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Ethereums Buterin responds to Blockstream COOs sh*tcoinery remark – AMBCrypto English

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

Ethereums Vitalik Buterin is in the news today after he called out Blockstream COO Samson Mow for his statements on how VCs and advisors need to legitimize sh*tcoinery so they can be intermediaries.

Retweeting a comment made by Chris Burniske, Mow added,

If its as simple as buying BTC, which it is, intermediaries are obsolete.

However, Buterin was quick to retort to this comment, commenting,

Dude, youre literally part of a company that created a proprietary consortium chain for people to stick their tokens onto that only needs to exist because BTC (and even trustless L2s on top of it) dont have the scalability or functionality to do so natively.

While Samson Mow was quick to clarify that the intermediaries he was referring to were financial intermediaries that advise on the complexities of investments, the original context for his statement had come from an earlier tweet by Chris Burniske, a partner at Placeholder.

According to Burniske, while holding BTC as a retail crypto-investor is sufficient, adding ETH gives broader exposure to crypto-innovation.

This is certainly true when one looks at the various protocols and DApps built on the Ethereum blockchain, in some ways, making growth on Ethereum a proxy for growth in DeFi and crypto-innovation.

This is not to say that ETH is the only other investable asset class for a retail crypto-investor either as quite a few altcoins have proven themselves to be fundamentally solid choices. For instance, Maker, Compound, Aave, and Uniswap have all been top DeFi platforms for a while now, each with a fairly large community of their own.

However, as expected, Burniskes statements were soon met with a lot of opposition, especially from some of the markets Bitcoin maximalists. In fact, many of them were quick to argue that many altcoins and DApps are unsafe and subject to hacks, as was the case with Pickle Finance, a DeFi protocol that recently lost $20 million worth of funds deposited into a smart contract, to a hacker.

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Ethereums Buterin responds to Blockstream COOs sh*tcoinery remark - AMBCrypto English

DeFi protocol 1inch set to be the first to expand to the NEAR blockchain – Cointelegraph

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

The Mooniswap decentralized exchange protocol, developed by DEX aggregator 1inch, will be the first Ethereum DeFi protocol to develop on NEAR, a sharded smart contract platform.

As part of a collaboration announced on Tuesday, the 1inch team pledged to port its automated market maker protocol to NEAR. Sergej Kunz, CEO of 1inch, told Cointelegraph that its Pathfinder aggregation algorithm will be eventually implemented as well.

The NEAR iteration of Mooniswap will remain independent from the existing version on Ethereum for the time being. While users will be able to use the NEAR Rainbow Bridge to bring Ethereum tokens to the new blockchain, the liquidity pools between the two platforms will be separate.

NEAR is a smart contract platform claiming a much higher current scalability than Ethereum. Unlike other protocols like Polkadot (DOT) or Cosmos (Atom), there are no independent blockchains or parachains on NEAR. Instead, the protocol offers a single chain that is sharded at the level of individual blocks. The goal of this construction is to simplify development by abstracting the underlying architecture into a familiar format. The NEAR Protocol has a single environment shared by all decentralized applications, similar to Ethereums current architecture.

Kunz said that the existing scaling technology on NEAR will allow the team to experiment with sharding and be prepared for the arrival of Ethereum 2.0. The protocol is set to be deployed on NEAR in 2021.

Mooniswap uses a unique system of delayed virtual prices to prevent front-running and help reduce impermanent loss by reducing the profit collected by arbitrage traders. Under this system, changes to the effective price of an asset from previous exchange transactions are gradually enacted over a fiveminute period.

Mooniswap is among the first major Ethereum DeFi protocols that committed to building on another blockchain. NEAR had previously inked a deal with the Balancer protocol to establish funding for independent developers, though the DeFi app did not commit to building a new iteration of its protocol.

After scaling issues on the main Ethereum chain became evident, DeFi protocol developers began looking into both Ethereum-native layer-two solutions and other layer-one protocols for solutions.

Though some protocols got a head start, the race has yet to officially start, as most scaling solutions are set to be released or completed in 2021.

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DeFi protocol 1inch set to be the first to expand to the NEAR blockchain - Cointelegraph

Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: ETH and XRP go ballistic, lead the altcoin bull cycle – FXStreet

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

Altcoins have in the last 24 hours rocketed to new levels, including Ethereum, Rippleand Bitcoin Cash. Ether and XRP hit new yearly highs, while BCH has added more than 17% to its value to trade at $345. Other smaller altcoins like Stellar Lumens and TRON also soared impressively to exchange hands at $0.17 and $0.036, respectively.

Intriguingly, HedgeTrade has spiked more than 370% in the last 24 hours and 391% in just one hour, according to CoinMarketCap. It seems the altcoin season is taking over, even with Bitcoin hitting new yearly highs above $19,000. Most of the top 50 assets are in the green on Tuesday during the European session.

The flagship cryptocurrency recently hit a barrier near $20,000. The resistance threw buyers off-balance, leading to declines that tested support provided at $17,500 and the 50 Simple Moving Average (SMA).

A reversal occurred, sending Bitcoin on a recovery mission, but it has been able to holdabove $18,500. BTC is at the time of writing making new yearly highs above $19,000 and closing in its all-time highs,amid a bullish building momentum. The formation of a symmetrical triangle pattern on the 4-hour chart points towards an 8% upswing to $20,000.

BTC/USD 4-hour chart

On the flip side, if the spike above the triangles upper boundary fails to confirm, bears could gain confidence and push for another correction. A breakdown under the triangle might result in an 8% spiral to $16,500, completely sabotaging the bullish outlook to $20,000.

Ethereum beat the $620 prediction on Thursday, ascending to new yearly highs at $621. The smart contract token is still holding to the bullish momentum despite a minor retreat following the resistance at 2020 high.

At the time of writing, ETH/USD is trading at $618, but bulls aim for gains above $620. Investors and analysts believe that Ethereum is yet to reach its 2020 limit, especially with the launch of ETH 2.0 around the corner.

The Relative Strength Index has validated the bullish outlook, which continues to strike higher levels within in the overbought territory. If Ethereum closed the day above $620, buyers would be encouraged to increase their positions and perhaps create enough volume to support another breakout to $700.

ETH/USD 4-hour chart

It is worth mentioning that Ethereums bullish outlook will be invalidated if the price hits a barrier at an ascending wedge channel. Trading under the wedge may call for more sell orders, resulting in a slump under $600. The most formidable support lies at $580, $520and $440.

The cross-border token went ballistic on Monday, almost hitting $1, following a flash liftoff. The drastic upswing sliced through various resistance zones such as $0.6 and $0.7. However, a retreat from the new yearly high has extended under $0.7.

XRP is trading at $0.68 at the time of writing amid developing bearish correction. The RSI has validated the slump as it drops from the oversold region. If a bearish divergence confirms, XRP could embark on a gain-trimming exercise. For now, the path with the least resistance is downwards until formidable support is established.

XRP/USD 4-hour chart

On the other hand, closing above $0.7 could renew the uptrend to $1. Meanwhile, the 50 SMA is still extending the gap above the 100 SMA and the 200 SMA, suggesting that buyers still control the token. Support is likely to be embraced at $0.6, $0.5and $0.4.

