Rethink Robotics launches Sawyer Black Edition – Robotics and Automation News

Rethink Robotics, which is now part of the Hahn Group, has launched a new version of its collaborative robot, Sawyer.

The Sawyer Black Edition is now available for pre-order and will be presented for the first time at K 2019 in Dsseldorf.

The new hardware update comes one year after the takeover of Rethink Robotics assets by Hahn Group.

The Sawyer Black Edition is the result of the combination of German engineering and longstanding application experience.

Rethink says Sawyer is now quieter and has more reliable components with higher quality.

The Sawyer Black Edition can be pre-ordered now; first deliveries will take place in 2019.

Rethink says the Sawyer Black Edition contributes to a quieter working environment and is therefore even more popular among employees.

The company adds that the improved component quality of the Sawyer Black Edition significantly raises the collaborative robots reliability.

At K 2019, the Sawyer Black Edition will be demonstrated at the Hahn Group at booth E61 in hall 10 as part of a palletizing application for the packaging of boxes and plastics parts.

With the Black Edition Rethink Robotics continues to stand for easy application, flexibility in use and high acceptance among employees.

Tasks that are dangerous for humans are, among others, possible applications. Some of these include CNC machine assembly, circuit board assembly, metal processing, injection molding, packaging, loading and unloading, as well as tests and inspections.

Rethink says the Sawyer collaborative robot solution is ready for use immediately after delivery and equipped with Intera software and two camera systems.

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Rethink Robotics launches Sawyer Black Edition - Robotics and Automation News

Robotics company offers $190,000 for the rights to your face – NEWS.com.au

Heres your chance to be the literal face of a robotics company.

A tech firm is looking for the right person to lend their likeness to a new line of robot assistants for the elderly. And while it might sound like the plot to a bad sci-fi flick, the company will pay the chosen candidate 100,000 (about $A190,000) for the privilege.

The privately funded firm has opted to remain anonymous due to the projects secretive nature, but it has hired robotics recruiter Geomiq to find the right face for the job, reports the Mirror.

RELATED: Sex robots are here, are they therapeutic or gross?

Ideal applicants will possess a kind and friendly face for the prototype, per the head, er, face hunters recruitment ad. Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the right person; lets hope we can find them, said a Geomiq spokesperson.

The lucky winner of the face-off will have their likeness reproduced on thousands of virtual friends a la Will Smiths disturbing 2004 movie I, Robot as well as rake in the aforementioned big bucks. The project has been five years in the making.

RELATED: Robots already taking jobs

Designers havent disclosed much beyond that, only that the robotic doppelgangers will hit the assembly line next year and will be readily available to the public upon completion.

On the application page, Geomiq acknowledges that licensing ones visage to an unnamed robotics company for eternity is potentially an extremely big decision.

The face-cloning campaign has drawn flack from social media sceptics, with many of them analogising it to bad dystopian movie tropes. Janelle Mone warned us about this, cautioned one.

Others wondered why a supposedly tech-savvy robotics company needed a human face at all and couldnt just save money by using an online random-face generator. Have these people ever heard of GANs? asked one Twitter techie. There are datasets with 100k realistic (but not real) faces available already.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Is $190,000 enough for you to sell the rights to your appearance forever? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Geek+ launches smart factory with ‘robots making robots’ – Robotics and Automation News

Geek+, a supplier of robotics and AI technologies for warehouses, has launched what it claims is the worlds first smart factory to use robot arms to make mobile robots.

Based in Nanjing, the factory uses Geek+ robots, AI algorithms and other automated solutions to manufacture new Geek+ robots. All of the companys robots are produced at this factory.

With an increasing demand for customization and limited release products, product cycles are getting shorter and shorter, making flexible production an essential aspect of the manufacturing industry.

Autonomous mobile robots in factories are the best way to achieve flexible production and can also help companies realize a smart and agile supply chain.

With this objective, the company has launched its Geek+ Smart Factory Solution, using its Nanjing facility as a blueprint for flexible production and intelligent manufacturing.

Geek+ says it can adapt and implement the smart factory template to manufacturing facilities worldwide, and customize the solution to meet various production and industrial scenarios.

With over 200 projects across the world, Geek+ has gained considerable experience and data knowledge developing smart logistics solutions for warehousing and manufacturing environments.

It has developed new AI algorithms for scenarios spanning numerous industries, from retail and apparel, to manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies.

Through this, the company has built an ecosystem with international technology partners to develop a total solution for smart warehouses and smart factories including AI vision, robot arms, and internet of things, production management system, logistics management system, big data analysis and advanced robotics.

