzeldin Hamed, a doctoral student who is the lead author of the paper on the subject. "The answer is to have all the access points that work with each other simultaneously for efficient use of the available spectrum." 

To demonstrate the performance of MegaMIMO 2.0, the researchers simulated a conference room with a set of four computers connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Experience has shown that the system could improve the speed of data transmission of 330 %. According Hariharan Rahul, a PhD student who is also co-author of the document, the system could also be applied to mobile networks to address such congestion. 

"The problem is that, as two radio stations can not play a song at the same frequency and at the same time, multiple routers can not transfer the data to the same portion of spectrum without creating major interference that obscure the signal, "noted Rahul. Also, for the CSAIL team, the missing piece of the puzzle was a new technique to coordinate more issuers synchronizing their phases. The team developed special algorithms of signal processing that allow multiple independent transmitters to transmit data on the same piece of spectrum to several independent receivers without interfering with each other. 

"This research offers a new way to distribute the Wi-Fi on campuses and businesses," said Sachin Katti, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Stanford University. "While current solutions are often slow and sometimes have unequal performance, this technology has the potential to provide high-capacity connectivity to each user."

  



Source : MIT, FCC

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