Think Star Wars’ droids are just science fiction? Robots are coming into our daily lives and are turning fiction into fact.
Watch Pepper Robot Learn to Play Darts
Pepper uses trial-and-error learning to learn how to play darts. A human initially guides Pepper’s arm to teach it how to throw, but Pepper hits a bulls-eye after just 60 throws.
Watch Amazon Prime Air’s First Drone Delivery
The entire process – from the order being placed to the package arriving at the customer’s home – took 13 minutes.
Massachusetts Robotics Firms Consider Chinese Commitments
Massachusetts robotics companies have been courting Chinese investors and hope to gain access to a huge potential market. But both sides must account for culture, approaches to innovation, and politics.
Waymo is Google’s New Self-Driving Car Company
Google’s self-driving car project is now known as Waymo, a standalone company under the Alphabet corporate umbrella. And that could mean it’s time to take the technology to market.
Panasonic Robot Bags Your Groceries
It’s not quite Amazon Go, but Panasonic is testing a robot at a Japanese convenience store that scans and bags your groceries.
Top 10 Star Wars Droids — and Real-World Robots
The Star Wars movies have long featured many droids. See how science fact and the business of robotics are approaching science fiction.
Big year for acquisitions: Latest is Teledyne Technologies acquiring E2V Technologies
It's been a big year for acquisitions of companies involved in robotics and automation: 48 have sold thus far in 2016. Eight involved amounts over $500 million and five were over a billion; KUKA's acquisition by Chinese consumer products giant Midea was the biggest at $5.11 billion. Teledyne Technologies acquires E2V Technologies The most recent is Teledyne Technologies,…
U.S. Robotics Roadmap Says Basic Funding, Priorities at Stake for White House
The U.S. Robotics Roadmap has been revised, and it makes recommendations for investments in basic research and certain applications for automation. Does it ask for enough of the new administration?
What is Intelligence?
In order to have a discussion about artificial intelligence, we need to understand what intelligence is. Just defining what intelligence is, is no small thing. Mankind has been trying to define it for as long as we have been around. Rats can exhibit considerable intelligence by solving a maze using cognitive and problem solving intelligence. […]
Robots may save the global economy
A recent article in The Washington Post by Morgan Stanley strategist and author of “The Rise and Fall of Nations” Ruchir Sharma, provides a nuanced overview of the issues of jobs, robots, productivity and income disparity. In the article Sharma suggests that because the labor pool isn’t growing fast enough to support our needs, it may not be…
SpotMini Wants to be a Robot Delivery Dog
Boston Dynamics sees home delivery as a practical application for its SpotMini robot dog. But Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert says SpotMini needs to be cheaper to build before it will be sent on any job interviews.
Chess-Playing Robot Wants to Put CES 2017 in Checkmate
Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is showcasing its chess-playing companion robot that will challenge attendees at Tech East, Westgate in booth 2015. It’s probably not as smart as IBM’s Deep Blue, but the robot can pick up chess pieces and move them around.
Robot Holiday Gift Guide 2016
We’ve rounded up 11 robots that will be great gifts for the neat freaks, techies, wannabe coders, and drone fanatics on your holiday shopping list.
Liquid Robotics acquired by Boeing Defense, Space & Security
In a move consistent with many other recent acquisitions of stars within the robotics industry, Liquid Robotics announced that they sold their company to Boeing’s Autonomous Systems for Defense, Space & Security division. Liquid Robotics‘ Wave Gliders have traveled over 1.2 million nautical miles for a variety of partners and clients and an even greater number of…
Samsung POWERbot Turbo Robot Vacuum Maps Your Home, Has Alexa Voice Control
Samsung’s POWERbot Turbo VR9350 robot vacuum creates a map of your home that is stored on the smartphone app. You can then select specific areas or rooms for the vacuum to clean. The POWERbot Turbo VR9350 also features Alexa voice control for added convenience.
Logistics Robots From Locus Roll Out Amid Holiday Rush
Logistics robots developed by Quiet Logistics spinoff Locus Robotics are being rolled out to customers, as the Amazon Robotics alternative addresses a growing market.
Honda NeuV Self-Driving Car Feels Human Emotions
Honda will be showcasing at CES 2017 its NeuV autonomous car concept that uses artificial intelligence to feel human emotions and build a stronger connection between the car and human passenger. Honda will also demo a robot motorcycle at CES 2017.
Beijing World Robot Conference drew big crowds and notable speakers
The Beijing World Robot Conference (WRC), sponsored by Beijing City, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the China Association of Science and Technology, was held October 21-25. It was big, long, ran over a weekend, and gave a run-down of the breath of China's fast-emerging robotics industry. More than 145 vendors filled the exhibition hall…
Amazon Go Store Eliminates Checkout Lines with Deep Learning
Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology uses sensors, computer vision, and deep learning to track customers and automatically register which items get picked up. The customers will be charged later via their Amazon account.
Commercial Drone Alliance Writes to President-Elect Trump
Commercial Drone Alliance writes a note to President-elect Donald Trump that outlines the state of the US commercial drone industry. The letter says the incoming administration “has the ability to create good jobs and grow the economy by propelling UAS technology forward.”
Building Your Own Drone Just Got Easier Thanks to MIT
MIT CSAIL system lets you design and fabricate drones with a wide range of shapes and structures.