Tag Archives: robots
FBI spends $3M for domestic drone deployment
US justice authorities are facing calls for new rules on drone surveillance after it was revealed the FBI has been deploying unmanned aircraft since 2006. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24294857 A report by the Department of Justice’s watchdog said the FBI has spent $3m (£1.9m) on drone deployment. The audit is the first time the full extent of drone […]
Military Industrial Complex unveils pilotless warplanes
Boeing has revealed that it has retrofitted retired fighter jets to turn them into drones. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24231077 It said that one of the Lockheed Martin F-16 made a first flight with an empty cockpit last week. It carried out a series of manoeuvres including a barrel roll and a “split S” – a move in which […]
US DOD allocates over 6 billion for autonomous robots
The US military budget ending Sept. 30 allocated $6.04 billion for autonomous aircraft and just $261 million for unmanned ground vehicles. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/science/military-lags-in-push-for-robotic-ground-vehicles.html?ref=us The gap, said John Arquilla, a military strategist at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., a research university operated by the Navy, is “particularly troubling because a large percentage of our casualties […]
US DOD behind 3D printed live organ development
Miniature human organs developed with a modified 3D printer are being used to test new vaccines in a lab in the US. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24125678 The “body on a chip” project replicates human cells to print structures which mimic the functions of the heart, liver, lung and blood vessels. The organs are then placed on a microchip […]
Computer authentication link to transhumanism
Machines verify the identity of a human being by irises, heartbeats, fingertips and voices. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/beyond-passwords-new-tools-to-identify-humans/ Authentication has been a tough nut to crack since the early days of the Web. Now comes a batch of high-tech alternatives, some straight from science fiction, as worries grow about the security risks associated with traditional user name and […]
US drone strike kills civilians in Afghanistan
Underscoring the continued threat to civilians in Afghanistan, a drone strike in an eastern province killed up to 16 people, Afghan officials said Sunday. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/world/asia/two-deadly-attacks-in-afghanistan.html?ref=world&_r=0 The drone strike occurred Saturday afternoon in the Watapur district of Kunar Province. Afghan officials said the drone was targeting four insurgents who were picked up along the road by […]
US drone strikes kill six more in Pakistan
At least six people were killed in an American drone strike in Pakistan’s restive northwestern tribal areas early Friday, according to government officials and local news reports. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/07/world/asia/us-drone-strike-kills-6-in-pakistan-fueling-anger.html?hp The identities of those killed were not immediately clear. American drone strikes are deeply unpopular in the country, and opposition to them has become an essential staple […]
18th American drone strike in Pakistan tribal belt this year
A drone suspected of being American killed at least four militants early Saturday in an attack on a compound in the North Waziristan tribal district, near the border with Afghanistan, a Pakistani security official and local residents said. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/world/asia/drone-strike-kills-suspected-militants-in-pakistan.html?hp&_r=0 The drone fired missiles at a building and a nearby parked vehicle in a village close […]
Amazon will lead destruction of EU unions with robots
Amazon was facing strikes at warehouses in Germany, its second-biggest market. Unions there say the company has imported American-style business practices — in particular, an antipathy to organized labor — that stand at odds with European norms. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/business/workers-of-amazon-divergent.html “In Germany, the idea that warehouse workers are going to be getting opposition from an employer when […]
UK funds advanced autonomous robotics research in Scotland
Two Scottish universities have been given more than £6m of UK government funding for research into robotics and autonomous systems. Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh will use the cash to develop a joint research centre in the capital. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23332184 The centre will explore the potential of robots and autonomous systems across a broad […]
DARPA accelerates combat robot research with cash prize
A Pentagon-financed humanoid robot named Atlas made its first public appearance on Thursday. Some see Atlas’s unveiling as a giant step toward the long-anticipated age of humanoid robots. “A new species, Robo sapiens, are emerging,” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/science/modest-debut-of-atlas-may-foreshadow-age-of-robo-sapiens.html?pagewanted=1&hp The robot is equipped with both laser and stereo vision systems, as well as dexterous hands. The debut of […]
Drones lead western imperialism in Africa
Nearly every day, and sometimes twice daily, an unarmed American drone soars skyward from a secluded military airfield in Niger, starting a surveillance mission of 10 hours or more to track militants in neighboring Mali. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/world/africa/drones-in-niger-reflect-new-us-approach-in-terror-fight.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world The two MQ-9 Reapers that are based here stream live video and data from other sensors to American analysts […]
FBI admits using drones over US
The FBI has used drones for surveillance in limited cases over US soil. The director, Robert Mueller, said the FBI was in the “initial stages” of developing drone policies. He said the agency had “very few” drones and had used them in “a very minimal way” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22976598 Mr Mueller described the drone use in testimony […]
EU agrees on drone surveillance program
Three European aerospace companies called on Europe to launch its own independent drone programme to equip armies across the continent. “European sovereignty and independence in the management of information and intelligence would be guaranteed while at the same time delivering a robust system resilient against cyber attacks,” Northrop Grumman signed a $1.7 billion (1 billion […]
Scientists try to spin drone use
Speakers at the TEDGlobal conference have been debating the positive use of drones in society. “There are tonnes of great uses for unmanned drones but we need a framework for robotic weapons as it puts too much power into too few hands,” “Increasingly combat drones are making lethal decisions about human beings.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22863447 In 2011 […]
Arms sales have “very high risk” of corruption?
The Congressional Research Service estimated last year that global arms exports had swelled to $85 billion. And several prominent criminal investigations have added to the pressure for change. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/business/report-aims-to-help-military-industry-fight-corruption.html?ref=us&_r=0 BAE Systems, Europe’s largest military contractor, agreed in 2010 to plead guilty to criminal charges in the United States and Britain related to billions of dollars […]
Cyborg research continues with humans
Participants’ neural activity was recorded by using sensors implanted in their brain, which were linked to a computer that translated electrical impulses into actions. The researchers believe people will be able to perform increasingly complex tasks just by thinking them. “If we slowly work to add in more and more difficulty, we can push the […]
Cyborg testing on cockroaches
A project aimed at creating cyborg cockroaches is being launched at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh. The insects are controlled via a mobile phone. The cyborg insect is created by attaching a backpack that communicates directly with neurons in the cockroach’s antennae. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22786371 The neurons convey information back to the insect’s brain using electricity. The […]
Dirty Babylon 
CBS rolls out David Rockefeller on Sunday Morning
The Columbia (Dove) Broadcasting System literally rolled out David Rockefeller last week on Sunday Morning. It was a sympathy piece for his daughter’s book. He looked like a cyborg. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50155099n