Robot builds own children, mimics evolution

In this week's worldwide wrap, robots could evolve of their own accord, play jazz, and even fill the role of therapeutic pets.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have programmed a robotic arm and gripper to build a robot capable of movement, and use information from its performance to build progressively more successful robots.

"Natural selection is basically reproduction, assessment, reproduction, assessment and so on. That's essentially what this robot is doing - we can actually watch the improvement and diversification of the species," said lead researcher Fumiya Iida, of Cambridge's Department of Engineering.
Via: Mashable

Kelland Thomas of the University of Arizona has received a grant to build musical robots that play instruments and improvise like jazz musicians do.

Thomas hopes the robotic musicians will be able to jam with human musicians "in ways that we recognise as improvisational and adaptive".
Via: The Guardian

Therabot, a cuddly robotic beagle, is being developed to bridge the gap between real and toy animals used in therapy.

"The problem with animal-assisted therapy is that a lot of people have allergies, and they don't want to take care of a pet, or they're afraid of them," says Dr Cindy Bethel, who is directing the research at Mississippi State University.
Via: Wired

German company DOOB 3D has recently set up a shop in New York City where customers can have themselves made into a 3D-printed action figure.

The company originally developed its technology for making prosthetics, and is now using it to add dimension to selfies.
Via: Mashable

UK police are investigating a case of "cyber-flashing" on a London train. Lorraine Crighton-Smith was unwillingly sent photographs of an unknown man's genitalia via her iPhone's Airdrop feature.

"I declined the image and another image appeared, at which [point] I realised someone nearby must be sending them, and that concerned me. I felt violated, it was a very unpleasant thing to have forced upon my screen," said Crighton-Smith.
Via: BBC

Motorists will be able to charge their electric cars as they drive, if a scheme being proposed by Highways England is successful.

Already found successful in South Korea, electric motorways work by means of electric cables buried under the road, which are used to generate electromagnetic fields picked up by a coil inside the vehicle and converted into electricity.
Via: BBC