Congress is currently debating the FAA’s long-term reauthorization, which might have an impact on the ongoing use of leaded aviation fuel at smaller airports.
Serjio74/iStock.
Since 1980, the US has had a stunning 99 percent reduction in airborne lead levels as a result of EPA regulations. However, Leaded gas is still used in the aviation industry, according to a report published by EPA on Wednesday.
Amazon is always on the frontier of technological advancements, and in a recent move, the e-commerce giant announced its plans to deepen its collaboration with Agility Robotics. As part of their ongoing partnership, Amazon will commence tests using the bipedal robot, Digit, in its operations. This exciting development comes after Amazon’s strategic investment in Agility Robotics through the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund.
For those unfamiliar with Digit, it’s a marvel of modern robotic engineering. Developed by Agility Robotics, Digit stands out with its unique bipedal design. It isn’t just any robot; it’s designed with two legs, allowing it to move and operate in human-like ways, making it exceptionally fit for environments crafted for humans. Equipped with advanced sensors like LIDAR, it perceives its surroundings and avoids obstacles with ease. Its arms are adept at maintaining balance, carrying objects, and interacting with various elements of its environment.
Amazon’s primary interest in Digit stems from its capacity to move, grasp, and handle items in the nooks and crannies of warehouses, offering innovative approaches to everyday operations. Specifically, the robot’s dimensions make it ideal for navigating spaces within buildings primarily designed for humans. Amazon foresees significant potential in scaling a mobile manipulator solution like Digit, particularly due to its collaborative nature. The robot is set to assist Amazon employees initially with tote recycling – a repetitive process involving the pickup and transportation of empty totes after their inventory has been fully picked.
Central to Amazon’s robotic initiatives is the collaborative nature of these systems. Amazon emphasizes that robots like Digit and Sequoia are designed to work in harmony with employees. Over the past decade, Amazon has integrated numerous robotic systems into its operations. Impressively, this technological adoption has not meant the reduction of its workforce. In fact, the company has introduced hundreds of thousands of new jobs in this period. Alongside the addition of robotic systems, Amazon has ushered in 700 new job categories, many of which are skilled roles that previously didn’t exist within the company.
By integrating cutting-edge tech like Digit and offering the requisite training, Amazon continues to craft diverse career opportunities, allowing its employees to grow and contribute in new, thrilling ways.
The partnership between Amazon and Agility Robotics promises a future where machines and humans coalesce in their efforts, driving innovation and efficiency to unprecedented levels.
The lightless deep sea is swirling with life.
New footage captured in the “twilight zone” — areas of the ocean starting at around 100 meters (330 feet) deep where sunlight can’t reach — reveals a world teeming with often otherworldly organisms: long chains of creatures, tentacled life, defensive ink blasted into the water, and beyond.
These creatures were filmed around the Geologist Seamounts just south of the Hawaiian islands. The expedition, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ocean exploration division, allowed scientists to drop a sleek deep sea exploration vehicle, called Mesobot, into these dark waters. These remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, can be intrusive to deep ocean life, but Mesobot, with a slim design and slow-moving propellers, is designed to avoid frightening wildlife away.
This also means faster robotics and self-driving cars.
Foxconn, the largest producer of iPhones, is joining hands with the biggest chipmaker in the world, NVIDIA, to develop artificial intelligence factories that will power a range of applications like self-driving cars, more generative AI tools, and robotic systems, said a press release.
Dubbed AI factories, they are data centers that will power a wide range of applications, including the digitalization of manufacturing and inspection workflows, the development of AI-powered electric vehicle and robotics platforms, and language-based generative AI services.
Tesla has shared a video of a hands-free drive demonstration of its Full Self-Driving suite in Austin. The FSD suite is not available to customers in a hands-free nature, but Tesla disabled the requirement for a new video it shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Tesla shared the video to demonstrate the capabilities of Software Version 11.4.7, which is the current version of the FSD Beta program.
The automaker describes in the Tweet in put up how the Full Self-Driving suite improves through data-driven techniques that refine the capabilities through analysis of other drivers’ behavior and normal navigation habits.
A solar-powered car said to be the first in the world capable of driving off-road over long distances without recharging has completed a 620-mile (1,000km) test drive across Morocco and the Sahara.
The two-seat Stella Terra, designed by students at the Eindhoven University of Technology, completed the journey across a variety of challenging landscapes as part of a final test of its lightweight frame and aerodynamic profile.
Tesla has launched an official Application Programming Interface (API) for its vehicles, indicating that the company could be looking at debuting its own app store soon.
Without sharing all the system details, Tesla has launched an initial tier of its own API that’s expected to evolve into next year and will eventually cost money, according to a report from Not a Tesla App earlier this week. The new API tier is called the “Discovery Tier,” and while it’s currently free, that’s expected to change moving into 2024 — though Tesla has yet to detail price points or plans for additional tiers.
Eventually, Tesla is likely to debut its own App Store, generating money from developers who want to develop and host their own services and apps on the automaker’s in-car platform. The current Tesla API is primarily geared toward fleet management, as seen in the Not a Tesla App image below or on the company’s website here.
Many think this lithium ion alternative will nearly double vehicle range and reduce charging time, dramatically changing the perception and performance of electric vehicles.
Tesla has officially released its API documentation to support third-party apps – after years of operating in a gray zone with an unofficial API.
For now, it is geared toward fleet management, but developers are hoping it is a first step toward creating a healthy app ecosystem.
The automaker has talked on and off about releasing a software development kit (SDK) to create a full third-party app ecosystem operating with its vehicles, which have giant touchscreens and connectivity.
Alumni of IIT-Kharagpur have built a cold storage facility named Ecofrost via their startup, Ecozone Solutions. This is a portable facility that offers pre-cooling of fruits, vegetables and flowers to increase their shelf life and reduce transportation costs.
