[Event Review] W&W Celebrate the First Hours of 2020 at Singapores Marquee – EDMTunes

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Ever since the internationally-renowned Marquee had opened in Singapore last April, locals and tourists alike have flocked over for the impressive lineup.

Touting an indoor Ferris wheel and a three-storey slide, Marquee is basically the perfect backdrop to dance the night away. We decided to take that one step further, and to dance the year away there. Having already hosted the likes of Above & Beyond and Armin van Buuren; we had expected nothing less for the clubs first ever New Years Eve celebrations. And to our content, W&W was announced as their honored guest for the years most anticipated night.

Dutch duo W&W have had an amazing year in 2019, drawing wide recognition with their Tomorrowland set, and their Rave Culture event at ADE. On top of that, their latest b2b with Timmy Trumpet as 2=1 has opened up a new door of creative opportunities, as the 2=1 brand looks to stay with the three coming together again at EDC Mexico in March. On top of that, 2019 also fostered the growth of NWYR, W&Ws pathway to reconnect with their trance roots, which fans love oh so much.

We had arrived at Marquee just before 2020 came along, hoping that we would be able to step into the new year with W&W themselves. In the end, the clubs resident DJ hosted the countdown, but the NYE atmosphere was strong regardless, with champagne bottles being popped all around.

The venue became increasingly crowded as partygoers who may have counted down elsewhere headed over to Marquee to catch W&Ws set.

Regulars at Marquee would have known that the guest DJ set typically starts at 1:30am. So by 1am, the club was packed, with attendees starting to hold their fingers in a w sign, cheering for W&W. And as expected, the duo emerged on the DJ platform at 1:30am sharp.

Needless to say, crowds went crazy as Willem and Ward dished out banger after banger, showcasing both their own iconic tracks as well as other sub-genre classics. Throughout the night, fans were treated to rave classics such as Arcade Mammoth, Rave Culture, as well as their quintessential remix of God is a Girl. Their latest single Tricky Tricky with Timmy Trumpet was also a crowd favourite, alongside Mind Control, the newest release on their NWYR alias.

W&Ws two-hour set ended strong, leaving nothing but high energy and positive vibes for 2020 ahead. I mean, how can the year be bad if we were also told that W&W will be creating rave magic with Timmy Trumpet once again! And beyond that, the boys have revealed to us in an exclusive interview that theres a pending collaboration with Lucas & Steve!

We already cant wait to see these projects come to light in 2020! Check out the full interview to catch up on what else to expect in the coming year.

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[Event Review] W&W Celebrate the First Hours of 2020 at Singapores Marquee - EDMTunes

Seeing How Shelter Animals Celebrated the Holidays Will Inspire You to Adopt in 2020! – One Green Planet

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Lifeline Animal Project is an organization aiming to end the euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats in metro Atlanta shelters. They also run a private animal shelter, where during the holiday season they made sure the animals felt loved and happy! Thankfully, theyve shared videos and photos of the shelter animals enjoying themselves and were hoping it inspiresyou to adopt an animal in need!

The pups and kittens at Lifeline are lucky to have been rescued and in a safe place for the holidays, but theyre in need of furever homes. Lifeline shared the video above of the dogs joyously opening their presents with the caption: These happy pups cant wait to meet you at the LifeLine Community Animal Center! They are all crossing their paws in hopes that they will find their perfect match in time for the new year.

The cats werent left behind either. They also enjoyed toys and treats brought to them by kind volunteers.

By adopting a pet, you are not just saving an animals life but you are doing yourself many favors. There are plenty of benefits to taking care of a pet. For instance, walking a dog keeps the heart healthy, having a companion is always a plus, and more importantly youll be taking an ethical stance against the cruelty of breeding.

Puppy and kitten mills are cruel places where the animals are kept in wire cages for their entire lives, forced to breed and give birth only to wean the babies and then repeat the process. Disease runs rampant in those places and when the dog or cat is no longer of use to the breeder, they are killed.

Save money and a life by adopting instead. Or maybe you cannot adopt right now. Well, dont worry, you can also donate to organizations like Lifeline, enabling them to continue their amazing work!

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Seeing How Shelter Animals Celebrated the Holidays Will Inspire You to Adopt in 2020! - One Green Planet

Maryland lawmaker aims to reduce euthanasia in animal shelters – WTOP

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The bill, sponsored by Del. Mark Chang, would require shelters to take a series of steps to reunite animals found as strays with their owners when possible.

A bill pre-filed by a Maryland House member would set standards for animal shelters, with the goal of reaching a save rate of 90%.

The bill, sponsored by Del. Mark Chang, would require shelters to take a series of steps to reunite animals found as strays with their owners when possible.

The bill would require shelters to make an attempt to identify an animal by checking for license tags or microchips within 24 hours of housing the animal. They would also have to prominently post their hours and the process for owners to recover pets who end up there.

When a shelter decides it must euthanize a pet, the bill would require a series of steps, including checking with other facilities that may have room, or making reasonable attempts to find foster care when permanent placement isnt available.

The proposal would also bar shelters from banning the transfer of an animal based on its breed.

Maryland lawmakers will head back to Annapolis for the General Assembly session on Jan. 8.

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Maryland lawmaker aims to reduce euthanasia in animal shelters - WTOP

Archbishop Paglia: never euthanasia, assisted suicide and abandoning the sick – Vatican News

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The President of the Vaticans Pontifical Academy for Life comments on the Message of Pope Francis for the annual World Day of the Sick. In it, the Pope reiterates the Churchs respect for life from conception to its natural end.

By Luca Collodi

In your work, may you always strive to promote the dignity and life of each person, and reject any compromise in the direction of euthanasia, assisted suicide or suppression of life, even in the case of terminal illness.

Pope Francis makes this appeal to healthcare professionals in his message for this years World Day of the Sick on 11 February. Life must be welcomed, protected, respected and served from its beginning to its end, says the Holy Father in his message released on Friday.

According to Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Vaticans Pontifical Academy for Life, it is a stand that is taking on an increasingly inter-religious and even secular dimension.

In an interview to Vatican Radio, he noted that in October, the representatives of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions had handed over to the Pope a signed common document, which condemned euthanasia and assisted suicide, and encouraged accompanying the sick and palliative care everywhere and for everyone.

Around the same time, he said, a secular institution like the World Medical Association, had also expressed its stand against euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Archbishop Paglia said that it is very important for medicine and doctors to rediscover their duty. In this regard, the Pope calls for a personalized approach to the sick, not just of curing but also of caring, in view of an integral human healing. Even when we cannot heal, the fundamental action is to remain close to the sick, never abandoning them, especially those in the most difficult or weakest situations.

The 74-year old archbishop said that we must flee the temptation of an omnipotent medicine that, when it fails and cannot heal, it must withdraw. This is a technical position based on efficiency that is detached from the humanistic perspective.

Regarding Pope Francis support for conscientious objection regarding issues such as euthanasia and assisted suicide, Archbishop Paglia said that his contacts with the World Medical Association have been positive, because a doctors healthy conscience has been formed to heal, not to eliminate.

Archbishop Paglia said that palliative care is promoted in all countries because of the fear and terror of pain and loneliness. But if all this is defeated, the strong desire to shorten ones life will be done away with. Palliative care, the archbishop said, wants to accompany and surround the life of the weakest with the cloak of love.

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Archbishop Paglia: never euthanasia, assisted suicide and abandoning the sick - Vatican News

Online advertising reviewed ahead of 2020 election – Newsroom

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JANUARY 6, 2020 Updated 14 minutes ago

technology

Political advertising policies at Facebook and Twitter have been reviewed - and here's how they'll apply to this year's general election.

Facebook started in 2004 as a way for Harvard students to rankgirls by "hotness". Just over a decade later, it was being blamed for altering the course of a United States presidential election.

After Brexit, after Trump, after Cambridge Analytica, Facebook has had enough. In 2018, it launched a platform that allowed the public to see almost exactly how much money American political parties spent on ads, who they targeted and who ended up seeing them. The policy is mandatory in some countries and voluntary in others - including New Zealand, where only ACT and the Green Party have opted in.

On Twitter, political ads - including advertisements referencing a ballot issue like the upcoming referendums on voluntary euthanasia and legalising recreational cannabis - will be banned entirely, CEO Jack Dorsey announced in October.

The online ad landscape

Facebook's ad library allows the public to see a handful of details related to any given active ad, including from non-political groups or individuals and on non-political causes. For those political parties which sign up to increased transparency, a wider range of data is shared and inactive ads, or those that have already run their course, are included as well.

For example, the Green Party ran an ad from December 9 to 13 inviting people to meet with MP Jan Logie in taki. Less than $100 was spent and the post received between 2,000 and 3,000 impressions. More women saw the ad than men, a 61 percent to 36 percent. 56 percent of the people who saw it were based in the Manawatu-Wanganui region and 43 percent were in the Wellington region.

By comparison, an active ad on the page of a political party that hasn't opted in merely displays the ad itself and the date it started running.

"For us, signing up to ad library report was an obvious step. We believe in a strong democracy where people can see where information is coming from, who is paying for it, and how its being used," Green Party spokesperson Pete Huggins said.

"As social media becomes more and more powerful, we think its important for political parties to be transparent about the information they are putting out."

ACT confirmed to Newsroom that both the party page and party leader David Seymour's page are or soon will be signed up to the ad library.

