A Black Hawk flies without a pilot for 30 minutes

The youngest pair of asteroids spotted by astronomers are just 300 years old, The US Justice Dept. arrests the pair behind a colossal crypto heist Feb 09, 2022 [View in browser]( I want to trust autonomous technologies. I want to believe that they can bring us worry-free traffic with no delays, no danger, and no more cluttered, crowded subway cars. It’s enough to make one wish they could fly to work. But what if the sky were as full as the streets? Just imagine how a sky teeming with self-flying aircraft would feel. Well, it’s closer than you think: DARPA just flew a Black Hawk helicopter without a pilot for 30 minutes. Before we explore that self-flying future, we have the perfect clip for generating your own electricity via a DIY miniature hydropower dam. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor here at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get into it. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Get off the grid a little with this mini hydropower dam]( Power your electronics for free with this DIY miniature hydropower dam. [Get off the grid a little with this mini hydropower dam]( INNOVATION [DARPA flew a Black Hawk helicopter without a pilot for 30 minutes]( [The Pilotless Black Hawk in flight.]( The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) [conducted a 30-minute pilotless flight]( of a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter, marking a significant milestone in its Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program. Patchwork? The aircraft wasn't built from scratch. Instead, it was merely retrofitted with the core technology of the ALIAS program to give it autonomous abilities in flight. - Sikorsky Matrix. This novel technology allows the rotorcraft to be piloted autonomously or with the support of a human pilot, and it’s intended to help aviators execute their missions by assisting with challenging conditions like limited visibility or a communication drop-out. DARPA's intrigue with autonomous technologies goes way back: The research agency ran projects exploring the area in the early 2000s but could not get a clear winner for the challenges it’d set. Nearly two decades later, the ALIAS system can now fly a helicopter on its own, but, thankfully, it still lacks [access to the weapons system](. For now. [Read More]( SCIENCE [The youngest pair of asteroids spotted by astronomers are just 300 years old]( [Artist's rendition of the asteroid pair.]( An international team of astronomers hailing from the Czech Republic, Italy, and the U.S. [has discovered the youngest pair of asteroids]( ever recorded in our solar system, beating the previous record by a factor of ten. - Babies on board. Dubbed 2019 PR2 and 2019 QR6, the pair split from their parent body only 300 years ago, making them the youngest known asteroids in the solar system. Where to? The parent body for the asteroid pair was likely a comet, whose jets of gas sent the asteroids to their present-day positions. However, the asteroids [don’t show comet-like properties]( which raises further questions about their ancient journey. Astronomers are hopeful that at least some of these questions will be answered when the asteroid duo passes Earth again in 2033. When we’re all a decade older, they'll be within the reach of the giant telescopes peering at the skies. [Read More]( CULTURE [The US Justice Dept. arrests the pair behind a colossal crypto heist]( [A physical Bitcoin (left), and the US Supreme Court (right).]( The sun may be setting on the wild west of colossal crypto heists. The U.S. Justice Department [has placed two people under arrest]( for allegedly laundering (stealing) bitcoin worth more than $3.6 billion over a five-year span. - Bonnie and Clyde. The pair placed under arrest are married, if you can believe it; Heather Morgan, and Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein are being linked to the colossal 2016 Bitfinex crypto hack, and were slated to appear in court on Tuesday, at 3:00 PM EST in New York. Red-handed. This is "the department's largest financial seizure ever", which means that, if the duo is found guilty, it could mark a major turning point in the history of bitcoin transactions — where federal forces begin to gain traction against the biggest crypto heists. This could fundamentally shift [the strategy of future bitcoin hackers]( as federal agents hone their 21st-century sleuthing skills to match the tricky craft of digital thieves. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS You might have a Valentine, but a crypto-laundering partner is definitely harder to swing. Do you think that further government crackdowns will increase public confidence in cryptocurrencies? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes. It was needed from day one.]( [No! It defeats the whole purpose.]( [Crypto will be completely regulated by governments in the future. Wait and see.]( [I’m not so sure. Maybe.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked your opinion on artificial womb technology. The majority of respondents feel it's too weird to even think about, while more than 20 percent of you are scared of the future. No… Too weird to even think about. 33% It’s a far-off goal. Better to focus on other things first. 29% Help. I’m scared of the future. 22% I’m all for it. It’ll empower women. 16% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. ” Mitch Ratcliffe in "Technology Review", April 1992 AND ANOTHER THING... - Antibiotic resistance [is becoming an unfixable problem]( with doctors coming up empty more often when it comes to bacterial infections. - With tensions between the U.S. and Russia at their highest level since the beginning of the International Space Station, it's worth looking to the skies for a way forward on Earth, [writes NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao](. (CNN) - A video clip of the F-35C that crashed while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson emerged on a social media site this week, and now, [it's been confirmed by the U.S. Navy](. - Amazon’s telehealth program, Amazon Care, [is now available nationwide](. (TechCrunch) - Why are [Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos]( still a mystery? Don't judge them by their looks. - [Wordle's “best” starting word has been found]( and ruined, by math. Do we have to optimize everything in our lives? (Kotaku) - SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce [plans for a presentation detailing the latest updates]( to the company's moon and Mars-bound Starship rocket. [Share to Win]SHARE TO WIN [All products]( Share The Blueprint! Give your friends deeper insights into engineering and tech, and win exclusive IE swag for free. [Read Details]( Share your link Copy & share your referral link with others. [ [Referral Program Terms and Conditions]( Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. 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