TOCHIGI – A test of self-driving bus services organized by the transport ministry kicked off at a michi no eki roadside rest area in Tochigi Prefecture on Saturday. The ministry hopes to launch the autonomous bus services in fiscal 2020, aiming to provide a means of transportation for elderly people living in hilly and mountainous areas with dwindling populations. On Saturday, a ceremony to mark the launch of the test and a test-ride event were held in the city of Tochigi. Among the participants was transport minister Keiichi Ishii. According to the ministry, 80 percent of michi no eki rest areas in Japan are in hilly and mountainous areas.

Airlines are coming off a rough six months of brand perception. Forget about mishandled luggage, the bigger problem is mishandled passengers. Customer service – or lack of it – has given the airline industry a "black eye." Even the most customer-focused airlines are not immune to computer outages and winter storms that cause thousands of flights to be canceled. And because of the negative publicity the industry has received, it is under a microscope.

The technology entrepreneur Elon Musk recently urged the nation's governors to regulate artificial intelligence "before it's too late." Mr. Musk insists that artificial intelligence represents an "existential threat to humanity," an alarmist view that confuses A.I. science with science fiction. Nevertheless, even A.I. researchers like me recognize that there are valid concerns about its impact on weapons, jobs and privacy. It's natural to ask whether we should develop A.I. at all. I believe the answer is yes.

Every smart speaker has its advantages. With Amazon Echo, you get access to tens of thousands of "skills," the mini-apps that start a game of Jeopardy or help you mix a cocktail. With Google Home, you have the full power of Google search at your beck and call. And when Apple's HomePod comes out later this year, it'll be by far the best-sounding voice-enabled speaker of the bunch. Sony doesn't have a voice assistant, but knows its way around a speaker.

While the phone you carry may be significantly less bulky than some of the original mobile devices, it's one heck of a lot more powerful. It has a touch screen, lacks a hinge and is filled with apps. And those apps are getting smarter every day with the help of machine learning and AI. Whether it's making your email smarter, streamlining tasks or solving the riddle of incurable diseases, AI and machine learning will probably have a huge impact in your life. As we use our phones, we provide key information to the apps and software installed on them.

"Consumers who expect to receive plaintiff's Rubik's Cube puzzle, for which plaintiff has developed a national and international reputation, will be disappointed when using defendants' imitation," which causes "irreparable harm" to Rubik's Brand's reputation and goodwill, the complaint said.

It will not be the first experiment with advanced pizza delivery technology. Australia-based Domino's Pizza Enterprises, the Ann Arbor-based company's largest independent franchisee, has tested delivery to customers in New Zealand via drone and self-driving robot.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is already revolutionizing domains such as manufacturing, automobiles and healthcare. But the real value of IIoT will be realized only when Machine Learning (ML) is applied to the sensor data. This article attempts to highlight how ML augments IIoT solutions by bringing intelligent insights. Cloud computing has been the biggest enabler of connected devices and enterprise IoT. Cheaper storage combined with ample computing power is the key driver behind the rise of IIoT.

A new feature allows users to ask Amazon's voice assistant Alexa to play "baby making jazz music." FILE - This file photo provided by Amazon shows models of the Amazon Echo Show. With Echo Show, Amazon has given its voice-enabled Echo speaker a touch screen and video-calling capabilities as it competes with Google's efforts at bringing "smarts" to the home. Amazon has been ramping up efforts to get more people to shop using the Alexa voice assistant on Echo speakers and other Amazon devices. NEW YORK -- In the name of convenience, Amazon and Walmart are pushing people to shop by just talking to a digital assistant.

ABOARD THE USS NIMITZ -- High above the Persian Gulf, an Iranian drone crosses the path of American fighter jets lining up to land on the USS Nimitz. The drone buzzes across the sky more than a mile above the massive aircraft carrier and is spotted by the fighters. But for the senior Navy commanders on the ship, the presence of the enemy drone so close is worrying. Their biggest fear is the surveillance aircraft will start carrying weapons, posing a more direct threat to U.S. vessels transiting one of the world's most significant strategic and economic international waterways. "It's just a matter of time before we see that," said Navy Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of the carrier strike group that includes the Nimitz.