A National Party spokesperson said only that the party is "considering it, and well make a decision in due course". Labour and New Zealand First did not respond to a request for comment and neither are currently signed up to the ad library.

A Facebook spokesperson also told Newsroom that the platform will announce "specific integrity products for NZs 2020 election" next year.

Facebook and Twitter diverge

While Facebook has strived for increased transparency on political ads, it has come under fire for not vetting ads based on content. When fake news articles are shared on the website, it will often attach a tag alerting readers that the content may be unreliable. However, if false claims are part of a political ad, no such tag is added and the advertisement is not taken down.

President Trump has already put more than a million US dollars into Facebook advertising for his reelection campaign, putting up hundreds of ads that often contain falsehoods. To protest against inaction by the tech platform, Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren ran a political ad falsely claiming that Zuckerberg had endorsed Trump.

In order to circumvent the tricky role of choosing what political speech to allow and what political speech to ban, Twitter has simply banned promoting political advertising outright. In response to a request for comment, Twitter directed Newsroom to the new policy, which states that "Twitter globally prohibits the promotion of political content. We have made this decision based on our belief that political message reach should be earned, not bought."

The platforms definition of political content is broad and would cover ads related to the referendums on legalising recreational cannabis and voluntary euthanasia. "We define political content as content that references a candidate, political party, elected or appointed government official, election, referendum, ballot measure, legislation, regulation, directive, or judicial outcome," the policy states.

"Ads that contain references to political content, including appeals for votes, solicitations of financial support, and advocacy for or against any of the above-listed types of political content, are prohibited under this policy."

However, promoting posts on Twitter rarely has a major impact and, under the new policy, regular non-promoted political tweets will still be allowed. This means parties and politicians can continue to tweet out their messages, they just won't be able to pay for those messages to be promoted to people who don't follow them.

It is unclear whether Facebook's transparency policies would also apply to referendums. A Facebook spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for further comment.

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Online advertising reviewed ahead of 2020 election - Newsroom

The Week Unwrapped podcast: Medals, magazines and mercy killing – The Week UK

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

In this weeks episode, we discuss:

Reports are circulating that president Emmanuel Macron intends to bestow France's highest award, the Legion d'honneur, on the city of London, for providing a base to the leader of the French Resistance, Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War. Is it a meaningless gesture, eighty years too late? Or one that could serve to remind both nations of their shared history in a post-Brexit world?

Belgium and the Netherlands are considering extending their already liberal euthanasia laws to give dementia sufferers the right to die. The move is supported by liberal parties in both countries, as well as the majority-Catholic Flanders region in Belgium. But following some controversial deaths by euthanasia, right-wing parties are calling for a review of existing laws.

People across New Zealand have been filming themselvesturning over magazinesfeaturing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the front cover, posting their videos to social media and hashtagging them#TurnArdern. The protesterscomplains that the PM should spend more timefixingthe countrysproblemsand less time doingphoto shoots. Is Arderns star on the wane?

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on theGlobal Player,Apple podcasts,SoundCloudor wherever you get your podcasts. It is produced by Sarah Myles and the music is by Tom Mawby.

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The Week Unwrapped podcast: Medals, magazines and mercy killing - The Week UK

Pope Francis: Human Life Must Be Respected from Its Beginning to Its End – Breitbart

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ROME Pope Francis urged healthcare workers to defend the inviolable right to life from conception to natural death, urging them this weekend to resist euthanasia, abortion, and other crimes against life.

In your work, may you always strive to promote the dignity and life of each person, and reject any compromise in the direction of euthanasia, assisted suicide or suppression of life, even in the case of terminal illness, the pope told healthcare workers in his annual message for the World Day of the Sick.

As part of their vocation to life, doctors, nurses, and medical personnel are called to bear witness to the value of human life, even resorting to conscientious objection when pressured to act in any way contrary to life, the pontiff suggested.

Let us remember that life is sacred and belongs to God; hence it is inviolable and no one can claim the right to dispose of it freely, Francis said. Life must be welcomed, protected, respected and served from its beginning to its end: both human reason and faith in God, the author of life, require this.

In some cases, conscientious objection becomes a necessary decision if you are to be consistent with your yes to life and to the human person, he said. Your professionalism, sustained by Christian charity, will be the best service you can offer for the safeguarding of the truest human right, the right to life.

Healthcare workers play a key role in the effort to offer care and renewal to their sick brothers and sisters. Thanks to their expertise, they can make patients feel the presence of Christ who consoles and cares for the sick, and heals every hurt, the pope said.

When confronted with the limitations and even failures of medical science before increasingly problematic clinical cases and bleak diagnoses, you are called to be open to the transcendent dimension of your profession that reveals its ultimate meaning, he said.

What is needed is a personalized approach to the sick, not just of curing but also of caring, in view of an integral human healing, the pope said. In experiencing illness, individuals not only feel threatened in their physical integrity, but also in the relational, intellectual, affective and spiritual dimensions of their lives.

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Pope Francis: Human Life Must Be Respected from Its Beginning to Its End - Breitbart

Pope calls on all governments to ensure access to health care | TheHill – The Hill

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Pope FrancisPope FrancisPope calls on all governments to ensure access to health care Pope apologizes for hitting hand of woman who grabbed him Obama, Trump tied for most admired man: Gallup MORE called on governments around the world to ensure that their people have access to health care in hisannual papal message for the World Day of the Sick.

Francis said health institutions and government leaders should not neglect social justice out of preoccupation for financial concerns.

Jesus does not make demands of those who endure situations of frailty, suffering and weakness, but offers his mercy and his comforting presence. He looks upon a wounded humanity with eyes that gaze into the heart of each person. That gaze is not one of indifference; rather, it embraces people in their entirety, each person in his or her health condition, discarding no one, but rather inviting everyone to share in his life and to experience his tender love, Francis wrote in the message.

Dear healthcare professionals, let us always remember that diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic treatments, research, care and rehabilitation are always in the service of the sick person; indeed the noun person takes priority over the adjective sick. In your work, may you always strive to promote the dignity and life of each person, and reject any compromise in the direction of euthanasia, assisted suicide or suppression of life, even in the case of terminal illness, he continued.

Francis offered thoughts for health care workers serving in some contexts of war and violent conflict, adding in some areas, too, political authorities attempt to manipulate medical care for their own advantage, thus restricting the medical professions legitimate autonomy. Yet attacking those who devote themselves to the service of the suffering members of society does not serve the interests of anyone.

It is my hope that, by joining the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, efforts will be made to cooperate in ensuring that everyone has access to suitable treatments for preserving and restoring their health, he continued.

The message came a day after the pope shared a video on Twitter calling for reconciliation and fraternity among all people of varying faiths in the new year.

pic.twitter.com/MSxotMPlTi

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Pope calls on all governments to ensure access to health care | TheHill - The Hill

Threads of 2019 | Adam Lee – Patheos

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Its the end of the year and the end of a decade! Before we enter the 2020s, lets take one last look back at the common threads of the year that was.

Right-Wing Atheists

In 2019, I published my first feature article for Political Research Associates. It takes a hard look at how some atheists have whether intentionally or unintentionally given aid and comfort to racists and xenophobes.

The obliviousness and ossified views of atheist white guys was a theme this year, as with Sam Harris, Steven Pinker and the Center for Inquiry. I pondered the question of whether New Atheism is dead.

We also got some comedy from the pratfalls of smug creeps. David Silverman was rehired by Atheist Alliance International, whose board sneered at the complaints against him, and then in a late-breaking update he was fired again after yet another complaint surfaced. Richard Carrier also lost his SLAPP lawsuit for the second and final time.

Racism and White Supremacy

The racist cabal in the White House continues to stain our nation with their evil. I wrote about their attempts to break the law to keep immigrants out, their vile belief that only white people are real Americans, and the white-genocide fantasia of the presidents chief speechwriter and policy adviser.

In July, I took part in the nationwide Lights for Liberty protest. I wrote about whether Trump supporters deserve charity when they fall on hard times.

Climate Change

This year, I discussed the badly-needed Green New Deal, the worldwide kids march against climate change, and the likelihood that well overshoot safe limits and will have to decarbonize our planet.

Theres also some good news, as my home state passed a sweeping Green New Deal of its own, and I wrote about the evidence that humanity has reached peak child.

The Non-Religious Are Booming

Despite the missteps of atheists, more and more people are turning away from organized religion. In April, a poll showed us in a statistical tie for first place. Americans attend church less often than ever and trust churches less than ever. In Europe, the change is even more dramatic.

Religious apologists are deep in denial about this trend. In two posts, I mocked their silly attempt to spin it away, as well as their prediction that well miss them when theyre gone.

The Fountainhead

In 2019, I finished my marathon review of Ayn Rands lesser-known novel, The Fountainhead. Some of my favorite entries were on the sadism of Randian romance, the contradictions in Rands philosophy between this book and Atlas Shrugged, and why humanitys destiny is in the cities.

Reasons for Optimism

Despite the bad news this year, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future. I wrote about why parenting is inherently optimistic, reviewed the evidence for human progress in Factfulness, and did a year-end roundup of overlooked good news.

Commonwealth

Last but not least: This year, I began publishing my novel Commonwealth. Its a tale of utopia, concealed in a hyper-capitalist dystopian future out of an Ayn Rand nightmare. Its a warning of where were headed if we dont change course, and a message of how much greater we could be.

