#bridge

#bridge

AI Beats 8 Human World Champions at BridgeIt looks like computers have bested us yet again!An artificial intelligence has succeeded at beating eight champions at bridge, a card game that involves players competing in pairs. The algorithm, named NooK, created by French startup NukkAI, challenged the seasoned players to play 800 consecutive deals– that is 80 sets of ten. NooK won 67 out of the 80 sets. According to Jean-Baptiste Fantun, the co-founder of NukkAI, he was confident that the AI would win. The interesting thing about this new AI is that it is capable of explaining its decisions as it goes along, unlike other models. The bridge players were awed at the AI, finding it had the ability to read its opponents way better than how actual humans do. In addition, they noticed that playing with the AI was like competing with an experienced player. “This is something that humans do after enough experience and I was pleasantly surprised that a robot mimics typical human skills,” Nevena Senior, one of the champions the algorithm fought, said. Image credit: Inês Ferreira#bridge #artificialintelligence #computers #cards #technology #NukkAI #NooK 

The World’s Oldest BridgeWe don't built bridges the way we used to. Modern bridges need regular maintenance and even then will fail in a hundred years or so. But then again, Modern bridges have to carry much more weight than their ancient ancestors. The bridge you see here is called the Arkadiko Bridge or Kazarma Bridge. It's on a road between Tiryns and Epidauros in Greece, and it's been there since 1300 BC! The bridge is strong enough and wide enough for cars to pass over (one at a time, please), although it was designed for chariots. It's made of natural stone, cut and fitted together with no mortar. It is held together by pure physics! Read about the Arkadiko Bridge and other Greek bridges that are almost as old at Amusing Planet. (Image credit: Davide Mauro) #bridge #ancient #construction

Air India Plane Stuck Under a BridgeA Twitter post showing an Air India plane stuck under a pedestrian bridge in Delhi has gone viral. This plane, with wings removed, was reported to be sold off, and it got stuck in the process of its transportation.Journalist Ashoke Raj shared a statement by Air India saying, “This is a [deregistered] scrapped aircraft of Air India which has been sold off. This was transported last night by the party [new owners]. Air India has got no connection whatsoever with the aircraft under any circumstances."Many people shared their online reactions to the viral video. Some shared their observations as they witnessed workers attempting to remove it. Others commented on how route checks should have been done prior to the transportation.Image:Ashoke Raj/Twitter#plane #bridge #stuck #India #Delhi

World’s First 3D-Printed Steel BridgeLast week, the world’s first 3D-printed steel bridge was unveiled in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.The 40-foot-long (12 meter) bridge was created from 6 tons of stainless steel in just 6 months by four industrial 3D printing robots by Dutch company MX3D. It was created using a 3D printing technique called wire and arc additive manufacturing that combines robotics with welding.In addition to serving as a foot bridge over one of the canals in Amsterdam’s city center, it will also serve as a “living laboratory” as a network of sensors will monitor and analyze its performance as the bridge serves pedestrian traffic. The data collected will enable engineers to measure the bridge’s ‘health’ in real time and understand further how 3D printed steel structures will perform over time.Professor Leroy Gardner of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College London said in a statement, “D printing presents tremendous opportunities to the construction industry, enabling far greater freedom in terms of material properties and shapes. This freedom also brings a range of challenges and will require structural engineers to think in new ways.”To unveil the new 3D-printed steel bridge, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands pressed a button that prompted a robot to cut a ribbon hanging across the bridge.Images: MX3D#bridge #3DPrinting #MX3D #steel #civilengineering #welding