Construction sites in Japan are enjoying a wave of automation amid an increasing shortage of laborers, with the introduction of robots to do heavy lifting and drones that instantly collect aerial data. As the industry ages along with the country's graying society, construction companies are forced to look for ways to boost productivity and efficiency. According to the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors, there will be 1.28 million fewer construction workers by fiscal 2025 compared with fiscal 2014. In 2015, some 30 percent of all construction workers were aged over 55, while those below 29 accounted for only about 10 percent, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. "We will probably have a total of 900,000 workers joining the industry within the next 10 years, but the 300,000 shortage will need to be covered by boosting productivity," said Atsushi Fujino, a spokesman at major construction firm Kajima Corp. "That's why we are all scrambling for a solution."

Two Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Wednesday that would protect the privacy of U.S. citizens from the growing use of drones by government and commercial entities. The bill, dubbed the Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act, was introduced by Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont to install transparency standards for drone usage and privacy protections for individuals. According to the two legislators, the bill will require disclosure for location, flight timing and ownership information of unmanned aerial vehicles. It will also require that any data collected by drones adhere to privacy protections. The bill would require data collected by drones to undergo a minimization process to make sure no unnecessary or excess personally identifying information is gathered.

A front cover of the New York Post in December offered an unflattering view of Amazon Go, a test convenience store that does away with cashiers. The cover included Robby the Robot modified with Amazon branding and standing beside the giant headline: "THE END OF JOBS." Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global innovation, sees things a little differently. "We've not seen a slowdown in our hiring at all because of increased automation," Misener, an Amazon veteran of over 15 years, said in a phone interview Monday while he was visiting SXSW. We continue to deploy automation and we continue to hire people.

Drone technologies have greatly advanced in recent years for photographers and hobbyists alike but a recent report published by the DJI Policy and Legal Affairs Department showed just how far drone technology is evolving. According to DJI's research, drones have saved the lives of at least 38 people in a 42 week span stretching between March 2016 and February 2017. In total, 59 lives have been saved because of drones according to the DJI. Of the 59 people rescued, 20 were saved by civilians aiding a rescue team with their drones. According to another study done by the DJI, it takes a trained five-person rescue team two hours to find their target in a one kilometer area.

It's been a year since the U.S. Army began researching the use of a British-built hoverbike as an autonomous delivery drone for battlefields, and it recently showed off its progress. The Army is hoping to develop the drone so that it can fly supplies to troops in combat zones, removing the need for risky ground transport missions. It boasts some impressive stats for carrying out such missions: The drone, dubbed the Joint Tactical Aerial Resupply Vehicle (JTARV) in military-speak, has four rotors, and can carry up to 300 pounds (130 kilograms) of material at speeds of up to 60 mph. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory and U.S. Marine Corps are researching the drone with Malloy Aeronautics, a British company that originally developed the drone as a hoverbike. On Jan. 10, the Army demonstrated the drone to Dr. William Roper, director of the Strategic Capabilities Office at the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In the Terminator films, Skynet was a self aware AI hellbent on taking on humanity. However, the version the US Air Force has bought is a little more low tech. The anti-drone 12 gauge shotgun shells release a five foot net to trap the drone's propellers causing it to fall from the sky. The US Air Force is getting a new weapon to take down devious commercial drones. Called Skynet, these anti-drone 12 gauge shotgun shells release a five foot net to trap the drone's propellers causing it to fall from the sky The US Air Force has contracted AMTEC Less Lethal Systems to use their technology to take down drowns.

Before Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone was the go-to low-cost developer board for enthusiasts. It's still used by many, and a new BeagleBone board is now being targeted at robots. The US $79.95 BeagleBone Blue from BeagleBoard.org is a credit-card sized board with all the components needed to operate a robot or even a drone. It is open source, as its schematics have been published, and developers can replicate the board. Robots have unique requirements, and some computer boards specialize in specific features.

Drones pose a real security problem for law enforcement. They are relatively small and easy to hide, can quickly be deployed, allow for surveillance, and can carry a payload. And once in the air, how do you quickly take them down? An order placed in late January by the U.S. Air Force gives us a good idea of how law enforcement drone defense is probably going to work. The Drive reports that a Notice of Contract Action was submitted by the Air Force to evaluate 600 12-gauge SkyNet Mi-5 shotgun shells supplied by AMTEC Less Lethal Systems (ALS).

Obama's emphasis on drones was met with controversy, particularly following reports in Afghanistan, the tribal areas of Pakistan's northwest region and in Yemen of errant strikes that killed civilians, prompting Obama to turn over responsibility for drone strikes to the military, which under its authorities for war must report them to Congress. It remains unclear whether the CIA needs to or does so for each of its covert drone activities.

Germany reportedly intends to acquire the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude surveillance drone, according to a story in Sueddeutsche Zeitung. In 2013, Germany cancelled a similar program to acquire Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk, a surveillance drone on which the newer Triton is based, due to cost overruns. The Triton is a large, long-endurance system that was originally developed for maritime surveillance by the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Army released a report outlining its strategy for obtaining and using unmanned ground vehicles. The Robotics and Autonomous Systems strategy outlines short, medium, and long-term goals for the service's ground robot programs.