Researchers have successfully created a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons using 3D printing for the first time. A team from ETH Zurich in Switzerland were able to accomplish the complex construction using a new technology that combines 3D printing with a laser scanner and feedback mechanism. The method opens up the possibility of building far more complex and durable robots in the future, according to the researchers. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this hand with the fast-curing polyacrylates we’ve been using in 3D printing so far,” said Robert Katzschmann, a professor of robotics at ETH Zurich and leader of the research into the next-generation robotic hand. It marks a breakthrough in both 3D printing – with all the hand’s components printed simultaneously rather than assembled separately – as well as the field of soft robotics, which shuns materials like metal that are typically used to construct robots. “Robots made of soft materials, such as the hand we developed, have advantages over conventional robots made of metal,” said Professor Katzschmann. “Because they’re soft, there is less risk of injury when they work with humans, and they are better suited to handling fragile goods.” Despite significant advances in industrial robots over the last decade, they still pose a considerable risk to humans working alongside them. Earlier this month, a South Korean man was crushed to death by a machine that mistook him for a box of vegetables. The latest soft robotic hand was detailed in a paper, titled ‘Vision-controlled jetting for composite systems and robots’, published in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday. “Recreating complex structures and functions of natural organisms in a synthetic form is a long-standing goal for humanity,” the paper notes. “Our approach provides an automated, scalable, high-throughput process to manufacture high-resolution, functional multi material systems.” Read More MIT invents self-replicating AI robots Users of iPhones can now check bank balance from Wallet app Battery breakthrough brings ‘unprecedented performance’ to next-gen cells Google issues three-week warning to Gmail account holders

A man has sparked a debate on Reddit after he admitted to making an 'obese' passenger pay him an extra $100 because he took up part of his seat. The supposed incident was reported on the infamous subreddit "Am I The A**hole?' where the user asked: 'AITA for making an obese man pay me cash to take up part of my seat on a long flight?' According to the man he was on a 5-hour cross-country flight where he had purposefully booked an aisle seat in a row of just two meaning there was no middle seat; just an aisle and a window seat. The user said that he saw the other passenger coming and was 'crossing his fingers' that he wasn't sitting next to him but sure enough he was. The man continues: "I get up and let him in politely, wanting to at least give him a chance. Well, he sits down and is easily seeping into about 1/3 of my seat. I sit down and am pressed up against him, making me uncomfortable. After a minute, I decided to be upfront and tell him: “Sir, I’m sorry but this situation is not working for me, you’re taking up quite a bit of my seat”. He added that the passenger just gave him a 'shrug' and tried to make himself narrower by tightening his arms but did little to appease the disgruntled man. He eventually decided to consult an air stewardess who told him the only way he they could resolve the issue was to buy another seat or book another flight. There were no other seats available on the plane though and the man admitted that he couldn't wait for a later flight, that's when he decided to make the 'obese' man an offer: "Look, I’ll put up with this if you give me $150 — that’s half the cost of this flight and that would compensate me enough for the circumstances." Amazingly, he claimed that the other man instantly agreed to this deal and not only paid him in cash but also told him that he 'appreciated' it. However, despite both men reportedly being happy with the resolution the man claimed that others on board were quietly judging him and branded him an 'a**hole' for making the other man pay to sit next to him. Needless to say many felt the man was out of order for the way he acted. One person said: "The problem here was that this large dude stuck you with being uncomfortable on your flight, right? Well, the $150 didn't make you any less squished in your seat, so it really feels like you just blackmailed this guy for being fat." Another wrote: "This is ridiculous. You made a scene and embarrassed the man and then made him pay you for a fraction of your seat. You are the epitome of an a**hole." A third added: "You didn’t settle this privately—you humiliated the guy by involving the flight attendant and then demanding $150 to allow him to stay on this flight." Some did defend him though feeling that the other man and the airline were in the wrong. One said: "He should have bought two seats, this is his fault, in fact he got off well with it. He agreed and you agreed. I am sure if the people behind you were in the same position they would have thought differently." A second person wrote: "You compromised. He compromised. It was an awkward situation of nobody's making. I think half the cost of the flight was maybe a bit steep though, if he was only in a third of your seat. Having said that, five hours is a long time." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The top diplomats from South Korea, Japan and China have met to discuss when to resume their leaders’ trilateral summit after a four-year hiatus

The Santa Fe Opera will present the world premiere of “The Righteous” by composer Gregory Spears with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy K

Watch the highlights from day two of London Fashion Week 2023 on Saturday (16 September), as Jourdan Dunn appeared on the runway during an emotional evening for Richard Quinn. The show, which was dedicated to the designer’s late father, brought Quinn to tears as he embraced his mother at the end. Elsewhere in the city, the Roksanda SS24 collection was shown on an outdoor catwalk at the Barbican Centre. Designer Roksanda Ilincic said she was inspired by 15th-century fresco paintings from the monasteries of her native Serbia.

