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New submitter MicroBitz shares a report: SPROUT, short for Soft Pathfinding Robotic Observation Unit, is a flexible, vine-like robot developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame. Unlike rigid robots or static cameras, SPROUT can "grow" into tight, winding spaces that are otherwise inaccessible, giving first responders a new way to explore, map and assess collapsed structures. Beyond disaster response, the technology could be adapted for inspecting military systems or critical infrastructure in hard-to-reach places, making SPROUT a versatile tool for a variety of high-stakes scenarios. "The urban search-and-rescue environment can be brutal and unforgiving, where even the most hardened technology struggles to operate. The fundamental way a vine robot works mitigates a lot of the challenges that other platforms face," says Chad Council, a member of the SPROUT team, which is led by Nathaniel Hanson. "The mechanical performance of the robots has an immediate effect, but the real goal is to rethink the way sensors are used to enhance situational awareness for rescue teams," adds Hanson. "Ultimately, we want SPROUT to provide a complete operating picture to teams before anyone enters a rubble pile." You can see the SPROUT vine robot in action in a YouTube video from MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

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Demotion of cyberspace policy team, closure of others, not a great look

The US State Department announced a major reorg this month, and the changes could weaken America's ability to counter China's growing technological influence.…

But what it can't do is 'unilaterally claw back a community project and its infrastructure, assets, and branding'

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) has filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office to prevent Synadia from using the logo and domain for NATS, the open source messaging system.…

Nicola Coughlan pushed fashion boundaries as she attended the 8th Canneseries International Festival on Monday night.

The Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans with Swift in attendance to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Homeland Security boss Noem added as last-minute keynote, mind you

RSAC  There's a notable absence from this year's RSA Conference that kicked off today in San Francisco: The NSA's State of the Hack panel.…

In a new court order in the capital murder case against Bryan Kohberger, the judge unveiled the most detailed timeline to date about the final hours of the four victims and their surviving roommates.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police are mulling a trade: 2.5 million mugshots for free use of facial recognition technology. Officials from the Milwaukee Police Department say swapping the photos with the software firm Biometrica will lead to quicker arrests and solving of crimes. But that benefit is unpersuasive for those who say the trade is startling, due to the concerns of the surveillance of city residents and possible federal agency access. "We recognize the very delicate balance between advancement in technology and ensuring we as a department do not violate the rights of all of those in this diverse community," Milwaukee Police Chief of Staff Heather Hough said during an April 17 meeting. For the first time, Milwaukee police officials detailed their plans to use the facial recognition technology during a meeting of the city's Fire and Police Commission, the oversight body for those departments. In the past, the department relied on facial recognition technology belonging to neighboring police agencies. In an April 24 email, Hough said the department has not entered into an agreement with any facial recognition and the department intends to continue engaging the public before doing so. The department will discuss it at a future meeting of the city's Public Safety and Health Committee next, she said. "While we would like to acquire the technology to assist in solving cases, being transparent with the community that we serve far outweighs the urgency to acquire," she said in an email. Officials said the technology alone could not be used as probable cause to arrest someone and the only authorized uses would be when there's basis to believe criminal activity has happened or could happen, or a threat to public safety is imminent. Hough said the department intended to craft a policy that would ensure no one is arrested solely based on facial recognition matches. That reassurance and others from police officials came as activists, residents and some public officials voiced concern.

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The looker had her honey highlighted hair down with dewy nude makeup on. As she looked into the camera she showed off a beige sweater worn under a pair of acid-washed denim overalls.

Eight years on, the amateur singer from China says she is still dealing with a range of uncomfortable symptoms associated with the virus.

A poll of HR directors by the British Retail Consortium found 52% will reduce staff numbers as a result of the incoming workers' rights bill.

Onchain investigator ZachXBT flagged a suspicious $330.7 million Bitcoin transfer that was quickly laundered into Monero, causing XMR's price to spike by 50%. CoinTelegraph reports: The transaction, reported on April 28, saw funds moved from a potential victim's wallet to the address bc1qcry...vz55g. Following the transfer, the stolen stash was quickly laundered through over six instant exchanges and swapped into privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero. The large-scale conversion led to a 50% spike in XMR's price with the token reaching an intraday high of $339, according to data from CoinMarketCap. At the time of writing, XMR has settled slightly but remains up 25% in the past 24 hours, trading at $289. When asked whether North Korea's Lazarus Group was behind the attack, ZachXBT dismissed the theory, stating it was "highly probable it's not," suggesting independent hackers were responsible. "While there are concerns of more criminals moving to privacy coins for anonymity, the vast majority of criminal activity still uses mainstream cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoins," Chainalysis said. "Cryptocurrency is only useful if you can buy and sell goods and services or cash out into fiat, and that is much more difficult with privacy coins, especially as many mainstream exchanges have offboarded the use of privacy coins, such as Monero."

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Trump has long floated the idea of obtaining the strategic and mineral-rich Danish territory.

Stacey Solomon held back tears as she shared a new update on the heath of her beloved pet pooch on Monday afternoon.

The new measures will limit the number of items unique to a school that have to be bought from designated suppliers.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 35, was joined by her daughters Aurelia and Sienna, three, and her husband Hugo Taylor in the stunning location.

A 200mph speedboat record attempt at the Desert Storm Shootout ended in a spectacular crash after a sudden wind gust - but the racers' surprising comeback stunned everyone.

It is a tumultuous time for any agency in the US government or any company or organization that depends on the US government for a sizable portion of its funding or revenue. …

If NSF Snoozes, Then TACC’s “Horizon” Supercomputer Loses was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

Police have released a video of a man after two women were allegedly assaulted at around 1.50am in Temple Back in Bristol on Saturday February 22.

Maya Jama looked effortlessly cool as she attended the Baller League x Match Day 6 event at Copperbox Arena on Monday night.