humans

Veo Robotics launches new solution that aims to make all industrial robots collaborative

Startup company Veo Robotics has launched its first commercially available product – FreeMove, a hardware-and-software solution which is said to be able to transform standard or traditional industrial robots into collaborative robots.

Traditionally, industrial robotic arms have been treated with some trepidation, and are still always caged off or otherwise kept separate from human workers.

Their size, weight and speed make industrial robotic arms potentially very dangerous, and without any programming about human workers and how to avoid endangering them, they can be lethal. [Read more…] about Veo Robotics launches new solution that aims to make all industrial robots collaborative

Russians demonstrate robocop for security work

It’s probably not the best time for the Russians to be unveiling a “robocop”, what with all the paranoia about Russians meddling in previous US elections and influencing candidates for future ones, but that is what a Perm-based company called PromoBot has done, according to Daily Star.

The authoritative news outlet, which mainly features pictures if buxom women on its home page, says the new Russian robotic cop will be used for fingerprinting and background checks.

However, since it’s a humanoid robot, it’s flexible enough to be reconfigured for a variety of uses, including carrying firearms. [Read more…] about Russians demonstrate robocop for security work

Campaign to Stop Killer Robots sends peace envoy robot to United Nations

The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots – an actual political and social group run mostly by humans – has sent a peace envoy robot to deliver a letter to the United Nations building in New York, in the US.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the campaign group will give UN diplomats a letter in which it is demanding that the world stops the development of autonomous war machines.

These can include, but are not limited to, technologies such as drones, tanks and other other machinery controlled by an autonomous computer which is running artificial intelligence systems that decide whether to kill people or not. [Read more…] about Campaign to Stop Killer Robots sends peace envoy robot to United Nations

Opinion: Robots are the solution, not the problem, to the workplace safety challenge

By Richard Mawson, sales manager UK and Ireland at OnRobot

Since the mid-twentieth century, robots have been implemented by businesses worldwide to enhance efficiency and multiply productivity levels.

However, while the introduction of robotic equipment in industrial contexts undoubtedly helped organisations increase their profits and revenues, it also transformed the working environments.

Safety concerns inevitably arose. [Read more…] about Opinion: Robots are the solution, not the problem, to the workplace safety challenge

Vecna Robotics partners with UniCarriers to launch new line of autonomous material handling solutions

Vecna Robotics is teaming up with UniCarriers Americas, a manufacturer of material handling equipment and part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The two companies are collaborating on a line of autonomous material handling vehicles for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing environments.

Vecna Robotics is integrating its autonomous navigation technology, learning algorithms, and workflow orchestration software into UCA vehicles turning them into autonomous mobile robots, capable of moving bulk material through dynamic warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics partners with UniCarriers to launch new line of autonomous material handling solutions

Virginia Tech researchers aim to give robots bio-inspired gaits

Two years ago, Kaveh Hamed saw his son Nikaan take his first steps on his own. He watched Nikaan’s one-year-old body teeter on wobbly legs as the baby walked forward.

And he saw Nikaan’s progress: he went from crawling on his belly to standing with a sway, to the first walks, to taking off across the floor on two sure feet.

These memories make Hamed think about math, as he does when he watches his dog Telli run. When he sees her bound toward him and switch to a trot, he starts to wonder again about the ways he might impart her agility to a robot. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech researchers aim to give robots bio-inspired gaits

When Automation Works Alongside Humans

When we talk about automation, we often imagine a future in which everything we do will be almost entirely handled by machines. Cars will drive themselves. Management decisions will be handed over to an AI. Even the creative arts might one day be taken over by robots.

But for the time being, automation isn’t quite there. And so, some compromise between machine and human worker is needed. A synergy between the two has already yielded great results – just think about an autopilot guiding a plane for the majority of a flight, and human pilot intervening only for take-off and landing.

A more commonplace example of machine-assistance comes in the form of a spell-checker on a word-processing program. And these are getting more sophisticated. Apps like Grammarly and ProWritingAid not only identify grammatical or spelling errors; they now also identify more stylistic problems, and help us to make writing clearer and more concise, even when it isn’t technically wrong. [Read more…] about When Automation Works Alongside Humans

Human-robot teams work better ‘when there’s an emotional connection’, say researchers

Humans and robots work better together when there’s an emotional connection, according to a study by the University of Michigan.

The researchers observed that soldiers develop attachments to the robots that help them diffuse bombs in the field. They add that, despite numerous warnings about privacy, “millions of us trust smart speakers like Alexa to listen into our daily lives”.

“Some of us name our cars and even shed tears when we trade them in for shiny new vehicles,” they say. [Read more…] about Human-robot teams work better ‘when there’s an emotional connection’, say researchers

Honda and CiNet begin joint neuroscientific research in Japan

Honda R&D Co., Ltd., a research and development subsidiary of Honda, has begun a collaboration with the Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Japan, in neuroscientific research of humans in the areas of mobility and robotics.

CiNet is a flagship research institute that focuses on the brain and artificial intelligence within the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).

Honda has recently established the Innovative Research Excellence within Honda R&D, a new centre of excellence which will be responsible for the pursuit of revolutionary advancement and the creation of values for mobility and people’s daily lives.

Popular TV show ‘Humans’ cancelled

One of the few television shows we watch when it’s on is Humans.

It’s a science-fiction drama about humanoid robots or androids – referred to in the show as “synths”, short for synthetic humans, which are virtually indistinguishable from actual humans.

It’s set in a parallel world, not necessarily in the future or the past or whatever, which probably made the show more intriguing and relevant. And in the make-believe world of the show, the androids are used like any other machine – to help around the house with domestic chores, fix things, be bodyguards, or whatever. [Read more…] about Popular TV show ‘Humans’ cancelled