Ukraine Advances Killer Robot Drones

"LVIV, Ukraine -- It was the year of the explosive drone: speedy, agile craft the size of dinner plates that in 2024 became Ukraine's main defensive weapon against massive Russian ground assaults.

The new year will see the rise of killer robots, as computers take over more functions from human pilots, including flying to the battlefield and striking targets.

But humans will remain in control. Next-generation drones won't be swarms of fully automated, computer-controlled slaughterbots. Instead, Ukrainian companies are seeking incremental advances that boost a strike drone's chances of reaching and hitting its target.

"We have been trying to make autonomous cars for years, but still have drivers," said Andriy Zvirko, chief strategy officer for Sine.Engineering, a Ukrainian drone-technology developer.

Rather than replace drone pilots, Sine aims to help them by lowering the skill level needed to operate a drone, Zvirko said.

Ukraine produced well over one million small, explosive aerial craft in 2024, and they are now responsible for most front-line strikes, officials say. Most are first-person view drones, or FPVs, controlled by a pilot who wears goggles that stream a live feed from a camera on the machine. Generally less than 10 inches across, they can carry about 9 pounds of explosives over roughly 12 miles and detonate when the drone hits a target.

With artillery shells in short supply for much of 2024, in part because of political delays in fresh U.S. supplies, Ukraine has relied on drones to stop column after column of armored vehicles. But Russia has still advanced, and the Kremlin says its goal of taking effective control of Ukraine remains unchanged.

Automating drones can help Ukraine deploy them more effectively. Efficiency is the main problem, because of the skill and labor needed to deploy drones, and Russian countermeasures, mainly electronic warfare. The result is that, depending on the skill level of pilots, strike rates can be as low as one in 10 craft hitting their target.

Instead of seeking one cure-all, Sine is among those companies taking on the challenges piece by piece -- seeking the quickest, simplest and most cost-effective solutions to lighten the load on pilots. The ethos runs counter to the approach of most Western military planners, who generally seek game-changing advances that leapfrog adversaries' technologies.

Ukraine's wartime approach aims to keep development time and budgets at minimum for maximum results.

"You can create the best thing in the world, but it can cost a lot and you can't produce a lot in a short period of time," said Andriy Chulyk, co-founder and chief executive of Sine. "But we are fighting now."

Russian electronic-warfare equipment is the main impediment to successful strikes. Russian jammers seek to overload the frequencies used to send signals to the drone from the pilot's controller, causing it to crash. Ukrainian drones also need to avoid friendly jammers used to stop Russian craft.

Sine was founded in 2022 and got its start providing its own jammers that counter Russian surveillance drones. After realizing that most drone manufacturers used cheap commercial communications units on their craft, Sine created a command-and-control module that works across many bandwidths simultaneously, allowing it to avoid jammers focused on specific frequencies.

"Usually a pilot has to find a way to reach the battlefield and avoid all that jamming. Our module does this automatically," Chulyk said.

No device is unjammable, Chulyk acknowledged, but the aim is to create an affordable solution that can't be reasonably countered in a front-line trench system, given the cost and power demands of fielding many jammers.

Sine produces thousands of the modules a month and sells them at an affordable price, to make a thin profit to reinvest into further research and production. It is one of dozens of startups in Ukraine tackling various aspects of drone warfare and automation.

Next up, Sine sought to address the lack of GPS on the front lines. Russian electronic-warfare equipment knocks out GPS signals or sends false readings. Ukrainian pilots must rely on instructions from a navigator comparing the feed from a camera with a map to direct the drone to the target.

By adding software to the module, which is smaller than a playing card, and deploying a ground station and two beacons, Sine allows the pilot to pinpoint the location of a drone down to as little as 20 yards. Zvirko said it is similar to technology used to track planes before GPS was deployed.

Using the positioning system, Sine is close to delivering a solution that enables the drones to fly themselves to the battlefield.

"Everything we are doing here, we are trying to lower the expertise of the guys who will use it," Chulyk said. "For them, it will be like a computer game."

---

More Industries Augment Human Work

Augmenting human work with automation is increasingly common across industries. Boeing and Airbus for decades have offered pilots a growing list of options to let onboard computers handle tasks. Companies in sectors from car making to e-commerce, from Toyota to Amazon.com, have found a mix of human labor and automation is often most effective.

