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Google has added support for two languages in the News aggregator application instead of one. So the company wants to reach 60% of the global audience that speaks and reads in two or more languages.

This is stated on the Google blog, reports BusinessCensor with reference to TJournal.

After updating the News application, users can add a second language to the settings and switch between news in different languages. As planned by the company, this will help people who have just moved to another country and want to read news from their homeland, as well as those who live in territories where they speak several languages.

In the new version, users can also read news in different languages at the same time - notes will be formed in a single feed. Google explained that the update will not affect personalization settings, and news in another language will correspond to the interests of users.

So far, bilingual support has appeared only in the mobile version. In the desktop version, the service still allows you to select only one language. The new feature has earned for users from 141 countries and supports 41 languages on iOS and Android. Source: https://biz.censor.net.ua/n3158212

The researchers studied the structure and properties of the first synthesized complex sulfide EuErCuS3.

The work is published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds. The attention of scientists to chalcogenides, compounds of chalcogenes (sulfur, selenium, tellurium) with metals is associated with their unique properties. Among chalcogenides, one can find not only semiconductors and superconductors, but also compounds with magnetic and optical properties.

Chalcogenides of rare-earth elements (REE) have no less practical potential. REE double and triple chalcogenides often exhibit a number of new thermal, magnetic, and optical properties uncharacteristic of other chalcogenides. In this work, the authors examined the synthesis and structure of the complex sulfide EuErCuS3, and also evaluated its optical, magnetic, durometric, and thermal properties.

 

It was found that the compound crystallizes in the Eu2CuS3 structural type, which is typical of EuLnCuS3 compounds. The synthesized compound contains a magnetic ion Er3 +. As a result, this ion experiences a ferrimagnetic transition at low temperatures of about 4.8 K. For comparison, in another chalcogenide, EuGdCuS3, the transition is observed at a temperature of 5.4 K.

The authors also demonstrated that the values obtained by studying the magnetic and thermal properties of EuErCuS3 are in the range for the isostructural compounds ALnCuS3 (A = Sr, Eu; Ln = La-Lu). The crystal structure and phonon spectrum were calculated for EuErCuS3 using the LCAO-MO approach and the density functional theory using the B3LYP hybrid functional. The calculation results allowed scientists to interpret the observed vibrational spectra. The valence state of RE ions (Er3 + and Eu2 +) was verified by a combination of X-ray diffraction and luminescent spectroscopy.

Scientists have discovered the organic features of the brain structure of people with autism

The indicator that the research group first drew when studying electrical properties is the band gap. This indicator allows you to evaluate the ability of solids to pass electric current. According to the results from the diffuse reflection spectrum, this indicator is 1.934 eV.

It can be said that the synthesized chalcogenide is a semiconductor. Interestingly, the calculated band gap (2.56 eV) differs from the experimental one. According to the authors, this may be due to the fact that in the calculations the orbitals of rare-earth ions were replaced by a pseudopotential.

Today, almost any technique is able to work without human intervention. Just look around and you will surely see your automatic washing machine, a smart crock-pot and a computer - have you noticed that it installs updates without your participation? But let's talk about a more serious technique, namely unmanned aircraft. They cost millions of dollars, but recently the American company DZYNE Technologies has come up with how to make autonomous almost any aircraft existing today. Agree, because equipping an airplane with an autopilot is much cheaper than assembling a completely new device?

As a rule, autonomous aircraft are created from scratch and are technically very different from conventional aircraft. Take, for example, the Boeing unmanned fighter, which is able to independently overcome 3700 kilometers, simultaneously conducting reconnaissance of the territory. The developers do not talk about it openly, but it is clear that the autopilot system is closely connected with the entire structure of the aircraft. This means that if desired, a Boeing unmanned aircraft cannot be turned into a manned one.

To turn any aircraft into autonomous and vice versa, DZYNE Technologies has developed a robot called ROBOpilot. He is able to take control of any aircraft in his own hands in the literal sense of the word. To do this, you just need to remove the pilot’s seat from the airplane, install a robot instead and put his arms and legs on the steering wheel and pedals. The robot sees the control panel using a computer vision system and takes off, adheres to a given route and lands without any help from people.

All of these features, at least, are reported by company representatives. It is known that on August 9, the ROBOpilot successfully passed the tests of the US Federal Aviation Administration. A few weeks after this event, he underwent yet another test, during which he made a mistake, but what it was and how serious it was is still unknown. It sounds very interesting, but it looks absolutely amazing - the video of the first flight of ROBOpilot can be seen below.

