What if a drone delivers a mouth-watering pizza right in your car as you wait at the red signal and fly ahead? In a bid to make drones technology more potent, a team led by an Indian-origin researcher is teaching unmanned aerial vehicles to land on moving targets.

Using fuzzy logic, researchers at University of Cincinnati are programming drones so that they can make better navigational decisions on the fly that would eventually make drones autonomous.

"It's the only realistic way that drones will have commercially viable uses such as delivering that roll of toilet paper to customers," said Manish Kumar, associate professor and lead researcher.

According to Kumar, the problem of drones having difficulty in navigating their ever-changing is compounded when the drone tries to land on a moving platform such as a delivery van or even a US Navy warship pitching in high seas.

"It has to land within a designated area with a small margin of error. Landing a drone on a moving platform is a very difficult problem scientifically and from an engineering perspective," Kumar said.

To address this challenge, the team applied a concept called fuzzy logic that helps the drone make good navigational decisions amid a sea of statistical noise. 

Researchers successfully employed fuzzy logic in a simulation to show it is an ideal system for navigating under dynamic conditions.

Kumar and co-authors presented the study at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' "SciTech 2017 Conference" held in Texas recently.

What if a drone delivers a mouth-watering pizza right in your car as you wait at the red signal and fly ahead? In a bid to make drones technology more potent, a team led by an Indian-origin researcher is teaching unmanned aerial vehicles to land on moving targets.

Using fuzzy logic, researchers at University of Cincinnati are programming drones so that they can make better navigational decisions on the fly that would eventually make drones autonomous.

"It's the only realistic way that drones will have commercially viable uses such as delivering that roll of toilet paper to customers," said Manish Kumar, associate professor and lead researcher.

According to Kumar, the problem of drones having difficulty in navigating their ever-changing is compounded when the drone tries to land on a moving platform such as a delivery van or even a US Navy warship pitching in high seas.

"It has to land within a designated area with a small margin of error. Landing a drone on a moving platform is a very difficult problem scientifically and from an engineering perspective," Kumar said.

To address this challenge, the team applied a concept called fuzzy logic that helps the drone make good navigational decisions amid a sea of statistical noise. 

Researchers successfully employed fuzzy logic in a simulation to show it is an ideal system for navigating under dynamic conditions.

Kumar and co-authors presented the study at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' "SciTech 2017 Conference" held in Texas recently.

Ace comedian Kapil Sharma, who has ventured into production with Firangi, has started shooting for the third schedule of the film.

"Good morning…New day…New hope…Schedule three...Firangi … work out motivation love you all," Kapil tweeted on Saturday.

The 35-year-old is undergoing rigorous training for his role in Firangi.

Kapil gained recognition when he won the comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 3'. He went on to do reality shows like 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6' and 'Comedy Circus' before starting his popular show 'Comedy Nights with Kapil', under his home production.

He is currently seen on 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. Kapil made his Bollywood debut with 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' in 2015.

Firangi, also featuring Ishita Dutta, is being directed by Rajeev Dhingra.
 

Ace comedian Kapil Sharma, who has ventured into production with Firangi, has started shooting for the third schedule of the film.

"Good morning…New day…New hope…Schedule three...Firangi … work out motivation love you all," Kapil tweeted on Saturday.

The 35-year-old is undergoing rigorous training for his role in Firangi.

Kapil gained recognition when he won the comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge 3'. He went on to do reality shows like 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6' and 'Comedy Circus' before starting his popular show 'Comedy Nights with Kapil', under his home production.

He is currently seen on 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. Kapil made his Bollywood debut with 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' in 2015.

Firangi, also featuring Ishita Dutta, is being directed by Rajeev Dhingra.
 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised the Delhi Police over its handling of clashes at DU's Ramjas college and alleged that the force has become an "agent" of the BJP.

He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not act as a "BJP worker" and hold police accountable for the February 22 violence.

"I strongly condemn the manner in which the Delhi Police has become an agent of the ABVP and the BJP. It is the duty of police to protect the people of Delhi and not allow the ABVP and the BJP to engage in goondaism (sic)," he told reporters.

