Nel Regno Unito si è concluso il primo processo nella storia del Paese contro il creatore di contenuti illegali che utilizzano l’intelligenza artificiale . Hugh Nelson, 27 anni, residente a Bolton, ha ricevuto 18 anni di prigione per aver creato e distribuito materiale proibito raffigurante minori. L’indagine è stata condotta dalla polizia di Greater Manchester.

Il criminale ha utilizzato Daz 3D, un programma di intelligenza artificiale, per convertire normali fotografie di minorenni in contenuti illegali. Secondo l’indagine, alcuni clienti hanno fornito fotografie di bambini veri con cui hanno avuto contatti.

Nel corso di un anno e mezzo l’aggressore ha guadagnato circa 5.000 sterline vendendo materiale creato nelle chat room di Internet. A differenza dei precedenti casi di “deepfake” in cui i volti venivano scambiati, Nelson ha creato modelli 3D basati su fotografie reali.

L’arresto è avvenuto dopo che Nelson ha detto a un agente di polizia sotto copertura in una chat online che era disposto a creare un nuovo “personaggio” per 80 sterline. Durante la perquisizione, è stato scoperto che il criminale aveva della corrispondenza in cui incoraggiava azioni illegali contro bambini di età inferiore a 13 anni. La polizia ha identificato diversi sospetti e vittime in tutto il mondo, tra cui Italia, Francia e Stati Uniti.

Hugh Nelson è stato giudicato colpevole di incitamento alla violenza contro i bambini sotto i 13 anni, tentando di indurre un adolescente sotto i 16 anni a impegnarsi in attività sessuali, distribuendo e realizzando immagini illegali.

L’avvocato ha cercato di presentare l’imputato come una persona sola che viveva nella casa dei suoi genitori e cercava riconoscimento nella comunità di Internet. Tuttavia, il giudice ha definito le azioni di Nelson “orribili e disgustose”, sottolineando la mancanza di comprensione da parte dell’imputato del danno causato.

Janette Smith, procuratore speciale del Crown Prosecution Service, ha affermato che il caso dimostra come la tecnologia in rapida evoluzione possa rappresentare una minaccia per i bambini. L’ispettore Jen Tattersall ha affermato che tali crimini che coinvolgono la computer grafica stanno diventando sempre più comuni. La scorsa settimana sono state avviate indagini su altri due casi simili.

L'articolo 18 Anni di Prigione, per aver Creato con le AI e Distribuito Materiale di Abuso dei Minori proviene da il blog della sicurezza informatica.

Even in the advanced world of 2024, robots are still better in science fiction than in reality. Star Trek gave us the erudite and refined Data, Rogue One gave us the fierce yet funny K-2SO, and Big Hero 6 gave us the caring charmer named Baymax. All these robots had smarts, capability, and agency. More than that, though—they were faithful(ish) companions to humans, fulfilling what that role entails.

The thing is, we’re not gonna get robots like that unless somebody builds them. [Angela Sheehan] is a artist and an educator, and a maker—and she’s trying to create exactly that. She came down to the 2023 Hackaday Supercon to tell us all about her efforts to create cuddly companion bots for real.

Beep Boop

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You might remember Angela from her 2019 Supercon costume—she showed up dressed as a color-changing fairy. In fact, she has dabbled in all kinds of fields, which has given her a broad skillset applicable to creating companion bots. She’s done lots of costuming and cosplay over the years, she’s worked in product design, and she brands herself a bit of a fashion hacker. These skills might not be particularly relevant to building a high-speed industrial robot arm to perform 2000 welds an hour. However, they come in absolute clutch when you’re trying to build a robot that acts as a soft, cuddly companion. She notes that she was inspired to create her own companion bots by the work of others formerly showcased by Hackaday—you might remember work in this field from Alex Glow and Jorvon Moss.
That’s Nova, right there!
Angela’s talk soon tackles the elephant in the room—from the drop, you’ve probably been wondering about the cute critter perched on her shoulder. The long-tailed creature is named Nova, and she’s remarkably friendly and soothing once you get to know her.

Development took some time, with Angela doing lots of research and development to create the Nova we see today. “I actually did a lot of the prototyping and field testing for this bot in the library makerspace that I work at,” she explains. “It was great to see people who don’t know the inside and out of technology interact with [Nova] and I could pinpoint the moment that she became alive to people.” The bot got quite a response, transcending the level of basic machine to something a little more. “People wanted to come in and visit her and pet her,” says Angela. “That was such a powerful moment… that happened as soon as I started putting a face on her.” Angela doesn’t just tell the tale—during the talk, she passes Nova to the audience so they can interact with her up close. She explains that this is something that she does regularly—and we get to see photos of the lovely interactions Nova has had with dozens of smiling, happy people.

[Angela] covers some of the tools and techniques she used to develop her robot companion. At times, she looked to commercial products to figure out how to make something that’s properly cuddleable.Nova leverages Angela’s skills in sewing, 3D modelling, and 3D printing. She explains how components like Nova’s wings were first drafted in Adobe Illustrator. From there, the structure was refined into actual models in Fusion 360, while a PCB was developed in Eagle for the lighting electronics.

