Robotics & Automation News

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Nissan invents golf ball that always finds its own way into the hole

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Nissan has taken the dreaded “putting nerves” out of golf with its latest innovative concept, the ProPilot golf ball. (See video below)

The concept is inspired by Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 driver assistance technology, set to debut on the new Nissan Skyline next month in Japan.

Designed for on-ramp to off-ramp (ramp-to-ramp) highway driving, ProPilot 2.0 engages with the vehicle’s navigation system to help maneuver the car according to a predefined route on designated roadways. [Read more…] about Nissan invents golf ball that always finds its own way into the hole

Sick launches new compact image-based code reader

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Sick has launched a new compact image-based code reader, Lector621, for reliable detection of 1D, 2D, stacked codes, and plain text.

The high-performance DPM – direct part marking – decoder can read laser or dot-peened codes perfectly, even in the case of low contrast levels, contamination, or poor code quality.

This fills a gap in Sick’s existing portfolio of code readers, by providing a compact solution with increased reading distance, resolution, field of vision, and scanning frequency. [Read more…] about Sick launches new compact image-based code reader

Developer uses neural networks to build sat-nav that takes the scenic route

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Satellite navigation systems are designed to guide a vehicle driver to their destination via the shortest possible route. It’s a principle that will almost certainly be adopted for autonomous cars of the future. 

But what if you wanted to take the scenic route? If the autonomous car you find yourself in doesn’t know the meaning of scenic, which it won’t because they don’t understand “meaning”, you’re unlikely to leave the not-so-picturesque highways and byways of the urban jungle. And today’s sat-navs won’t have a clue what you’re talking about either.

Now, fret no more because a group of developers in Germany have utilised neural networks and Google Street View to create an app that can guide you or your autonomous vehicle to your destination via the most visually interesting routes available.  [Read more…] about Developer uses neural networks to build sat-nav that takes the scenic route