🔥 ‘World’s 1st’ flamethrower robodog, 80-hour house, US Tiktok ban

A flame-throwing robot dog that can shoot blazes up to 30 feet (9 meters) is up for sale in the United States. Throwflame, the manufacturer, claims the robot dog is the first of its kind and has a battery that can last for an hour.

The quadruped robot dog is now operated by a first-person view (FPV) controller — a concept that is increasingly gaining traction with the rise of drones. Check out how it works in today’s Must-Read.

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MUST READ

🔥 ‘World’s 1st’ flamethrower robot dog gets remote control and LiDAR

A laser mounted on the flamethrower provides the aim to the flames, which have a range of 30 feet (9 meters). Another interesting feature of the robot dog is its use of Light Detection and Ranging (commonly known as LiDAR) to guide it.

LiDAR utilizes pulsed lasers to accurately and constantly measure distances to a given target or area. LiDAR sensors are light-based measurement and mapping tools that are incredibly useful in various sectors.

According to the company, the robot dog—also known as Thermonator—can also avoid obstacles and operate in remote areas. It has an extended battery life and a versatile mounting system, which gives the robot quadruped enhanced flexibility in operations.

🏡 World’s largest 3D printer can build a small house in 80 hours

The University of Maine has smashed its own world record by creating the largest polymer 3D printer — dubbed Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0) — paving the way for the future of sustainable manufacturing.

The FoF 1.0 prints four times faster, which means that it can print a bio home in about 80 hours. A single-story bungalow, for example, could take a few months to build, but this printer can complete the project in less than four days.

In 2019, they unleashed the first record-breaking 3D printer that constructed a 600-square-foot house made of recyclable materials. Built to meet a demand for more affordable housing, the state of Maine needs another 80,000 homes over the next six years with a shortage of labour to make it happen.

⚖️ US President Joe Biden signs TikTok ban bill into law

Hammering the final nail in the coffin, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill that includes the ban on the popular social media platform TikTok in the country.

The signature comes after the U.S. Senate approved the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act with a 79-18 majority on April 23. This development means that TikTok, the popular short-video-sharing application with over 170 million users, now faces a nationwide ban in the U.S.

The ban arrives amidst warnings from agencies such as the FBI, cautioning that TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance could potentially share users’ sensitive data with China’s authoritarian government.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> Researchers at the University of Oxford and MIT have discovered a record of the Earth’s magnetic field dating back 3.7 billion years. (More)

> Scientists discovered bioluminescence first emerged in marine invertebrates 540 million years ago. This predates the previously established earliest occurrence by nearly 300 million years. (More)

> The bella moth (Utetheisa ornatrix) has reportedly evolved to use the toxins of a particular plant they consume during caterpillarhood to not only safeguard themselves but also attract potential mates. (More)

ENERGY

> Researchers at Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering have turned to 3D printing with recyclable material to give wind turbine blades a much-needed sustainable boost. (More)

> Fossil fuels provided the lowest amount of UK electricity for a one-hour time period on record. The UK is in the process of phasing out its existing coal plants in favor of wind and solar power. (More)

> Hyme Energy has inaugurated a molten hydroxide salt energy storage project in Denmark, the first such deployment in the world, it claimed. (More)

INNOVATION

> NASA has revealed an all-new electric propulsion system for small spacecraft. It will be used for planetary exploration as well as for increasing the lifespan of existing satellites. (More)

> Researchers believe that they have identified the location of Plato’s burial site. With their ‘bionic eye’ technology, they deciphered 1000 words from the Herculaneum papyri scroll. (More)

> Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made a bold prediction regarding humanoid robots. The tech billionaire said his company expects to start selling its Optimus robots by the end of the next year. (More)

VIDEO

> The World AI Creator Awards has announced a plan for a "Miss AI" beauty pageant. Female-presenting AI influencers will be judged on their beauty, technology, and influence. (More)

> An Ohio company has started selling a robot dog with an attached flamethrower. The "Thermonator" robot also has a napalm-throwing option and laser sighting. (More)

> The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered carbon-based molecules on a viable exoplanet. That means there should be an ocean on the planet's surface. (More)

IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterday’s quiz, we asked, If someone walks 4 miles south and then 3 miles north, what’s the farthest they can be from their starting point?

The answer is: 1 mile

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