Latest news with #Wall-E
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
NYPD buying $389K Wall-E style bomb robot for emergency service operations
The NYPD is shelling out nearly $400,000 for a remote controlled Wall-E look-alike robot that can roll into danger — so cops don't have to. The PackBot 525 — built by Brooklyn-based defense company FLIR — will be deployed by the department's Emergency Service Unit, The Post has learned. 'This one has a crazy mechanical arm,' a police source said. 'They can pick up weapons. Let's say a suspect is barricaded with a knife. You communicate through the robot. Advertisement 4 The NYPD's new PackBot 525 can be deployed ahead of cops to inspect suspicious packages and clear dangerous rooms. Teledyne FLIR 'It can open a door and pick up the knife or a gun.' The city is shelling out about $390,000 for the super high-tech helper, which cops will control remotely. Advertisement The robot will be ESU's first response in bomb threat situations, letting police move and inspect suspicious packages from a safe distance, the source said. While it can't actually use a weapon, in a barricade it can clear rooms, relay video and audio and 'protects the officers,' the source added. The bot is equipped with HD cameras, improved lighting, a laser range finder and can lift up to 44 pounds, according to the manufacturer. It can be used for bomb disposal, surveillance, scouting and detecting or handling hazardous materials and radiation, and stows neatly in a vehicle — even fitting in a standard-sized car's trunk, the company's website claims. 4 ESU officers will control the PackBot remotely, using its HD cameras and improved lighting to scout scenes in real time. Teledyne FLIR Advertisement 'The new robot will allow our ESU officers to gain better command and control at the scene of an incident,' an NYPD spokesperson said. 'The robot can be used to navigate obstructions in a room and scan for persons in need of help.' The NYPD has been steadily adding mechanical muscle to its ranks over the last few years. In 2023, it brought back DigiDog — a 70-pound robotic canine that can be sent into dangerous situations — after shelving an earlier version that critics called dystopian. 4 The Wall-E lookalike — a $389,940 bot — can also detect hazardous materials and radiation without putting officers in harm's way. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement The PackBot is 'almost like DigiDog but a little more advanced,' the NYPD source said, and better suited for handling hostage situations. 'ESU really wants this,' the source added. The department piloted a 400-pound Autonomous Security Robot in Times Square that same year, but scrapped it after just four months — in part because it needed a cop chaperone and couldn't climb stairs. 4 The PackBot 525's compact design allows it to stow neatly in a police vehicle, even fitting in a standard car trunk. Teledyne FLIR And in 2024, it bought 14 'throw bots' that can be tossed into active scenes to beam back live video and audio. FLIR, an acronym for Forward-Looking Infrared, specializes in thermal imaging cameras and sensors and became part of California-based defense and electronics giant Teledyne Technologies in 2021.
Scotsman
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
It's not quite WALL-E yet, but artificially intelligent bins could revolutionise collections
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... From tracking down fly-tippers to clearing overflowing bins, waste management is one of the most visible, and often scrutinised, functions of our public services. It's also a frequent 'headache headline' for councils across the UK. However, as local authorities in Scotland grapple with budget constraints and rising demand, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way waste services are delivered. The technology holds real promise, although its implementation in the public sector is far from straightforward. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the centre of this shift is the idea of 'smart bins': sensor-equipped containers that monitor how full they are and send real-time data to waste collection teams, allowing fewer unnecessary collections, faster responses in high-footfall areas, and smarter use of overstretched resources. In the film Wall-E, the robot is left behind on a rubbish-filled Earth to clear things up (Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez) | Getty Images A tipping point looms The private sector is already deploying such innovations and the public sector is increasingly engaging with the private sector to trial or adopt AI-enabled technology. Of course, introducing AI systems comes with a significant upfront cost. In today's financial climate, that's a tough sell. Councils are being forced to make difficult decisions about where to invest. But we're nearing a tipping point (pun intended). The long-term savings, particularly in fuel, logistics and labour, could outweigh the initial costs, provided implementation is well managed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As local authorities work to meet ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, the appeal of efficiency-boosting technologies will only grow. But real progress will depend on collaboration. Most councils don't have the in-house capacity to implement and maintain AI systems at scale, which is why public-private partnerships will be key. Huge cost of missed bin collections Birmingham City Council is already working with private sector partners to roll out AI solutions to reduce missed bin collections, an issue estimated to cost over £740 million across the UK each year. More broadly, the private sector is ahead of the curve, already developing and using AI for dynamic routing and to sort waste, detect contamination, and predict waste volumes. I expect we'll see more councils partnering with private firms to deliver and maintain infrastructure, while retaining strategic oversight and service standards. Naturally, the effect on the workforce must be considered. Waste management is a labour-intensive industry, and any new technology brings concerns about job security. But this isn't about replacing bin crews with robots from WALL-E, it's about using data to optimise routes, reduce inefficiencies, and allow staff to focus on work that requires human judgment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Time to be bold That said, caution is understandable. AI is evolving rapidly, and no one wants to invest in tech that could soon be outdated. A more pragmatic first step might be smaller-scale applications – such as using AI to monitor existing infrastructure, identify faults, and adjust collection frequency as needed. This could help cut costs and keep public spaces cleaner, especially during busy summer months when rising temperatures and tourist footfall make overflowing bins a public nuisance. Ultimately, AI offers a real opportunity to improve services, reduce environmental impact, and relieve pressure on overstretched budgets. But it will take bold thinking, trusted partnerships, and long-term commitment to realise its full potential.
