CERN trials robodog for radiation testing
European research hub CERN has revealed it is using robot dogs to test for radiation at its Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
The robodog, officially named CERNquadbot, appears to be Unitree’s Go1 model and is one of a number robots employed at the LHR, a 27km structure used to produce – and smash – charged particles together at the speed of light.
Those efforts can produce ionizing radiation – potentially harmful to human staff – so CERN employs a few robots at the facility.
Due to access challenges faced by wheeled robots, CERN turned to robodog CERNquadbot, which carried out its first proof of concept radiation protection test in CERN’s North Area, alongside its radiation protection group.
Find out more or watch a video of CERNquadbot in action HERE
Hainan Airlines partners Rokid for in-flight AR experience
Chinese airline Hainan has partnered with Rokid to offer augmented reality experiences as part of its in-flight entertainment.
Passengers travelling on select routes with Hainan Airlines (there are around 20) will find a pair of Rokid AR glasses on their seats. The glasses come pre-loaded with several 3D offline movies, that you can watch for the duration of the flight.
The airline is initially offering the glasses as part of a month-long trial, with passengers on a flight from Shenzhen to Xi’an on February 7 the first to experience the new form of in-flight entertainment.
Samsung chairman Lee acquitted of stock manipulation by Korean court
Prosecutors in Korea have said they plan to launch an appeal against Samsung Electronics executive chairman Jay Y. Lee after he was acquitted of stock manipulation by a court this week.
Lee Jae-yong, also known as JY Lee, was accused of accounting fraud during a merger of two Samsung affiliate companies – Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries – in 2015, but a judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the merger was unlawful.
Prosecutors had claimed that the merger caused damage to shareholders and was done to boost Lee’s control over Samsung, while the chairman’s lawyers argued there was no fraud involved and the merger was done to increase the value of both companies and part of normal business activity.
However, the ruling is from the district court and prosecutors have suggested they plan to appeal the decision and take the case to the appeals court.
Texas firm allegedly linked to Biden deepfake calls
An anti-voting robocall that used an artificially generated clone of President Joe Biden’s voice has been traced to a Texas company called Life Corporation according to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella.
The AG’s Election Law Unit issued a cease-and-desist order to Life Corporation for violating a New Hampshire law that prohibits deterring people from voting “based on fraudulent, deceptive, misleading, or spurious grounds or information,” the announcement said.
The fake Biden call was made before New Hampshire’s Presidential Primary Election. The AG’s office said it is investigating “whether Life Corporation worked with or at the direction of any other persons or entities.”
It comes as the threat of deepfakes in politics continues to grow, with 2024 set to be a “year of elections” where more than two billion people are expected to cast a vote.