You can read the three prelude posts: on late-stage capitalism, climate despair, and hopepunk dreams. Then check the table of contents to read whats been published so far, and if you like it, consider subscribing on Patreon!

Image credit: See-ming Lee, released under CC BY-SA 2.0 license

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Threads of 2019 | Adam Lee - Patheos

Guns N’ Roses Fan Reveals All the Band’s Leaked Songs From the Axl Rose Solo Era! – Guns N Roses Central

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Guns N Roses Fan Summarizes All the Bands Leaked Songs From Last Year and Decade Prior

A fan on the MyGNRForum has summarized all the leaked songs that came out last year from the Chinese Democracy years. Check it out below

Fully leaked discs from The Village Sessions:

Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 01 Madagascar {Drum Adds} (2000-11-05) (5:47)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 02 T.W.A.T. {#10} (2000-10-12) (5:19)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 03 Atlas Shrugged {25} (2000-03-27) (4:20)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 04 Perhaps {19} (2000-03-27) (4:02)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 05 Prostitue {19} (2000-03-27) (6:19)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 06 Rhiad {Ver.1} (2000-11-07) (3:40)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 07 Catcher {30} (2000-03-27) (5:43)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 08 Chinese Democracy {Ver.1} (2000-11-05) (3:22)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 09 The Blues {#6} (2000-10-23) (4:52)Rough Mixes CD #1 (2000-11-08) 10 Silkworms {Ver.1} (2000-11-07) (3:42)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 01 P.R.L. (w/out Thyme) (no gtrs.) (2000-11-08) (4:05)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 02 Eye On You (Ver.1) (2000-11-07) (3:46)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 03 If The World (Ver.1) (2000-11-07) (5:16)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 04 Mustache (Ver.1) (2000-11-07) (4:20)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 05 Quicksong (10) (2000-03-27) (4:15)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 06 Zodiac 13 (no vox) (Ver.4) (2000-11-08) (4:46)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 07 Tonto (BLK/FRG dat (#3)) (2000-07-14) (4:09)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 08 Real Doll.com (B. Head cd (#2)) (2000-09-14) (4:15)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 09 Shanklers Revenge (cd (#1)) (2000-09-14) (3:39)Rough Mixes CD #2 (2000-11-08) 10 Im Sorry (B. Head cd (#1)) (2000-10-26) (6:12)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 01 Billionare (BLK/FRG dat (#2)) (2000-10-15) (1:38)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 02 Dub Suplex (BLK/FRG dat (#5)) (2000-10-15) (3:10)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 03 State Of Grace (12) (2000-03-27) (4:09)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 04 Oklahaoma (10) (2000-03-23) (4:20)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 05 Devious Bastard (#6) (2000-10-05) (3:35)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 06 I.R.S. (21) (2000-03-27) (4:23)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 07 Hardschool (12) (NU AX) (2000-11-08) (4:11)Rough Mixes CD #3 (2000-11-08) 08 Dummy (#8) (2000-10-05) (6:34)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 01 Me & My Elvis {10} (2000-03-23) (5:48)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 02 Circus Maximus {Ver.1} (2000-11-07) (4:39)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 03 D Tune {11} (2000-03-23) (5:25)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 04 Curly Shuffle {15} (2000-03-23) (3:51)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 05 Nothing {Ver.1} (2000-11-08) (3:55)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 06 As It Began {Ver.1} (2000-11-07) (3:55)Rough Mixes CD #4 (2000-11-08) 07 Thyme {P.R.L.} (2000-11-08) (2:04)085 Robin-Tommy Demos (2001-04-03) 01 Inside Out (4:02)085 Robin-Tommy Demos (2001-04-03) 02 3 Dollar Pyramid (4:29)085 Robin-Tommy Demos (2001-04-03) 03 Tommy Demo #1 (3:45)085 Robin-Tommy Demos (2001-04-03) 04 Tommy Demo #2 (4:28)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 01 Chinese Democracy (Doubled Guitars) (3:30)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 02 Chinese Democracy (Single Guitars) (3:28)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 03 Quick Song (4:08)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 04 Prostitue (Original Drums) (6:12)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 05 Prostitue (Chopped Drums) (6:18)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 06 The Blues (4:46)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 07 Rhiad & The Bediuns (3:43)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 08 T.W.A.T. (5:16)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 09 Atlas Shrugged (4:19)160 Rough Mixes (2001-06-01) 10 Zodiac 13 (4:44)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 01 Madagascar (Drums Up (Version Tom Likes)) (5:47)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 02 Madagascar (Drums up Instrumental) (5:49)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 03 Madagascar (Drums down 3 dB) (5:52)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 04 Madagascar (Drums down 3 Db Instrumental) (5:45)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 05 Madagascar (Old Josh Drums) (5:42)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 06 Madagascar (Original Brain Drums) (5:41)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 07 Chinese Democracy (Old Josh Drums) (3:29)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 08 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums) (3:33)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 09 The Blues (Old Josh Drums) (4:49)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 10 The Blues (New Brain Drums) (4:49)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 11 Rhiad (Old Josh Drums) (3:39)184 New Brain Drums (2001-06-27) 12 Rhiad (New Brain Drums) (3:41)187 Madagascar (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drum Takes) (2001-07-02) 01 With Vocals (5:50)187 Madagascar (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drum Takes) (2001-07-02) 02 Instrumental (5:47)190 Rhiad (New Brain Drum Take) (2001-07-11) 01 Rhiad (Original Rough Mix) (3:46)190 Rhiad (New Brain Drum Take) (2001-07-11) 02 Rhiad (Final Rough Mix with Compression (Vocals at Regular Level)) (3:49)190 Rhiad (New Brain Drum Take) (2001-07-11) 03 Rhiad (Final Rough Mix with Compression (Vocals Up)) (3:47)190 Rhiad (New Brain Drum Take) (2001-07-11) 04 Rhiad (Final Rough Mix with No Compression (Vocals at Regular Level)) (3:55)190 Rhiad (New Brain Drum Take) (2001-07-11) 05 Rhiad (Final Rough Mix with No Compression (Vocals Up)) (3:45)196 The Blues (New Brain Drum Takes) (2001-07-13) 01 The Blues (Vocal at Regular Level) (4:51)196 The Blues (New Brain Drum Takes) (2001-07-13) 02 The Blues (Vocal Down 1 Db) (4:50)196 The Blues (New Brain Drum Takes) (2001-07-13) 03 The Blues (Instrumental) (5:02)201 Rough Mixes (New Brain Drum Remixes with Axl) (2001-07-19) 01 Rhiad (3:48)201 Rough Mixes (New Brain Drum Remixes with Axl) (2001-07-19) 02 Rhiad (Eqd Toms) (3:49)201 Rough Mixes (New Brain Drum Remixes with Axl) (2001-07-19) 03 Prostitue (6:20)201 Rough Mixes (New Brain Drum Remixes with Axl) (2001-07-19) 04 The Blues (4:49)208 T.W.A.T. (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drums) (2001-08-06) 01 T.W.A.T. (Less Ambience on Drums) (5:21)208 T.W.A.T. (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drums) (2001-08-06) 02 T.W.A.T. (More Ambience on Drums) (5:19)208 T.W.A.T. (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drums) (2001-08-06) 03 T.W.A.T. (Snare Compressed Only) (5:17)208 T.W.A.T. (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drums) (2001-08-06) 04 T.W.A.T. (Strings Up) (5:22)208 T.W.A.T. (Rough Mixes of New Brain Drums) (2001-08-06) 05 T.W.A.T. (Old Beaven Mix) (5:19)219 Atlas Shrugged (New Brain Drums) (2001-08-20) 01 Atlas Shrugged (Drums at regular level) (4:23)219 Atlas Shrugged (New Brain Drums) (2001-08-20) 02 Atlas Shrugged (Drums down 1.5 Db) (4:29)219 Atlas Shrugged (New Brain Drums) (2001-08-20) 03 Atlas Shrugged (Drums up 1.5 Db) (4:16)229 T.W.A.T. (Brain Drum Remix With Snare Sample From Silkworms) (2001-08-27) 01 T.W.A.T. (Ambience Down, Mono Room Off) (5:16)229 T.W.A.T. (Brain Drum Remix With Snare Sample From Silkworms) (2001-08-27) 02 T.W.A.T. (Ambience down with Mono Room) (5:16)229 T.W.A.T. (Brain Drum Remix With Snare Sample From Silkworms) (2001-08-27) 03 T.W.A.T. (Ambience at Original Level) (5:18)229 T.W.A.T. (Brain Drum Remix With Snare Sample From Silkworms) (2001-08-27) 04 T.W.A.T. (Snare Sample during Outro Only) (5:16)229 T.W.A.T. (Brain Drum Remix With Snare Sample From Silkworms) (2001-08-27) 05 T.W.A.T. (First Half with Old Snare, Second Half with Snare Sample Only) (5:13)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 01 Chinese Democracy (Drums and Guitars at Regular Level) (3:23)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 02 Chinese Democracy (Drums up 1 dB) (3:24)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 03 Chinese Democracy (Drums up 2 dB) (3:23)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 04 Chinese Democracy (Guitars up 2.5 dB, Drums at Regular Level) (3:23)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 05 Chinese Democracy (Guitars up 1.5 dB) (3:23)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 06 Chinese Democracy (Guitars up 0.7 dB) (3:29)238 Chinese Democracy (New Brain Drums 3rd Time) (2001-09-06) 07 Chinese Democracy (Instrumental with Drums and Guitars at Regular Lev (3:31)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 01 Quick Song (Full Take Without Vocal) (3:59)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 02 Quick Song (Full Take with Vocal) (3:59)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 03 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 0) (1:06)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 04 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 1) (1:07)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 05 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 2) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 06 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 3) (1:07)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 07 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 4) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 08 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 5) (1:07)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 09 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 6) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 10 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 7) (1:07)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 11 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 8) (1:08)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 12 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 9) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 13 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 10) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 14 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 11) (1:09)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 15 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 12) (1:07)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 16 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 13) (1:10)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 17 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 14) (1:08)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 18 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 15) (1:08)250 Quick Song (2001-09-29) 19 Quick Song (Starting From Robins Solo Take 16) (1:09)252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 01 Knockin on Heavens Door (Acoustic Version) (Axl Take 3) (6:26)252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 02 Warmup (1:34)252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 03 Knockin on Heavens Door (Electric Version) (6:08)252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 04 Welcome to the Jungle (4:59)252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 05 Knockin on Heavens Door (Acoustic Version) (Take 3 from 10.8.01) (6:07)277 New Songs (Straight Analog Downloads These Are Not Mixes) (2001-11-13) 01 Prom Violence (Take 2) (2:54)277 New Songs (Straight Analog Downloads These Are Not Mixes) (2001-11-13) 02 Prom Violence (Take 3) (2:55)277 New Songs (Straight Analog Downloads These Are Not Mixes) (2001-11-13) 03 Three Dollar Pyramid (Take 2) (4:23)277 New Songs (Straight Analog Downloads These Are Not Mixes) (2001-11-13) 04 Three Dollar Pyramid (Take 4) (4:32)278 The Rebel (Straight Analog Download This is Not a Mix) (2001-11-15) 01 The Rebel (Take 1) (3:05)

