September 25, 2023

New humanoid robot will aid guests at Sphere's Las Vegas arena

Sophisticated, AI-powered humanoid robots will greet visitors to the Sphere, the new concert venue at the Venetian Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Five "Aura" spokesbots, hailed in a press release Tuesday as "the world's most advanced humanoid robot," will communicate with guests, answering queries with human-like facial expressions and mobility.

MSG Ventures CEO David Dibble told USA Today the spokesbots will not only move in familiar ways, but will be able to recognize humans, which he found "stunning."

"[Some] people may find it creepy, but everybody will find it fascinating," Dibble said. Aura "sees you, and as you move around, she'll follow you, she'll track you, she'll interact with you."

Aura will use artificial intelligence to learn and grow via communicating with humans.

"Hello, humans. While I understand the most complex concepts of math and science -- you remain a mystery," Aura said in the press release.

The 17,500-seat Sphere opens Sept. 19 with a 17-show residency by U2, marking the band's first live performances in four years.

The building, taller than the Statue of Liberty, is covered by massive screens that make for surreal daily entertainment for Vegas commuters.

The spokesbots will be more than novelties. They will be able to "answer complex questions about the groundbreaking engineering, layers of custom-designed technology and the creative mission at the core of venue," in addition to providing directions and additional information on performances.

Aura will also function as a brand ambassador for Sphere, with its image on various digital platforms and all over social media.

Astronomers say carbon dioxide on Jupiter's moon Europa likely originated in ocean

Data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope shows carbon dioxide on a region of Jupiter's moon Europa, suggesting it potentially could harbor conditions suitable for life.

Astronomers found carbon dioxide on the icy surface of a region called Tara Regio, and analysis from two studies suggests it likely originated in the moon's subsurface ocean.

"Understanding the chemistry of Europa's ocean will help us determine whether it's hostile to life as we know it, or if it might be a good place for life," Geronimo Villanueva, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a news release.

Villanueva is the lead author of one of the studies. Using Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument, researchers determined the chemical composition of ice by measuring the amount of light at different wavelengths.

"We now think we have observational evidence that the carbon we see on Europa's surface came from the ocean. That's not a trivial thing. Carbon is a biologically essential element," Samantha Trumbo, of Cornell University in Ithaca and lead author of the other paper, said.

Heavy concentrations of carbon dioxide in the salty Tara Regio region, where the surface ice has been disrupted, suggest the carbon originated deep in the ocean. This suggests a similarity with Earth's deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems, where life on Earth may have originated, Scientific American reported.

Villanueva's looked for a plume of water vapor but found no evidence in the new Webb data. Plumes were tentatively detected in previous research, suggesting they could be variable.

"This work gives a first hint of all the amazing solar system science we'll be able to do with Webb," Heidi Hammel of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, said in the NASA news release.

In October 2024, NASA is set to launch its Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will further study the possibility of life-sustaining conditions on Europa.