-- This paper introduces FlipWalker, a novel under-actuated robot locomotion system inspired by Jacob's Ladder illusion toy, designed to traverse challenging terrains where wheeled robots often struggle. Like the Jacob's Ladder toy, Flip-Walker features two interconnected segments joined by flexible cables, enabling it to pivot and flip around singularities in a manner reminiscent of the toy's cascading motion. Actuation is provided by motor-driven legs within each segment that push off either the ground or the opposing segment, depending on the robot's current configuration. A physics-based model of the underactuated flipping dynamics is formulated to elucidate the critical design parameters governing forward motion and obstacle clearance or climbing. The untethered prototype weighs 0.78 kg, achieves a maximum flipping speed of 0.2 body lengths per second. Experimental trials on artificial grass, river rocks, and snow demonstrate that FlipWalker's flipping strategy, which relies on ground reaction forces applied normal to the surface, offers a promising alternative to traditional locomotion for navigating irregular outdoor terrain. In the realm of robotic locomotion, an evolving array of techniques has been harnessed to navigate increasingly complex terrains.

This paper proposes a Right to AI, which asserts that individuals and communities should meaningfully participate in the development and governance of the AI systems that shape their lives. Motivated by the increasing deployment of AI in critical domains and inspired by Henri Lefebvre's concept of the Right to the City, we reconceptualize AI as a societal infrastructure, rather than merely a product of expert design. In this paper, we critically evaluate how generative agents, large-scale data extraction, and diverse cultural values bring new complexities to AI oversight. The paper proposes that grassroots participatory methodologies can mitigate biased outcomes and enhance social responsiveness. It asserts that data is socially produced and should be managed and owned collectively. Drawing on Sherry Arnstein's Ladder of Citizen Participation and analyzing nine case studies, the paper develops a four-tier model for the Right to AI that situates the current paradigm and envisions an aspirational future. It proposes recommendations for inclusive data ownership, transparent design processes, and stakeholder-driven oversight. We also discuss market-led and state-centric alternatives and argue that participatory approaches offer a better balance between technical efficiency and democratic legitimacy.

AGI, while powerful, could have negative consequences, warned Diveplane CEO Mike Capps and Liberty Blockchain CCO Christopher Alexander. Legislation moving through the House would provide millions of dollars for research on how to incorporate artificial intelligence into drone technology in an effort to keep the U.S. ahead of China in this increasingly important component of national security. The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology last week approved legislation from committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., that he says needs to pass before China becomes locked in as the world's major supplier of drones. His bill, the National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Research and Development Act, would fund about $1.6 billion in research over the next five years to give a boost to U.S.-based drone manufacturers. "To say China has cornered this market is an understatement," Lucas said last week. "One single company with extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army produces 80% of the drones used recreationally in the U.S." A staff member works on an unmanned aerial vehicle at Guizhou University in Guiyang, China, on May 23, 2023.

Centuries ago, the future of diplomacy was questioned due to technological progress – the invention of the radio, the telegraph and the public's intervention in the foreign policy domain. Meta's recent AI model has revived the conversation. CICERO has become the talk of the tech town and international chatbot diplomacy may not be far behind. Diplomacy is an art that even the most powerful AI was not able to master till CICERO made an appearance. Inspired by the famous Roman orator Cicero, Meta AI showed off its model that can beat several humans in the board game, Diplomacy, which requires strategic planning and verbal negotiations with several other players.

Investors have honed in on artificial intelligence as the next big thing in health care, with billions flowing into AI-enabled digital health startups in recent years. But the technology has yet to transform medicine in the way many predicted, Ben and Ruth report. "Companies come in promising the world and often don't deliver," Bob Wachter, head of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Future Pulse. "When I look for examples of … true AI and machine learning that's really making a difference, they're pretty few and far between. Administrators say that algorithms from third-party firms often don't work seamlessly because every health system has its own tech system, so hospitals are developing their own in-house AI.

RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / August 8, 2022 / 919 Marketing, one of the nation's fastest-growing content marketing agencies, announces the acquisition of ClickCulture, a Raleigh, N.C. -based award-winning web development and digital marketing company. This is the third acquisition by 919 Marketing to boldly expand its roster of technology-focused marketing services to become the full-service marketing leader for emerging and mature franchise brands and non-profit companies. "This exciting new partnership with the team at ClickCulture expands our company to give us more creative firepower and a deeper bench of talent to better serve our clients", says David Chapman, CEO, and founder of 919 Marketing. "We can now elevate our creative capabilities to include custom applications for websites, unique digital campaigns, and elite, award-winning graphic design to help our clients attract more customers and grow their businesses. We have a lot of smart people doing great work and now we have the data-driven creative capabilities needed to truly dominate as the holistic, one-stop solution for nonprofit companies and multi-location and franchise brands."

A key research and development agency within the Department of Defense is accepting new contract proposals specifically focused on advancing algorithmic processing within Defense's artificial intelligence projects. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is formally soliciting contracts for its new Enabling Confidence program, a subsect within its Artificial Intelligence Exploration initiative. The AIE focuses on what DARPA defines as its "third wave" of artificial intelligence research, which includes AI theory and application research that examines limitations with rule and statistical learning theories belying AI technologies. "The pace of discovery in AI science and technology is accelerating worldwide," the program announcement says. "AIE will enable DARPA to fund pioneering AI research to discover new areas where R&D programs awarded through this new approach may be able to advance the state of the art."

This article describes a technical approach to movement-based interactions between a human interactor and an intelligent agent based on the theatrical Viewpoints movement framework.

This article describes a technical approach to movement-based interactions between a human interactor and an intelligent agent based on the theatrical Viewpoints movement framework. The installation creates a liminal virtual / real space for the human and AI to interact by the use of digital projection for the AI visualization and shadow play to represent the human. Observations from a recent public demonstration of the system and future directions of work are also discussed.

On a raw December day, as Christmas music blares over loudspeakers, an African elephant named Asha walks in tight circles in an enclosure at Natural Bridge Zoo, a roadside attraction in Virginia. Her living quarters consist of a barn and three outdoor yards--a fenced patch of grass about 90 by 40 feet, a dirt patch with a few logs scattered about, and a yard where she gives rides to children for $15 and her massive feet have worn a ring into the grass. Her space is barren--no shrubs, trees, or watering holes. Elephants, like humans, are social animals. In the wild, females typically live in herds of eight or more, yet Asha, who's nearly 40 years old, has been confined mostly alone for more than 30 years.