"I hope the Prime Minister will perform his duty in an impartial way and not work like a BJP worker. The Delhi Police reports to the PM. He is not the prime minister of the BJP only but of all people, including me, and he should perform his duty," the AAP chief said.

Ramjas College had on Wednesday witnessed clashes between members of the Left-affiliated AISA and the RSS-backed ABVP.

The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on 'Culture of Protests' which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.

The Delhi Police has acknowledged "unprofessional" conduct on the part of some of its personnel during the clash and suspended three policemen.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised the Delhi Police over its handling of clashes at DU's Ramjas college and alleged that the force has become an "agent" of the BJP.

He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to not act as a "BJP worker" and hold police accountable for the February 22 violence.

"I strongly condemn the manner in which the Delhi Police has become an agent of the ABVP and the BJP. It is the duty of police to protect the people of Delhi and not allow the ABVP and the BJP to engage in goondaism (sic)," he told reporters.

"I hope the Prime Minister will perform his duty in an impartial way and not work like a BJP worker. The Delhi Police reports to the PM. He is not the prime minister of the BJP only but of all people, including me, and he should perform his duty," the AAP chief said.

Ramjas College had on Wednesday witnessed clashes between members of the Left-affiliated AISA and the RSS-backed ABVP.

The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on 'Culture of Protests' which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by the ABVP.

The Delhi Police has acknowledged "unprofessional" conduct on the part of some of its personnel during the clash and suspended three policemen.

With elections to BMC throwing up a fractured verdict, thinking is strong in Maharashtra Congress that it should consider the option of enabling the Shiv Sena to foist its candidate as mayor of the civic body.

The Congress, which managed to secure only 31 seats in the 227-member House, however, is unlikely to rush to a decision, preferring to wait till the crucial elections to the five states are over.

The tally of Shiv Sena, which emerged as the single largest party after the counting on Thursday, has risen to 87 corporators with three party rebels who won as Independent nominees returning to its fold on Friday.

This gave a slight push to Uddhav Thackeray's efforts to cobble up numbers but reaching the magic figure of 114 seats needed to rule the crucial civic body is still a far cry. He however, continued to maintain that the coveted Mayor's post will be held by Sena only.

"Party workers feel Sena is a lesser evil than the BJP," said a Congress state office-bearer, who did not wish to be identified.

The party, however, would refrain from any open discussion or statement about this until the results of UP and other state Assembly polls are out, considering the political implications of such a move could have a bearing on its prospects.

Senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde said the party is yet to take a decision on the issue, while MPCC chief Ashok Chavan chose to remain non-committal on making any open statement.

Even the proponents of the idea of backing Sena, said a final call will be taken by the party's central leadership after considering the pros and cons of entering into overt or covert trucks with a saffron party, known for its aggressive stand on certain issues, which is diametrically opposed to the secular plank of the Congress.

On the other hand, BJP which notched up 82 seats in the Mumbai civic polls after fighting separately under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has said it won't compromise on the issue of transparency in BMC administration, which was the party's poll plank.

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who met Fadnavis with city unit functionaries and people's representatives before the BJP core committee meet held at the CM's official residence 'Varsha' yesterday ruled out any tie up with Congress in BMC, to reach the figure needed for majority.

In the bitterly fought BMC elections, Shiv Sena had won 84 seats (now 87), BJP secured 82, Congress was relegated to the third position with 31 seats, whereas the NCP and Raj Thackeray-led MNS finished with nine and seven seats respectively.

Besides, AIMIM got two seats, Samajwadi Party 6, Akhil Bhartiya Sena 1 and Independents 5 (of which 3 have now joined the Sena).

With elections to BMC throwing up a fractured verdict, thinking is strong in Maharashtra Congress that it should consider the option of enabling the Shiv Sena to foist its candidate as mayor of the civic body.

The Congress, which managed to secure only 31 seats in the 227-member House, however, is unlikely to rush to a decision, preferring to wait till the crucial elections to the five states are over.

The tally of Shiv Sena, which emerged as the single largest party after the counting on Thursday, has risen to 87 corporators with three party rebels who won as Independent nominees returning to its fold on Friday.

