The steam that keeps New Yorkers warm through the winter rolls through a labyrinth of pipes and tubes that is a nightmare to inspect. About eight times a year, Con Edison engineers don protective gear and crawl through the boilers that keep the largest steam system in the world running, to ensure everything is tip-top. You shouldn't have a fear of heights or enclosed spaces," says senior engineer Seth Flash. Beyond claustrophobia, boilers are dangerous. Ten stories high and capable of producing 1.2 million pounds of steam an hour, they feature components so tall that engineers erect scaffolding to get up close.

Flying a drone for commercial purposes will no longer require a pilot's license, the Federal Aviation Administration announced in new rules released Tuesday. Drones flown in for-profit uses will no longer require a special permit so long as they weigh no more than 55 pounds, soar no higher than 400 feet and fly no closer than 400 feet from buildings or structures, the guidelines stipulate. Previous rules required commercial drone operators to have a pilot's license and apply for an FAA waiver – a tedious process believed to have steered many businesses to use drones without proper permission. The new regulation, which takes effect in August, will allow anyone over the age of 16 to fly a commercial drone so long as they apply for a remote pilot certificate, which requires passing an aeronautics test at an FAA-approved facility and undergoing a background check. That threshold is far lower than a pilot's license – a move likely to encourage greater commercial use of drones, industry experts predict.

The school's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab made one of its "neural networks" watch 600 hours of shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "The Office." The deep-learning program predicted the correct action more than 43% of the time when the video was paused one second before the real action. "We wanted to show that just by watching large amounts of video, computers can gain enough knowledge to consistently make predictions about their surroundings," said Carl Vondrick, a PhD student in computer science and artificial intelligence. Even though MIT's algorithms aren't accurate enough yet for real-world application, the study is another example of how technologists are trying to improve artificial intelligence.

The system is composed of three parts: the drone itself, the "Airbase" robotic base station and the command software. It uses an "Optimus" UAV that can carry a 1-kilogram payload for up to 30 minutes. When the UAV finishes its patrol, it will land atop the base station whereupon a robotic arm will automatically swap out its battery and payload. All of this is controlled by the integrated software which enables users to pre-program flight paths as well as view real-time video and data feeds. The Airobotic system will likely find use in the mining and oil and gas industries as an aerial mapping platform, though it could easily be applied to any repetitive delivery or flyover task.

The company's UAVs sound like they have what it takes to be effective inspectors: they can can roam plants for 10 minutes at a time, were designed to withstand collisions and can capture 1280x1080p resolution videos. However, human personnel still play a part by analyzing footage and images to figure out what the company needs to repair. Margarett Jolly, Con Edison director of Research and Development, said using drones can help them "speed up the process while still upholding and perhaps improving quality and safety." The energy company has uploaded videos of the inspection below, if you're interested in seeing what a steam plant looks like from the inside.

Olli, created by Arizona-based Local Motors, officially hit the streets of the nation's capital Thursday. Using an app similar to Uber or Lyft, ride-seekers can order the bus to pick them up and drop them off at their destinations of choice. Olli is electric-powered and 3D-printed, reducing the vehicles footprint before and after it hits the road, Local Motors wrote in a release. The bus can even talk to riders. "Olli offers a smart, safe and sustainable transportation solution that is long overdue," John B. Rogers Jr., Local Motors CEO and co-founder, said.

History shows us that any newly evolving entity can cause great changes for life on Earth, and it may be time to start thinking of our technology as such an organism. Indeed, that is precisely the point made by Michael Gillings, Darrell Kemp, and Martin Hilbert from the University of California, Davis. A basic human characteristic is to accumulate and reproduce information, something that has been improved through the years with humans creating, using, and being almost dependent on the internet for the accumulation and sharing of digital information. To date, digital information can copy itself perfectly, multiply with each download or view; it can be modified or merged to create new information packets; it can also be applied through artificial intelligence systems. Notably, there are also additional factors that make digital information even more advanced--it can replicate with almost no energy cost, and has quicker generation times.

Trendytoutdoor pizza ovens have been labelled an environmental menace by scientists. The wood burning stoves used to cook pizzas churn out dangerous emissions which may be polluting some built up urban areas where the crusty favourites are particularly popular. It is not just pizzas that could be taking a bite out of attempts to clean up the environment, the study says. Similar wood burners are also used by many steakhouse restaurants too. The wood burning stoves used to cook pizzas churn out dangerous emissions which may be polluting some built up urban areas where the crusty favourites are particularly popular.

A robotic employee will be deployed instead of human council workers to answer customer queries. IPsoft said Amelia, its technology platform, will be deployed to work for Enfield Council in North London. Capable of analyzing natural language, she understands context, applies logic, learns, resolves problems and even senses emotions. IPsoft said Amelia will be deployed to work for Enfield Council in North London. Capable of analyzing natural language, she understands context and even senses emotions.

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