Top news stories for the week 15

Monday, Apr 12

Microsoft buying speech recognition firm Nuance in $16B deal

Microsoft, on an accelerated growth push, is buying speech recognition company Nuance in a deal worth about $16 billion.

Apr 12, 2021

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Artificial nervous system uses light sensing to catch objects like humans do

With a simple artificial nervous system now able to mimic human responses to light, scientists are learning more about how to program such technology for use in medical robotic prostheses.

Apr 12, 2021

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DeepONet: A deep neural network-based model to approximate linear and nonlinear operators

Artificial neural networks are known to be highly efficient approximators of continuous functions, which are functions with no sudden changes in values (i.e., discontinuities, holes or jumps in graph representations). While ...

Apr 12, 2021

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French homeschooling system hit by hackers from Russia, China: investigators

Hackers operating from Russia and China targeted France's homeschooling platform which crashed at the start of a nationwide lockdown last week, investigators said Monday.

Apr 12, 2021

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One-stop machine learning platform turns health care data into insights

Over the past decade, hospitals and other health care providers have put massive amounts of time and energy into adopting electronic health care records, turning hastily scribbled doctors' notes into durable sources of information. ...

Apr 12, 2021

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5G network could realize Nikola Tesla's dream of wireless electricity a century later

At the height of his career, the pioneering electrical engineer Nikola Tesla became obsessed with an idea. He theorized that electricity could be transmitted wirelessly through the air at long distances—either via a series ...

Apr 12, 2021

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Why is Google Docs not working? Google says it's investigating issues affecting Google Drive, Docs

Having trouble working with Google Drive or Google Docs on Monday? You are not alone.

Apr 12, 2021

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Tuesday, Apr 13

DuckDuckGo can now block the Google Chrome tracking method, FLoC

In an attempt to better track users and predict their search habits, Google Chrome has developed FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts). FLoC provides visibility into user data to any website that desires this information.

Apr 13, 2021

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A robot that teaches itself to walk using reinforcement learning

A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has built a two-legged robot with t he ability to teach itself to walk using reinforcement learning. The team has written a paper describing their work and ...

Apr 13, 2021

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People may trust computers more than humans

Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, people may be more willing to trust a computer program than their fellow humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging, according to new research ...

Apr 13, 2021

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eSpine: A technique to increase the usable lifetime of neuromorphic systems

In recent years, engineers worldwide have been trying to develop increasingly advanced and efficient neuromorphic computing systems, devices that mimic the neuro-biological structure of the central nervous system. Due to ...

Apr 13, 2021

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No batteries? No sweat! Wearable biofuel cells now produce electricity from lactate

It cannot be denied that, over the past few decades, the miniaturization of electronic devices has taken huge strides. Today, after pocket-size smartphones that could put old desktop computers to shame and a plethora of options ...

Apr 13, 2021

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US power sector is halfway to zero carbon emissions

Concerns about climate change are driving a growing number of states, utilities, and corporations to set the goal of zeroing out power-sector carbon emissions. To date 17 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have ...

Apr 13, 2021

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Wearable devices and the promising future of personalized diagnostics

Researchers are developing wearable devices to transform the way we monitor, diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions, including COVID-19.

Apr 13, 2021

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Wednesday, Apr 14

Researchers identify a strategy to achieve large transport gap modulation in graphene

Over the past decade or so, the semimetal graphene has attracted substantial interest among electronics engineers due to its many advantageous qualities and characteristics. In fact, its high electron mobility, flexibility ...

Apr 14, 2021

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Membrane design prevents crossover in polysulfide redox flow batteries

Two researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed a new membrane design that prevents crossover in polysulfide redox flow batteries. In their paper published in the journal Nature Energy, Zhejun Li and ...

Apr 14, 2021

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EU to unveil AI rules to fight Big Brother fears

The EU is set to unveil a proposal to regulate the sprawling field of artificial intelligence next week, with the aim of reassuring the public against "Big Brother"-like abuses.

Apr 14, 2021

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FBI launches an effort to mitigate attacker use of Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities

While web shells have been removed that previously provided attackers access to Microsoft Exchange Servers, the FBI has revealed that some malicious software might remain that hackers are still using as backdoors into victim ...

Apr 14, 2021

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Biorobotics lab builds submersible robot snake

Carnegie Mellon University's acclaimed snake-like robot can now slither its way underwater, allowing the modular robotics platform to inspect ships, submarines and infrastructure for damage.

Apr 14, 2021

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Microsoft defends against new threat to Exchange

Microsoft on Tuesday moved to defend against a dangerous new threat to Exchange email servers while the fight continued against hackers taking advantage of a flaw patched last month.

Apr 14, 2021

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Spanish-language TV giants team up to take on Netflix

Spanish-language television giants Televisa of Mexico and Univision of the United States are joining forces to compete with Netflix and Amazon in the booming market for digital streaming.

Apr 14, 2021

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Thursday, Apr 15

Transparent nanolayers pave the way for production of silicon solar cells with more than 26% efficiency

There is no cheaper way to generate electricity today than with the sun. Power plants are currently under construction in sunny locations that will supply solar electricity for less than 2 cents per kilowatt hour. Solar cells ...

Apr 15, 2021

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Baubot comes out with two new robots to aid in construction projects

Despite artificial intelligence and robotics adapting to many other areas of life and the work force, construction has long remained dominated by humans in neon caps and vests. Now, the robotics company Baubot has developed ...

Apr 15, 2021

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Stretching the boundaries of medical tech with wearable antennae

Current research on flexible electronics is paving the way for wireless sensors that can be worn on the body and collect a variety of medical data. But where do the data go? Without a similar flexible transmitting device, ...

Apr 15, 2021

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Researcher uses bat-inspired design to develop new approach to sound location

Inspired by the workings of a bat's ear, Rolf Mueller, a professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, has created bio-inspired technology that determines the location of a sound's origin.

Apr 15, 2021

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New computational tool could help design futuristic turbines for jet engines

Will it be possible to design materials that are unfazed by extreme temperatures in the near future?

Apr 15, 2021

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Stellantis electric cars will have up to 800 km range

Automaker Stellantis said Thursday it plans to develop four electric vehicle platforms that will offer up to 800 kilometers (500 miles) of range to help consumers overcome range anxiety.

Apr 15, 2021

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Study identifies a universal property for efficient communication

Words categorize the semantic fields they refer to in ways that maximize communication accuracy while minimizing complexity. Recent studies have shown that human languages are optimally balanced between accuracy and complexity. ...

Apr 15, 2021

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