Daily Archives: September 6, 2021

Ten Seconds Of Doing Nothing Is Reasonably Suspicious, Says The Fifth Circuit Appeals Court – Techdirt

Posted: September 6, 2021 at 3:07 pm

from the can't-make-crime-fighting-omelettes-without-breaking-a-few-Constitutional-eg dept

How much does it take to establish reasonable suspicion needed to subject a person to an at least temporary removal of most of their rights? Not much, says the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court, which appears willing to keep poking the SCOTUS bear with its mind-boggling interpretations of Constitutional rights and the power of law enforcement to bypass them.

This recent decision, highlighted by defense lawyer/"Constitutional cultist" Andrew Fleischman, says all cops need are a few seconds of observation and some vague assertions about criminal activity in the general area.

Here's the setup, as presented by the Fifth Circuit [PDF]:

Otha Ray Flowers, convicted of a federal gun violation, appeals the denial of his motion to suppress evidence as a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. The questions on appeal are whether Flowers and Jeremy Mayo were seized when five or six patrol cars parked behind and around Mayos Cadillac with their patrol lights flashing, and if they were seized, whether Officer Stanton had reasonable suspicion to conduct a Terry stop.

Some cops were doing some cop stuff in the area. According to the facts on record, the officers were "looking for suspicious behavior," a supposedly "proactive" effort in an allegedly high-crime area that is meant to deter criminal acts by, apparently, rolling up en masse on anyone viewed as suspicious by these Direct Action Response Team (yes, that spells DART) officers.

Flowers and Mayo were sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store. The officers were in the area because their supervisor had directed them to patrol near there because of "recent violent crimes and burglaries." This sounds suspiciously like "predictive policing," which sends cops to where crimes have been committed under the assumption that lightning strikes twice/people are less white. The Jackson, Mississippi panopticon works, I guess. But only on the assumption that people living, working, or temporarily idling a vehicle in a high-crime area have fewer rights than those fortunate enough to be elsewhere.

So, what were these two "suspects" doing that raised enough suspicion a stop involving five police cars and six officers was warranted? Failing to do anything other than sit in a car for less time than it takes to read the previous two paragraphs:

As Officer Stanton was turning from Capitol Street onto Road of Remembrance, he saw a silver Cadillac parked in the south end of a small parking lot connected to an open convenience store. It was dark outside, but Officer Stanton observed that the vehicle was occupied by two men, one in the drivers seat and one in the passengers seat. Officer Stanton observed the vehicle for approximately 10 to 15 seconds and noticed the occupants didnt appear to be exiting the vehicle, [and] didnt appear to be patronizing the establishment. Therefore, he decided to conduct what he characterized as a field interview.

Apparently, even non-movements can be furtive. The response to this momentarily-observed lack of activity was a literal swarm of police officers.

Officer Stanton testified that at this point, he and five to six other officers, all in separate patrol cars, converged upon the silver vehicle with their blue lights activated. The parking lot in front of the store was narrow, with very little space or room to maneuver. Officer Stanton later acknowledged that it would have been impossible for the silver vehicle to leave the parking lot because of the way the officers parked their cars around it.

Behold the majestic absurdity of the following assertion:

Officer Stanton got out of his patrol car and approached the silver vehicle, as did other officers. He testified that the men in the vehicle were still free to leave at this point in the encounter, but he did not communicate that to them.

Who amongst us with five or six police cars surrounding our car would feel "free to leave," whether or not that option was communicated to us by one of the six surrounding the car? No one. Not a goddamn person would feel this encounter was still voluntary.

At least the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court said it was a seizure under the Fourth Amendment. Pretending it was still consensual was a step too far for even this notoriously law enforcement-friendly circuit. But the very least a court should do when presented with this kind of assertion is to apprise officers that literally no one -- not even the officer making this sworn statement -- actually believes this kind of "interaction" is consensual.

