Archives for May 17, 2019

The Neural Engine handles voice and image recognition, as well as security.

For the last few years LG has been pushing integration of AI features in all kinds of products with its ThinQ brand, and now it’s designed custom hardware to enable on-device AI processing in “future robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerator and even air conditioners.”

Google and Apple both use custom AI hardware (Pixel Visual Core and the A12 Bionic’s Neural Engine) in their phones, Tesla has unveiled its own processor to handle self-driving features and Amazon is reportedly working on a chip to help Alexa processing work offline. These “neural processing units” have had a lot of hype, but being able to handle complex tasks without a cloud connection could come in handy.

Similarly, the LG Neural Engine is intended to process image and voice data even when it’s not connected to the cloud. That means a device with the chip could recognize its environment and adjust settings accordingly, navigate through a place it hasn’t been before and understand a user’s commands in natural language — all offline. LG also claims powerful security is built in — with all the data it takes in, resisting hackers who could remotely control a unit or use your washing machine’s sensors to violate your privacy would an unwanted outcome.

The Korean company has been investing heavily in AI, most recently opening a new research lab in Toronto to follow its other North American location in Silicon Valley, so while this may be a first, it’s definitely not the last thing we’ll hear about LG and AI.

It still needs FAA certification.

Today, Boeing announced that it has completed the software update to its 737 Max planes. The update is meant to correct the software flaws that contributed to the Lion Air and Air Ethiopia crashes that killed 346 people in total. The update was expected in April, but Boeing needed extra time to guarantee that it had “identified and appropriately addressed” the problems that led to those crashes.

The FAA tentatively approved the updates in March, but the software still needs to undergo FAA testing in order to receive certification. At the moment, Boeing is providing the FAA with additional information, including details on how pilots interact with the airplane controls and displays in different flight scenarios. “We’re committed to providing the FAA and global regulators all the information they need, and to getting it right,” Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement.

As previously reported, the updated anti-stall Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) will compare data from both of the plane’s angle-of-attack sensors, rather than just one. If there’s a discrepancy of 5.5 degrees or more, the system won’t kick in. And, in the event of an incident, crews will be able to counteract the system if necessary. Boeing says it has flown the 737 Max with the updated MCAS software for more than 360 hours on 207 test flights. It also conducted simulator testing, and it will participate in a series of global customer conferences before the planes are cleared for flight.

It will take astronauts to the moon’s surface and back up to the Gateway lunar base.

NASA has revealed its efforts to create a human landing system shortly after it announced the Artemis lunar exploration program. The space agency has teamed up with 11 private space companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, to conduct studies and build prototypes of a lander that can carry astronauts to the surface of the moon. NASA is awarding the companies a total of $45.5 million to work on the project over the next six months under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program.

The agency is hoping the initiative could lead to the development of a human landing system that includes a transfer vehicle astronauts can use from its proposed orbital moon base called the Gateway to low-lunar orbit. In addition, the lander must also have a descent element that can carry the astronauts to the lunar surface and an ascent element that can ferry them back up to the Gateway. Finally, NASA wants the lander and its components to have refueling abilities to make them reusable.

Some of the participants will work on all those elements, while others will only work on one or two. SpaceX, for instance, is only conducting one study on the descent element. Blue Origin, on the other hand, will conduct a descent element study, a transfer vehicle study and will also build a transfer vehicle prototype.

A few days ago, the administration has submitted an amendment to the fiscal 2020 budget that would add another $1.6 billion to the $10.7 billion budget set aside to take the first woman and the next man to the moon by 2024. Called the Artemis exploration project, the mission is meant to carry American astronauts to the moon’s south pole in five years’ time and to establish our presence on Earth’s natural satellite by 2028.

With GPS now a basic cell phone feature, and more vehicles rolling off the production lines with built-in satnav systems, the role of standalone satellite-navigation devices is diminishing. Why have an extra bit of kit in your car that needs additional maintenance? But Garmin thinks there’s still a place for them, particularly in the world of off-roading and overlanding.

Today, the company has announced the all-terrain Garmin Overlander, an all-in-one GPS designed for people who want to explore the remote regions of the great outdoors. It comes with built-in topography maps for off-grid guidance covering public land boundaries and 4×4 roads in North and South America. The seven-inch touchscreen color device also comes preloaded with adventure-specific points of interest and campground locations, all available without cell signal.

Traversing these kinds of roads isn’t always for the faint-hearted, so it comes with a bunch of safety features, too. An in-built mini satellite communicator will let you send and receive text messages wherever you are, and you can transmit interactive SOS distress signals at the touch of a button. The Overlander also offers custom routing based on your vehicle’s dimensions, and comes with integrated pitch and roll gauges, a digital compass and a barometric altimeter. And if you just can’t do without your usual tech, the corresponding Garmin explore app lets you wirelessly sync your routes, waypoints and tracks from the device straight to your smartphone.

Of course, the Overlander isn’t going to appeal to all drivers, but for those with a taste for overlanding it packs in a whole heap of features that are still way beyond a smartphone’s paygrade. With a suggested retail price of $700 it’s not cheap, but then again, what price can you put on adventure?