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Category: robotics/AI – Page 1,829

Iron Ox launches world’s first fully-autonomous farm

Circa 2018

Californian robotics company Iron Ox claims to be ‘reinventing farming from the ground up’, as it unveils an autonomous indoor farm that leverages the latest advancements in arable science, machine learning, and robotics.

Indoor farms see harvesting, seeding and plant inspections occur thousands of times a day – tasks perfectly suited to robots. Iron Ox is using the latest in machine learning and computer vision to enable its robots to respond to the needs of individual plants.

The farm is now in full production, thanks to its two key proprietary robotics systems – a robotic arm and a mobile transport. They work cohesively, with the latter using sensors and computer vision technology more typically seen in a self-driving car. The robotic arm, meanwhile, can analyse each plant at sub-millimetre scale.

Artificial intelligence co-pilots US military aircraft for the first time

Artificial intelligence helped co-pilot a U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane during a test flight Tuesday, the first time artificial intelligence has been used in such a way aboard a US military aircraft.

Mastering artificial intelligence or “AI” is increasingly seen as critical to the future of warfare and Air Force officials said Tuesday’s training flight represented a major milestone.

“The Air Force flew artificial intelligence as a working aircrew member onboard a military aircraft for the first time, December 15,” the Air Force said in a statement, saying the flight signaled “a major leap forward for national defense in the digital age.”

Do Neural Networks Dream Visual Illusions?

Summary: When convolutional neural networks are trained under experimental conditions, they are deceived by the brightness and color of a visual image in similar ways to the human visual system.

Source: UPF Barcelona.

A convolutional neural network is a type of artificial neural network in which the neurons are organized into receptive fields in a very similar way to neurons in the visual cortex of a biological brain.

Teaching Artificial Intelligence to Adapt

Summary: A new AI model mimics how the prefrontal cortex uses gating to control information flow between different areas of neurons. The system could help in the development of new artificial intelligence technologies that better mimic the human brain.

Source: Salk Institute.

Getting computers to “think” like humans is the holy grail of artificial intelligence, but human brains turn out to be tough acts to follow. The human brain is a master of applying previously learned knowledge to new situations and constantly refining what’s been learned. This ability to be adaptive has been hard to replicate in machines.

IEEE BAU Robotics and Automation Chapter

✨ ′′ Using a high speed 5 G network, a London surgeon has performed remote experimental surgery for a banana based in the U.S. state of California.

This evolution opens up prospects for complicated remote surgeries without going through the trouble of future travel.
#IEEE_BAU_RAS

✨‏باستخدام شبكة 5G فائقة السرعة قام جرّاح في لندن بإجراء عملية جراحية تجريبية عن بُعد لموزة موجودة في ولاية كاليفورنيا الأمريكية.

‏هذا التطور يفتح الآفاق لإجراء عمليات جراحية معقدة عن بعد دون تكبد عناء السفر مستقبلاً.” #IEEE_BAU_RAS

New autosteering system works without GPS

“When was the last time you lost a correction signal when running a tractor or combine in the field? In Russia, that’s an even bigger problem, but because of that, a new tool is being deployed — a vision-based guidance system. That’s where Cognitive Agro Pilot comes in. “This system detects obstacles, including people, animals, metallic objects and stones along its way, without GPS navigation and RTK positioning,” says Olga Uskova, CEO, Cognitive, based in Moscow. “Cognitive Agro Pilot can operate in territories with a weak satellite signal.” The company has developed a system that uses a high-definition camera in an armored housing that can “see” ahead. Tied to an artificial intelligence system, the systems provide precision guidance. This is more than following a row.”

Russian firm Cognitive Agro Pilot is using computer vision and machine learning for precision guidance.

Mass Extinctions Happen Every 27 Million Years

(Checks math.)

Scientists have new evidence that Earth’s many periodic mass extinctions follow a cycle of about 27 million years, connecting the five major mass extinctions with more minor ones occurring throughout Earth’s life-fostering timespan. The artificial intelligence analysis could also shift how evolutionary scientists think about the aftermath of mass extinctions.

LiquidPiston’s “inside-out” rotary X-Engine wins Army research contract

Connecticut-based company LiquidPiston is developing a portable generator for the US Army that uses its X-Engine, a fresh and extremely powerful take on the rotary engine that’ll deliver as much power as the Army’s current-gen-set at one-fifth the size.

We’ve written a few times before about the fascinating LiquidPiston rotary engine. It’s not a Wankel – indeed, it’s closer to an inside-out Wankel – and with only two moving parts, it’s able to deliver extraordinary power density at up to 1.5 horsepower per pound (0.45 kg).

According to co-founder and CEO Alec Schkolnik, the X Engine design combines the high compression ratio and direct injection of a diesel engine with the constant volume combustion process of an Otto cycle engine and the over-expansion abilities of an Atkinson cycle engine, while solving the lubrication and sealing issues of the Wankel rotary engine and delivering huge power and efficiency. Check out the design being used in a go-kart and an unmanned aircraft in the video below.