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Flying Robot Bees Can Now Swim, Too [feedly]
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Flying Robot Bees Can Now Swim, Too
// Popular Science
Robot Bees
Robot bees as seen in 2013, soon after they first achieved controlled flight.
When given the choice between sinking and swimming, these RoboBees will swim every time.
We first wrote about Harvard scientists' invention of robotic bees back in 2013. In some ways, not much has changed. The bees are still leashed to their power supply, too small to carry onboard computers and batteries. But in the past two years, they've picked up a new trick: they've learned how to swim.
The bees are so small and light that the surface tension of the water prevents them from delicately sinking into a glass. But the researchers found that if the bees cannonball into the water, they turn into very happy swimmers. As it turns out, moving through the air and moving through water aren't that different for the RoboBees—they simply flap their wings more slowly underwater.
See the robot bees in action here:
Video of Harvard RoboBee Diving, Hovering, Swimming
Needless to say, real bees and water don't mix quite as well, and though RoboBees and real bees are similar sizes, they still have very different functions. Robot bees may one day be capable of pollinating crops, but that day is at least 20 years in the future.
For now, the researchers are focused on expanding the RoboBee's basic capabilities, including new tricks like swimming. And even if we got to a point where RoboBees were able to pollinate crops, the robotic option would remain far more expensive than the natural, biological source of inspiration.
In the absence of good robot alternatives, researchers are still focused on saving bee populations, which have been in decline for the past several years. Looking into a whole host of scientific research from conservation methods, to bee illnesses, and alternative pollinators, means that we probably won't have to rely on RoboBees to pollinate our food anytime soon. But they're still incredibly cool.
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Saturday, October 3, 2015
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Robots are becoming self-aware [feedly]
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Robots are becoming self-aware
// Betanews
Smartphones might be getting smarter, and the Internet of Things becoming increasingly important, but a large part of the technological future is owned by robots. Human-replacing robots have existed in factories and manufacturing processes for years, but the dream has long been to create a humanoid robot that is 'intelligent' enough to act like a human.
Three robots have been put to the test at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and scientists showed that one was able to demonstrate self-awareness. We're not quite at the stage of a robot uprising, but it is an important step on the road to improving reasoning and problem-solving in future robots.
The experiment took three Nao robots, and programmed two of them to believe they'd been given a pill that prevented them from speaking. Importantly, none was aware which had been given the 'pill' and which had not. Researchers then asked the robots which pair had taken the pill, and they each tried to respond with "I don't know". Those who were unable to talk remained silent, but the third repeated the phrase. And this is when the magic happened.
Upon hearing its own voice, the robot was quickly able to determine that it had not been silenced by a pill and uttered the words:
Sorry, I know now. I was able to prove that I was not given a dumbing pill.
So not only was the robot able to respond to human input, it also showed that it could recognize itself, and react accordingly.
The full results of the research are due to be presented at the at RO-MAN robotic conference in Japan from August 31 to September 4. Check out the robots in action in the video below:
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Thursday, July 2, 2015
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The War Over Your Future Driverless Car Service Has Begun [feedly]
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The War Over Your Future Driverless Car Service Has Begun
// Popular Science
Uber
An example of a driver that Uber might replace, if the ride-sharing company continues to move towards driverless cars.
Even though Google's driverless car only hit public roads last week (and reportedly already had a close call), another tech giant is already angling to pose as a competitor. Uber, the often-sued not-a-taxi app, just acquired 100 engineers and unknown "assets" from Microsoft Bing, Google's mapping competitor, according to TechCrunch.
This transaction is the latest in a series of steps by Uber to prepare for a future of driverless cars, and signals a growing complication between Uber and Google, the latter of which is also an Uber investor through Google Ventures. On February 2, Uber announced it would partner with Carnegie Mellon University to develop robotic means for "safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere," in other words, self-driving cars. The very same day, news broke that Google is developing its own ride-sharing app, presumably to put its driverless car research to work.
Uber's latest addition of 100 Microsoft engineers is no small move of intellectual property, and it's a clear sign that Uber is looking to improve and expand its core services. Microsoft will no longer be collecting its own maps for Bing, instead leaving that to Uber, who also brought an ex-Google Maps leader on board this month. That former Google VP, Brian McClendon, will oversee Uber's work at Carnegie Mellon, and will presumably oversee the numerous CMU robotics experts Uber is reported to have poached from the leading robotics institution.
Uber has a vested interest in driverless solutions. The company has been long-plagued with bitter legal battles from taxi companies and its drivers alike. Just this month, the California Labor Commission ruled in favor of a former Uber driver, granting her more than $4000 in business expenses. If other drivers come forward with the same claim, Uber could be forced to to reclassify its drivers as employees (they're currently contractors), and potentially pay overtime wages, payroll tax and health insurance. Driverless cars obviously don't demand the same type of equitable treatment as human drivers (at least not yet).
Uber has also been working on expanding its delivery service, acting as both a courier for food and packages. Right now if you're in a few select cities, Uber can bring you food, and same-day merchant delivery might be on the horizon. Uber also has been testing a courier service, Uber Rush, in New York City. However, Uber Rush is a bike courier service, which might be more difficult to replace with driverless cars. Cars, by definition, do not have arms to deliver packages.
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Sunday, June 14, 2015
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HoloLens demo: this is literally jaw-dropping [feedly]
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HoloLens demo: this is literally jaw-dropping
// netbooknews.com
The HoloLens looked like something straight out of a science fiction movie when Microsoft announced it at their Windows 10 event. It impressed the whole industry, but lack of details had us wondering if the Redmond giant's videos were a bit over-glorified.
Will the HoloLens really be able to transform your world and surroundings, turning an empty room into the most media-filled and interactive space? It turns out Microsoft really wasn't exaggerating here. We are at Microsoft's Build Developer Conference, were we got to see some demos of what the HoloLens can do, and our jaws literally dropped.
This stuff is insane, and I can say without a doubt that it is game-changing. And this time we mean it, we are not getting overly excited about some cool feature out of a new phone. HoloLens is insane!
Let's start by showing you a video of the hardware:
This is no traditional device. It is a complex piece of technology that will interact with the real world. Microsoft did an amazing job here, and the video shows you exactly why.
Ready to drop your jaw?
Now, this is where the juicy part of the meat is. Microsoft finally gave us a live demo of how HoloLens works. There's no words to describe how amazing this is using words. Just watch it, guys!
Insane, right? And this is running on Windows 10. As you can see, it takes advantage of universal apps and a variety of programs. It's a completely new way to look at computing. No longer will you need to be limited to your desktop or laptop. Those days are far, far behind!
But HoloLens isn't limited to your entertainment and computing needs. It will also be a powerful learning tool. Developers can create applications that help people see things they have never seen before, helping them further understand content we preciously only saw in 2D formats.
Take a look at this medicine-focused application, for example:
Finally, we got to see how HoloLens can interact not only with your surroundings, but it can also create robots made of both hardware and software components. Forget Google Now, Siri or Cortana in your phone. You can have a robot walking around your home!
Are you impressed? I'll tell you what – If this honestly doesn't blow you away, I give you permission to slap me if we ever meet in person.
The post HoloLens demo: this is literally jaw-dropping appeared first on Mobile Geeks.
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Computers That Know How You Feel Will Soon Be Everywhere
Walmart Semi-Truck
This turbine has one moving part and will run on propane, natural gas, raw methane gas from a pit and more.