Clutch! MIT Researchers Craft Extra Robotic Fingers (Even If You're Not Missing Any)

We may not be able to add more hours to our day or more nice days to summer, but now, we can add more digits to our hands.  MIT researchers have recently developed a system that allows even five-fingered folks to up their dexterity...with a little help from robotics.

Created by researcher Faye Wu, the "SR" or "supernumerary robotic" fingers are controlled by glove-embedded sensors which apply the same amount of grip and force as the rest of your hand.  The possibilities are intriguing...from folding laundry faster to executing literally unheard-of piano solos.  And the practical uses for those who need a little extra everyday help are diverse and ever-expanding.

As Wu said in a video interview posted on gizmodo.com, "The fingers are quite long, so the user can grab things that are usually much larger or much heavier than they can do with a single hand.  With the assistance of the SR fingers, users can grasp objects that are too difficult for them to do with a single hand.  For example, objects that are too large, too heavy, or the surface of the object is too hot or too cold.

You can also perform tasks that usually require two hands, for example, a single hand taking a cap off of a bottle, or opening a letter.  For elderly, or people with disabilities, these fingers can help them enjoy a living much more independently."

High five...no, high SEVEN to the researchers who continue to develop this project.

This is how the robot baristas are going to take over.

Can We Call It "Moonhattan"? Moon Caves Eyed For Astro-Living Arrangements

The moon is known for being a harsh mistress...desolate, pitted, and unforgiving to human life. However, NASA now believes that the many underground caves of our nearest astro-neighbor may be suitable for establishing space settlements.

The 200-odd "lunar pits", identified by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, range from 5 to 900 meters in diameter. Possibly formed by ancient lava flows on the moon (and the subsequent collapse of the terrain from the surface), the mooncaves will require a probe to fully analyse them for possible habitability.

As theverge.com reports, moon researcher Robert Wagner explained, "A habitat placed in a pit — ideally several dozen meters back under an overhang — would provide a very safe location for astronauts: no radiation, no micrometeorites, possibly very little dust, and no wild day-night temperature swings."

Even with more thorough assessment by NASA, the first years of moon colonization would be difficult, much as the early conquest of America was. Initially, it could be the wild west of space...maybe we should call it "Moontana."

Artist's rendering of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently swooping around the moon and checking out real estate.

I Can Haz Automatic Cheezeburger? Facial-Recognition Cat Feeder In The Works

For all of you cat owners, your overlords are now more easily appeased. A new type of facial recognition software allows your feline to get food just by imaging its face at a sensor.

According to ibtimes.co.uk, a Taiwanese-based company has "racked up more than $25,000 in funding from crowdsourcing sites" to create an automatic cat-food dispenser that will save you all the usual trouble of getting mewled at or punched in the nose with a clawed paw at an ungodly hour of the morning.

The device, called the Bistro, is initiated by the cat sticking its head into a clear sensor box, which scans your critter's furry face, verifies that it is not an impostor cat, and deposits food directly into a bowl.

The Bistro also sends alerts to the owner's smartphone if Garfield goes on a bender and empties his entire kibble supply.

NSA: Naked Snaps Agency

The famous Edward Snowden NSA leaks provided a shocking amount of disclosure to a nation that is still trying to chalk up the agency's egregious misconduct to "national security." Now, in a new interview, Snowden admits the dirt they were digging up on people is a little more lascivious than previously thought.

In an interview with The Guardian as reported by Ars Technica, Snowden said in no uncertain terms that NSA agents commonly obtained and distributed nude and sexually illicit private photos from the people they are sworn to protect. Snowden described the chain of events where young agents would find an appealing photo during the course of their work, then share and compare it with pornographic pics found by their coworkers.

In Snowden's own words, he said, "It's never reported. Nobody ever knows about it because the auditing of these systems is incredibly weak. The fact that your private images, records of your private lives, records of your intimate moments have been taken from your private communications stream from the intended recipient and given to the government without any specific authorization without any specific need is itself a violation of your rights. Why is that in a government database?”

The interview also included Snowden categorically denying attacks that he is a Russian spy, calling such allegations, "Bullshit." Just because he's trying to shut off the NSA's abundant amateur porn supply doesn't mean he hates America.

Drone Riders In The Sky: New Aerial Highway In The Works

The futuristic visions of flying cars or at least drone-delivery burritos need a place to begin. That place, claims scientist Dr. Parimal Kopardekar, is a well-defined aerial highway for drone traffic, aka the UTM (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Traffic Management System.)

Dr. Kopardekar, a rocket scientist who was NASA Ames Engineer of the Year 2003, is the principal investigator for this project, where low-level Class G airspace (anything up to 1,200 feet about ground level) will be organized to suit our little flying robot friends. As Dr. Kopardekar told www.dronelife.com, "We are basically creating this UAS traffic management system that allows you to accommodate the number of vehicles that will operate in the low altitude airspace. The analogy is ‘just because we have a car, whether it’s an autonomous car or someone is driving, does not negate the need for a road or stop signs or rules of the road.’ The same thing happens in the airspace. We need to have a structure."

Using GPS and geofencing, the drones will be hopefully be kept in line despite whatever their mission may be. Aerial photography, delivery services, weather reporting, and other elements will be made easier with this technology. The program is intended to be operational within five years.

Pizza's here!

Apollo 11 Adventurers' Anniversary: Launch Time

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 mission, man's first journey to the moon. In celebration of this event, here is the original footage from the launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The mission, comprised of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, was fraught with danger (an eerie speech in possibility of their failure had already been drafted for President Richard Nixon) but the promise of a new era for mankind was too strong to deny.

The technical elements involved in the mission were massive. According to onegiantleap.com, the Saturn V rocket itself stood 364 feet tall (over twice the height of the Statue of Liberty) and weighed 6,100,000 lbs when filled with fuel. That fuel was 4,325,132 lbs liquid oxygen, 1,432,662 lbs jet fuel (kerosene), and 202,851 lbs liquid hydrogen. This allowed the massive craft to eventually attain the required speed to enter orbit (a.k.a "escape velocity"), ultimately thrusting at 7 miles per second (or Mach 32.4.)

The liftoff shown in the video was successful thanks to a comprehensive 7.5 million pounds of thrust, or more than that of forty 747 planes.

More Apollo 11 facts to follow this week in celebration of the 45th anniversary!

You Keep It, They Peep It: No Fourth Amendment For Foreign Data Storage?

The United States government is actively opposing Microsoft's endeavors to protect users' electronic information. Contesting a ruling from earlier this year that demanded warrants for online data, the government cited the Stored Communications Act to attempt to retrieve data from a server in Ireland, saying,"Overseas records must be disclosed domestically when a valid subpoena, order, or warrant compels their production. The disclosure of records under such circumstances has never been considered tantamount to a physical search under Fourth Amendment principles, and Microsoft is mistaken to argue that the SCA provides for an overseas search here. As there is no overseas search or seizure, Microsoft’s reliance on principles of extra-territoriality and comity falls wide of the mark."

According to petapixel.com, the case was in regards to information stored by drug traffickers and was a target for extensive search, but the principle remains the same. Better get your own external hard drive to store those terabytes of homemade furry videos, because if they're stored offshore, the government can enjoy them to their hearts' content.

Just assume your data's not safe anywhere.