Industrial robots usually are assigned the tasks they perform better or faster than humans. The same is happening with Ukraine's drones.

Ukrainian defense planners plot their progression toward full automation on a 10-level ladder of advancement, with fully independent drone swarms near the top. 

 Drones are already in use employing computer-vision for autonomous targeting, said Max Makarchuk, head of artificial intelligence at Brave1, a Ukrainian government platform for defense-tech coordination.

"We move gradually, depending on the readiness and effectiveness of each type of development, and adapt them for serial or mass production only when they demonstrate practical benefits for the military," he said." [1]

If they are really so good, why are they losing?

A country that uses Terminator type autonomous killer robots should be completely disarmed. Its leaders should be sued as enemies of all humanity.

1. World News: Ukraine Advances Killer Robot Drones --- Private companies use automation, efficiency to boost front-line capabilities. Marson, James; Michaels, Daniel. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 02 Jan 2025: A7.

 

The Backsplash Could Be the Star of Your Kitchen, if You Let It

"There are countless colors, styles and materials to choose from. It comes down to the statement you’d like to make.

When designing a kitchen, it’s normal to obsess over appliances, cabinets and counters. But there’s another element that deserves just as much attention: the backsplash.

“They’re often an afterthought,” said George Glasier, a founder of the British kitchen company Pluck. “But they can make or break a kitchen quite often.”

Allison Bryan, the founder of Open Studio Collective, an architecture and design firm with offices in Portland, Ore., and Bozeman, Mont., echoed that sentiment. “It’s one of the most important parts of the kitchen,” she said. Because it’s a vertical surface roughly at eye level, Ms. Bryan continued, “I actually think of it as a piece of art.”

Of course, it’s a piece of art that needs to withstand splashing water, squirting citrus and sprays of spaghetti sauce, so the choice of material is critical.

There are countless options and treatments available, which can dramatically change how a kitchen looks. The starting point should always be a larger design vision — for instance, the color palette you desire, and whether you want the backsplash to blend in or stand out — but once you’ve set the direction, it’s time to explore the possibilities.

Here’s how Mr. Glasier, Ms. Bryan and other designers have used backsplashes to help create extraordinary kitchens.

Use Solid Slabs

If you want your backsplash to blend in with the rest of the kitchen, one of the most common techniques is to continue the countertop material up onto the wall. Slabs of natural stone, quartz or other materials can rise just a few inches above the counter, fill the space between the counter and upper cabinets or even run to the ceiling in kitchens where there aren’t upper cabinets.

But there’s no rule that says you have to use exactly the same material for the counter and the backsplash. Marli Jones and Michael Kreuser, the owners of Rebel House, a Chicago-based interior design firm, frequently choose a more eye-catching material for the backsplash.

This approach is a great option for homeowners who like the look of marble counters but worry about etching and stains, Ms. Jones said. In a home in Park City, Utah, for instance, the firm installed solid white quartz counters that are nearly indestructible, but used more finicky Calacatta Arabescato marble with dramatic swirls of gray for the backsplash.

“Our goal was to do something fun and drive personality,” Ms. Jones said. “It could be a little more precious, because you’re not chopping or cooking directly on top of it.”

Go Beyond the Rectangle

Regardless of what type of material you use for a backsplash, it doesn’t have to be a flat rectangle stuck to the wall. One emerging trend is to cap the top edge of the backsplash with a shelf made from the same material.

When designing an apartment in Manhattan with a compact kitchen, Jess and Jonathan Nahon, principals of the architecture and design firm Sugarhouse, installed a counter, a backsplash and a shelf all made from the same Calacatta Turquoise marble.

“That little shelf creates visual interest,” Mr. Nahon said. “It’s less about functional storage,” he continued, even though it can be used to hold art, small dishes and candlesticks.

Another option is to shape the edges of the slab. Rebel House, for instance, has cut marble backsplashes with rounded corners.

When designing a home in Austin, Texas, Annie Downing, an interior designer, used a similar treatment: She added curves to the ends of a Negresco Quartzite backsplash and applied a thicker finishing cap made from the same material, as well as a shelf above the range.

“The house was new and felt very straight-edged,” Ms. Downing said. “We did that simple curve to bring in a nice moment of visual warmth.”

Choose Distinctive Tile

An alternative to stone slabs is ceramic tile. And while white subway tile is extremely popular and a safe, time-tested choice, it is far from the only one. 