This gave a slight push to Uddhav Thackeray's efforts to cobble up numbers but reaching the magic figure of 114 seats needed to rule the crucial civic body is still a far cry. He however, continued to maintain that the coveted Mayor's post will be held by Sena only.

"Party workers feel Sena is a lesser evil than the BJP," said a Congress state office-bearer, who did not wish to be identified.

The party, however, would refrain from any open discussion or statement about this until the results of UP and other state Assembly polls are out, considering the political implications of such a move could have a bearing on its prospects.

Senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde said the party is yet to take a decision on the issue, while MPCC chief Ashok Chavan chose to remain non-committal on making any open statement.

Even the proponents of the idea of backing Sena, said a final call will be taken by the party's central leadership after considering the pros and cons of entering into overt or covert trucks with a saffron party, known for its aggressive stand on certain issues, which is diametrically opposed to the secular plank of the Congress.

On the other hand, BJP which notched up 82 seats in the Mumbai civic polls after fighting separately under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has said it won't compromise on the issue of transparency in BMC administration, which was the party's poll plank.

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who met Fadnavis with city unit functionaries and people's representatives before the BJP core committee meet held at the CM's official residence 'Varsha' yesterday ruled out any tie up with Congress in BMC, to reach the figure needed for majority.

In the bitterly fought BMC elections, Shiv Sena had won 84 seats (now 87), BJP secured 82, Congress was relegated to the third position with 31 seats, whereas the NCP and Raj Thackeray-led MNS finished with nine and seven seats respectively.

Besides, AIMIM got two seats, Samajwadi Party 6, Akhil Bhartiya Sena 1 and Independents 5 (of which 3 have now joined the Sena).

BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said the UP election was about changing the fate of the state which has been caught in a tug of war between 'bua-bhatija' Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

He also attacked the SP-Congress alliance, saying it was a tie-up of "corrupt families".

"This election is not about electing a particular party over the other. It is about changing the bhagya (fate) of state, which has been caught in a tug of war between bua (Mayawati) and bhatija (Akhilesh) for the past 15 years," he said addressing an election rally in Ambedkarnagar, about 240 from the state capital Lucknow.

Taking a jibe at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and SP national president Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP chief said, "The tales of two princes are very unique. One is giving a tough time to his mother, while the other is posing problems for his father. And, the state is worried by their antics." 

Shah also sought a performance report from the Congress.

"Your (Rahul Gandhi) family has ruled the country for 60 years. What has it done for the country? Rahul must answer this," the BJP chief said.

BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said the UP election was about changing the fate of the state which has been caught in a tug of war between 'bua-bhatija' Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

He also attacked the SP-Congress alliance, saying it was a tie-up of "corrupt families".

"This election is not about electing a particular party over the other. It is about changing the bhagya (fate) of state, which has been caught in a tug of war between bua (Mayawati) and bhatija (Akhilesh) for the past 15 years," he said addressing an election rally in Ambedkarnagar, about 240 from the state capital Lucknow.

Taking a jibe at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and SP national president Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP chief said, "The tales of two princes are very unique. One is giving a tough time to his mother, while the other is posing problems for his father. And, the state is worried by their antics." 

Shah also sought a performance report from the Congress.

"Your (Rahul Gandhi) family has ruled the country for 60 years. What has it done for the country? Rahul must answer this," the BJP chief said.

Australia registered a massive 333-run victory over India in the first test that ended on Saturday as the hosts crumbled under the Kangaroo’s spin attack.

With this, Australia ended India's 19-match record unbeaten streak. The visitors have now taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.

Chasing a target of 441 runs in the second innings, India collapsed for just 107 runs on the third day of the opening cricket Test against Australia at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, Pune. Australia now lead the four match test series 1-0.

Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe's second five wicket haul reduced India to 99/6 at tea. The spinner ended with 6 wickets.

Cheteshwar Pujara scored the maximum (31) runs as the rest of the batsmen including captain Virat Kohli struggled to reach double figures.

More than half of the Indian side was back in the dressing room with just 89 runs on the board.

