Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

science

Nvidia CEO donates $50 million to Oregon State University, which promptly builds a $200 million supercomputing center

by

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang and his wife, Lori, have donated $50 million to their alma mater, Oregon State University, to advance research in AI, climate science and robotics. The university will use the donation to build an engineering complex with an AI supercomputer to help students and faculty address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

As a civil engineer, Scott Ashford used explosives to make the ground under Japan’s Sendai airport safer in an earthquake.

Now, as the dean of the engineering college at Oregon State University, he’s at ground zero of another seismic event.

In its biggest fundraising celebration in nearly a decade, Oregon State announced plans today for a $200 million center where faculty and students can plug into resources that will include one of the world’s fastest university supercomputers.

The 150,000-square-foot center, due to open in 2025, will accelerate work at Oregon State’s top-ranked programs in agriculture, computer sciences, climate science, forestry, oceanography, robotics, water resources, materials sciences and more with the help of AI. [Read more…] about Nvidia CEO donates $50 million to Oregon State University, which promptly builds a $200 million supercomputing center

Todaro Robotics and Abwiz Bio celebrates continuous operation of ‘very complex system’ for two years

by

Todaro Robotics, a laboratory automation and robotics company based in San Diego, has achieved what it describes as “a major milestone” with its flagship client Abwiz Bio, a company that speeds up the development of high impact monoclonal antibodies with its proprietary phage display technology.

The milestone of operating continuously a very complex system for over two years, has demonstrated the effectiveness of integrated laboratory automation solutions, as well as unique methods and protocols to help keep pace with the ever-evolving life science industry.

Announcing the milestone, James Slatic, co-founder of Todaro, says: “We at Todaro have greatly appreciated the partnership with the leading-edge science at Abwiz. As the life science industry has grown, the research services provided by Abwiz are ever more important. [Read more…] about Todaro Robotics and Abwiz Bio celebrates continuous operation of ‘very complex system’ for two years

Mouser Electronics sponsors FIRST Robotics Competition

by

Mouser Electronics has confirmed its continued sponsorship of the FIRST Robotics Competition, which inspires innovation and fosters well-rounded life capabilities in tens of thousands of young people every year.

During the 2022-23 FIRST Robotics Competition season, nearly 100,000 high-school students on more than 3,400 teams from across the world are learning, discovering, and solving engineering challenges through a series of robotics events.

Kevin Hess, Mouser’s senior vice president of marketing, says: “Since our founding, education has been a main facet of Mouser’s mission. [Read more…] about Mouser Electronics sponsors FIRST Robotics Competition

Purdue scientists build a chip that makes connections like a human brain

by

An electronic chip that can be reprogrammed on demand may enable artificial intelligence to learn more continuously like the human brain does, researchers have discovered.

When the human brain learns something new, it adapts. But when artificial intelligence learns something new, it tends to forget information it already learned.

As companies use more and more data to improve how AI recognizes images, learns languages and carries out other complex tasks, a paper published in Science this week shows a way that computer chips could dynamically rewire themselves to take in new data like the brain does, helping AI to keep learning over time. [Read more…] about Purdue scientists build a chip that makes connections like a human brain

Robot designed by WHOI to explore underwater glacial walls to monitor climate change

by

It’s the front line of climate change and could hold the key to predicting global sea level rise, but what goes on at the underwater face of Greenland’s glaciers is a mystery to science.

That could change in 2023 with a bold new mission led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin that will explore three of Greenland’s glaciers with a submersible robot.

The voyage will be the first time Greenland’s glaciers – which make up the world’s second-largest ice sheet – will be seen up close underwater. [Read more…] about Robot designed by WHOI to explore underwater glacial walls to monitor climate change

Perseverance’s first year on Mars: Purdue professor, mission team member looks at what is ahead

by

Almost one year into the Mars rover mission, accomplishing its goal is on the horizon for Purdue University’s Briony Horgan and the Perseverance team.

February 18 will mark one year since the rover landed on the red planet following a seven-month, 300-million-mile flight across space.

Horgan, associate professor of planetary science in the Purdue College of Science’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, says anticipation is building as the team focuses on the mission goal: researching a now-dry large river delta. [Read more…] about Perseverance’s first year on Mars: Purdue professor, mission team member looks at what is ahead

Does technology improve the cannabis industry?

by

As many states and countries have legalized the use of marijuana especially because of medicinal and recreational purposes, so the cannabis industry has improved a lot in the last few years.

This is all thanks to technology which has helped a lot in making such breakthroughs.

Technology has helped a lot in improving the cannabis industry. Nowadays, weed is found in different ways. For instance, in the form of oils, capsules, sprays, and creams, and so on. [Read more…] about Does technology improve the cannabis industry?

Russia’s Sber Bank establishes new science award with $820,000 prize money

by

Sber, Russia’s largest banking group, has created a competition to find innovative startup companies in the country, pledging to give approximately $270,000 in prize money to the winners.

It’s officially the “Year of Science and Technology” in Russia, so Sber decided to mark it by establishing the Sber Science Award, which is planned to be an annual science award to support the research and development efforts that have a considerable potential to impact the progress of science and technology.

Three winners will receive 20 million roubles (approximately $270,000) in prizes. The total prize pool of the science award reaches 60 million roubles (approximately $820,000). [Read more…] about Russia’s Sber Bank establishes new science award with $820,000 prize money

Rescale closes $105 million in expanded Series C funding

by

Rescale, a provider of intelligent computing for digital R&D with high-performance computing built for the cloud, has raised $105 million in additional funding.

Rescale powers science and engineering breakthroughs with intelligent full-stack automation powered by the near-infinite computing capabilities of hybrid cloud and provides hybrid cloud high performance computing platform enabling intelligent computing for digital R&D.

Rescales has closed $105 million in an expanded Series C funding round, with participation from existing and new investors in the company including Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Fort Ross Ventures, Gaingels, Gopher, Hitachi Ventures, Initialized Capital, Keen Venture Partners, Microsoft M12, Nautilus Venture Partners, Nvidia, Prometheus Capital, Republic Labs, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Solasta Ventures, Yield Capital Partners and more. [Read more…] about Rescale closes $105 million in expanded Series C funding

Nasa awards Geisel Software grant to develop multi-robot perception

by

Geisel Software, a Massachusetts-based custom software development firm, has partnered with Fayetteville State University to perform research funded by NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project Space Technology Artemis Research grant.

The grant will fund Active and On-demand Multi Robot Perception research designed to develop multi-robot perception, a technology that utilizes highly specialized image sensors, to support NASA’s use of autonomous multi-robot systems performing scouting missions on the surface of the Moon or other planets. [Read more…] about Nasa awards Geisel Software grant to develop multi-robot perception