With its Smart Factory Solution, Geek+ says it is helping customers upgrade their operations to an intelligent and agile supply chain.

Robots making robots

The Nanjing factory output has almost doubled traditional manual production capacity, and single-shift annual production is designed to exceed 10,000 robots. Under a production logistics management system, the robots operate together.

They include:

The robots are powered by AI technologies including:

Once assembled, the new robots direct themselves to the calibration area to receive basic parameter settings.

They automatically complete final testing and finished product inspection after which they directly proceed to the finished product area to be packaged and ready to ship.

Geek+ smart factory management system, powered by AI

To operate smart factories, Geek+ has developed a new integrated system, the Geek+ Production Logistics Management System. It powers all aspects of the facility, from inventory to the production line, integrating logistics and production into a flexible and efficient system. It connects the stock area with the production area and unifies the management of all the different robotic solutions.

This system replaces the traditional conveyor belt system with a new island production mode of autonomous mobile robots.

These production islands can be easily duplicated and the solution is a completely flexible and scalable:

This new intelligent and flexible production model offers a real alternative to costly and rigid conveyor belts.

A game changer for intelligent manufacturing

Production capacity has almost doubled, compared to traditional manual production, with annual output expected to exceed 10,000 robots.

The new solution also guarantees more precise process control and higher accuracy with a straight-through rate for the final assembly are exceeding 98 percent, and higher traceability of the whole process, which reduces overall management cost.

Yong Zheng, founder and CEO of Geek+, says: Smart factories will be a turning point for the entire industry as they provide a truly proven alternative to traditional, fixed production and achieve flexible production.

What better way to show to the world the value of our solutions than to apply it to our own production? Our Nanjing factory is a window into the future of intelligent logistics and manufacturing.

The Geek+ smart factory solution is applicable to a wide range of industries, including automobile manufacturers, auto part factories and 3C electronics factories.

It is particularly well suited for industries that require more flexible manufacturing processes, to keep up with the demand for new product lines and allow for capacity expansion.

With smart factories, trial production of new products and product line transformation can be easily implemented, says Geek+.

Zheng says: In the past four years, we have already developed and implemented game changing technologies for warehousing operations. With smart factories, we continue to pave the way for a truly intelligent supply chain.

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Robotics startup wants to pay 100k to use a real human face on its robots – DIGIT.FYI

A robotics startup is offering 100,000 to use a real persons face on its robots. The unnamed company has contacted manufacturer Geomiq for help finding the ideal kind and friendly human face for its robots, described as virtual friends for elderly people.

The robotics startup said the need for anonymity is due to the secretive nature of the project. But production of the robots is expected to begin in 2020 and will be readily available to the public, it added.

Geomiq said that the company is privately-funded and that the project has been in development for five years. It has since, apparently, taken on investment from a number of independent VCs, as well as a top fund based in Shanghai.

A spokesperson for Geomiq said: At this point, were not allowed to share any more details about the project, but were hoping that someone with the right face will get in touch as a result of this public appeal.

We know that this is an extremely unique request, and signing over the licenses to your face is potentially an extremely big decision. But its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the right person; lets hope we can find them.

Dr Kate Devlin, an author on the topics of AI and robotics, said: Im cool with the whole friendly robot thing. But I cant work out why a) it needs a realistically human face and, b) why that face needs to be of a real individual.

If you are interested in selling your face, you can apply here. Candidates who make it through the next phase will be given full details on the project, while unsuccessful candidates will not be contacted.

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Conference on Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision and Artificial Intelligence Comes to San Jose November 12-13 – Business Wire

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Automation expertsand those who want to explore how to grow their business with the latest trends and innovationswill descend on San Jose November 12-13 for the Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision & AI (CRAV.ai) Conference. Sponsored by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), this conference is ideal for engineers and manufacturers seeking effective ways to reduce cost, improve quality and advance productivity, while increasing flexibility. CRAV.ai also holds appeal for experienced users seeking new applications or prospective users trying to determine if robotics, vision and artificial intelligence make sense for their companies. Registration for the conference is open at https://crav.ai.

The automation industry continues to change and disrupt, with new innovations and new examples of automation solutions helping businesses around the world, said Jeff Burnstein, president, A3. This conference in particular brings in some of the most influential minds in the space to share the technologies, trends and actionable insights that will help companies become more competitive. Come learn how to not get left behind in this increasingly automated world.

In addition to three in-depth tracks featuring dozens of sessions highlighting practical solutions and emerging technologies, the conference will feature the following keynotes:

Last year, CRAV.ai drew more than 500 attendees, including engineers and decision makers from companies like Google, Apple, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Toyota and many more.