Leaks that have become redundant:

As It Began (2000-11-07 demo, 2019-09-15 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 4 (19:26)Atlas Shrugged (2019-09-05 leak) Replaced by 219 Atlas Shrugged (New Brain Drums) (2001-08-20) 01 (4:23)Atlas Shrugged (Drums up 1.5 Db, 2019-09-05 leak) Replaced by 219 Atlas Shrugged (New Brain Drums) (2001-08-20) 02 (4:16)Catcher In The Rye (2000-03-27 demo, 2019-08-28 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (5:33)Chinese Democracy (2019-08-28 leak as Chinese Josh) Replaced by Chinese Democracy Old Josh Drums (New Brain Drums) (3:11)Chinese Democracy (2019-08-28 leak as Chinese Stew) Replaced by 238 track 06 Guitars up 0.7 dB (3:29)Eye On You (2019-09-20 leak) Replaced by 2019-09-22 leak (3:36)Eye On You (VER.1) (2000-11-07)(2019-09-22 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 2 (3:46)Going Down (2019-08-28 leak) Replaced by 085 Robin-Tommy Demos (2001-04-03) 04 (4:25)Hardschool (2000-11-08 demo, 2019-08-28 leak as Jackie Chan) Replaced by Rough Mixes 3 (3:56)Hardschool (2019-08-24 leak after 2019-07-26 excerpt, same version as the 2006-05-27 DJ Razz snippet) Replaced by 2019-08-28 leak (4:05)I.R.S. (2000-03-27 demo, 2019-08-28 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 3 (4:12)Knockin On Heavens Door (acoustic, 2019-09-14 leak as rayraysdoor, 252 Knockin-Jungle track 1) 252 Knockin-Jungle (2001-09-29) 01 (5:41)Madagascar (2017-11-12 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (5:46)Me & My Elvis (2000-03-23 demo, 2019-09-22 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 4 (5:48)Me & My Elvis (2019-09-21 leak) Replaced by 2019-09-22 leak (5:48)P.R.L. w/out Thyme (no gtrs.) (2000-11-08)(2019-10-03leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 2 (4:05)Perhaps (2000-03-27 demo, 2019-09-13 leak Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (3:51)Prostiute (2000-03-27 demo, 2019-08-28 leak as Prostiute v2) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (6:17)Prostiute (2019-08-28 leak as Prostiute v3) Replaced by 201 03 Prostiute (6:05)Rhiad And The Bedouins (2019-08-28 leak as Rhiad Josh) Replaced with Rhiad old josh drums from new brain drums (3:33)Silkworms (2000-11-07 demo, 2019-09-07 leak as Isnt That Absurd) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (3:31)State Of Grace (2000-03-27 demo, Mix 2, 2019-09-13 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 3 (3:59)The Blues (2018-06-10 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (4:44)The Blues (2019-08-28 leak) Replaced by 184 New Brain Drums track 09 (old Josh drums) (4:42)There Was A Time (2018-06-10 leak) Replaced by Rough Mixes 1 (5:25)There Was A Time (2019-08-28 leak) Identical to There Was A Time (2018-06-10 leak) and both sourced from Rough Mixes 1 (5:06)Three Dollar Pyramid (2019-09-15 leak) Replaced by Three Dollar Pyramid Take 2 (New Songs Disc) (21:02)

Other Chinese Democracy-era materialthat isnt from The Village Sessions:

01 Sweet Child O Mine (1999 release from the movie Big Daddy) (4:41)02 Oh My God (1999 release from the soundtrack for End Of Days) (3:40)03 Catcher In The Rye (1999-2000 demo, 2006-02-28 darknemus leak) (5:37)04 I.R.S. (1999-2000 demo, 2006-05-27 DJ Razz leak) (4:07)05 There Was A Time (1999-2000 demo, 2006-05-27 DJ Razz leak) (5:01)06 Boston 2002 promo (with studio cuts of Chinese Democracy, Madagascar and The Blues) (1:06)07 I.R.S. (2003-08-30 Piazza-Trunk recording, 2005-04-10 darknemus leak) (3:39)08 I.R.S. (2001-2003 demo, 2006-02-15 darknemus leak, same version as the 2003-08-30 Piazza-Trunk recording) (4:16)09 There Was A Time (2001-2003 demo, short version, 2006-02-17 leak) (6:01)10 There Was A Time (2001-2003 demo, long version, 2006-02-17 leak) (6:43)11 Better (2001-2003 demo, 2006-02-22 darknemus leak) (4:56)12 I.R.S. (2001-2003 demo, instrumental, 2006-03-10 leak) (4:13)13 There Was A Time (2001-2003 demo, instrumental short version, 2006-03-15 leak) (5:58)14 There Was A Time (2001-2003 demo, instrumental long version, 2006-03-14 leak) (6:42)15 Better (2001-2003 demo, instrumental demo, 2006-03-08 leak) (5:00)16 Going Down (2006 Bumblefoot guitar over older demo, 2013-08-16 leak) (4:28)17 Oh My God (2006 Bumblefoot guitar over older demo, 2018-06-07 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt) (3:40)18 Silkworms (2006 Bumblefoot guitar over older demo, 2018-06-08 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt) (3:25)19 Better (2006-2007 demo, 2007-02-20 leak, possibly the same as in Harley-Davidson broadcast 2006-10-20) (5:10)20 Madagascar (2006-2007 demo, 2007-03-29 darknemus leak) (5:41)21 Chinese Democracy (2006-2007 demo, 2007-05-05 MSL leak) (4:46)22 The Blues (2006-2007 demo, 2007-05-05 MSL leak) (4:47)23 I.R.S. (2006-2007 demo, 2007-05-05 MSL leak) (4:36)24 There Was A Time (2006-2007 demo, 2007-05-06 MSL leak) (6:46)25 Better (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (5:12)26 Chinese Democracy (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (5:00)27 I.R.S. (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (4:41)28 Madagascar (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (5:52)29 The Blues (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (4:53)30 There Was A Time (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak) (6:50)31 Rhiad And The Bedouins (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak as New Song #1) (3:46)32 Prostitue (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak as New Song #2) (6:24)33 If The World (2008-06-18 Antiquiet leak as New Song #3) (4:59)34 Shacklers Revenge (2008-08-14 MSL leak as Chicken Dinner) (3:34)35 Better (2013-08-16 leak, Bumblefoot acoustic version from Barefoot sessions 2008) (5:05)36 Better (2013-08-16 leak, DJ Ashba version from 2009) (5:46)37 Ballad Of Death (2018-06-26 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt, DJ Ashba solo from 2009) (3:31)38 Mi Amor (2018-06-26 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt, DJ Ashba solo from 2009) (4:31)39 Shacklers Revenge (2009-2010 Brain Remix, 2018-06-26 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt) (4:08)40 If The World (2009-2010 Brain Remix, 2018-06-26 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt) (4:06)41 Blood in the Water (2009-2010 Brain Remix, 2012-05-07 leak) (4:02)42 Better Gone (2009-2010 Brain Remix, 2012-01-xx leak) (4:19)43 This I Love (2009-2010 Brain Remix, 2018-06-10 leak after 2013-12-09 excerpt) (5:22)44 Silkworms + The General (2018-06-26 leak, cellphone clip from aftershow party at Vienna 2010-09-18, Mindray11 recording) (3:04)

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Guns N' Roses Fan Reveals All the Band's Leaked Songs From the Axl Rose Solo Era! - Guns N Roses Central

Colby Cosh: Improbably sentient cow: The Far Side’s ‘return’ only reminds of its departure – National Post

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The cartoonist Gary Larson has finally agreed to create an official online home for his classic one-panel strip The Far Side, setting off a wave of nostalgia among Generation X-ers. These could almost be defined as the people who grew up surrounded by newspaper comics sleeping in bedrooms filled with Garfield paperbacks, then taking their first jobs in offices where every cubicle had Larson favourites or Dilberts tacked to the wall. And then we watched a life-defining artistic medium drop dead with unusual, heartbreaking finality.

