Robots compete in half marathon

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ROBOTS COMPETE IN HALF MARATHON 🦿

Q: Why should you never run behind a car?

A: You’ll get exhausted. 💨

What happened? For the first time ever, humanoid robots ran alongside human participants in a half-marathon held in Beijing.

How did this work? The Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon took place on April 19th and featured 20 teams competing with bipedal robots of different makes and sizes over a 13.1-mile course. While human runners followed traditional race rules, the robots competed under special guidelines, including battery swap pit stops to keep them moving. Human operators, engineers, and navigators supported the robots throughout the race, and a physical divider separated the robot and human courses for safety. The Sky Project Ultra robot, built by the Tien Kung Team, took first place among the robots, finishing in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds. Awards were also given for endurance, gait design, and innovation.

Why does this matter? Besides being super cool, this event showcases major advances in robotics, particularly in mobility, balance, and endurance. It hints at a future where robots could handle physically demanding tasks, assist in dangerous environments, or even participate in everyday human activities.

AI DETECTS UNDERAGE INSTAGRAM USERS 👁️

AI is helping to reduce the iPad kid epidemic. 😆

What’s going on? Meta is testing an AI detection software on Instagram to find children and teenagers who falsely claim to be adults.

How will this work? Starting this week, Instagram will use AI to proactively identify accounts that may belong to teenagers, even if users lied about their age when signing up. Instagram’s AI will analyze behavior patterns, activity signals, and account information to estimate whether someone is actually a teenager, even if they entered a fake birth date. This will include things like analyzing who someone follows, what kind of language they use, and what posts they interact with. If an account is flagged and determined to belong to a teen, Instagram will automatically apply its “Teen Account” settings, which limit certain content, give parents more oversight, and require parental approval to change safety settings. Meta emphasized that users can request corrections if the AI makes mistakes, and parents will receive notifications encouraging conversations about online age honesty.

Why is this important? This technology could help better protect teenagers from inappropriate content and online risks, addressing long-standing concerns from parents, lawmakers, and safety advocates about young users’ exposure on social media.

AI CAMERAS PROTECT LIVESTOCK FROM SNOW LEOPARDS 🐆

AI is great at detecting leopards—after all, they’re always “spotted.” 👀

What’s up? Scientists in Pakistan are using AI-powered cameras to detect snow leopards and warn villagers to protect their livestock.

How does this work? The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), alongside Pakistan’s Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), developed cameras that use solar panels and lithium batteries to operate in remote, high-altitude areas. The AI software can differentiate between humans, animals, and snow leopards. When a leopard is detected, villagers receive a text message alert so they can move their livestock to safety. Although the system is still being tested and faces challenges like harsh weather, broken equipment, and spotty cellular service, it has successfully captured footage of snow leopards in the wild with consistency.

Why is this significant? Snow leopards are endangered, with only about 4,000 to 6,000 left in the wild. By warning villagers in advance, the AI cameras aim to reduce conflict between people and predators, protecting both livestock and the snow leopards themselves.

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