DARPA
GE’s worm robot sports roach-style whiskers to remove fat deposits from sewage pipes
When we talk about the three Ds of automation, the dull and dangerous bits are generally understood. Robotics can play a key role in getting humans out of harm’s way and replacing extremely bori
Duality nabs $30M for its privacy-focused data collaboration tools, built using homomorphic encryption
Duality, a startup founded by groundbreaking cryptographers and data scientists that is building tools to make it easier for companies to share data and collaborate with each other without compromisin
Sofar and DARPA look to standardize ocean monitoring gadgets with Bristlemouth
The ocean is important to countless industries, but we still only have a rough idea of what it’s like as a whole at any given time. To foster a new generation of ocean-monitoring floats and othe
Biden proposes ARPA-H, a health research agency to ‘end cancer’ modeled after DARPA
In a joint address to Congress last night, President Biden updated the nation on vaccination efforts and outlined his administration’s ambitious goals. Biden’s first 100 days have been characteriz
Duality scores $14M DARPA contract for hardware-accelerated homomorphic encryption
Training AIs is essential to today’s tech sector, but handling the amount of data needed to do so is intrinsically dangerous. DARPA hopes to change that by tapping the encryption experts at Dual
Astra completes Rocket 3.1 static test fire ahead of launch attempt
After a few setbacks exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 situation, another small rocket launcher is readying to demonstrate their ability to launch a vehicle to space. Astra has just completed a seco
GE’s soft robot bores holes like a giant earthworm
A giant earthworm robot was not on the list of things I expected to see when I logged in this morning. But it’s here, and I’m here for it. Designed by a team at GE Research, the robot in question
Matt Ocko saw COVID-19 coming: Here’s what his venture firm is doing about it
Matt Ocko, co-founder of venture firm Data Collective (DCVC), was among a small group of VCs viewed as alarmists when they began tweeting about the coronavirus’s imminent appearance in the U.S.
DARPA snags Intel to lead its machine learning security tech
Chip maker Intel has been chosen to lead a new initiative led by the U.S. military’s research wing, DARPA, aimed at improving cyber-defenses against deception attacks on machine learning models.
US Air Force experimental test spaceship lands after a record 780 days in orbit
The X-37B, a test vehicle operated by the U.S. Air Force, has returned from orbit and landed successfully at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, more than two years after it originally launc
DARPA aims to make networks 100 times speedier with FastNIC
Having a slow connection is always frustrating, but just imagine how supercomputers feel. All those cores doing all kinds of processing at lightning speed, but in the end they're all waiting on an out
Experimental US Air Force space plane breaks previous record for orbital spaceflight
The Boeing-built X-37B space plane commissioned and operated by the U.S. Air Force has now broken its own record for time spent in space. Its latest mission has lasted 719 days as of today, which is o
Voyant Photonics raises $4.3M to fit lidar on the head of a pin
Lidar is a critical method by which robots and autonomous vehicles sense the world around them, but the lasers and sensors generally take up a considerable amount of space. Not so with Voyant Photonic
This new autonomous startup has designed its delivery robot to conquer winter
Refraction, a new autonomous delivery robot company that came out of stealth Wednesday at TC Sessions: Mobility, sees opportunity in areas most AV startups are avoiding: regions with the worst weather
Vector, Virgin and a mystery team will compete in DARPA’s $34M launch challenge
DARPA wants to be able to launch anywhere, any time, and several times in a row. Is that too much to ask? Not for Vector Space, Virgin Orbit, and an unnamed startup that just qualified to take place i
CMU team develops a robot and drone system for mine rescues
On our final day in Pittsburgh, we find ourselves in a decommissioned coal mine. Just northeast of the city proper, Tour-Ed’s owners run field trips and tours during the warmer months, despite the f
Rocket Lab’s first launch of 2019 lifts a DARPA experiment into orbit
Rocket Lab, the Kiwi operation working on breaking into the launch industry with small but frequent launches, has its first launch of the year today, due to take off in just a few minutes. Tune in her
Seraphim attracts the UK’s Ministry of Defence to its SpaceTech accelerator
In the U.S., the links between private sector technology and the defense industry are long and well-known. And in the realm of startups, DARPA, has long fostered new technologies such as those around
DARPA wants smart bandages for wounded warriors
Nowhere is prompt and effective medical treatment more important than on the battlefield, where injuries are severe and conditions dangerous. DARPA thinks that outcomes can be improved by the use of i
Rocket Lab snags DARPA launch contract for first 2019 mission
Launch startup Rocket Lab is following the success of its first couple commercial launches by adding a prestigious (and deep-pocketed) new client: DARPA. The New Zealand-based company will send an exp