On this week's news update…

Robot Sculptor

A robot sculptor…

Baby Weedy Seadragons

Baby weedy seadragons...

Drone Delivery

And a new drone delivery service.

First up…

Throughout history great artists have used marble to sculpt famous historical and mythical figures. Now technology is learning to sculpt too.

Robotor

Meet Robotor, the robot sculptor. Robotor can be programmed to produce detailed copies of marble and stone sculptures. Once the robot has been instructed to copy a statue, it decides how to sculpt it using artificial intelligence, also known as AI.

artificial intelligence

Robotor uses AI to choose from a selection of tools to make the sculpture. It can use chisels for carving, water jets for removing dust, and polishers for refining and smoothing the design.

Using Robotor to sculpt can help reduce material waste and production times. What could take a human artist years to complete, Robotor can carve in days.

Do you think the results are as good as the original?

Up next…

Animal Watch

It’s Animal Watch…

Weedy seadragons are one of the ocean's most striking species.

weedy seadragons

But there is more to them than how they look.

Unlike most animals, it is the male seadragon who protects and carries the fertilized eggs. Males carry the eggs on their tails until they hatch. And once they hatch, the babies are fully independent.

Weedy seadragons are particularly hard to breed in captivity, but Birch Aquarium in California recently celebrated the arrival of over 70 babies. Each newly hatched seadragon is about one inch long and weighs less than a gram.

The last time weedy seadragons were born at Birch Aquarium, only two hatched, making the arrival of 70 even more remarkable.

And finally…

We are used to seeing deliveries by bikes, cars, mopeds, and vans. But now, scientists at a company called Wing have created a fleet of delivery drones.

The drones can remotely pick up and deliver small packages, such as food. To use this delivery service, customers can order food from local businesses through the Wing App. Once an order has been placed it can be tracked until it is delivered.

To ensure the drones are operating safely and efficiently, there is a pilot on the ground supervising the fleet. The drones are fully electric and emit zero pollution, making them an environmentally friendly way to deliver packages.

Maybe drone deliveries will soon be part of everyday life?

That's all for this week, we'll see you next time!