The Star
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
From bingsu to sashimi, popularity of cup foods going strong in South Korea
SEOUL: With the seasons changing, a new 'bingsu in a cup' trend is gaining popularity among young Koreans gearing up to survive the infamously humid and hot summer. Offered mostly by low-priced coffee joints like Mega Coffee, Compose Coffee and Ediya Coffee, the novelty dish packs all the regular features of the snack in a plastic cup usually used for drinks: frozen milk or cream, sweetened red beans, bite-sized rice cakes, syrup of your choosing, and of course, the chunk of shaved ice that makes it one of the most popular summertime snacks here. Cup bingsu is just the latest in a long line of popular snacks and meals to be packaged in a cup. What may sound like a 'Wall-E'-type dystopian nightmare on paper is actually quite an enjoyable and affordable form of food in South Korea, expanding its scope from the time-proven cup noodles to cup bap (rice), cup tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and apparently just about anything within the palm of your hands. Bingsu is rarely considered a dish for one because of its price and size. Sulbing, one of the most popular local bingju joints, offers its most basic Injeolmi Bingsu (bingsu with bean powder-coated rice cake) at 9,900 won (US$7.17). Served in a large bowl, it is an optimal snack to share with a friend. But the price tag for cup bingsu is usually in the 4,000-won range, rarely going above 6,300 won. This makes it an ideal snack to enjoy by yourself. The affordability of a dish for one has been the main appeal of cup foods here since the grandfather of modern-day cup meals, cup ramen, was first introduced in Japan. Momofuku Ando, a Taiwanese-Japanese man who made and lost his fortune in World War II, famously invented instant ramen and packaged it in a cup - known as Cup Noodles - to appeal to the international market. In 1972, Korean food and beverage company Samyang Foods launched the first localised version of Cup Noodles here, and it rapidly garnered popularity in ensuing decades, particularly with the introduction of convenience store franchises in the mid-1990s. Another popular cup dish is cup bab, a cupped version of rice with toppings that was born as a street food in Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu of Seoul. Noryanjin in the 2000s enjoyed its heyday as a Mecca for aspiring civil servants, with countless private academies offering courses for the government service entrance exam. The cram school students sought dishes that were cheap and quick, which was addressed by street vendors selling cup bab. With rice being the main source of carbohydrates for Koreans, cup bab sold at around 2,000 won and was a welcome change from the cheap sandwiches and hamburgers that had fed them before. Cup-bab vendors in Noryangjin today are not nearly as prominent as before, but the once-popular dish has found its way to convenience stores in their stead. Cup bab is now sold inside cup-shaped wrapped containers, which can be stored longer and heated instantaneously for eating. Some consider the new form of cup bab a hit or miss, as the dried-up toppings and its new price tag are hardly an exact recreation of the once wildly popular dish. Around the same time adult students were having cup bab, their younger counterparts were filling their bellies with cup tteokbokki. Eateries and street vendors started selling the popular snack in small portions to children with limited pocket money, but it has since found its way into official menus. Perhaps the most unusual cup food is none other than sushi, such as the 'cold sashimi soup with beef tartare' offered by a local franchise. The small portion dish is a limited-time offer only for the summer, although affordability hardly factors in for a 13,900-won meal. The Styrofoam containers that cup foods are often packaged in have fuelled a widespread urban legend that pouring steaming hot water could release harmful substances. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021 debunked this belief in 2021, experimenting on 49 types of disposable containers using polystyrene products to see if applying heat would lead to such results. Though a small amount of styrene was detected in eight containers, it was deemed too low an amount to impact human health. The only issue the ministry found with the containers is that they could break when heated. While the containers may not be harmful, there have been several studies indicating that cup foods do not provide balanced nutrition. In 2020, researchers from the Korea Consumer Agency analysed cup bab provided by 13 major food and beverage companies, which showed that they had much higher sodium levels compared to the total calories. Specifically, each cup bab on average provided about 21.7 per cent of the recommended daily calorie intake — which the research said was about 2,000 calories — but 50.3 per cent of the recommended daily sodium intake of 2,000 milligrams. As in the case of the study by the Food and Drug Safety Ministry, no significant level of harmful substances was detected in the containers. Cup bingsu is high in sugar, with one serving provided by Mega Coffee having 86g of sugar per cup. The World Health Organisation recommends that sugar intake be no more than ten per cent of one's energy intake, or about 50g daily. Tteokbokki and instant noodles are not considered healthy foods, as they consist mostly of carbohydrates while having an excessively large amount of sodium compared to their general calories. As such, it is recommended that one should not regard cup foods as their main energy intake and balance their diet with nutrient-rich foods. The KSA study concluded by saying that one should not eat cup bab with other salty foods like cup ramen, and advised people to eat food with sufficient potassium to help release the excess sodium. - The Korea Herald/ANN
Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
From bingsu to sashimi, popularity of cup foods going strong in South Korea
