Technology
Mask mandate for air travel and public transportation is extended again

The masks mandate for air journey and public transportation has been prolonged as soon as once more, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated Wednesday. The mandate, which was set to run out on April 18th, shall be prolonged one other two weeks as officers proceed to observe the variety of COVID-19 circumstances throughout the nation. The mandate was beforehand prolonged final month.
All airline passengers and public transportation riders shall be required to put on a face masking at the very least by way of Could third after the Transportation Safety Administration advised the CDC they’d be extending the mandate, NBC experiences.
Airplanes and public transportation are a few of the final locations the place Individuals are nonetheless required to put on masks. Most states have lifted their necessities for colleges and different public locations, and the CDC’s new pointers say that masks aren’t obligatory in areas with a low danger for transmission.
On his first day in workplace, President Joe Biden signed an government order requiring masks on airplanes and public transportation after his predecessor Donald Trump had blocked the CDC from issuing an identical order in 2020.
All through the pandemic, public well being officers have uniformly beneficial the carrying of masks to curb the unfold of COVID-19, significantly in crowded, poorly ventilated areas. On its web site, the CDC “strongly recommends” carrying masks on transportation to cut back the prospect of getting and spreading the virus.
Airline passengers are two to 3 occasions extra more likely to catch COVID-19 on a aircraft because the emergency of the extremely contagious omicron variant, medical professionals have warned airways. Many carriers have put in high-powered, hospital-grade air filters on passenger jets as a solution to mitigate the danger.
The requirement to put on masks on airplanes has led to an enormous spike in passengers behaving aggressively towards flight attendants. For the reason that starting of this yr, the Federal Aviation Administration stated it has acquired greater than 3,200 experiences of unruly habits by passengers, roughly 75 % of which stem from passengers who refuse to adjust to federal masks mandates.

Technology
PlayStation Network is down

PlayStation Network (PSN) has been experiencing a multi-hour outage that started Friday evening. According to Sony’s PSN status page, account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and the PlayStation Direct website are all dealing with issues.
For gaming specifically, Sony says that “you might have difficulty launching games, apps, or network features.” Sony is vowing to fix the problems “as soon as possible.”
Around when I first published this article at 7:28PM ET, a colleague wasn’t able to load their purchased digital games or see their friends, trophies, or even their online status on their PS5. At about 11:45PM ET, I tried to play Fortnite on my PS5, but the game showed an error message and wouldn’t let me log in. I was able to start my digital copy of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, however.
Sony’s status website says the issues started at 7PM ET, but Downdetector shows user reports starting to come in about an hour earlier at around 6PM ET. At the peak, there were a bit less than 70,000 reports of problems on Downdetector. An r/PlayStation thread about the outage has more than 9,000 comments.
Sony didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Updates, February 7th: Added @AskPlayStation’s tweet, noted that the outage has been going on for hours, and added details about my own experiences with the outage.
Technology
Robot dog sprints into history books by breaking speed records

A Chinese team has unveiled a groundbreaking quadruped robot that is pushing the boundaries of robotics and speed.
The Black Panther 2.0, developed by Zhejiang University’s humanoid innovation institute in collaboration with the Hangzhou-based startup Mirror Me, has achieved a remarkable feat by running approximately 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
Black Panther 2.0 sprinting against a human (Mirror Me)
Nature-inspired engineering
The design of the Black Panther 2.0 draws inspiration from various animals, resulting in a highly efficient biomechanical structure. Its carbon-fiber shins are modeled after jerboa desert rodents, increasing stiffness by an impressive 135% while only adding 16% to its weight.
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The robot features spring-loaded knee joints that act as shock absorbers, mimicking the powerful movements of black panthers. Additionally, its “running shoes,” inspired by cheetah claws, enhance grip performance by an astonishing 200%. Standing at 2 feet and 0.8 inches tall and weighing 83.8 pounds, this robot achieves a peak stride frequency of five times per second.

Black Panther 2.0. (Mirror Me)
CHINESE TECH FIRM SHARES ROBOT TRAINING SECRETS WITH THE WORLD
Intelligent movement and adaptation
The impressive performance of the Black Panther 2.0 is not solely due to its hardware; it also incorporates artificial intelligence and machine learning to adapt its gait in real time for specific situations. This technology allows the robot to coordinate its limb movements using the concept of Huygens’ coupled pendulum principle, enabling it to maintain fluid motion on various terrains and pushing it closer to the agility of living organisms.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Black Panther 2.0. (Mirror Me)
Breaking speed records
In addition to breaking records, the Black Panther 2.0 has joined the prestigious “10-second club” for the 100-meter sprint, surpassing the previous record holder, HOUND, which was developed at Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This achievement positions the robotic dog ahead of most human sprinters, although it still trails behind some of nature’s fastest runners, like cheetahs, ostriches and wildebeests.
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Black Panther 2.0. (Mirror Me)
NO TENNIS PARTNER? NO WORRIES WITH THIS AI ROBOT
Kurt’s key takeaways
The development of the Black Panther 2.0 opens up exciting possibilities for the future of robotics. Its high-power-density motor drivers suggest potential industrial applications, while its design invites further exploration into the differences between robotic and biological mobility. This technology could also be utilized in search and rescue operations or for exploring hazardous environments.
Would you feel comfortable having a robot like the Black Panther 2.0 working alongside you, or would its advanced capabilities make you nervous about potential job displacement or safety concerns? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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Technology
Amazon will pay $4 million to settle driver tip theft lawsuit

Amazon has agreed to pay the District of Columbia $3.95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the retail giant had stolen more than $60 million in tips intended for its Flex delivery drivers. DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced the settlement today, which includes $2.45 million in penalties and requires Amazon to clearly disclose how tips are being used for any purpose besides compensating drivers.
$61.7 million was later reimbursed to drivers by the FTC following a settlement with Amazon, but by filing the 2022 lawsuit, former DC Attorney General Karl Racine sought to “hold Amazon to full account for its unlawful actions, and to send a clear message to employers not to divert tips for their own benefit.”
“When companies mislead customers to boost their profits by stealing tips intended for their workers, they are cheating their consumers, their employees, and their competitors who play by the rules,” said Schwalb. “It’s not sufficient, after being caught, to simply give back the ill-gotten gains. Rather, there must be meaningful consequences to deter misconduct from happening in the first place.”
While Amazon has agreed to the settlement within 30 days, the company denies the DC allegations and maintains that it made “truthful, complete, unambiguous, and accurate representations to customers” regarding its tipping process for drivers.
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