Claire chatted to Dexter Shepherd from the University of Sussex about using artificial intelligence to help robots understand and adapt to their environment. Dexter Shepherd is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Sussex, exploring machine learning for bio-inspired tactile sensing and robotic locomotion. His work combines embedded AI systems, spatial-temporal models, and reinforcement learning to enable robots to classify textures, orient themselves, and adapt their movements. Beyond his research, Dexter leads and coordinates AI training initiatives in Africa with making electronics and applying AI on embedded devices. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines.

Mali Osmelak never imagined that selling clothes on Vinted would end with a court claim to recover almost £6,000. She started trading on the platform to earn an income while managing Crohn's disease and caring for her four-year-old daughter. But when she became a professional seller in March, she was unable to complete Vinted's verification process, leaving thousands of pounds inaccessible in her Vinted wallet. After several weeks of trying to resolve the issue, Mali took legal action. Vinted says sellers may be asked to complete verification checks to comply with legal and regulatory requirements and 98% of transactions are completed smoothly without needing help from its support team.

Environment Animals Wildlife Baby chimpanzees blow'raspberries' because adults do it first In a surprising first, scientists observed the primates learning new sounds. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. These calls show highly flexible usage in communities without role models but stable, settled usage in communities with role models, showing the formation of a signal convention. The old adage "monkey see, monkey do," appears to have a bit of truth to it. Chimpanzees () likely watch adults making different vocalization to learn how and when to use those sounds themselves, particularly when they purse their lips to blow "raspberries." The findings detailed in a study published today in the journal () show that the primates' sounds are not instinctual and set in stone, as previously believed.

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Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Trending Now Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Safety Net Mashable @Home In My Bag Versus Creator Playbook Getting Technical with Mashable All Series Lois Mackenzie is a freelance reporter at Mashable. Over the years she has written for many publications, covering everything from the local news to the best pair of running shoes. You can find bylines in publications including Fit&Well, Metro, and Coach magazine, usually covering deals on everything from earbuds to TVs, or guides on how to beat your half marathon time. The Moon is now nearing the very end of its Waning Crescent phase, with only a tiny fraction of its surface illuminated. What is today's Moon phase?

South Africans are voting in highly contested local elections likely to see a haemorrhaging of votes for the country's former ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). This year's voting season has been marked by intense campaigns that have included politicians spinning cars, watching grannies knit and even wading through giant-sized potholes. Leaders are campaigning to head South Africa's nearly 300 municipalities, responsible for basic service provision such as water, electricity and refuse collection. For the ANC, the elections are a chance to prove it still has what it takes to govern. The party had a disastrous showing in the last national election, when it lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994 when the racist apartheid system ended.

Is the war entering a new phase? Three black naval drones resembling oversized plastic toys struck a freighter sluggishly navigating the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on October 28. Aerial drones joined the attack, and explosions rocked the Liberian-flagged Contship Jet Monrovia, loaded with more than 400 terracotta-coloured containers. The vessel, travelling from the Israeli port of Haifa to Romania, listed and sank, but all 18 crew members were rescued, Bulgarian authorities said. The drones were Russian, Kyiv claimed, adding that the attack was designed to make the Black Sea unsafe for civilian ships, paralyse Ukraine's exports of grain and further hobble its war-ravaged economy.

The Sudanese government's allegations that Ethiopia is behind a deadly wave of unmanned aerial assaults belie a deep and longstanding rift between the two countries, which threatens to intensify internal conflicts in both. Sudan has officially lodged complaints with the United Nations Security Council and the African Union's Peace and Security Council over allegations that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary - which has been at war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023 - is using Ethiopian territory to launch attacks against civilian sites, including power stations. "The mutual accusations are many and almost daily, and the tension on the part of the Sudanese army has reached high levels, to the degree that made some voices inside the Sudanese army and the forces allied with it demand that Sudan declare war on Ethiopia based on these interventions," Al-Almin told Al Jazeera. Suspected RSF drone attacks have heavily damaged civilian infrastructure in SAF-controlled areas. More than 90 percent of power stations in Sudanese cities have been rendered out of service due to drone attacks, and al-Almin said the technological capabilities of these weapons indicate significant external backing.

Drone attacks extend campaign targeting Sudan's power system Share Drone attacks extend campaign targeting Sudan's power system on social media Drone strikes are reported to have hit three electricity substations in eastern and northern Sudan, the latest attacks in a concentrated campaign. The attacks on Monday, which caused widespread power outages across parts of the country, brought the number of strikes reported to target Sudan's electricity network to 18 over the past week. Facilities in New Halfa and Aroma in eastern Kassala state were hit early on Monday, while the al-Ghazali substation in Sudan's Northern State was also targeted, according to local media. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show fires at the facilities, with civil defence teams trying to extinguish the fires. Al Jazeera was not able to immediately verify the footage and reports.