Silicon lidar chip brings accuracy at low cost to autonomous vehicles

A compact 3D lidar imaging system has been developed that its creators say can match the performance and accuracy of most advanced, mechanical systems currently used.  Lidar (light and radar) uses the precision of lasers to sense an environment by emitting them into the nearby environment and measuring the time taken for them to be … Read more

Facebook bans vaccine misinformation, provides Covid-19 jab advice

Facebook has said it will direct users on where and how to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as it also announces a ban on misleading information about vaccines in general.  The social network claims it has connected over two billion people from 189 countries to information about the disease through its ‘Covid-19 Information Center’ [sic]. Starting … Read more

RSC to stage interactive Midsummer’s Night Dream-inspired performance online

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is to stage a production inspired by the faerie realm of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will allow audiences to remotely interact with characters.  The Midsummer Night’s Dream-inspired performance, ‘Dream’, had originally been scheduled to be staged as a more conventional live performance in spring. However, with most large theatres … Read more

Quantum receiver capable of detecting full spectrum of radio waves

A quantum sensor has been developed that can analyse the full spectrum of radio frequencies, which could enable new options for military communication.  Researchers for the US army built the quantum sensor, which can sample from zero frequency up to 20GHz, detecting AM and FM radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and other communication signals along the way. … Read more

UAE probe nears Mars orbit ahead of China and Nasa missions

The UAE’s Hope probe is expected to reach Mars tomorrow, just hours before China’s orbiter-rover combo and a week ahead of Nasa’s probe.  The Hope Probe, which was launched from Japan last year, will orbit Mars for more than two years and beam back data about the Martian atmosphere. It will observe the Martian atmosphere from an … Read more

North Korea using cyberattacks to advance nuclear weapons, UN warns

Experts at the United Nations have accused North Korea of modernising its nuclear weapons by flouting UN sanctions, using cyberattacks to help finance its programmes, and continuing to seek material and technology overseas for its arsenal.  The panel of experts monitoring sanctions on the north-east Asian nation say in a report sent to UN Security … Read more

Robots ‘capture’ shadows to sense touch

Researchers in the US have developed a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch.  The method, devised by a team at Cornell University in New York, uses a USB camera located inside the robot that “captures” the shadow movements of hand gestures on … Read more

3D-printed fresh vegetables become reality with new method

A new way to create ‘food inks’ from fresh and frozen vegetables that enables 3D-printed food has been developed by Singapore researchers.  The research team claims their method preserves the nutrition and flavour better than existing methods. Food inks are usually made from pureed foods in liquid or semi-solid form, then 3D-printed by extrusion from … Read more

Bioengineering threats rated as a top biosecurity risk

A global team of experts has put together a list of the most urgent biosecurity threats, with bioengineering threats such as DNA-based surveillance among the top-ranked concerns.  The exercise was facilitated by the Centre for Existential Risk (CSER) and the BioRISC project, both based at the University of Cambridge. A group of 41 academics and … Read more

AI can detect human emotions with wireless signals

An AI has been developed that can reportedly use wireless signals to reveal peoples’ inner emotions.  According to researchers from Queen Mary University of London, the use of radio waves to measure heartrate and breathing signals can be used to predict how someone is feeling even in the absence of any other visual cues, such … Read more