Monday, April 25, 2016

Robopocalypse Report #79

Drones:

University of Nebraska is testing how to use drones for fire fighting.

 Some are using drones to detect explosives, like land mines.

Drone racing just became big enough ESPN signed a deal to broadcast the races.

Shooting down a drone is now a federal crime.

The balloon drones are coming!

NASA is testing a system for nation wide drone traffic control.

DJI has made its most powerful drone yet.

Drones are banned from London's air space during Obama's visit.

Some are hoping drone racing goes big.

It finally happened, a drone crashed into an airliner in London.

An insect has inspired a way for DJI drones to float on water.

Malawi is setting up a program to use drones to help speed up HIV testing.

Self driving cars:

The Mercedes self driving truck convoy successfully completed its road trip across Europe.

Self driving Fords use LIDAR to drive.

A company in Singapore is seeking to test its self driving cars as taxis.

Singapore is about to start testing autonomous taxi pods.

Beverly Hills might get a small fleet of self driving shuttles.

A RAND report claims it is impossible to test self driving cars enough to prove their safety.

GEOHOT claims its self driving car tech will be available by the end of the year.

China had a self driving car drive across China.

China's answer to Tesla is semi self driving already.

China might be answering Tesla, but Musk might be answering China's self driving bus.

Dubai is pushing for driverless cars.

3d Printing:



Who is liable with 3d printed products?

The Foodini gets hyped more.

3d printed robotic birds used to scare away real birds.

What is the future of intellectual property with 3d printing?

The push for fashion to be 3d printed is on.

3d printed home contest winners have been announced.

Robotics:



Google owned Schaft has unveiled what looks like the ancestor of TARS from the movie, Interstellar.



Kongberg Marine seems to be out to freak out all the snake -phobes with the robopocalypse.

IBM has placed its Watson software bot in a robot body...much happened afterwards.

Underwater robots have been around for a long time.  Now they are being used in Lake Yellowstone for exploration.

Darmouth researchers have developed a robotic mural painter.

There is a new type of gripper.

Robots are helpful for rehab for the young.

A UUV found a prop from a Nessie movie.

Hitachi wants robots to help with the shopping.

Dispatch aims to have a fleet of delivery bots and have started testing.

This bot maps and does inventory of stores.

There's a mini bot intended to photograph your aquarium fish now.  hmm.

A new algorithm from MIT helps bots build a consensus to avoid obstacles.

Is Siemens the secret HQ of Dr Evil?  Their 3d printed spider robots make me wonder.

Robot butlers are being marketed by a Chinese company.

Software Bots:

Facebook is about unleash its own chatbots.  Tay was a lesson I hope they have learned from Microsoft!  More info.

Bots might be useful for treating social disorders.

Soon we might be texting bots as much as we do our friends.

There is a machine learning app now.

Another Microsoft bot isn't doing so well.

The next big gaming challenge for AI after chess & Go is now...Starcraft.

Cyborgism:

An implanted chip allowed a paralyzed man to control his hands.

Economics & Philosophy:

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