The FCC has approved SpaceX’s application to operate two new Starlink dishes, including a smaller,

Scientists say they have built the first ever “breathing, sweating, shivering” robot, designed to cope and adapt to different temperatures. The heat-sensitive “thermal mannequin”, dubbed ANDI, features 35 individually controlled surfaces with pores that bead sweat like humans. Designed by US firm Thermetrics for use by researchers at Arizona State University, the robot was created to help better understand the health impacts of extreme temperatures on the human body. “ANDI sweats, he generates heat, shivers, walks and breathes,” said Konrad Rykaczewski, principal investigator for the ASU research project, whose work aims to identify and measure the effects of extreme heat on humans. “There’s a lot of great work out there for extreme heat, but there’s also a lot missing. We’re trying to develop a very good understanding of how heat impacts the human body so we can quantitatively design things to address it.” Some of the 10 sweating robots built by the researchers are already being used by clothing companies for garment testing, however ASU’s android is the only one that can be used outdoors. This allows experiments in previously impossible extreme heat environments, as well as studies into the impact of solar radiation. ASU researchers plan to test ANDI in heat-vulnerable areas around Phoenix this summer in an effort to understand how different ages and body types are impacted by high temperatures. “We can move different BMI models, different age characteristics and different medical conditions [into ANDI],” said Ankit Joshi, an ASU research scientist leading the modelling work and the lead operator of ANDI. “A diabetes patient has different thermal regulation from a healthy person. So we can account for all this modification with our customised models.” The results will be used to design interventions, such as cooling clothes and technologies to protect against heat stroke and heat-related deaths. Read More Electric cars could save more than 100,000 lives, study claims Electric cars could save more than 100,000 lives, study claims ‘I saw the future. It left me in tears’ This could be the end of ‘ducking’

By Josh Ye HONG KONG (Reuters) -TikTok maker ByteDance is set to internally announce on Monday the winding down of

Google’s latest Pixel smartphone, unveiled on Wednesday, contains artificial intelligence that is “miles ahead” of its rivals, according to an executive at the company. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro use AI in everything from screening spam phone calls to improving the sound quality of calls – all driven by the new Tensor G3 processor. The unveiling of new AI capabilities comes after the tech giant consolidated its DeepMind and Google Brain research units into one division responsible for developing a “general AI”. Michiel van Eldik, Google vice president for devices and services in Europe, said the company’s AI innovations were how it could set itself apart from rivals, and that it gave them an advantage in the hardware business. “We have probably 15 or 20 years of experience in AI, and that’s where we can truly differentiate in the hardware business,” he said. “Our products are on par, if not better, than any other player out there. If you look at RAM, if you look at display, if you look at batteries, for example. So our story today is very much about artificial intelligence. “The message to the user is that we will give you services nobody else has. It’s not about hardware for us any more – it’s about bringing that great innovation that Google has, and the best of Google to the consumers out there.” Google also announced plans to add generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its virtual assistant, allowing it to do things like help people plan a trip or catch up on emails and then ask follow-up questions. The Alphabet subsidiary said during its hardware event in New York that it plans to add generative AI features from its Bard chatbot into Google’s version of a virtual assistant, that aims to provide personalized help with reasoning and generative capabilities on mobile devices. “(A) whole task is done through a couple of simple questions that you’re asking your assistant, which is, we think, a very, very powerful concept,” said Sissie Hsiao vice president, Google assistant and Bard. Google and other tech companies have been racing to build some form of generative AI into new or existing products. Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have all stepped up efforts this year. The new version of Google’s assistant will have access to a mobile phone’s camera and microphone, and let users input pictures or audio into the large language model to help answer questions, Hsiao said. It will not include revenue generating features, Hsiao said, because Google is still in the “learning phase” with generative AI. “We want to learn how to make a great experience out of this,” the Google vice president said. Google said the new software would be available to its trusted tester program “soon” but did not disclose a general release date. The company plans to release a version for Android and Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS. The unveiling of the Pixel 8 smartphone, seen as one of the main Android rivals to the recently released iPhone 15, comes amid overheating issues with Apple’s flagship phone. Additional reporting from agencies. Read More 10 ways AI will change the world – from curing cancer to wiping out humanity Google Pixel 8 camera will include ‘creepy’ face-changing AI Man drives off bridge ‘following Google Maps’ Google’s powerful ‘Bard’ AI can now get into your email

