AI tool could predict future ratings of films

Researchers have developed an AI tool that can rate a film’s content in a matter of seconds, based on the film script and before a single scene has been shot.  Ratings can determine a film’s appeal to consumers and the size of its potential audience. Thus, they have an impact on a film’s bottom line. … Read more

Cut-price lidar sensor could slash cost of autonomous driving

Velodyne Lidar, which makes one of the most crucial sensors for driverless cars, has announced a new $500 (£380) lidar array with no moving parts that could drastically lower the cost of bringing automation to vehicles.  The high cost of lidar sensors, which act as the eyes of a self-driving car, has been one of … Read more

Radar could help self-driving cars ‘see’ clearly in foggy conditions

Engineers in the US have developed a way to improve the imaging capability of existing radar sensors – a system that could enable self-driving cars to ‘see’ what’s up ahead regardless of the weather.  Inclement weather conditions pose a challenge for the development of self-driving cars. These vehicles rely on technology such as LiDAR and … Read more

Video games shown to improve wellbeing for players

People who spend time video games have been shown to have improved wellbeing according to a new study from Oxford University.  With many people forced to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, gaming firms have enjoyed a record year, with more people playing than ever before, coupled with the recent launch of new … Read more

‘Planet hunter’ space telescope gets seal of approval

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved plans to build the world’s first space telescope dedicated to studying the atmosphere of exoplanets.  The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) will be used to investigate the relationship between exoplanet chemistry and environment, collecting data from approximately 1,000 known exoplanets. Around 4,000 planets outside our solar system … Read more

Space junk-grabbing satellite’s control system to be built in UK

The attitude and orbit control system of an ESA satellite dubbed ‘the Claw’ that will remove debris from space will be designed and constructed in Britain.  The OECD estimates that there are now more than 160 million objects in object, mostly space debris that varies from defunct satellites to flecks of paint. Due to the … Read more

Nanopores and AI used to classify respiratory viruses

Researchers at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses, based on dips in electrical current as they pass through silicon nanopores. The method could form the basis of a rapid new Covid-19 test.  Efforts to restrict the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic have emphasised rapid, widespread … Read more

Data centres get a pandemic push

The data centre business has received strong tailwinds over the past six months – from an unlikely source – the Covid-19 pandemic. Even as the pandemic and associated restrictions threw life and business out of gear, stalling growth in most sectors, it became a massive catalyst for digital adoption.  The Government of India (GoI) had … Read more