Researchers at NTT Corporation in Japan have recently developed a user-centered reinforcement learning approach that could be used to teach 'manners' to social robots. Their method, outlined in a paper pre-published on arXiv, allows a robot to greet or attract the...
TECHXPLORE
Study explores the meaning of humanoid sex robots
In recent years, sex dolls have become increasing sophisticated and realistic in their resemblance to human beings, including mechanized components, and are thus now referred to as humanoid sex robots. Some media outlets have gone as far as to suggest that sex robots...
A new approach to address food security issues after natural disasters
Researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) have developed an approximate dynamic programming approach to improve the food security of communities affected by natural disasters. Their work exploring methods to aid community recovery spans several papers. Their most...
Speech recognition using artificial neural networks and artificial bee colony optimization
Over the past decade or so, advances in machine learning have paved the way for the development of increasingly advanced speech recognition tools. By analyzing audio files of human speech, these tools can learn to identify words and phrases in different languages,...
Study projects scenarios for water use reduction in thermal power plants using satellite imagery
Water and energy are closely linked, as current electricity generation methods often require water, and extracting water typically consumes energy. This connection between water and energy, also known as the "water-energy nexus," has been the focus of several...
Using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict bus arrival times
Accurately predicting the arrival times of buses is of key importance, particularly in hectic urban environments. Providing people with efficient and timely transportation can discourage them from using private vehicles, consequently reducing both fuel consumption and...
Study highlights the potential of nanotube digital electronics
Some experts in the field of electronics engineering have suggested that the use of silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS) will start declining rapidly by the end of 2020. Despite their predictions, a class of alternative materials that can...
Who let the trolls out? Researchers investigate state-sponsored trolls
Over the past few years, journalists and politicians have often highlighted the presence of state-sponsored online trolls with the mission of swaying public opinion on particular issues. Researchers at Cyprus University of Technology, UCL, University of Alabama at...
Using machine learning for music knowledge discovery
Researchers at the University of Pompeu Fabra, Cardiff University and the Technical University of Madrid used machine-learning algorithms to discover new things about the history of music.
A CNN-based method to detect end-to-end multiplayer violence
Researchers at China University of Petroleum (CUP), in Beijing, have recently developed a new method for multiplayer violence detection based on deep 3-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Their method was presented in a paper published in ICNCC 2018: Proceedings...









