Real-life hummingbirds have taught a tiny winged robot how to hover, fly sideways and all the other tricks that no other bird in nature can do.

The hummingbird drone is being developed as a rescue probe that can locate people trapped in collapsed buildings – or hiding in cluttered spaces.

For all its cuteness, the hummingbird, which is completely silent, could be a devastating tool in covert operations – even assassinations.

The 12-gram hummingbird has a 3D-printed body, wings made of carbon fibre and laser-cut membranes and is able to behave independently because of AI capabilities and learning.

It appears to solve a problem that can’t be met by ordinary quad-copter drones – the aerodynamic limitations of smallness. A bug-sized quad-copter wouldn’t be able to generate enough lift to support its weight.

No limitations on size

Hummingbirds – and insects – don’t use conventional aerodynamics, and their wings are both resilient and astonishingly flexible.

“The physics is simply different; the aerodynamics is inherently unsteady, with high angles of attack and high lift,” said project leader Xinyan Deng, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana, in a prepared statement.

“This makes it possible for smaller, flying animals to exist, and also possible for us to scale down flapping wing robots.”

Military organisations see the potential

For years the US military has been trying to crack the hummingbird code, to access tiny and hard-to-reach spaces, presumably with elusive terror targets in mind.

In 2011, AeroVironment built a robotic hummingbird for the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency that was heavier than a real one – and not as fast. It had helicopter-like flight controls, limited manoeuvrability and it required a human to be behind a remote control at all times.

Dr Deng’s group and her collaborators went back to the drawing board, so to speak, studying hummingbirds in the wild over multiple summers in Montana.

According to the university’s statement, they documented key hummingbird manoeuvres, such as making a rapid 180-degree turn, and translated them to computer algorithms the robot could learn from when hooked up to a simulation.

This means, after learning from a simulation, the robot knows how to move around on its own like a real hummingbird would, “such as discerning when to perform an escape manoeuvre”.

Artificial intelligence also allows the robot “to teach itself new tricks”.

Even though the robot doesn’t yet have cameras to see, for example, it senses by touching surfaces. Each touch alters an electrical current, which the researchers realised they could track.

Finds its way in the dark like a bat

“The robot can essentially create a map without seeing its surroundings,” Dr Deng said, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue.

“This could be helpful in a situation when the robot might be searching for victims in a dark place — and it means one less sensor to add when we do give the robot the ability to see.”

Further study on the physics of insects and hummingbirds allowed Purdue researchers to build robots smaller than hummingbirds (and even as small as insects) without compromising the way they fly.

“The smaller the size, the greater the wing-flapping frequency, and the more efficiently they fly,” Dr Deng said.

The researchers will present their work on May 20 at the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Montreal.

Their three papers leading to the actual robot can be found here, here, and here.

The post Cute hummingbird robot: It can find you in a collapsed building or a bad guys’s hideout appeared first on The New Daily.

Liam Ryan produced a mark of the year contender to help lift West Coast to a 16-point win over Melbourne at Optus Stadium.

The Demons were on track to post an upset victory after opening up a 19-point lead late in the third quarter of Friday night’s clash.

West Coast booted four straight goals in a frenetic comeback to briefly take the lead, before a Demons settler levelled the scores.

But with nine remaining, Ryan produced the defining moment of the match in front of 51,162 fans.

Ryan chipped the ball to Josh Kennedy outside 50 metres before sprinting to the goalsquare.

By the time Kennedy launched his long bomb, Ryan was in place to leap on top of Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn to take the spectacular mark.

Tweet from @7AFL

The ensuing goal gave West Coast an important edge.

And when Jamie Cripps nailed a running goal from 55m out with six minutes remaining, the lead was 12 points and Melbourne were in big trouble.

The result was put beyond doubt when Jack Darling toed the sealer from point-blank range after Melbourne defender Sam Frost fumbled a ball on the goal line in embarrassing fashion.

The 13.7 (85) to 9.15 (69) win improves West Coast’s record to 6-3.

But veteran Lewis Jetta faces a nervous wait after pinning the arms of Tim Smith and slamming his head into the turf in a strong tackle.

Melbourne are struggling at 3-6, but can be heartened by their best performance of the season.

The Demons won the inside 50m count 62-47, contested possessions 158-141, and the clearances 39-33.

But their wayward goalkicking came back to haunt them.

Demons ruckman Gawn tallied 56 hitouts and seven clearances in a dominant display, while Jeff Garlett booted three goals.