The end result was the discovery of some marijuana, a gun, and an outstanding warrant. This led to felony charges. And the Fifth Circuit is fine with this outcome because, hey, don't sit in a car in a high crime area, I guess.

It bears repeating that apart from the presence of a number of police cars, the tenor of Officer Stantons encounter with Flowers was entirely benign until Stanton smelled marijuana. He conducted no physical frisk of Flowerss person but simply approached the Cadillac to ask some questions. If this course of conduct is constitutionally impermissible, then it is difficult to see how any active policing can take place in communities endangered and impoverished by high crime rates.

That's the takeaway from this decision. Cops can wander over Constitutional lines as long as a court is willing to grant their "high crime area" assertions credibility. There's no legal definition of "high crime," so it can be whatever cops want it to be. And when they assert this in front of judges prone to grant every benefit of a doubt to fellow government employees, it will work nearly every time.

Flow our proxy tears, the court advocating on behalf of the policeman said:

Officers in such areas may well require safety in numbers, while the law-abiding citizens desperately need protection that will be denied if law enforcement officials believe that incriminating evidence will be suppressed or they will be sued for alleged violations of rights.

If the cops can't roll over rights to fight crime, how can they possibly fight crime? That's the question the Fifth Circuit is asking. And it should have an answer that says cops can't disregard rights just because they're patrolling areas where criminal activity is claimed to be "higher" than theoretical areas where it's apparently lower. But instead, the Appeals Court gives us this:

Under the circumstances of this case and viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the Government, assuming arguendo that these individuals were seized, there was reasonable suspicion to do so. We AFFIRM.

And that is that. The court has basically written a permission slip for stops based on nothing more than a few seconds of observation backed by officers' assertions that criminal activity has occurred nearby at some point in the past. Looking past the legalese, the Appeals Court is telling people their rights mean less if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the "wrong time" being a few seconds of non-movement while observed by officers trained to view literally anything as suspicious.

If there's any saving grace to this published decision, it's the dissent, which casts a whole lot of shade on the majority's conclusions while taking a shot at the overreacting cops.

As for the dawdling of approximately ten to fifteen seconds, the men could have been finishing a conversation, responding to text messages, watching with curiosity as a six-car police caravan passed, or engaging in other reasonable behavior that explains the delay. The facts in this case simply do not support an officers reasonable suspicion.

That should have been the majority's conclusion. Instead, it chose once again to elevate police officers over the policed, and ensured the poorest of the police can be treated the worst without officers feeling they might be held accountable in a court of law for the rights violations they've committed.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyones attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise and every little bit helps. Thank you.

The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: 4th amendment, 5th circuit, high crime areas, jeremy mayo, otha ray flowers, police, predictive policing, searches, suspicion

More:
Ten Seconds Of Doing Nothing Is Reasonably Suspicious, Says The Fifth Circuit Appeals Court - Techdirt

Posted in Fourth Amendment | Comments Off on Ten Seconds Of Doing Nothing Is Reasonably Suspicious, Says The Fifth Circuit Appeals Court – Techdirt

While the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is over, the war on terror has become its own Forever War. – Monterey County Weekly

Posted: at 3:06 pm

It ended in chaos, Americas almost-20-year disaster in Afghanistan. But is the war on terror itself over? Apparently not. Remember when, in May 2003, President George W. Bush declared Mission accomplished as he spoke proudly of his invasion of Iraq? Three months later, Attorney General John Ashcroft proclaimed, We are winning the war on terror.

Now, nearly 20 years after the 9/11 attacks, Joe Biden the fourth war-on-terror president is bringing the most obvious aspects of that war to a close, no matter the consequences. It is time to end the Forever War, he said.

Eighteen years after the invasion of Iraq, a shifting definition of the role of the 2,500 or so U.S. troops still stationed there is also underway. Instead of more combat missions, the American role will now be logistics and advisory support.

Putting a fine point on both the Afghan withdrawal and the Iraqi change of direction, many in Congress have acknowledged the need to remove the authorizations passed long ago for those forever wars. In June, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Force (AUMF) in Iraq that paved the way for that invasion.