Coming in to bat in the post-lunch session after dismissing Australia for 285, the hosts ran into trouble early in their second essay with Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul and Kohli returning to the pavilion even before the Indian total had reached the 50-run mark.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been in excellent batting form in recent times, lasted all of eight deliveries before being trapped leg before by O'Keefe. The umpire had initially adjudged Ashwin as not out, but a review by the visitors prompted a change in the decision.

The hosts were reeling at 99/6 at the tea break and the Australians needed only six overs after the restart to complete the win.

Earlier, Steven Smith led from the front with a century as Australia were dismissed for 285 in their second innings at the stroke of lunch to move to a commanding position.

Dropped by Ajinkya Rahane off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling, the Australian skipper went on to make the most of the reprieve to post 109, his first century in India. 

He hit 11 boundaries during his 202-ball stay in the middle before being trapped leg before by Ravindra Jadeja.

Ashwin was the most successful among the Indian bowlers with figures of 4/119. Jadeja and fast bowler Umesh Yadav clinched three and two wickets respectively, while rookie off-spinner Jayant Yadav had one scalp to his name.

With inputs from agencies.

Australia registered a massive 333-run victory over India in the first test that ended on Saturday as the hosts crumbled under the Kangaroo’s spin attack.

With this, Australia ended India's 19-match record unbeaten streak. The visitors have now taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.

Chasing a target of 441 runs in the second innings, India collapsed for just 107 runs on the third day of the opening cricket Test against Australia at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, Pune. Australia now lead the four match test series 1-0.

Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe's second five wicket haul reduced India to 99/6 at tea. The spinner ended with 6 wickets.

Cheteshwar Pujara scored the maximum (31) runs as the rest of the batsmen including captain Virat Kohli struggled to reach double figures.

More than half of the Indian side was back in the dressing room with just 89 runs on the board.

Coming in to bat in the post-lunch session after dismissing Australia for 285, the hosts ran into trouble early in their second essay with Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul and Kohli returning to the pavilion even before the Indian total had reached the 50-run mark.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been in excellent batting form in recent times, lasted all of eight deliveries before being trapped leg before by O'Keefe. The umpire had initially adjudged Ashwin as not out, but a review by the visitors prompted a change in the decision.

The hosts were reeling at 99/6 at the tea break and the Australians needed only six overs after the restart to complete the win.

Earlier, Steven Smith led from the front with a century as Australia were dismissed for 285 in their second innings at the stroke of lunch to move to a commanding position.

Dropped by Ajinkya Rahane off Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling, the Australian skipper went on to make the most of the reprieve to post 109, his first century in India. 

He hit 11 boundaries during his 202-ball stay in the middle before being trapped leg before by Ravindra Jadeja.

Ashwin was the most successful among the Indian bowlers with figures of 4/119. Jadeja and fast bowler Umesh Yadav clinched three and two wickets respectively, while rookie off-spinner Jayant Yadav had one scalp to his name.

With inputs from agencies.

Whatsapp has ruled out a new status feature and it is making people go crazy ever since it has been rolled out. 

The new feature seems like a borrowed idea from Snapchat and Instagram. Users can now upload pictures and videos as their WhatsApp status. But the most disappointing fact about these visual statuses is that they will disappear after 24 hours and users can no longer put text statuses.   

This new Whatsapp feature is also considered a threat to Snapchat. The techies fear that once this application gains popularity people would no longer use Snapchat as Whatsapp would fulfil the need.

The users also fear the invasion of privacy, as the pictures put as statuses can be accessed by everyone who has your number.

By the reactions, one can clearly say that the users were pretty satisfied with the text statuses and this new upgradation was absolutely uncalled for!

Microsoft's India-born chief Satya Nadella on Saturday asserted that there is no place for "senseless violence" and bigotry in the society as he condemned the killing of an Indian techie in a shooting incident in the US.

"There's no place for senseless violence & bigotry in our society. My heart is with the victims & families of the horrific shooting in Kansas," Nadella tweeted.

32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was working at GPS-maker Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed after he was shot by a navy veteran yelling "get out of my country" and "terrorist" at a bar on Wednesday night in Kansas City in the state of Missouri.

