Stardust-NEXT: heading into the bonus round - in space

A bonus round is something one usually associates with the likes of a TV game show, not a pioneering deep space mission. "We are definitely in the bonus round," said Stardust-NExT Project Manager Tim Larson of NASA

Affetto: a realistic robot baby is looking at you [+video]

(PhysOrg.com) -- Minoru Asada, a professor of Adaptive Machine Systems at Osaka University in Japan and head of the JST ERATO Asada Project, along with two of his colleagues; Hisashi Ishihara, a PhD candidate at Osaka University; and Yuichiro Yoshikawa, from the Dept. of Adaptive Machine Systems at Osaka University have developed a child-like robot platform called Affetto.

Smart drone aircraft makes debut flight

Lacking any kind of pilot, this drone flew for 29 minutes, landing perfectly on target.

Researchers predict future of electronic devices, see top ten list of expected breakthroughs

In the first published critical review of technical developments related to electronic paper devices (i.e., e-readers like the Amazon Kindle), experts review the next generation of these devices.

‘Lightradio’ to deliver universal broadband, replace cell towers

Alcatel-Lucent announced Monday that it has developed lightRadio, a new mobile communication system intended to help deliver universal broadband coverage by

Roboearth teaches robots to learn from peers, pour european fruit beverages

European scientists and engineers have developed RoboEarth, the World Wide Web for robots, to allow robots to learn from the experience of their peers,

Coming next: a supercomputer saves your life

By DAVID GELERNTER If you want to repair a fancy race car at a pit stop, you could have a master mechanic go over the whole thing. Or you could hire a bunch of specialists—for the engine, brakes, suspension, tires—and have them swarm all over the car simultaneously. The crowd of specialists would do the job faster. And if you add more specialists (one for the front wheels, say, and one for the back), the job would go even faster. More Can a Computer Win on 'Jeopardy'? That's a big

New transistors: an alternative to silicon and better than graphene

Smaller and more energy-efficient electronic chips could be made using molybdenite. This material has distinct advantages over traditional silicon or graphene for use in electronics applications.

On the hunt for universal intelligence

How do you use a scientific method to measure the intelligence of a human being, an animal, a machine or an extra-terrestrial? So far this has not been possible, but researchers have taken a first step towards this by presenting the foundations to be used as a basis for this method, and have also put forward a new intelligence test.

New computer tool for elderly and disabled

Disabled and elderly people could find it easier to navigate around town and city centers with a new hand-held computer being developed by a geographical information systems.

‘Universal’ memory aims to replace flash and DRAM

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a single “unified” device that can perform both volatile and nonvolatile memory

Evolutionary robotics: for robust robots, let them be babies first

In a first-of-its-kind experiment, University of Vermont roboticist Josh Bongard created both simulated and actual robots that, like tadpoles becoming