Check this #humanoid #robot enjoys nature thoroughly. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/18/watch-googles-new-humanoid-robot-run-through-the-woods-323/

ATLAS, THE HUMANOID ROBOT

Meet Atlas, the gargantuan humanoid robot developed by the Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics. Atlas can be seen running through a forest in an astonishing new video. The video’s experiment is also the first time that the robot’s capabilities have been tested outdoors. It has inspired a comparison of the 344 lb, 6’2 tall Atlas to the Terminator.

Marc Raibert, the founder of Boston Dynamics, explained the details of the experiment at the Fab Lab 11 conference at MIT earlier this month. The purpose of Atlas’ run through the woods was to find out how the robot would perform in an unfamiliar setting and test its balance.

Though Atlas currently requires the assistance of someone holding a connected power pack to run, Raibert has said that it will be able to run on its own in the future.

The Irish Examiner commented “Yes, the robots can now chase us through the woods.”And, aside from running, Atlas can also turn doorknobs because it has the ability to rotate its own wrists.

HISTORY OF ATLAS

Atlas the humanoid robot was debuted in July 2013 by Boston Dynamics, when the company was owned by Google (which is now owned by Alphabet.) It receives funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is interested in using the robot for military situations.

Like Google’s self-driving cars, the humanoid robot perceives the world with a laser radar system. As PCWorld pointed out, several changes were made to the robot this year as part of an upgrade. Among other improvements, its arms were repositioned to become visible to it, its actuators were modified to help it pick itself up from the ground and it was given lighter materials.

ROBO SAPIENS

After its release, artificial intelligence expert Gary Bradski claimed that “A new species, Robo sapiens, are emerging.”

Raibert’s ultimate goal is to develop robots that can equal or exceed human capabilities, he explained at the conference. The Boston Dynamics founder told the Fab 11 conference’s crowd that “We’re making pretty good progress, so [Atlas] has mobility that’s sort of within shooting range of yours.”

This goal, if achieved, might lend credence to some fears about AI.

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Watch Google"s New Humanoid Robot Run Through The Woods

Ever wonder about the constellation Taurus? - http://clapway.com/2015/07/07/stargazing-101-taurus-the-bull/

Taurus is among one of the oldest constellations recognized by human civilization. The bull, in many ancient cultures, is a symbol of strength and fertility. It is very prominent in Greek mythology, and many stars in the constellation are also significant.

The Mythology

As we’ve learned, Zeus had an insatiable lust for beautiful women. Europa was no exception. The beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, was out by the sea picking flowers when Zeus saw her. The night before, a terrible dream had kept her up, so she made her way to the beach early in hopes to calm her worried mind.

 

Zeus saw her on the shore, immediately fell in love with her and transformed himself into a handsome, white bull, called Taurus, to capture her attention. Taurus pranced around her, capturing her interest as he intended, and she placed her flower necklace around his neck. He became very gentle with her, so much so that she tried to climb onto his back. When she became securely on him, to her surprise, the bull ran towards the sea and kidnapped Europa. He confessed his love for her and took her to the island of Crete, where he told her the truth of his identity. Zeus kept Europa there and made her his lover, and together they had three sons. One son, Minos, became the king of Crete and set a very successful code of laws. Minos died and, along with his brother Rhadamanthus, became one of the three judges of the dead in the Underworld. Europa was the first queen of Crete, and Hera never found out about their affair. To pay homage to his beautiful mistress, Zeus placed the image of the Taurus into the stars, forever to be close to him in the heavens.

The Facts

The Crab Nebula is a beautiful stellar object that can be found in the Taurus constellation. This nebula had been a supernova explosion that created what it is now. Atlas is also an important star in this cluster. DG Tau is another star located in Taurus, a young one that expels high energy x-rays. It’s believed to be about 450 light years away from Earth, and has the same mass as the sun.

 

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Stargazing 101: Taurus the Bull

E.U.: Accelerator Sets New Hadron Collider Record - http://clapway.com/2015/05/25/accelerator-sets-new-hadron-collider-record123/

Researchers working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) atom smasher located at the CERN nuclear research facility in Europe have a new Large Hadron Collider record as of a test done on May 20. The new Hadron Collider record comes after the accelerator had been off for two years for needed upgrades, according to the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

 

New Teraelectronvolts Record Set

The new Hadron Collider record was set when the accelerator was able to reach the energy level of 13 TeV or 13 teraelectronvolts of power for the very first time, thus breaking the previous record energy level or 8 TeV set in 2012. CERN’s goal is to reach an energy level of 14 TeV. Scientists are well on their way to accomplishing that goal as they continue the adventure of studying this thrilling machine and its accomplishments.

 

“God” Particle Found in 2012

The adventure of discovery had already set one new Hadron Collider record right before it went offline in 2012 by the discovery of the Higgs Bosun or God particle. The particle is believed to be the particle that makes up mass for all things, and what is behind the standard model for all of what makes up the physics of the universe. Because of this, the scientists in charge of the Large Hadron Collider were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 2013.

 

Success of Hadron Collider Record Powers Future Experiments

Since CERN has now been successful in setting a new Hadron Collider record, several new tests will be run as the adventure in physics continues. Three of these new experiments will start next month and will be done at the LHC facility. They include ALAS, ATLAS and CMS. The LHC is located in a tunnel underground near Geneva, Switzerland, that is 17 miles long, and considered the largest machine in the world. The scientists bombard billions of protons around at nearly the speed of light and then make them run into each other and when the resulting explosion occurs, the scientists study the results with their special detectors.

 

Discovering the Secrets of the Universe

The experiments are being done to see how matter particles bond to each other, and the researchers are trying to find what they call a new super particle. In the next few tests, one thing they are doing is calibrating and setting up what is called collimators to protect the LHC as it continues the adventure of trying to set a new Hadron Collider record.

E.U.: Accelerator Sets New Hadron Collider Record