Año: 2024

Robots Have Chubby Faces (and Smiles), According to New Research

Robots Have Chubby Faces (and Smiles), According to New Research

In Japan, engineers are working to create robots that can mimic human expressions, particularly smiles. They developed a face mask using human skin cells, which they attached to robots using a new technique that hides the bond and is flexible enough to form expressions such as a grimace or a slight smile. The look is a mix between the disturbing Hannibal Lecter mask and the claymation character Gumby. However, scientists believe that these prototypes could lead to more advanced robots. These robots would have a durable, elastic outer layer that protects the machine while making it more human-like. The “skin…
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Running to recapture a beloved journey, before dementia takes everything

Running to recapture a beloved journey, before dementia takes everything

When I was little, my father, who rarely traveled, would tell stories about a trip to Europe he took with his parents at age 14, in 1966. He remembered how Nonie loved the pristine Swiss roads and flowerbeds; the cozy fireplace in the hillside house near Lugano, where her father was born, with its clever alcoves for drying clothes or warming bread; and the palpable poverty in the house in Pozzuoli, near Naples, where Nonie’s aunt lined the walls with newspaper for insulation. Occasionally, my father would show me his Kodachrome slides on a projector. As an adult, I often…
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Fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea: at least 22 dead

Fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea: at least 22 dead

According to Kim, workers who fled the blaze said the fire broke out when a single battery cell caught fire, triggering a series of explosions among some of the 35,000 lithium battery cells stored on the second floor of the factory. Fires can occur in lithium batteries when the internal layers are compressed, causing a short circuit. The layers can be compressed by a sudden impact, such as during a vehicle collision, or by the gradual swelling of the batteries from regular use. Lithium is a metal that can store large amounts of energy in a small space, which is…
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How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Could Affect the European Economy

How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Could Affect the European Economy

It’s not just Taylor Swift fans who are keeping an eye on the dates of her Eras Tour. One of Europe’s leading economists is well aware that the singer will be spending the summer zipping around Europe’s stadiums. Philip Lane, chief economist at the European Central Bank, had the pop star in mind when he spoke at an event on Monday. The interviewer had asked him about the risk that persistent inflation in the services sector could intensify, especially as Europe heads into a particularly busy summer with the Paris Olympics and the Euro 2024 football championship in Germany. “Well,…
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Shahjahan Bhuiya, TikTok-Famous Hangman, Dies in Bangladesh

Shahjahan Bhuiya, TikTok-Famous Hangman, Dies in Bangladesh

Shahjahan Bhuiya, who rose to fame by executing some of Bangladesh’s most notorious criminals in exchange for reduced sentences for his crimes and later gained brief fame on TikTok, died on Monday in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. The National Police announced on Tuesday that the cause of his death, which occurred in hospital, had not yet been confirmed. Abul Kashem, Bhuiya's landlord, said he took Bhuiya to hospital on Sunday after Bhuiya felt chest pains. Last year, Bhuiya said he was 74 in local media, but his national identity card, provided by Kashem, indicated he was 66 at the time of…
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