West Coast forward Kennedy finished with four goals, while Willie Rioli, Cripps, and Luke Shuey booted two apiece.

The Demons failed to even score a goal in the first half of last year’s 66-point preliminary final loss.

But they took just two minutes this time around courtesy of a snap to Nathan Jones.

The contrasting styles of football made for intriguing viewing.

West Coast’s slow and careful ball movement was up against Melbourne’s high-risks, high-octane style.

The frenetic pressure from both sides resulted in some big bumps and bruises – and a guernsey torn to shreds.

Eagles speedster Jack Petruccelle was running at full pace when he was grabbed by Frost, who ripped his opponent’s jersey clean down the seam.

West Coast suffered a blow midway through the second term when youngster Daniel Venables was knocked out after copping a hip to the head in a marking contest.

The Demons lost Alex Neal-Bullen to concussion in the third term.

Liam Ryan’s spectacular mark

-AAP 

The post AFL: Ryan’s leap helps Eagles steamroll plucky Demons appeared first on The New Daily.

Enlarge / When Ultima met Thule. A view of the two-lobed body, showing the bright neck and the large Maryland crater. (credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University APL/Southwest Research Institute.)

For many at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, January 1 this year didn’t mean a New Year’s celebration. Instead, it meant the first arrival of data from New Horizons’ visit to a small Kuiper Belt object. But, like its earlier flyby of Pluto, the probe was instructed to grab all the data it could and deal with getting it back to Earth later. The full set of everything New Horizons captured won’t be available for more than a year yet. But with 10 percent of the total cache in hand, researchers decided they had enough to do the first analysis of 2014 MU₆₉.

2014 MU₆₉ is thought to preserve material as it condensed in the earliest days of the Solar System’s formation. And everything in the New Horizons’ data suggests that this is exactly what it has done. With the exception of one big crater temporarily named “Maryland” and the gentle collision that created its two-lobed structure, the object appears to have been largely untouched by more than 4 billion years of the Solar System’s existence.

The dawn of time

The Kuiper belt is a sparse donut of small bodies near the outer edges of the Solar System. The bodies there are formed primarily of icy materials, most of which would otherwise remain gases in the warm, inner regions of the Solar System. Some of them, like Pluto, are large enough and/or have a complex collision history, which can ensure that they undergo geological changes that alter the materials that were present at their formation.

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Stone Island has moved its Milan flagship to a new location. Now at Corso Giacomo Matteotti 18 in the Palazzo del Toro, the brand takes over two levels to showcase the Stone Island and Shadow Project collections. The interior of the space mimics Stone Island stores created by Marc Buhre, industrial designer from Germany and founder of Zeichenweg TM architectural firm.

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Stone Island changes address in Milan: the new store is located in Corso Giacomo Matteotti 18. #StoneIslandMilano #StoneIsland

A post shared by Stone Island (@stoneisland_official) on May 16, 2019 at 4:35am PDT

Stone Island Milan sees bush-hammered stone used on the floors as well as the walls, which are treated with painted metallic mesh. Furnishings in yellow provide pops of color throughout, with additional items being covered in a natural felt. The stairs are also constructed from bush-hammered stone, while being paired with curved yellow glass. Large windows are found on both floors facing the street and the arcade, while the Shadow Project area then boasts a blue-black steel floor, with carbon garment hangers on the walls.

Stone Island’s first-ever flagship at Corso Venezia 12 is currently undergoing renovation. It will soon house Stone Island Junior, a collection for ages 2 to 14.

Stone Island Milan
Corso Giacomo Matteotti 18
20121 Milano

Enter an olive oil bath. An easy way to nourish your entire body in one sitting.

Here’s how to do it:

1. After you do a nice little skin brushing routine (optional but ideal to help loosen flaking skin), run your bath to a temperature that isn’t too hot so that it doesn’t dry out your skin.

2. While the bath is filling up, combine 1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 a cup of ground oats (just run them through the blender).

3. Add olive oil and oat combo to bath, sit back, soak, relax and enjoy.

4. Follow with your favorite body oil OR the same olive oil you used for the bath (not ideal for daytime but perfect for night).

Et voila!

The post Have You Taken An Olive Oil Bath? Here’s Why You Should appeared first on because im addicted.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. It’s a name you can imagine belonging to a man who, in 25 years’ time after being cricket captain at boarding school, will be fastening on his dad’s old Rolex Explorer II before dashing off to his desk at a private London bank.

It’s not a name that until now most royals fans would have imagined belonging to the grandson of the future King of England.

