A recap of what made news in the world of science and technology this week.

Nasa selects three companies to develop lunar vehicles

US space agency Nasa has awarded contracts to three companies to develop lunar vehicles that could be used for future human missions to the Moon. In a statement on 3 April, Nasa said that Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab were selected to advance capabilities for a lunar terrain vehicle (or LTV) that Artemis astronauts will use to travel around the lunar surface, conducting scientific research during the agency’s Artemis campaign at the Moon and preparing for human missions to Mars. The LTV – almost like a lunar buggy – will be able to handle the extreme conditions at the Moon’s South Pole and will feature advanced technologies for power management, autonomous driving, and state of the art communications and navigation systems, Nasa said on its website. Intuitive Machines recently became the first company to land a privately operated spacecraft intact on the moon.

Apple looking into making personal robots: report

Apple might have abandoned its plans for an electric car, but the technology giant is now possibly looking into the field of home robotics, a Bloomberg report said earlier this week. Engineers at Apple have been exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes, people familiar with the situation said, who asked not to be identified because the project is private. The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around, they said. The report added: “Though the effort is still in the beginning stages — and it’s unclear if the products will ultimately be released — Apple is under growing pressure to find new sources of revenue.”

Meta to start labeling AI-generated content in May

Instagram and Facebook owner Meta announced on Thursday that it plans to start labeling AI-generated content in May 2024. The company said in a blogpost on 5 April that is making changes to the way manipulated media is handled based on feedback from the Oversight Board and a policy review process with public opinion surveys and expert consultations. Meta will begin labeling a wider range of video, audio and image content as “Made with AI” when it detects industry standard AI image indicators or when people disclose that they’re uploading AI-generated content, the post explained. “Our manipulated media policy was written in 2020 when realistic AI-generated content was rare and the overarching concern was about videos. In the last four years, and particularly in the last year, people have developed other kinds of realistic AI-generated content like audio and photos, and this technology is quickly evolving,” Monika Bickert, vice-president of content policy, said in the blog post.

(Compiled by Nitin Sreedhar; with inputs from agencies)

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