Technology News 

Web Creation 

Can the voice of healthcare robots influence how they are perceived by humans?

Robots are gradually making their way into hospitals and other clinical facilities, providing basic assistance to doctors and patients. To facilitate their widespread use in health care settings, however, robotics researchers need to ensure that users feel at ease with robots and accept the help they can offer. This could potentially be achieved by developing robots that communicate in empathetic and compassionate ways.

Multi-state data storage leaving binary behind

The total amount of data stored in data centers around the globe is of the order of ten zettabytes (a zettabyte is a trillion gigabytes), and we estimate that amount doubles every couple of years.

Report: Apple to start shipping iPhones, iPads and other devices from retail stores to speed local delivery

If you live near an Apple Store, your iOS device orders might soon start arriving more quickly than before. Apple, which typically ships gadgets from regional warehouses or directly from China, has started shipping iPhones, Macs and iPads from US-based retail stores  Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple can continue blocking Fortnite from the App Store, judge says

In the latest update in the ongoing battle between Apple and Epic Games, a California judge has ruled that the iPhone giant can continue to block Fortnite from its app store.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California refrained from granting Epic Games' request to reinstate its video game  on the App Store ahead of its trial with Apple.

5G iPhone expected to star at Apple event

Apple is expected on Tuesday to unveil a keenly anticipated iPhone 12 line-up starring models tuned to super-fast new 5G telecom networks in an update considered vital to the company's fortunes. A streamed event was cryptically teased with the message "Hi, Speed" in an apparent reference to the faster wireless networks being introduced in many parts of the world.

Campaigns sidestep Cambridge Analytica crackdown with new methods

Why is the ECB eyeing a 'digital euro'?

The European Central Bank will on Monday launch a public consultation and start experiments to help it decide whether to create a "digital euro" for the 19-nation currency club. The move comes as the pandemic accelerates a shift away from cash,  and as policymakers nervously eye the rise of private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary, American-Canadian abolitionist, honored in Google Doodle

Google is paying tribute Friday to the first Black female newspaper editor and publisher in North America. The company's search logo honors Mary Ann Shadd Cary, an abolitionist, teacher, and the second Black woman to earn a law degree in the United States.

Twitter tightens rules to thwart election threats

Twitter said Friday it will take down calls for violence starting after polls close on US election day and slap warnings on premature victory claims to fight efforts to undermine the election. When it comes to a winner in any race, Twitter will require an announcement by an election official or a public projection from at least two authoritative, national news outlets making independent election calls.

AIR-Act2Act: A dataset for training social robots to interact with the elderly

To interact with humans and assist them in their day-to-day life, robots should have both verbal and non-verbal communication capabilities. In other words, they should be able to understand both what a user is saying and what their behavior indicates, adapting their speech, behavior and actions accordingly.

To teach social robots to interact with humans, roboticists need to train them on datasets containing human-human verbal and non-verbal interactions. Compiling these datasets can be quite time consuming, hence are currently fairly scarce and are not always suitable for training robots to interact with specific segments of the population, such as children or the elderly.

Engineers print wearable sensors directly on skin without heat

Wearable sensors are evolving from watches and electrodes to bendable devices that provide far more precise biometric measurements and comfort for users. Now, an international team of researchers has taken the evolution one step further by printing sensors directly on human skin without the use of heat.

Researchers 3-D print unique micro-scale fluid channels used for medical testing

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, have 3-D printed unique fluid channels at the micron scale that could automate production of diagnostics, sensors, and assays used for a variety of medical tests and other applications.

In a battle of AI versus AI, researchers are preparing for the coming wave of deepfake propaganda

An investigative journalist receives a video from an anonymous whistleblower. It shows a candidate for president admitting to illegal activity. But is this video real? If so, it would be huge news—the scoop of a lifetime—and could completely turn around the upcoming elections. But the journalist runs the video through a specialized tool, which tells her that the video isn't what it seems. In face, it is a deepfake a video made using artificial Intelligence with deep  learning.

Study shows abundant opportunities for hydrogen in a future integrated energy system

New research from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) identifies key opportunities for hydrogen to provide synergies for the U.S. energy system and quantifies their potential impacts on hydrogen markets.

Microsoft to let employees work from home permanently: report

Software giant Microsoft will let employees work from home permanently if they choose to, US media reported on Friday, becoming the latest employer to expand work-from-home provisions prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

US tech news website The Verge said most Microsoft employees are still at home as the health crisis drags on, and the company doesn't expect to reopen its US offices until January of next year at the earliest.