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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Engineering: Robotics Research
Published St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon



Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.
Published Researchers use AI to find new magnetic materials without critical elements


A team of scientists developed a new machine learning model for discovering critical-element-free permanent magnet materials based on the predicted Curie temperature of new material combinations.
Published An 'introspective' AI finds diversity improves performance



An artificial intelligence with the ability to look inward and fine tune its own neural network performs better when it chooses diversity over lack of diversity, a new study finds. The resulting diverse neural networks were particularly effective at solving complex tasks.
Published New AI technology gives robot recognition skills a big lift


The day when robots can cook dinner, clear the kitchen table and empty the dishwasher is still a long way off. First, robots need to be able to recognize the many items of different sizes, shapes and brands in our homes. A team has now made a significant advance toward that technology with a robotic system that uses artificial intelligence to help robots better identify and remember objects.
Published AI enabled soft robotic implant monitors scar tissue to self-adapt for personalized drug treatment


Research teams have detailed a pioneering breakthrough in medical device technology that could lead to intelligent, long-lasting, tailored treatment for patients, thanks to soft robotics and artificial intelligence.
Published Challenge accepted: High-speed AI drone overtakes world-champion drone racers


In a milestone for artificial intelligence (AI), the AI system 'Swift' has beaten the world champions in drone racing -- a result that seemed unattainable just a few years ago. The AI-piloted drone was trained in a simulated environment. Real-world applications include environmental monitoring or disaster response.
Published Surpassing the human eye: Machine learning image analysis rapidly determines chemical mixture composition


Machine learning model provides quick method for determining the composition of solid chemical mixtures using only photographs of the sample.
Published People hold smart AI assistants responsible for outcomes


Even when humans see AI-based assistants purely as tools, they ascribe partial responsibility for decisions to them, as a new study shows.
Published Tiny, shape-shifting robot can squish itself into tight spaces


Imagine a robot that can wedge itself through the cracks in rubble to search for survivors trapped in the wreckage of a collapsed building. Engineers are working toward to that goal with CLARI, short for Compliant Legged Articulated Robotic Insect.
Published Sensors harnessing light give hope in rehabilitation


A research team overcomes limitations of conventional strain sensors using computer vision integrated optical sensors.
Published Care robots: Ethical perceptions and acceptance


The global population of people older than 65 years of age is rapidly increasing the need for care. Although care robots are a promising solution to fill in for caregivers, their social implementation has been slow and unsatisfactory. A team of international researchers has now developed the first universal model that can be employed across cultural contexts to explain how ethical perceptions affect the willingness to use care robots.
Published AI helps robots manipulate objects with their whole bodies


A new AI technique enables a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand, not just fingertips. This model can generate effective plans in about a minute using a standard laptop.
Published New framework for oceanographic research provides potential for broader access to deep sea scientific exploration


Scientific exploration of the deep ocean has largely remained inaccessible to most people because of barriers to access due to infrastructure, training, and physical ability requirements for at-sea oceanographic research.
Published New dual-arm robot achieves bimanual tasks by learning from simulation


An innovative bimanual robot displays tactile sensitivity close to human-level dexterity using AI to inform its actions.
Published Malaysian rock art found to depict elite -- Indigenous conflict



Researchers have dated drawings of Gua Sireh Cave in Sarawak, uncovering a sad story of conflict in the process.
Published Advancing trajectory tracking control of pneumatic artificial muscle-based systems


Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are artificial devices that can simulate the mechanics of human muscles, and have shown great promise in industries requiring human-robot interaction systems. Despite their potential, controlling the trajectory performance of PAM-based systems is challenging owing to their nonlinear characteristics. Now, researchers have developed a novel adaptive sliding mode controller that uses fuzzy logic to estimate PAM-based system's parameters, promising enhanced tracking accuracy and adaptability compared to traditional control methods.
Published Spear thrower weapon use by prehistoric females equalized the division of labor while hunting



A new study has demonstrated that the atlatl (i.e. spear thrower) functions as an 'equalizer', a finding which supports women's potential active role as prehistoric hunters.
Published Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age



Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700--2900 BCE).
Published Unveiling Japan's ancient practice of cranial modification: The case of the Hirota people in Tanegashima



Cranial modification is a form of body alteration where the head is pressed or bound to permanently deform the skull. The practice has been reported across various cultures throughout history. Researchers report that the Hirota people -- who lived on the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima between the 3rd to 7th century CE -- also conducted cranial modification, with indication that both males and females performed the practice.
Published Brain recordings capture musicality of speech -- with help from Pink Floyd


For those with neurological or developmental disorders compromising speech, brain machine interfaces could help them communicate. But today's interfaces are slow and, from electrodes placed on the scalp, can detect letters only. The speech generated is robotic and affectless. Neuroscientists have now shown that they can reconstruct the song a person is hearing from brain recordings alone, holding out the possibility of reconstructing not only words but the musicality of speech, which also conveys meaning.