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Where2comm: Communication-Efficient Collaborative Perception via Spatial Confidence Maps

Neural Information Processing Systems

Multi-agent collaborative perception could significantly upgrade the perception performance by enabling agents to share complementary information with each other through communication. It inevitably results in a fundamental trade-off between perception performance and communication bandwidth. To tackle this bottleneck issue, we propose a spatial confidence map, which reflects the spatial heterogeneity of perceptual information. It empowers agents to only share spatially sparse, yet perceptually critical information, contributing to where to communicate. Based on this novel spatial confidence map, we propose Where2comm, a communication-efficient collaborative perception framework. Where2comm has two distinct advantages: i) it considers pragmatic compression and uses less communication to achieve higher perception performance by focusing on perceptually critical areas; and ii) it can handle varying communication bandwidth by dynamically adjusting spatial areas involved in communication. To evaluate Where2comm, we consider 3D object detection in both real-world and simulation scenarios with two modalities (camera/LiDAR) and two agent types (cars/drones) on four datasets: OPV2V, V2X-Sim, DAIR-V2X, and our original CoPerception-UAVs. Where2comm consistently outperforms previous methods; for example, it achieves more than 100, 000 lower communication volume and still outperforms DiscoNet and V2X-ViT on OPV2V.


Ukraine's Zelenskyy to meet Germany's Merz in Berlin, seeks more support

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as Ukraine seeks further military support amid a recent escalation in Russia's bombing campaign, despite United States-led efforts to end the war. During their talks in Berlin on Wednesday, Zelenskyy and Merz are also expected to discuss sanctions on Russia. According to a German government spokesperson, Merz will receive Zelenskyy with military honours at the federal chancellery at 10:00 GMT. The Berlin talks follow Russia and Ukraine's direct face-to-face talks in Turkiye earlier in May. Despite pressure from United States President Donald Trump to end the war, the talks failed to produce a ceasefire agreement.


Lockheed Martin CEO shares path to making Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile shield a reality

FOX News

Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet weighs in on the Trump administration's Golden Dome defense system announcement on'Special Report.' Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile shield for the United States is a "fantastic vision" for the country as defense contracting companies work to implement the commander-in-chief's bold idea by the end of his term. "We'll be able to use the Golden Dome concept to make sure the country is increasingly protected against hypersonic threats," Taiclet said in an exclusive interview Tuesday on "Special Report." Trump unveiled his ambitious missile defense plan at the White House last week, which he says will be operational by the time he leaves office. The announcement comes as the United States faces growing threats from adversaries around the world who are making significant inroads in artificial intelligence and drone technology.


Ukrainians react as Trump slams Putin

BBC News

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Drone war, ground offensive continue despite new Russia-Ukraine peace push

Al Jazeera

Russia and Ukraine have launched a wave of drone attacks against each other overnight, even as Moscow claimed it was finalising a peace proposal to end the war. Ukrainian air force officials said on Tuesday that Russia deployed 60 drones across multiple regions through the night, injuring 10 people. Kyiv's air defences intercepted 43 of them โ€“ 35 were shot down while eight were diverted using electronic warfare systems. In Dnipropetrovsk, central Ukraine, Governor Serhiy Lysak reported damage to residential properties and an agricultural site after Russian drones led to fires during the night. In Kherson, a southern city frequently hit by Russian strikes, a drone attack on Tuesday morning wounded a 59-year-old man and six municipal workers, officials said.


Delivery robot autonomously lifts, transports heavy cargo

FOX News

Tech expert Kurt Knutsson discusses LEVA, the autonomous robot that walks, rolls and lifts 187 pounds of cargo for all-terrain deliveries. Autonomous delivery robots are already starting to change the way goods move around cities and warehouses, but most still need humans to load and unload their cargo. That's where LEVA comes in. Developed by engineers and designers from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities, LEVA is a robot that can not only navigate tricky environments but also lift and carry heavy boxes all on its own, making deliveries smoother and more efficient. Join the FREE "CyberGuy Report": Get my expert tech tips, critical security alerts and exclusive deals, plus instant access to my free "Ultimate Scam Survival Guide" when you sign up!


Ukraine under Russian missile, drone attacks for second night, 12 killed

Al Jazeera

Russia has targeted Ukraine for a second consecutive night with drones and missiles, killing at least 12 people as the two countries pursue a major prisoner swap. Ukraine's air force said on Sunday that Russian forces attacked Ukrainian regions with 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight, one of the largest aerial attacks of the war. "Most regions of Ukraine were affected by the hostile attack. Enemy air strikes were recorded in 22 areas, and downed cruise missiles and attack UAVs (drones) fell in 15 locations," the air force said on Telegram. Ukraine's security service reported that at least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital, Kyiv.


How commercial drones turn deadly in Gaza

Al Jazeera

In Gaza, the sound of drones can be heard everywhere. An analysis by Al Jazeera's digital investigations team, Sanad, has revealed that Israel is repurposing commercial drones to use as weapons of war in the Strip. And as drones become ever more accessible, the line between their civilian use and their military use is becoming increasingly blurred.


DJI Mavic Pro Review: Powerful and Easy to Use

WIRED

Having reviewed dozens of drones of all shapes, sizes, and prices, I'd recently come to the conclusion that smaller, lighter, and cheaper drones were the way to go for 90 percent of consumers. But then DJI launched its new premium-priced, jumbo-size flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 4 Pro, and made me fall in love all over again. Yes, this drone is seriously impressive. But before I deep-dive the phenomenally good camera and ridiculously long range, it's important to note that the Mavic 4 Pro will not be officially available in the US. As well as ongoing issues around flight restrictions and security, a DJI spokesperson told WIRED, "Like many global companies, we have had to adjust our market strategy as local conditions and the industry environment have evolved. While we do not have a timeline for when we can introduce the product to the US market, we are closely monitoring the situation and actively exploring every possible solution."


Ukraine calls for new sanctions as Russia hits Kyiv amid prisoner exchanges

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian officials have renewed their calls for more sanctions on Russia after Russian forces launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight ahead of a second exchange of soldiers and civilians. Ukraine's military on Saturday said overnight attacks launched from multiple Russian regions used 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles to hit Kyiv, damaging several apartment buildings and a shopping mall, and injuring at least 15 people. Sites in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Zaporizhia were also hit, with Ukrainian forces saying six of the ballistic missiles were shot down by its air defences, along with 245 drones, many of which were said to be Iranian-designed. Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv's regional state administration, said on Saturday morning that four Ukrainians were killed and several others injured over the past 24 hours in the region as a result of multiple Russian attacks. Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defence on Saturday said at least 100 Ukrainian drones attempted to strike Russian targets overnight.