Items tagged with robots
Boston Dynamics has wowed us over the years with the capabilities of its robots. From its humanoid Atlas, to its "robotic dog" called SpotMini -- and everything in between -- Boston Dynamics continues to push the envelope for what's possible with our future robot overlords. Last week, we witnessed Atlas jumping over logs and up a three-step platform using a single leg to "push off". This time around, SpotMini is dancing its ass off to "Uptown Funk". We don't think that the SpotMini's dance moves will put Bruno Mars out of a job anytime soon, but it's no doubt impressive...
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NVIDIA is talking up some new AI techniques that well help robots to more efficiently work alongside humans. The research was led by NVIDIA researchers Stan Birchfield and Jonathan Tremblay. The duo was able to develop a deep learning-based system that is said to be the first of its kind that can teach a robot to complete a task simply by observing the actions of a human. NVIDIA says that the research is meant to enhance communications between humans and robots while furthering research that allows people to work alongside robots seamlessly. "For robots to perform useful tasks in real-world settings,...
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Sometimes, too much technology can be a hindrance to production goals, and Tesla recently found this out the hard way. Tesla, which is well known for its groundbreaking Model S hatchback and Model X crossover electric vehicles, attempted to go full-tilt with robots and automation to reach lofty production goals with its mainstream Model 3. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has now admitted that the company's over-reliance on automation is actually the reason why the Model 3 is behind schedule. Speaking with CBS' Gayle King, Musk admitted, "We had this crazy, complex network of conveyor belts......
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In this latest episode of HotHardware's Two And A Half Geeks, Marco, Paul, and Dave get in the mood for V-Day and also chat about AMD's Raven Ridge Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G desktop APUs, a rumored NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2080, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 performance benchmarks, creepily clever dog robots, a couple of new SSDs from Samsung and Intel and more... Show Notes: 03:01 - AMD Ryzen 5 2400G And Ryzen 3 2200G Review: Raven Ridge Desktop Debuts 19:06 - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2080 Rocking GA104 Ampere GPU Rumored To Arrive In April 31:23 - Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: Benchmarking A Hot Rod Mobile...
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If you grew up playing the MechWarrior franchise of video games, the giant MegaBots robot beatdown that is coming soon will get you excited. MegaBots is a company that sought to pit country-against-country in a battle using giant robots and massive paintballs. The first two teams set to fight it out are the Americans and Japan. This giant robot beatdown was first dreamed up about two years ago. The American company published a video where it challenged a Japanese firm called Suidobashi Heavy Industry in a battle of mechs, and the Japanese team agreed. The last two years has consisted of the...
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It is almost tax season again here in the United States, but in the future, your fellow Americans might not be the only ones giving away a "pound of flesh" to the IRS. Bill Gates believes that robots should also pay their dues. The Microsoft co-founder recently stated in an interview that governments should tax companies that replace human workers with robots. Gates remarked in the interview, “So if you can take the labor that used to do the thing automation replaces, and financially and training-wise and fulfillment-wise have that person go off and do these other things, then you’re...
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Starship isn’t just the name of a rocking 80’s band or an interstellar spacecraft -- it is also the name of a new company by former Skype co-founders which intends to improve local deliveries through self-driving, autonomous robots. A friendly little robot could soon be delivering your pepperoni pizza instead of a moody neighborhood teen. Ahti Heinla, a Skype co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies remarked, “Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact. We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.” Starship...
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The robot revolution will just have to wait, at least if Mercedes has anything to say about it. In a refreshing change of pace, Mercedes is handing out pink slips to part of its automated robotic work force, giving those jobs instead to actual human workers. Mercedes is essentially flipping the script on modern trends, and it has good reason to do so. As it turns out, robots can't do quite everything better than human hands can. This is especially pertinent to Mercedes' highly customizable S-Class sedan, which is loaded with options like heated and cooled cup holders, no less than four types of...
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Maybe we should cease development of artificial intelligence. Why? View it as a precautionary measure for the day when robots completely replace humans in the workforce. Think about it, do we really want to be bound by mechanical overlords who might one day decide we're more trouble than we're worth? Sounds crazy now, but check back in 100 years to see where things are at. But first things first, robots have to increase their ranks, and Samsung is going to help them do that. With 6.75 billion won (around $14.8 million in U.S. currency) in funding from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry,...
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We all fear the day when humans end up under the mechanical thumbs of our eventual robot overlords, but for now, it's us who still reign over them. Such is also the result of a joint effort involving the Volvo Group and several partners to develop a robot that picks up trash under the supervision of a garbage truck driver. The project is called ROAR (Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling) and it's being developed by the Volvo Group, Chalmers University of Technology and Mälardalen University in Sweden, Penn State University in the United States, the waste recycling company Renova. What Volvo is...
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Sexual fembots don't exist outside of Hollywood movies, but just in case they ever become a reality, robot ethicists (yes, there's such a thing) are already campaigning against having sex with robots. Those who support the "Campaign Against Sex Robots" feel that shagging with a scrap of parts resembling a person is unethical and "will contribute to gender inequalities in society." The campaign was borne out of a research paper by Kathleen Richardson, a senior research fellow in the ethics of robotics at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. In it she points out that there are several initiatives...
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The hitchhiking robot hitchBOT has traversed multiple countries by relying on the generosity of strangers, but its adventuring came to an abrupt and disastrous conclusion shortly after it arrived in the U.S. The place of hitchBOT’s demise turned out to be Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, which apparently doesn’t extend its goodwill to robots. HitchBOT caught more than a ride and ended up headless on the street. HitchBOT, which started as a project at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, was capable of speaking, though it had a limited vocabulary. The funky-looking robot featured a bucket...
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Just a few days after Steve Wozniak stirred fears with comments about the inevitability of humans becoming pets for superior robots, the Twittersphere has found further “evidence” that humanity’s end is nigh. A robot at an automotive plant in Germany killed a worker this week and the reporter who first covered the news is named Sarah O’Connor. Lop the “O” off her name, and you have the lead character of the original Terminator movie (and its sequel). Now would probably be a good time for sci-fi fans everywhere to take a collective deep breathe and chill the heck out. The Volkswagon employee apparently...
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Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak isn't the only one envisioning a world where artificially intelligent systems rise up and rule over mankind. So Dr. Stuart Armstrong, an academic at the Future of Humanity at Oxford University. According to Armstrong, we're precariously close to creating computers that will ultimately wipe out mankind, though if it comes as any consolation, they'll have good intentions. "Humans steer the future not because we're the strongest or the fastest, but because we're the smartest," Dr. Armstrong told The Telegraph. "When machines become smarter than humans, we'll be handing...
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