The removal of that 2002 law remains painfully overdue. Plans are also now on the table for the repeal of the even more impactful 2001 AUMF, in which no enemy was actually named, passed by Congress one week after 9/11. Like the Iraq War authorization, its use has been expanded in ways well beyond its original intent namely, the rooting out of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Under the 2001 AUMFs auspices, in the last nearly two decades, the U.S. has conducted military operations in ever more countries across the Middle East and Africa.

Traditionally, when a war ends, theres a resolution, perhaps codified in a treaty or an agreement of some sort acknowledging victory or defeat, and a nod to the peace that will follow. Not so with this war.

However unsuccessful, the war on terror is likely to continue. The only difference: It wont be called a war anymore. Instead, there will be a variety of militarized counterterrorism efforts around the globe. With or without the moniker of war, the U.S. remains at war in numerous places, for instance recently launching airstrikes on Somalia to counter the terrorist group al-Shabaab.

Domestically, theres a similarly disturbing persistence when it comes to the war on terror look at the Patriot Act of 2001 that downgraded Fourth Amendment protections, enabling law enforcement to conduct mass warrantless surveillance on Americans. While some of its authorities were eliminated, some were maintained with the Freedom Act of 2015.

The future of such powers and policies at home and abroad is now in a strange kind of limbo. At present, it looks as if those forever wars have created a new form of forever law, forever policy, forever power and a forever-changed America.

More here:
While the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is over, the war on terror has become its own Forever War. - Monterey County Weekly

Posted in Fourth Amendment | Comments Off on While the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is over, the war on terror has become its own Forever War. – Monterey County Weekly

Global Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Industrial Automation Market Growth Opportunities – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

Posted: at 3:05 pm

DUBLIN, September 06, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Growth Opportunities in Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Industrial Automation" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Advanced Manufacturing report covers global innovations and developments related to manufacturing and industrial automation on a monthly basis. Innovations are focused toward improving product traceability, energy efficiency and reducing environmental footprints, integrating product design and manufacturing aspects for reducing time-to-market.

Research focus areas include rapid prototyping (additive manufacturing), light-weighting (multi-material joining, plastics and metals manufacturing, carbon fiber-based composite manufacturing), smart robotics (agile robots, consumer robots, swarm robotics, cobots), monitoring and control (wireless control networks, human machine interface), and simulation and modeling (design and simulation software).

The Advanced Manufacturing and Automation (AMA) Cluster covers technologies that enable clean, lean and flexible manufacturing and industrial automation. Technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) printing, wireless sensors and networks, information and communication technology, multimaterial joining, composites manufacturing, digital manufacturing, micro- and nano-manufacturing, lasers, advanced software, and printing techniques, are covered as part of this cluster.

The technologies covered here impact a wide range of industries, such as the impact semiconductor, automotive and transportation, aerospace and defense, industrial, healthcare, logistics, and electronics industries.

Key Topics Covered:

Innovations in Advanced Manufacturing

Robotic Piece Picking Solution for Order Fulfillment

Righthand's Value Proposition is Simplified Picking Solution Scalable Across Various Industrial Workflows

Righthand Robotics-Investor Dashboard

Lithography-Based Additive Manufacturing Technology

Incus' Value Proposition is High Quality Prototypes That Complement MIM Workflow

Incus-Investor Dashboard

Novel Chemical Vapor Deposition Technology for Compound Semiconductors

Epiluvac's Value Proposition is High Uniformity and High Quality Epitaxial Growth of WBG Crystals

Epiluvac-Investor Dashboard

Ai-Powered Robotic Solutions for the Restaurant Industry

Robotic Solutions Are Expected to Improve Workflow Efficiency in the Food Industry

Miso Robotics-Investor Dashboard

High-Speed Pick and Place Robot

Sidebot is a Deltarobot With Improved Speed for Large Volume Pick and Place Applications

