Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
Dozens More Mystery Drone Incursions Over U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Revealed
September 8th, 2020Via: Forbes: I recently described how a swarm of drones flew in a restricted area at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant on two successive nights last September. A new cache of documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) reveals how 24 nuclear sites suffered at least 57 drone incursions from 2015 to 2019 […]
Consumer Reports: Tesla’s Self Driving Features Are a Mess
September 6th, 2020Via: Consumer Reports: Most features within Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Capability suite worked inconsistently, including the Autopark self-parking system that has been around for several years. Sometimes it would recognize a parking space as suitable, and we’d park in it. But when we drove by the same space again later, it was as if the parking […]
Police Across Canada Are Using Predictive Policing Algorithms
September 1st, 2020Via: Vice: Police across Canada are increasingly using controversial algorithms to predict where crimes could occur, who might go missing, and to help them determine where they should patrol, despite fundamental human rights concerns, a new report has found. To Surveil and Predict: A Human Rights Analysis of Algorithmic Policing in Canada is the result […]
Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet Hits Milestone with FAA Clearance
August 31st, 2020Via: Bloomberg: The Federal Aviation Administration designated Amazon Prime Air an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year. Amazon and its competitors must still clear some imposing regulatory and […]
SpaceX Veterans Pass Milestone in Self-Flying Plane Race
August 26th, 2020Via: Bloomberg: Silicon Valley has been hard at work on the vexing challenge of autonomous cars. Now veterans of SpaceX and Tesla Inc. are announcing what they’ve been up to: a new startup working on self-flying planes for cargo. Reliable Robotics isn’t trying to invent a new kind of aircraft. The idea is to bring […]
Navy F/A-18 Squadron Commander’s Take On AI Repeatedly Beating Real Pilot In Dogfight
August 24th, 2020Via: Warzone: Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the stunning results of DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials, now hear what the skipper of a fighter squadron thinks.
Mexican Drug Cartel Attacks City with Consumer-Grade Drones Packed with C-4
August 22nd, 2020Via: Daily Mail: Mexico’s fastest growing cartel has allegedly deployed drones packed with C4 explosives as it battles against armed residents for control over a city. For over a year now, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has attempted to exert its influence on the western city of Tepalcatepec. However, a group of armed residents say […]
Heron Systems AI Defeats Elite U.S. Air Force Pilot in Simulated Dogfight
August 20th, 2020Final round: Via: Defense Daily: Heron Systems Inc. took first place in the third and final competition in DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials (ADT) on Aug 20 between artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled F-16 simulators and U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots. Founded in 1993, Heron is a small AI firm located near Patuxent Naval Air Station, […]
Google Speakers Are Listening to More Than Just Voice Commands
August 8th, 2020Via: Protocol: Last week, Reddit user Brazedowl received a curious notification on his phone: Google was telling him that a smoke detector in his home had gone off. Brazedowl, a teacher from North Carolina who goes by Drew in real life, knew about the smoke alarm — he was at home himself and had just […]
Unidentified Drones Flew in Restricted Airspace Above Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant
August 3rd, 2020Via: The WarZone: Less than a year ago… a bizarre and largely undisclosed incident involving a swarm of drones occurred on successive September evenings in 2019. The location? America’s most powerful nuclear plant, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station situated roughly two dozen miles west of Phoenix, near Tonopah, Arizona. … This particular story starts […]
