April 10, 2024
Tech News
Cruise, a GM subsidiary, has resumed testing its self-driving taxis in Phoenix, Arizona, with humans behind the wheel after a suspension in California. The decision comes after a robotaxi incident involving a pedestrian. The company updated the software of 950 vehicles to improve crash response and aims to enhance its machine learning model through more road data collection.
True Anomaly’s first mission faced challenges with satellite communication post-launch. Despite this, CEO Evan Rogers sees it as a learning opportunity. The company plans to make design and software changes based on the mission’s outcomes and is gearing up for more launches in the next year.
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is collaborating with Congress to pass legislation to combat movie piracy by blocking access to websites with pirated content. MPA CEO Charles Rivkin emphasized the impact of piracy on jobs and ticket sales, although the proposed site-blocking tactic has faced criticism for potential free speech violations.
Proxima Fusion, a spin-out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, raised $21.7 million in seed funding for nuclear fusion development. The company aims to use a stellarator approach and advanced technology to create stable plasma containment for fusion power plants, targeting operational fusion energy by the mid-2030s.
Tech Explained
Self-driving Taxis – Autonomous vehicles capable of navigating and operating without human intervention, used for transportation services.
Satellite Communication – Communication between devices via satellites in orbit around the Earth, enabling data transmission over long distances.
Movie Piracy – Unauthorized distribution or reproduction of copyrighted movies, leading to financial losses for the film industry.
Nuclear Fusion – A process that releases energy by combining atomic nuclei at high temperatures, potentially offering a clean and abundant source of power.