Wyzo-Investor Dashboard

Low-Temperature Waste Heat Recovery for Sustainable Manufacturing

The Solution Uses Low-Grade Heat Generated from Applications and Uses It for Continuous Operations

Electratherm-Investor Dashboard

Modularizing and Accelerating Automation

Bright Machines' Automation Solutions Provide Modularity and Customizability

Bright Machines - Investor Dashboard

3D Printed Wooden Objects

Desktop Metal's Additive Wood Manufacturing Provides New Way of Upcycling Wood Byproducts

Desktop Metal - Investor Dashboard

DIY 3D Printing Kit Enables Large-Scale Production for Non-Commercial Printers

DIY Printing Kit and Automated Printers Provide Opportunity for Efficient 3D Printing Production

3Dque - Investor Dashboard

Full Color 3D Printing Provides Creativity for Small Businesses

Shapeways' Process Provides 3D Printed Parts in Full Color

Shapeways-Investor Dashboard

Industry Contacts

Story continues

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

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210906005043/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

View original post here:

Global Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Industrial Automation Market Growth Opportunities - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on Global Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Sustainable Manufacturing, and Industrial Automation Market Growth Opportunities – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

New IDTechEx Report Outlines the Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry – PRNewswire

Posted: at 3:05 pm

BOSTON, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IDTechEx has recently released "Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032", a market research report exploring the technical and market factors that are shaping the emerging industry around agricultural robotics. The agricultural robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and may be set to help alleviate some of the labor issues that are currently threatening global agriculture.

Agricultural robotics, as covered in the new IDTechEx report, can be used to automate a range of agricultural tasks, including weeding, seeding, and harvesting of fresh fruit. Some applications of agricultural robotics, including robotic milking, are already developed industries attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, whereas others, such as fully autonomous tractors, are still emerging and may only reach full commercialization by the end of the decade.

IDTechEx's latest report, "Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032", examines the key application areas within the industry. These include robotic weeding, robotic seeding, autonomous tractors, autonomous implement carriers and platform robots, robotic fresh fruit and vegetable harvesting, agricultural drones, and robotic milking. The report highlights companies within each application area working to commercialize products, including analysis of technology readiness and comparisons between products.

In addition to analyzing the key application areas within agricultural robots, IDTechEx also discusses the emerging technologies that are underpinning the growth of the agricultural robotics industry. These include positioning technologies such as RTK-GPS and LiDAR, artificial intelligence, imaging technologies such as hyperspectral imaging, soft gripper and end effector technology, and precision spraying technologies.

The report also includes a discussion of business models within the agricultural robotics industry, such as the advantages and challenges around pursuing a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model, as well as some of the market challenges facing the industry, such as regulations, issues around data ownership, and establishing trust with farmers. 10-year market forecasts are provided for the future of the agricultural robotics industry, including breakdowns by region and by application area. Based on IDTechEx's technical and industry analysis, the agricultural robotics market size is forecast to reach $6.7 billion by 2032.

To find out more about IDTechEx's technical and commercial analysis of the agricultural robotics industry, please visit http://www.IDTechEx.com/Agri. For the full portfolio of Food & AgTech research from IDTechEx please visit http://www.IDTechEx.com/research/AgTech.

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [emailprotected]or visit http://www.IDTechEx.com.

Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lrygt4esx9hzsuy/AABAzshHHg9S4e3y3UW8Xw5Da?dl=0

Media Contact:

Natalie MoretonDigital Marketing Manager[emailprotected]+44(0)1223 812300

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IDTechExLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/idtechex/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IDTechExResearch

SOURCE IDTechEx Ltd

IDTechEx.com

Read the original:

New IDTechEx Report Outlines the Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry - PRNewswire

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on New IDTechEx Report Outlines the Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry – PRNewswire

IDTechEx Report Outlines Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry – IDTechEx.com

Posted: at 3:05 pm

IDTechEx has recently released "Agricultural Robotics Market 2022-2032", a market research report exploring the technical and market factors that are shaping the emerging industry around agricultural robotics. The agricultural robotics industry has grown quickly in recent years, spurred on by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and may be set to help alleviate some of the labor issues that are currently threatening global agriculture.

