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Archive for the ‘robotics/AI’ category: Page 1677

Jun 26, 2020

Quantum computers could arrive sooner if we build them with traditional silicon technology

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nanotechnology, quantum physics, robotics/AI

Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionise the way we solve hard computing problems, from creating advanced artificial intelligence to simulating chemical reactions in order to create the next generation of materials or drugs. But actually building such machines is very difficult because they involve exotic components and have to be kept in highly controlled environments. And the ones we have so far can’t outperform traditional machines as yet.

But with a team of researchers from the UK and France, we have demonstrated that it may well be possible to build a quantum computer from conventional silicon-based electronic components. This could pave the way for large-scale manufacturing of quantum computers much sooner than might otherwise be possible.

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Jun 26, 2020

Waymo and Volvo team up for all-electric robotaxis and Level-4 Polestar EVs

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation

The nascent autonomous-vehicle industry is being reshaped by consolidation. Amazon, which committed to buying 100,000 Rivian electric vehicles, announced today that it is buying Zoox, the self-driving car tech start-up, for $1 billion. Ford and Volkswagen made multi-billion dollar investments in Argo. General Motors purchased Cruise Automation in 2016, while Hyundai is working with tier-one supplier Aptiv to deploy a robotaxi service in multiple global markets.

The tie-up between Waymo and Volvo (with its three brands all aggressive pursuing electric vehicles) could reshape the competitive landscape, although it’s too early to tell.

Google started its self-driving program more than a decade ago but paused the development of its own vehicle in 2016. A tight partnership between Waymo and Volvo to develop ground-up cars, if that’s what materializes, could put those plans back on track – this time with an established auto manufacturer known for high-quality production and safety.

Jun 26, 2020

NASA Extends Deep Space Atomic Clock Mission

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, robotics/AI, satellites

Smart phone apps provide nearly instantaneous navigation on Earth; the Deep Space Atomic Clock could do the same for future robotic and human explorers.

As the time when NASA will begin sending humans back to the Moon draws closer, crewed trips to Mars are an enticing next step. But future space explorers will need new tools when traveling to such distant destinations. The Deep Space Atomic Clock mission is testing a new navigation technology that could be used by both human and robotic explorers making their way around the Red Planet and other deep space destinations.

In less than a year of operations, the mission has passed its primary goal to become one of the most stable clocks to ever fly in space; it is now at least 10 times more stable than atomic clocks flown on GPS satellites. In order to keep testing the system, NASA has extended the mission through August 2021. The team will use the additional mission time to continue to improve the clock’s stability, with a goal of becoming 50 times more stable than GPS atomic clocks.

Jun 25, 2020

KFC Opens Automated Store

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Click on photo to start video.

In Moscow, the Colonel’s recipe is now being served by robotic arms!

Jun 25, 2020

Kevin Korb

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

The audio of the fascinating talks & panel at the Future Day Melbourne 2020 / Machine Understanding event:

Kevin Korb — https://archive.org/searchresults.php Wilkins — https://archive.org/details/john-wilkins-humans-as-machines (John, sorry about the audio — also do you have the slides for this?) Hugo de Garis — https://archive.org/details/hugo-de-garis-future-day-2020 Panel — https://archive.org/…/future-day-panel-kevin-korb-hugo-de-g…

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Jun 25, 2020

If AI is going to help us in a crisis, we need a new kind of ethics

Posted by in categories: ethics, robotics/AI

Are you for Ethical Ai Eric Klien?


Jess Whittlestone at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge and her colleagues published a comment piece in Nature Machine Intelligence this week arguing that if artificial intelligence is going to help in a crisis, we need a new, faster way of doing AI ethics, which they call ethics for urgency.

For Whittlestone, this means anticipating problems before they happen, finding better ways to build safety and reliability into AI systems, and emphasizing technical expertise at all levels of the technology’s development and use. At the core of these recommendations is the idea that ethics needs to become simply a part of how AI is made and used, rather than an add-on or afterthought.

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Jun 25, 2020

Apple’s AI plan: a thousand small conveniences

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Machine learning is part of every tech company’s pitch to consumers, but what does it mean for Apple? At WWWDC 2020, the company showed that it’s all about delivering small conveniences through iOS, the Apple Watch, HomeKit, and more.

Jun 25, 2020

Tesla Autopilot makes automatic lane change to avoid construction zone

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite continues to improve with a recent video showing a Model 3 safely shifting away from a makeshift lane of construction cones while using Navigate on Autopilot.

Tesla owner-enthusiast Jeremy Greenlee was traveling through a highway construction zone in his Model 3. The zone contained a makeshift lane to the vehicle’s left that was made up of construction cones.

In an attempt to avoid the possibility of any collision with the cones from taking place, the vehicle utilized the driver-assist system and automatically shifted one lane to the right. This maneuver successfully removed any risk of coming into contact with the dense construction cones that were to the left of the car, which could have caused hundreds of dollars in cosmetic damage to the vehicle.

Jun 25, 2020

Consciousness – An obstacle to the understanding of intelligence

Posted by in categories: neuroscience, robotics/AI

The article is providing an answer to the following questions that are relevant to the study of intelligence:

What is “understanding”?

How can we tell whether a system has it or not? https://bit.ly/3fynqYu

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Jun 25, 2020

Steam-Powered Robotic Hopper May Explore Europa, Says NASA

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

NASA goes old school in its concept study for a robotic surface hopper designed to explore the foreboding surfaces of Europa and Enceladus.