Showing 20 articles starting at article 1341
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Engineering: Robotics Research, Environmental: Ecosystems
Published Contributing to the utilization of big data! Developing new data learning methods for artificial intelligence
(via sciencedaily.com) A research group has developed a new learning method for artificial intelligence that combines classification performance for data with multiple labels with the ability to learn continually from data. Numerical experiments on real-world multi-label data indicate that the new method outperforms conventional approaches. The simplicity of this algorithm makes it easy to integrate it with other algorithms to devise new ones.
Published With rapidly increasing heat and drought, can plants adapt?
(via sciencedaily.com) As deserts expanded their range over the past 5-7 million years, many plants invaded the new biome and rapidly diversified, producing amazing adaptations to drought and heat. Can plants continue to adapt to increasing aridity caused by climate change? A new study that addressed the origins of desert adaptation concluded that one group of desert plants, rock daisies, came preadapted to aridity, likely helping them survive desert conditions. Not all plants may be so lucky.
Published Aquatic organisms respond to flooding and drought disturbance in different ways
(via sciencedaily.com) Populations of various species of aquatic insects and other invertebrates respond to flooding and waterway drying due to drought in different ways that can be anticipated, according to a new study that employed a novel method to assess the stability of stream ecosystems.
Published Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, a research team discovered evidence that browsing by white-tailed deer had relatively little long-term impact on two tree species in a northern forest.
Published Legged robots need more testing before real-world use
(via sciencedaily.com) When it comes to the 'evolution' of mobile robots, it may be a long time before legged robots are able to safely interact in the real world, according to a new study.
Published Autonomous steering system keeps human drivers engaged
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed an automated driving system based on the concept of 'collaborative steering', which aims to increase transportation safety, efficiency, and comfort by encouraging active interaction between autonomous vehicles and their human drivers.
Published GPS tracking, simulations show optimal locations to help desert bighorn sheep cross freeways
(via sciencedaily.com) Desert bighorn sheep whose Southern California range is bisected by freeways may one day benefit from modeling designed to show where the animals would be most apt to use overpasses to safely cross the interstates.
Published A fairy-like robot flies by the power of wind and light
(via sciencedaily.com) The loss of pollinators, such as bees, is a huge challenge for global biodiversity and affects humanity by causing problems in food production. Researchers have now developed the first passively flying robot equipped with artificial muscle. Could this artificial fairy be utilized in pollination?
Published Artificial human skin paves the way to new skin cancer therapy
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, researchers have managed to curb skin cancer. The study was conducted on artificial human skin.
Published Versatile robo-dog runs through the sandy beach at 3 meters per second
(via sciencedaily.com) Meet the new addition to the robo-dog family, 'RaiBo', that can run along the sandy beach without losing balance and walk through grassy fields and back on the hard-floored tracking fields all on its own -- no further tinkering necessary.
Published Person-shaped robot can liquify and escape jail, all with the power of magnets
(via sciencedaily.com) Inspired by sea cucumbers, engineers have designed miniature robots that rapidly and reversibly shift between liquid and solid states. On top of being able to shape-shift, the robots are magnetic and can conduct electricity. The researchers put the robots through an obstacle course of mobility and shape-morphing tests.
Published Artificial photosynthesis uses sunlight to make biodegradable plastic
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have succeeded in synthesizing fumaric acid, a raw material for plastics, from CO2 powered by solar energy. Typically, fumaric acid is synthesized from petroleum as a raw material to make polybutylene succinate, a biodegradable plastic, but this research shows that it can be synthesized from CO2 and biomass-derived compounds using renewable energy.
Published Fish sensory organ key to improving navigational skills of underwater robots
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have been studying a fish sensory organ to understand cues for collective behavior which could be employed on underwater robots.
Published Click beetle-inspired robots jump using elastic energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have made a significant leap forward in developing insect-sized jumping robots capable of performing tasks in the small spaces often found in mechanical, agricultural and search-and-rescue settings. A new study demonstrates a series of click beetle-sized robots small enough to fit into tight spaces, powerful enough to maneuver over obstacles and fast enough to match an insect's rapid escape time.
Published Can elephants save the planet?
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers report that elephants play a key role in creating forests which store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.
Published New soft robots poised to be more agile, controlled
(via sciencedaily.com) One of the virtues of untethered soft robots is their ability to mechanically adapt to their surroundings and tasks. Now they are poised to become even more agile and controlled.
Published New discovery: Endangered Amami rabbit disperses seeds for non-photosynthetic plant
(via sciencedaily.com) Seed dispersal is an essential process for the evolution and ecology of terrestrial plants, making discoveries of uncommon seed dispersal agents particularly interesting. Scientists now reveal that the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) is a major seed dispersal agent for the non-photosynthetic plant Balanophora yuwanensis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known instance of rabbits serving as seed dispersal agents in Asia.
Published Unprecedented levels of high-severity fire burn in Sierra Nevada
(via sciencedaily.com) High-severity wildfire in California's Sierra Nevada forests has nearly quintupled compared to before Euro-American settlement, rising from less than 10% per year then to up to 43% today, a new study finds.
Published Forests face fierce threats from multiple industries, not just agricultural expansion
(via sciencedaily.com) Intact forests are important climate regulators and harbors of biodiversity, but they are rapidly disappearing. Agriculture is commonly considered to be the major culprit behind forest loss, but the authors of a new article show that agriculture isn't solely to blame. For forest loss associated with the 2014 world economy, over 60% was related to final consumption of non-agricultural products, such as minerals, metals and wood-related goods, and the authors argue that we must consider international trade markets when designing conservation strategies.
Published Collision risk and habitat loss: Wind turbines in forests impair threatened bat species
(via sciencedaily.com) In order to meet climate protection goals, renewable energies are booming -- often wind power. More than 30,000 turbines have already been installed on the German mainland so far, and the industry is currently scrambling to locate increasingly rare suitable sites. Thus, forests are coming into focus as potential sites. A scientific team has now demonstrated that wind turbines in forests impair endangered bat species: Common noctules (Nyctalus noctula), a species with a high risk of colliding with rotor blades, are attracted to forest wind turbines if these are located near their roosts. Far from roosts, common noctules avoid the turbines, essentially resulting in a loss of foraging space and thus habitat for this species.