Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

brain

MIT develops thread-like robot that can slip through brain’s blood vessels

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Scientists at MIT have developed a thread-like robot that can be steered using magnets and slip through the brain’s blood vessels. 

The university’s website reports that, in the future, this “robotic thread” may be paired with existing endovascular technologies, enabling doctors to remotely guide the robot through a patient’s brain vessels to quickly treat blockages and lesions, such as those that occur in aneurysms and stroke.

Xuanhe Zhao, associate professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT, says: “Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. [Read more…] about MIT develops thread-like robot that can slip through brain’s blood vessels

Brain Corp expands global presence with opening of European headquarters

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Brain Corp, a San Diego-based artificial intelligence and robotics company, has opened its new European headquarters.

Located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Brain Corp Europe will serve as a hub for operations, software development, and continuing research and development activities.

In the near term, efforts will primarily focus on providing increased support to regional partners, ensuring the successful development and sell-through of BrainOS-powered robots. [Read more…] about Brain Corp expands global presence with opening of European headquarters

A new type of robotic ‘brain’ could transform modern factories

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By Richard van Hooijdonk

Industrial robots like the ones that assemble Tesla vehicles or Nokia’s 5G base stations are a sight to behold.

They’re critical for manufacturing automation and lead to improved product quality, shorter cycle times, and decreased production costs.

So, it’s no surprise that the global industrial robotics market is expected to reach a whopping $97.41 billion by 2026 as investments in this technology ramp up. [Read more…] about A new type of robotic ‘brain’ could transform modern factories

Brain Corp raises $114 million to develop self-driving technology for robots

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Brain Corp, an artificial intelligence company specializing in the development of self-driving technology for robots, has raised $114 million in a Series C funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund.

Brain has developed AI and self-driving technology to enable robots to perceive their environment, learn to control their motion, and navigate using visual cues and landmarks while avoiding people and obstacles.

The investment will be used to further develop AI technology and create brains for multiple types of commercial and consumer robots.  [Read more…] about Brain Corp raises $114 million to develop self-driving technology for robots

Sugar’s ‘tipping point’ link to Alzheimer’s disease revealed

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sugar cubes

For the first time a “tipping point” molecular link between the blood sugar glucose and Alzheimer’s disease has been established by scientists, who have shown that excess glucose damages a vital enzyme involved with inflammation response to the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Abnormally high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycaemia, is well-known as a characteristic of diabetes and obesity, but its link to Alzheimer’s disease is less familiar.

Diabetes patients have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to healthy individuals. In Alzheimer’s disease abnormal proteins aggregate to form plaques and tangles in the brain which progressively damage the brain and lead to severe cognitive decline. [Read more…] about Sugar’s ‘tipping point’ link to Alzheimer’s disease revealed

Chinese robot maker CloudMinds creates robots based on cloud intelligence

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cloud-computing

Company backed by SoftBank says it has switched from artificial intelligence to cloud intelligence

A Chinese company called CloudMinds says it has created what it says is a “cloud intelligence ecosystem” for robotics. 

CloudMinds specialises in the research, development and manufacturing of cloud intelligence-based applications.

It has several investors, including SoftBank Group, the Japanese multinational telecommunications and Internet firm.  [Read more…] about Chinese robot maker CloudMinds creates robots based on cloud intelligence

Computer model of how bees view the world could be a breakthrough for robotics

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sheffield uni Bee vision

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have created a computer model of how bees avoid hitting walls – which could lead to a breakthrough in the development of autonomous robots. 

Researchers from the Department of Computer Science built their computer model to look at how bees use vision to detect the movement of the world around them and avoid crashes.

Bees control their flight using the speed of motion – or optic flow – of the visual world around them, but it is not known how they do this. The only neural circuits so far found in the insect brain can tell the direction of motion, not the speed.

This study suggests how motion-direction detecting circuits could be wired together to also detect motion-speed, which is crucial for controlling bees’ flight.

“Honeybees are excellent navigators and explorers, using vision extensively in these tasks, despite having a brain of only one million neurons,” says Dr Alex Cope, lead researcher on the paper.  [Read more…] about Computer model of how bees view the world could be a breakthrough for robotics

Human Brain Project gives public access to web-based simulation platforms

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HBP opens up all of its computing platforms to the wider research community as it looks to accelerate progress 

The Human Brain Project has released all six of its computing platforms to the wider research community and the general public in an attempt to accelerate progress.

People who are interested can now request access to any or all of the platforms, most of which are suitable for collaboration and accessible through the worldwide web.

The six platforms have the following titles: Neuroinformatics; Brain Simulation; High Performance Analytics and Computing; Medical Informatics; Neuromorphic Computing; and NeuroRobotics.  [Read more…] about Human Brain Project gives public access to web-based simulation platforms

Billion dollar brain: Exclusive interview with Professor Alois Knoll

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Professor Alois Knoll, co-ordinator of the European Clearing House for Open Robotics Development (Echord), and one of the key scientists involved in the $1.5 billion-dollar Human Brain Project, speaks exclusively to Robotics and Automation News

It’s not every day you learn a new word you like. From my point of view, having been in journalism longer than I’d like to recall, it’s an interesting experience to be reminded of an extract from a biography of Dr Samuel Johnson, “father of the English dictionary”, written by James Boswell in 1791, which I read in my teens.

Nothing specific from what I read applies here, but I’ll paraphrase a quote from Johnson which I think may be most appropriate. “A writer only begins an article. A reader finishes it.”  [Read more…] about Billion dollar brain: Exclusive interview with Professor Alois Knoll