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Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: ETH and XRP go ballistic, lead the altcoin bull cycle - FXStreet

Ethereum bumps up bug bounty payouts ahead of 2.0 release – The Daily Swig

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

Charlie Osborne19 November 2020 at 14:29 UTC Updated: 19 November 2020 at 20:18 UTC

Security researchers can earn themselves up to $50,000 for finding flaws in the cryptocurrency platform

The Ethereum 2.0 bug bounty program has bumped up rewards for researchers who submit valid vulnerability reports ahead of a shift to a Proof-of-Stake model.

Bug hunters can earn up to $50,000for critical vulnerabilities in the hotly-anticipated Ethereum 2.0 upgrade.

The Ethereum Foundation bug bounty panel will decide on financial rewards issued and will lean upon the OWASP risk model when making decisions.

Loosely categorized as low, medium, and high severity, the most dangerous vulnerabilities can earn researchers up to 25,000 points, whereas high impact bugs can be worth 10,000 points.

Medium and low risk security flaws can result in up to 5,000 and 1,000 points being issued, respectively.

Each point earned in the program is the equivalent of $2, made in either the Ethereum (ETH) cryptocurrency or Dai (DAI) stablecoin.

The program is looking for vulnerabilities impacting the safety of the core Eth2 Phase 0 specification, as well as finality-breaking bugs, denial-of-service (DoS) vectors, and security issues relating to validations such as when honest validators are impacted by calculation or parameter problems.

In addition, the prysm, lighthouse, and teku client implementations are in scope.

While more client implementations will join the list after they have passed preliminary audits, vulnerabilities associated with non-compliance, DoS attacks, crashes, and consensus splits will be considered.

The rewards on offer may also depend on the quality of bug reports, how easy they are to reproduce, and whether or not bug bounty hunters have offered a way to fix vulnerabilities.

Best app to sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) in Nigeria – Jackocoins – Nairametrics

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

Wealth.ng has announced the launch of a personal Wealth Advisor Ola an AI-powered conversational investments chatbot developed to optimize Investment service delivery via WhatsApp, the preferred social and communication network. Ola aims to make it easy for Wealth.ng customers to Invest and manage their portfolio easily via social media.

WhatsApp allows its users to communicate using less data while protecting shared data (conversations, media content, banking details, etc). Ola also processes authenticated transactions via one-time-passwords (OTPs) sent to users registered phone number or email.

Users can chat with Ola through the dedicated WhatsApp Chatbot number+234 904 444 8652 or via the link https://bit.ly/ChatwithOla. You can perform pretty much all the Investment Services such as: Creating a Wealth.ng account, link your Wealth.ng account, browse investment products, Fund Cash Balance, Invest, View your Portfolio, View Market Summary, Check Order Status and ask Ola a question.

Artificial Intelligence-enabled chatbot solutions like Ola make it easy to interact with users by providing virtual assistance 24-7, just as a human would.

Here is Olas Profile

Speaking on the initiative, Wealth.ng Digital Marketing Manager, Ifeoluwa Apampa mentioned that the decision to deploy the service is part of Wealth.ngs strategy to deliver optimum customer experience through technology while also increasing the investment participation of customers by providing a scalable and efficient service for managing their investments and portfolios.

She further mentioned that African tech users like to be guided, to know what it is all about and how it can benefit them. They also want quick answers to their questions and Ola is well positioned to render assistance to users by helping them understand and navigate Wealth.ng and manage their investment portfolios smoothly.

Ola will augment Wealth.ngs existing customer touch points and be available to receive multiple queries and promptly respond with relevant investment information to various customers at the same time. However, customers cannot call the number since it is only reachable through WhatsApp chat.

Wealth.ng offers premium investment products such as Treasury Bills, Stocks, Bonds, Eurobonds, Agriculture and Wealth Cash and you can get all these done with your buddy Ola.

Ola promises to deliver a consistently great experience every time you chat with her, so if you have any questions, need investment advice or guidance, shes got you covered!

Chat with Ola on WhatsApp Now

Heres how to chat with Ola

All you need to do is:

It is our desire to ensure that we put Ola everywhere, but for now Ola has been rolled out to customers on WhatsApp and will soon be available on other platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Telegram to guide customers through the wealth building journey.

Chat with Ola on WhatsApp Now

About Wealth.ng

Based in Lagos, Wealth.ng is your personal finance platform that gives you access to diverse investment options. It is a user-friendly Self-service platform set up to equip the everyday person with simple tools and advise needed to create wealth while meeting your short and long-term finance needs.

Launched over a year ago, Wealth.ng has over 68,000 customers to its belt, 3 partner Integrations and processed over N4 Billion Investment Transactions.

To learn more aboutWealth.ng, please visit http://www.wealth.ng

Ola is powered by WealthTech, an entity registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Investment Advisor. All investments on Wealth.ng are carried out by Sankore Securities Limited, a Fund/Portfolio Manager as registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ola is the 3rd AI (Artificial Intelligence) chatbot from the stables of WealthTech Limited (A Subsidiary of Sankore Securities), besides Diamond Bank ADA launched in March, 2018 and FCMB Temi launched in 2019.

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Best app to sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT) in Nigeria - Jackocoins - Nairametrics

Ethereum developer knew he was helping North Korea evade sanctions: US prosecutors – CoinGeek

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Danzig

Remember Virgil Griffith, the Ethereum developer arrested a year ago for sanctions violations after attending a conference in North Korea? U.S. government prosecutors have argued against his defenses attempts to dismiss the case, saying he knowingly and willfully broke the law with his actions.

Griffith was released on a US$1 million bond in January 2020, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Its yet another demonstration that, while technology can provide a means to skirt human laws, it does not protect human participants from consequences once the law decides to get involved.

According to the prosecution, Griffith was well aware that his trip to Pyongyang in April 2019 would violate U.S. government sanctionsand that the knowledge he imparted in his lecture would assist others in North Korea in evading those sanctions. Quoting text messages hed sent in the year before the event, it claimed Griffith knew that knowledge of cryptocurrencies would help people in the DPRK get around sanctions imposed as part of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Not only that, but the content of his presentation at the conference was specifically tailored to highlight these benefits, the government said. It also mentioned one or more co-conspirators in the case who had assisted Griffith at various stages.

Griffiths defense was attempting to have the case thrown out based on a number of reasons. It claimed the information he presented at the conference was general in nature and the contents were widely available to anyone with an Internet connection. Moreover, Griffith had not been paid to attend the conference so it couldnt constitute a service under the IEEPA.

Defense lawyers also argued the four-page indictment against Griffith was short and vague, and violated his rights under the Fifth and Sixth amendments by not providing him with adequate information or notice regarding the governments case against him.

Prosecutors called Griffiths arguments absurd, saying that sanctions forbid all services of this type whether paid or unpaid. They claimed Griffith had acknowledged before the trip that blockchain technology and developers could assist in evading trade sanctions, and that Griffith had arranged to send a transaction from North to South Korea as a demonstration, even mentioning to his co-conspirator that this action itself would violate sanctions.