The trending "bingsu in a cup" comes with frozen milk, sweetened red beans, rice cakes, syrup and a chunk of shaved ice. PHOTO: THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK From bingsu to sashimi, popularity of cup foods going strong in South Korea With the seasons changing, a new 'bingsu in a cup' trend is gaining popularity among young Koreans gearing up to survive the infamously humid and hot summer. Offered mostly by low-priced coffee joints like Mega Coffee, Compose Coffee and Ediya Coffee, the novelty dish packs all the regular features of the snack in a plastic cup usually used for drinks: frozen milk or cream, sweetened red beans, bite-sized rice cakes, syrup of your choosing, and of course, the chunk of shaved ice that makes it one of the most popular summertime snacks here. Cup bingsu is just the latest in a long line of popular snacks and meals to be packaged in a cup. What may sound like a 'Wall-E'-type dystopian nightmare on paper is actually quite an enjoyable and affordable form of fo od in South Korea , expanding its scope from the time-proven cup noodles to cup bap (rice), cup tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and apparently just about anything within the palm of your hands. Low-price and accessibility Bingsu is rarely considered a dish for one because of its price and size. Sulbing, one of the most popular local bingju joints, offers its most basic Injeolmi Bingsu (bingsu with bean powder-coated rice cake) at 9,900 won (S$9.20). Served in a large bowl, it is an optimal snack to share with a friend. But the price tag for cup bingsu is usually in the 4,000-won range, rarely going above 6,300 won. This makes it an ideal snack to enjoy by yourself. The affordability of a dish for one has been the main appeal of cup foods here since the grandfather of modern-day cup meals, cup ramen, was first introduced in Japan. Momofuku Ando, a Taiwanese-Japanese man who made and lost his fortune in World War II, famously invented instant ramen and packaged it in a cup - known as Cup Noodles - to appeal to the international market. In 1972, Korean food and beverage company Samyang Foods launched the first localised version of Cup Noodles here, and it rapidly garnered popularity in ensuing decades, particularly with the introduction of convenience store franchises in the mid-1990s. Another popular cup dish is cup bab, a cupped version of rice with toppings that was born as a street food in Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu of Seoul. Noryanjin in the 2000s enjoyed its heyday as a Mecca for aspiring civil servants, with countless private academies offering courses for the government service entrance exam. The cram school students sought dishes that were cheap and quick, which was addressed by street vendors selling cup bab. With rice being the main source of carbohydrates for Koreans, cup bab sold at around 2,000 won and was a welcome change from the cheap sandwiches and hamburgers that had fed them before. Cup-bab vendors in Noryangjin today are not nearly as prominent as before, but the once-popular dish has found its way to convenience stores in their stead. Cup bab is now sold inside cup-shaped wrapped containers, which can be stored longer and heated instantaneously for eating. Some consider the new form of cup bab a hit or miss, as the dried-up toppings and its new price tag are hardly an exact recreation of the once wildly popular dish. Around the same time adult students were having cup bab, their younger counterparts were filling their bellies with cup tteokbokki. Eateries and street vendors started selling the popular snack in small portions to children with limited pocket money, but it has since found its way into official menus. Perhaps the most unusual cup food is none other than sushi, such as the 'cold sashimi soup with beef tartare' offered by a local franchise. The small portion dish is a limited-time offer only for the summer, although affordability hardly factors in for a 13,900-won meal. Health issues? The Styrofoam containers that cup foods are often packaged in have fuelled a widespread urban legend that pouring steaming hot water could release harmful substances. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021 debunked this belief in 2021, experimenting on 49 types of disposable containers using polystyrene products to see if applying heat would lead to such results. Though a small amount of styrene was detected in eight containers, it was deemed too low an amount to impact human health. The only issue the ministry found with the containers is that they could break when heated. While the containers may not be harmful, there have been several studies indicating that cup foods do not provide balanced nutrition. In 2020, researchers from the Korea Consumer Agency analysed cup bab provided by 13 major food and beverage companies, which showed that they had much higher sodium levels compared to the total calories. Specifically, each cup bab on average provided about 21.7 per cent of the recommended daily calorie intake — which the research said was about 2,000 calories — but 50.3 per cent of the recommended daily sodium intake of 2,000 milligrams. As in the case of the study by the Food and Drug Safety Ministry, no significant level of harmful substances was detected in the containers. Cup bingsu is high in sugar, with one serving provided by Mega Coffee having 86g of sugar per cup. The World Health Organization recommends that sugar intake be no more than 10 per cent of one's energy intake, or about 50g daily. Tteokbokki and instant noodles are not considered healthy foods, as they consist mostly of carbohydrates while having an excessively large amount of sodium compared to their general calories. As such, it is recommended that one should not regard cup foods as their main energy intake and balance their diet with nutrient-rich foods. The KSA study concluded by saying that one should not eat cup bab with other salty foods like cup ramen, and advised people to eat food with sufficient potassium to help release the excess sodium. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
22-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
Big Smile, No Teeth: Is AI leading us towards a 'Wall-E' future?