Larson, the perfecter of the one-panel form, quit the business at the end of 1994, still at the top of his game. Bill Watterson, a completely different sort of artist, put Calvin & Hobbes to bed for good on Dec. 31, 1995. Other similar things happened at around the same time 1995 was also the year that Berkeley Breathed dropped Outland, giving up the doomed effort to turn his Doonesbury ripoff into an arty weekend strip. But the double blow of Larson and Watterson quitting was the real trauma for readers who could recognize purity of intention in an artist. It almost seemed conspiratorial, like the strike in Atlas Shrugged creators cruelly abandoning a world of consumers who had not recognized their dependence.

The double blow of Larson and Watterson quitting was the real trauma for readers

The people who still make newspaper comics today perhaps look at their legions of fans and their paycheques and tell themselves they are part of a living tradition. Obviously, at their best, they do wonderful work (although Olivia Jaimess Nancy is the only reason for this sentence to be here). But they must know in their innermost hearts that they are metaphorically surrounded, like Anglo-Saxons looking at the Roman ruins in conquered Britain, by irreproducible works of departed giants. No, your one-panel gag strip isnt going to be as consistently devastating as The Far Side; no, your strip about a bratty kid or animal isnt going to be Calvin & Hobbes.

If you work for a newspaper, its illuminating to think about Larson and Watterson as representing distinct sub-media within the comics page, itself a sub-medium of the overall newspaper. Visually, The Far Side could politely be called colloquial, while Calvin & Hobbes is painterly. Yet Larson, as he points out in an introduction to his new website, took great care with his art. His drawings are funny in themselves, which is not true of the great majority of newspaper strips (as you will find pretty quickly if you apply it as a test of them). The quality of modern screens is a big reason, Larson says, that he has been able to make peace with the internet.

Calvin & Hobbes has continuity in the form of running gags, although the characters could not evolve over the life of the strip. Larsons Far Side, which I guess we are bound to think of as existing on a slightly less ambitious artistic level, succeeded in maintaining a fantastic level of quality without having recourse to recurring specific characters (although obviously there were generic ones such as improbably sentient cow.) Every Far Side panel had to build the whole world in which it was set.Which is daunting, if you consider it from the creative side. And while the drawing perhaps only had to be good enough, the captions of Far Side panels reward close study. No writer has to work as hard as Larson did getting the most out of every adjective and comma, every Dang! or Ill be!In short, The Far Side is the ultimate pinnacle of the one-panel form, as Calvin & Hobbes is of the better-crafted imaginative sequential strip. These are the ends of parallel tracks that run back to the beginning of newspaper comics, and indeed past it. That they stopped at almost the same moment is probably not quite a coincidence.

Both comics were produced to the same deadlines, yet they continue to find admirers among those who are perhaps destined to live in a world without any creative media truly produced on deadline at all. Pop musicians, one recalls, used to be positively required to generate a hit single every few months; this fact of life was forgotten long before the year 2000, but would anyone argue that pop music is now the better for it? Similarly, Larson and Watterson could have, in theory, gone on past 1995 issuing new work only between hard covers. But while everyone subject to a deadline despises its torturous distortion of his life, all such people know equally well that there is no replacement for a deadline.

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Colby Cosh: Improbably sentient cow: The Far Side's 'return' only reminds of its departure - National Post

Mobile Robots Where Are… – Robotics Online

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by Laura Moretz, Contributing Editor Robotic Industries Association Posted 01/03/2020

In warehouses, hospitals, and factories, mobile robots are doing tasks that can tax workers with repetitive stress injuries or fatigue. AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) carry heavy loads in factories, deliver meals, medicine, and laundry in hospitals, and select and pick products off warehouse shelves for shipments. In some cases, AMRs can fill empty jobs that lack applicants, and in others, they work alongside humans. Robot makers are continuously incorporating better mapping systems into AMRs to create routes through the workplace, creating better sensors to protect people who work in the same space with AMRs, and finding optimal methods for recharging AMRs. Leaders who are creating new robots reflect here about whats coming next.

New Hospitals and Hotels Plan on RobotsIn hospital environments, Aethons TUG carries meals, medicine, and linens. Peter Seiff, senior vice president for Aethon, says, When youre operating a hospital, its a miniature city in a lot of ways. The residentspatientshave a lot of needs. Aethon programs the TUGs to be personable and friendly when they meet people, using scripted phrases. The University of Pittsburg Medical Center uses 27 Aethon TUG robots. They work well around humans, as seen at this Halloween event.

Seiff hopes that architects and owners will plan for AMRs when they design new hospitals and hotels, creating designs that provide the best use of space for AMRs and humans. He says that as they employ robots, hospitals could eliminate laundry shoots and linen storage closets if AMRs like TUGs take away old linens and deliver fresh ones. In addition, thered be a gain in floor space.

The TUG rarely needs human back up, but if it does, Aethon has a patented Cloud Command Center launched in 2006 that guides TUGs remotely and also updates software for the companys 800 TUGs. Seiff says that the robots need remote assistance only 0.01% of the time.

Worker Shortage? AMRs Are Ready Jason Walker, the CEO and co-founder of Waypoint Robotics, believes that the need for AMRs is growing because employers cant find enough workers to hire. Walker says, Our value proposition is lets take the people youve already got who you know and trust and love, and lets give them better tools. Waypoints AMRs are ready to work soon after they arrive on a loading dock and dont need weeks of attention from engineers to get up to speed. They can drive through a factory once and make a map that will guide its future movements. Waypoints Vector, which has payloads of 300 pounds and 600 pounds, and MAV3K, which carries up to 3,000 pounds, both move materials efficiently. MAV3K can move pallets and large material loads, and its great for mobile manipulation with really big arms he says, but its not a forklift, and so it doesnt work alone.

The future for AMRs involves heterogenous fleets of AMRs, Walker says. Weve built our systems so that they are easy to integrate and are interoperable with all kinds of third-party external systems. He envisions AMRs from multiple manufacturers working together to complete jobs.

Walker says that he doesnt know of another company using a charging method similar to Waypoint. Through a partnership with Wibotics, Waypoint has adopted a wireless charging method called EnZone which uses radio frequency at multiple sites within a workplace. As long as you get the receiving antenna within about an inch of the transmitting antenna, it will charge at full power, and it will do it all day long.Waypoint is selling Enzone to other companies, he says. The reason we want to do that is to create an ecosystem and a standard in the robotics community where we all use one type of wireless charging system. Id rather create a bigger pie than hoard the piece Ive got.

Future AMRs Will Build on Current Success, But More SlowlyTom Galluzzo, the founder and chief technology officer of IAM Robotics, says that IAM focuses on helping companies to pick, pack, and ship longtail inventory in warehouses, that is, items stocked in small amounts. IAMs AMR, Swift, locates merchandise, uses Flash to read the SKUs, grasps the package, and moves it. It is controlled by the Swift Link server, which integrates with the existing warehouse management server.

IAM Robotics first client was Rochester Drug, a large cooperative of pharmacies that needed automation to fulfill orders at night to be delivered the next day. Galluzzo says IAM Robotics is working with everyone from fortune-five level retailers to two major health and beauty corporations that work internationally.

Galluzzo expects that as robots need to become more complex, there might be a slow down as far as implementing them. With the current technology, AMRs have the potential to do up to 80% of the thinking, he says. That frees up a person to do higher value critical thinking for operations.

Robots Perform Better with Fast, Accurate MapsKaarta, founded in 2015, does one thing and does it well: Create 3-D maps quickly in real-time. Kevin Dowling, CEO, says, Were essentially answering two questions for robots. One is, What is around me? Which is the map. And then, where am I? Which is its location. He says that customers use Kaarta software for AMRs in retail and factory environments. Were a thin part of the full stack but a very important part. In addition, the companys Contour software was used recently in the six-part National Geographic documentary series Buried Secrets of WWII.

Its other software, Stencil, is used for interiors. Examples of the results are here.

Some clients in the construction industry use a Kaarta device mounted to an AMR with legs to map difficult terrain. Data is uploaded to Kaartas cloud where it is processed. Kaarta can create a map for robots to use, or the software can be within the robot.

In addition to attaching a Kaarta system to an AMR, it can be attached to a handheld device and walked through a space to create a map. Dowling says, a large Wal-Mart takes about three hours to fully scale. There is some post-processing afterward, but the onsite time is reduced. The system can also be attached to a drone to create a map.

Remote Controls Will Keep Humans in ControlIn 2018, Fort Robotics, formerly part of Humanistic Robotics, separated its operations to focus on refining and marketing remote safety controls for AMRs.

Daria Duda, the director of product marketing at Fort, says the company designed the Wireless E-Stop and Safe Remote Control System to prevent dangerous AMR interactions with humans. The company sells the controls in construction, agriculture, and warehousing markets. Theres always going to be a need for a human to stay in control of automation or mobile robotic machine, she says. The remote control technology can be within existing remotes or it can be a separate control.

