The Federal Aviation Administration may have loosened its regulations on drones last summer, but it's still cracking down on those who violate the rules. The administration issued its largest civil penalty ever Tuesday to drone company SkyPan International. The settlement agreement between the FAA and SkyPan will require the Chicago-based company to pay $200,000 for conducting 65 illegal drone flights in congested airspace over Chicago and New York City, the FAA said. Beyond the civil penalty, SkyPan agreed to pay an additional $150,000 if it violates FAA regulations in the next year, and $150,000 more if it fails to comply with the terms of the settlement agreement. Even with the looming threat of additional penalties, SkyPan managed to escape with considerably less of a penalty that was initially proposed by the FAA.

January 17, 2017 --The dream of useful quantum computing may have just come one step closer. Australian researchers are combining two of the hottest topics in science: quantum computing and machine learning. Specifically, they've succeeded in training an algorithm to predict the evolving state of a simple quantum computer. Such an understanding allows real time stabilization of the system, much as tightrope walker uses a pole for balance, according to a paper published Monday in Nature Communications. That would be a big deal for everyone – from Silicon Valley to Washington, D.C.

Roughly 20 people took to downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday and called on the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to immediately suspend plans to deploy a drone in emergency situations, saying they feared the device will be used for warrantless surveillance. Hamid Khan, founder of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, said his group rejected the use of drones in all forms, even in response to bomb threats or hostage crises. In announcing the pilot program last week, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said the drone would not be used for surveillance, but Khan said he feared the agency could change that policy at any time. "What this represents is the rapid escalation and militarization of police," Khan said. Last week, sheriff's officials said they would use the drone only to help deputies gain crucial advantages when dealing with barricaded suspects, suspicious devices, hazardous materials situations, and similar scenarios where it would be dangerous for a deputy to approach on foot.

The First Amendment may protect speech by strong Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this Article, we support this provocative claim by expanding on earlier work, addressing significant concerns and challenges, and suggesting potential paths forward. This is not a claim about the state of technology. Whether strong AI -- as-yet-hypothetical machines that can actually think -- will ever come to exist remains far from clear. It is instead a claim that discussing AI speech sheds light on key features of prevailing First Amendment doctrine and theory, including the surprising lack of humanness at its core.

Drone footage from Friday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump would be pretty cool to see for a lot of folks who won't be there. But it's not happening, unless some drone pilot out there is willing to risk a fat fine. The nation's capital is legally closed to drones, as the Secret Service has ever-so-gently reminded the public in the days leading up to the inauguration. SEE ALSO: Pro tip: Don't fly a drone into your wife's hair Piloting a drone in D.C., during the inauguration or otherwise, could earn you a very specific fine of $1,414. If it's a company drone, the drone's corporate owner could be subjected to a slightly less specific-sounding fine of $32,140.

Massimiliano "Max" Versace traces the birth date of his startup to when NASA came knocking in 2010. The U.S. space agency had caught wind of his military-funded Boston University research on making software for a brain-inspired microprocessor through an IEEE Spectrum article, and wanted to see if Versace and his colleagues could help develop a software controller for robotic rovers that could autonomously explore Mars. NASA's vision proved no easy challenge. Mars rovers have limited computing, communications, and power resources. NASA engineers wanted artificial intelligence that could rely solely on images from a low-end camera to navigate different environments.

Digitisation, robotics and globalisation mean the labour market is in constant change, and the Swedish Part Model is part of that journey. TCO, The Swedish trade union confederation, illustrates this in a new campaign where the future labour market is portrayed as Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer program that tries to emulate human thinking and behaviour can learn and improve on its own. AIs are already a big part of our daily lives. They help us find what we need on Google and they handle customer service for many large organisations and companies, around the clock – and now they had enough.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced Tuesday it had captured a fallen Israeli spy drone near the country's southern border with Israel, escalating tensions between the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim organization and its adversaries in Tel Aviv. Israeli military officials confirmed that a Skylark unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV had crashed Monday in Lebanese territory. The reconnaissance device landed near the town of Alma Shaab, according to Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al Manar. The lightweight drone is manufactured by Israeli defense manufacturer Elbeit Systems and costs around $50,000 per unit. The Lebanese Army reportedly attempted to recover the aircraft but was unable to do so due to harsh terrain.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our site. By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. It's time to close the gap between what leaders say and what they do ASEAN is 50, and it's come a long way. Here's why you should care Four things you should know about, from one of the region's most successful entrepreneurs Women worldwide are missing out. What lessons can we learn from the first wave of AI? Read our reports on the broad range of global issues we're seeking to address

January 17, 2017 --Eugene "Gene" Cernan, the last human to walk on the moon, passed away Monday at the age of 82. The former astronaut played an important role in America's space program during the height of the Cold War. In addition to being one of only 12 people to have set foot on the moon, he was also only the second American to complete a successful spacewalk during a Gemini mission. On Dec. 11, 1972, Mr. Cernan and fellow astronaut Harrison Schmitt stepped onto the moon for the first time, an experience that he later said in his biography made him no longer belong "solely to the Earth," but "to the universe." But as he touched the moon, his transmission to Houston in the moment was more awestruck: "Oh, my golly. Before becoming an astronaut, Cernan was a pilot with the US Navy. He found himself on the backup crew for Gemini 9, along with Thomas Stafford, until the primary crew was tragically killed in a plane crash before launch. With Gemini 9, Cernan became the third person in the world to complete a successful spacewalk. His 2 hours and 9 minutes spent outside the capsule was a record stretch in 1966. Cernan's first trip to the moon happened in May 1969, during the Apollo 10 mission, though it would be over three years until he actually set foot on the lunar surface. Apollo 10 was a dress rehearsal of sorts, taking measurements from orbit and testing various essential procedures that would be needed for the first actual moon landing with Apollo 11. "I keep telling Neil Armstrong that we painted that white line in the sky all the way to the Moon down to 47,000 feet so he wouldn't get lost, and all he had to do was land," Cernan said in a 2007 interview with NASA. "Made it sort of easy for him." With Apollo 17, Cernan finally got his chance to explore the lunar surface. Over the course of the mission, Cernan and Schmitt travelled 19 miles (30 km) across the lunar surface on a rover, gathering over 220 pounds (100 kg) of moon rocks to bring home for further study. At one point, he traced the letters TDC, the initials of his daughter, on the lunar surface. But when the time came to leave, Cernan, the last man on the moon, was reluctant to leave. "Those steps up that ladder, they were tough to make," he said. "I didn't want to go up.