Drawing lessons from one of the worst disasters in the nation's history, a team of Japanese researchers is developing an artificial intelligence-based tsunami-forecasting system set for release in fiscal 2020 that could help limit loss of life and property in future calamities. In March 2011, massive tsunami 30 meters high triggered by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake destroyed a large swath of the Tohoku coastline, taking not only residents but also entire communities and businesses by surprise. The researchers hope the new system will help municipalities and companies nationwide better prepare for any future calamities and prevent related disasters, such as the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant that resulted from the tsunami. The team, made up of researchers from risk management consultancy Tokio Marine & Nichido Risk Consulting Co. and the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience are working on the nation's first system for predicting the likelihood of tsunami based on location, as well as the scope of damage in areas expected to be hit. "The existing forecasting system only estimates the maximum height of a tsunami but not its likelihood … and sometimes there are no available measures to prepare for the worst-case scenario," a spokesman for Tokio Marine & Nichido Risk Consulting said by phone.

WASHINGTON – Once confined to comic books, exosuits that enhance a wearer's physical abilities took a step forward Thursday as researchers unveiled a pair of robotic shorts that assist in walking and running. The entire get-up, which includes a battery that straps around the waist and a motor on the lower back that connects to pull-cables, weighs just 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and detects its wearer's gait to appropriately adjust its output. Walking and running are very different activities from a biomechanical viewpoint, and previous devices had focused on boosting one or the other, but not both, co-author Conor Walsh from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering said. "So I think it's a step towards these devices not only helping with a single activity, but devices that eventually can help people in their everyday lives, in many different ways across many different activities," he said. The breakthrough required developing a control algorithm that used three sensors to detect with 99 percent accuracy what the wearer was doing and respond accordingly.

Japan has told the United States it is ready to provide its robot technology for use in dismantling nuclear and uranium enrichment facilities in North Korea as Washington and Pyongyang pursue further denuclearization talks, government sources said Friday. As Japan turns to the remotely controlled robots it has developed to decommission reactors crippled by the triple core meltdown in 2011 at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, it believes the same technology can be used in North Korea, according to the sources. The offer is part of Japan's efforts to make its own contribution to the denuclearization talks amid concern that Tokyo could be left out of the loop as the United States and North Korea step up diplomacy. Tokyo has already told Washington it would shoulder part of the costs of any International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of North Korean facilities and dispatch its own nuclear experts to help. The scrapping of nuclear facilities, such as the Yongbyon complex, which has a graphite-moderated reactor, will come into focus in forthcoming working-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

After 9/11, the U.S. enforced stricter control on immigration. This enforcement led to the birth of Homeland Security and ICE, but what is ICE exactly? SAN FRANCISCO – Hundreds of Google employees are calling on the company to pledge it won't work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A group of employees called Googlers for Human Rights posted a public petition urging the company not to bid on a cloud computing contract for CBP, the federal agency that oversees law enforcement for the country's borders. Bids for the contract were due Aug. 1.

What do Joe DiMaggio and birth control pills have to do with AI? And what does a lost submarine have to do with the future of robotics? AIQ is a book written by two statistics professors who attempt to use major moments in the history of war, sports, and data science to demonstrate how AI shapes the world today. AIQ uses plain English to explain mathematical concepts that underlie the major artificial intelligence trends today, including pattern recognition, prediction, and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). The original hardcover was released in 2018, and the paperback is out today.

Researchers at the University of Utah Health have used machine learning to start making links between seemingly instinctive, random behaviors and the genetic factors that shape such behaviors. Using machine learning to study mice with differences in their genetics and age, the team found that these differences influenced the behavioral sequences the animals expressed while they foraged for food. The researchers believe the methodology could one day be applied to help understand the genomic elements that may shape complex behaviors in humans, including those that lead to disease or psychiatric disorders. Patterns of complex behavior, like searching for food, are composed of sequences that feel random, spontaneous and free. Using machine learning, we are finding discrete sequences that are reproduced more frequently than you would expect by chance and these sequences are rooted in biology." Gregg and colleagues are venturing into what has previously been considered a controversial new territory called behavioral sequencing. The aim is to understand the architecture of complex behavior and how genetics shape these patterns. The concerns surrounding behavioral genetics research are based on fears that it could lead to eugenic policies. Literally meaning "well-born," eugenics refers to the improvement of humanity using scientific methods such as selective breeding. As outlined by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the use of "negative eugenics" has led to some of the worst atrocities in recent history such as the segregation and sterilization of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and Europe. However, members of the council point out that contemporary research into the area is not necessarily pursuing eugenics-based goals and that the devastating events that have occurred in the past could be learned from to prevent such abuse in the future. The council acknowledges that there are certain concerns that need to be addressed if research into the field is going to be encouraged. Defining and measuring behaviors can be challenging and there is a risk of misinterpreting or misapplying statistical estimates of heritability. Other concerns include the lack of replicated findings and difficulties in predicting how behavior develops, given how complex the interaction between genes and the environment is. However, the council concludes that despite these concerns, identifying and investigating the genes that influence behavior is still practicable and worthwhile. "There are currently no practical applications of research in the genetics of behavior within the normal range.

Imagine a couple of caffeine-addled biochemistry majors late at night in their dorm kitchen cooking up a new medicine that proves remarkably effective at soothing colds but inadvertently causes permanent behavioral changes. Those who ingest it become radically politicized and shout uncontrollably in casual conversation. Still, the concoction sells to billions of people. This sounds preposterous, because the FDA would never let such a drug reach the market. Olaf J. Groth is founding CEO of Cambrian Labs and a professor at Hult Business School.

With the enormous impact of artificial intelligence on business becoming increasingly clear and imminent, executives face critical (and quick) decisions on their AI strategy. The impact of these decisions will have far-reaching, long-term implications on the profitability and continued viability of organizations around the world. Earlier this year at the AI Frontiers conference in Santa Clara, California, we sat down with AI experts from some of the world's leading technology-first organizations to learn what advice they would give to executives as they determine how to best employ AI across their business. An edited version of their remarks follows. Li Deng, chief AI officer, Citadel: I think everybody should embrace these modern AI capabilities. On the other hand, they also have to think about business-specific problems.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution1 and emerging technologies--such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and additive manufacturing--are spurring the development of new production techniques and business models that will fundamentally transform production. Both the speed and the scope of technological change, combined with the emergence of other trends, add a layer of complexity to the already challenging task of developing and implementing industrial strategies that promote productivity and inclusive growth. Further, recent changes put the competitiveness paradigm of low-cost manufacturing exports as a means for growth and development at risk. Countries need to decide how to best respond in this new production paradigm vis-à-vis their national strategies and their ambition to leverage production as a national capability. This requires countries to first understand the factors and conditions that have the greatest impact on the transformation of their production systems and then assess their readiness for the future.

Understanding an emotion isn't as simple as noticing a smile-- but we still look to facial movements for everything from navigating everyday social interactions to the development of emotionally attuned artificial intelligence. According to a July 2019 study from researchers at Northeastern and the California Institute of Technology, facial expressions only reflect the surface of emotions: The culture, situation, and specific individual around a facial expression add nuance to the way a feeling is conveyed. For example, the researchers note that Olympic athletes who won medals only smiled when they knew they were being watched by an audience. While they were waiting behind the podium or facing away from people, they didn't smile (but were probably still happy). These results reinforce the idea that facial expressions aren't always reliable indicators of emotion.