KITCHENER, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 15, 2023--

China's biggest ride-hailing company Didi Global on Monday reported a third-quarter profit as domestic demand for mobility services

ABU DHABI, United Arab of Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 6, 2023--

TL;DR: Through Sept. 17, you can get a lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Home

Billionaire Elon Musk has demanded that he personally approves every new employee at Tesla in a leaked email. Musk is a co-founder and the CEO of Tesla and according to leaked emails, it appears the South African entrepreneur is wanting to take a more hands-on approach to his role there. According to Insider, Musk wants to approve every new employee the automotive company takes on, writing in a leaked email: “Think carefully before sending me the request,” adding, “No one can join Tesla, even as a contractor, until you receive my email approval.” The email was sent by Musk on Monday (15 May) morning in which he said he wanted “to gain a better understanding of our hiring”. It requested that executives send him a weekly list of prospective candidates for him to approve – a big task since the company hires on average 30,000 people per year. It comes as Musk recently announced a new chief executive will be taking over the running of Twitter after the billionaire acquired the platform in October 2022 becoming its CEO. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Linda Yaccarino, the former chief executive of NBCUniversal advertising, is set to take the helm as CEO in approximately six weeks' time, while Musk will undertake the chief technology officer role. The news may explain why Musk is now keen to take on a more hands-on role in the hiring at Tesla, particularly as shareholders in the company expressed concern in an open letter that Twitter had left him “distracted” and “overly focused on other ventures”. Last year, the automotive company said it received more than 3.6 million job applications and hired around 127,000 people through its competitive process. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Student-loan relief advocates are pressing President Joe Biden to find other ways to forgive college debts after the

Great location doesn't equal high real estate prices in these American cities.

The US Federal Trade Commission has sued to stop Microsoft buying Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard. It is just the latest problem for the deal, which has already been blocked by UK regulators. If completed, it will become one of the largest takeovers ever – but has faced scrutiny from regulators around the world, who argue that it might cause problems for the gaming market. The FTC's Monday filing in a federal court in San Francisco seeks a restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of the California gaming company behind hit franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game system, has been struggling to win worldwide approval for the deal with just over a month before the deadline to close it, according to the contract it signed with Activision. “We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said a statement Monday from Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president. "We believe accelerating the legal process in the U.S will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the market.” The FTC already took Microsoft to court to block the merger, but that was before the U.S. agency's in-house judge in a trial set to start on Aug. 2. That administrative process doesn't preclude the parties from closing the deal. The contract between Microsoft and Activision required the deal to close by July 18, but the FTC's latest action seeks to stop that from happening. “Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have represented in the past that they cannot close their deal due to antitrust reviews of the transaction in other jurisdictions," the FTC said in a statement Monday. "But Microsoft and Activision have not provided assurances that they will maintain that position. In light of that, and public reporting that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are considering closing their deal imminently, we have filed a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent them from closing while review continues.” Microsoft's other main obstacle is in the United Kingdom, where antitrust regulators have also taken action to block the acquisition. The all-cash deal announced in January 2022 has been scrutinized by regulators around the world over fears that it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console control of Activision's hit franchises and give it an unfair boost in the emerging business of cloud-based game subscriptions. It could be the priciest tech industry merger in history. Fierce opposition has been driven by rival Sony, which makes the PlayStation gaming system. Microsoft sought to counter the resistance by striking a deal with Nintendo to license Activision titles like Call of Duty for 10 years and offering the same to Sony if the deal went ahead. European regulators representing the 27-nation bloc approved the deal last month on condition that Microsoft make some promises meant to boost competition in the cloud-based gaming market. A number of other countries, including China, Japan, Brazil and South Korea, have also approved it. But the blockbuster deal has remained in jeopardy because of the surprise April decision by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority and the ongoing case in the U.S. Microsoft in late May filed an appeal of the British regulator's decision and has also voiced strong public opposition directed at top government officials. U.S.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, an opponent of the deal, welcomed the FTC's move Monday. “Although the agency has already used its authority to block the merger through administrative proceedings, Microsoft is pushing to culminate the purchase of Activision before the agency can finish its process," said a statement from Public Citizen's competition policy advocate Matt Kent. ""By filing in federal court to enjoin the transaction, the FTC is showing that it won’t back down in the face of Microsoft’s escalatory tactics.” Additional reporting by Associated Press