Yet here we are, thanks to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry bestowing the surprising moniker on their boy.

Not only that, little Archie is plain ‘Master’, not the expected Earl of Dumbarton.

Is their son’s name a quiet rebellion from the rule-bending Sussexes so they look more ordinary?

“Yes, the name has a distinct ‘We’re people just like you’ sound to it, doesn’t it?” associate professor Giselle Bastin from Flinders University tells The New Daily.

“It’s nice in a way Harry and Meghan feel they can push at the boundaries a bit. Given the newborn’s distance from the throne, however, his parents did have more leeway than, say, William and Catherine in their choices of names.

“There wouldn’t be a palace courtier tearing around to Frogmore saying, ‘Change the name immediately, or else!’”

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion. Photo credit: Chris Allerton ©️SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on May 8, 2019 at 8:39am PDT

Senior royals usually pay homage to ancestors in naming their children, and they love to load up the kids with at least three names.

Two, it seems, is a bit common.

For Harry and Meghan to spurn family connections and go for Archie – and not even the graver, grander Archibald – and Harrison is another matter.

Without openly condemning the Sussexes’ choice for their son, some British newspapers were a tad sniffy.

“Middle class” was how The Telegraph put it.

Still, “I think it’s phenomenal,” social media expert and educator Laurel Papworth told The New Daily.

“I would suggest this has something to do with Harry and Meghan’s commitment to egalitarian levelling of structures in society.

“I don’t think they’re sitting down saying, ‘We want to be middle class’ as much as they’re saying ‘There should be no class’.”

While there has never been a royal Archie, “it is frequently used in the circles Prince Harry moves in,” noted one UK columnist. (Prince George, apparently announces himself to strangers as ‘Archie’.)

Well-known Archies include the 1941 US comic character who now appears in the derivative TV series Riverdale, and Archie Bunker, the racist and misogynistic patriarch who addressed his wife as ‘dingbat’ on 1970s sitcom All In the Family. 

Harrison could be both a nod to Meghan’s Hollywood roots and actor Harrison Ford – Harry is a Star Wars devotee – or to George Harrison, although it’s not known if either of the Sussexes is a Beatles fan.

More likely, it is another example of Harry and Meghan’s love of the literal. A surname dating back to 1355, it means ‘son of Harry’.

As to why the new parents wouldn’t style their son as an earl, “They’re sending a clear signal that they don’t want to envelop him in  royal tradition from his earliest days,” Ms Bastin said.

“They want for him a bit of ‘normality’ first.”

When Prince Charles ascends the throne, Archie “will be entitled to an HRH title,” she added. “Prince Archie if he wants.”

While there is confusion about royal surnames, Mountbatten-Windsor is the personal one used by some male-line descendants of the Queen and Prince Philip.

William used it when filing a French lawsuit in 2012 against magazine Closer, although often royals “do not use a surname at all”, according to the Buckingham Palace website.

The palace won’t be giving Harry and Meghan pushback for their apparent desire to carve out a life which is royal but not, Ms Bastin said.

“I don’t imagine the palace tells them what to do much at all. The Queen notoriously leaves her children – and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – to do what they please.

“She doesn’t like to interfere, and I expect the palace officials take their cue from her.”

The post Why Harry and Meghan named their son the unexpected and ‘middle class’ Archie appeared first on The New Daily.

The Coalition’s botched rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) has come at a staggering cost to taxpayers and the nation, leading telecommunications experts have warned before Saturday’s federal poll.

The problem-plagued mixed-technology network is yet to be completed, and is running over budget at $ 51 billion.

The Coalition scuttled Labor’s original plan for a network with 93 per cent fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) coverage, instead rolling out an assortment of technologies of varying quality.

Earlier this month, explosive new research revealed about half of all homes in Australia’s three biggest cities will be connected to the NBN via the oldest and most controversial of the hotchpotch of technologies available – hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC).

• Read more: ‘We have been cheated’: Australia’s biggest cities dudded with inferior NBN, research shows

“For people in these residences, access to the so-called ‘fibre network’ remains only a fairytale,” the researchers said.

The nation has been “betrayed,” said University of Sydney urban infrastructure expert Tooran Alizadeh, the study’s lead author.

“For me the NBN has always been a nation-building platform, a national infrastructure project that we can not afford to miss,” Dr Alizadeh said.

“We don’t have the option of putting it in the too-hard basket, and that’s what happening now.”

