Science & Technology

NASA to invite designs for AI lunar robot

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) NASA is planning to launch a challenge for the public and scientific community to design a self-assembling robot with artificial intelligence that can explore the surface of the Moon, William Harris, CEO of Space Centre Houston said Tuesday.

Space Centre Houston in the US, the official visitor centre for NASA Johnson Space Centre, conducts regular public outreach programmes to engage people of various ages and diverse backgrounds in scientific research.

Internet traffic hijack disrupts Google services

13 Nov 2018; AP - An internet traffic diversion rerouted data through Russia and China and disrupted Google services on Monday, including search, cloud-hosting services and its bundle of collaboration tools for businesses.

Service interruptions lasted for nearly one and a half hours and ended about 5:30 p.m. EST., network service companies said. In addition to Russian and Chinese telecommunications companies, a Nigerian internet provider was also involved.

Range of Russian drones’ electronic jamming capability increased to 100 km

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Radio-electronic warfare systems installed on drones being provided for the Russian armed forces are capable of jamming the enemy’s communication systems within a range of 100 kilometers. Over the past six years the range of electronic jamming means has been increased 3.5 times, the Russian Defense Ministry’s daily Krasnaya Zvezda said on Tuesday.

Russia plans to create long-term base on moon

MOSCOW, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia plans to create a long-term base on the surface of the moon as part of its lunar program and study the satellite with the help of robot avatars, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday.

"This is about creating a long-term base, naturally, not habitable, but visited. But basically, it is the transition to robotic systems, to avatars that will solve tasks on the moon surface," the Sputnik news agency quoted Rogozin as saying.

Chinese ‘gait recognition’ tech IDs people by how they walk

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: “gait recognition” software that uses people’s body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras.

Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go.

Chinese e-crackers a solution to Delhi's air pollution ahead of Diwali festival

NEW DELHI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Following Indian apex court's recent order banning the polluting fire-crackers, the Made-in-China electronic crackers, or e-crackers, have indeed created a buzz in the markets in Indian capital.

The Chinese e-crackers are as per the norms set by the court, as they do not emit smoke and also produce light and sound, thereby suitably dubbed as environment-friendly.

Bursting fire-crackers is an integral part of celebrations during the festival of lights or Diwali, one of the major festivals celebrated across India with much pump and show.

Iran launches production of domestic fighter jet

4 Nov 2018; DW: Iran has started manufacturing its own locally designed fighter jet for use in its air force, state TV reported. It comes as Donald Trump's administration prepares to impose another set sanctions on Tehran.

Iran launched production of the domestically designed Kowsar fighter plane on Saturday, state television reported, after the United States announced the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.

Rocket carrying 1st UAE-made satellite launched from Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese rocket on Monday lifted the United Arab Emirates’ first locally made satellite into orbit successfully from a space center in southern Japan.

The KhalifaSat Earth observation satellite was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from the Tanegashima Space Center.

The H-2A rocket also is carrying an Ibuki-2 greenhouse gas observation satellite for Japan.

Both the KhalifaSat and Ibuki-2 have since been released separately into targeted orbit, said MHI Launch Services.

Samarkand electronic warfare systems to be deployed in 13 Russian military units

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to deploy 16 Samarkand electronic warfare systems in 13 military units, a document published on the ministry’s state procurement website said on Sunday.

Three types of Samarkand electronic warfare systems will be sent to the Kaliningrad, Murmansk and other areas of northwestern Russia, and also to the Far East’s Primorye Region.

The contract to the tune of 61 mln rubles ($929,000) is due to be implemented by November 10, 2019.

IIT-Madras unveils indigenously-developed microprocessor

Chennai, Oct 26 (PTI) The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras Friday unveiled what it claims to be the first indigenously-developed microprocessor in the country that can be used in mobile computing devices, embedded low-power wireless and network systems.

The product would come in handy to sectors such as defence, nuclear power and government agencies, as it can reduce the threat from systems infected with back-doors and hardware Trojans, a release from the institute said.

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