Technology 8/11: Brazilian gang earns $185,000/month from illegal ride-hailing app

Brazilian gang earns $185,000/month from illegal ride-hailing app

Rio de Janeiro police, Brazil, have just dismantled a criminal ring that used illegal ride-hailing apps to launder money and finance drugs.

The notorious Comando Vermelho gang forced more than 300 motorcycle drivers in the Vila Kennedy area (Rio de Janeiro) to install and use a ride-hailing app they developed. This app generated revenue of up to 1 million reais/month (about 185,000 USD), which was transferred through front companies to finance drug trafficking.

A traffic image on a Brazilian street. (Illustration photo, Source: CPG)

Police said the ring was divided into two groups: One group threatened and coerced drivers, the other collected profits and funneled them to local drug lords. So far, four people have been arrested, and 12 search warrants have been executed in Rio and surrounding cities.

Commando Vermelho has banned popular ride-hailing apps like Uber and 99 from operating in some areas under its control, while passenger scooters remain a popular mode of transport in Rio and many other Brazilian cities.

Robot plays drums like a real artist

A humanoid robot has learned to play the drums with near-human precision and expression, opening up new potential for AI-powered performing arts.

The Drummer Robot was developed by researchers from SUPSI, IDSIA, and Politecnico di Milano. They used reinforcement learning on the G1 Unitree robot model to train the robot to play the drums with over 90% accuracy, including complex techniques such as changing sticks, crossing hands, and adjusting hand position to the beat.

Robot drummer sets new milestone in creative robotics with impressive and emotional musical performance. (Source: Youtube)

The robot played popular songs such as “Take Five” (Dave Brubeck), “Living on a Prayer” (Bon Jovi), and “In the End” (Linkin Park). Skills such as predicting the next beat and adjusting movements in real time emerged naturally during training.

The team's next goal is to transfer the skills from simulation to physical robots, and develop the ability to improvise to music, allowing robots to adjust their playing style according to emotion and melody like real artists.

Nvidia, AMD share 15% of Chinese chip revenue with the US

Nvidia and AMD have agreed to transfer 15% of their chip sales revenue in China to the US government , an unprecedented deal in exchange for export licenses for high-end chips: Nvidia H20 and AMD MI308.

President Donald Trump recently announced that he would impose a 100% import tax on chips and semiconductors unless companies manufacture them in the US. This is part of a strategy to promote domestic production and control technology exports.

A smartphone with the AMD logo displayed on the motherboard. (Source: Reuters)

According to the Financial Times , Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Trump last week to discuss tax and export policies. Nvidia later affirmed: “We comply with the regulations set by the US government for our global operations.”

The deal reflects the White House’s willingness to carve out targeted exceptions to achieve its high-tech control goals, and it shows that American companies are looking to maintain access to the Chinese market amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-nghe-11-8-bang-nhom-brazil-kiem-185-000-usd-thang-tu-ung-dung-goi-xe-lau-ar959034.html