Have you ever wondered how human-like a robot can become? Researchers are one step closer, literally, to machines having more human-like capabilities. A cross-disciplinary research team from the University of Southern California (USC) departments of engineering (biomedical, electrical, aerospace and mechanical), computer science, biokinesiology, and physical therapy joined forces to create a robot that can teach itself to walk. Valero-Cuevas published their findings recently in Nature Machine Intelligence on March 11, 2019. The researchers created a "biologically plausible algorithm" called "G2P" (general to particular).

Facebook's Portal smart home device is finally launching in the UK – but a human contractor might end up listening to your voice commands. The device, whose AI-equipped camera will follow users around the room in order to keep them in the frame during video calls, will be available to British consumers for the first time from Oct 15. Users will be able to make voice calls using Facebook Messenger and encrypted voice calls using WhatsApp, as well as watch Facebook's TV service in tandem with their friends. But Facebook admits up front that clips of the instructions given to Portal's voice assistant might be passed to human contractors to check whether they have been correctly interpreted by its speech recognition software – unless users explicitly opt out. Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's vice president of augmented and virtual reality, said that Portal would never record the content of anyone's video calls, and that its "smart camera" software remains entirely on the device without any data being sent back to Facebook. "Getting the right people to help review voice transcripts makes the service a lot better," said Mr Bosworth.

Gatwick has become the UK's first airport to confirm it will use facial-recognition cameras on a permanent basis for ID checks before passengers board planes. It follows a self-boarding trial carried out in partnership with EasyJet last year. The London airport said the technology should reduce queuing times but travellers would still need to carry passports. On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Gatwick told BBC News it had taken the decision, first reported by the Telegraph newspaper, after reviewing feedback from passengers in the earlier test. "More than 90% of those interviewed said they found the technology extremely easy to use and the trial demonstrated faster boarding of the aircraft for the airline and a significant reduction in queue time for passengers," she said.

A former Google software engineer is sounding the alarm on killer robots. Laura Nolan resigned from Google last year when the tech giant started working with the U.S. military on drone technology, and since then, she has joined the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, warning that autonomous robots with lethal capabilities could become a threat to humanity. Discussions concerning possibly banning autonomous weapons fell apart on August 21 during a United Nations meeting in Geneva, when Russian diplomats allegedly made a fuss over the language that was used in a document meant to begin the process of establishing a ban. "If you're a despot, how much easier is it to have a small cadre of engineers control a fleet of autonomous weapons for you than to have to keep your troops in line?" Nolan tells Inverse. "Autonomous weapons are potential weapons of mass destruction. They need to be made taboo in the same way that chemical and biological weapons are."

Dr. Madeline Gannon is a multidisciplinary designer inventing better ways to communicate with machines. In her work, Gannon seeks to blend knowledge from design, robotics, and human-computer interaction to innovate at the intersection of art and technology. Gannon designs her research to engage with wide audiences across scientific and cultural communities: her work has been exhibited at international cultural institutions, published at ACM conferences, and covered by diverse global media outlets. Her 2016 interactive installation, Mimus, even earned her the nickname, "The Robot Whisperer." She is three-time World Economic Forum Cultural Leader, and serves as a council member on the World Economic Forum Global Council for IoT, Robotics, & Smart Cities.

Catalia Health and Pfizer today announced they have launched a pilot program to explore patient behaviors outside of clinical environments and to test the impact regular engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) has on patients' treatment journeys. The 12-month pilot uses the Mabu Wellness Coach, a robot that uses artificial intelligence to gather insights into symptom management and medication adherence trends in select patients. The Mabu robot can interact with patients using AI algorithms to engage in tailored, voice-based conversations. Mabu "talks" with patients about how they are feeling and helps answer questions they may have about their treatment. The Mabu Care Insights Platform then delivers detailed data and insights to clinicians at a specialty pharmacy provider to help human caregivers initiate timely and appropriate outreach to the patient.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, says the United States is considering a "suite of options" in response to Iran's alleged responsibility for drone attack on Saudi Arabia's oil fields. "We have a commander-in-chief and he has said he does not want war with Iran and the Saudi Arabians have said the same thing," Risch said on "The Story with Martha MacCallum Wednesday. "The unfortunate part of all of this is Iran continues to push the envelope." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday doubled down on accusations Iran is responsible for the weekend bombing on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, telling reporters that the strike was "an act of war." Earlier President Trump tweeted that he had ordered Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to "substantially increase sanctions" on Iran. Risch said the Iranians are "notorious for making bad judgments" and said that's what is happening with the current situation. "[Trump] doesn't want war with Iran.

Uber is heading to Dallas, Texas to test its self-driving cars - but the vehicles will only travel in manual mode. This is the first testing series since the ride-sharing giant's operation was suspended last year a woman was killed by one of its vehicles in Tempe, Arizona. Uber hopes to develop high-definition maps, capture scenarios to create simulations on a test track and refine its expansion methodology during this new phase of testing. Uber is heading to Dallas, Texas to test its self-driving cars –but will be operated manually. 'The City of Dallas has been an exceptional partner to Uber as we continue to expand mobility options for our riders and economic opportunities for restaurants,' Austin Geidt, Head of Uber ATG Strategy, shared in the press release announcing the new development.

Much self-driving-car research focuses on pedestrian safety, but it is important to consider passenger safety and comfort, too. When braking to avoid a collision, for example, a vehicle should ideally ease, not slam, into a stop. In machine-learning parlance, this idea constitutes a multi-objective problem. Objective one: spare the pedestrian. Researchers at Ryerson University in Toronto took on this challenge with deep reinforcement learning.

Much self-driving-car research focuses on pedestrian safety, but it is important to consider passenger safety and comfort, too. When braking to avoid a collision, for example, a vehicle should ideally ease, not slam, into a stop. In machine-learning parlance, this idea constitutes a multi-objective problem. Objective one: spare the pedestrian. Researchers at Ryerson University in Toronto took on this challenge with deep reinforcement learning.