Dolphins interact with underwater touchscreen

Researchers from Rockefeller University, Hunter College and the National Aquarium in Baltimore worked together to create the eight-foot touchscreen to investigate dolphin intelligence and communication by providing them choice and control over a number of activities.

The screen features ‘dolphin-friendly apps’ to allow the dolphins to interact with the system which detects the dolphins’ movements optically.

In addition to the touchscreen, the habitat is outfitted with equipment to record the behaviour and vocalisation of the dolphin as they interact with the technology.

Rockefeller University professor Diana Reiss said, “Giving dolphins increased choice and control allows them to show us reflections of their way of thinking and may help us decode their vocal communication.”

Cafe features raccoons

A cafe in South Korea is attracting customers with a set of unusual residents — two raccoons, a capybara and a corgi with identity issues.

Han Song Hee, owner of the Blind Alley cafe in Seoul, told the business was a normal cafe until she purchased it about two years ago and started bringing in her baby raccoons, Cong and Milk.

Song Hee said the cafe has also since acquired a third raccoon, Shot, and a corgi, Cookie, that has spent so much time being brought up among raccoons that it thinks it is one of them, rather than a dog.

The animals are kept in a special room at the cafe to keep them away from customers’ food.

Amazing real-life Transformer

A father and son, Gennadiy Kocherga and Sergey have converted their old Lada (automobile) into a real-life working transformer, complete with secret compartments and automatic weapons.

Footage recorded at the Oryol stunt show in Russia, shows the pair showing off their creation and wowing the crowd as the machine stands upright and shoots in the air.

Mr Kocherga senior told: “It looks like a world-class car, it can drive and shoot, it performs the same tricks as seen in the film, in the cartoons.

Son Sergey said their transformer was called Optimus Gennadievich Praimov and they chose the Russian Lada due to its no frills features.

The father and son have already taken it to numerous Russian cities and cannot wait to start their next project.

World’s first operational Robocop

The ‘world’s first operational Robocop’ has been unveiled in Dubai as part of the Emirate’s planned robot police force.

At 5ft 5in tall and weighing 100kg, it can speak six languages and is designed to read facial expressions.

The machine has a built-in tablet so people can use it to pay fines or report crimes, and can also transmit and receive messages from police headquarters.

With an aim to assist and help people in the malls or on the streets, the Robocop is the latest smart addition to the force and has been designed to help fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels.

He can chat and interact, respond to public queries, shake hands and offer a military salute. It is said that robots are set to make up a quarter of Dubai’s police by 2030.

Published in Dawn, Young World July 1st, 2017