New technology is being used to search for untapped oil in an Alaska bay that is already an established source of fossil fuel, according to officials. Oil and gas company BP is employing “3D seismic” technology to locate small pockets of previously undiscovered oil in Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Saturday. The…
Toshiba Unveils Robot to Probe Melted Fukushima Nuclear Fuel
Toshiba Corp. has unveiled a remote-controlled robot with tongs that it hopes will be able to probe the inside of one of the three damaged reactors at Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant and manipulate chunks of melted fuel. The device displayed Monday is designed to slide down an extendable 11-meter (36-foot) long pipe and grip…
Google Prepping Its Duplex Bot For Summer Rollout
When Google first introduced its phone-calling digital concierge Duplex in May, some thought it sounded too human. Others worried that it would secretly record calls with people. The search giant says it has been working to address these concerns. For starters, Google says that the bot will identify itself as an automated assistant upfront and will disclose…
Water-Dropping Helicopter Technology Is Tested
Southern California agencies are field-testing equipment intended to enable helicopters to more quickly fill with water while battling wildfires. Anaheim Fire & Rescue, the Orange County Fire Authority and OC Parks demonstrated the Remotely Activated Snorkel Site technology on Monday. Snorkels are hoses that allow hovering helicopters to suck loads of water out of natural…