Experience tech

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon.com Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, has won a contract to supply engines for United Launch Alliance's massive Vulcan rocket, the companies said on Thursday. While Blue Origin has been seen as the front-runner for the contract for months, the win is a significant milestone for the Seattle-area aerospace company as it vies to become a player in the market for lucrative US military satellite launch contracts. Choosing Blue Origin's made-in-America BE-4 engine for the next-generation heavy-lift Vulcan launch vehicle is part of ULA's path to ending US reliance on Russia's RD-180 engine for national security missions. That engine currently provides the main power for ULA's legacy workhorse, Atlas V, which the Vulcan will eventually replace.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will create as many jobs in the UK as it will displace over the next 20 years, a report has said. The analysis, by accountancy giant PwC, found AI would boost economic growth, creating new roles as others fell away. But it warned there would be "winners and losers" by industry sector, with many jobs likely to change. Opinion is split over AI's potential impact, with some warning it could leave many out of work in future.

Cab aggregator Uber on Saturday proposed measures to address concerns expressed by the West Bengal government over its fare policy, including "self-regulation" of dynamic pricing to minimise impact on riders. The West Bengal Transport Department, based on complaints from users on exorbitant fares during peak hours, had reportedly sent a 30-point questionnaire to Uber and another ride hailing firm Ola, seeking response on the surge pricing mechanism. In a statement, the US-based Uber said, "We have submitted our response to the West Bengal Transport Department and enumerated the measures that we have decided to initiate to address the concerns of the government, and by extension, our riders." "During periods when there is a high imbalance in the availability of Ubers vis-a-vis the number of people requesting a ride, we propose to self-regulate the dynamic pricing multiplier between 1.9x to 2.9x to minimise impact on riders," Regional GM (India &...

Boeing has dreams of a hypersonic passenger plane, and it looks like something straight out of science fiction. The  hypersonic aircraft  could have "military or commercial applications" and is just one of several such vehicles Boeing engineers are studying to develop superfast transportation technology, the company said in a statement. In an artist's concept, the plane looks sleek and futuristic, with extremely swept-back wings, twin tails and a sharp, pointed nose. Hypersonic aircraft are capable of traveling at speeds of Mach 5 and beyond. Mach 5 is about five times the speed of sound, or 3,806 mph (6,125 km/h) at sea level. NASA's space shuttles, for comparison, traveled at Mach 25 when re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. The U.S. military has tested  hypersonic weapons that hit Mach 20  in the past. [Supersonic! The 11 Fastest Military Airplanes] Boeing unveiled its hypersonic passenger plane concept Tuesday (June 26) in Atlanta at the 20...