As for the information provided in its indictment, they countered that it was sufficient and prosecutors were under no obligation to supply all the evidence they held on Griffith and his accomplices.

Whether or not the information he presented was available elsewhere, packaging it as a lecture and following up with questions and answers clearly represented a value-added service and was of economic benefit to attendees. Additionally, Griffith went ahead with his trip to the DPRK despite being denied permission by the U.S. State Department beforehand.

That digital assets and blockchain technology could assist in helping foreign governments get around trade sanctions had long been spoken about in industry circles, but was rarely touted publicly as a key benefit. Griffiths case in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York is the first to feature such a use case, though commentators have noted its more a national security matter that just happens to include cryptocurrencies.

Once again: code is not law

Why would Griffith have proceeded with his travel and presentation, despite alleged warnings and knowledge that it would break the law? It could be the hubris of developers who wrongly believe the ability to perform a successful process on a technological platform somehow means human authorities have no recourse. This is untrue, and dangerous to assume.

Code is law, that oft-repeated favorite maxim of crypto-anarchists, applies only to computers. Human operators of those computers and beneficiaries of their processes are still very much subject to human laws, and governments have a wide array of methods to deal with them.

Access to services can be severely restricted, even if their use remains available to a few. Humans program and maintain the machines running the code, and the output of the code influences events in the human world. While these humans still live in the physical world, they can still be arrested, fined, imprisoned and influenced like anyone else.

Virgil Griffiths case is ongoing, and yet to be decided by a judge. Regardless of how information and technology may have assisted the North Korean government, this case will have a decidedly human outcomesomething everyone in the technology industry should remember.

FollowCoinGeeks Crypto Crime Cartelseries, which delves into the stream of groupsfromBitMEXtoBinance,Bitcoin.com,Blockstream,ShapeShiftand Ethereumwho have co-opted the digital asset revolution and turned the industry into a minefield for nave (and even experienced) players in the market.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

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Ethereum developer knew he was helping North Korea evade sanctions: US prosecutors - CoinGeek

Can We Make Our Robots Less Biased Than We Are? – The New York Times

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Adhering to the declaration would prohibit researchers from working on robots that conduct search-and-rescue operations, or in the new field of social robotics. One of Dr. Bethels research projects is developing technology that would use small, humanlike robots to interview children who have been abused, sexually assaulted, trafficked or otherwise traumatized. In one of her recent studies, 250 children and adolescents who were interviewed about bullying were often willing to confide information in a robot that they would not disclose to an adult.

Having an investigator drive a robot in another room thus could yield less painful, more informative interviews of child survivors, said Dr. Bethel, who is a trained forensic interviewer.

You have to understand the problem space before you can talk about robotics and police work, she said. Theyre making a lot of generalizations without a lot of information.

Dr. Crawford is among the signers of both No Justice, No Robots and the Black in Computing open letter. And you know, anytime something like this happens, or awareness is made, especially in the community that I function in, I try to make sure that I support it, he said.

Dr. Jenkins declined to sign the No Justice statement. I thought it was worth consideration, he said. But in the end, I thought the bigger issue is, really, representation in the room in the research lab, in the classroom, and the development team, the executive board. Ethics discussions should be rooted in that first fundamental civil-rights question, he said.

Dr. Howard has not signed either statement. She reiterated her point that biased algorithms are the result, in part, of the skewed demographic white, male, able-bodied that designs and tests the software.

If external people who have ethical values arent working with these law enforcement entities, then who is? she said. When you say no, others are going to say yes. Its not good if theres no one in the room to say, Um, I dont believe the robot should kill.

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Can We Make Our Robots Less Biased Than We Are? - The New York Times

Fusion Robotics Awarded Best Spine Technology by Orthopedics This Week – PRNewswire

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

"We thank Orthopedics This Week for recognizing Fusion Robotics and our vision to remove economic and efficiency barriers from the robotics equation in spine surgery. Congratulations to Kevin Frank, Dave Vaughan, Pedro Costa, Michael Vogele, MD, Kirstin Boes and Kevin Foley, MD for inventing and guiding this system to fruition. Congratulations also to our partners Interventional Systems and Intellijoint Surgical, for their creation of the robot and camera components, respectively," said Brad Clayton, Fusion Robotics CEO.

Fusion Robotics is focused on addressing the issues limiting the adoption of spinal robotics. These include navigation line-of-sight interference, inefficient surgical operation, and time-consuming system setup and breakdown. These problems, combined with prohibitive up-front and on-going cost structures, limit the use of robotics for the vast majority of spine procedures.

Kevin Foley, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Fusion Robotics, commented on these constraints. "Spine surgeons are looking for ways to increase their surgical efficiency, reduce radiation exposure, standardize their practices, and extend their careers. Surgical robotics have the potential to help them achieve each of these objectives, and more. However, inefficiency, impracticality and cost continue to be substantial barriers to adoption. We believe that our system substantially lowers these barriers and will allow many more physicians to explore how robotics can be deployed to enhance their practices."

Fusion Robotics has assembled unique system components around an exceptionally easy-to-use and streamlined workflow which eliminates line-of-sight constraints and anticipates the surgeon's next step. The company believes numerous pivotal robotics innovations, combined with approximately 80% reduced cost, will enable the use of robotics in the majority of lumbar fusion procedures. Fusion Robotics has submitted a premarket notification 510(k) to FDA, which is pending, for its 3D imaging integrated robotics platform, and is also developing fluoroscopy-guided robotics capabilities for use in Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The company plans to commercialize both capabilities in 2021 with leadership assistance from its Chairman and major investor, Alex Lukianov (NuVasive founder and past CEO).

About Fusion Robotics, LLCFusion Robotics, LLC is a medical device manufacturer, headquartered in Boulder CO, which is focused on the research, development and commercialization of robotics technologies for spinal surgical applications.

About Interventional Systems / iSYS Medizintechnik GmbHInterventional Systems, founded in 2010 and located in Austria, is focused on development, engineering and clinical integration of value-based robotic solution for various clinical applications.

About Intellijoint Surgical Inc.Intellijoint Surgical (Ontario, Canada) develops and commercializes surgical navigation solutions for total joint replacements. It is committed to improving patients' lives by providing every surgeon with effective, easy-to-use technology. For more information on Intellijoint Surgical visit http://www.intellijointsurgical.com.

Contact Information[emailprotected]

SOURCE Fusion Robotics

http://www.fusionroboticsusa.com

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Fusion Robotics Awarded Best Spine Technology by Orthopedics This Week - PRNewswire

Robotics elective offered at South for the first time – Times-Mail

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

The idea to offer the course, which is open to ninth through 12th graders, came from teacher David Ericson, who also leads the Quadrangles robotics team at South. In the class, students build and program robots and learn about the history of robotics, automation, motors and other topics. Ericson has been navigating how to adapt the class for online students.

The idea is to be able to expand on real world situations and then incorporate that into the classroom, and thats what were doing, Ericson said. Robots can be a really good thing. For example, robotic firemen why have a human go into a fire when we can program a robot to do that same function?

