Robotics & Automation News

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Autonomous boats could be your next ride

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Five years in the making, MIT’s autonomous floating vessels get an upgrade in size and learn a new way to communicate aboard the waters

The feverish race to produce the shiniest, safest, speediest self-driving car has spilled over into our wheelchairs, scooters, and even golf carts.

Moreover, recently, there’s been movement from land to sea, as marine autonomy stands to change the canals of our cities, with the potential to deliver goods and services and collect waste across our waterways.

In an update to a five-year project from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Senseable City Lab, researchers have been developing the world’s first fleet of autonomous boats for the city of Amsterdam, and have recently added a new, larger vessel to the group: “Roboat II”. (See video below.) [Read more…] about Autonomous boats could be your next ride

BMW applies AI dust particle analysis to ‘increase paint shop quality’

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BMW says it uses an “ongoing algorithm-based analysis” of dust content in vehicle paint booths and compares them to a database to predict the quality of coating it applies to cars

Artificial intelligence can bring even greater precision to controlling highly sensitive systems in automotive production, as a pilot project in the paint shop of the BMW’s Munich plant has demonstrated.

Despite state-of-the-art filtration technology, the content of finest dust particles in paint lines varies depending on the ambient air drawn in. If the dust content exceeded the threshold, the still wet paint could trap particles, thus visually impairing the painted surface.

AI specialists from what BMW calls its “central planning” and the Munich plant have now found a way to avoid this situation altogether: every freshly painted car body must undergo an automatic surface inspection in the paint shop. [Read more…] about BMW applies AI dust particle analysis to ‘increase paint shop quality’

All About Developing a Computer Vision System

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This is an enthralling type of artificial intelligence that is practiced in numerous ways of labeling and detecting objects in images.

Primarily, the precise field that deals with how computers can gain a high level of understanding from digital images and videos in computer vision.

This scientific field seeks to comprehend and systematize tasks that involve visual systems through handling, analyzing and understanding of videos as well as digital images. [Read more…] about All About Developing a Computer Vision System

Math experts use drones to show it’s possible to ‘see’ perfectly using sound

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The discovery’s potential applications include self-driving cars, smartphones that can guide the visually impaired and drones that can help firefighters at night

As the industry for self-driving cars, robots and other unmanned vehicles quickly evolves – and engineers work to overcome the limitations of sensors that use visual, infrared or thermal information – math experts at Purdue University and the Technical University of Munich have proven there’s another, equally viable solution: using sound. 

Mireille “Mimi” Boutin, associate professor of mathematics at Purdue University, and Gregor Kemper, professor of algorithmic algebra at Technical University, found that a drone equipped with four microphones and a loudspeaker can precisely reconstruct the wall configuration of a room by listening to echoes, similar to how bats use echolocation to orient themselves.

Their work is significant because it demonstrates the feasibility of using sound for navigation in unmanned systems, leading to many potential applications such as cars, drones, underwater vehicles or even devices that people can carry, such as a smartphone.  [Read more…] about Math experts use drones to show it’s possible to ‘see’ perfectly using sound

ACEINNA wins award for autonomous car navigation and guidance technologies

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ACEINNA has received an AVT ACES Award for their industry leading OpenIMU technology platform from Autonomous Vehicle Technology Magazine for autonomous vehicle guidance and navigation.

AVT magazine awarded the ACES Award to ACEINNA’s OpenIMU open-source software stack, spotlighting it as an affordable and easy to use method to develop navigation solutions for many types of autonomous vehicles.

AVT Magazine also recognized ACEINNA for developing innovative products and demonstrating ACEINNA’s industry leadership. [Read more…] about ACEINNA wins award for autonomous car navigation and guidance technologies

Helping robots and humans work hand in hand

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As the internet-connected world continues to transform the manufacturing and logistics industry, Technische Universität Dortmund is leading the way in research into human-robot interaction.

With the help of Vicon’s cutting-edge motion capture and VR solutions, the University is developing innovative ways to approach the coexistence of drones and robots with people in warehouse environments.

The manufacturing and logistics sector faces a major challenge: how best to serve the ever-growing e-commerce market – with increasingly small-scale shipments and shorter delivery deadlines – in a cost-effective and sustainable way. [Read more…] about Helping robots and humans work hand in hand

Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

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In 2017 there were nearly 350,000 incidents of workers taking sick leave due to injuries affecting muscles, nerves, ligaments or tendons – like carpal tunnel syndrome – according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the workers with the highest number of incidents: people who work in factories and warehouses.

Musculoskeletal disorders happen at work when people use awkward postures or perform repeated tasks. These behaviors generate strain on the body over time. So it’s important to point out and minimize risky behaviors to keep workers healthy on the job. [Read more…] about Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

Samsung Electronics introduces high-speed NPU solution for AI deep learning

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Deep learning algorithms are a core element of artificial intelligence (AI) as they are the processes by which a computer is able to think and learn like a human being does.

A Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is a processor that is optimised for deep learning algorithm computation, designed to efficiently process thousands of these computations simultaneously.

Samsung Electronics last month announced its goal to strengthen its leadership in the global system semiconductor industry by 2030 through expanding its proprietary NPU technology development.

[Read more…] about Samsung Electronics introduces high-speed NPU solution for AI deep learning

JPMorgan to employ trading robot because it’s more efficient than humans

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One of the world’s largest investment banks, JPMorgan, is preparing to employ a robot to work in its global equities business because it’s shown itself to be more efficient than traditional methods of buying and selling, according to a report on the Financial Times website. 

The artificial intelligence-based algorithm, which is called LOXM, has been tested in the US and Asia over the first quarter of this year, adds the FT.

The newspaper quotes David Fellah, of JPMorgan’s European Equity Quant Research team, as saying the work LOXM will do was previously done by humans, “but now the AI machine is able to do it on a much larger and more efficient scale”.