Agricultural robotics, as covered in the new IDTechEx report, can be used to automate a range of agricultural tasks, including weeding, seeding, and harvesting of fresh fruit. Some applications of agricultural robotics, including robotic milking, are already developed industries attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, whereas others, such as fully autonomous tractors, are still emerging and may only reach full commercialization by the end of the decade.

The report also includes a discussion of business models within the agricultural robotics industry, such as the advantages and challenges around pursuing a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model, as well as some of the market challenges facing the industry, such as regulations, issues around data ownership, and establishing trust with farmers. 10-year market forecasts are provided for the future of the agricultural robotics industry, including breakdowns by region and by application area. Based on IDTechEx's technical and industry analysis, the agricultural robotics market size is forecast to reach $6.7 billion by 2032.

View original post here:

IDTechEx Report Outlines Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry - IDTechEx.com

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on IDTechEx Report Outlines Future of the Agricultural Robotics Industry – IDTechEx.com

Students work together learning robotics at nonprofit center – Goshen News

Posted: at 3:05 pm

ELKHART (AP) You could say Killian Townsend is inquisitive.

I remember when, I was like in the third or fourth grade, that I dragged this big tube TV from down the road into my room and tore it apart, the Elkhart High School freshman said.

Likewise, Weston Markham, a 16-year-old student at Northwood High School, said he loved playing with Legos as a kid and has enjoyed building things for as long as he can remember.

Eventually, Killian and Weston found their way to E3 Robotics Center, a nonprofit program that trains students in kindergarten through grade 12 in the STEM-related disciplines of robotics and code writing.

Brian Boehler, president and executive director, said the overarching goal of E3, which is funded through grants, corporations and private donors, is simply to get students of all grade levels involved in STEM.

For kindergartners and their siblings or neighbors in elementary school, that involves doing activities with Lego blocks.

The program starts at youngest levels with Duplo Lego and standard Lego, where kids are working at problem solving through engineering building challenges, and they are then tasked to come up with solutions in small groups, Boehler said.

The activities become more complex as the students get older.

Older elementary school kids work with Legos that include motors and sensors.

These Legos are different than the ones you had growing up, Boehler said. They can make their creations interact and move based on the world around them using these sensors and motors.

The older students like Killian and Weston work together to make robots that can perform tasks.

For example, last year, Westons team made a robot they programmed to drive around a field and gobble up rubber balls.

The head part has a roller at the very front that will spin and bring balls into it, he said. The entire head can lift and if we run the roller the other direction, it can spit the balls out.

The robot seems to move and perform each task as if by magic. But it is not magic. Instead, team members have planned every aspect of the robots mission. Some team members wrote computer programs to instruct the robot. Other built the robot. But all had to work together.

So, while many people focus on hard skills like computer programming, the students also have to master skills like communication, working in groups and knowing how to organize tasks, Boehler said.

You mix these things all together because some kids will know how to do different things, Weston said.

Killian agrees, noting he worked as one of the programmers for his team.

Our main programmer did mostly autonomous stuff, which is where the robot does things on his own, and I mostly did the manual part where the drivers control it (usually with a joystick), Killian said.

Boehler has a deep history with robotics in Elkhart and with the E3 Robotics program. He was a member of the states first Lego League team when he was a student at Mary Feeser Elementary School.

He graduated from Memorial and then attended Ball State University, where he majored in urban planning and development.

Unfortunately, I graduated in the middle of a recession, so not a lot of cities wanted to redesign or rebuild, Boehler said.

It was around that time that the Elkhart schools asked Boehler to help set up the systems robotics program. At that time he worked for another nonprofit STEM program in Elkhart County called the ETHOS Innovation Center. There, he helped to develop the districts STEM and robotics curriculum and soon, other schools, and homeschoolers came on board.