RMIT University telecommunications expert Mark Gregory savaged the Coalition government for its failure to address the ongoing issues with the NBN.

“The NBN is obsolete. On simple evidence it’s not able to meet the demands of Australians today, let alone in 10, 20 and 30 years, and we’ve spent $ 51 billion on it,” he said.

The patchwork network has taken longer, and cost $ 5 billion more than the $ 46 billion majority FTTP network originally proposed by Labor, Dr Gregory said.

Where the major parties stand on the NBN

The Coalition

The Coalition has continued to defend the quality of the NBN, despite questions around its mixed-technology model.

The party “seems to be in denial” about the state of the network, Dr Alizadeh said.

Dr Gregory was equally scathing.

• Read more: NBN an ‘obsolete network’: How Australia became a ‘third-world broadband country’

“They don’t have a policy. They haven’t acknowledged the issues that are occurring and they said the NBN would be finished originally this year, then next year, then 2022,” he said.

“They’ve had six years [in government], so you would expect some sort of guidance or plan to be made available, and there isn’t anything.”

Labor

Labor has proposed a five-step plan to “improve the NBN”.

The plan includes a review of the economics and technological mix of the network, “targeted” upgrades of fibre “in the medium term”, connecting more low-income and elderly households, improving speeds and reliability for FTTN, and better protections for consumers and small businesses against “excessive downtime”.

“At least there is a plan,” Dr Gregory said.

“If you look at what they’ve proposed, the first four immediate actions are quite reasonable in that they’re targeting very negative aspects of the NBN.

• Read more: ‘Digital divide’: NBN won’t cope with cutting-edge streaming services, experts warn

“The last one is looking at the underlying business model that’s been detrimentally affected by the interruption of the multi-technology mix, and whether there is a way to provide a better outcome.”

Dr Alizadeh said she hopes Labor, if elected, will conduct a thorough review of the network and release a more detailed plain for its future.

“But let’s be honest, based on what they have announced it sounds like the review will address some of the issues with the NBN, not all of it,” she said.

Both Dr Alizadeh and Dr Gregory called for greater transparency around the NBN’s “footprint” – exactly how many homes and businesses are connected using which type of technology and where.

• Read more: ‘Many people are going to be worse off’: How the NBN is ‘cheating’ home owners

The post A ‘national infrastructure disaster’: Coalition ‘in denial’ about state of the NBN, experts say appeared first on The New Daily.

Germany’s national women’s football team has released a slickly-produced World Cup video that quickly garnered viral attention for fighting against the prejudice that has diminished their accomplishments.

The world’s second-ranked team, already with two World Cups (2003, 2007) and eight European Championships to its name, is figuring as one of the favourites to take home next month’s title in France.

However, squad members Dzsenifer Marozsan, Alexandra Popp and Melanie Leupolz kick off the ad by addressing the fact they are hardly household names in their own country.

"We don't have balls.
But we know how to use them!"

The @DFB_Frauen with a campaign ahead of this summer's Women's World Cup. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/IC1b9b2VHU

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) May 14, 2019

“For our first title we were given a tea set,” they say, referencing the squad’s reward for winning its first European Championship.

The ad, produced in conjunction with team sponsor Commerzbank, lays out the various sexist critiques not only ‘Die Nationalelf‘, but female athletes at large, receive for stepping out onto the field.

“We like to wear high heels and knee socks. We like to dance. When it comes to role models, we just have to look in the mirror,”

However, it’s this cheeky catchcry that made the unconverted sit up and take notice: “We don’t have balls. But we know how to use them.”

Germany’s squad conclude the ad saying they will continue to strive for greater achievements in the face of ongoing prejudice.

Female athletes still fighting for respect

A 25-year study conducted by researchers from Purdue University and the University of Southern California found pre-2000 televised sports coverage was dominated by sexist attitudes from male commentators.

Since, coverage has remained “lacklustre,” which they contend “[sends] viewers the message that women’s sports lack the excitement … of men’s sports.”

The study suggests the on-flow effect of this ‘hidden sexism’ impacts factors like salaries for female athletes, through to ticket sales.

Recent campaigns from sportswear companies, including Nike, have worked instead to break down entrenched sexist opinions, encouraging female athletes to thrive amid adversity.

However, the brand has also been subject to recent accusations of denying equality to female athletes.

Olympic runner Alysia Montaño, speaking to The New York Times, says their well-publicised rhetoric is ‘just advertising,’ after a lengthy fight against her former sponsor once she announced her pregnancy.

