A microdrones md4-1000 flies quickly over the water, reaches the swimmer far ahead of the swimming lifeguard, and drops a compact flotation device that automatically inflates. Drones could soon become a standard life-saving tool for lifeguards and rescue teams. Even just a few seconds in the water can mean the difference between life and death, and robots can fly much faster than people can swim. On his best day, Michael Phelps swims at 6 mph, but drones can reach speeds of 50 mph or more. Plus, smart drones equipped with sensors could help locate survivors lost at sea.

In recent months, several prominent champions of technology -- Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, and Tesla founder Elon Musk among them -- have declared that the greatest threat to humankind is not climate change, nuclear warfare, religious fanaticism or bacterial superbugs. No, according to these famous forward-thinkers, the threat we should really be worried about is advanced artificial intelligence. That is, we should be worried about supersmart robots and computers guided by a globally networked über-entity that will one day be able to outlearn, outthink and outcompete the human species and send it hurtling toward extinction. Late last year, Hawking, a physicist, came right out and told the BBC: "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." In a recent symposium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tesla's Musk said that creating advanced artificial intelligence was "summoning the demon."

A truck struck the center divider of the 101 Freeway in Hollywood early Monday morning, sending debris into lanes and briefly causing a full freeway closure. The crash was reported at about 3:08 a.m. on the northbound freeway, south of Cahuenga Boulevard, said California Highway Patrol Officer Elizabeth Kravig. There were no reported injuries, she said. Northbound and southbound lanes were closed, but the southbound lanes, shut down by debris on the roadway, reopened around 4:26 a.m. Northbound lanes remained closed as of 5:45 a.m. as a tow truck tried to upright the truck, which is possibly a taco truck, Kravig said.

Indian and Pakistani troops fired at each other in disputed Kashmir on Monday, as Indian troops searched an army camp elsewhere in the region where suspected militants killed an Indian paramilitary soldier. Indian army Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said Pakistani troops fired without provocation using small arms and mortar shells in the Poonch sector of the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir. Pakistan's army said in a statement that its troops were responding to unprovoked firing by Indian soldiers. Both sides said the exchange of fire was continuing. In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with the leaders of all Pakistani political parties to discuss the ongoing clashes.

It hasn't even been six months since I reviewed the Echo Dot, the smaller companion to the full-sized Echo, and I already have the second-generation version in my hands. The new and improved Echo Dot is still a powerful and convenient voice-controlled smart home hub for your home, but it's an even better deal. The Echo Dot is no longer order-only via Amazon's Alexa voice assistant through an Echo or Fire TV. It's now more squat, a whole lot glossier, cheaper at 50 (the old one was 90) and comes in a six-pack (buy five, get the sixth one free) for all of your rooms. SEE ALSO: 11 useful things you didn't know your Amazon Echo could do Functionally, the new Echo Dot works exactly the same as the old one.

Automakers and regulators have proclaimed that self-driving vehicles could revolutionize mobility for the elderly. President Obama wrote in a September Op-Ed, "Right now, for too many senior citizens and Americans with disabilities, driving isn't an option. Automated vehicles could change their lives." Older folks aren't exactly known for embracing new technology, but self-driving vehicles just might be an exception to the rule. Dutch police train eagles to attack drones, but here's why it won't happen in the US Police eagles are just as awesome as they sound, but are they really a practical solution for drone defense?

In the last two days of September, California transportation authorities made some noteworthy changes to their self-driving vehicle policy. First, on September 29, a new bill was signed into law that allows fully autonomous to be tested in a pilot project in two specific locations. The next day, California lawmakers also released revised draft regulations that would allow for cars with no driver on a broader scale. The technical leader of Ford's autonomous car project speaks about what it's like to be driven by a driver-less car, and how big a deal self-driving vehicles will really be. California has been a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, both with technical development and in regards to government.

A new robot for lonely people made by Toyota Motor Corp. can do little other than chatter in a high-pitched voice. The 39,800, 10-cm-tall, doll-like Kirobo Mini -- whose name comes from kibo (hope) and robot -- supposedly has the smarts of a 5-year-old. Its value, according to general manager in charge of the project Fuminori Kataoka, is chiefly emotional. It comes equipped with a camera, microphone and Bluetooth, and connects to smartphones installed with a certain app. Ideally, it will turn its head toward the speaker, though that function sometimes fails because its voice recognition ability is far from perfect.

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the US criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook, or Twitter. If African-American motorists--or drivers of any color--deplore being pulled over for a broken taillight only to be socked with more serious charges, they can take heart that the practice should disappear within the next 20 years. Not that racial harmony will be achieved or that a new polymer will make taillights indestructible. Rather, it's that human beings won't be doing the driving.