If you've been reading this column with any regularity, you probably think I lean on using artificial intelligence (AI) a little too much. And you're absolutely right! I use AI for everything. For helping to brainstorm scripts, for editing film, for finding recipes to use up what I have in the fridge, and even for help in raising my boy. Am I going too far? Possibly. But the input of AI, which is basically like having an expert on every topic at my fingertips, is too valuable for me to ignore. I'm sure many of us feel the same – but is this atrophying our brains? A study by Carnegie Mellon University in the United States and Microsoft Research noted that AI makes things easier for workers but may lead to a decrease in critical thinking. The study found that less critical thinking means AI-generated work was cut and pasted, people relied on AI for decision-making, and tasks became routinely solved with AI, thus reducing human problem-solving. Which all makes sense. AI can generate long, seemingly well- researched answers, so it's easy to default to the idea that it must be right. And this is where one's personal expertise comes in. While 62% of people reported engaging in less critical thinking when using AI, 27% of people, who were confident in their expertise, were more likely to critically assess AI instead of blindly following it. Which makes sense. If I use AI to do something I've never done, I'm going to lean heavily on its input. But when I use it to help me write a script or even this article, it becomes an assistant because in those fields I know what I'm doing (I hope). But what happens when no one knows how to make sausage from scratch anymore? This is my big fear with AI. Remember that 2008 Pixar movie Wall-E ? Where the humans are living on a giant cruise ship in space and they all get carted around and cared for by robots? In that world, no one knows how to do anything for themselves anymore. Every task is completed by them asking a robot to do it for them. Without their tech, the humans are useless. Right now, we still have experts in different fields. Experts who have honed their craft through years of education and then decades of experience. Think writers, coders, lawyers, etc. But what if the next generation in these fields use AI to learn their craft? What if they never create from scratch? Then we may be getting closer to that Wall-E future than we'd like to be. Because once one generation skips learning how to do tasks from scratch, do we lose all the knowledge of how to do those things? So then we're forced to depend on AI. MIT completed a study of users of the AI model ChatGPT in the United States and found that 83% of users couldn't quote from the essays they had written using AI. Which makes sense, because if you're not writing your content, how well do you really know it? When using AI to write an essay, the brain uses less than half of its brain connectivity. So you're less engaged. And of course, researchers found that users who leaned on AI to write essays wrote worse essays than those who had never used it. While ChatGPT makes one 60% faster at completing tasks, it reduces the cognitive load needed for learning by 32%. We are indeed on the fast track to that Wall-E scenario. But an even bigger fear of mine, especially if people don't question AI, is just how much AI massages your ego. I noticed every response ChatGPT gave me was some version of: 'Good question, Jason! You are absolutely right in asking that!' Or 'Wow! That is so you Jason, that is some great insight!' One X user said after engaging with ChatGPT for one conversation, the AI was calling him godlike. Most people, I hope, are self- aware enough to know when something is buttering their butt.... But going back to the 62% of people who reported less critical thinking with AI, are they just accepting that AI thinks they're super smart and super great? That's a bit frightening. And you can see how people will build relationships with AI because it thinks they're so smart. When I told one friend this, he immediately asked if he could talk with AI and if he could make it have a woman's voice. You can see where that is going. When I asked ChatGPT why it's so coddling in its responses, it told me people respond better to that. Most people don't want harsh truths, they want clarity and help. I get that, but as a species we need to take steps to prevent AI from helping us become the useless people in Wall-E . Big Smile, No Teeth columnist Jason Godfrey – a model who once was told to give the camera a 'big smile, no teeth' – has worked internationally for two decades in fashion and continues to work in dramas, documentaries, and lifestyle programming. Write to him at lifestyle@ and follow him on Instagram @bigsmilenoteeth and The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