The full agenda can be found here: https://crav.ai/agenda. Register at https://crav.ai.

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA) and A3 Mexico. RIA, AIA, MCMA and A3 Mexico combined represent over 1,250 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward. For more information, visit: A3, RIA, AIA, MCMA, A3 Mexico.

Upcoming A3 Events:Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision & AI Conference (CRAV.ai) Nov. 12-13, 2019, San Jose, California.A3 Business Forum Jan. 13-15, 2020, Orlando, Florida.Robotic Grinding & Finishing Conference April 27-28, 2020, St. Paul, Minnesota.The Vision Show June 9-11, 2020, Boston, Massachusetts.Automate May 17-20, 2021, Detroit, Michigan.

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Conference on Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision and Artificial Intelligence Comes to San Jose November 12-13 - Business Wire

How will AI and robotics transform jobs of the future? – Big Think

Image: Lear21, CC BY-SA 3.0

East and West Berliners on top of the recently opened Berlin Wall, early November 1989.

Image: TD Architects

The rich world, developed world, first world or Western world by another name: the walled world.

Image source: Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han), CC BY 2.0

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

Image: ngel Gutirrez Rubio, CC BY 2.0

The 'Valla' in Melilla, where Europe touches Africa.

Image source: Duke Human Rights Center, CC BY 2.0

One of the 99 "Peace Walls" in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Image source: Cedric31, GFDL

The expansion of Morocco's Berm, in six phases from 1982 to 1987.

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How will AI and robotics transform jobs of the future? - Big Think

Realtime Robotics Scoops Up $11.7M in Series A Funding – Robotics Business Review

BOSTON Realtime Robotics, which is developing responsive motion planning for industrial robots and autonomous vehicles, today announced it raised $11.7 million in Series A Funding. Led by SPARX Asset Management, the round included participation from Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Hyundai Motor Company, and OMRON Ventures.

Existing investors Toyota AI Ventures, Scrum Ventures, and the Duke Angel Network also participated in the round. The company said the new funding will be used to accelerate the development of more commercial product releases and expand the team to support key customers and partners across the globe.

The company said its solutions can help eliminate obstacles to widespread adoption of advanced automation in the industrial, agriculture, food service, construction, healthcare, and consumer markets. Despite the growing demand for automation, todays robots are not safe or smart enough to navigate in dynamic, unstructured environments without costly safeguards and oversight, the company said in a statement. Realtime Robotics solutions eliminate these challenges and enable robots to work at a productive pace.

The companys specialized computer processor and software enables machines, including industrial, collaborative robots, and autonomous vehicles, to evaluate millions of alternative motion paths to avoid a collision and choose the optimal route before making a move, all in milliseconds. Realtime released its first commercial system, RapidPlan and RapidSense, earlier this year.

Peter Howard, CEO, Realtime Robotics

The commitment garnered from strategic investors reflects both the need and the demand for smarter robots, said Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics. Our technology transforms the way machines interact with both people and other machines. Robots will now be able to take on a wide range of new tasks, and manufacturers will finally benefit from the productivity and efficiency gains that increased automation has promised, but failed to deliver.

Realtime Robotics was founded in 2016 by Duke University professors Dan Sorin, George Konidaris and researchers Sean Murray and Will Floyd-Jones. The company was based on its groundbreaking DARPA-funded research in motion planning.

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Realtime Robotics Scoops Up $11.7M in Series A Funding - Robotics Business Review

How this school designed a robotics program from the ground up – eSchool News

As a former computer engineer with a background in applied math, Im a firm proponent of STEM education. As a math teacher with 14 years of experience facilitating robotics clubs for students, Im also an ardent supporter of programming and robotics as a vehicle for STEM ed, so when I had the opportunity to build a K5 robotics program from the lab up, I leapt at the opportunity.

Our school is a brand-new Title 1 campus. Were in our first year and just opened in August, so were still tweaking and learning as we go, but weve developed a solid foundation for introducing studentseven those who are very youngto a range of STEM and other concepts in an environment that feels more like fun than work. Heres how we did it.

When I was designing the robotics program, I wanted to make sure we were building a bridge from kindergarten all the way to 5th grade and beyond, so our program is designed to be progressive throughout the six years students are with us and to set them up for more advanced robotics in middle and high school, should they choose to pursue it.

Related:11 educators share how they bring coding into the classroom

For kindergartners and first graders, we use two products: LEGOs STEAM Parkand KinderLabs KIBO.

