Europe
Can we open the black box of AI?
Dean Pomerleau can still remember his first tussle with the black-box problem. The year was 1991, and he was making a pioneering attempt to do something that has now become commonplace in autonomous-vehicle research: teach a computer how to drive. This meant taking the wheel of a specially equipped Humvee military vehicle and guiding it through city streets, says Pomerleau, who was then a robotics graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With him in the Humvee was a computer that he had programmed to peer through a camera, interpret what was happening out on the road and memorize every move that he made in response. Eventually, Pomerleau hoped, the machine would make enough associations to steer on its own.
IBM to invest 3 billion to groom Watson for the Internet of Things
If there were any doubts that IBM would put its cognitive computer Watson to work on the Internet of Things, it would be tough to argue now. IBM announced October 3 that it would not only put Watson to work on IoT, but would also ante up 200 million of a 3 billion total investment โ the most IBM has ever spent in Europe โ to open a new global headquarters in Munich for Watson's IoT business. The goal is for Watson to develop new IoT capabilities around Blockchain and security. Then there are eager IBM clients who are already driving outcomes by using Watson IoT technologies to draw insights from billions of sensors embedded in machines, cars, drones, ball bearings, pieces of equipment and even hospitals. IBM executives say there is escalating demand from customers who are looking to transform their operations using a combination of IoT and artificial intelligence technologies.
Sky Q adds split-screen viewing to double the excitement and stress of live Premier League matches
Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display
A tiny revolution? Three scientists win Nobel Prize for molecule machines
Alfred Nobel wanted the prizes that bear his name to recognize achievements that offered the "greatest benefit to mankind." The world's tiniest machines -- celebrated in this year's chemistry prize -- may revolutionize daily life. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Wednesday awarded the final Nobel prize in sciences for 2016. The 8 million kronor ( 930,000) chemistry prize went to Jean-Pierre Sauvage of France, Sir Fraser Stoddart of Britain, and Bernard "Ben" Feringa of the Netherlands. The scientists were recognized for their breakthroughs on molecular machines, which began with Dr. Sauvage linking two ring-shaped molecules in 1983.
PlayStation VR: Sony reveals everything anyone needs to know about its new gaming virtual reality headset
Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display
Google Home and Amazon Echo usher in future of voice-controlled AI computers that nobody ever sees
Nasa has announced that it has found evidence of flowing water on Mars. Scientists have long speculated that Recurring Slope Lineae -- or dark patches -- on Mars were made up of briny water but the new findings prove that those patches are caused by liquid water, which it has established by finding hydrated salts. Several hundred camped outside the London store in Covent Garden. The 6s will have new features like a vastly improved camera and a pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" display
Test driving a driverless tractor in Southampton
The next generation of driverless tractor has been put through its paces in Southampton. The Ordnance Survey, where the tractor was tested, has been working with CNH Industrial to develop new pinpoint-accurate mapping technology needed to let tractors drive by themselves. The technology paves the way for meeting the mapping and tracking requirements for driverless cars. More and more car and technology firms have been partnering up to develop self-driving vehicles. Aside from pioneer Google, companies like Tesla are also developing the technology, while Chinese car and tech firms have also made significant progress.
Can we open the black box of AI?
Dean Pomerleau can still remember his first tussle with the black-box problem. The year was 1991, and he was making a pioneering attempt to do something that has now become commonplace in autonomous-vehicle research: teach a computer how to drive. This meant taking the wheel of a specially equipped Humvee military vehicle and guiding it through city streets, says Pomerleau, who was then a robotics graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With him in the Humvee was a computer that he had programmed to peer through a camera, interpret what was happening out on the road and memorize every move that he made in response. Eventually, Pomerleau hoped, the machine would make enough associations to steer on its own.
Some people truly believe they don't exist - and that could be useful for AI research
But the condition is so rare that it's still far from fully understood. Though it's undeniably horrific for those experiencing it, Cotard's Syndrome presents a fascinating conundrum for those studying the disorder. The condition's central contradiction -- how can someone articulate the thought that they don't exist? A 2013 case study of a Cotard's sufferer showed low activity in the brain network associated with awareness of the body. It's only one example (as with much of Cotard's Syndrome research, because the condition is so rare), but unpacking how the brains of those with the syndrome work offers hints as to how normally-functioning brains develop a sense of existence.
Nobel Prize in chemistry: Scientists building world's tiniest machines
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing the world's smallest machines, work that could revolutionize computer technology and lead to a new type of battery. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sauvage, British-born Fraser Stoddart and Dutch scientist Bernard "Ben" Feringa share the 8 million kronor ( 930,000) prize for the "design and synthesis of molecular machines," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Machines at the molecular level are 1,000th the width of a human hair and have taken chemistry to a new dimension, the academy said. Molecular machines "will most likely be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems." Stoddart has already developed a molecule-based computer chip with 20 kB memory.