The so-called "project Malmo" has already been accessible to a small group of computer science researchers for some months, but now it is freely available on the developer platform GitHub. Microsoft bought Minecraft -- an addictive game that allows players to move, interact and build complex objects in a 3D blocky world-in 2014. It is now clear that the Seattle based tech giant had spotted the software's potential for AI applications. According to Microsoft, the new Minecraft-based platform "Project Malmo" will come in handy to research "general artificial intelligence" -- that is a computer that can engage in eminently human activities such as learning new things, having a conversation, making decisions and carrying out tasks. Faculty Summit 2016 opens w/ important announcements: Project Malmo: https://t.co/zEjMvF6OLe

Factory robots are not generally considered to be the most exciting bits of technology. But car company Ford is trying to change this by introducing a new robot to one of its European production lines. It can make coffee, give workers fist bumps and even administer a creepy robotic head massage. Factory robots are not generally considered the most exciting bits of technology. But car company Ford is trying to change this by introducing a new robot to one of its European production lines.

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your melodramatic Automaton bloggers. We'll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next two months; here's what we have so far (send us your events!): Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today's videos. I'm not entirely sure why being "targeted" by a bird robot like this would appeal to kids, but here you go: Fun fact: this works with real seagulls too. "This is a demonstration of Engineered Art's telepresence app on its Robothespian Humanoid robot. Although recorded multiple times to capture different camera angles, what you are seeing is a real conversation with Robothespian. It is being controlled and voiced remotely over the internet. There is no trickery here. Although we scripted some of the conversation to ensure it was repeatable, none of the content was pre-programmed. It was all created in real time using a headset and the telepresence app. It is an excellent way to ensure genuine human interaction, without being tripped up with it's complexities."

What does a Spanish silver dollar have to do with Deep Learning? It's a question of standards and required precision.The widely used Spanish coin was introduced at the end of the 16th century as Spain exploited the vast riches of New World silver. It was denominated as 8 Reales. Because of its standard characteristics it served as a global currency. The American colonies in the 18th century suffered from a shortage of British coinage and used the Spanish dollar widely; it entered circulation through trade with the West Indies.

Dr George Beaton is a partner in beaton and a senior fellow in Melbourne Law School, Australia. His published works include NewLaw New Rules – A Conversation About the Future of the Legal Services Industry (2013) and Remaking Law Firms: Why & How (2016). You have been a pioneer in research into NewLaw, what place does technology have in NewLaw? Is it central to its development? Just 18 months ago when I wrote Fresh thinking on the evolving BigLaw–NewLaw taxonomy little mention was made of the role of technology in NewLaw or BigLaw business model firms.

Technology allowing a pre-programmed robot to shoot to kill, or a tank to fire at a target with no human involvement, might only be years away. And a new report from the UN warns of the dangers if terrorists got their hands on these kind of'killer robots'. The report, which was a result of a week-long meeting on such weapons, held in Geneva earlier this year, said swarms of autonomous weapons would be capable of carrying out attacks. As artificial intelligence advances, the possibility that machines could independently select and fire on targets is fast approaching. Fully autonomous weapons, also known as'killer robots,' are quickly moving from the realm of science fiction (like the plot of Terminator, pictured) toward reality Experts from dozens of countries gathered in Geneva earlier this year to consider the implications of'Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems' (LAWS).

Images have emerged of a strange drone shaped like a real bird that was found crashed in Somalia, leading to claims it was being used to spy on targets. The metal bird, which is shaped to mimic a large bird of prey with'feathered' wings, is reported to have been recovered in an area of the capital, Mogadishu. According to local reports, the unmanned vehicle, which has two propellers attached to its wings, may be a surveillance craft used by the Somali intelligence agency, NISA. The drone is reported to have crashed in Mogadishu, Somalia earlier this week. Low quality images show it to resemble a large bird of prey.

Last year, mobile operators lost 38 billion ( 28bn) of their revenue to fraud, according to the Communications Fraud Control Association's 2015 survey. International crime rings are successfully and profitably using highly sophisticated techniques to bulldoze through phone companies' anti-fraud defences. However, emerging big data machine learning applications are beginning to turn the tide. Padraig Stapleton, vice president of engineering at Argyle Data provides insights on how mobile operators are deploying big data and AI to protect themselves and their consumers. Mobile operators face an increasingly complex battle against sophisticated global cybercriminals.

Google DeepMind announced a partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust that aims to determine whether or not machine learning technology can be used to analyze eye scans for earlier detection and interventions for eye degeneration. Google bought DeepMind in 2014 in a move to expand its artificial intelligence presence. The collaboration is the result of efforts by Pearse Keane, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, who contact DeepMind regarding a partnership to help conquer diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which combined affect more than 625,000 people in the U.K. and over 100 million individuals across the globe. The goal of the project is to create a digital tool that can read eye-scans and quickly recognize abnormalities. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in the U.K. "Every single day -- in the U.K. alone -- nearly 200 people lose sight from the severe, blinding form of this condition and globally the number of people with AMD is set to rise to nearly 200 million by 2020," DeepMind officials said.

Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it will invest more than 400 million over the next seven years to support fundamental wireless research and to develop platforms for advanced wireless research in support of the White House's Advanced Wireless Research Initiative. These investments will support the research community in experimenting with and testing novel technologies, applications and services capable of making wireless communication faster, smarter, more responsive and more robust. In the last decade, wireless usage across the U.S. has expanded dramatically, with nearly 350 million smartphones, connected tablets and wearable devices in use -- more than double the number from a decade ago -- carrying more than 100,000 times the traffic they supported in 2008. Experts anticipate as many as 200 billion connected devices globally by 2020. The need for ultra-high-speed, high-bandwidth and low-latency (rapid-response) wireless connectivity will only increase.