It stole the show in the most recent Star Wars film and left audiences wondering how it worked. Now the engineers behind the iconic BB8 robot from The Force Awakens have revealed for the first time how they were able to create a working version of the spherical droid. Josh Lee, BB8 design engineer and Matt Denton, electronics software engineer on movie have given the public the first glimpse at the inner workings of the tiny robot. The inner mechanics of Star Wars BB8 have been revealed for the first time, revealing a pendulum structure at sits inside the ball that forms the droid's body. The engineers behind BB8 said when they were first presented with the challenge of creating a spherical robot by the Force Awakens director JJ Abrahms, they found several ways of creating the robot.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and a world in which machines threaten humanity's status quo has been the preserve of science fiction for decades. In the Eighties, Terminator was set in a post-apocalyptic world in which cyborgs rule, RoboCop's protagonist was part-man, part-machine and Short Circuit toyed with the idea of robots developing human-like minds, with rather more endearing results. The reality is the bot has bolted. AI is walking and talking among us. In 2016, we use voice-recognition systems, driverless cars are being trialled and robotic hotel receptionists work in Japan.

There's no doubt Stephen Hawking is a smart guy. But the world-famous theoretical physicist recently declared that women leave him stumped. "Women should remain a mystery," Hawking wrote in response to a Reddit user's question about the realm of the unknown that intrigued him most. While Hawking's remark was meant to be light-hearted, he sounded quite serious discussing the potential dangers of artificial intelligence during Reddit's online Q&A session: A superintelligent AI will be extremely good at accomplishing its goals, and if those goals aren't aligned with ours, we're in trouble. Hawking's comments might seem unrelated.

Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. is buying British ARM Holdings for 31 billion in a deal the British government hailed Monday as a vote of confidence in the country following last month's vote to leave the European Union. The recommended cash deal underlines SoftBank's desire to expand in the so-called Internet of Things, which refers to how a multitude of home devices from smart-thermostats to security cameras and domestic appliances can connect online and work in sync. ARM, which is the biggest-listed technology company in Britain, has a world-renowned reputation as an innovator in the Internet of Things -- its technology is used in most smartphones, for example. "ARM will be an excellent strategic fit within the SoftBank group as we invest to capture the very significant opportunities provided by the Internet of Things," said Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive of SoftBank. ARM centers its business on intellectual property, especially in mobile computing, rather than chip manufacturing, for which it relies on partners.

The media interest surrounding deep learning has grown exponentially in the last few years. But what does it actually mean, and how will it change business and society? Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that refers to mapping artificial neural networks to recreate some of the same processes that the human brain performs, and using algorithms with speech, images and text, to recognise, identify and understand patterns in the data. Although this sounds simple, it involves complex processes and functions - but once trained, the application of deep learning algorithms could be world changing. For instance, a machine that learns like a human, but can rapidly process thousands of images and recognise patterns, is already showing promise for applying deep learning to medical imaging.

What do you get if you combine the broad trends of smartphones, wearables, Internet of Things, an individual desire for control and healthcare costs for society? You get VCs investing in health-tech startups, that's what. And the latest evidence of this is Stockholm-based Lifesum raising a 10m funding round led by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP), with Draper Esprit, Bauer Media Group and SparkLabs Global Ventures. Lifesum, which tracks what you eat and your exercise, says it now has 15 million users. That's less than the 80 million users which MyFitnessPal had when it was acquired by athletic apparel maker Under Armour in February 2015.

Japan's All Nippon Airways has unveiled its newest Star Wars-themed passenger jet, which features a livery inspired by the lovable droid C-3PO. The design of the Boeing 777-200ER pays tribute to the humanoid robot and is the fourth in a series of liveries that celebrate the Hollywood film franchise. It will start flying on domestic routes in Japan from the end of March 2017, joining planes that feature R2-D2, BB-8 and a general Star Wars theme which shows R2-D2 and BB-8. The livery features a striking gold paint scheme and multi-coloured lines that represent the droid's body parts and wiring Japan's largest airline said the Boeing 777 will begin flying on domestic routes, including Tokyo and Osaka, from next March Check out this Sumo's drum game display The 3-CPO livery, unveiled this week at the Star Wars Celebration Europe event in London, has a striking gold paint scheme and lines that reflect the pivotal character's body parts and wiring. When it launches next year, the jet will serve mainly Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Okinawa and Fukuoka.

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Now Silicon Valley has found its next shiny new thing. And it does not have a "Like" button. In the pixelated cube world of "Minecraft," players can create almost anything their hearts desire. Now, Microsoft is using the popular world-building game to build and test artificial intelligence in the fictional environment. Microsoft has made a platform for (AI) research using a modified version of "Minecraft" that will become available to the public following a limited release to select researchers.

Reuters – A former Google engineer, whose speech recognition software is used in more than a billion Android smartphones, has launched a company that uses blockchain technology to build a new operating system for banks. Paul Taylor, a Cambridge University academic with an expertise in artificial intelligence, speech synthesis and machine learning, started working on the system, called Vault OS, two years ago in a basement in London's Shoreditch district, known for being a tech startup hub. Blockchain technology has captured the imagination of the financial industry, with advocates saying it has the potential to shake up how markets operate. The technology, which underpins the digital currency bitcoin, creates a shared database in which participants can trace every transaction ever made. The ledger is tamper-proof and transparent, meaning that transactions can be processed without the need for third-party verification.