Robotics – Page 15

Automation, Robotics, Technological Unemployment

Walmart is testing a robot to replace its fry cooks

December 23, 2018

The retailer wants to automate how its delis fry foods.

A robot named Flippy could soon join the largest workforce in the U.S.

On Monday, Yahoo Finance reported that retail giant Walmart is currently testing the robotic kitchen assistant’s ability to cook fried foods at its Culinary Institute and Innovation Center in Bentonville, Arkansas.

If those tests go well, Flippy could eventually automate the frying process at Walmart delis — meaning a robot could soon be cooking your chicken tenders and potato wedges.

Continue reading… “Walmart is testing a robot to replace its fry cooks”

AI, drones, Robotics, Robots

Bio-inspired swarm robots can form structures without a blueprint

December 22, 2018

Each individual robot is as replaceable and programmable as a biological cell.

Hivemind

A new network of autonomous swarm robots can work together to form various structures and shapes, all without receiving any big-picture instructions or design blueprints.

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AI, Automation, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News

These walking robots could help humans get back on their feet again

December 20, 2018

Bipedal robots could explore Mars one day. But first they’re teaching scientists at Caltech’s Amber Lab important lessons about helping humans here on Earth.

Watching a robot trip and fall makes my heart sink. The worst part about it? I’m the one responsible.

I’m standing in a Pasadena, California, lab filled with bipedal (or two legged) robots. A researcher challenges me to try and trip a 5-foot, semihumanoid robot called Amber that’s walking on a treadmill. It’s attached with a rope to a railing above as it walks in place, so it’s only going to fall forward or backward if I’m too heavy-handed.

Continue reading… “These walking robots could help humans get back on their feet again”

Automation, Big Problems, Employment, Robotics, Robots

Here are the states where a robot is most likely to steal your job

December 10, 2018

Bad news for workers in the American South and Great Plains: A robot could likely come for your job.

A newly released study by fintech company Smart Asset found that those regions are the ones most likely to experience serious job losses due to automation. And, even more disheartening, they’re the ones that appear least prepared to take the hit.

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Blockchain, Crypto-Technology, Money Talk, Robotics

4 Blockchain projects solving real-world problems

December 7, 2018

From wealth management to autonomous robots: four prominent startups at the end of 2018

Investors are no longer interested in ICO projects with no real use. According to Icodata, $150 million were raised in October 2018 through token sales compared to $1.5 billion in January of the same year. “The blockchain space is getting to the point where there’s a ceiling in sight,” claims Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. The Russian-Canadian programmer believes that the next step will be “real applications of real economic activity.”

Despite the statements and hopes that the end of 2018 will bring about a return to practicality, it is still difficult for applicable projects to break through the information noise. We have picked out four noteworthy blockchain projects that have not yet gained traction in the media, despite featuring a range of out-of-the-box solutions.

Continue reading… “4 Blockchain projects solving real-world problems”

Automation, Housing, new technology, Robotics

WA’s Fastbrick robot building home in three days a ‘world-first’

December 4, 2018

PERTH-based Fastbrick Robotics has achieved what it says is a world-first with the fully automated construction of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in less than three days.

The ASX-listed company says civil and structural engineers verified that the structure — completed on Monday in WA by a robotic arm from a 3D model — met relevant building standards, setting the stage for commercialisation of the product.

The company’s share price soared on the news after coming out of a trading halt, jumping more than 21 per cent, or 3.5¢, to 20¢ by 12.30pm.

Continue reading… “WA’s Fastbrick robot building home in three days a ‘world-first’”

Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Farming, Food, Robotics

How small robots may kill the tractor and make farming efficient

November 19, 2018

The Bristol-based Small Robot Company has created a series of agile robots for farming. By being customisable they could help to replace the tractor

Agriculture has a reputation of being stuck in the past. In reality, for farmers, their workplaces are a fertile testbed for innovative technology – they were among the first to embrace commercial drone use, and autonomous vehicles that could work effectively (and safely) in confined areas of farmland. Among the latest developments in agri-tech are small, farming robots that can improve crop yield and reduce farming’s impact on the environment.