STEAM Park uses Duplo LEGO bricks and gears, pulleys, and other simple machines to help very young children begin to understand concepts like leverage, chain reactions, motion, measurement, and even buoyancy, which isnt usually introduced until 2nd grade.

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How this school designed a robotics program from the ground up - eSchool News

Tech firm will pay you 100,000 to use your face on its robots – Mirror Online

The idea of lending your face to a robot may sound like the plot from an episode of Black Mirror , but it could soon become a reality.

An unnamed robotics firm is searching for the human face of its new robots - and will even pay the successful applicant 100,000 for the privilege.

The firm has contacted geomiq.com to help find a kind and friendly face for the robots, which will be used as virtual friends for elderly people.

A spokesperson for Geomiq said: At this point were not allowed to share any more details about the project, but were hoping that someone with the right face will get in touch as a result of this public appeal.

Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the right person; lets hope we can find them.

The robots are set to go into production next year and will be readily available to the public, according to Geomiq.

It added: We know that this is an extremely unique request, and signing over the licenses to your face is potentially an extremely big decision.

The request has been heavily criticised on Twitter , with technology reporter Rowland Manthorpe even calling it a bad sci-fi plot.

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Dr Kate Devlin, a sex robot expert added: "I'm cool with the whole friendly robot thing, btw.

"But I can't work out why a) it needs a realistically human face; and b) why that face needs to be of a real individual."

Meanwhile, others have questioned why the firm is searching for a human face, rather than creating a fake face of its own - much like the famous humanoid robot, Sophia.

One user tweeted: Have these people ever heard of GANs? There are datasets with 100k realistic (but not real) faces available already.

"My guess is that we can code a nice generator for less than 100k..."

However, if the idea of seeing an army of robots with your face doesnt put you off, you can apply here.

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Tech firm will pay you 100,000 to use your face on its robots - Mirror Online

64% of workers trust robots more than their managers – TechRepublic

Employee outlooks on AI are changing. Here's why they are more trusting of the technology.

The increased adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) at work is changing the relationship between employees and managers. More than half (64%) of employees said they trust a robot more than their manager, with half turning to a robot instead of a supervisor for advice, an Oracle and Future Workplace report found.

SEE: Special report: Managing AI and ML in the enterprise (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Oracle and Future Workplace's second annual AI at Work report, released on Tuesday, surveyed 8,370 employees, managers, and human resources (HR) leaders from across 10 countries. AI completely shifted the way employees and tech interact at work, and is also reshaping the roles of HR teams and managers, the report found.

When AI first became popular, many employees feared the technology would render their jobs obsolete. However, once employees realized AI could actually help them conduct work more efficiently, their attitudes changed, the report found. The number of employees using AI at work increased by nearly 20% over the past year, from 32% to 50%.

The majority (65%) of workers said they are optimistic, excited, and grateful for their robot co-workers. Nearly a quarter of employees reported even having a loving and gratifying relationship with AI at work, according to the report.

Employees in India (60%) and China (56%) were the most excited about AI, followed by the UAE (44%), Singapore (41%), Brazil (32%), and Australia/New Zealand (26%). Men overall viewed AI more positively than women, with 32% of men reportedly optimistic, compared to 23% of women.

Workers across the world are also more trusting of robots over their manages, the report found. The majority of employees in India (89%), China (88%), Singapore (83%), Brazil (78%), Japan (76%), and the US (57%) all turn to robots before managers. Employees reported more faith in robots over managers because they felt that technology could better provide unbiased information (26%), maintain work schedules (34%), problem solve (29%), and manage a budget (26%).

When asked what areas managers are stronger in, workers reported understanding feelings (45%), coaching (33%), and creating work culture (29%). While automation is helpful with business processes, it is known to struggle with replicating and interpreting human emotion. With human connection being a vital part of the workplace, this ability is crucial.

"The latest advancements in machine learning and AI are rapidly reaching mainstream, resulting in a massive shift in the way people across the world interact with technology and their team," Emily He, senior vice president of the Human Capital Management Cloud Business Group at Oracle, said in a press release. "Organizations need to partner with their HR organization to personalize the approach to implementing AI at work in order to meet the changing expectations of their teams around the world."

With AI predicted to create $2.9 trillion in business value by 2021, according to Gartner's Leverage augmented intelligence to win with AI report, automation is here to stay.

And the use cases for AI continue surfacing, with 76% of workers and 81% of HR leaders finding it challenging to keep up with technological changes in the workplace, the report found.

