🤖 US Army’s drone-killer laser, China satellites threaten astronomy, can Sam Altman be trusted with the future of AI?

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Tesla’s recent “We, Robot” event, held at the Warner Bros. studio lot near Los Angeles, showcased its humanoid Optimus robots in an attempt to spark excitement for its upcoming products.

However, behind the flash and spectacle, it became clear that the machines were not as autonomous as they appeared, relying on human intervention for many of their actions—a revelation that left some observers questioning the product’s market readiness. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

🤖 Optimus or Decepticon? Tesla robots remotely operated by humans at ‘We, Robot’

At the event, guests interacted directly with Optimus robots, which poured drinks, played games, and even flashed peace signs to amused attendees. For many, this was a significant improvement from earlier prototypes. Just two years ago, the robots struggled to even make it onto the stage unassisted.

Now, they were mingling with attendees, showcasing abilities that would have seemed right out of a sci-fi movie. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, eager to demonstrate the robot’s potential, made grand claims about Optimus, stating it would eventually be “the biggest product ever of any kind,” with the ability to perform various household tasks, from babysitting to mowing lawns.

Musk suggested that Optimus could eventually retail for $20,000 to $30,000. However, while the robots impressed attendees with their lifelike movements, some began to notice discrepancies. Videos from the event revealed that the Optimus robots were being remotely controlled by human operators, who were reportedly stationed elsewhere.

⚡️ US Army’s new drone-killer Stryker zaps UAVs for just $3 using 26kW laser

The US Army is testing a $10 million laser weapon system fitted on its Stryker combat vehicle, which can destroy a drone for just $3 beam.

Leonardo DRS and BlueHalo announced the successful live-fire demonstration of a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Directed Energy (DE) Stryker designed to defeat Group 1-3 UAS with multiple kinetic and non-kinetic defeat technologies.

During last month’s demonstration for US Army officials in Socorro, the mobile C-UAS capability successfully destroyed numerous drones using BlueHalo’s 26kW Locust Laser Weapon System.

✨ Chinese satellites shine brighter than cosmic objects, threatening astronomy

China’s new broadband constellation has become a significant threat to astronomical observations due to its exceptional brightness. The first batch of Qianfan megaconstellation satellites was launched in August.

Early observations of the deployed satellites indicate that their luminosity far exceeds the guidelines established by astronomical authorities. China’s planned Qianfan network is designed to rival SpaceX’s Starlink in providing high-speed internet service.

The problem is that these satellites are so bright, they can interfere with astronomical observations, particularly those of faint celestial objects. The light from these satellites can completely overwhelm the scientific data and imagery.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

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> Google announced on Monday that it has signed the world’s first corporate agreement to buy electricity from multiple small modular reactors (SMRs). This move is aimed at supporting its increasing energy demands driven by artificial intelligence (AI) operations. (More)

> Plants have a sophisticated mechanism for monitoring the production of new proteins. The U1 snRNP complex ensures that the protein blueprints are fully completed. This type of quality control, so-called telescripting, was previously known to exist only in animal cells. (More)

ENERGY

> ProLogium Technology, which specializes in the development and production of lithium ceramic batteries, has unveiled its 100 percent silicon composite anode battery. (More)

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> U.S. startup Last Energy plans to build a 300 million pound ($391 million) micro nuclear project in Wales to supply local industrial customers, the company said on Tuesday. (More)

INNOVATION

> Inspired by the ancient Japanese art of kirigami, a research team has developed a method to transform a simple sheet of material into a complex 3D antenna. (More)

> Russia is going ahead with its plan to develop its flagship nuclear icebreaker vessel. To that extent, its proposed federal budget has allocated almost $1 billion over the next three years for the completion of Rossiya, its largest nuclear icebreaker. (More)

> Researchers produced 3D-printed, semiconductor-free logic gates, which perform computations in active electronic devices. As they don’t require semiconductor materials, they represent a step toward 3D printing an entire active electronic device. (More)

VIDEO

> Watch the first nanoscale video of hydrogen and oxygen atoms forming water. (More)

> Jetson Founder Tomasz Patan is clearly getting very comfortable with the Jetson One eVTOL's flight control system. Watch him wrench the controls around to show off how sharply – and safely – this thing can handle tight turns in flight. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

The answer is 51.25π=πr²

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