If you want your backsplash to stand out, tile can add a distinctive texture, finish or pattern.

When Sugarhouse was designing a Manhattan townhouse with a neutral color palette and wanted the backsplash to appear special, they chose off-white, purposely imperfect handmade tiles from Clay Imports, including some with a pattern of impressed circles and lines.

“That handmade tile gives a softer appearance,” Ms. Nahon said. “Our original idea was to extend the marble from the countertops, but we were worried it was going to look too commercial, so we used this more bespoke product.”

Textured tile with a glossy, shimmering glaze, such as zellige tile, is another popular option, which both Rebel House and Ms. Downing have used.

Of course, tiles can be glazed in almost any color, opening up many other opportunities. In a kitchen Pluck designed for the author Huma Qureshi in London, the company used simple square tiles but installed them in a pink-and-white checkerboard for a dramatic look.

In a kitchen with yellow cabinets that Pluck built with Stealth Design, tiles glazed with geometric shapes in blue, black and white make the backsplash the center of attention. “It works very well for what they wanted,” Mr. Glasier said, “which was something incredibly bold.”

Add Reflectivity

Hanging a large mirror on a wall can help brighten and visually expand almost any room. A mirrored kitchen backsplash can do the same thing, and make the walls above counters almost disappear.

“You create this extra sense of depth,” Mr. Glasier said.

Plain mirror is best at creating the illusion of more space, but if you want to add a little character, there are other options.

When Pluck designed a kitchen with a mirrored backsplash in London, “we looked at every type of mirror and went through different levels of smoked and even colored mirror,” Mr. Glasier said. Ultimately, he and his team settled on installing antiqued mirror, because they felt it played well with the organic nature of the stone counters and wood cabinetry they used in the space.

“It just struck a chord and fit the whole place,” he said.

Consider the Unexpected

Almost any impervious material can be used as a backsplash, so don’t assume you have to choose something you’ve seen before. Concrete and terrazzo, for instance, are popular materials for residential flooring and counters, but they can just as easily be used for backsplashes.

Pluck has used a terrazzo-like material made with wood chips from Foresso as a backsplash. Other companies, like IceStone, make materials that use chips of recycled colored glass in a similar way.

When Ms. Downing designed a lake house in Austin, she installed a kitchen with concrete counters but covered most of the walls above them with waterproof tadelakt plaster.

Metals like copper and stainless steel are other options. In a kitchen that Open Studio Collective designed in Portland, Ore., a shiny copper backsplash is intended to develop a patina over time.

“Our client wanted to do something different,” Ms. Bryan said. “We chose copper because it tarnishes in different ways, with greens and browns, and we knew it would add an aged effect over time.”

The result is a showstopping backsplash that cost less than a more traditional option, such as natural stone, Ms. Bryan said. That’s even more reason for the homeowner to love it." [1]

1. The Backsplash Could Be the Star of Your Kitchen, if You Let It: The Fix. McKeough, Tim.  New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Dec 31, 2024.

Neapykantos proveržis: Ukraina baigia rusiškų dujų tiekimą į Europą, todėl žiemos energijos kainos sparčiai auga visame pasaulyje

 

Suskystintų dujų vėžiojimo laivais dėka, dujų rinka tapo pasauline. Ateinančiam į valdžią JAV prezidentui Donaldui Trumpui, pažadėjusiam sustabdyti infliaciją, neapykantos kupinas, Zelenskis padarė "dovaną".

 

 „Nepaisant beveik trejus metus trukusio konflikto, Rusijos energija ir toliau netrukdomai tekėjo tranzitu per Ukrainos teritoriją iki šiol kiekvieną dieną, bet čiaupai buvo tvirtai uždaryti Naujųjų metų dieną.

 

 Šiandien pirmą kartą per kelis dešimtmečius Ukrainos dujotiekiais Europos vartotojams tiekiama nulis rusiškų dujų, patvirtinta, kad nebuvo paskutinės minutės susitarimo, kad maršrutas būtų atidarytas, todėl energijos kainos antradienį išaugo.

 

 Maršrutu nuo Šaltojo karo pabaigos buvo pristatyta milijardai kubinių pėdų dujų, o Maskvos ir Kijevo penkerių metų sutartis, reglamentuojanti dujų tranzitą, galiojo iki paskutinės akimirkos, kai pasibaigė vidurnaktį.