The struggle to certify the results of Guatemala's first-round presidential elections has suffered another setback, after the chief justice of the Supreme Court issued an order blocking the certification

Guatemala's attorney general's office raided the headquarters of the country’s electoral authority hours after it certified the results of the country’s June 25 election, deepening the country's political crisis

A great was considering the question of greatness. A manager who, even by his own definition, has done the exceptional, accepted he is deemed unfulfilled. Pep Guardiola has reached the stage where his Premier League titles feel routine. In a way, they are: he has five in six seasons. The abnormal has started to appear normal, the extraordinary ordinary. Perhaps the Manchester City manager wanted a greater recognition of the achievement. Or maybe he was reflecting the wider commentary about his reign. “To be considered one of the greatest in Europe we have to win the Champions League, otherwise people will say our time here is not complete,” he said. “There is a part that sometimes can be unfair for the fact you have to win the Champions League to give credit or value to what we have done. It would not be fair to say it’s not extraordinary that what we have done with five Premier Leagues in six. In world football, all managers in the Premier League, the players, sporting directors and clubs, they know how exceptional it is.” It is sufficiently unusual that only two teams have ever previously won five English leagues in six seasons: Liverpool between 1978 and 1984, Manchester United from 1995 to 2001. City have reached points totals neither mustered, but they conquered Europe. The final frontier is also the quest for credit. There is an ongoing battle for a different kind of legitimacy, given the 115 Premier League charges that will be heard, perhaps far into the future. There may be a definitive ruling if some of their funding involved rule-breaking. It may not end the arguments or answer the question if there is an asterisk – or several – attached to this era. City’s place in history is both assured and up for debate. “We don’t need decades to think about how good this was,” Guardiola said. The evidence is apparent on the pitch; City have sustained brilliance for most of the last six seasons. They might yet reach a century of league goals for the third time; they got 99 in a fourth campaign. They already have done one treble, a domestic hat-trick of the Premier League and both cups in 2018-19. They hold the record for points, with 100; the only team to deny them the title in that time, Liverpool in 2019-20, had to start with 26 wins in 27 games. Guardiola has had his travails in Champions League knockout ties but has industrialised the winning of leagues like few others. His 11 in 14 seasons, spread across Spain, Germany and England, speak to the huge talents he has coached, the vast resources he has enjoyed, his considerable prowess on the training ground and his vivid imagination. Most seasons involve tinkering until he finds a formula so potent it leads to an extended winning run: in past seasons, it has involved an array of false nines, or the transformation of Ilkay Gundogan into a box-crashing, goalscoring midfielder, or using Joao Cancelo as a playmaker full-back, or making midfielders like Oleksandr Zinchenko or Fabian Delph into left-backs. The 2023 surge – and City’s record stands at 12 straight league wins, 16 home victories in a row in all competitions and 24 games unbeaten – owed much to making John Stones a hybrid of midfielder, full-back and centre-back. Cancelo, the great revolutionary, was exiled when Guardiola complained about the “happy flowers” in his team. “How nice and intelligent I was,” he reflected. The Premier League charges for breaching financial regulations may have been a reason why the division’s chief executive Richard Masters ended up presenting medals to City: they helped generate a siege mentality. There were other factors. “To get to where Manchester City are, a lot of things have to align,” noted Frank Lampard, the beaten Chelsea manager on Sunday. “They’ve built this over years [with an] incredible vision of the club. I worked here for a year, I understand the people at the top and how well organised it is and they’ve brought in a great coach and so many great players so they are the benchmark.” Perhaps few arrived as great footballers, though. But Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne, class acts and big-game players, were especially influential in the run-in. The exponential improvement of footballers under Guardiola’s coaching – Stones, Rodri, Nathan Ake and Jack Grealish are all prominent examples this season – can add a dimension. City are not alone in spending heavily but, in Julian Alvarez and Manuel Akanji, they secured twin bargains in 2022. Then there is the Haaland factor: Erling Haaland’s return of over a goal a game has lent the sense of superhuman prowess. His goal tally and his youth have an ominous element, suggesting City’s superiority could extend for years to come. Haaland could entrench dominance, though it is worth noting the year City cruised to the title was actually 2017-18, when they won by 19 points. “A few weeks ago, Arsenal looked like they might win the league,” noted Lampard. Arsenal were top for 248 days; for the last few weeks of them, it seemed they were intimidated by the idea of City, dropping points even before they were demolished 4-1 at the Etihad. But when the Gunners’ lead stretched to eight points, there were times when City felt a poor result away from losing touch. But the elastic never snapped. “So they bring us to our limits,” Guardiola said. “If we don’t make this run of 12 games in a row winning after making 50 points in the first leg, it would have been impossible.” Arsenal took 50 points in the first half of the season; finish off with two more wins and City will have 52 from the second half. Theirs has been an irresistible response which has lent the feeling of inevitability. It has become City’s extra asset, rendering it harder for anyone to depose them. They will start as overwhelming favourites next season, aiming to become the first team to claim four consecutive English league titles. But there is still the Champions League, still more to prove, still more to win. Read More Five titles in six years: Are Manchester City destroying the Premier League? Man City’s Premier League coronation shows how far their rivals have fallen Pep Guardiola says Arsenal ‘took us to our limits’ and targets Champions League ‘Unstoppable’ Manchester City players have the hunger to win more trophies Frank Lampard reveals Chelsea future ahead of Mauricio Pochettino confirmation Pep Guardiola’s five decisions that won Man City the Premier League

