Lying on a patch of rocky earth, in Chiba, just north of Tokyo, is a large machine about the size of a dinner table; it could be a small tank if it wasn't for the six legs aligned, insect-like along two sides of its rectangular body. Slowly, the machine rises up onto its feet and walks forward like a giant, silver beetle. This is not a creature from the latest Godzilla movie but a robot being developed by a group at Chiba University. If all goes according to plan, their test ground could soon be exchanged for the deserts of Afghanistan and Comet III could be working to help solve one of the country's biggest problems. Afghanistan is plagued by land mines.

You get actual maps that are really animated and friendly to use. We were happy with the results." The tamarisk is now labeled an invasive species because it displaces native plants through its aggressive growth. "In short, salt cedar is just a nasty plant," said Jason San Souci, director of remote sensing applications at the Native Communities Development Corp. (NCDC), which specializes in using high-resolution imagery for a wide range of natural resource applications, such as wildfire risk assessment, forest composition analysis and invasive species tracking.

When robots were called into service at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant after the 2011 tsunami, they were not ones made in Japan. Instead, machines built by US company iRobot to operate in minefields in Afghanistan and Iraq had to be used. It was a clear illustration of how, despite the country's longstanding prowess in robotics, Japanese leadership in the field is no longer a given. More adaptable machines developed for difficult environments are coming to the fore. Even more significantly, machine learning and other techniques of artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming paramount as robots learn to respond to and interact with humans.

We may not have figured out how to stop oil spills from happening, but the folks at SENSEable City Laboratory at MIT are one step closer to a solution to cleaning up the aftermath. Their newest project, a swarm of robots called SeaSwarm, proposes to skim the ocean surface and remove oil. The robots use "a photovoltaic-powered conveyor belt made of a thin nanowire mesh to propel itself and collect oil," MIT said in a statement. The first prototype was successfully tested in Boston's Charles River in August, and it responded well to the water's changing surface. The robots move on the water's surface autonomously, and the cells generate enough energy to keep the bots moving for a few weeks.

Cognitive modeling is an area of computer science that deals with simulating human problem solving and mental task processes in a computerized model. Such a model can be used to simulate or predict human behavior or performance on tasks similar to the ones modeled. Cognitive modeling is used in numerous artificial intelligence ( AI) applications, such as expert system s, natural language programming, and neural network s, and in robotics and virtual reality applications. Cognitive models are also used to improve products in manufacturing segments such as human factors engineering, and computer game and user interface design. Research into cognitive modeling is currently being conducted by academic and industry groups, including MIT, IBM, and Sandia National Laboratories.

Siri and Cortana are helpful with answering questions and searching the web, but fall short when it comes to recognizing and anticipating someone's needs. Now researches have unveiled a new application that could be deemed a true virtual assistant for your smartphone. Called RedEye, this technology uses machine learning to see and hear what users are experiencing in order to provide them with specific information - like people they've seen or places they've been. Rice has unveiled a new application that could be deemed a true virtual assistant. Called RedEye, this technology uses machine learning to see and hear what users are experiencing to provide them with specific information -- like people they've seen or places they've been RedEye assists mobile CPU/GPU systems by replacing the image sensor, nearly halving the system energy consumption by moving convolutional processing from the digital domain in the analog domain.

An eerily life-like robot has been turning heads at the World Robot Exhibition in Beijing this week. Named Geminoid F, the robot has amassed a legion of fans, with some even describing her as'the world's sexiest robot'. The 5ft 6 inch android is capable of eye movements, response to eye-to-eye contact and can recognise body language. An eerily life-like robot has been turning heads at the World Robot Exhibition in Beijing this week. Named Android Geminoid F, the robot has a legion of fans, with some even describing her as'sexy' She is designed act like a human with rubber'skin' and a woman's face - but can't walk and has to be wheeled around.

It may have fared badly in the recent robo-olympics, causing hilarity with a series of unexpected falls, but Google has revealed its humanoid robot has been set free in the woods to learn how to run free. The Atlas robot created by Google-owned firm Boston Dynamics is a formidable figure at 6ft 2in tall and weighing in at 330lb. In the video, it is shown struggling to stay upright - but managing to traverse a forest path without falling. It may have fared badly in the recent robo-olympics, but Google has revealed its humanoid robot has been set free in the woods to learn how to run through terrain. According to Google owned Boston Dynamics, Atlas is a'high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain.

China has built the world's fastest supercomputer, capable of making 93 quadrillion calculations a second. And for the first time, it's entirely powered by Chinese-made processors, following a US ban on exporting chips for devices suspected to be used for nuclear research. The Sunway TaihuLight supercomputer, which is located at the state-funded Chinese Supercomputing Center in Wuxi, a city near Shanghai in eastern China, is more than twice as powerful as previous record-holder Tianhe-2, according to TOP500, a research organization that ranks the powerful computers twice a year. The milestone comes a year after the United States barred exports of computer chips to China for use in its supercomputers, citing concerns that the machines had been used in "nuclear explosive activities." In turn, by ramping up development of its own chips, China has come to surpass the US' own achievements in supercomputing: the top-placing American creation, the Department of Energy's Titan, secured third place ranking on TOP500's list, below China's two-record breaking supercomputers. "It's not based on an existing architecture.

That's how long Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka has spent orbiting Earth. Upon returning from the International Space Station (ISS) today, Mr. Padalka became the most-experienced space flier on the planet, breaking the previous record for the longest amount of time spent in space, held by his countryman Sergei Krikalev, who completed 803 days over 6 missions. In just five missions, Padalka has him beat by 76 days. "I like to fly," he said in March, before launching on his latest mission. The space frontier has transformed during Padalka's twenty-plus years as a cosmonaut: The Mars Pathfinder and the Phoenix Mars lander explored Mars, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft landed on asteroid Eros, Cassini investigated Saturn's rings, Stardust brought comet dust back to Earth, and Dawn became the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.