In Australia, AFLW star Tayla Harris was subjected to sexist social media trolling in March, after 7AFL allowed sexist and transphobic comments under a photo documenting her remarkable kicking style.

“Here’s a pic of me at work… think about this before your derogatory comments, animals,” the 21-year-old Carlton player tweeted at the time.

Here’s a pic of me at work… think about this before your derogatory comments, animals. pic.twitter.com/68aBVVbTTj

— Tayla Harris (@taylaharriss) March 19, 2019

Research conducted by girls’ advocacy group Plan International says female athletes face three times the amount of negative social media comments than male counterparts.

“This toxic online abuse can not only have severe consequences for the victim’s wellbeing, but also for girls and young women in the broader community,” Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena said.

Matildas shine as one of Australia’s brightest squads

A Commonwealth Bank study released in February suggests burgeoning exposure for Australia’s highest-profile athletes in the media is encouraging higher television viewing and attendance rates.

The 23-women Matildas World Cup squad, spearheaded by attacking ace Sam Kerr, has become one of the country’s most revered sporting teams, following impressive results at recent major tournaments.

And the Australian women’s cricket team’s continual domination of the sport, having recently secured a fifth World T20 trophy, has helped the wave of momentum.

“Increased exposure and continued investment into women’s cricket helps inspire girls across the country, from grassroots to elite, to pick up a bat and ball,” all-rounder Ellyse Perry said.

The post The World Cup campaign tackling prejudice against female athletes appeared first on The New Daily.

via Love B. Scott

“Look at God! We are overjoyed to say, we saw the doctors for the results of Gregg’s Pet Scan he took last week! Test show, wait for It…..WE ARE CANCER FREE!!! Yes God!” she captioned the post.

It wouldn’t be a post from NeNe without a little shade…

“Now i can go give Gregg a black eye since so many thinks he’s abused [sic],” she continued.

Again, this is great news! Beating cancer is no easy feet, whether you choose a holistic approach or chemotherapy. Gregg’s cancer was a huge part of Nene’s story line this past season and nearly pushed their marriage to its breaking point! BLOOP! Cancer you lost, congrats Gregg and Nene!

It’s not the first time a Lilium Jet — the company’s all-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) device — has taken to the sky but it is the first time the new five seater has taken off and landed, following extensive ground testing. Lilium published a video of a two-seater version’s inaugural flight just over two year’s ago.

The new five-seater is a full-scale, full-weight prototype that is powered by 36 all-electric jet engines to allow it to take-off and land vertically, while achieving “remarkably efficient horizontal or cruise flight,” says Lilium

In a call, Lilium co-founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand described the test flight, which was a little behind schedule, as a huge step towards making urban air mobility a reality. The new jet performed in the sky as the company’s models and ground testing had predicted, providing much needed validation for the Lilium team.

The significance of getting to five seats shouldn’t be underestimated, either, as Lilium isn’t in the aircraft design and manufacturing business, but sees itself as a fully vertical mobility-as-a-service company, akin to an Uber of the skies, if you will. The technology, as groundbreaking as it needs to be, is an engineering means to an end: intercity travel that is less expensive, quicker and kinder on the environment. That’s the hugely ambitious aim, anyway.

With a top speed of 300 km/h and a range of 300km, Lilium claims its jet is capable of completing much longer journeys than the majority of its competitors. This is, in part, thanks to the fixed wing design of the aircraft. This will see it rely on the lift generated by the fixed wing to remain in the air, meaning it will require less than ten per cent of its maximum 2000 horsepower during cruise flight.

“This efficiency, which is comparable to the energy usage of an electric car over the same distance, means the aircraft would not just be capable of connecting suburbs to city centres and airports to main train stations, but would also deliver affordable high-speed connections across entire regions,” says Lilium.

For the record, the latest Lilium Jet first took to the air at 08.03 local time in Munich, Germany on 4th May 2019. The prototype aircraft was controlled remotely from the ground and Wiegand says it will now undergo a more rigorous flight test campaign to lay the foundations for certification of the aircraft against commercial aircraft safety standards. The next big milestone will be achieving transition flight where the aircraft moves from vertical takeoff to horizontal flight.

Wiegand also told me Lilium still expects to be fully-operational in various cities around the world by 2025. However, trial services will start earlier in several yet-to-be-revealed locations.

The company is backed by Tencent; LGT, the international private banking and asset management group; Atomico, Lilium’s Series A backer founded by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström; and Obvious Ventures, the early-stage VC fund co-founded by Twitter’s Ev Williams.