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Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

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By Aaron Aupperlee

Novel method developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers enables robots to ‘learn in the wild’

The robot watched as Shikhar Bahl opened the refrigerator door. It recorded his movements, the swing of the door, the location of the fridge and more, analyzing this data and readying itself to mimic what Bahl had done.

It failed at first, missing the handle completely at times, grabbing it in the wrong spot or pulling it incorrectly. But after a few hours of practice, the robot succeeded and opened the door.

“Imitation is a great way to learn,” says Bahl, a PhD student at the Robotics Institute (RI) in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science. “Having robots actually learn from directly watching humans remains an unsolved problem in the field, but this work takes a significant step in enabling that ability.” [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

BMW Innovation and Development: What’s New With BMW?

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BMW is a reputable brand of luxury cars that is known around the world for manufacturing plug-in hybrid vehicles, SUVs, coupes, convertibles, and much more.

However, if you’re wondering what’s new with BMW in 2022 then you’re in luck. Because that’s precisely what we’re going to discuss in this article. [Read more…] about BMW Innovation and Development: What’s New With BMW?

Getting an Immediate Insurance Check After an Accident

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Insurance companies continue to find new ways to pay less than what a person deserves when the victim sustains injuries through no fault of their own.

One tactic these companies use now is to send an insurance check to a claimant in the hopes they will cash it. Once the victim cashes the check, the insurance company doesn’t have to pay this individual any more money.

They argue the person agreed to the settlement amount when they cashed it. How can a victim ensure they get fair compensation for their injuries, and what should they do when they receive this check? [Read more…] about Getting an Immediate Insurance Check After an Accident

Everyday Robots comes out of Google Moonshot Factory with robots that can learn variety of tasks

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A startup company called Everyday Robots has unveiled a new robot that it says can perform a range of tasks including wiping tables and windows as well as arrange chairs.

Everyday Robots started out as a project at Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory – also known as X, formerly Google X – but has now started to strike out on its own, setting up its own website as well.

Writing on X’s blog, Hans Peter Brøndmo, chief robot officer, says: “We are now operating a fleet of more than 100 robot prototypes that are autonomously performing a range of useful tasks around our offices. The same robot that sorts trash can now be equipped with a squeegee to wipe tables and use the same gripper that grasps cups can learn to open doors.” [Read more…] about Everyday Robots comes out of Google Moonshot Factory with robots that can learn variety of tasks

MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

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MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has revealed a dexterous robotic hand that scientists say can “manipulate thousands of objects with ease”. (See video below.)

At just one year old, a baby is more dexterous than a robot. Sure, machines can do more than just pick up and put down objects, but we’re not quite there as far as replicating a natural pull towards exploratory or sophisticated dexterous manipulation goes.

OpenAI gave it a try with “Dactyl” (meaning “finger” from the Greek word daktylos), using their humanoid robot hand to solve a Rubik’s cube with software that’s a step towards more general AI, and a step away from the common single-task mentality. DeepMind created “RGB-Stacking,” a vision-based system that challenges a robot to learn how to grab items and stack them.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), in the ever-present quest to get machines to replicate human abilities, created a framework that’s more scaled up: a system that can reorient over two thousand different objects, with the robotic hand facing both upwards and downwards. [Read more…] about MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

Top 10 Most Liked and Popular Robotic YouTube Channels

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Robotics remains one of the most popular subjects that individuals like to post videos about on YouTube. You should know that if you want to buy cheap YouTube likes, that is one way to get the engagement numbers you crave as a content creator.

However, if you know about robotics and can develop some interesting videos using those as subject matter, you are likely to find success.

We’ve come up with ten of the most liked and subscribed robotics video channels if you’re interested in seeing what we mean. Maybe you might check out these channels and decide which one you’d like to use as a model for your own robotics-based content. [Read more…] about Top 10 Most Liked and Popular Robotic YouTube Channels

Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

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Toyota Research Institute (TRI) says it has reached “new technical milestones in robotics”. The company has unveiled new robotics capabilities aimed at solving complex tasks in home environments.

Specifically, TRI roboticists were able to train robots to understand and operate in complicated situations that confuse most other robots, including recognizing and responding to transparent and reflective surfaces in a variety of circumstances.

As TRI demonstrates in a new video (see below), this robust system allows robots to make generalizations in a range of scenarios, including in different homes. [Read more…] about Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

Adopt the Right Growth Mindset for Your Business with These Tips

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Two essential mindsets shape everyone’s life. One of the mindsets is a fixed one where you may have a desire to look smart. Therefore, you will act by avoiding risks and challenges, giving up easily, ignoring valuable critiques, and feeling threatened by people’s success in your life.

If you have a growth mindset, you are more likely to embrace challenges, take calculated risks, accept and learn from negative critiques, view setbacks as opportunities for improvement, and view the success of others as a source of inspiration.

The proper growth mindset goes a long way in helping you achieve great things in life. If you have a business, adopting a growth mindset can significantly boost its growth. [Read more…] about Adopt the Right Growth Mindset for Your Business with These Tips

SAE International launches 12-week robotics for autonomous vehicle systems training ‘Bootcamp’

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Virtual 12-week experience provides career development opportunities for engineers entering the fast-growing autonomous vehicles industry

SAE International has announced the new 12-week Robotics for Autonomous Vehicle Systems Bootcamp for recent graduates and/or entry-level mechanical, electrical and computer science engineers joining the industry to support autonomous vehicle (AV) system development.

In partnership with Clemson University and Argo AI, SAE designed the rigorous, virtual-only workforce development experience to provide participants with an in-depth technical understanding of how to build autonomous systems.

“Companies can spend upwards of 10 months onboarding entry-level AV positions, which in this fast-moving industry can directly hinder the development and deployment cycles. The Robotics for Autonomous Vehicle Systems Bootcamp aims to support both employers and professionals by bridging the training gap through an accelerated 12-week bootcamp,” said Elizabeth Melville, director of learning at SAE International. [Read more…] about SAE International launches 12-week robotics for autonomous vehicle systems training ‘Bootcamp’

Swiss university developing mobile robot that learns on the job

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A team from the Autonomous Systems Lab at the public research university ETH Zurich in Switzerland is creating robots and intelligent systems that are able to learn on the job. (See video below.)

The team’s machine – which consists of a robotic arm mounted on a mobile platform – can “autonomously operate in complex and diverse environments”, says an article on Clearpath Robotics’ website.

Using a Clearpath Ridgeback as a base and equipped with a Franka Emika Panda manipulator arm (called RoyalPanda, that is Ridgeback + Panda), the team is experimenting with a series of different scenarios to develop best practices of how a robot could “learn”. [Read more…] about Swiss university developing mobile robot that learns on the job