Robotics & Automation News

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Google unveils cloud robotics initiative

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Google Cloud has unveiled what it describes as a “Cloud Robotics” service with a view to a commercial launch next year. The search giant says the initiative represents “a new approach to intelligent automation”.

Google says its Cloud Robotics platform will cover “foundational needs”, including “secure and robust connectivity between robots and the cloud”.

The management of digital assets can also be done with Kubernetes, which is described as “an open-source container-orchestration system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications”.  [Read more…] about Google unveils cloud robotics initiative

You could be seeing things that aren’t there: Google Glass finds new home in old industries

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About four years ago, when Google first showed off its Glass product – a pair of hi-tech spectacles capable of running augmented reality apps – it was met with some scepticism, incredulity even. 

Few people thought it would take off, as interesting as the idea was. Maybe people generally couldn’t see themselves walking around wearing glasses which could be seen as intrusive.

Theoretically, Google Glass could display images on pretty much everything and everyone you looked at while wearing them – and would people in your eyeline appreciate that?  [Read more…] about You could be seeing things that aren’t there: Google Glass finds new home in old industries

Interview: Fast-moving robotics and automation market prompts updates to forecasts

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The global market for robotics and automation systems is growing so fast that it’s causing seasoned industry analysts to revise their forecasts. 

For example, the Boston Consulting Group released a report into the robotics which it has now updated with new numbers.

The causes of the reviews include the relatively new interest in personal robotics technology for the home, and the burgeoning market in collaborative robots for industry.

Another key development is the launch of the Apple HomePod, which, along with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, looks set to automate a huge number of homes to levels never seen before.

[Read more…] about Interview: Fast-moving robotics and automation market prompts updates to forecasts

SoftBank to buy Boston Dynamics, the maker of those unnervingly realistic humanoid and canine robots

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SoftBank, the maker of the Pepper and Nao humanoid robots, has reached a deal to buy Boston Dynamics, the robotics business owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google. 

Boston Dynamics has been building a wide range of robots, some of which are humanoid, others canine and one or two wheeled – or a hybrid of these structures.

But whatever robots the company has made, they’ve been widely acclaimed as having some of the most realistic movements and best balance of any robots made anywhere – watching them move can be quite unnerving because they move almost exactly like humans or canines.  [Read more…] about SoftBank to buy Boston Dynamics, the maker of those unnervingly realistic humanoid and canine robots

Apple developing processor especially for AI

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Apple A10 chip for iPhone 7
Picture of chip for iPhone 7 via ExtremeTech.com

Apple is developing a processor specially for artificial intelligence applications, according to a report on Bloomberg. 

The maker of iPhones, iPads and a number of other computing devices and machines is said to refer to the chip internally as the “Apple Neural Engine”.

Bloomberg, which says its source requested anonymity, adds that the AI-dedicated chip will be used for facial recognition, speech processing and other tasks which require the processing of large amounts of data.  [Read more…] about Apple developing processor especially for AI

How Burger King’s OK Google ad exposed flaws in home automation

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Burger King recently decided to try something different to promote its classic Whopper. The fast food giant aired a commercial in which a Burger King employee who says he doesn’t have time to talk about all of the ingredients in a Whopper comes up with another way for customers to learn about its ingredients.

The employee leans into the camera and says “OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?” This activated Google’s smart speakers — Google Home, and that’s when people started having fun. The actual ingredient list, as published on Wikipedia, was edited with some items replaced with things like children, toe-nail clippings and rat — among other creative ingredients.

Google wasn’t in on the plan, which led to an interesting chain of events that exposed some of the weaknesses of virtual assistants and home automation.  [Read more…] about How Burger King’s OK Google ad exposed flaws in home automation

Artificial intelligence takes centre stage at World Economic Forum

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Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, at Davos 2017
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, at Davos 2017

In a number of talks and statements at this year’s World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland, artificial intelligence has been taking centre stage, with many saying that while no one really knows the limit of the technology, it has already had profound effects on business and society.

One of Google’s original founders, Sergey Brin, said he looked at AI a few years back, and didn’t really know AI would develop to the extent it has done.

“I didn’t pay attention to it at all, to be perfectly honest,” he said in a discussion at WEF. “Having been trained as a computer scientist in the 90s, everybody knew that AI didn’t work. People tried it, they tried neural nets and none of it worked.”  [Read more…] about Artificial intelligence takes centre stage at World Economic Forum

US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

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rights for robots

Consumer Watchdog has called on US President Barack Obama to hold expected autonomous vehicle policies and stop the administration’s undue haste to get autonomous vehicle technology on the road after newly released documents showed “an inappropriate and possibly unethical relationship between Google and key members of your administration involved in developing autonomous vehicle policy”. 

In a letter to Obama, John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director, writes: “The new revelations make it even more imperative that any such NHTSA policy statements be delayed until adequate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering autonomous technologies are implemented through a public rule-making process.”  [Read more…] about US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

Your artificially intelligent assistant is ready to take a letter

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boss dictates letter to secretaryOne of the many perks of being the boss of a reasonably sized company is having your own personal assistant, someone who you can dictate letters to, someone who keeps your diary updated, answers your phones and helps you organise your time so you are as efficient and as productive as you can be at work.

A good PA is often very highly paid, commensurate with the company and business sector he or she works for, and their image as super-fast typists and excellent organisers is one that is often celebrated and acknowledged.

However, the relationship between the boss and the PA could be about to change forever as a result of developments in artificially intelligent assistant technology. Already there are a number of artificially intelligent personal assistants – let’s call them AIPAs for now – on the market and according to some, they’re quite good. [Read more…] about Your artificially intelligent assistant is ready to take a letter