How much such a robot will cost is still unknown. But installing a robot in an existing aircraft is clearly cheaper than creating an autonomous device from scratch. Earlier, the military had already learned to equip F-16 fighters with autopilot, and this cost them a million dollars. But it is worth considering that the installation of an autopilot implies careful work on connecting different parts of the device with a computer, and in the case of ROBOpilot, you just need to put the robot in the cockpit.

In fact, such robotic pilots already exist. One of them is ALIAS (Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System), developed by the US Department of Defense. In 2016, he successfully coped with the control of the Cessna Caravan, however, he must have a real pilot when working in the cabin. And all because the ALIAS robot is just an assistant, not a full-fledged pilot.

Xiaomi introduced the “smart” pillow project on the Youpin crowdfunding platform, which will help you relax and relieve stress after a hard day. A small indentation for the neck is provided in the central part of the product. Here are three pulsed emitters that generate pulses with a frequency of 1000 Hz. Moreover, 15 intensity levels are available - this allows you to simulate various types of massage.

In addition, a heating plate is located in the recess. Thus, the pillow can serve as a heating pad. Six temperature conditions are provided in the range from 38 to 53 degrees Celsius.

The pillow is endowed with stereo speakers and a Bluetooth controller for wireless connection to a smartphone running Android or iOS. Finally, functions for monitoring the quality and duration of sleep are implemented. The novelty will be offered in two sizes: 60 × 34 × 7–11 cm and 60 × 34 × 5–8 cm. The weight is 1.2 kg and 1.0 kg, respectively. Currently, a smart pillow is available for order for about $ 42. Deliveries are planned to be organized in December.

The Chinese company DJI is conquering ever new heights in the miniaturization of its drones. A new big step on this path was the folding Mavic Mini weighing just 249 grams, which we all knew about the day before. Due to this weight, he does not even require registration with the US Federal Aviation Administration.

When folded, the device occupies only 140 × 82 × 57 mm (and when unfolded with propellers - 245 × 290 × 55 mm). Despite the miniaturization, the device retained the main features of the more advanced DJI drone - the Mavic Air (it weighs 430 grams), and in some aspects even surpassed it. For example, if Air provided up to 21 minutes of flight, then Mini is able to boast of all 30 minutes.

It is worth mentioning, however, that on the product page there are two Intelligent Flight Battery: lithium-ion weighing 100 g and a capacity of 17.28 Wh; the lithium-polymer weighing 50 g and more than half the capacity - 8.36 Wh . It can be assumed that the weight of 249 g is indicated taking into account a lighter battery, and a flight time of 30 minutes - for a heavier one.

At the same time, a full-fledged 3-axis stabilizer and the ability to fly up to 4 km (in the American FCC mode) or up to 2 km (in the European and, accordingly, Russian MIC / CE mode) migrated to the miniature drone. The camera and sensor also remained almost the same: the Mini can offer a 1 / 2.3 ”CMOS sensor with a resolution of 12 megapixels, a lens with a viewing angle of 83 ° (24 mm in 25 mm equivalent) and an f / 2.8 aperture. Even the focus is not fixed, but variable, from 1 m to infinity. There are collision protection and positioning sensors, as well as a GPS receiver.

There are, however, very noticeable shortcomings: in sports mode, the Mavic Mini can fly at speeds up to 13 m / s against 19 m / s in the Mavic Air; in addition, the maximum video resolution is 2.7K (2720 × 1530 at 30 frames / s) or 1080p (1920 × 1080 at 60 frames / s) with a video stream of only 40 Mbps. For comparison: Air supports 4K / 30p at 100 Mbps. HEVC support could somewhat compensate for the low bit rate, but it is not there either.

DJI also significantly reduced its photo capabilities: for the first time in the Mavic family, the Mavic Mini does not support shooting photos in RAW format - there is only JPEG support. Obviously, the manufacturer is afraid of competition within its own family of quadrocopters and artificially limited the photo and video capabilities of the device, because today even inexpensive smartphones can boast of RAW or 4K video.

Therefore, it is not surprising that DJI focuses on family use and ease of shooting, as well as stickers for painting the body with markers. The DJI Fly mobile application contains various templates that allow you to create great videos with one click (for example, “Droni” (selfie from the drone), “Circle”, “Spiral” and “Rocket”). Even beginners without video editing experience will be able to make workshop videos. And the Fly More kit includes plastic protection for 360 ° propellers, which allows you to safely remove indoors.

A basic set of a drone, a controller and one battery costs $ 399 in the United States, and the Fly More set, which includes 3 batteries, a charger for three batteries, propeller protection and a carrying bag costs $ 499. The company also released a number of accessories.