The face, though, was perhaps most crucial—as is the case for any anthropomorphic character. She took inspiration from Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon, using a stuffed toy as reference. Initial attempts weren’t particularly satisfying though, so she learned 3D sculpting for a further attempt in clay. Feedback from Twitter helped her develop the face further into the Nova we see today. The eyes were sourced from an Etsy supplier specializing in doll eyes. Angela notes there’s some magic there—when backlit with LEDs, switching them on and off can create a really believable blink pattern that feels super realistic. “What are those elements that make it feel alive?” Angela muses. “There are just little pieces of the psychology of it that you can dial into and you can make something that feels very alive.”
Part of the development process was figuring out how to make the eyes and movements feel natural—like a living creature rather than a pile of electronics, motors, and lights.
The talk then covers the rest of the design that helps create the “illusion of life.” Angela explains using servos and a robot gripper mechanism to flap the wings, and dialing in the motion so it felt as authentic as possible. She also covers robustness, designing “cuddle-worthy” bodies, and the value of designing for modularity. There’s also a useful discussion about how to make these builds more accessible, including useful starting points like which microcontroller and code platforms are good to use.

Even better, we get a look into the companion bot community, and we learn about the emotional impact these robots can have. Sometimes that’s intentional, other times, it’s down to a happy accident. “There is an unintended effect with [Nova’s] servos, that it feels like a purr,” says Angela. “It’s very comforting right on your shoulder, and I was thinking maybe I should try and insulate it a little bit, but actually people love it.”
Nova puts smiles on faces wherever she goes. Angela is always letting people hold her and get to know her, and this kind of gleeful response is a common one.
Fundamentally, companion bots are a bit like virtual reality. We’ve seen a ton of products make big promises over the years, but we’ve never seen a killer app. However, as [Angela] demonstrates, it’s very possible to create something very real and very lovable if you pay attention to the right things. Perhaps it’s the personal touch that makes DIY companion bots so seemingly lifelike in a way that Furby never was.

In any case, if you’ve ever wanted a robot companion of your very own, there’s no reason you can’t start building your own. With maker skills, enthusiasm, and the will to succeed, you can create a fun and cuddly robot critter that has that magical spark of life.

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Applying solder paste to a new custom PCB is always a little nerve-racking. One slip of the hand, and you have a smeared mess to clean up. To make this task a little easier, [Max Scheffler] built the Stencil Fix Portable, a compact self-contained vacuum table to hold your stencil firmly in place and pop it off cleanly every time.

The Stencil Fix V1 used a shop vac for suction, just like another stencil holder we’ve seen. The vacuum can take up precious space, makes the jig a little tricky to move, and bumping the hose can lead to the dreaded smear and colorful language. To get around this [Max] added a brushless drone motor with a 3D printed impeller, with a LiPo battery for power. The speed controller gets its PWM signal from a little RP2040 dev board connected to a potentiometer. [Max] could have used a servo tester, but he found the motor could be a little too responsive and would move the entire unit due to inertia from the impeller. The RP2040 allowed him to add a low pass filter to eliminate the issue. The adjustable speed also means the suction force can be reduced a little for easy alignment of the stencil before locking it down completely.

We love seeing tool projects like these that make future projects a little easier. Fortunately, [Max] made the designs available so you can build your own.

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Qual è il bilancio dopo 10 mesi di governo Tusk, a un anno dalla vittoria nelle elezioni parlamentari? Ho scritto un'analisi per ResetDoc, partendo dalla svolta securitaria in materia di immigrazione.

What's the balance after 10 months of Tusk's government, one year after the victory in the parliamentary elections? I wrote an analysis for ResetDoc.

resetdoc.org/story/polands-imm…

Poland’s Immigration Law: Tusk’s Struggle to Hold the Center

“Regain control, ensure security.” This is the slogan of a draft law promoted by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and adopted by his government to outline the country’s migration strategy from 2025 to 2030.

^{Reset DOC}

Frontiere Sonore Radio Show Ep. 4: Simone inizia una sezione di presentazione di piccole etichette italiane, in questa puntata presentiamo Stanze Fredde Records di Torino

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#radio

Frontiere Sonore Radio Show Ep. 4

Frontiere Sonore Radio Show Ep. 4 - Frontiere Sonore Radio Show Ep. 4: Simone inizia una sezione di presentazione di piccole etichette italiane, in questa puntata presentiamo Stanze Fredde Records di Torino -

^{Simone Benerecetti (In Your Eyes ezine)}

The Animal Kingdom, In un futuro prossimo alcuni umani iniziano a mutare trasformandosi gradualmente in animali.

iyezine.com/the-animal-kingdom

The Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom - The Animal Kingdom, In un futuro prossimo alcuni umani iniziano a mutare trasformandosi gradualmente in animali. - The Animal Kingdom

^{Roberto Pardini (In Your Eyes ezine)}

La legge Calderoli spezzetta l'Italia e peggiora i iservizi "per tutti". Quello che migliora, se si vuol dire così, è il potere dei Presidenti di Regione e la "vicinanza" fra grossi imprenditori locali ed il sistema di potere.
Altro proprio non mi sovviene.

#autonomiadifferenziata