Robots replace human workers at Japan’s 'Weird Hotel'
SASEBO, Japan — From the receptionist that does the check-in and check-out to the porter that’s an automated trolley taking luggage up to the room, this hotel in southwestern Japan, aptly called Weird Hotel, is “manned” almost totally by robots to save labor costs.
Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel as part of an amusement park, insists using robots is not a gimmick, but a serious effort to utilize technology and achieve efficiency.
The receptionist robot that speaks in English is a vicious-looking dinosaur, and the one that speaks Japanese is a female humanoid with blinking lashes. “If you want to check in, push 1,” the dinosaur says. The visitor still has to punch a button on the desk, and type in information on a touch screen.
Henn na Hotel, as it is called in Japanese, was shown to reporters Wednesday, complete with robot demonstrations, ahead of its opening to the public Friday.
Another feature of the hotel is the use of facial-recognition technology, instead of the standard electronic keys, by registering the digital image of the guest’s face during check-in. Read more at Robots replace human workers at Japan’s Weird Hotel
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Researchers find new 'flesh eating' bacteria strain could be spreading worldwide
Scientists have warned that a new strain of a 'flesh-eating' bug is spreading globally, and has contributed to a rise in disease cases in the UK.
The group A streptococcus bacteria typically causes relatively minor infections, such as tonsilitis, and is treated readily with antibiotics.
However, in severe cases of invasive infection, the bacteria can cause necrotising fasciitis - a condition which destroys and eats away at body tissue, and causes pneumonia and blood poisoning.
Scientists investigating the bacteria realised there had been a rise in group A streptococcus infections over an 11-year period between 1998 and 2009 that were linked to the new, more potent sub-type, named emm89.
Scientists in Japan, Canada, France and Sweden have also reported a surge in infections linked to this new strain - suggesting that it is spreading globally.
The new strain produces more toxin than other types, but is also unique in having apparently shed its outer capsule, which could make it more likely to cause serious invasive infections.
Dr Claire Turner, from the Imperial College team, said that it was previously thought that the outer capsule was essential to cause invasive disease.
However, Dr Turner added that the lack of capsule may help the bacteria infect sufferers.
"We know that without capsule, they stick better to surfaces, so that may help them to transmit more easily", she said.
"Another possibility is that they can more easily get inside human cells, which makes them harder to treat.
Professor Shiranee Sriskandan, from Imperial College London, believes that more research is needed into how to prevent the spread of this new strain.
She said: "We know very little about how group A streptococcus is transmitted from person to person. We need to look into this more deeply and think about better ways to prevent transmission.
"Luckily, the new variant remains exquisitely sensitive to penicillin and related antibiotics. But we also need to think about whether our treatment strategies are as good as they can be." - Researchers find new 'flesh eating' bacteria strain could be spreading worldwide
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Operation Jade Helm....Stay Calm
On Wednesday, the United States military officially began Operation Jade Helm, a super-secret military exercise involving a vast number of U.S. armed forces...the largest number of forces participating in such an exercise that's concentrated in the Southwest. The general sentiment among conspiracy theorists is that Jade Helm is the military’s attempt to impose martial law on Texas, Utah, and the other territories deemed “hostile” according to a unclassified map of the exercise. Some have gone a step further, claiming that the government is either going to establish processing centers in Wal-Marts, or that it’s an exercise to prepare them for the breakdown of society in the aftermath of a catastrophic event.
I have discussed the subject with several civil servants who work in a variety of Federal positions...though I'm not going to be specific. The overall consensus is that Jade Helm is a show of force against ISIS, which announced that it wanted to smuggle a nuclear weapon across the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the sources, this particular threat raised Homeland Security's radar and the White House & US military were quickly on board. I believe a multi-international coalition is forming in order to defeat ISIS and that this domestic operation is just the beginning. Lon
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Some of the faithful are calling it the Holy Spirit...a 'dove of light' on the head of Pope Francis. What is it? Is it simply a photographic anomaly?
Source: La extraña y mística foto del Papa Francisco en su visita a Paraguay: la palabra de un especialista
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Mutated plants near Fukushima gain internet fame — Pics show centers fused together, petals growing out of sides, ring-shaped flower with 4 stems — US Gov’t Expert: Plant abnormalities can be induced after only 24 hours of exposure to radioactive fallout.
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