A Japanese spacecraft has dropped two small rovers onto the surface of an asteroid zooming through space. If they land safely, the unmanned Hayabusa-2 would be the first spacecraft to ever successfully place robotic rovers onto a space rock. Japan's space agency (JAXA) hopes that the mission will provide clues about the origin of the solar system. The agency is expecting to receive data from the rovers at some point on Saturday confirming whether or not the mission has been a success. Hayabusa-2 first arrived near the asteroid, known as Ryugu and situated 280 million km (170 million miles) from Earth, in June.

Are Hosts, Replicants, and robot clones closer than we think? Black Mirror already uncomfortably aligns with the real world, but we might be even closer to more advanced concepts from that show and others, like Westworld and Altered Carbon, becoming reality. The Ringer offers a look at just how far away we could be from Hosts, Replicants and robotic clones following a new trailer release for Keanu Reeves' long lost Replicas movie. The entire catalog of Prince's creative work, both released and unreleased, is under the care of one man. If you've ever tasted a MRE (Meals, Ready to Eat), you know there's only so much you can do that doesn't require cooking.

Peter F. Hamilton, one of Britain's leading science fiction authors, has been hard at work on his massive seven-volume Commonwealth series since 2003. His new novel Salvation, about a world where teleportation is cheap and easy, is a major change of pace. "It's something I wanted to do as a writer, just to keep fresh," Hamilton says in Episode 327 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. Teleportation is a common theme in science fiction, but most examples, like the transporters in Star Trek, tend to be used in very limited ways. In Salvation, Hamilton wanted to explore the concept fully.

If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA Today's newsroom and any business incentives. What better time to take stock of what you might need and hunt for a good price online? I don't know about you, but it's a lot easier for me to be patient about what I buy when I can do some from the comfort of my bed or loveseat. We sift through Amazon's daily and Gold Box deals every day to find the best ones: this weekend, you can save on a Matein laptop backpack, Amazon's Echo Show device, a woodsy essential oil diffuser, and more.

Just hours after Amazon surprised us with more new Alexa-enabled gadgets than we can count, word broke that Facebook's voice-activated smart speaker (reportedly called "Portal") is apparently back on -- and launching as soon as next week. Suddenly, a market that's been dominated by Amazon and Google is starting to look more interesting ... right? I'm not trying to pick on Facebook but, of everything we've heard about the yet-to-be-revealed Portal speaker, nothing suggests that it can overcome what will likely be its biggest hurdle: that nobody trusts Facebook anymore. If you think an Alexa-enabled microwave sounds creepy, how do you think people will react to a Facebook-branded smart speaker with an AI-infused camera? I'm not saying that one company has better or worse intentions than the other.

A cafe will open in Tokyo's Akasaka district in November featuring robot waiters remotely controlled from home by people with severe physical disabilities. The cafe, which will be open on weekdays between Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, will deploy OriHime-D robots controlled by disabled people with conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of motor neuron disease. The robot waiters, 1.2 meters tall and weighing 20 kg., will transmit video footage and audio via the internet, allowing their controllers to direct them from home via tablets or computers. At an event marking the OriHime-D's debut in August, a robot controlled by Nozomi Murata, who suffers from auto-phagic vacuolar myopathy that causes muscle weakness, asked a family if they would like some chocolate. "I want to create a world in which people who can't move their bodies can work too," said Kentaro Yoshifuji, chief executive officer of Ory Lab. Inc., the developer of the robots.

A West Virginia teenager has created a rapping A.I. bot that self-generates bars using Kanye West lyrics, Quartz reports. Robbie Barrat, 17, was debating whether artificial intelligence could be taught to perform tasks better than humans in his high school's programming club. Using open-source code, Barrat programmed the A.I. with 6,000 Kanye lines and finished the project in a week to show his peers at the next club meeting. "Originally it just rearranged existing rap lyrics, but now it can actually write word-by-word," Barrat said. The bot can also incorporate pauses for rhythm and effect.

I'm sure every one of you must have heard of this buzzword Machine Learning. Let's jump into its basics. Note: This is just an overview to have quick knowledge about machine learning and how it is helpful. Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can access data and use it learn for themselves.

The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of jobs is usually discussed in theoretical terms. Reports and opinion pieces cover the full spectrum of opinion--from the dystopian landscape that leaves millions unemployed, to new opportunities for social and economic mobility that could transform society for the better. But the impact of AI on jobs is not just theoretical any more--it's very much part of our present. The World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs 2018 takes a look at how today's jobs are being transformed by the introduction of new technologies. Data on the skills that millions of members report on LinkedIn can give us additional insight into how AI is impacting different industries and job functions globally.

What changes will AI bring to your sales team? Do we really need this technology to navigate today?s market? Artificial Intelligence (AI) typifies the love-hate relationship that many people have with technology. They love the ease of using voice-controlled assistants like Siri and Alexa, but they don?t fully trust whatever is making it work. They have no problem with using chatbots and self-checkout lanes, but they baulk at the idea of?robots?