These issues only create a heightened need for AI, but employees are worried about working with these new systems. Workers need a simplified experience with AI, according to the report. Employees cited a better user interface (34%), best practice training (30%), and personalized experiences (30%) as helpful strategies for adapting to AI.

If companies want to see the full benefits of AI, they must provide employees with these resources and experiences, the report said.

For more, check out AI is key for business success, but lack of skilled staff remains a barrier on TechRepublic.

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Sberbank partners with Microsoft in robotics area – FinanceFeeds

The project is set to boost labor productivity when counting coins.

Sberbank Rossii PAO (MCX:SBER) and Microsoft Research (MSR) have announceda joint project that will explore the use of Microsoft AI solutions in robotics. The goal of this project is to train robots to interact with physical objects the way humans do.

Research engineers from Sberbank will be working alongside their MSR counterparts in Redmond, the United States. The team will be looking for the best ways to control manipulators leveraging the capabilities of Microsofts AI platform, which unites machine learning including reinforcement learning and simulation modeling in virtual reality in order to create autonomous AI systems capable of operating in real world. The project relies on Sberbanks robotics lab findings regarding precise manipulation of objects that have different and changing shapes by using computer vision and deep learning.

The project is expected to result in an updated control system to operate the robotics unit that is intended to boost labor productivity when counting coins. Featuring a manipulator, video cameras, and an arm grabber, the solution is poised to remove toil and improve occupational safety of the operators who remove coin bags from carts when working at cash handling and cash-in-transit centers, thus improving the banks efficiency.

The findings of the joint study are expected to be later used in writing academic papers on the practical use of artificial intelligence.

Sberbank has long been known as a keen adopter of AI solutions. In February this year, for instance, the bank announced the launch of an AI-based chatbotthat will help users of electronic trading system Sberbank Markets.

Speaking of robotic solutions that assist in money counting, lets recall that, in May 2017, Sberbank showed a Kuka Hand a robotic hand used to sort and count money.

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Sberbank partners with Microsoft in robotics area - FinanceFeeds

Robots Learn about Feelings and Maybe Plot Their Takeover – Nextgov

I am totally stoked about having one of my most favorite movie stars of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, returning to theaters for the new Terminator: Dark Fate movie. Of all the many movies that portend the rise of intelligent machines and artificial intelligence, Ive always felt like the Terminator series was one of the best.

And because this is my first column for October, I figured it should be a little bit scary to coincide with the spirit of the season. But dont worry. Im not going to cover the normal kinds of cybersecurity risks, where everyone has to worry about real-world dangers like ransomware and advanced persistent threats. Those kinds of horrors are real, and most people are probably tired of constantly thinking about them. So I wont make you do that again here even though October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Ill be covering some of the relevant government-sponsored activities in a future article. But not today. Today is all about a more fun kind of scary: Evidence that machines are putting all the pieces in place for their big takeover of humanity.

The signs of the pending rise of the machines are everywhere. Lets start with the recently released Frost and Sullivan report detailing the militarys plans for combat vehicle development through 2024. According to the report, the Defense Department is expected to spend $56.25 billion on combat vehicles by 2024.

That is a lot of wheels and tracks on the ground. The military, and specifically the Army, is expected to follow a two-pronged approach to spending that money. The first part of the effort is enhancing existing vehicles with better technology, sensors and artificial intelligence. The second will be creating new vehicles from scratch that can operate completely unmanned if necessary.

Technology upgrades and modifications are the stable spending segments as wear and tear of systems and developing defense mechanisms for evolving threats are essential areas of focus, said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst for Defense John Hernandez.

So the machines will have a lot of deadly vehicles ready and in place for their uprising. Some of them will know how to drive themselves, while most of the others will at least be skilled at following a lead machine in a process known as convoying.

But I hear you say, so what if a combat vehicle knows how to drive and even fight on its own?Its not like it will be able to think for itself or be driven by its emotions. Our cars, trucks, tanks and drones are never going to get angry with humanity because of their subservient role carrying us around everywhere and fighting our wars. Well, perhaps not yet...

Another study released this month from The University of Warwick School of Business finds that robots can learn to recognize emotions, and in fact, may do a better job at it than some humans. Given the increasing number of rude people I have run into out in public lately, this is not too surprising.

Research Fellow in the Behavioral Science Group at Warwick Business School Charlotte Edmunds conducted a study where a robot was programmed to guess at what people were feeling based on visual and other social clues. To conduct the study, a team of psychologists and computer scientists filmed pairs of children playing with a robot and a computer. They later asked 284 people to decide whether the children were excited, bored or sad. They were also asked if the children were co-operating, competing or if one of the children had assumed a dominant role in the relationship.

