Monday, March 21, 2016

Robopocalypse Report #77: The Google Robo Abort

Drones:





A new study claims the threat to aircraft by small drones is far less than advertised.

Sensors are being added to drones like lidar to greatly improve their situational awareness. 

Drones are revolutionizing ecological monitoring.  They are great for bird counting.

There is a new blimp drone that is very safe to have around people.  I do wish they'd picked something else for the prototype to look like other than an eyeball.

CRACUNS is an amphibious drone that can be stored underwater for a prolonged period until needed, then swim to the surface and start flying.

The Drone Racing League built a racing track in the old Hawthorne Mall.

This is how Goldman Sachs think the world's businesses will use drones.

How to make a drone business without making drones.

A drone in the UK flew a pair of bolt cutters into a prison.

In Canada, the drone boom has raised insurance questions.

The US needs to get its act together on drone regulation or get left behind.

Where do drones go from here?

Self Driving Cars:

Ford just patented a movie screen windshield for self driving cars.

And Google, in a case of hilarious timing, just got a patent for self driving cars detecting buses.  doh.

One expert from Duke University testified before Congress that self driving cars are DEFINITELY not ready for the road.

GM & Lyft are working on a network of summonable self driving cars.

Not exactly self driving cars, but self braking ones are coming VERY soon.

Now there are self driving bikes.

Delphi's self driving car tech is already driving test Audis.

Google has given the federal government its plans for self driving cars.

The Federal Government has stated self driving cars must have steering wheels and brake pedals.  That's a bit of a set back for Google and its vision.

Google has argued if a self driving car can pass the safety tests, it ought to be legal to drive on the road.

This is what impressed a WaPo reporter about riding in the Google Car. 

The first self driving cars might be very limited.

Self driving cars can never be perfectly safe, so how safe should they be?

Uber is seeking self driving cars.

The US Army is testing self driving trucks for supply convoys: will that technology go commercial?

Self driving trucks are going to be testing in the UK.

3d Printing:

Disney just got a number of 3d printing patents granted.

Metal 3d printing is pretty much here.

Saving the reefs through 3d printing?!

Markforged has come out with a higher temperature fiberglass.

Robotics:




Clemson has developed a robot to do plant grafting.

iRobot's new Braava mopping robot has gets a review.


Stanford has developed a bot (SCAMP) that flies, crawls up walls and launches again.

Google has put Boston Dynamics up for sale.  Here's another take.

Who are Google's rivals in robotics?

Domino's has its own pizza delivery robot.

Could you fall in love with a robot?

Will construction robotics end construction defect litigation?

A giant piloted robot being developed in Japan is intended for construction.

A Chinese company is importing Russian service robots.

Eatsa, the 'automated' restaurant, is being called 'pure magic.'

Hanson Robotics built a bot that skydives into the Uncanny Valley in a big way.

Soft robots are going metallic.

Apple revealed its 'Liam' robot built to disassemble old Iphones.

Software Bots:

Google's Deep Mind project's Alpha-Go beat the world champion at Go 4 out of 5 games.

The Royal Bank of Scotland will be cutting hundreds of jobs in favor of software bots.

Some are talking about training AI using computer games like Fallout.  Not sure that's quite the outcome we'd like.

After the Go victories, what's next for AI development?

Is Facebook's chatbot/app the next big thing?  Or massively overhyped?

South Korea has started $860 million AI fund.

Even so, AI has a long way to go.

Economics and Philosophy:

In the Robopocalypse, jobs are only for machines...and that might be a good thing.

The CEO of Carl's Jr (fast food company) has stated his company will be implementing automation for their restaurants because they cannot afford to pay the rising minimum wage and stay in business.

The Robopocalypse is even coming for Wall Street.  As if they didn't know that already.  ;)

Workers in India, China and the USA think they will be replaced by robots (paper).

Is your job in danger of being automated?

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