Robotic Dog to Detect Weapons, Explosives

Sony's Aibo robotic dogs are displayed during the 2018 CES in
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2018. Steve Marcus, Reuters/FILE
PHOTO
Sony's Aibo robotic dogs are displayed during the 2018 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2018. Steve Marcus, Reuters/FILE PHOTO
TT
20

Robotic Dog to Detect Weapons, Explosives

Sony's Aibo robotic dogs are displayed during the 2018 CES in
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2018. Steve Marcus, Reuters/FILE
PHOTO
Sony's Aibo robotic dogs are displayed during the 2018 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2018. Steve Marcus, Reuters/FILE PHOTO

The four-legged robots are not a novelty anymore. Scientists from Florida Atlantic University's Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Laboratory (MPCR) have assembled the skills of all robots in one dog-like robot that can perform many of a real dog tasks.

A report published by the university on August 15 said the new robot named "Astro" looks like a Doberman with a computerized brain simulation, so that it can learn to perform "doggie-like" tasks that benefit humanity.

The report added that "equipped with sensors, high-tech radar imaging, cameras and a directional microphone, this 100-pound super robot responds to commands such as "sit," "stand" and "lie down."

Eventually, it will be able to understand and respond to hand signals, detect different colors, comprehend many languages, and distinguish human faces."

Elan Barenholtz, co-developer of Astro, said the machine's key missions will include detecting guns, explosives and gun residue to assist police, the military, and security personnel. It will also be able to rapidly see and search thousands of faces in a database, smell the air to detect foreign substances, and hear and respond to distress calls that fall outside a human's audible hearing range.

This robodog's talents won't just end there, he also can be programmed to assist as a service dog for the visually impaired, and can be trained to serve as a first responder for search and rescue missions such as hurricane reconnaissance as well as military maneuvers, he added.

In order to accomplish these tasks, this intelligent machine is designed to navigate through rough terrains and respond to dangerous situations to keep humans and animals out of danger.

Astro will be outfitted with more than a dozen sensors that will consume environmental input across multiple modalities including optical, sound, gas and even radar to process the sensory inputs and make autonomous behavioral decisions.

According to Barenholtz, Astro embodies the best exploitation of machine learning and artificial intelligence in helping to solve some of the world's most complex problems.



Fires Engulf Türkiye’s Mediterranean Coast as Government Declares 2 Disaster Zones

People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Türkiye, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Türkiye, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Fires Engulf Türkiye’s Mediterranean Coast as Government Declares 2 Disaster Zones

People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Türkiye, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People stand next to smoke rising from the wildfire in the Aksu district of Antalya, a Mediterranean city in southern Türkiye, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)

New wildfires broke out on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be disaster zones.

Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months.

Homes were evacuated in the city center and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, privately owned news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road.

Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened.

Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts.

Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was "showing a tendency to grow," and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat.

"The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centers, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries."

At 46.1C (115F), July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, meanwhile, said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared "disaster areas affecting public life," one step below the most serious level of emergency.

Between June 27 and Thursday, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry’s authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires.

In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or seriously damaged during the monthlong blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless.

Speaking after Friday prayers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye was "faced with a truly great disaster." He said that 25,000 personnel were fighting fires across the country, assisted by 27 planes, 105 helicopters and 6,000 ground vehicles.

Türkiye has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Türkiye. The funerals for the 10 were on Thursday.

Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires.

East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days.

Albania battles fires

The heat wave in the eastern Mediterranean region saw 1,000 firefighters and soldiers battle flames in Albania as temperatures reached 42 C (107 F).

In the Albanian city of Elbasan, firefighters have been combating a weeklong blaze in the country’s central mountain forests. Fires have also broke out near the southern border with Greece.

Cyprus aftermath

In the aftermath of one of Cyprus’ worst wildfires in living memory, it wasn’t lost on Cypriot officials that climate change may have been a significant contributing factor to the pace and ferocity of the flames.

Both government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis and Fire Chief Nicos Longinos referred to the arid conditions, with temperatures hitting 44 C (111 F) and very strong winds that quickly overwhelmed fire crews.

Even 14 firefighting aircraft couldn’t douse the multiple, fast-moving fire fronts quickly enough.

Cyprus is in its third year of minimal winter rains on which it relies for drinking water and for agricultural purposes, even as the government is revving up additional desalination projects.

The fire that moved at breakneck speed left two dead, forced the evacuation of 16 communities, scorched dozens of homes and destroyed many orchards and farms.

Quizzed by a reporter about criticisms that the Fire Service didn’t move quickly enough, Longinos was on the verge of tears when he said that he and all his firefighters have taken an oath to "give their lives" if need be to save lives and property.