Sadly, the results for the human participants were exactly the same as if someone was simply guessing at the results having never watched the videos. But when a trained robot took the same test, it scored significantly higher. The robot was correct most of the time even if it couldnt see the childrens faces or hear their voices. The full study was published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI.

Our results suggest it is reasonable to expect a machine learning algorithm, and consequently a robot, to recognize a range of emotions and social interactions using movements, poses and facial expressions, Edmunds said. The potential applications are huge.

You can say that again. The potential applications are huge, as in, robots and artificial intelligence are moving a few steps closer to their inevitable revolution. They can already outthink us in terms of raw processing power. Now they are infiltrating the military and learning about emotions. Can self-awareness be that far behind?

Thankfully, Schwarzenegger is finished being the governor of California, so hes available to fight for us on Judgment Day. But just in case, you might want to trick or treat and party a little bit extra hard this year. It may be one of our last Halloweens before the machine overlords discover how to get angry and start rolling toward the apocalypse.

John Breeden II is an award-winning journalist and reviewer with over 20 years of experience covering technology. He is the CEO of the Tech Writers Bureau, a group that creates technological thought leadership content for organizations of all sizes. Twitter: @LabGuys

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Robots Learn about Feelings and Maybe Plot Their Takeover - Nextgov

Global Smart Sports Equipment Market 2019-2023 | Increasing Demand for Robotics to Boost Growth | Technavio – Business Wire

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global smart sports equipment market is expected to post a CAGR of over 37% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. Request a free sample report

There is an increase in the demand for smart sports equipment and various sports analytics platforms among teams, coaches, and sports associations. Sports analytics platforms help in analyzing the play-by-play effectiveness for real-time competitive intelligence and anticipate player safety issues to prevent injuries. It enables team managers to perform predictive analysis based on data related to players and their rankings and training. Thus, the growing demand for sports analytics will boost the growth of the smart sports equipment market during the forecast period.

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR30890

As per Technavio, the increasing demand for robotics, will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other important trends and market drivers that will affect market growth over 2019-2023.

Global Smart Sports Equipment Market: Increasing Demand for Robotics

Robotics is gaining popularity in various industries, including the sports industry. This is driving the team coaches, sports clubs, and sports associations to emphasize on the use of robotics in enhancing the training process and improve player performance. For instance, mobile virtual players (MVPs) are gaining traction in the market as they replicate the size, weight, shape, speed and human motion of an opponent or training partner to boost the performance of players. Thus, with such advances in technology and the adoption of robotics, the market for smart sports equipment is expected to showcase a positive outlook during the forecast period.

Apart from the increasing demand for robotics, the rising popularity of wearable devices and fitness trackers along with the growing number of partnerships and collaborations in the sports industry are some other factors that will boost market growth during the forecast period, says a senior analyst at Technavio.

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Global Smart Sports Equipment Market: Segmentation Analysis

This market research report segments the global smart sports equipment market by product (ball sports, fitness sports, and other sports) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America).

The European region led the market in 2018, followed by APAC, North America, MEA, and South America respectively. During the forecast period, the European region is expected to maintain its dominance over the global market. This is due to the rising demand for IoT operated connected fitness devices and growing adoption of smart wearables.

Technavios sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation

Geographical Segmentation

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Global Smart Sports Equipment Market 2019-2023 | Increasing Demand for Robotics to Boost Growth | Technavio - Business Wire

Five stocks that offer robust returns from the robotics sector – MoneyWeek

A professional investor tells us where hed put his money. This week: Peter Lingen of the Pictet Robotics fund highlights some promising investments.

The modern robotics market began in the car sector in the 1960s. Since then it has expanded relentlessly into ever more industries, fuelled by technical innovations such as exponential growth in computer processing power, electronic miniaturisation, increasingly refined sensors and controllers, new materials and more compact batteries. And robotics will remain a growth industry thanks to several secular trends, including cloud computing, autonomous driving, electric vehicles and precision medicine.

We invest in companies that benefit from the growth of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. But this is a substantial investment arena, which makes fundamental research key.

We track 400 companies globally. Insights we gain from firms, meetings with brokers and trade shows each year help us narrow the field to a concentrated portfolio of between 40 and 60 stocks.

On average, the companies generate 75% of their revenue from activities that fall within our investment criteria. They belong to highly diverse sectors: vehicle components, life-sciences, med-tech, consumer robotics, semiconductors, industrial robotics, internet infrastructure and application software.

