Say cheese: Japanese scientists make robot face ‘smile’ with living skin
Updated 18 July 2024
Reuters
TOKYO: Japanese scientists have devised a way to attach living skin tissue to robotic faces and make them “smile,” in a breakthrough that holds out promise of applications in cosmetics and medicine.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo grew human skin cells in the shape of a face and pulled it into a wide grin, using embedded ligament-like attachments.
The result, though eerie, is an important step toward building more life-like robots, said lead researcher Shoji Takeuchi.
“By attaching these actuators and anchors, it became possible to manipulate living skin for the first time,” he added.
Minghao Nie, a researcher of University of Tokyo shows a face mold covered in human skin tissue at his lab in Tokyo on July 12, 2024. (REUTERS)
The smiling robot, featured in a study published online last month by Cell Reports Physical Science, is the fruit of a decade of research by Takeuchi and his lab on how best to combine biological and artificial machines.
Living tissue has numerous advantages over metals and plastics, Takeuchi said, ranging from the energy efficiency of brains and muscles to skin’s ability to repair itself.
Looking ahead, the researchers aim to add more elements to the lab-grown skin, including a circulatory system and nerves. That could lead to safer testing platforms for cosmetics and drugs absorbed through the skin.
It could also produce more realistic and functional coverings for robots. Still, there remains the challenge of ridding people of the strange or unnerving feelings evoked by machines that fall just short of being entirely convincing.
“There’s still a bit of that creepiness to it,” Takeuchi acknowledged about the robot. “I think that making robots out of the same materials as humans and having them show the same expressions might be one key to overcoming the uncanny valley.”
Crazy man charged with animal cruelty after massacring 81 pets in California community
Vicente Arroyo faces animal cruelty and other charges for massacring 81 animals, including miniature horses, goats and birds in a California neighborhood
Police confiscated 15 firearms, including high-powered assault rifles, and 2,000 rounds of various calibers of ammunition from the 39-year-old suspect
Updated 56 min 48 sec ago
AP
SAN FRANCISCO, California: A man suspected of going on a three-hour shooting rampage in northern California and killing 81 animals, including miniature horses, goats and chickens, pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and other charges.
Vicente Arroyo, 39, made his first court appearance Thursday after Monterey County Sheriff deputies arrested him earlier in the week for allegedly using several weapons to shoot the animals being housed in pens and cages on a lot in the small community of Prunedale.
The animal owners do not want to be identified or speak with the media, Monterey County Sheriff Commander Andres Rosas told The Associated Press Friday.
“I went out there, and it was a pretty traumatic scene. These were people’s pets,” he said.
One of the miniature horses belonged to the owner of the lot where the animals were housed, the other 80 belonged to someone who rented the land to house their pets, Rosas said.
According to court records, Arroyo was charged with killing 14 goats, nine chickens, seven ducks, five rabbits, a guinea pig and 33 parakeets and cockatiels. Arroyo is also charged with killing a pony named Lucky and two miniature horses named Estrella and Princessa, KSBW-TV reported.
This photo provided by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 6, 2024, shows some of the weapons confiscated from the home of Vicente Arroyo, suspected of killing dozens of animals. (Monterey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Some animals survived the shooting that lasted several hours but had to be euthanized because of the severity of their injuries, Rosas said.
Rosas said Arroyo lived in a camper in a vineyard next to the lot where the animals were kept and that a motive is not yet known.
His attorney, William Pernik, did not immediately respond to a telephone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Pernik raised doubts about his mental competency during Thursday’s trial, KSVW-TV reported. The judge ordered Arroyo, who is being held on a $1 million bail, to undergo a mental evaluation.
The court will get an update on Arroyo’s mental status in two weeks, the television station reported.
Authorities received multiple 911 calls around 3:25 a.m. Tuesday reporting shots being fired in Prunedale, an incorporated community about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from the city of Salinas, he said.
This photo provided by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 6, 2024, shows some of the items confiscated from the home of Vicente Arroyo, suspected of killing dozens of animals. (Monterey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Deputies who arrived on the scene could hear shots being fired, and a shelter-in-place was ordered for a five-mile radius.
Monterey County S.W.A.T. members were sent in, and the sheriff’s office also requested drone assistance from the nearby Seaside Fire Department and Gonzales Police Department, Rosas said.
Officers in an armored vehicle arrested Arroyo without incident, he said.
Deputies found a crashed pickup truck and recovered eight firearms, including long rifles, shotguns and handguns, at the scene. After executing a search warrant on his camper, they found another seven firearms, including an illegal AK-47 assault rifle, two ghost guns, and about 2,000 rounds of various calibers of ammunition, Rosas said.
Prosecutors charged Arroyo with dozens of charges involving animal cruelty, willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, illegal possession of an assault weapon, vandalism, drug possession and making criminal threats and terrorizing while being in possession of a firearm as a felon.
“This is obviously the most horrific animal cruelty case we’ve ever seen in this county, I’m sure,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon told KSBW-TV after the Thursday hearing.
Rarely sighted Blanford’s fox caught on camera during UAE wildlife-mapping initiative
The fox — strictly nocturnal and rarely caught on camera — was in Fujairah and was mapped as part of the Notice Nature initiative
Updated 06 September 2024
Arab News
ABU DHABI: The Blanford’s fox is the latest species to be captured on camera during a wildlife-mapping initiative in the UAE, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Friday.
The fox — strictly nocturnal and rarely caught on camera — was in Fujairah and was mapped as part of the Notice Nature initiative, a collaboration between Emirates Nature-WWF, the Fujairah Environment Authority, and Mashreq Bank launched last year.
The initiative uses infrared motion-sensor cameras, which offer a non-intrusive way to monitor wildlife, especially shy species like the Blanford’s fox, and provide an insight into the state of biodiversity in the area and the effectiveness of designating protected areas to wildlife conservation.
While the Blanford’s fox is rated as being of “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s threat-of-extinction list, it is classified as vulnerable on the National UAE Red List and the Arabia Regional Red List.
Vulnerable species are those whose populations have decreased significantly across the region, making them likely to be classified as endangered in the near future if current challenges persisted.
Andrew Gardner, associate director of biodiversity conservation at Emirates Nature-WWF said in a statement: “We are excited to capture such clear images of the rare and secretive Blanford’s fox. These animals are very rarely seen and so each record gives new information on the distribution of the species and its status.
He continued: “We are confident that we will be able to collect more records of Blanford’s fox and other rare species, such as the Arabian tahr and caracal, in the UAE mountains. This is incredibly valuable scientific information, that feeds into the conservation management of these species.”
Mina Al-Ghurari, group head of marketing and corporate communication at Mashreq, said the sighting showed the importance and effectiveness of local conservation efforts.
“These sightings provide critical insights into the UAE’s rich biodiversity, helping us understand and protect our unique wildlife. We are proud of our collaboration with Emirates Nature-WWF, for this exclusive biodiversity and wildlife mapping system,” she said. “This data not only expands our knowledge of the UAE’s diverse ecosystems but also allows us to address the detrimental impacts of urbanization, pollution, and climate change on the country’s flora and fauna.”
New Pizza Hut concept stores in China help frugal diners save
Updated 06 September 2024
Reuters
SHENZHEN: Fast food giant Pizza Hut is adapting to China’s sluggish economy by opening stores that offer smaller, cheaper versions of its favorites to attract cost-conscious diners, a strategy its parent Yum China is also using for other brands.
In the busy Bao An District of Shenzhen, a small lunchtime queue stood outside the recently opened Pizza Hut Wow store, which sells smaller pepperoni pizza servings for 29 yuan ($4), pastas for around 15 yuan, and a steak for 35 yuan, all priced significantly less than at traditional Pizza Hut restaurants.
“China’s catering industry is very competitive right now, but we’re trying to be innovative,” a Pizza Hut Wow spokesperson said. “This kind of store is more for individuals, like a small plate of tapas. In the past, Pizza Hut has been set up for families sharing.”
The first Pizza Hut Wow store opened in Guangzhou in May and there are now more than 100 around the country, with a target of 200 by the end of the year, Yum China said.
The company, which operates 10,931 KFC stores and 3,504 Pizza Hut stores, has also been experimenting with smaller store formats for KFC and rolling out more KCOFFEE kiosks to capitalize on a growing demand for cut-price coffee in China.
During a recent post-earnings call with analysts, Joey Wat, Yum China’s CEO, said Pizza Hut Wow and KCOFFEE “showed great future potential.”
According to independent food and beverage analyst Zhu Danpeng, large chains like Yum China-operated KFC and McDonald’s, which last year bought back a larger share of its China business, are among those best placed to win in the current low-cost environment.
“Pizza Hut is entering a price level that they didn’t cover in the past, I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
“The winner will be highly cost-effective, with a good service system. Its supply chain must be very mature. If you are not a big company you won’t be able to have these resources.”
Restaurant owners across China cheered the end of draconian COVID restrictions in late 2022, hoping that would lead to a bounceback in business, but more than 18 months later, job uncertainty, a slowing economy and weak consumer sentiment have hit the sector hard.
According to the Beijing Statistics Bureau, profits in the city’s catering business sector, which includes restaurants, dropped by 88 percent in the first half of 2024, compared to the same period last year. In Shanghai, revenue for the hospitality industry, which also groups restaurants, decreased by 2.6 percent year-on-year, with overall operating profit turning negative.
Last week, stalwart Taiwanese dumpling chain Din Tai Fung said it would close more than a dozen outlets in mainland China. According to catering industry news outlet Canguanju, those closures will add to more than a million food and beverage outlets shutting shop across the country in the first half of 2024.
Panic on the streets of Paris for Australian Olympic breaker ‘Raygun’
Experts and casual viewers alike bewildered with her unconventional routine that included mimicking a kangaroo
Rachael Gunn had previously defended how she qualified for Paris, and reiterated it on the TV program The Project
Updated 05 September 2024
AP
BRISBANE: For Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, first came her polarizing performance at the Olympics, followed by her panic when she was chased through the streets of Paris.
The 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney — her birthday was on Monday — bewildered expert and casual viewers alike in the sport of breaking with an unconventional routine that included mimicking a kangaroo.
Breaking was being contested at an Olympics for the first time. And it might be a one-and-done, not scheduled on the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028 or for Brisbane, Australia in 2032.
“Raygun” as she was known, was later ridiculed on social media, with some posts also questioning the Olympic qualifying process.
In a television interview for The Project on Australia’s Channel 10, she told of being chased by cameras through Paris streets and how she dealt with the very public reaction to her performance.
“That was really wild,” she said in rare public comments since the event. “If people are chasing me, what do I do? That really did put me in a state of panic. I was nervous to be out in public. It was pretty nerve-wracking for a while.”
She apologized for the commotion, but again defended her performance and said she was thankful for support from others in the sport.
“It is really sad to hear those criticisms,” she said. “I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react. The energy and vitriol that people had was pretty alarming.
“While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly. I think my record speaks to that.”
She had previously defended how she qualified for Paris, and reiterated it on the TV program.
“I won the Oceania championships. It was a direct qualifier,” Gunn said. “There were nine judges, all from overseas. I knew my chances were slim as soon as I qualified,” for the Olympics.
“People didn’t understand breaking and were just angry about my performance,” she added. “The conspiracy theories were just awful and that was really upsetting. People are now attacking our reputation and our integrity — none of them were grounded in facts.”
One of the most highly-critical reactions to her performance was a sketch on American comedian Jimmy Fallon’s late-night television show.
She said she was still “not in a place to watch it.”
Otherwise, Gunn said she’s just trying to cope a month later, with some help from therapy.
“I definitely have my ups and downs, good and bad days,” she said. “It has been so amazing to see the positive response to my performance. I never thought I’d be able to connect with so many people in a positive way ... but it definitely has been tough at times. Fortunately, I got some mental health support pretty quickly.”
Nga Wai hono i te po Paki is the youngest daughter of King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII
New Zealand’s Maori make up roughly 17 percent of the population, or about 900,000 people
Updated 05 September 2024
AFP
NGARUAWAHIA, New Zealand: New Zealand’s Maori chiefs anointed a 27-year-old queen as their new monarch Thursday, a surprise choice hailed as a symbol of change for the country’s Indigenous community.
Nga Wai hono i te po Paki was cheered by thousands as she ascended a high-backed wooden throne during an elaborate ceremony on the country’s North Island.
She is the youngest daughter of King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who died on Friday after heart surgery.
After being selected by a council of chiefs, Nga Wai was ushered to the throne by a phalanx of bare-chested and tattooed men bearing ceremonial weapons -- who chanted, screamed and shouted in acclamation.
Wearing a wreath of leaves, a cloak and a whalebone necklace, she sat beside her father’s coffin as emotive rites, prayers and chants were performed.
The late king had laid in state for six days before being taken down the Waikato River on a flotilla of four war canoes each powered by more than a dozen rowers.
His funerary procession passed throngs of onlookers camped on the riverbank, before stopping at the foot of sacred Mount Taupiri.
From there, three rugby teams acted as pallbearers, shepherding his coffin up steep slopes to the summit and the final resting place of past Maori royals.
The coffin with the body of New Zealand's Maori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, is carried up Taupiri Mountain for burial in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, on Sept. 5, 2024. (AP)
Ceremonial, yet potent symbol of identity
The Maori monarch is a mostly ceremonial role with no legal status.
But it has enormous cultural, and sometimes political, significance as a potent symbol of Maori identity and kinship.
As the king’s only daughter and his youngest child, Queen Nga Wai was perhaps considered an outside choice to become his successor.
One of her two elder brothers had taken on many ceremonial duties during their father’s periods of ill health and had been tipped to take over.
“It is certainly a break from traditional Maori leadership appointments which tend to succeed to the eldest child, usually a male,” Maori cultural advisor Karaitiana Taiuru told AFP.
Taiuru said it was a “privilege” to witness a young Maori woman become queen, particularly given the ageing leadership and mounting challenges faced by the community.
“The Maori world has been yearning for younger leadership to guide us in the new world of AI, genetic modification, global warming and in a time of many other social changes that question and threaten us and Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand,” he said.
“These challenges require a new and younger generation to lead us.”
Maori warriors participate during the funeral ceremony of New Zealand's Maori King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII in Ngaruawahia on September 5, 2024. (AFP)
New Zealand’s Maori make up roughly 17 percent of the population, or about 900,000 people.
Maori citizens are much more likely than other New Zealanders to be unemployed, live in poverty or suffer cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes and have higher suicide rates.
Maori life expectancy is seven years less than other New Zealanders.
The Kiingitanga, or Maori King movement, was founded in 1858 to unite New Zealand’s tribes and provide a single counterpart to the colonial ruler, Britain’s Queen Victoria.
“People think Maori people are one nation -- we’re not. We’re many tribes, many iwi. We have different ways of speaking out,” said Joanne Teina, who had travelled from Auckland for the ceremony.
“The Kiingitanga was created to create unity -- among people who were fighting each other for thousands of years, before Pakeha (Europeans) came along. Now we just fight them.”
Legacy forged through respect and ‘aroha’
Queen Nga Wai is the eighth Maori monarch and the second queen.
Her grandmother, Queen Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, held the position for four decades until 2006.
The new queen studied the Maori language and customary law at New Zealand’s Waikato University. She also taught “kapa haka” performing arts to children.
To mark the anniversary of the king’s coronation in 2016, she received a traditional Maori “moko” tattoo on her chin.
King Tuheitia, a 69-year-old truck-driver-turned-royal, died on Friday, just days after heart surgery and celebrations marking the 18th anniversary of his coronation.
Tens of thousands of Indigenous citizens and “Pakeha” -- those of European ancestry -- visited to pay respects, mourn and celebrate New Zealand’s rich Maori heritage.
Among them was Auckland-based Darrio Penetito-Hemara, who told AFP the king had united “many people across Aotearoa (New Zealand) who don’t often see eye-to-eye”.
The king leaves a legacy forged “through respect, through aroha (love)”, Penetito-Hemara said.