Kuchibhotla's Indian colleague Alok Madasani was injured when the 51-year-old shooter opened fire on them. A third person, an American who tried to intervene, was also injured.

Earlier this month, Hyderabad-born Nadella during an interaction with students here had underlined the importance of "diversity and inclusion" amid an environment of divisiveness.

Also during an employee Q&A on January 30, Nadella had addressed President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration, saying there is no place for bias or bigotry in any society.

Nadella's comments come against the backdrop of a divisive and anti-immigrant rhetoric engulfing the US under the presidency of Trump.

Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who welcomed his first child — a daughter named Hinaya Heer — with wife and actress Geeta Basra last year, says becoming a father is the best thing that has happened to him.

Geeta gave birth Hinaya in July 27 last year in London.

Asked how fatherhood is treating him, Harbhajan told over phone: "It's the best thing that happened to me…Obviously it is a great responsibility, but it's great joy…I just can't describe what fatherhood is…But it's amazing. (It) Makes me feel complete."

Geeta and Harbhajan tied the knot in October, 2015 in Jalandhar, Punjab after being in a relationship for several years

On the work front, Harbhajan has joined "MTV Roadies Rising" as a gang leader.
 

A lot of good things have been happening in Shahid Kapoor's life, from his marriage in 2015 to the grand success of Udta Punjab in 2016 followed by his greatest reason of jubilance, the birth of his beautiful daughter Misha Kapoor. At 36, he has achieved everything he had ever wished for.

In spite of having a filmy background, Shahid made it big on his own. His parents' actor Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem separated when he was just three years old and the actor moved in with his mother.

As a child, he was hugely fascinated with dance and joined Shiamak Davar's dance troop. He got a chance to appear in several Bollywood films as a background dancer. He shared the stage with actresses Aishwarya Rai and Karishma Kapoor, while he was in Shiamak's dance school.

From a background dancer in Taal to a superstar, his journey to stardom was nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. 

His performance in Haider, Jab We Met and Udta Punjab made him one of the most successful Bollywood actors and the audience got to see how beautifully Shahid essays the characters offered to him. In a recent award function, Shahid Kapoor was awarded the best actor award for his spectacular performance in Udta Punjab.

Although the fans miss his chocolate boy looks, his raw and sizzling avatars in Rangoon and Udta Punjab is greatly admired too. 

According to critics, Shahid Kapoor was the heart and soul of his recent flick Rangoon. In spite of Kangana Ranaut having the maximum screen space, Shahid had managed to retain his space both in the film and in audience's heart. 
 

Google said it will begin offering media groups an artificial intelligence tool designed to stamp out incendiary comments on their websites.

The programming tool, called Perspective, aims to assist editors trying to moderate discussions by filtering out abusive "troll" comments, which Google says can stymie smart online discussions.

"Seventy-two per cent of American internet users have witnessed harassment online and nearly half have personally experienced it," said Jared Cohen, president of Google's Jigsaw technology incubator.

"Almost a third self-censor what they post online for fear of retribution," he added in a blog post yesterday titled "When computers learn to swear".

Perspective is an application programming interface (API), or set of methods for facilitating communication between systems and devices, that uses machine learning to rate how comments might be regarded by other users.

The system, which will be provided free to media groups including social media sites, is being tested by The Economist, The Guardian, The New York Times and Wikipedia.

Many news organisations have closed down their comments sections for lack of sufficient human resources to monitor the postings for abusive content.

"We hope we can help improve conversations online," Cohen said.

Google has been testing the tool since September with The New York Times, which wanted to find a way to maintain a "civil and thoughtful" atmosphere in reader comment sections.

Perspective's initial task is to spot toxic language in English, but Cohen said the goal was to build tools for other languages, and which could identify when comments are "unsubstantial or off-topic".

Twitter said earlier this month that it too would start rooting out hateful messages, which are often anonymous, by identifying the authors and prohibiting them from opening new accounts, or hiding them from internet searches.

Last year, Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft signed a "code of good conduct" with the European Commission, pledging to examine most abusive content signalled by users within 24 hours.