Continue reading… “How small robots may kill the tractor and make farming efficient”

Agriculture, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics

AI is already changing the agriculture landscape – starting with strawberries

November 10, 2018

Meet Agrobot, an autonomous robotic harvester that’s poised to revolutionize the agriculture industry. Agrobot works with the world’s leading farmers to automate berry harvesting through the power of artificial intelligence.

Agrobot uses deep learning to determine when to pick fruit at its ripest. Up to 24 robotic arms grip and cut the fruit from its stem to meet the farmer’s quality standards. Agrobot uses a 3D sensing scanner with short-range integrated color and infrared depth sensors to capture the details and identify when fruit is ready for the picking.

Continue reading… “AI is already changing the agriculture landscape – starting with strawberries”

Business, Engineering, Robotics, Science & Technology News

Why are robotics companies dying?

November 6, 2018

Rethink Robotics shuttered its doors and closed for good on October 4, 2018. For many casual observers the collapse of a much-celebrated company, founded by preeminent artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and minor celebrity Rodney Brooks was a surprise. To others it’s just the latest indication of the trouble in robotics land. According to the company, Rethink Robotics was forced to shut its doors when it couldn’t find additional funding, and in a final attempt to sell the company and/or its assets it couldn’t find a buyer.

Rethink Robotics wasn’t the only robotics company forced to close its doors in the past year. Mayfield Robotics, developers of the social robot Kuri, closed down a few months before Rethink in August 2018, despite just making its debut one year earlier at CES 2017. Prior to that, Jibo, makers of a personal robotics device also shut down even after having raised over $70 Million. These companies shut down despite collectively raising several hundred million dollars in funding and developing their products over many years.

Continue reading… “Why are robotics companies dying?”

China, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News

Robots will build robots in $150 million Chinese factory

November 5, 2018

Swiss firm ABB is investing big money to conquer the Chinese robotics market.

Swiss robotics company ABB has revealed that it’s spending $150 million to build an advanced robotics factory in Shanghai — one that will use robots to build robots. The company will rely on its YuMi single-arm robots, which it once used to conduct an orchestra, for small parts assembly. It also plans to make extensive use”of its SafeMove2 software in the facility, which it says will allow its YuMi models and other automated machines to safely work in close proximity with human employees.

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Engineering, New Inventions, Robotics, Robots

Robot masters human balancing act

November 2, 2018

Mercury, a biped robot developed in Cockrell School of Engineering professor Luis Sentis’ Human Centered Robotics Lab, is able to maintain balance when hit unexpectedly or when force is applied without warning.

AUSTIN, Texas — When walking in a crowded place, humans typically aren’t thinking about how we avoid bumping into one another. We are built to use a gamut of complex skill sets required to execute these types of seemingly simple motions.

Now, thanks to researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, robots may soon be able to experience similar functionality. Luis Sentis, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, and his team in the Human Centered Robotics Laboratory have successfully demonstrated a novel approach to human-like balance in a biped robot.

Continue reading… “Robot masters human balancing act”

Agriculture, Automation, Farming, Farms, Food, Robotics

Inside Silicon Valley’s newest, most autonomous farm yet

October 31, 2018

Iron Ox’s robots are currently planting, growing, and harvesting lettuce in a California warehouse.

Inside Silicon Valley’s newest, most autonomous farm yet

Inside a former commercial warehouse in San Carlos, California, a robotic arm is carefully transplanting tiny sorrel plants from one large tray to another. In another corner of the room, a larger robot sits ready to carry other trays–filled with romaine lettuce, bok choy, cilantro, and more than two dozen other types of greens–over to the robotic arm. At the moment, there are no people in the room: This is the headquarters of Iron Ox, which bills itself as the world’s first fully autonomous farm.

“We designed the entire process, from the beginning, around robotics,” says Iron Ox co-founder and CEO Brandon Alexander, who previously worked at X, Alphabet’s so-called moonshot factory, and the robotics lab Willow Garage. “It required us pretty much going back to the drawing board to see what we could do if robots were in the loop.”

Continue reading… “Inside Silicon Valley’s newest, most autonomous farm yet”