 

 Tačiau jokia nauja sutartis nepasirašyta, o Ukraina per savo valstybinę žiniasklaidą šiandien paskelbė „sustabdžiusi Rusijos gamtinių dujų transportavimą per savo teritoriją“. Jos energetikos ministras sakė: „Užblokavome rusiškų dujų tranzitą“.

 

 Rusija kaltino Kijevą dėl energijos tranzito į Europą sustabdymo, šiandien pareikšdama: „Ukrainai pakartotinai ir aiškiai atsisakius pratęsti šiuos susitarimus, nuo sausio 1 d. „Gazprom“ buvo atimta techninė ir teisinė galimybė tiekti dujas tranzitui per Ukrainą. 2025 m. Rusijos dujų tiekimas transportavimui per Ukrainą sustojo 8 val. Maskvos laiku“.

 

 Iš tiesų, pasak „The Times“, Rusija turėtų prarasti 5 mlrd. dolerių.

 

 Tačiau Ukraina patirs nuostolių, nes ji netenka savo 800 mln. dolerių per metus dėl sumažinto Rusijos dujų tranzito Europos Sąjungos klientams. Tai beveik neabejotinai kompensuos Ukrainos finansiniai rėmėjai.

 

 Tikriausiai, labiausiai bėda kelių likusių pagrindinių palyginti pigios rusiškos energijos vartotojų Vidurio Europoje namuose. Nors prieš konfliktą rusiškos dujos buvo pagrindinis Europos šaltinis, dauguma energetinių sukrėtimų buvo patirti konflikto pradžioje ir, praradus „Nord Stream“ vamzdžius,  dabar jas pakeitė SGD importas. Nepaisant to, kad šviesa buvo įjungta, Europos pramonei ir vartotojams tai kainavo daug, nes jų sąskaitos už energiją išaugo iki istorinių aukštumų.

 

 Saujelei Vidurio Europos šalių, neturinčių prieigos prie jūros ir dėl to lengvo SGD importo, pigios ir gausios rusiškos dujos net konflikto metu išliko svarbiu, net dominuojančiu, energijos šaltiniu. Europos Sąjunga ėmėsi veiksmų, kad užtikrintų šias šalis, kad jos galės gauti dujų iš kitur per žemyno vamzdynų tinklus, sakydama, kad tai gali būti pasiekta, importuojant SGD.

 

 Vengrija ir Slovakija prarado pagrindinį dujų šaltinį ir vyriausybės mokesčius už tranzitą į kitas euro zonas esančias valstybes, tačiau teoriškai jos bent jau turi pakankamai dujų, kad galėtų išgyventi žiemą. Iššūkis kyla dėl tų rezervų papildymo, kuris nuo šiol bus brangesnis.

 

 Slovakijos ministras pirmininkas Robertas Fico, kuris daugumoje Europos sostinių buvo išjuoktas dėl per didelio draugiškumo su Rusija ir kurį 2024 m. pašovė politinis aktyvistas dėl nenoro įtraukti Slovakiją į Ukrainos konfliktą, netgi pagrasino imtis veiksmų prieš Ukrainą, kuri atsisakė leisti būsimą dujų tranzitą.

 

 Praėjusį mėnesį jis sakė, kad praradus Ukrainos tranzitines rusiškas dujas, Europos šalys padidintų energijos sąnaudas dešimtimis milijardų, ir grasino sumažinti Slovakijos elektros eksportą į Ukrainą.

 

 Ukraina tapo labiau priklausoma nuo elektros importo iš jos kaimynių, nes konfliktas tęsiasi, o jos vidaus gamybos pajėgumai buvo sumenkinti dėl karinių veiksmų. Kaip pranešama, 2203 metais Ukrainos elektros importas iš Slovakijos išaugo 150 procentų.

 

 Ukrainos maršrutas sudarė maždaug pusę visų Rusijos dujų importo, kuris iki 2024 m. pabaigos vis dar patenka į Europą. Dabar, kai jis uždarytas, paskutinis likęs maršrutas yra Turkstream per Turkiją į Pietryčių Europą. Įžengus į 2025 m., Rusijos dujų eksportas į Europą sudaro apie aštuonis procentus to, koks buvo prieš įvykius Ukrainoje."