Engineering News

The first commercial drone was given permission to fly over U.S. land by The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday, June 10^th. The AeroVironment manufactured drone will be operated by BP to fly over the North Slope in Alaska.

In the 1950s, computer science innovator Alan Turing created a test based on his question and answer game “Can Machines Think?” The Turing Test is an experiment that investigates a computer’s ability to demonstrate intelligent behavior similar to that of a human. A team of Russian developers developed the first program to pass the Turing Test during this year’s event held at the Royal Society in London.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a more efficient way to produce coherent laser-like beams that use 250 times less power than conventional lasers. The team believes they have created the first polariton laser to run on electrical current and work at room temperature.

At the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup next week, a young adult will walk a few steps and kick a soccer ball thanks to the Walk Again Project. The project’s purpose is to create thought-controlled robotic exoskeleton to aid individuals with disabilities.

A team of researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a way to transmit and store electricity in electrical cables. Previously, only electrical cables have been able to transmit electricity and not store it.

Earlier this week, the Homeland Security Department notified transportation operators that there was a potential security gap in electronic freeway billboards that could allow hackers to post phony warnings to drivers.