London Mitchell, a freshman, said prior to the class she had no experience with robotics, but had an interest in STEM.

I saw robotics as an elective and that just seemed like a really neat thing, Mitchell said. Im really glad that I ended up deciding to take it because its been really cool and interesting and Ive learned a lot already.

Ericson said hes aware that some students have no experience with robotics, so students read about the history of robotics before moving on to learning about automation and pneumatics and hydraulic systems. With their reading assignments, students do online discussion posts.

Other topics of the class include circuits, motors, how pumps and compressors work together to make pneumatic hydraulics work, the structure of a robot and motion subsystems, so how a robot moves forward or backwards and how it turns or lifts things. The class discusses if controls are autonomous or teleoperation. In other words, are things being done via remote control or automatically through programming.

Right now were in the coding stage of robots and thats been really fascinating, Mitchell said. Ive never really done that before. Its really interesting just to think through how that works. Then also, the readings that were doing are kind of learning about the history of robotics. Thats also really interesting to me like how it has come so far from where we started.

Ericson said even though the idea of a robot has been around for a long time, its a relatively new field. Ericson said he has the ability to provide one robot kit per student, up to 30 students, and has around 15 programming kits, so students are paired up with those. Students use the programming software called ROBOTC on desktops in the classroom.

The difficulty curve for getting ROBOTC set up and getting your first program written is a bit of a steep one, Hazel Roeder, a sophomore, said. So I try to assist with that and getting peoples first program down so that way they can have their robot run and actually do tasks.

As a teacher, some of Ericsons proudest moments come when he teaches a concept or idea that students can use to formulate into solutions for problems.

Thats what its all about to me, thats how I teach, Ericson said. I teach that using the applied problem, project based approach.

Ericson said it can be very difficult as a teacher to watch students struggle to figure things out, but he realizes that if he does the work for students, they wont learn anything. Thats why teamwork is a part of his class. Brock Teagarden, a junior, said students helping one another gives the class a good and fun environment.

The education level seems to increase higher when a student helps another student as opposed to the teacher helping the student, Ericson said. This is a very student centered environment. It is the students working with the students and theyre producing their results. And thats exactly what STEM education is. Thats exactly what its all about. Were practicing it here at Bloomington High School South and Im proud to be part of it.

Online and in person

Payton Gross, a senior, said its kind of hard to be an online student right now, because as someone who was already on the robotics team, she enjoys the hands-on aspect of building a robot.

But also, being online and not having the chance to do that, it gives me more of an opportunity to analyze the basics of robotics and really build my own foundation of knowledge that I can then use later on, Gross said.

Ericson said with his online students, he gives them curriculum in a written form, but they dont get the active engagement of being in class and being able to be hands-on or the ability to use ROBOTC, which is on the desktops in the classroom but not laptops, he said.

From a teaching standpoint, its very difficult, Ericson said. I feel that the students that are out there online, dont get the same level that you get being in person. But I also understand why parents and students would want to stay home, too. I understand that totally.

As of right now, the Monroe County Community School Corp. will be in phase yellow on Nov. 30, following the districts Thanksgiving break, which means high schoolers will be on a hybrid schedule.

Online, I mean, I cant pass the projects through the computer, Ericson said. And I cant ask them to try to gather up materials to be able to do stuff.

Ericson also teaches a construction class, so students are working with saws and drills, quite different from other subjects, like art, where some supplies might be able to be sent home.

For the robotics club, one of the things that we did do is we have taken tubs of parts to certain students to build prototypes with, Ericson said. So there is some active stuff going on. But the students by themselves, they can come and talk to the mentors, but as far as being able to interact together as a team, and in person were not doing that, its all virtual.

Diversity in robotics and STEM

I am a diversity STEM instructor, so Im engaging everybody and showing their perspective on things, Ericson said. And Im encouraging people to work together. Robotics is something that men and women both should be involved with.

Gross said For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), is an organization that the robotics club at South is involved in.

Its this whole global program that has different levels of robotics for different ages, Gross said. In 2019 for the overall program, 48% of any of the participants were actually women. So thats almost a 50/50 divide, which is a really good number, considering how STEM is often male dominated. And FIRST is really working to change that.

Gross said in past years, the robotics team at South has done programs with Girls in Engineering, Math and Science (GEMS) at the Bloomington High School North library and does middle school outreach programs to expand diversity, including racial diversity. Due to COVID-19, those kind of outreach efforts have been more difficult.

Gross said as a freshman on the robotics team, she was able to volunteer at the FIRST World Championship competition in Detroit, Michigan, and she saw a lot of teams of all girls from Japan, Pakistan and other areas of the world.

It really, really helped inspire me to stay in the program and really help develop the diversity within not only our Bloomington area, but hopefully someday across the world, Gross said.

Contact Emily Cox at 812-331-4243, ecox@heraldt.com or follow @HT_InSchool on Twitter.

Robotics elective offered at South for the first time - Times-Mail

Underwater Robotics Market 2020 |Global Industry Analysis by Size, Growth Rate, Share, Trends, Key Players, COVID-19 Impact, Opportunity, and Regional…

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Few of the prominent features used while generating this Global Underwater Robotics Market research report include highest level of spirit, practical solutions, committed research and analysis, modernism, integrated approaches, and most up-to-date technology. All statistical and numerical data is interpreted with the use of established and advanced tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Analysis. This Underwater Robotics Market report recognizes and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the market. Additionally, businesses can be acquainted with the extent of the marketing problems, reasons for failure of particular product already in the market, and prospective market for a new product to be launched.

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Few of the major competitors currently working in global underwater robotics market are Atlas Maridan ApS, Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc., ECA GROUP, International Submarine Engineering Limited, Inuktun Services Ltd., Oceaneering International, Inc., Saab AB, Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd., Phoenix International, MacArtney A/S, Hydrovision.

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Global Underwater Robotics Market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 2.79 billion in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 7.74 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 13.61% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. Increasing demand of underwater robotics from various end-user is major factor for the growth of this market.

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Global Underwater Robotics Market By Type (Remotely Operated Vehicle, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), Applications (Defense & Security, Commercial Exploration, Scientific Research, Others), Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2026

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Underwater Robotics Market 2020 |Global Industry Analysis by Size, Growth Rate, Share, Trends, Key Players, COVID-19 Impact, Opportunity, and Regional...

Magnetic spray turns objects into robots that walk, roll and crawl – New Atlas

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

By combining magnetic materials with magnetic fields, robotics researchers continue to develop machines that can be remotely manipulated in all kinds of useful ways, such as somersault through the colon or crawl through blood vessels to deliver drugs. Scientists at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a new type of spray-on coating they say can give regular objects these kinds of capabilities, with particular potential in biomedical applications.

The research focuses on expanding the use of insect-scale robots measured in mere millimeters, the tiny size of which lends itself to applications in the human body. Back in 2018, we looked at an interesting example of these types of "millirobot," where scientists embedded magnetic microparticles into a rubbery silicon robot body, which could then be made to walk, crawl, jump and roll via application of an external magnetic field.

