Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Humanoid

Terrifying cyborgs move one step closer to taking over the world

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If you’re old enough to remember the cyborgs from the early series of science fiction series Doctor Who, you would probably agree that the Cybermen were without question the most terrifying villains to ever show their horrifying faces on our television screens. Ever. 

But what’s happening today in the real world is even more scary than that. It’s just that we seem to have become accustomed to being shocked and traumatised.

The Cybermen were probably made mostly of metal and plastic or some sort of inorganic material – as in, they were not made of flesh and bone as we know them.  [Read more…] about Terrifying cyborgs move one step closer to taking over the world

Artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics startup UBTech raises $820 million in latest funding round

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UBTech Robotics, a developer of intelligent humanoid robots, announced today the completion of its Series C investment totaling $820 million with a market valuation of $5 billion, the single largest funding round ever for an artificial intelligence company.

The investment was led by Tencent, and also includes funding from ICBC, Haier, Minsheng Securities, Telstra, Easyhome Furnishings, Chia Tai Group, China Minsheng Bank, China Film and TV Capital, CGN, Sichuan Railway Investment Group, Green Pine Capital Partners, Whale Capital, and Shenzhen JinFuZi Network Technology.

The lead investor of UBTech’s Series B funding, CDH Investments, also participated.  [Read more…] about Artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics startup UBTech raises $820 million in latest funding round

Nobody’s perfect: Future relationships with humanoid robots

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The concept of creating the perfect companion has probably been a central theme in works of science fiction since the beginning of science fiction. 

Although Frankenstein’s monster is not everyone’s idea of the perfect companion, Mary Shelley wrote the novel before 1818, when it was first published.

That’s at least 200 years since someone described a mad scientist who creates a human-like being in a lab using means other than natural procreation. [Read more…] about Nobody’s perfect: Future relationships with humanoid robots

Pushy Pepper robots take over Smithsonian Museum hosting jobs

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A contingent of pushy Pepper robots – a small humanoid robot produced by SoftBank Robotics – has taken over the Smithsonian Museum’s hosting jobs.

The Pepper robots have already taken up their positions and are all set to meet and greet and be robotically cheerful for visitors to what is perhaps the world’s most famous museum chain.

The innocuous-looking but potentially job-stealing Pepper units were all donated by SoftBank as part of a pilot project. [Read more…] about Pushy Pepper robots take over Smithsonian Museum hosting jobs

Misty Robotics launches new Misty II personal robot

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Today at the Collision Conference, Misty Robotics, the personal robot company spun out from Sphero, the creators of the best-selling BB-8 toy robot, announced its newest personal robot, the Misty II, and the launch of a limited-time crowdfunding campaign to purchase the robot at a 50 per cent discount.

People interested will have 30 days, from May 2 through May 31, to order the Misty II.

Misty Robotics is offering 1,500 Misty II robots at a 50 per cent discount off MSRP for the price of $1,599, which will begin shipping by December 4, 2018.  [Read more…] about Misty Robotics launches new Misty II personal robot

Toyota’s basketball robot is why humans should give up and go home

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If you find being confronted by a 7-foot human basketball player somewhat intimidating, wait ’til you see the new Toyota basketball-playing robot. 

Luckily, the 6-foot-3-inch monstrosity doesn’t move around at all and only throws the ball into the hoop – but it does so with 100 per cent accuracy. (See video below.)

According to Asahi Shimbun via CNBC, ZDNet and others, the robot – named “Cue” for some reason – threw 200,000 hoops with almost perfect accuracy.  [Read more…] about Toyota’s basketball robot is why humans should give up and go home

European scientists show off humanoid robot that can put out fires

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Scientists in Europe have demonstrated a humanoid robot which can put out fires and do similar kinds of dangerous work in the aftermath of an industrial accident. (See video below.)

The research project was led by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, and was conducted in collaboration with University of Pisa in Italy, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium.

The humanoid robot is called Walk-Man, and was funded within a project of the same name by the European Union through the European Commission.  [Read more…] about European scientists show off humanoid robot that can put out fires

Robotic clones of dead family members on the way

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Swedish scientists are developing robotic clones to replace family members who have died, according to a report on Sputnik News.

It might sound macabre to some, but to others, it might seem a natural thing to want to hold on to whatever they can of loved ones they have lost.

Sputnik cites a report in Dagen daily which adds that the scientists plan to use artificial intelligence to make the androids speak like the dead people they replace, using their voices and mannerisms.  [Read more…] about Robotic clones of dead family members on the way

LG buys 10 per cent of Robotis for $8.5 million

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South Korean electronics giant LG has acquired a 10.12 per cent stake in Robotis, according to the Korea Herald. 

The website reports that LG paid $8.5 million for a share of Robotis, which is also a South Korean company.

Robotis develops a while range of robotics technologies, including robotic controllers and sensor modules.  [Read more…] about LG buys 10 per cent of Robotis for $8.5 million

Shadow Robot hands help new AI research

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The Shadow Robot Company, a leader in robotic hands, is working with OpenAI, a non-profit company focusing on the path to safe artificial intelligence, by supplying OpenAI its Shadow Dexterous Hands for AI research.

The research, led by OpenAI, has created eight newly released environments, four of which uses the Shadow Hand robot to solve realistic manipulation tasks. The Shadow Hand is tactile enough to rotate a block and a solid egg and flexible enough to move a pen between its fingers.

All the new tasks have the concept of a “goal” such as achieving the desired orientation of a block in the Shadow hand block manipulation task.

[Read more…] about Shadow Robot hands help new AI research