Robopocalypse Report #108

Drones:

ABI Zero uses computer vision to map the indoors of buildings.

Drone startup Airways is shutting down despite raising $118M from investors.

Australian telecom company Telestra demonstrated how to use drones to help authorities after a disaster.

A drone has been used to deploy sensor packages in volcanoes.

Flirtey has conducted its first multidrone delivery in Reno, NV.

Glider drones have been taught to soar like birds through the use of software.

Impossible Aerospace has a drone that can fly for two hours.

An NFL official supports a bill allowing the Feds to seize drones.

University of Pennsylvania developed eye tracking glasses used to steer drones.

A reconfigurable shade made of drones has been designed.

RUDN University has proposed improving cellular coverage using drones.

Skidio released an SDK for its 4k capable drone.

State Farm has been given permission by the FAA to use drones to assess hurricane damage.

German company Strabag used LTE connected drones to map 7.5 miles of German autobahn.

Zipline is delivering blood by drone to remote areas.

Self Driving Cars:

5 great routes for self driving trucks, when they're ready.

There is a call for self driving car developers to put pedestrians first.

Is the self driving car industry blowing it?

The first self driving car was actually built in Germany in 1968.

Alibaba will develop its own chips for self driving cars.

Arm's latest chip is intended for self driving cars.

Audi thinks self driving cars are not a cure-all for traffic.

BMW built a self driving motorcycle.

BMW wants to form a self driving car industry coalition.

Ford unveiled its autonomous semi concept, the F-Vision.

Mercedes has rolled out their self driving car/van concept with switchable bodies.

Oklahoma will start using self driving cars for food delivery next year.

Renault unveiled its autonomous delivery system concept, EZ-PRO.

Self driving cars are the latest battleground for chip makers.

Siemens is developing self driving tech for trains and other track riding vehicles.

Volkswagen wants to organize a industry coalition self driving cars.

Volvo has designed a cabless self driving semi truck.

Robotics:

A new agrigbot has been developed to pick peppers.

Alibaba has a service robot for hotels.

Dyson has a robo vacuum.

City University of Hong Kong has developed a tiny, multi legged robot for potential use for drug delivery.

Inflatable grippers make an appearance again.

JAXA is sending robot avators into space with human-like hands.

Some machine learning algorithms are having problems being applied to real world robots.

MIT has developed a robot than can pick up anything after it examines it.

University of Queensland researchers have been studying lizards and how they use their tails to apply that knowledge to 'off-road' robots.

A new robot has been developed to demonstrate insect flight.

This robot makes images using thread.

A robot jellyfish can explore reefs.

Robo skin makes almost anything into a robot.  Including stuffed animals.

Robot lawnmowers are killing hedgehogs in Europe.

Robots are learning how to carefully peel lettuce leaves.

Watch sonic robots go nuts.

Sony's reborn Aibo robo dog is now available for preorder.

Samsung's NY AI center will focus on robotics.

Sphero and Facebook have teamed up to offer robots to help teach coding to schools.

A tactile sensor is applied through spraying it on.

A Tokyo cafe is using robot waiters operated by disabled people behind the scenes.

Hurricane Florence was studied by UUVs under the waves.

VineScout is a new and improved agribot.

xARM looks and acts like a 1950s robot.

Exoskeletons:

Harvard has developed a soft exoskeleton that adapts as you use it.

Cyborgism:

Meet the Transhumanists trying to turn themselves into cyborgs.

Researchers can now tell what mood you are in from your brain signals.

An electronic implant is helping the paralyzed walk again.

3d Printing:

Cody Wilson, the founder of a 3d printed gun company, is accused of child sexual assault and was on the run in Taiwan.  He was arrested there and has since been deported back to the US.  Cody Wilson has resigned from the 3d printing gun company.

Bioprinting is being used clinically.

Chinese researchers have come up with a new 3d printed metamaterial (pdf) that can absorb across a wideband.

3d printed CLIP carbon fiber parts were tested for strength.

HP has launched its 3d Metal Jet printers for mass production.

3d printing is being used for soft inserts for injection molding.

3d printing is also being studied to make tooling for injection molding.

LLNL is using lasers to help improve 3d metal printing.

There is now a nanodiamond enhanced 3d printer filament.

Are 3d printed parts made from recycled PLA as good as 'virgin' PLA?

Siemmens is turning to 3d printing for replacement parts.

3d printing was used to make a robotic surgical snake.

A recent study was conducted on how teachers will adopt 3d printing in the classroom.

Volkswagen wants to 3d print car parts in two to three years.

WASP has introduced a modular construction printer.

Software Bots:

A bill in the US Senate would require more AI adoption for the US government.

AI requires cultural intelligent.

Activists can't compete with bots online for 'clickivism.'

Can we hold algorithms accountable like people?

Now your microwave can spy on you.  Thanks, Amazon!

Amazon's Alexa went down across parts of Europe.

Apple put an AI chip in their Iphones.

China has changed its stance on AI and now wants to collaborate internationally, rather than dominate the field.

Computer vision still has problems.

Facebook's AI can analyze memes, but is there any real understanding?

Facebook has also developed an AI to autonomously conduct bug fixes.

Facebook's AI can extract text from images.

Ford is using software bots to improve on fuel economy in the Ford Edge.

Google is using its software bots to add sound searches to its search engine.

Google is using its software bots to predict and warn residents of Kerala, India about flooding.

Google has teamed up with Unity to accelerate Deep Mind development.

IBM is working to remove bias from AI.

Microsoft's AI tech could help with natural disasters.

MIT has developed software bots able to pick out objects in an image based on verbal cues.

nvidia is focusing on AI for the internet.

Software bots are being used to study superconductors.

Software bots are being used to track down fast radio bursts.

Software bots can help academics navigate scientific literature.

Software bots are being used to measure 3d printed items.

Software bots are being used to better diagnose lung disease.  Some can even diagnose which type of lung cancer.

Software bots can now scour social media for complaints about medication.

Software bots spotted DNA changes in a developing brain.

Software bots are being used to ID different types of plankton in millions of images.

A software bot enabled camera can spot guns and call the cops.

Software bots are better at predicting outcomes for psychosis and depression than people are.

US lawmakers are worried about deep fake technology.  They should be.

Automation:

Amazon's next locale to open an Amazon Go store is Chicago.

Amazon is planning 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021.

Machines will perform more tasks than people by 2025.

META:

Is fear of the robopocalypse overrated?

With very strong implications for the robopocalypse, farmers cannot repair their John Deere tractors without going to an approved dealer or mechanic.

Dr Lee Feifei focuses on people as the center of AI researcher.

Despite the rise in automation, carmakers are hiring people.