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KAUST Develops Robotic System to Improve Date Palm Harvesting

The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage to itself or the fruit - SPA
The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage to itself or the fruit - SPA
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KAUST Develops Robotic System to Improve Date Palm Harvesting

The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage to itself or the fruit - SPA
The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage to itself or the fruit - SPA

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has been developing a new robotic system designed to automate date palm harvesting, SPA reported.
According to a KAUST press release, the system aims to revolutionize the agriculture industry and establish Saudi Arabia as a leader in agriculture innovation. The research, led by KAUST Assistant Professor Shinkyu Park, focuses on automating key processes in date farming, such as harvesting, pollination, and tree maintenance through AI-powered robotics, and promises to yield larger quantities of more nutritious dates.
Park's "robotic farmers" solution combines robotics for reliable farming and AI for greater efficiency. The robotic arms of the system will be able to move as quickly as a human farmer while precisely picking each date without damage to itself or the fruit. Equipped with high-precision visual sensors, the robotic farmers can identify individual dates, flowers, and tree structures to perform tasks such as harvesting, spraying, and pruning, ensuring tree health, productivity, and longevity while reducing the risk of pest infestations and diseases.
Field trials are scheduled to begin during the 2025 harvest season, with full operational capability expected within three years. Park suggested that a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model could allow smaller farmers to access the technology without the burden of purchasing the robots outright.
The project is one of many at KAUST that will benefit date farming and food security. Such projects provide Saudi Arabia an advantage not only in agricultural technology but also in agricultural expertise, as leaders in farming and robotics are drawn to the region, while laborers will be the first to engage with the new technologies developed by Park and his team, according to the release.
"I am excited that this initiative extends beyond engineering solutions and cultivates research and development opportunities for local talent, contributing to the long-term sustainable educational and economic growth of the Kingdom," he said.

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Tunisia Says 2026 Summer Hottest on Record

Tourists pose for a picture in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Tourists pose for a picture in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia Says 2026 Summer Hottest on Record

Tourists pose for a picture in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Tourists pose for a picture in downtown Tunis, Tunisia, August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Tunisia's summer this year was its hottest on record, the country's weather authority said Tuesday, following multiple heatwaves, water shortages and power cuts.

"The summer of 2026 was ranked the hottest in Tunisia since 1950," the year temperature records began, the National Meteorological Institute said.

The average temperature was about 2.9 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record, it added.

Although accustomed to scorching heat, Tunisia experienced a particularly gruelling summer this year, with July and August marked by "intense and prolonged heatwaves", the authority said.

Scientists attribute these episodes to climate change.

This summer also saw persistently high nighttime temperatures, the agency added.

The highest temperature was recorded in the central city of Kairouan, which reached 49.7 degrees Celsius in mid-July.

Temperatures also reached 49.2 degrees Celsius in Beja in the northwest, and in the south they reached 48.4 degrees Celsius in Tozeur.

Authorities have yet to provide figures on the health impact of the heatwaves, but a group representing young Tunisian doctors reported numerous deaths it said were caused by the heat.

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Six-year-old Chinese Girl Sets World Record with Rubik's Cube

Erno Rubik, the creator of the puzzle, solves a Rubik's cube as he poses during the world's largest Rubik's Cube championship in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
Erno Rubik, the creator of the puzzle, solves a Rubik's cube as he poses during the world's largest Rubik's Cube championship in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
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Six-year-old Chinese Girl Sets World Record with Rubik's Cube

Erno Rubik, the creator of the puzzle, solves a Rubik's cube as he poses during the world's largest Rubik's Cube championship in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
Erno Rubik, the creator of the puzzle, solves a Rubik's cube as he poses during the world's largest Rubik's Cube championship in Aubervilliers, near Paris, France, July 15, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo

A six-year-old Chinese girl has set a new women's world record for solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube in just over four seconds, state media reported.

Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi broke the women's 3x3 average world record twice this month at two World Cube Association certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.

She posted averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds, after solving the Rubik's Cube five times.

Lian, who is from Chengdu, is "the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds", CCTV added.

A video CCTV posted showed the small girl wearing a red gingham bow on her head as she deftly turned and twisted a Rubik's Cube.

After solving the puzzle she places the cube on the table, claps her hands and pumps a fist into the air.

Nicknamed "Zhizhi", Lian was first introduced to the Rubik's Cube after being enrolled into a class as a child -- one of various extracurriculars alongside dance and music lessons, her mother Lin Yangxi, told local media outlets.

Lin "gradually realized" that cubing was an "excellent activity for fostering a child's comprehensive abilities" and shifted her focus towards it, she told Chengdu's Red Star News, according to AFP.

Her daughter has now mastered over 1,300 Rubik's Cube solving algorithms, practicing daily for two to three hours, Lin said.

Photos from Red Star News showed Lian's trophies displayed on a shelf in her home.

"Solving a Rubik's Cube improves focus, memory, logical thinking, spatial awareness, and helps develop a healthy mindset toward winning and losing," Lin said.

"It's not just about blindly memorizing formulas, but using logical reasoning to find optimal solutions," she added.

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800,000 Bees stolen Across Australia in ‘Sophisticated’ Operation

The frames, brood and bees stolen from 41 hives. (Tom Bidner for ABC Network)
The frames, brood and bees stolen from 41 hives. (Tom Bidner for ABC Network)
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800,000 Bees stolen Across Australia in ‘Sophisticated’ Operation

The frames, brood and bees stolen from 41 hives. (Tom Bidner for ABC Network)
The frames, brood and bees stolen from 41 hives. (Tom Bidner for ABC Network)

An estimated 800,000 bees, worth tens of thousands of dollars, have been stolen from properties in far north Queensland.

The industry is already reeling from this month’s arrival of the varroa mite parasite, according to The Guardian.

Tom Bidner, an apiarist from the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, said 44 colonies had been stolen from three different beekeepers.

“This isn’t over yet,” he said. “We’ve got so many colonies to get through. We’re still getting around and checking all our different sites.”

He estimated that each hive contained at least 20,000 bees, making it a total of more than 800,000.

The alleged thefts happened on multiple different properties in different areas and required a sophisticated operation and specialist equipment.

Rather than risking early detection by stealing an entire box, they took out what’s known as the brood box. That means the hive appears unchanged from afar.

“They’re rocking up with a truckload of gear, basically, and they’re transferring our frames into their boxes ... and putting our hives back together, so it doesn’t sort of alert any of the growers that it looks like someone’s been in and done such a thing,” Bidner said.

The thieves also didn’t take any honey, which was left on the hive.

He suspects that the culprits are probably people from within the industry.

The apiarists will lose not just the stolen insects but the value of the pollination contracts, which can run into the thousands of dollars, he said.

The grower will also lose out due to lower quality flowering.

Bidner said it was the biggest theft in memory, though far from the first.

It’s now the peak of the avocado season in far north Queensland, so hives are deployed at properties across the area on contracted pollination work for local growers. Others are just left on the side of the highway.

“Security wise, in the past, we’ve let the bees do the majority of the job ... from time to time, it definitely happens you’ll have someone try and come and tamper with a hive,” he said. “They usually get about 30 seconds into the job and they’re gone.”