Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Waymo will soon have its robotaxis on the road operated by rivals Lyft and Uber as part of Alphabet company’s strategy to bring more self-driving cars to the masses.Waymo said Wednesday it will initially provide rides in Nashville through its proprietary app. As the service expands, riders will be able to match with a fully autonomous Waymo on the Lyft app.In its announcement, Waymo said Lyft will oversee vehicle maintenance and depot operations through the ride-hailing company’s subsidiary Flexdrive. Flexdrive is a rental-car and fleet management company acquired by Lyft in 2020.Lyft’s share price was up 20% in premarket trading…

When the first cells appeared on Earth approximately 3.8 billion years ago, viruses were already here to greet them. Ever since, viruses have been devising ways to infect cells, and cells have been responding by evolving ways to stop these infections. This evolutionary dance eventually led to the development of your immune system.A key aspect of your immune system is to distinguish “self” from “nonself” so it can destroy and remove foreign materials from your body. While this immune reaction protects you from viruses, it also has implications for how well foreign materials such as medications work.I am a researcher…

Each year in the U.S., tens of thousands of deaths are categorized as “preventable” — meaning, in theory, they did not need to happen. A missed cancer screening, a fatal asthma attack or a death from untreated infection might all be counted as preventable.The term is commonly used in public health reports, policy documents and local news coverage, and it generally implies that something went wrong and could have been prevented.But it’s also deceptively simplistic. Researchers have noted that definitions of preventable death are often imprecise and shaped by subjective judgment. In clinical settings like intensive care units, reviews of…

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was ruled out Wednesday for the game at Tampa Bay with a concussion, and Tyrod Taylor will start against the Buccaneers on Sunday.Coach Aaron Glenn announced the decision before the Jets’ first practice of the week. Fields remains in the concussion protocol after being hurt late in the Jets’ 30-10 loss to Buffalo last Sunday.“I just know how these things are,” Glenn said, declining to say whether Fields has improved while in the protocol. “Just to my knowledge, this will be a week he’ll be out.”Fields fell backward when…

Meta’s vision of AI-powered glasses as the next must-have device is about to face a major test.CEO Mark Zuckerberg set the bar high at Meta Connect in 2024 with the not-for-mass-market technology in its Orion glasses. Now he has to take the next step in marketable wearables — and get consumers to shell out.Zuckerberg is expected to take the stage at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters for the company’s annual Meta Connect conference to lay out his vision for Meta glasses, headsets, and the future of contextual AI.The stakes are high. Meta is spending billions on AI research and hardware while…

NEW YORK (AP) — Liberty star Breanna Stewart said she’s ready to go for Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night after spraining the MCL in her left knee in the opener of the first-round series.The forward went through shootaround wearing a sleeve on her left knee.“I wanted to make sure I tried in shootaround and barring anything crazy happening between now and (the game), that’s my plan,” Stewart said. “I just want to make sure I wake up from my nap and don’t feel (bad).”Stewart injured the knee when she drove to the…

As speed becomes the defining currency in an AI-driven software world, Blacksmith has raised another round led by Google Ventures — just four months after its seed — to accelerate how code gets shipped. The $10 million Series A closed in just 14 days, with Google Ventures doubling down after first backing Blacksmith’s $3.5 million seed in May. At the time, Alphabet’s VC arm bet on the size of the market and the founding team, which included veterans of Cockroach Labs, another GV portfolio company. But for this round, GV was swayed by results. Blacksmith, which offers a continuous integration…

As robots increasingly enter human spaces, robotics companies will need to think about safety differently than they did when robots were largely siloed from their human counterparts.   Sonair thinks its sensors can help robotics companies reach their safety goals — with a solution that is both better and cheaper than popular LIDAR technology.   The Oslo, Norway-based company built an ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) sensor for robots that uses high frequency sound. These sensors send out ultrasound waves and capture how the sound echoes back. These signals give robots a three-dimensional view of their surroundings.  This data complements a robot’s…

TOKYO (AP) — Even avid track fans might have checked their programs when that blur of red and green on the far outside started streaking to the lead with the finish line in sight.This year’s out-of-nowhere winner of the men’s 1,500 meters hails from Portugal. It’s Isaac Nader, who ran five wide down the stretch Wednesday night to pull what can only be described as a stunner at world championships, even against a field that lost three of its top contenders long before the finish line.Nader rallied from fifth to first over the last 100 meters to edge 2022 champion…

School is back in session, bringing new routines — and new milestones for students.For some, this is the year they are allowed to go home to an empty house instead of an after-school program or day care. It’s a decision faced by many parents whose work or other obligations keep them from coming home until long past school release time.With after-school care often expensive and hard to find, parents have reason to encourage independence. But how can they be sure their child is ready to navigate home on their own, even if only for an hour or two?A handful of…