Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world? It is an increasingly urgent question, given the recent mining accidents in Sago, W. Va and Huntington, Utah. A small group of engineers and robotics experts look forward to a day in the not-too-distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.

Robotic technology, in particular, holds much promise, McAteer says, especially when it comes to mapping mines and rescuing trapped miners—the special operations of the mining industry.

One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. It was called Groundhog. It used lasers to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.

The latest design is called Cave Crawler. It’s a bit smaller than Groundhog, and even more advanced. It can take photos and videos and has more sensors that can detect the presence of dangerous gases. Incredibly, the robot has a real sense of logic. If it comes across an

The greatest problem, though, is cost. The money of the earliest research project was provided by the government, but that money had dried up, and it’s not clear where future money will come from. Partly for that reason, and partly because of advances in safety, mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past. Since 1990, fatalities (死亡) have declined by 67% and injuries by 51%, according to the National Mining Association.

Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry. The robots do the most boring and dangerous jobs, but won’t get rid of the need for human workers.

Stephen Wamukato, a nine year-old from Mukwa village in western Kenya, is making headlines worldwide for his smarthand washing machine. The young boy came up with the idea after watching village residents, who do not have easy access to running water, struggling to find an effective way to wash their hands to avoid spreading and getting COVID-19.

Using the few resources available for him to use — wooden pieces, nails, and a bucket — Stephen designed and built a simple but effective cleansing station. The clever creation consists of two pedals (踏板) — one to release soap and the other to release water — enabling villagers to wash their hands without physical contact, therefore reducing the likelihood of getting the awful infectious disease.

"I had bought some pieces of wood to make a window, but when I came back home after work one day, I found that Stephen had made the machine," his father, James, told the BBC. "The concept was his, and I helped tighten the machine. I'm very proud. Janies credits Stephen's building heroism to the village school's integrated (综合的) courses that teaches children to put together and construct items from a very young age.

The invention, which drew Widespread attention after James posted a photo on Facebook, has made Stephen an instant celebrity (名人) in Kenya In early June 2020, the country's leader. President Uhuru Kenyatta, presented the nine-year-old with the Uzalendo Award. The newly-created presidential honor is designed to acknowledge civilians who are making significant contributions towards the nation's fight against COVID-19.

Stephen has also been promised a full scholarship to a school that can match his creative talent, by Bungoma County Governor. Though thrilled at the unexpected fame and success, Stephen is not resting on his honors. The young boy has already built another hand washing machine and plans on adding several more, so that the village which has no reported cases of the infectious disease, can remain COVID-19 free!

A new mobile application called Farm Assistant was developed by Wu Zeyin. Wu is 11 years old now, who moved to Botswana with his family in 2016.

During the past years living in the country, Wu found that the quantity of fruit and vegetables sold at local supermarkets was very limited and the quality was poor. Some vegetables weren’t ripe, such as small carrots and green tomatoes. They are also quite expensive. Tropical savanna (草原) and desert climates are typical in most parts of the country. This makes it difficult to grow common crops. Drought-tolerant species of corn, sorghum and beans are also uncommon.

For a long time, due to the food shortage, Botswana had to import many grains, fruits and vegetables from neighboring countries to meet the needs of its people.

In July last year, Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, successfully kicked off a pilot project to grow China’s water-saving and drought-tolerant rice. This brought Wu some new ideas on local agriculture.

The app supports eight crops commonly grown locally. These include tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, cabbage, eggplant and radishes. Farmers who use the application can click on the crop picture. They can see its time points of planting, watering needs, ripening time, seed price, selling price and yield. After planting the seeds, farmers click the timer to start. The application reminds them what to do at each stage.

Wu, whose invention has been moving the needle for the life of Botswana farmers, still focuses on solving agricultural problems. He quotes an old saying in China, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and he feeds himself for life. ”