China to Build Deep Sea Case Run by Robots

Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in
the South China Sea in April last year.   © Reuters
Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in April last year. © Reuters
TT

China to Build Deep Sea Case Run by Robots

Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in
the South China Sea in April last year.   © Reuters
Chinese structures are seen in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in April last year. © Reuters

Artificial Intelligence System (AI) will be used to run the first Chinese deep sea base that no human can reach, the South China Morning Star newspaper reported.

According to reports, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences plan to build a robotic base in the South China Sea. This base could become the first AI settlement in the world.

The base is located at 19685 to 36,100 feet (6 to 11 kilometers) below sea level and will be equipped with power supplies via cables from ships or floating platforms.

It will be designed from interconnecting units like those composing the International Space Station. Robotic submarines that explore the depths of the sea and collect data on marine life will embark from its deep ridges.

The base will also work in collecting and analyzing samples of raw minerals.

Scientists have so far been able to explore only 1% of seas and oceans whose waters cover 70% of the Earth's surface.

The Chinese research will provide data to analyze changes in the Earth climate, explore elements for new drugs and pharmaceuticals, and identify endangered marine organisms. According to scientists' estimates, the cost of the base will reach $160 million.



Final Crystal Triangles Installed on Times Square Ball ahead of New Year's Eve

Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
TT

Final Crystal Triangles Installed on Times Square Ball ahead of New Year's Eve

Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is displayed at One Times Square, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The last of the crystal triangles that make up this year's Times Square New Year's Eve ball were installed on Friday morning, marking the first time in 10 years that all 2,688 were replaced at once.

Rapper Pitbull and inventor Joy Mangano were among those on hand to help the organizers of the celebration put the final pieces in place atop One Times Square, the skyscraper from which the 11,875-pound (5,386-kilogram) geodesic sphere drops to mark the new year, according to The AP.

A New Year's Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907. Built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, the 700-pound (318-kilogram), 5-foot (1.52-meter) diameter ball was made of iron and wood and featured 100 25-watt light bulbs. Six newer versions of the ball have been featured in the century-plus since that first celebration.

The only years no ball drop occurred were 1942 and 1943, when the city instituted a nightly “dimout” during World War II to protect itself from attacks. Crowds instead celebrated the new year with a moment of silence followed by chimes rung from the base of One Times Square.