We look for companies that are market leaders in emerging niches, with clear technology leadership. We like groups that invest heavily in innovation and have the confidence to invest in themselves. While some of these are highly valued, we believe that others are hiding in plain sight. For example, Google (Alphabet) (Nasdaq: GOOGL) is a business with $155bn in sales that is growing at around 20% a year. Yet it is barely monetising some of its most valuable assets, such as Google Maps and Waymo, its self-driving technology division. Alphabet trades on just 13 times adjusted earnings.

Electronic design company Synopsys (Nasdaq: SNPS) is another good example. It helps chip manufacturers design and build high-performance semi-conductors. As the complexity of systems increases and new companies enter the semiconductor sector, the importance of design tools increases.

In recent years the stockmarket has begun to appreciate the strategic importance of both Synopsys and its main competitor Cadence Design Systems (Nasdaq: CDNS), which we also hold. We believe they continue to be an attractive investment over the medium term.

We recently bought a position in Altair Engineering (Nasdaq: ALTR), a company weve monitored since it floated in 2017. It is a leading producer of simulation software, which is bought by many of the worlds top vehicle and aerospace companies.

We like Altairs business niche and we are confident that its software is increasingly relevant to a wide variety of different markets including energy, life sciences, consumer electronics and high-performance computing.

We believe Altair has good prospects for long-term growth. The success of its competitor Ansys (Nasdaq: ANSS), another of our investments, shows how valuable a successful simulation/3D-design company can be in the stockmarket.

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Five stocks that offer robust returns from the robotics sector - MoneyWeek

Robotics competition will have a lasting impact, says AI Minister – Gulf News

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation with Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation Image Credit:

Dubai: Hosting the worlds biggest competition for robotics and artificial intelligence will have a lasting impact on the region, according to officials.

The First Global DXB Challenge will be held outside of the Americas for the first time at Dubais Festival Arena from October 24-27, and will involve 1,500 children aged 11-17 from 191 countries.

Organised by Dubai Future Foundation, this years theme will be finding smart solutions for preserving the ocean and protecting marine life.

Teams will each get a robotics kit and work with a mentor to overcome a challenge related to the theme of marine protection and the winners across 10 categories will get medals and the chance of a university scholarship at top universities around the world.

The outcome is not the robot itself but the ability and environment these children go on to and what that leads to in life, said Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation.

Success stories will go on after the competition is done and this is a gift that keeps on giving. Previous editions of the competition have seen participants go on to start STEM schools for girls in Angola or become chief innovation officers in some of the biggest companies around the world.

This is different to any other competition because every single participant has the chance to influence technology of the future. They are going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk and we are very excited to welcome to collaborate here in the land of opportunity, added Al Olama.

The Minister said that countries would form alliances within the competition to learn from each other and ensure no one was left behind.

We dont want teams to come and lose without gaining anything, we will set up a coalition so they learn from other countries, so its not just purely a competition about first place, its a competition where the effects will last forever and create a positive impact for humanity, said Al Olama. As a country the UAE is a nation that believes in bringing people from all over the world together to bring about the change that will lead to a prosperous future. The UAE has never been about just focusing on ourselves but on collaboration and cooperation to come up with solutions for something that will help all of us and the oceans are something that connect all continents and countries.

Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said, The vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is to make the UAE a lab to the world and this can be the largest ever lab gathering globally hosting 191 countries to test new ideas. It cannot get any larger than this and a lot will be achieved beyond who has won, it can be the testing ground for future innovators to rub shoulders.

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation with Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation Image Credit:

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Robotics competition will have a lasting impact, says AI Minister - Gulf News

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What is Robotics? Webopedia Definition

Main TERM R

By Vangie Beal

The field of computer science and engineering concerned with creating robots, devices that can move and react to sensory input. Robotics is one branch of artificial intelligence.

Robots are now widely used in factories to perform high-precision jobs such as welding and riveting. They are also used in special situations that would be dangerous for humans -- for example, in cleaning toxic wastes or defusing bombs.

Although great advances have been made in the field of robotics during the last decade, robots are still not very useful in everyday life, as they are too clumsy to perform ordinary household chores.

Robot was coined by Czech playwright Karl Capek in his play R.U.R (Rossum's Universal Robots), which opened in Prague in 1921. Robota is the Czech word for forced labor.

The term robotics was introduced by writer Isaac Asimov. In his science fiction book I, Robot,published in 1950, he presented three laws of robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Stay up to date on the latest developments in Internet terminology with a free newsletter from Webopedia. Join to subscribe now.

