Taste of the future: Robot chef learns to 'taste' as it goes

A robot "chef" has been trained to taste food at different stages of the chewing process to assess whether it's sufficiently seasoned.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/taste-of-the-future-robot-chef-learns-to-taste-as-it-goes

LinkedIn settles with U.S. over alleged pay discrimination

The career-networking service LinkedIn has agreed to pay $1.8 million in back wages to hundreds of female workers to settle a pay discrimination complaint brought by U.S. labor investigators.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/linkedin-settles-with-u-s-over-alleged-pay-discrimination

Q&A: Exploring the intricacies of designing software for research ethics

Data are arguably the world's hottest form of currency, clocking in zeros and ones that hold ever more weight than before. But with all of our personal information being crunched into dynamite for enterprise solutions and the like, with a lack of consumer data protection, are we all getting left behind?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/q-a-exploring-the-intricacies-of-designing-software-for-research-ethics

Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

Soft, pneumatic actuators might not be a phrase that comes up in daily conversations, but more likely than not you might have benefited from their utility. The devices use compressed air to power motion, and with sensing capabilities, they've proven to be a critical backbone in a variety of applications such as assistive wearables, robotics, and rehabilitative technologies.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/soft-assistive-robotic-wearables-get-a-boost-from-rapid-design-tool

Adding energy cost information to energy-efficiency class labels could affect refrigerator purchases

To guide consumers in their choice of electrical appliances and devices, over a decade ago the European Union introduced an energy efficiency labeling scheme. This scheme gives potential buyers an idea of much electrical energy is consumed by different devices, so that they can make more informed choices.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/adding-energy-cost-information-to-energy-efficiency-class-labels-could-affect-refrigerator-purchases

How our bushfire-proof house design could help people flee rather than risk fighting the flames

By 2030, climate change will make one in 25 Australian homes "uninsurable" if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, with riverine flooding posing the greatest insurance risk, a new Climate Council analysis finds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/how-our-bushfire-proof-house-design-could-help-people-flee-rather-than-risk-fighting-the-flames

Dual membrane offers hope for long-term energy storage

A new approach to battery design could provide the key to low-cost, long-term energy storage, according to Imperial College London researchers.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/dual-membrane-offers-hope-for-long-term-energy-storage

Beyond electric cars: How electrifying trucks, buses, tractors and scooters will help tackle climate change

When you think of an electric vehicle, chances are you'll picture a car. But there's a quiet revolution going on in transport. It turns out electrification can work wonders for almost all of our transport options, from electric bikes to motorbikes to buses to freight trains and even to tractors and heavy trucks. There will soon be no need to burn petrol and diesel in an internal combustion engine.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/beyond-electric-cars-how-electrifying-trucks-buses-tractors-and-scooters-will-help-tackle-climate-change

Trained neural network pipeline simulates physical systems of rigid and deformable bodies and environmental conditions

From "Star Wars" to "Happy Feet," many beloved films contain scenes that were made possible by motion capture technology, which records movement of objects or people through video. Further, applications for this tracking, which involve complicated interactions between physics, geometry, and perception, extend beyond Hollywood to the military, sports training, medical fields, and computer vision and robotics, allowing engineers to understand and simulate action happening within real-world environments.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/trained-neural-network-pipeline-simulates-physical-systems-of-rigid-and-deformable-bodies-and-environmental-conditions

Georgia sets $1.5B in aid for electric vehicle maker Rivian

The state of Georgia and local governments will give Rivian Automotive $1.5 billion of incentives to build a 7,500-job, $5 billion electric vehicle plant east of Atlanta, according to documents the company and state signed Monday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/georgia-sets-1-5b-in-aid-for-electric-vehicle-maker-rivian