In 2012, Boehler and co-director Brent Soper founded E3.

Boehler said there is enough interest in robotics and STEM in the area to accommodate more than one program.

We really havent seen a cap yet on (the number of students) that robotics is able to get, he said.

The E3 program had more than 120 students prior to the beginning of the pandemic and even managed to work with about 60 students last year. Boehler hopes to build the numbers back up this year.

Robotics programs statewide have grown as students and parents see the benefits of learning STEM skills such as programming, as well as the soft skills like communication, planning and team building that employers crave, said Chris Osborne, vice president of operations of First Indiana Robotics, which is the nonprofit that works with and oversees robotics programs in the state.

Osborne noted there were 900 students from 42 high schools taking part in the First Robotics Competition in 2012. That number grew to 58 teams and about 1,600 students intending to participate in 2020.

The First Tech Challenge, which is for students in grades seven through 12 and the First Lego League, which is an introductory program for elementary school students, saw similar growth, Osborne said.

Weston, meanwhile, said he believes he has benefited from being in the program.

If I were not in the program, I never would have learned the hard skills, he said, but secondly I would have not learned all the ways to communicate and plan things.

Source: South Bend Tribune

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

Visit link:

Students work together learning robotics at nonprofit center - Goshen News

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on Students work together learning robotics at nonprofit center – Goshen News

Russia’s new space station to use AI, robots – The Tribune

Posted: at 3:05 pm

Moscow, September 6

Russia's new space station will operate autonomously to a large extent, using artificial intelligence as well as include extravehicular robots, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin has said.

"The system itself, the station itself with artificial intelligence elements should demonstrate intelligence of the highest level," the Roscosmos chief was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

He added that robotics should be used aboard Russia's new orbital station.

The new orbital outpost in conjunction with the Zeus nuclear-powered space tug can serve as a prototype for future systems of lengthy inter-planetary flights, he said.

Rogozin said the agency aims to develop the new space station with a higher efficiency factor than that of the current International Space Station (ISS).

In April, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that the condition of the ISS left much to be desired and Russia might focus on creating its own orbital outpost.

"We want to make a station whose efficiency factor will be several orders of magnitude higher than that of the ISS," Rogozin said on the YouTube channel Soloviov Live.

Rogozin also noted that Roscosmos will start deploying the new Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) in five-six years.

"We are planning to start deploying this station somewhere in five-six years," he said.

"This will be a completely new generation of orbital modules. The new station will feature open architecture and similar modules will replace each other when they use up their service life," Rogozin added. IANS

See the original post here:

Russia's new space station to use AI, robots - The Tribune

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on Russia’s new space station to use AI, robots – The Tribune

How are robots doing in greenhouse horticulture? – Innovation Origins

Posted: at 3:05 pm

In October 2020, I wrote the following in my closing column on The Robots Are Coming:

[..] From the above, it seems that robots in horticulture are about much more than merely replacing a workforce that we currently do not have enough people for. Yes, robots will eventually take over part of this boring, repetitive work from humans. But the true value will rest with offering opportunities for new business models. For instance, data collected by robots that are already used in greenhouses for harvesting will have an important role to play in this!

The answer to the question How is the robot revolution changing our way of life? for horticulture will be that it offers opportunities that we cannot even imagine right now! What is clear, in the horticulture of the future people and robots (cobots) will work together more than ever [..]

Your weekly innovation overviewEvery sunday the best articles of the week in your inbox.

So how are those robots doing now a year later? In any event, you can see them popping up everywhere these days.

The report Strijd om agrarische robots barst los (Battle for agricultural robots erupts), published last year by the ABNAMRO Group, provides a large number of examples. This report is largely based on the use of robots in cattle breeding, arable farming and outdoor crops. Among the frontrunners is the company Lely, which is a global leader in the development of the milking robot. Meanwhile, they have also developed robots for various other parts of dairy farming.