Rather than build a magnetic millirobot from the ground up, the authors of the new study set out to develop a tool that could be used to construct magnetic millirobots from regular objects. This tool comes in the form of a magnetic coating called M-spray, which is made of polyvinyl alcohol, gluten and iron particles, and can adhere to smooth and textured surfaces of all kinds of materials.

Our idea is that by putting on this magnetic coat, we can turn any objects into a robot and control their locomotion, says Dr Shen Yajing, who led the research team. The M-spray we developed can stick on the targeted object and activate the object when driven by a magnetic field.

City University of Hong Kong

The film formed by the M-spray is less than a quarter of a millimeter thick, which the team says is key to maintaining the form and size of the original object. The team demonstrated the approach using cotton threads, thin films and plastic pipes as their starting objects, which became soft tiny robots capable of walking, crawl and rolling with the help of a magnetic field. But interestingly, the mode of locomotion isnt set in stone once the coating is applied.

The locomotion mode can actually be reprogrammed on demand by wetting the solidified coating, turning it into a glue-like substance. Then, by applying a strong magnetic field, the magnetic particles within the coating can be redistributed and realigned, changing the way the robot reacts to the magnetic field.

The team demonstrated this by having the same millirobot change from a caterpillar-like movement to a slower concertina-like movement, as a way of squeezing through a narrow gap. In another experiment, the researchers coated a catheter in the M-spray and reprogrammed its locomotion mode on the fly to have it perform both smooth and sharp turns, which could help avoid injury when these medical devices are inserted into the human body.

In vivo experiments followed, involving capsules coated with M-spray and anesthetized rabbits. The rabbits were administered the capsules and the team tracked them as they moved through the stomach with radiology imaging, before dissolving the coating when the capsules reached a targeted location. This is made possible by the makeup of the M-spray that enables it to disintegrate into powder under a magnetic field or acidic environments.

All the raw materials of M-spray, namely PVA, gluten and iron particles, are biocompatible, says Shen. The disintegrated coating could be absorbed or excreted by the human body.

Beyond biomedical applications, the team sees a range of potential uses for the technology.

"We hope this construction strategy can contribute to the development and application of millirobots in different fields, such as active transportation, moveable sensor and devices, particularly for the tasks in limited space, said Dr Shen.

The research was published in the journal Science Robotics, while you can see a demonstration of the robots in the video below.

Novel magnetic spray transforms objects into millirobots for biomedical applications

Source: City University of Hong Kong

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Magnetic spray turns objects into robots that walk, roll and crawl - New Atlas

Robots Invade the Construction Site – WIRED

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Theresa Arevalo was in high school when she first tried finishing drywall at her brothers construction company. Its a fine art, she says of muddingapplying and smoothing drywall. Like frosting a cake, you have to give the illusion that the wall is flat.

Fast-forward a few decades: Arevalo now works at Canvas, a company thats built a robot using artificial intelligence thats capable of drywalling with almost as much artistry as a skilled human worker.

The robot has been deployed, under Arevalos supervision, at several construction sites in recent months, including the new Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport and an office building connected to the Chase Center arena in San Francisco.

About the size of a kitchen stove, the four-wheeled robot navigates an unfinished building carrying laser scanners and a robotic arm fitted to a vertical platform. When placed in a room, the robot scans the unfinished walls using lidar, then gets to work smoothing the surface before applying a near perfect layer of drywall compound; sensors help it steer clear of human workers.

The Canvas robot can help companies do more drywalling in less time. It requires human oversight, but its operator does not need to be an expert drywaller or roboticist.

It has long been impractical to deploy robots at construction sites, because the environment is so varied, complex, and changing. In the past few years however, advances including low-cost laser sensors, cheaper robotic arms and grippers, and open source software for navigation and computer vision have made it possible to automate and analyze more construction.

The more advanced machines marching onto construction sites will help make construction less wasteful. According to McKinsey, productivity in construction has improved less than in any other industry over the past couple of decades. The arrival of more automation may also alter demand for labor in a number of building trades.

They love the fact that its so consistent, that the wall is gorgeous. But then the next question is, When is it going to take my job?

Theresa Arevalo, Canvas

Kevin Albert, cofounder and CEO of Canvas, previously worked at Boston Dynamics, a company famous for its lifelike walking robots, and in the manufacturing industry. He says theres great opportunity in construction, which generates about $1.4 trillion annually and accounts for around 7 percent of US GDP but has seen relatively little use of computerization and automation. We really see construction as mobile manufacturing, he says. There's this natural extension of what machines are now capable of out in the real world.

Canvas is part of a boom in construction technology, says Alex Schreyer, director of the Building and Construction Technology Program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He says some of the biggest progress is being made in prefabrication of buildings, using robotic processes to construct large parts of buildings that are then assembled on-site. But increasingly, he says, robots and AI are also finding their way onto conventional work sites.

Autonomous vehicles made by Volvo ferry materials and tools around some large sites. Technology from San Francisco startup Built Robotics lets construction machinery such as diggers and dozers operate autonomously. A growing array of robotic equipment can take over specialized construction tasks including welding, drilling, and brick-laying. There are some really interesting things happening, Schreyer says.

An IDC report published in January 2020 forecasts that demand for construction robots will grow about 25 percent annually through 2023.

One big opportunity in construction, Schreyer says, is using computer vision and other sensing technologies to track the movement of materials and workers around a work site. Software can automatically flag if a job is falling behind, or if something has been installed in the wrong place. There is so much potential to do something with that using AI, Schreyer says. More companies are going to move into that AI space.

Doxel, based in Redwood City, California, makes a mobile robot that scans work sites in 3- so that software can calculate how the project is progressing. A four-legged Boston Dynamics robot called Spot is being tested for the same purpose at a number of sites. Several companies sell drones for automated construction site inspection, including Propeller, vHive, ABJ Drones, and DJI.

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Robots Invade the Construction Site - WIRED

Global Modular Robotics Markets, 2019-2020 & 2030: Market will Rise from $5.6 Billion to $15.1 Billion – GlobeNewswire

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Dublin, Nov. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Modular Robotics Market Research Report: By Offering, Robot Type, Payload Capacity, End User - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The revenue of the market will rise from $5.6 billion to $15.1 billion from 2019 to 2030, with the market demonstrating a CAGR of 9.9% from 2020 to 2030.

The rising requirement for automation in manufacturing and warehouse operations is pushing up the global demand for collaborative modular robotics systems. This is, in turn, boosting the sales of modular robotics systems all over the world, which is causing the surge of the global modular robotics market.

A key market driver is the rising usage of collaborative modular robotics systems or cobots as they are sometimes called, in the logistics industry. With the adoption of these robots, the operators can hand over the parts to the robots for performing the rest of the tasks, which results in faster production processes, lesser expenditure, and lesser floor space requirements. These robots are also being used for load carrying and transporting tasks, because of their versatility.

