An estimated 300,000 meteorites could be sitting undiscovered within the ice fields of Antarctica, according to the findings of a new study. Using artificial intelligence to predict potential landing sites of pieces of space rock over the past few millennia, helped experts from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, to create a'treasure map' of places to find these valuable rocks. Meteorites that fall in Antarctica typically become embedded in the ice sheet, making them harder to spot, but it seems many are hidden in plain sight. Two-thirds of all meteorites found on Earth have been discovered on the frozen continent, a process made easier due to the contrast between dark rocks and snow, with many discovered by chance during costly reconnaissance missions. In this new study, the team discovered that areas of'blue ice', where frozen water is visible at the surface as ice rather than snow, could be rich in meteorites.

Collaborative AI systems (CAISs) aim at working together with humans in a shared space to achieve a common goal. This critical setting yields hazardous circumstances that could harm human beings. Thus, building such systems with strong assurances of compliance with requirements, domain-specific standards and regulations is of greatest importance. Only few scale impact has been reported so far for such systems since much work remains to manage possible risks. We identify emerging problems in this context and then we report our vision, as well as the progress of our multidisciplinary research team composed of software/systems, and mechatronics engineers to develop a risk-driven assurance process for CAISs.

Scientists are developing self-healing robots that can feel pain, sense damage, and even repair themselves without any human intervention. The soft robotic hands are made through 3D printing and able to carry out a wide variety of applications, from grabbing delicate and soft objects in the food industry to performing minimally invasive surgery. They could also play an important role in creating lifelike prosthetics. However, the soft materials also make them susceptible to damage from sharp objects or excessive pressure. But now researchers have developed new polymers that can heal themselves, by creating new bonds in 40 minutes, with the end goal making the healing automated.

From picking fruit to carrying out minor surgery, soft robotic hands made from jelly-like plastic are thought by scientists to be the future solution to many human needs. But being gentle and soft enough to avoid damaging fruit or flesh has made the robots prone to damage and left them largely impractical for use in the real world – until now. A European commission-funded project, led by scientists at the Free University of Brussels and the University of Cambridge, aims to create "self-healing" robots that can feel pain, or sense damage, before swiftly patching themselves up without human intervention. The researchers have already successfully developed polymers that can heal themselves by creating new bonds after about 40 minutes. The next step will be to embed sensor fibres in the polymer which can detect where the damage is located.