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What did Lithuanian startup company LastMile learn from its autonomous car experiment?

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The future of home shopping delivery is clearly linked to autonomous technologies. Lithuania is not chasing others in this field, but is rather taking a lead that brings useful insights for the whole market.

In Vilnius, fleets of delivery robots have joined already the busy city center traffic for the first time in Europe. According to Tadas Noruskaitis, CEO and co-founder of LastMile, the startup that implemented the project, the decision to entrust shopping to robots has paid off, showing what already works and what could be improved.

In 2022, the first LastMile fleet of delivery robot rolled into Vilnius’ Balsiai district. Less than a year later, three robots appeared in the center of the capital, becoming the first trio of robot couriers to operate as fully-fledged vehicles on the city’s central streets. [Read more…] about What did Lithuanian startup company LastMile learn from its autonomous car experiment?

Deep learning networks prefer the human voice – just like we do

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Columbia engineers demonstrate that AI systems might reach higher performance if programmed with sound files of human language rather than with binary data labels. (See video below.)

The digital revolution is built on a foundation of invisible 1s and 0s called bits.

As decades pass, and more and more of the world’s information and knowledge morph into streams of 1s and 0s, the notion that computers prefer to “speak” in binary numbers is rarely questioned.

According to new research from Columbia Engineering, this could be about to change. [Read more…] about Deep learning networks prefer the human voice – just like we do

Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

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Elon Musk – he of PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX fame and enormous fortune – now wants to implant a chip in your brain as part of his Neuralink business.

Neuralink is Musk’s brain-to-computer interface company that seeks to connect all humans to artificial intelligence systems which will potentially monitor and control all their movements and thoughts.

The Matrix-style scenario sounds like living in an absolute hellish nightmare, but Musk seems completely oblivious to that likelihood. [Read more…] about Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

Opinion: A coronavirus-induced acceleration of robotics and automation is happening in China

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By Gao Feng Advisory

A coronavirus-induced acceleration of robotics and automation appears to be taking place in China. There are a number of forces driving this catalysis in automation technologies. 

Firstly, the Chinese government and its policies are playing a central role. This will be particularly reflected in the unprecedented spending on “new infrastructure” as a response to the pandemic.

Secondly, the technologies and related-industries targeted by the government’s new infrastructure agenda are critical components. [Read more…] about Opinion: A coronavirus-induced acceleration of robotics and automation is happening in China

ESMERA opens €200,000 competition to fund small businesses developing robotics solutions

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The EU funded robotics project ESMERA – the European SMEs Robotics Applications – has opened its second open call to help fund small businesses developing robotic solutions for enterprise applications.

Within that call, industrial end-users have defined specific challenges that are to be solved by introducing a robotics solution.

The challenges come from the areas of manufacturing, energy, construction, agriculture, food processing, retail, healthcare and emergency response. [Read more…] about ESMERA opens €200,000 competition to fund small businesses developing robotics solutions