Another factor fueling the progress of the market is the rising requirement for automation in manufacturing processes. The increasing requirements for faster manufacturing times, high efficiency in production processes, and higher manufacturing outputs are augmenting the need for automation in industries. As a result, modular robotics systems are being increasingly used in various operations in factories and warehouses. When offering is taken into consideration, the modular robotics market is classified into software, hardware, and services.

Out of these categories, the software category is predicted to exhibit the fastest growth in the market in the future years, mainly due to the burgeoning requirement for software for checking the real-time functioning of a modular robotics system and the growing integration of IoT and AI in these robots. However, despite this factor, the highest market growth will be demonstrated by the hardware category, under the offering segment, in the upcoming years.

According to the forecast of the market research company this category will hold the highest revenue share in the market in the future. Depending on robot type, the market is divided into SCARA (selective compliance assistance robot arm) modular robotics systems, collaborative modular robots, cartesian modular robots, parallel modular robots, and articulated modular robotics systems, out of which, the articulated modular robotics system division will register the highest growth in the market in the forthcoming years.

Historically, the modular robotics market exhibited the highest growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and this trend will continue in the coming years as well, primarily because of the ballooning investments being made in electricals, electronics, and automotive industries, especially in the regional nations such as China, South Korea, and India. In addition to this, the rising usage of collaborative modular robotics systems in manufacturing operations is massively propelling the sales of these robots in the region.

Hence, it can be inferred from the above paragraphs that the sales of modular robotics systems will rise steeply throughout the world in the coming years, mainly because of the growing requirement for automation in factory, warehouse, and logistics operations and the rising usage of collaborative modular robotics systems in various industries.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Research Background1.1 Research Objectives1.2 Market Definition1.3 Research Scope1.4 Key Stakeholders

Chapter 2. Research Methodology2.1 Secondary Research2.2 Primary Research2.3 Market Size Estimation2.4 Data Triangulation2.5 Currency Conversion Rates2.6 Assumptions for the Study2.7 Notes and Caveats2.8 Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak

Chapter 3. Executive Summary

Chapter 4. Introduction4.1 Definition of Market Segments4.1.1 By Offering4.1.1.1 Hardware4.1.1.1.1 Controller4.1.1.1.2 Driver module4.1.1.1.3 Manipulator4.1.1.1.4 Sensor4.1.1.1.5 Other4.1.1.2 Software4.1.1.3 Services4.1.2 By Robot Type4.1.2.1 Articulated modular robots4.1.2.2 Cartesian modular robots4.1.2.3 SCARA modular robots4.1.2.4 Parallel modular robots4.1.2.5 Collaborative modular robots4.1.2.6 Others4.1.3 By Payload Capacity4.1.3.1 1-16.0 Kg4.1.3.2 16.1-60.0 Kg4.1.3.3 60.1-225.0 Kg4.1.3.4 More Than 225.0 Kg4.1.4 By End User4.1.4.1 Industrial4.1.4.1.1 Automotive4.1.4.1.2 Electrical & electronics4.1.4.1.3 Plastics & rubber4.1.4.1.4 Metals & machinery4.1.4.1.5 Food & beverages4.1.4.1.6 Healthcare4.1.4.1.7 Others4.1.4.2 Commercial4.1.4.3 Residential4.2 Value Chain Analysis4.3 Market Dynamics4.3.1 Trends4.3.1.1 Penetration of IIoT in industrial manufacturing4.3.2 Drivers4.3.2.1 Surging demand for automation in manufacturing industry4.3.2.2 Growing demand for collaborative modular robots4.3.2.3 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast4.3.3 Restraints4.3.3.1 Complexity in design of modular robots4.3.3.2 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast4.3.4 Opportunities4.3.4.1 Use of artificial intelligence to improve productivity4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast5.1 By Offering5.1.1 Hardware, by Type5.2 By Robot Type5.3 By Payload Capacity5.4 By End User5.4.1 Industrial, by Type5.5 By Region

Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 11. Competitive Landscape11.1 List of Players and Their Offerings11.2 Ranking Analysis of Key Players11.3 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Players11.4 Global Strategic Developments in the Market11.4.1 Product Launches11.4.2 Facility Expansions11.4.3 Partnerships11.4.4 Client Wins

Chapter 12. Company Profiles12.1 Business Overview12.2 Product and Service Offerings12.3 Key Financial Summary

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2cn6vp

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Global Modular Robotics Markets, 2019-2020 & 2030: Market will Rise from $5.6 Billion to $15.1 Billion - GlobeNewswire

Robots are not immune to bias and injustice – Science

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Abstract

Human-human social constructs drive human-robot interactions; robotics is thus intertwined with issues surrounding inequity and racial injustices.

Most roboticists focus on the design of intelligent machines with the goal of positively affecting the world, i.e., building robots in service to humanity. To this end, roboticists should embrace the concept in which our robot systems are explicitly designed to work with uniformly positive performance across the diversity of users. Unfortunately, researchers have shown that this is not always the case. Object detection systems, of the kinds used in autonomous vehicles, have uniformly poorer performance when it comes to detecting pedestrians with darker skin tones (1). Researchers have also shown that racial bias exists in commercial facial recognition application programming interfaces or APIs (2).

It is not just the responsibility of society or governing bodies to take on the challenge of fixing racial bias and inequity. Roboticists also need to take on the responsibility to make sure we do not cause equivalent harm in developing new technologies. And if the harm we are creating is negatively affecting one group or groups more than another, it is our responsibility to fix that. After all, roboticists are pretty skilled at finding solutions to hard, seemingly unsolvable problems. It is time to apply those skills to fix this one.

We propose that developers should consider the ethical implications of robotic usagenamely, ethical use and equity in performanceespecially when robot use could result in harm to any group. We define ethical use as the process for weighing the potential benefits against the possible risk of harm to all affected groups; only when this weighting factor is positive and sufficiently mitigates harm should deployment of the technology be considered. We define equity in performance as a metric to determine to what extent a deployed technologys performance is uncorrelated with a groups protected characteristics (race, ethnicity, age, gender, sex, etc.). If there is lack of equity in performance, then the implications deploying such technology should be carefully considered as well as the reliance of the technology.

We believe that an important step in addressing equity in performance as well as ethical use is to ensure more diverse teams are the creators of these technologies and to understand how to draw on their diverse backgrounds for team success (3); the very practical consequence of this concept is that diverse backgrounds will allow use and implications of the technology to be seen from unique perspectives, increasing the chances for equity and ethics. Diverse teams can also lead to better performancethis fact has been shown time and time again (4). Thus, to begin the process of addressing this problem, a new organization was founded: Black in Robotics (BiR) (www.blackinrobotics.org). BiR is an organization that was born to address the systemic inequities found in our robotics community by focusing on three primary pillarscommunity, advocacy, and accountability.

This can be defined as a sense of fellowship with those that share similar characteristics and goals and has been shown to directly correlate with success in STEM higher education for underrepresented minorities (5). As discussed in (6), while there are no U.S. statistics collected specifically about the demographics of the robotics workforce, we can examine the engineering workforce statistics as an indicative metric. In 2018, 12.7% of the U.S. population was Black or African American (7), but only 4.2% of bachelors degrees in engineering went to Black scholars (8). This issue of lack of diversity is also found in the tightly integrated field of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly when it comes to algorithm design and testing for AI systems that affect diverse populations (9). BiR plans to build community through networking and mentorship. We believe that establishing community is the first step to increasing the presence of Black and other diverse groups in the field of robotics.