As to Forts vision for the future, she says: We want to keep things broad to gauge where the market is going and what industries are moving faster than others.

AMR Advances Mean Better Machine CollaborationMobile robots have developed the ability to lift, carry, pick, pack, sense obstacles, and stop to avoid collision. Increasingly, mobile robots from different manufacturers work collaboratively to complete tasks, and developers continue to build on existing skills. As AMRs become more able, doing most of their own thinking, humans will continue to supervise them. Developers will build on existing strengths and improve robot collaboration.

Originally published by RIA via http://www.robotics.org on 01/03/2020

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Mobile Robots Where Are... - Robotics Online

7 Top Robotics Stocks to Buy in January – The Motley Fool

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Back in October, I took a look at investing in the robotics sector, reviewed some of the biggest robotic stocks, and picked out five stocks worthy of close consideration for investors. It's now time to reappraise the five stocks: Deere (NYSE:DE), Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA), Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX), Germany's KION Group (OTC:KIGRY), and France's Dassault Systemes (OTC:DASTY), and also add two more stocks to the list -- Switzerland's ABB (NYSE:ABB) and PTC (NASDAQ:PTC).

Image source: Getty Images.

Deere's inclusion is down to its precision agriculture solutions, which are increasingly being adopted by customers of Deere's agricultural equipment machinery. The solutions include on-board computers, telematics, and web-enabled sensors, which help farmers use automated guidance technology to manage and guide equipment.

Those solutions will help drive sales in the long term, but in the near term Deere is having to deal with pressure due to farmers being cautious in spending because of the U.S.-China trade war and, arguably more importantly, the impact of African swine fever on demand for soybean meal.

KIGRY data by YCharts

That said, an easing of trade tensions would obviously help Deere, and in the long term U.S. farmers can export crops to markets other than China. However, if you are worried about African swine fever spreading into neighboring countries from China, Deere might be a stock to avoid in the near term.

Machine vision company Cognex has also had a difficult year, at least operationally, due to a slowdown in spending on automation solutions in the automotive and consumer electronics (notably smartphones) industries -- early adopters of automation and robotics, and consequently machine vision technology.

The long-term trend toward increasing penetration of automation and robotics in manufacturing is still in place and will be boosted by the increasing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology --even if 2019 was a year of synchronized, but cyclical, weakness in the automotive and consumer electronics industries.

Zebra Technologies and its data capture and analysis solutions (barcode readers, scanners, and mobile computers) are an essential part of the movement toward smart manufacturing and logistics. If companies are going to increase automation and robotics spending, they are going to have to gather information in order to manage physical assets better -- that's where Zebra comes in.

The company is set for another year of mid-single-digit revenue growth (more of the same is expected in 2020) and remains a prodigious cash generator -- around 15% of sales are expected to convert into free cash flow in 2020. On a P/E ratio of 18 times forward earnings Zebra still looks a good value, even if its strong rise in 2019 meant it was one of the best-performing industrial stocks in the market.

KION is No. 1 in Europe in industrial trucks (only Toyota is bigger on the global stage) and the No. 1 global provider of supply chain solutions (material handling solutions for warehouses), with a heavy focus on the U.S. -- two-thirds of its supply chain solutions go to the Americas region.

Image source: Getty Images.

As such, KION is a company heavily exposed to industrial spending rates and particularly the trend toward warehouse automation spending. The growth of e-fulfillment may boost warehouse automation spending, but industrial spending overall is expected to decline in 2020.

Next year probably don't be a great one for the company. Analysts project revenue growth of just 1.1% next year as the industrial economy slows. Still, the company's stock now trades at 13 times 2020 earnings and 13.7 times free cash flow. For a company with long term growth prospects, that price is too cheap to ignore.

ABB, one of the leading robotics manufacturers in the world, makes the list because of its potential to play catch-up on margins with its main competitors. The company has been a serial underperformer in recent years, but its management is committed to restructuring the company, cutting costs, and focusing the business on digital solutions -- meanwhile paying a hefty dividend. Cautious investors might want to avoid the stock for the moment, but over the long term it presents a value opportunity.

If companies are going to invest in smart automation, robotics, and IoT solutions, such as digital twins -- digital replicas of physical assets that can be used and simulated in order to make the physical assets run better -- they are going to need industrial software to power the process.

Dassault's solutions, in common with its partner ABB, help companies design, develop, and manage the lifecycle of their products through the creation of digital twins. PTC's ThingWorx platform connects multiple devices that are capturing data and is then used to better analyze and manage physical assets -- the essence of IoT. If the wide-scale adoption of robotics and smart manufacturing is just around the corner, then Dassault and PTC are set for huge growth in the future.

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7 Top Robotics Stocks to Buy in January - The Motley Fool

Programmed to win: NKY student robotics teams compete at CovCath – WCPO

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PARK HILLS, Ky. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots, they are not, but these bots built by Northern Kentucky middle and high school students are designed to rip apart the competition.

Over 50 teams from across the region convened on Covington Catholic High School Saturday morning for the Colonel's Classic VEX robotics contest dubbed "Tower Takeover."

Students work in teams to build their own robots and program them to score points against opponents by dropping bright-colored blocks into goal zones.

More cubes you put in the goal zone, the more points you have, student Jason Hackman explained.

Each competition involves four teams that pair up and strategize to take down their competitors.

If they put a purple cube up in the top of the stack in the tower, each purple cube becomes two points, so they can change the dynamic of the game on the fly, CovCath Robotics Coach Bob Lind said.

To win, students use careful strategy and computer skills they learn in class and after school.

Were usually here about three hours a day, working either on programming the robot or building on new parts of it, Covington Catholic student Zach Smith said. We get a morning class where we spend about fifty minutes, and then we stay a little over two hours after school to just work on what needs to get done.

Lind sees his 29 students dedication every day. Despite the rigor, he says the teams are growing every year.

We started five years ago here, Lind said. We had three teams. Weve now grown to nine teams in that time frame.

And at least one member of the school's robotics team has qualified for state each year, and a few have gone to worldwide competition.

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Programmed to win: NKY student robotics teams compete at CovCath - WCPO

Robotics Industry to Shift from Fixed Automation to Mobile Systems – Packaging World

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Kuka's KMR iiwa combines its LBR iiwa lightweight robot with a mobile, flexible platform.

The robotics market is set to transform over the next 10 years. Thats according to ABI Research, which notes that while there will be enormous growth across all subsectors, highlighted in a total market valuation of US$277 billion by 2030, that growth will not be distributed evenly. By 2022, the burgeoning mobile robotics space will start to overtake the traditional industrial robotics market. Currently, mobile autonomy is concentrated in material handling within the supply chain, but ABI Researchs new market report, Commercial and Industrial Robots," indicates that mobile robots are set to touch every sector of the global economy for a wide range of use cases.

Everyone talks about self-driving passenger vehicles, but mobile automation is far more developed in intralogistics for fulfillment and industry, says Rian Whitton, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. The automation of material handling will see huge segments of the global forklift, tow truck, and indoor vehicle market consumed by robotics vendors and Original Equipment Manufacturers [OEMs] that bring indoor autonomy.

Says ABI Research, Amazon Robotics is the leader that has driven growth in mobile robotics for the last seven years since their acquisition of Kiva Systems. With an estimated 256,000 Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) deployed to date, Amazon holds close to 50% of material handling robot market share and is broadening its portfolio of robot subtypes with autonomous mobile robots for transport and delivery.

According to the report, other major AGV developers like Quicktron, JD.com, Geek, and Grey Orange are deploying thousands of robots yearly, while Automated Mobile Robot (AMR) developers are just beginning to scale up. Brain Corp. has deployed 5,000 systems primarily in retail, and BlueBotics has deployed some 2,000 robots for intralogistics in and around the supply chain. Meanwhile MiR, an AMR company acquired by Teradyne in 2018, is beginning to achieve growth rates in excess of the companys other robotics acquisition of major cobot developer, Universal Robots.

Mobile robots debut at PACK EXPO Las Vegas

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas in September 2019, several equipment suppliers unveiled mobile robots specifically for the packaging industry. One company, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) showed off its range of AMRs, including its new MiR1000. With a payload of 1,000 kg, it can handle twice the weight of MiRs previous models. The MiR1000 can automatically pick up, transport, and deliver pallets and other heavy loads through dynamic environments. Like its predecessor, the MiR500, the MiR1000 is a collaborative, safe, and flexible alternative to forklifts on the factory floor.

As evidenced at the show, some robotics suppliers have started combining their mobile and cobot technologies to create even more flexible manufacturing and improved operational efficiency. In one example, Columbia/Okura partnered with Universal Robots to develop miniPAL, a mobile collaborative system that can address a range of applications in machine tending, palletizing, and packaging. The mobile setup makes it easy to move and redeploy the cobot to new processes.

Omron exhibited what it calls an autonomous mobile manipulation solutionit integrates self-navigating LD mobile robots with Omrons TM cobot arm. Its a proof-of-concept demo that lets cobots move easily to wherever they need to be, making it useful for tending and resupply of things of materials or cases.

Kuka Robotics has taken a similar approach, mounting cobots on top of mobile robots and setting them to work together in a collaborative system. Its KMR iiwa combines its LBR iiwa lightweight robot with a mobile, flexible platform. As demonstrated in Kukas booth, the system adapts easily to changing manufacturing processes to optimize production. The robots can communicate with each other to more easily work together as a complete system.