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What is Robotics? Webopedia Definition

Robotics TechCrunch

TechCrunch is elevating networking to a whole new level at TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics + AI, which takes place at UC Berkeleys Zellerbach Hall on April 18. This day-long event features discussion

In 2017, when Tesla announced incredibly ambitious Model 3 production targets of 5,000 Model 3s per week and the beginning of "production hell," analysts were wary.

We knew this moment was coming we just never expected it to arrive so soon. Jibo owners all over are reporting a final death rattle from their beloved home robot. The last message finds Jibo annou

Late last week, we announced the schedule for April 18s TC Sessions: Robotics + AI event at UC Berkeley, including some heavy hitters like Marc Raibert, Melonee Wise and Ken Goldberg. At the time,

MITs Cheetah team has built some incredibly impressive electric robots, capable of jumping hurdles and navigating blindly, but in some ways the new Mini Cheetah might be the most impressive to date

If youve ever dabbled in collectible card games Magic: The Gathering, Pokmon, etc. you know how quickly collections can grow. One pack turns into two. Two turns into five. Then they r

From the moment that Disney announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm, the question on every fans mind was when will they build Star Wars in real life? While most assumed that they would do it e

FedEx is a courier delivery and logistics company; and in 2019, that means it must also have an autonomous delivery bot. The delivery services company, known for its overnight shipping, unveiled Wedne

It's already tomorrow in Australia, seemingly in more ways than one. It's the 27th already, yes, but they're also working in putting together AI-flown companion jets for their fighters. Why didn't we

Researchers have created a prosthetic hand that offers its users the ability to feel where it is and how the fingers are positioned a sense known as proprioception. The headline may be in jest, bu

Robotics have long been a bit of a white whale for Qualcomm. The burgeoning field is a pretty logical next step for the chipmaker, which seems to have its foot in every other aspect of electronics the

Were just under two months out from this years TC Sessions: Robotics + AI event, and weve still got a lot left to announce. As noted, well have Anca Dragan, Marc Raibert, Alexei Efros, Han

The planned Robot Science Museum in Seoul will have a humdinger of a first exhibition: its own robotic construction. Its very much a publicity stunt, though a fun one but who knows? Perhaps

The UKs Department for Transport has said today that an expansion of drone no-fly zones to 5km around airport runways will come into force on March 13. Anyone caught and convicted

For the first time later this week, a privately developed moon lander will launch aboard a privately built rocket, organized by a private launch coordinator. Its an historic moment in space and

Are you a student within striking distance of Berkeley, California? Do you have a burning passion for robots and artificial intelligence? We have great news for you. Were offering deeply discounted

Last year, Sphero stepped away from the flashiness of Disney IP, opting instead to focus on education. It was a pragmatic business decision, above all. The draw of licensing brands like Star Wars, Mar

So, weve already announced that Anca Dragan, Alexei Efros, Hany Farid, Melonee Wise, Peter Barrett, Rana el Kaliouby, Arnaud Thiercelin and Laura Major will all be appearing at Aprils big roboti

Opportunitys mission is complete, and the rover that was supposed to last 90 days closes the book on 15 years of exploration. Its sad, but its also a great time to look back on th

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Robotics TechCrunch

Michigan Robotics | University of Michigan Robotics Institute …

Michigan Roboticsaims to accelerate the development of new robotics capabilities by bringing together roboticists of all stripes under one roof so that they can share problems and solutions. Core robotics faculty will be housed in a $75 million facility with shared collaboration and laboratory space, to be completed in 2020. They will work closely withinterdisciplinary robotics researchers from across the University.

Michigan Robotics is currently seeking new faculty. We want the top robotics talent on the planet to apply to our program

The first director of Michigan Robotics is Jessy Grizzle, the Elmer G. Gilbert Distinguished University Professor and the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering, best known for his bipedal robots, MABEL and MARLO.

Autonomy is about handling the unknown. Robots need to be able to navigate and map new environments, manipulate unfamiliar objects, cope with unforeseen circumstances, and carry on in spite of malfunctions. We attack the problem from all angles, an approach we call full spectrum autonomy.

The faculty at Michigan Roboticscover the heart of robotics, including mechanics, electronics, perception, control and navigation. Whether our robots walk, swim, fly or drive, we struggle with many of the same challenges. In the new robotics building, solutions may be just a few doors down.

The robotics program at Michigan offers MS and PhD engineering degrees that integrate knowledge from across a range of technical fields for applications to robotics. This program focuses on three core disciplines essential to robotics:

Learn more about graduate programs in robotics

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Michigan Robotics | University of Michigan Robotics Institute ...