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What is artificial general intelligence? Here’s what we think we understand

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Artificial general intelligence is probably an unnecessary term that confuses people and fails to encapsulate the basic concept of “intelligence”.

While almost everything in this article is debatable, it seems obvious to me that there isn’t much that is “general” about intelligence – in fact, intelligence is about the exact opposite, as far as I understand it. Intelligence is the ability to make a very specific choice – decide on the correct course of action or the right thing to do.

That requires learning at least something about what you are deciding on. Which is what other forms of artificial intelligence already do, don’t they? [Read more…] about What is artificial general intelligence? Here’s what we think we understand

General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

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General Motors is planning to close down Cruise, its autonomous vehicle technology development business, after the startup had racked up expenses of approximately $10 billion while generating revenues of only $500 million.

The way GM announced the closure on its website was that it plans to “realign its autonomous driving strategy and prioritize development of advanced driver assistance systems on a path to fully autonomous personal vehicles”.

GM will build on the progress of Super Cruise, the company’s hands-off, eyes-on driving feature, now offered on more than 20 GM vehicle models and currently logging over 10 million miles per month. [Read more…] about General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

Figure to supply ‘general purpose’ humanoid robots to BMW Manufacturing

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Figure, a California-based company developing autonomous humanoid robots, has signed a commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to install general purpose robots in automotive manufacturing environments.

Figure says its humanoid robots enable the automation of difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks throughout the manufacturing process, which in turn allows employees to focus on skills and processes that cannot be automated, as well as continuous improvement in production efficiency and safety.

Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure, says: “Single-purpose robotics have saturated the commercial market for decades, but the potential of general purpose robotics is completely untapped. [Read more…] about Figure to supply ‘general purpose’ humanoid robots to BMW Manufacturing

Distalmotion raises $150 million for its robotic surgery system

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Distalmotion has raised $150 million in new financing.

The company says this “significant fundraise reinforces the confidence” of its existing investors led by Revival Healthcare Capital.

Dexter, Distalmotion’s robotic platform, is in day-to-day clinical use in Europe, successfully treating patients across a multitude of complex and high-volume procedures in general surgery, gynecology, urology. [Read more…] about Distalmotion raises $150 million for its robotic surgery system

General Motors and Red Hat partner to develop software-defined vehicles

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Automotive giant General Motors and open source software provider Red Hat have formed a partnership to “help advance software-defined vehicles at the edge”.

The companies expect to expand an ecosystem of innovation around the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, which provides a functional-safety certified Linux operating system foundation intended for the ongoing evolution of GM’s Ultifi software platform.

The collaboration between Red Hat and GM is a significant moment in the convergence of the transportation and technology industries, with Red Hat’s cloud-native, enterprise-grade open source operating system accelerating the development of GM’s software-defined vehicle programs following Ultifi’s initial launch. [Read more…] about General Motors and Red Hat partner to develop software-defined vehicles

Fanuc plans to double Michigan campus to accommodate ‘automation demand’

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Fanuc, the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial robots, has launched a West Campus expansion that will push its operational space in Oakland County, Michigan to nearly two million square feet.

The construction will include a 655,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility to house manufacturing, engineering and R&D projects.

This investment in Michigan’s growing manufacturing area includes the purchase of 67 acres of land as well as the site of the former Thomas M. Cooley Law School Campus, which will provide future growth in the education of the next generation of robotics and automation workers. [Read more…] about Fanuc plans to double Michigan campus to accommodate ‘automation demand’

Apptronik raises $15 million for its humanoid robots

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Apptronik, an Austin-based robotics company specializing in the development of exoskeletons and collaborative robotics systems, says it raised $14.6 million in a Seed Round, including Capital Factory, Grit Ventures, Perot Jain and other strategic investors.

This funding will go toward fulfilling the company’s current customer orders while accelerating the commercialization of one of the industry’s first mass-produced humanoid robots capable of working alongside humans.

Apptronik is positioned to scale its deep portfolio of safe, intelligent, versatile, and adaptable robotic technology for unstructured environments across enterprises. [Read more…] about Apptronik raises $15 million for its humanoid robots

General Motors to invest $7 billion in Michigan facilities to ramp up electric vehicle production to 1 million units

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General Motors says it will invest more than $7 billion in four Michigan manufacturing sites, creating 4,000 new jobs and retaining 1,000, and significantly increasing battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity.

This is the single largest investment announcement in GM history. The investment includes construction of a new Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM’s assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan for production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the electric GMC Sierra, GM’s second assembly plant scheduled to build full-size electric pickups.

Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO, says: “We are taking the next step in our continuous work to establish GM’s EV leadership by making investments in our vertically integrated battery production in the US, and our North American EV production capacity. [Read more…] about General Motors to invest $7 billion in Michigan facilities to ramp up electric vehicle production to 1 million units

Fanuc launches new 1,000 kg payload industrial robotic arm

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Fanuc America, the world’s largest maker of industrial robots, has introduced the new M-1000iA robot capable of handling very heavy products including automotive components, construction materials and battery packs for electric vehicles.

The M-1000iA’s serial-link construction gives the robot a wider range of motion in every direction. It can extend its arm upright or rotate it backwards, which is not possible for typical heavy-payload robots with a parallel-link mechanism.

With a 1,000 kg payload, a 3,253 mm horizontal reach, and a 4,297 mm vertical reach the M-1000iA is ready to go to work for manufacturers looking to increase output and maximize their production line’s efficiency. [Read more…] about Fanuc launches new 1,000 kg payload industrial robotic arm

Activ Surgical completes first in-human procedures to demonstrate impact of its surgical intelligence and sensing platform

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Activ Surgical, a digital surgery company, has completed its first in-human surgery clinical trial utilizing the company’s technology-as-a-service bundle – the ActivInsights augmented reality-based software suite and the ActivSight imaging module.

Procedures for the study at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) were led by Dr Erik Wilson, professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and a leading bariatric, endoluminal and robotic general surgeon; and Dr Shinil Shah, associate professor at UTHealth Houston and a preeminent general surgeon with expertise in advanced gastrointestinal surgery.

The safety and feasibility study was conducted across bariatric, colorectal and gallbladder procedures – surgeries in which intraoperative assessment of perfusion and anatomic structures are critical to prevent costly and life-threatening complications. [Read more…] about Activ Surgical completes first in-human procedures to demonstrate impact of its surgical intelligence and sensing platform