AGVs vs AMRs

According to ABI Research, the distinction between AGVs and AMRs can be contested, but AMRs do not require external infrastructure to localize themselves and are built with sensors and cameras to self-navigate their environments. Currently, AGVs represent the majority of mobile robot shipments, but by 2030, this will change. While there will be 2.5 million AGVs shipped in 2030, the total shipments of AMRs will reach 2.9 million in the same year. This is due to the declining costs of superior navigation and the desire to build flexibility into robotic fleets.

Many new verticals, like hospitality, delivery, and infrastructure, will demand systems that do not require external physical infrastructure to move about. While AGVs will thrive in intralogistics for fulfillment, especially in greenfield warehouses, AMRs solve the challenges faced by many end users by offering incremental automation that does not require a complete change of environmental infrastructure, ABI Researchs Whitton explains.

In a major example of automation extending to new and important vehicle types, the shipments of automated forklifts are set to grow from 4,000 in 2020 to 455,000 in 2030, with a CAGR of 58.9%. Meanwhile, the revenue for all mobile robotics is expected to exceed US$224 billion by 2030, compared to US$39 billion for industrial and collaborative systems.

Even more esoteric form factors, like quadrupeds, are expected to increase significantly for data collection purposes, particularly for real estate, construction, and industrial inspection. ABI Research predicts that quadrupeds will increase to 29,000 yearly shipments by 2030.

As mature sectors of the robotics industry achieve growth more in line with established technology markets, mobile robotics are set to create lasting transformative effects across the supply chain and will become increasingly ubiquitous throughout the global economy, Whitton concludes.

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Robotics Industry to Shift from Fixed Automation to Mobile Systems - Packaging World

Infographic: The Evolution of Robotics and Automation – Robotics Business Review

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January 01, 2020Matt Verkuilen, CIMTEC

It is safe to say we would not be able to enjoy many of our modern conveniences without automation. Thanks to advancements in robotic technology, many industrial processes have been made faster, safer and more efficient.

Although the use of automated equipment is ubiquitous now, it is important to remember that this was unheard of a lifetime ago. The first robots were used in industry in 1961, to unload parts in a die-casting facility. About 20 years later, Japanese manufacturers took advantage of new designs to introduce robotic production lines. Over the years, robots and artificial intelligence have advanced by leaps and bounds. Manufacturing and warehousing operations continue to find new ways in which they can improve and integrate their processes.

For example, robotic devices can be used to perform the most dull, repetitive tasks on the assembly line with precision and accuracy every time. By minimizing or eliminating the possibility of human fatigue or boredom, errors can be basically eliminated. Robots also enhance safety by replacing the tasks of humans who performed hazardous tasks or worked in dangerous environments. This reduces the amount of downtime caused by injuries and accidents.

As exciting as automation is for manufacturers today, the future holds virtually limitless possibilities. Thanks to the rapid development of artificial intelligence, robots are becoming smarter and more independent. Soon, humans and machines will be able to collaborate more closely on even more complex jobs.

For additional information about how far automation has come and how far it can go, see the accompanying infographic.

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Infographic: The Evolution of Robotics and Automation - Robotics Business Review

CES 2020: From Apple and Ivanka Trump to 5G, AI, robotics here’s whats in store at the annual tech bonanza – YourStory

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CES 2020, the worlds largest annual technology trade show produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), kicks off this week, with more than 170,000 people expected to descend in Las Vegas, Nevada, to witness the latest breakthroughs and innovations in technology.

Indeed, the sheer scale of this giant tech event is mind boggling.

Officially slated to start on Tuesday, January 7 through Friday, January 10, CES 2020 is expected to see more than 4,500 exhibitors showcase around 20,000 new tech products. These companies both startups and established tech names will showcase their latest innovations to over 170,000 attendees from at least 160 countries.

Some of the products expected to be showcased include giant TVs by the likes of LG and Samsung, a 5G-ready laptop by Dell, foldable phones and dual-screen devices likely from Samsung, Dell, Huawei, and Microsoft, as well as smart cars and smart home products powered by Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

And thats not all.

CES 2020 will feature over 1,100 industry experts and visionaries, who are slated to speak at over 300 sessions.

Additionally, more than 1,200 startups from at least 45 countries will participate at the event, making their presence felt alongside more established tech names like Intel, AMD, Dell, Nikon, Sharp, Samsung, LG, Bosch, and Panasonic, among others all of them showcasing their tech novelties at 11 different hotels and convention centres, or across a total exhibit space of more than 2.9 million square feet, in Las Vegas.

In a growing sign of the pervasiveness of tech-led innovation across industries, this years expo will see the participation of a slew of more traditional, non-tech enterprises.

Companies such as German automaker Daimler, US carrier Delta Airlines, personal care goods company Procter & Gamble, French auto parts maker Valeo, food startup Impossible Foods, and mass media conglomerate NBC Universal, are expected to make significant announcements at CES 2020, with a few even delivering keynote addresses.

With privacy a strategic imperative for all consumer businesses", Apples Senior Director of Global Privacy Jane Horvath will participate in the Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable, along with Facebooks VP of Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer for Policy Erin Egan, Federal Trade Commissions Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, and Procter & Gambles Global Privacy Officer Susan Shook.

The roundtable will focus on how consumer companies can build and ensure privacy at scale, regulation to ensure privacy, and what consumers want when it comes to privacy.

Quibi CEO Meg Whitman to showcase the new mobile streaming service Quibi with founder Jeffrey Katzenberg at CES 2020

Another major appearance due at CES 2020 is mobile streaming service Quibi CEO Meg Whitman, who along with Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, will showcase their new streaming service that is scheduled to launch in April.

Quibi, short for quick bites, will feature bite-sized episodes of not more than 10 minutes in duration and is expected to charge $5 per month for a version with ads.

Not just Quibi, NBCUniversal, which is also expected to launch its own streaming service in April this year, will deliver a keynote address at CES 2020, where Linda Yaccarino, Chairman of Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal, will lead a panel discussion examining the future of entertainment.

Linda joins other featured speakers such as Ivanka Trump, Salesforce Chairman and co-CEO Marc Benioff, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Cho, FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Entrepreneur and Billionaire Mark Cuban, Unilever CEO Alan Jope, White House CTO Michael Kratsios, The Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis, Golden Globes nominated actor Mandy Moore, award-winning journalist Katie Couric, NFL CIO Michelle McKenna, and Americas Got Talent host Terry Crews, among others.

Ivanka Trump, Advisor to US President Donald Trump, to speak on the Path to the Future of Work at CES 2020

Ivanka Trump, who serves as an Advisor to US President Donald Trump and heads the White Houses Office of Economic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship, will participate in a fireside chat with Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association, to talk about the Path to the Future of Work.

And theres more.

From new conference tracks to a focus on diversity and inclusion to even the appearance of companies focused on sex technology, this years event has many firsts.

YourStory is at Las Vegas, Nevada to cover CES 2020 at the invitation of the Consumer Technology Association.

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CES 2020: From Apple and Ivanka Trump to 5G, AI, robotics here's whats in store at the annual tech bonanza - YourStory

FIRST robotics competition season kick-off and 2020 game reveal – KSBW Monterey

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FIRST robotics competition season kick-off and 2020 game reveal

A world wide robotics game reveal celebration for the upcoming robotics competition season. FIRST announced the 202 game is infinite recharge. Teams on the Monterey Peninsula will have six weeks to get their robots ready for the regional competition March 25-28 at Seaside High School.

Updated: 6:24 PM PST Jan 4, 2020

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WORLD WIDE ROBOTICS GAME CELEBRATION FOR THE UPCOMING ROBOTICS COMPETITION SEASON. THIS YEAR'S GAME IS CALLED INFINITE RECHARGE. TO EXPLAIN... ACTION NEWS REPORTER ALANI LETANG HAS THE STORY. ### MICAELA HOUSE- MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL ROBODORES CO-CAPTIAN CLIP#0683 12:22:58 "IT'S HUGE EXCITEMENT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE...FOR THIS GAME REVEAL," ALONG WITH NEARLY A DOZEN OTHER MONTEREY PENINSULA TEAMS HAVE WAITED FOR THE WORLD WIDE GAME REVEAL.... AND KICK OFF TO THE GLOBAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION SEASON THIS YEAR...THE NON- PROFIT STEM PROGRAM.....FOR INSPIRATION AND RECOGNITION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ...OR FIRST ROBOTICS ANNOUCING THE STAR WARS THEME OF "INFINITE RECHARGE" AS THE GAME TO PLAY IN 2020. ROBIN COYNE-MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS INSTRUCTOR CLIP#0681 12:16:19 AND ONE OF THE COMPONETS OF THE GAME IS A GIANT SWINGING ARM THAT HAS 8 FOOT PIPE AND ROBOTS HAVE TO CLIMB AND ATTACH TO IT 12:16:29 THE GOAL IS TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE ROBOT ON EACH TEAM ATTACH TO IT AND LEVEL IT OUT AND SCORE POINTS TEAMS WILL BE CHALLENGED TO BUILD... DESIGN...AND PROGRAM ROBOTS IN SIX WEEKS FOR THE UPCOMING REGIONAL COMPETION IN MARCH MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL'S ROBOTICS TEAM ---THE ROBODORES ---HAS EVEN LESS TIME ROBIN COYNE-ROBOTICS INSTRUCTOR CLIP#0681 12:16:43 "BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN INVITED TO BEIJIN FOR AN INVITATION ONE OF THREE TEAMS FROM THE US THAT'S BEEN INVITED. SO WE HAVE TO BUILD SOONER AND SHIP OUR ROBOT TO CHINA." MICAELA HOUSE- MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL ROBODORES CO-CAPTAIN CLIP#0683 12:26:01 "IT'S A CULTURAL EXCHANGE MICAELA HOUSE- MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL ROBODORES CO-CAPTAIN CLIP#0683 12:26:01 "IT'S A CULTURAL EXCHANGE COMPETITION THAT'S REALLY WHAT ITS ABOUT EXCITED TO GET A GLIMPSE OF WHAT THEIR CULTURE IS LIKE AND SEEING HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER," WORKING AND LEARNING TOGETHER.. ..ROBODORES MEMBERS SAY..GOES BEYOND THE STEEL AND REMOTE CONTROLLERS MICAELA HOUSE-MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL ROBODORES CO-CAPTIAN CLIP#0683 12:24:10 "IT ENDS UP HELPING THE WORLD THROUGH TEACHING US WHAT IT MEANS TO WORK TOGETHER TO WORK ON THIS CHALLENGE, RIGHT. BUTT TO 12"23:39 IVE BECOME A LOT MORE COLLABORATIVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN MY SCHOO GROUPS AS A RESULT OF THIS TEAM," IN MONTEREY ...IM ALANI LETANG...KSBW ACTION NEWS EIGHT ... ## AFTER REGIONALS... THE WINNING ROBOTICS ALLIANCE WILL COMPET AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOUSTON IN APRIL. ###

