Education
Robot Talk Episode 159 – Robot sensing and manipulation, with Maria Koskinopoulou
Maria Koskinopoulou is an Assistant Professor in Robotics and Computer Vision at Heriot-Watt University. Her research interests include robotic manipulation, perception, robot vision, medical robotics, human-robot interaction, and machine learning. She is involved in major UKRI and EU-funded research projects advancing robotic manipulation, surgical and underwater robotics, autonomous assembly, and waste sorting. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines.
Design tweaks promote responsible AI use for environmental protection, research shows
Artificial intelligence systems that ask users to pause to consider AI's energy consumption and environmental impacts are likely to reduce unnecessary AI use, new research by Oregon State University suggests. The findings, published in Science Communication, are important as AI is already using electricity on scales that can be meaningfully compared to households, factories and towns. For example, the electricity needed to train a large language model would power 120 homes for a year, the researchers note; one AI-generated image has roughly the same energy cost as charging a smartphone. With about 85% of the world's energy still coming from fossil fuels, every megawatt-hour that can be carved from AI's electricity profile is significant, says the study's leader, Cheng "Chris" Chen of the OSU College of Liberal Arts. "Despite AI's substantial environmental impacts, information about those impacts is rarely disclosed or effectively communicated to everyday users of AI systems," said Chen, assistant professor in the School of Communication.
Britain is crazy for SALMON: Demand for the fish skyrockets as health-conscious TikTokers flock to stock up
'Record the faces': Tense moment NBA boss gives VERY honest take on Trump attending Knicks game Leaked transcript of UNAIRED 60 Minutes interview exposes REAL reason'callous' CBS star Scott Pelley'deserved to be fired' Disgraceful texts'hot' teacher sent boy, 17, who she had illegal sex with where she moaned about her HUSBAND Everyone always said I cleared my throat a lot. But then I developed shoulder pain and doctors discovered the sinister cause... the world's deadliest cancer. Don't leave it too late like I did Outrage as Netanyahu is caught SPYING on Trump's Iran negotiators... as JD Vance reveals a chilling truth about Israel White couple gave birth to'non-Caucasian' baby. Parents were told son, 7, had ADHD... not realizing he was battling terrifying disease that has now left him BLIND'Great' mom, 32, tried to gas herself and her three young kids to death after inviting them to'popcorn sleepover' in car, prosecutors allege Medical student, 24, died by suicide in his white coat a day after he was suspended for alleged'inappropriate' behavior towards female patient, lawsuit alleges, as his heartbreaking goodbye note to parents is revealed Karmelo Anthony's parents seen leaving the courtroom in tears just before son's defense team pulls shock move Grim-faced former Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts arrives in court for sentencing after being found guilty of having sex with son's teenage friend Mother died during tummy tuck and Brazilian butt lift after clinic staff failed to hold'slow' elevator for EMTs, report alleges Gaming influencer Alex Cimo dies'very suddenly' aged 32 just a month after'refusing to accept his fate' The porn-fuelled fantasy middle-class husbands are desperate to try with their wives... and it almost always ends in divorce: JANA HOCKING All the backstage gossip from Miami Swim Week: Insider exposes'catty' VIP's diva demands... STEALING... and'morbidly embarrassing' celeb moment everyone is whispering about Girl, 13, mistakenly told she was DYING after Oregon hospital staff made jaw-dropping surgical mistake, parents' $17m lawsuit alleges Mother's final words before she was shot dead'by new husband' in front of her two young children'They have a problem with my country': Africa's best referee, who was denied entry to the US and will miss the World Cup, speaks out and insists he had a valid visa Furious dad films his partner in bed with his 19-year-old son: You've seen the viral video - now all three tell the Daily Mail what REALLY happened in the scandal gripping Australia It's official - Britain is crazy for salmon! New figures released by Salmon Scotland have revealed how demand for the humble fish has soared over the last year.
Eight Predictions for the Future of Higher Education
The next decade won't be Armageddon. But it will bring a lot of change. When I started this six-week-long series by asking whether my daughter would be attending college in 2035, the year she turns eighteen, I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. Nine years is a short amount of time, and something disastrous--or, I suppose, downright liberatory--would need to happen in the culture to make it unlikely for her to shuttle off to some campus after high school. Still, thinking about the future of higher education has convinced me that her path to a bachelor's degree will be very different from the one I began in 1998.
Japan to launch language support project for foreign children
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025. The education ministry plans to launch a model project in fiscal 2027 to provide basic Japanese-language instruction for school life and classes to children of foreign nationals living in Japan. In response to an increase in the number of such children, the ministry aims to establish guidelines for effective language lessons through the project. The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction, including those who are unable to communicate adequately in daily Japanese conversation, reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025, which ended in March this year. The number doubled over the past nine years, according to the ministry. Of those students, about 10% were not given sufficient instruction at their schools due to staff shortages and other reasons.
Instead of Taking Your Job, A.I. Might Transform It
Proponents and critics of artificial intelligence often compare the technology to industrial automation--really, it's more like an intern. One summer during high school, I took a temporary job writing computer programs for a consulting firm. Each morning, I drove through rush-hour traffic to an office park near Princeton, New Jersey, on the crowded Route 1 corridor. At a desk in some sort of equipment room, I coded quick-and-dirty database tools for internal use. One of my programs simplified the process of logging hours into timesheets.
A golden age of maths is dawning and mathematicians are freaking out
I am attempting to solve a mathematical conundrum that has stumped many of humanity's greatest thinkers. I have zero mathematical training, apart from a distant undergraduate physics degree, which should put my odds of success at slim to none. But I also have a trick up my sleeve - a kind of mathematical genie that can conjure arcane secrets seemingly out of thin air. I make a short request concerning an esoteric conjecture in number theory, then cross my fingers. Perhaps "genie" is a bit too strong - I'm simply using GPT 5.5 Pro, the latest iteration of OpenAI's flagship model. But for mathematicians, modern AI models appear to have a spark of magic.
America Has a Pangram Problem
AI-detection tools are getting better. Basically every recent, high-profile accusation of someone passing off AI-generated writing as their own has started in the same way: with a tool called Pangram. In March, when a horror novel from a major publishing house was pulled just days before its scheduled U.S. release date, it was in part because Pangram, an AI-detection program, had identified the text as AI-generated. Other people have fed text into Pangram to suggest that chatbots have been used to write articles in major newspapers including, multiple short stories awarded a prestigious literary prize, and most recently, significant chunks of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical warning about the dangers of AI. The tool is also used by universities to vet student work and scientific associations to scan research papers.
Lopez: As Compton students ace tests, educators are baffled by Rep. Maxine Waters' snub of school bond
Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. As Compton students ace tests, educators are baffled by Rep. Maxine Waters' snub of school bond Students walk on campus at Dominguez High School in Compton. A bond measure would provide millions of dollars to rebuild the school. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .