Race to develop ‘embodied AI’ focuses on creating dextrous hands to transform humanoid robots from gimmicks into useful products
Human hands – nimble, nerve-filled appendages that are the most flexible part of the human skeleton – are exceptionally complex. Many tasks that most people can do largely without thinking, from tying a pair of shoelaces to buttoning up a shirt, in fact require a complex set of neurological instructions and precise choreography. In thousands of years of human history, no machine has been able to truly replicate human’s greatest tool.
But now, as artificial intelligence (AI) races forwards, some companies think they are close to surpassing this final but most difficult hurdle in robotics. Most of them are in China.
Continue reading...Analysis finds services cheaper but country ranks 57th in network performance and 70th for download speeds
British holidaymakers watching online videos while they sit on a European beach this summer are likely to be pleasantly surprised: the signal should be better than at home.
Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries, and every other member of the G7 group of large economies, according to analysis by consumer group Which? of data from Opensignal.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Published league tables will rank acute, ambulance and mental health trusts on six measures
The NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.
From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff.
Continue reading...Dan Jarvis, who wants to stay on as defence secretary, says he is confident PM-in-waiting values national security
The new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on Andy Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and “evidence the trajectory” towards a Nato target that would mean £25bn a year more for the military by the middle of the next decade.
The former paratrooper said he was confident that the prime minister-in-waiting valued national security, as he openly lobbied him for cash that would probably have to come from cuts elsewhere.
Continue reading...Report says current network of buses, trains and stations effectively locks 2.8m people out of workforce
Investing in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.
Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population.
Continue reading...Inquiry co-chaired by David Blunkett uncovers loss of focus on fighting crime, plus low standards and need for reform
Police leadership in England and Wales is plagued by “nepotism and bias” and too many chiefs have lost focus on fighting crime, a government-backed report has found.
The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found a reset was needed at all levels, with scores of top officers facing misconduct inquiries.
Continue reading...Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leader
Ministers will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP.
The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Published league tables will rank acute, ambulance and mental health trusts on six measures
The NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.
From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff.
Continue reading...Analysis finds services cheaper but country ranks 57th in network performance and 70th for download speeds
British holidaymakers watching online videos while they sit on a European beach this summer are likely to be pleasantly surprised: the signal should be better than at home.
Mobile coverage in the UK is worse than in any of the 27 EU member countries, and every other member of the G7 group of large economies, according to analysis by consumer group Which? of data from Opensignal.
Continue reading...Dan Jarvis, who wants to stay on as defence secretary, says he is confident PM-in-waiting values national security
The new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis, has called on Andy Burnham to increase defence spending dramatically from 2030 and “evidence the trajectory” towards a Nato target that would mean £25bn a year more for the military by the middle of the next decade.
The former paratrooper said he was confident that the prime minister-in-waiting valued national security, as he openly lobbied him for cash that would probably have to come from cuts elsewhere.
Continue reading...Report says current network of buses, trains and stations effectively locks 2.8m people out of workforce
Investing in the UK transport network to make it fully accessible to disabled passengers could boost the economy by £176bn by helping millions more people into work, according to a report.
Making the economic case for an inclusive transport network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said the current system was inaccessible to almost a quarter of the working-age population.
Continue reading...Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leader
Ministers will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP.
The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors.
Continue reading...Inquiry co-chaired by David Blunkett uncovers loss of focus on fighting crime, plus low standards and need for reform
Police leadership in England and Wales is plagued by “nepotism and bias” and too many chiefs have lost focus on fighting crime, a government-backed report has found.
The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found a reset was needed at all levels, with scores of top officers facing misconduct inquiries.
Continue reading...