London, July 27 : British and Japanese researchers have developed a robot that may give bartenders a run for their money.
The robot called Mr. Asahi can pull pints, pour shots and open bottles at high speed without asking for orders to be repeated.
It has been named after Japanese beer company Asahi, which is looking after it on its US tour these days.
"I think everyone loves the novelty of a robot that can pour beer. We''ve had a few bartenders who have said ''with this guy on the scene, my job''s in danger'', but given that he cost £100,000 to make, it may be a while before that happens," the Scotsman quoted Martin Leppard, the technical manager for the company, as saying.
Washington, July 27 : People in San Francisco may soon be able to find parking space via their laptops and mobile phones, thanks to a network of wireless sensors to be embedded in the streets.
The sensors from the company Streetline can detect when a car parks in the spot beside it, and monitor passing traffic.
About 6,000 wireless sensors will be fixed alongside many parking spots, which will then monitor both parking availability and the volume and speed of passing traffic.
Toronto, July 27 : New computer software scheduled for testing at Toronto''s Hospital for Sick Children may prove effective in saving the lives of premature babies, and take neonatal care to a new level, say researchers.
Experts from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology will lead the trial of the IBM software, with the goal of helping doctors make better decisions about treatment at a faster pace.
The existing technique requires babies to be connected to monitors that provide a variety of data on paper and onscreen, and the information is only stored for up to 24 hours and then discarded.