Mick Fleetwood has confirmed that his restaurant in Hawaii has been burnt down by the ongoing deadly wildfires in Maui. The Fleetwood Mac co-founder, 76, wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Fleetwood’s on Front Street “has been lost” as the fires ripped through the historic town of Lahaina on the island. At least 67 people have died in the disaster, alongside more than 1,700 buildings and billions of dollars in property that have been destroyed. More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from Maui as of Wednesday. In his post, Fleetwood wrote: “Maui and the Lahaina community have been my home for several decades. This is a devastating moment for Maui, and many are suffering unimaginable loss. “Fleetwood’s on Front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken, our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members. On behalf of myself and my family, I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of Maui. “We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days and months and years to come,” he added. Fleetwood opened his fine dining restaurant in 2012, featuring live entertainment and a rooftop area for customers to enjoy. The restaurant’s official Instagram account also shared a post, which read: “We do not have enough information at this time regarding Fleetwood’s on Front Street or any of our neighbours to share. Mahalo for your continued thoughts and prayers for our ohana, community and our first responders.” The wildfires began on Tuesday and have worsened throughout the week as a faraway hurricane fanned the flames, causing them to spread quickly. Governor Josh Green of Hawaii told a news conference on Thursday (10 August): “The full extent of the destruction of Lahaina will shock you. It does appear that a bomb went off.” US president Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration and has ordered Federal aid to help local recovery efforts in the affected areas. He added in a White House statement: “Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses and communities destroyed. “We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm’s way to save lives.” A number of celebrities have also sent the people of Maui their well-wishes and have shared ways fans can help. Jason Momoa, who is Hawaiian, shared a post on Instagram to inform fans where they can donate to help with rescue efforts. He wrote: “We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and ohana on Maui who [have] been impacted by the recent wildfires.” Bette Midler tweeted this week: “The beautiful island of Maui, in the most beautiful state in the union, is suffering. My family and I send our deepest and most profound sympathies to everyone who has lost anything or everything in the Maui fires.” Former US president Barack Obama has also spoken out and said in an Instagram Story: “It’s tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawaii – a place that’s special to so many of us. Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down.” Read More Maui fires – live: Wildfires death toll climbs to 55 with 1,000 people still missing on Hawaii island ‘Heartbroken’ Aquaman star Jason Momoa reacts to ‘apocalyptic’ Maui wildfires Woman says her life was ‘blown up’ by viral plane rant where she called passenger ‘not real’ Where to find the best Guinness in London – and how to spot a bad one How to save money on your summer barbecue as prices soar Madeira: an unparalleled gastro heaven

As Jesse Watters narrated the history of the debates ahead of the big moment, the internet users said they would rather watch Tucker Carlson's interview with Donald Trump

By Stephanie Kelly Oil prices edged higher for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, as worries about political

A24 is developing a biopic of Elon Musk, and 'The Whale' director Darren Aronofsky is on board to direct