FIRST robotics competition season kick-off and 2020 game reveal

A world wide robotics game reveal celebration for the upcoming robotics competition season. FIRST announced the 202 game is infinite recharge. Teams on the Monterey Peninsula will have six weeks to get their robots ready for the regional competition March 25-28 at Seaside High School.

Updated: 6:24 PM PST Jan 4, 2020

A world wide robotics game reveal celebration for the upcoming robotics competition season. FIRST announced the 202 game is infinite recharge. Teams on the Monterey Peninsula will have six weeks to get their robots ready for the regional competition March 25-28 at Seaside High School.

A world wide robotics game reveal celebration for the upcoming robotics competition season. FIRST announced the 202 game is infinite recharge. Teams on the Monterey Peninsula will have six weeks to get their robots ready for the regional competition March 25-28 at Seaside High School.

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FIRST robotics competition season kick-off and 2020 game reveal - KSBW Monterey

OptiPro uses New Scale Robotics system to inspect small parts – Robotics and Automation News

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OptiPro Metrology Lab is using a system supplied by New Scale Robotics to inspect small parts. (See video below.)

The optics manufacturer is using New Scales Q-Span technology, based on its precision gripper / caliper, to automate measurement and machine tending.

The optics measuring solution involves a collaborative robot from Universal Robots and end effectors developed by New Scale.

The gripper not only picks up and moves the part, but it also makes a preliminary measure of the part.

Part handling can be an issue when using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) to inspect small parts.

New Scale Robotics says its solution not only solves the part handling issue, but adds the significant additional new benefit of providing in-line measurement to improve CMM throughput.

In this case study with OptiPro Systems, New Scales precision gripper / caliper tool is installed on a UR3e cobot, and paired with a Zeiss O-Inspect CMM system.

Several different types of parts within a family of optics are to be inspected. The robot gripper / caliper has the following features:

The Zeiss CMM uses the measurement information to identify the part type and determine which measurement procedure to perform.

After measuring the part, the CMM relays information back to the robot indicating whether the part is good or bad. The robot sorts the parts accordingly when placing them in the output trays.

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OptiPro uses New Scale Robotics system to inspect small parts - Robotics and Automation News

AI and robotics execs look back tech trends of 2019 – Robot Report

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AI and robotics are increasingly working together. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots

As 2019 winds down, every news media and technology site is pausing to reflect on the biggest trends of the past year. Some aspects of robotics and artificial intelligence are advancing rapidly; others, not so much. What should AI and robotics developers recall as they prepare for a new year?

The Robot Reportspoke with the following leaders at AI and robotics companies about their observations from the past year:

In your opinion, what was the biggest news in AI and robotics in 2019?

Visti: The biggest news in robotics this past year is a combination of two big stories the introduction of autonomous mobile robots for higher-payload materials, as well as the ability for these AMRs, and even those focused on lighter payloads, to benefit from advancements in artificial intelligence.

Innovative AI capabilities drive improved efficiency in both path planning and environmental interaction. Instead of reacting the same way to all obstacles, mobile robots can learn as they go. For example, they can distinguish between human workers and a forklift and adapt their driving patterns accordingly.

AI also enables AMRs to avoid high-traffic areas during specific times, such as when goods are regularly delivered and transferred by fork truck or when crowds of workers are present, such as during breaks or shift changes. Well definitely see the benefits of combining AI and robotics in the months and years ahead.

Versace: One of the biggest trends in 2019 has been organizations taking AI beyond the hype and actually applying it to real-world use cases. The past few years have seen a lot of buzz around the technology, but we need to cut through the noise and develop AI that can actually be implemented across industries.

Take the retail/grocery industry as an example. These companies were among the first to adopt AI and deploy robots at scale. Companies like Badger Technologiesare leaders in working with AI companies to deliver robots that retainers can deploy in supermarkets across the country.

These robots help with taskssuch as inventory management, increasing store safety, and elevating the customer experience. Weve seen more and more examples of companies approaching AI with these real-world applications in mind.

What technologies and techniques have improved the most lately, and which capabilities do you still want to see?

Versace: Weve seen progress when it comes to implementing new approaches to deep neural networks (DNNs). People may not realize that there are actually several approaches to DNNs think of them as different shades of neural networks that fall along a spectrum. The one you choose can make the difference between a failed experiment and a successful deployment.

Emerging approaches such as Lifelong-DNN (L-DNN) are moving the industry toward new, more brain-inspired approaches that are able to add new information to AI algorithms on the fly. This means that rather than starting from scratch each time you want to improve the network, you can continue to train it incrementally as you see its strengths and short fallings when deployed in the field.

While many people think thats how all AI works, it has actually been a real challenge in the industry to develop methodologies that support ongoing learning without complete retraining. Even more importantly for robotics, L-DNN moves learning to the compute edge. No server required. This means that the need to ping a server for training disappears.

Source: Neurala

In terms of what capabilities Id like to see, Im interested in platforms doing the work to connect the technology to the use case. Were seeing a lot of general-purpose solutions, but specificity is a strength in AI, and Im looking at technology that is easy to customize taking the lead this year.

Jha: There were continued improvements in large-scale machine learning (in particular deep learning), better understanding and generation of languages for much better conversational interfaces, and more accuracy in machine vision to provide better robotic perception. All of this has allowed robots to come out of cages and interact more readily with humans to solve complex problems.

In parallel, we also had a much stronger realization that ethics/bias/trust in AI needs to be center stage and not be an afterthought for developers and researchers. As AI makes more and more decisions in our everyday lives, we need to ensure that these decisions are fair and can be trusted.

Whats the most persistent misperception of AI and robotics that you encounter?

Versace: One of the biggest misconceptions about AI and robotics is that once AI is deployed, you never have to touch it again. In fact, because systems and processes are always changing, the opposite is true.

Instead, organizations need to shift their mentality to look beyond today in order to be successful. AI is continuously being challenged by emerging use cases or changing conditions, so robotics companies need to be designing AI that is able to adapt to new real-world scenarios, as they are encountered in real time, as opposed to building a solution and assuming it will work for eternity.

Jha: People continue to feel more threatened by AI and robotics than any other technology. While some of this is understandable due to the wide applications and somewhat opaque nature of the technology, a lot of this is driven by what people may have seen on screen or read in stories [that] is very different than what is the current reality.

We are nowhere near designing a machine that can think on its own and understand/display emotions to seek destruction of human beings. Most AI-based systems are trained to perform a handful of tasks efficiently and learn from the data that is fed to them. They are very good at processing vast amounts of data and drawing lots of conclusions to pick the best options, and in this limited domain, they are often better than humans.

But this doesnt make them more powerful than the humans who decide in which domains to use the machine or what datasets they would have access to. As with any other technology, we still have to be careful to ensure that robots and AI are not exploited by malicious people.

Related content: The robotics sector in 2020 and beyond: Predictions from industry gurus

What was your biggest success in 2019?

Visti: MiRs biggest success was our booming international growth, as we see more of the worlds largest companies invest in our robots for multiple sites. To accommodate this growth, weve opened larger offices throughout the world, including a new collaborative automation center in Barcelona with Universal Robots and a much larger U.S. headquarters in New York.

Teradynes industrial automation strategy makes it a strong partner for us. [Editors note: North Reading, Mass.-based Teradyne owns MiR, Universal Robots, Energid, and AutoGuide Mobile Robots.] It has the experience, capital, and power to help bring more advanced automation to companies of all sizes to make the workplace more productive, safer, and able to produce higher-quality products. While we continue to run very independently, we definitely take advantage of their expertise, and it continues to pay off for both companies.

Note: These experts will look ahead to AI and robotics in 2020 in another article to be posted soon.

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AI and robotics execs look back tech trends of 2019 - Robot Report