For robotics, advocacy is defined as explicit action that supports or defends equity in performance as well as ethical use on the behalf of all, with a focus on ensuring equal outcomes across diverse communities. BiRs contribution toward the goal of advocacy is to showcase Black excellence in our community and to help connect academia and industry to the talent found in diverse communities. One such activity is the Black in Robotics Reading List, with objectives to provide academic role models for aspiring researchers and to normalize Black scholarship (6).

Our pillar of accountability is to design pathways for all roboticists, including allies, to participate in the solution. Just as being Black does not exclude those that identify as Black from being discriminated against based on their skin color, not identifying as Black should not exclude ones involvement in dismantling issues around robotics and race. For accountability, BiR seeks to function as the conduit to engage communities, to identify best practices, and to hold all of us accountable for making the robots that we design and deploy usable for all groups and communities.

We hope that the BiR organization inspires individuals to increase diversity in their spaces. We believe that this diversity is crucial for us to answer the next big questions for robotics as we integrate them more into our daily lives. Therefore, our mission is a call to action for the entire robotics community to increase diversity and to build with thoughtfulness for disadvantaged groups.

Complicity through silence is not an option.

M. Wang, W. Deng, J. Hu, X. Tao, Y. Huang, Racial faces in the wild: Reducing racial bias by information maximization adaptation network, in Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), Seoul, Korea, 27 October to 2 November 2019.

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Robots are not immune to bias and injustice - Science

How AI and Robotics are Transforming Recycling | Greenbiz – GreenBiz

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Date/Time: December 10, 2020 (1-2PM ET / 10-11AM PT)

The challenges facing recycling in the U.S. may seem daunting but cross-sector collaboration is providing a path forward on many of its toughest issues. This kind of collaboration - CPG companies working hand-in-hand with technological innovators, MRF operators and investors - will be critical to solving logjams and current hurdles to improving recycling in the United States. Leaders from AMP Robotics, GFL Environmental, Keurig Dr Pepper and Sidewalk Infrastructures sit down to discuss how their work together is bringing about much needed change to our recycling systems and how this collaborative systems approach proves the power of cross-sector action to address critical issues.

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How AI and Robotics are Transforming Recycling | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

BMW Group founds company to develop and distribute innovative robots and management software for logistics solutions – Green Car Congress

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

The BMW Group has founded IDEALworks GmbHa fully-owned subsidiaryheadquartered in Munich. The aim is to become a leading supplier of autonomous robotics solutions in the logistics sector. The name IDEAL stands for Industry-Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics.

In founding IDEALworks, we are creating a new business segment for our logistics solutions. In recent years, our logistics innovation team has been working in depth on the digitalization and automatization of production logistics and has developed some unique solutions. The Smart Transport Robot, STR, in particular has met with great response and has seen demand from both within and outside of the BMW Group. Founding IDEALworks GmbH is now the logical next step for the BMW Group as a driver of innovation.

Milan Nedeljkovi, the member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production

We are entering completely new terrain with IDEALworks GmbH. Up until now, our development has focused on automotive production and its logistics. Our perspective is changing now. We are becoming a provider of logistics robotics beyond the automotive industry. We are preparing some innovations for the coming months.

Jimmy Nassif, CTO IDEALworks GmbH

Since 2015, the innovations team from BMW Group Logistics has been working on future-focused industry 4.0 solutions in the fields of virtual reality, augmented reality, in- and out-door logistics robots, paperless logistics and smart devices. Many of these solutions are already in series production at BMW Group production locations. In 2019, BMW Group Logistics received the prestigious Deutscher Logistik Preis [German Logistics Award]. The Smart Transport Robot and its management software were also recognized as part of this award.

The Smart Transport Robot, STR, was developed in 2015 in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute. The flat, autonomous and mobile robots can transport goods weighing up to one ton to their destination. They independently calculate the best route and move freely around the space using the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) navigation method. The SLAM algorithm does not require permanent navigation transmitters to be installed in buildings and can therefore be set up quickly in a new environment without requiring any structural adjustments.

An integrated battery module from the BMW i3 is able to supply the STR with power for at least an entire shift.

The next generation of the STR will be rolled out at the end of 2020. Currently, more than 130 STRs are already in series production at several different BMW Group production sites.

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BMW Group founds company to develop and distribute innovative robots and management software for logistics solutions - Green Car Congress

Interlocking AIs let robots pick and place faster than ever – TechCrunch

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

One of the jobs for which robots are best suited is the tedious, repetitive pick and place task common in warehouses but humans are still much better at it. UC Berkeley researchers are picking up the pace with a pair of machine learning models that work together to let a robot arm plan its grasp and path in just milliseconds.

People dont have to think hard about how to pick up an object and put it down somewhere else its not only something weve had years of practice doing every day, but our senses and brains are well adapted for the task. No one thinks, what if I picked up the cup, then jerked it really far up and then sideways, then really slowly down onto the table the paths we might move an object along are limited and usually pretty efficient.

Robots, however, dont have common sense or intuition. Lacking an obvious solution, they need to evaluate thousands of potential paths for picking up an object and moving it, and that involves calculating the forces involved, potential collisions, whether it affects the type of grip that should be used, and so on.

Once the robot decides what to do it can execute quickly, but that decision takes time several seconds at best, and possibly much more depending on the situation. Fortunately, roboticists at UC Berkeley have come up with a solution that cuts the time needed to do it by about 99 percent.

The system uses two machine learning models working in relay. The first is a rapid-fire generator of potential paths for the robot arm to take based on tons of example movements. It creates a bunch of options, and a second ML model, trained to pick the best, chooses from among them. This path tends to be a bit rough, however, and needs fine-tuning by a dedicated motion planner but since the motion planner is given a warm start with the general shape of the path that needs to be taken, its finishing touch is only a moments work.

Diagram showing the decision process the first agent creates potential paths and the second selects the best. A third system optimizes the selected path.

If the motion planner was working on its own, it tended to take between 10 and 40 seconds to finish. With the warm start, however, it rarely took more than a tenth of a second.

Thats a benchtop calculation, however, and not what youd see in an actual warehouse floor situation. The robot in the real world also has to actually accomplish the task, which can only be done so fast. But even if the motion planning period in a real world environment was only two or three seconds, reducing that to near zero adds up extremely fast.

Every second counts. Current systems spend up to half their cycle time on motion planning, so this method has potential to dramatically speed up picks per hour, said lab director and senior author Ken Goldberg. Sensing the environment properly is also time-consuming but being sped up by improved computer vision capabilities, he added.

Right now robots doing pick and place are nowhere near the efficiency of humans, but small improvements will combine to make them competitive and, eventually, more than competitive. The work when done by humans is dangerous and tiring, yet millions do it worldwide because theres no other way to fill the demand created by the growing online retail economy.

