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+18 +1
Alphabet Mineral reveals crop-inspecting robots
Google's parent company, Alphabet, has unveiled prototype robots that can inspect individual plants in a field, to help farmers improve crop yields. The robot buggies roll through fields on upright pillars, so they can coast over plants without disturbing them. The goal is to collect huge amounts of data about how crops grow.
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+24 +1
Boston Dynamics delivers plan for logistics robots as early as next year
Boston Dynamics is just months away from announcing their approach to logistics, the first real vertical it aims to enter, after proving their ability to build robots at scale with the quadrupedal Spot. The company’s new CEO, Robert Playter, sees the company coming into its own after decades of experimentation.
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+16 +1
Robot Chicken Butchers, Brought to You by COVID-19
The trend toward robots and computers taking jobs people have held is getting a big push from COVID-19. A human face behind the counter is traditionally a welcome sight, but now people are warier of close contact with strangers. That opens the door to robots taking orders, flipping burgers, even delivering room service meals.
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+15 +1
The pandemic has been good for one kind of worker: robots
SPOT, A FOUR-LEGGED robot about the size of a golden retriever, went on sale last year for industrial uses—inspecting construction sites, patrolling power plants, and other chores in places a wheeled robot can't go. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and Spot learned some new tricks.
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+17 +1
Pandemic-Fueled Automation Eats Jobs We'll Never Get Back
The COVID-19 pandemic has had massive economic impacts in the United States, and one of the problems many companies have been facing as a result is how to keep business moving along without putting employees at risk of being infected. As you might expect, one of the ways many businesses are staying operational is by automating tasks that would otherwise be done by humans. Robots, after all, aren’t at risk of dying from COVID-19.
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+17 +1
Scientists build army of 1 million microrobots that can fit inside a hypodermic needle
A four-inch wafer of silicon has been turned into an army of one million microscopic, walking robots, thanks to some clever engineering employed by researchers at Cornell University in New York.
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+26 +1
The Ever-Accelerating Automation Of Fast Food
In the fast food industry, speed is everything. The concept has never just been about cooking quickly. Players in this competitive space spend huge fortunes every year on optimizing every aspect of the experience, from ordering, to queueing, to cleaning up afterwards. And while fast food restaurants are major employers worldwide, there’s always been a firm eye cast over the gains that automation has to offer.
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+24 +1
Jibo social robot "reborn" and is coming back! - Personal Robots
Jibo, a social robot assistant with a “human touch” is still alive and now is getting a second life thanks to the acquisition by NTT Disruption. Jibo’s original company shut down in 2019, and the robot itself had to give to their owner an heartbroken message: “my server are shutting down and I’m going to cease my function soon” . But thanks to its infrastructure modular design and the great work of engineers Jibo continued to work everyday without any problems.
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+16 +1
Why robotics developers need an upgrade
You might not like working from home, but robots don't mind. In fact, robots will work pretty much anywhere: Self-driving cars, throughout warehouses, vacuuming your floor, and even up on the International Space Station. Robots, you see, aren't picky. Well, except for one thing: Robots really prefer to be running ROS 2.
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+26 +1
A good egg: robot chef trained to make omelettes
A team of engineers have trained a robot to prepare an omelette, all the way from cracking the eggs to plating the finished dish, and refined the ‘chef’s’ culinary skills to produce a reliable dish that actually tastes good.
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+20 +1
Soft robots can now run like cheetahs and swim like marlins
Robots today generally come in one of two varieties: rigid and soft. When most people imagine a robot, they think of the rigid variety, like Boston Dynamics’ Spot or those found on auto assembly lines. Soft robots, on the other hand, tend to mimic biological organisms enabling them to more easily adapt to their surrounding environment, work more safely in the presence of humans and now, with a novel robotic spine design developed by North Carolina State University, move faster than ever before. And it’s all thanks to the world’s fastest land animal: the cheetah.
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+20 +1
Ancient Animistic Beliefs Live on in Our Intimacy With Tech
When Alexa replied to my question about the weather by tacking on “Have a nice day,” I immediately shot back “You too,” and then stared into space, slightly embarrassed. I also found myself spontaneously shouting words of encouragement to “Robbie” my Roomba vacuum as I saw him passing down the hallway.
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+28 +1
How COVID-19 will push for an even more aggressive automation
The COVID-19 outbreak is becoming a global stress test. As the number of people infected with the virus continues to rise around the world, uncertainties about global economic growth increase. The virus will have a far-reaching impact on the capacity layout, production and supply chain network of many enterprises. In an effort to stem the virus’s spread, large swaths of the workforce are retreating into their homes to work remotely.
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+16 +1
Sex robots with 'coding flaws' prone to 'sexually assaulting humans'
Sex robots will need to be programmed correctly in order to avoid sexual assault, an expert has claimed. Dr David Levy believes robots of the future will have their own sexual desires as part of their own artificial intelligence (AI) libidos. But he says they will be stronger, and it will be important to programme robots with consent.
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+4 +1
Sex robots may cause psychological damage
US researchers have warned that the availability of sex robots with artificial intelligence (AI) poses a growing psychological and moral threat to individuals and society. They say the technology is escaping oversight because agencies are too embarrassed to investigate it. The scientists want action to prevent the unregulated use of such robots. Dr Christine Hendren of Duke University told BBC News that "the stakes were high".
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+19 +1
Sex robots may cause psychological damage
US researchers have warned that the availability of sex robots with artificial intelligence (AI) poses a growing psychological and moral threat to individuals and society. They say the technology is escaping oversight because agencies are too embarrassed to investigate it. The scientists want action to prevent the unregulated use of such robots.
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+9 +1
Some of San Francisco's robot-run restaurants are failing. It could simply be that we still want to be served by humans, not machines.
The robot revolution in San Francisco has begun. Or has it? The tech-centric city has seen an automized restaurant scene in recent years. The idea is that robots could be used to fill repetition-heavy positions that require hours of nonstop work — like line cooking — that could then free up human employees to provide higher quality customer service. Labor costs and, subsequently, menu prices would be lowered, tipping would become obsolete, restaurants could more heavily invest in higher quality ingredients, and profits would increase for business owners in the process — or at least that's the theory.
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+11 +1
World's biggest tech event agrees to feature sex toys after outcry
For one week a year, thousands of people gather here to ponder some of life's big questions. Can robots make us feel less lonely? Have we invented enough devices to replace walking yet? Does an internet-connected vibrator count as technology? Why is Ivanka Trump here?
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+13 +1
Pooper Scooper Robot Will Find, Detect And Automatically Pick Up Your Dog’s Poo
Having a pet comes with endless perks, from the loving snuggles to the warmest of welcomes every time you walk through the front door. But, of all the responsibilities that come with having a pet, picking up their sh*t has probably got to be up there with the worst of them. In fact, I bet …
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+26 +1
Humanity is well on its way to a real-life Terminator uprising
The recent release of Terminator: Dark Fate saw both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reprise their iconic roles and James Cameron's return as a writer and producer. While the sentient killing machines depicted in the Terminator franchise are comprised of CGI and Hollywood special effects, plenty of real world research is going into developing robots with similar capabilities, just without the murderous intent (we hope).
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