The teams research is published this week in the journal Science Robotics.

Excerpt from:

Interlocking AIs let robots pick and place faster than ever - TechCrunch

Robotics team mentored by Texas A&M at Qatar finishes 19th at FIRST Global Challenge – The Peninsula Qatar

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

23 Nov 2020 - 9:01

Participating students at the FIRST Global Challenge pose with their invention.

Doha: Team Qatar, the STEM-vengers, have finished in 19th place among 175 teams worldwide in the FIRST Global Challenge.

The team is part of Texas A&M University at Qatars STEM Hub Robotics Club (SHRC), a joint initiative between the QF partner university and the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

Team Qatar is made up of 25 high school students with interest in robotics from 14 schools across Qatar.

The annual FIRST Global Challenge, an Olympics-style robotics event, is based on the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering identified by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 competition, Connecting Communities, consisted of three months filled with social media and technical challenges, talks by STEM professionals, and technical training sessions all while connecting the FIRST Global Community around the world.

Mohammed Al Marri said, I have participated in many STEM outreach programs at Texas A&M in Qatar. I aspire to become an engineer who solves various problems from renewable energy methods to global environmental challenges. FIRST Global Challenge 2020 was not only an opportunity for students to consolidate their learning, but a home to a diverse community of members to come together and take on problems of purpose. Team Qatar is keen on delivering results every day to benefit the world by whatever means necessary. Im proud of my contribution to Team Qatars performance this year, and Im most definitely excited about next years competition!

QNRF Executive Director, Dr Abdul Sattar Al Taie, said, I would like to congratulate the team representing Qatar in the FIRST Global Challenge for being ranked in the top 20 among 175 teams from across the world.

"This achievement is a testimony of the success of our partnership with Texas A&M University at Qatar through the state-of-the-art STEM HUB facility, which has been providing training to students from schools across the country and nurturing them as Qatars future researchers and scientists. The teams impressive performance at this high-level robotics competition will greatly motivate other students to pursue STEM education with passion, and through their knowledge, contribute to the development of Qatar.

The team was mentored by Texas A&M at Qatars STEM program specialist Dr. Mohamed Gharib to promote creative applications of engineering and science toward innovative thinking and original design among Qatars youth. Gharib established the SHRC at Texas A&M at Qatar in 2019 in cooperation with QNRF to use robotics to enhance, supplement, and enrich science and math learning experiences for secondary students.

To put together a team of talented students from different schools in Qatar whose interests are in engineering in general and robotics in particular; and prepare them to participate in international competitions.

Team Qatar has shown a strong presence in the FIRST Global competitions since the first participating in 2018 when Qatar achieved the bronze medal in Mexico. In 2019, Gharib won the Outstanding Mentor Award, which is given to mentors committed to their students and inspired them to keep going, despite any challenges.

Gharib said, I am so proud of these students who dedicated their time and effort with passion and creativity for three months. They always have the determination to introduce innovative ideas, and with their talent and teamwork in different areas, they developed impressive solutions for the 25 challenges in the current competition.

"STEM education in Qatar is rapidly developing and directly influences the students knowledge and skills. As a result, Qatar teams have shown a strong presence in the latest competitions by FIRST Global. The support of Texas A&M at Qatar and Qatar National Research Fund was invaluable.

Edible Soft Robotics Market Analysis Report with Highest CAGR and Major Players like || Ekso Bionics, ReWalk Robotics, Bioservo Technologies AB and…

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Few of the prominent features used while generating this Global Edible Soft Robotics Market research report include highest level of spirit, practical solutions, committed research and analysis, modernism, integrated approaches, and most up-to-date technology. All statistical and numerical data is interpreted with the use of established and advanced tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Analysis. This Edible Soft Robotics Market report recognizes and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities in the market. Additionally, businesses can be acquainted with the extent of the marketing problems, reasons for failure of particular product already in the market, and prospective market for a new product to be launched.

Edible Soft Robotics Market research report encompasses a far-reaching research on the current conditions of the industry, potential of the market in the present and the future prospects. By taking into account strategic profiling of key players in the Semiconductors industry, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and their strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and acquisitions, the report helps businesses improve their strategies to sell goods and services. This wide-ranging market research report is sure to help grow your business in several ways. Hence, the Edible Soft Robotics Market report brings into the focus, the more important aspects of the market or industry. A persuasive Edible Soft Robotics Market report helps enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution.

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The major players covered in the edible soft robotics market report are Ekso Bionics, ReWalk Robotics, Bioservo Technologies AB, Festo SE & Co. KG, ROAM ROBOTICS, RightHand Robotics, Inc., YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION., ABB, Universal Robots, TECHMAN ROBOT INC., KUKA AG, AUBO Robotics, F&P Robotics AG, among other domestic and global players.

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Edible soft robotics market is expected to witness market growth at a rate of 41.40% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research report on edible soft robotics market provides analysis and insights regarding the various factors expected to be prevalent throughout the forecast period while providing their impacts on the markets growth.

Market Segmentation: Edible Soft Robotics Market

Global Edible Soft Robotics Market By Application (Human-Machine Interface and Interaction, Locomotion and Exploration, Manipulation, Medical and Surgical Applications, Rehabilitation and Wearable Robots, R&D of Humanoids), End User (Logistics, Medical and Healthcare, Automotive, Food and Beverages, Advanced Manufacturing, E-Commerce and Retail, Other End Users), Country (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America, Germany, Italy, U.K., France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2027

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Table of Contents: Edible Soft Robotics Market

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Edible Soft Robotics Market Analysis Report with Highest CAGR and Major Players like || Ekso Bionics, ReWalk Robotics, Bioservo Technologies AB and...

Grene Robotics to raise $15 million in Series A funding by April – BusinessLine

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Danzig

Hyderabad-based Grene Robotics is planning to raise $15 million in a Series A funding. It has initiated discussions with several capital funds, large business houses and crowd-funding firms.

The company would be using the funding for R&D, customer acquisitions and foray into foreign shores.

Ideally we would like to raise about $15 million, but depending on investor interests it could be more. We can even go up to $30 million. We are looking at raising funds, mostly growth capital, by April, Grene Robotics Founder and CEO Kiran Raju told BusinessLine.

The funds will be largely utilised for customer acquisition to raise the order book up to $55 million, he added, but declined to name the funds before deals are signed.

Grene Robotics had so far invested $6 million raised from family and friends and others, including serial entrepreneur and investor Jay Krishnan.

The company is also planning immediate forays into countries such as Singapore, the US, Africa and the UK, for which also a part of the funding would be used.

The companys flagship product GreneOS is a unified Operating System that would be a replacement to enterprise systems in Fortune 1000 companies and Government offices across the world. GreneOS will be able to manage connected robots to maximum efficiency autonomously.

Kiran Raju, who had worked on building autonomous systems for Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) while doing his Masters at Carnegie Mellon University, was the co-founder of energy efficiency company Valence Energy.

Valence Energy was later acquired by US-based Serious Materials, which is now called Serious Energy. His second venture, SA Habitat, which was into housing and real estate, got merged with a partner company in 2010.