We are mainly seeing systems for weeding in agriculture. H2L developed a sorting robot for tulip cultivation. Several robots are already being developed for fruit cultivation as well. A drone is used to pick apples and the company Bx recently showed a video on Linkedin of the robot dog Spot from Boston Dynamics walking through an apple orchard with a camera and sensors.

There is also a lot going on around this subject where greenhouse horticulture is concerned. Robots are being developed for picking tomatoes, various crop operations such as leaf pruning and pollination. Work is also being done on systems that can predict tomato) harvests and that can take measurements of crops. All these data and measurements are important for the grower to be able to manage their crop in the greenhouse as effectively as possible. A good number of companies are invested in this around the world. See, for example, the development map of greenhouse robotics.

Yet for the grower, it is not all that clear which robot they should buy. There is not yet one that is 100 %ready and can do all the work that people do. Still, it is essential that growers and tech developers start working together in order to take the final steps in developing a robot that can pick, count, detect and predict.

The World Horti Center in the Dutch city of Naaldwijk is organizing an event on November 24 and 25 on the theme of robotics and autonomous cultivation in greenhouse horticulture to help ensure that tech, horticulturalists and scientists can find each other. The themes Today and Tomorrow will be used to build and strengthen the ecosystem surrounding the development of horticultural robots. This will be done by presenting inspiring stories, examples from other sectors and by organizing matchmaking sessions between the various parties.

Would you like to be there? More information coming soon at: https://robocrops.tech/

About this column

In a weekly column, alternately written by Eveline van Zeeland, Eugene Franken, Helen Kardan, Katleen Gabriels, Carina Weijma, Bernd Maier-Leppla and Colinda de Beer,Innovation Origins tries to find out what the future will look like. These columnists, occasionally supplemented by guest bloggers, are all working on solutions in their own way on the problems of our time. So tomorrow will be good.Here are all the previous articles.

The rest is here:

How are robots doing in greenhouse horticulture? - Innovation Origins

Posted in Robotics | Comments Off on How are robots doing in greenhouse horticulture? – Innovation Origins

It Seems The World Is Against Elon Musk: Time To Defend Him? – InsideEVs

Posted: at 3:04 pm

This article comes to us courtesy ofEVANNEX, which makes and sells aftermarket Tesla accessories. The opinions expressed therein are not necessarily our own at InsideEVs, nor have we been paid byEVANNEXto publish these articles. We find the company's perspective as an aftermarket supplier of Tesla accessories interesting and are happy to share its content free of charge. Enjoy!

Posted onEVANNEX on September 06, 2021byMatt Pressman

Elon Musk has been a prime target, Public Enemy #1, facing off against Big Oil, Big Auto, and Big Aerospace. He lives in the crosshairs of the Mainstream Media, Short Sellers,and Twitter Trolls. Yet, regardless of the ongoing FUD, an army of supporters have attempted to fight back. Recentlyan award-winning author, Douglas Coupland, has joined the fray with abrilliant editorial inThe Guardian.

First, it's worth recognizing that whether or not you like Elon Musk, he's done a lot of good for the air we breathe. Coupland writes, "Musk pretty much single-handedly shamed and forced the global auto industry to accelerate the electric car rollout by seven to 10 years. Yet people kvetch, and it makes me wonder if there is something fundamentally flawed about our era that it is almost impossible to get people to say something nice about pretty much anyone else."

Andin an age of divisive politricks, Elon doesn't fit neatly into any box. "The left doesnt like him because he doesnt fund them or show interest in their causes. And the right doesnt like him because he messes around with the stock market and doesnt take classical capitalism seriously," writes Coupland.

"For example, he thinks short selling the stock market should be banned. Musk donates to Democrats and Republicans only because its the cost of having a voice in government. He seems to see left versus right as an obsolete binary and instead focuses his altruistic energies on ecology and invention," headds.

Fact: he's smarter than you, get over it. "Musk has a huge IQ. He is measurably, scientifically, clinically and demonstrably the smartest person in any room anywhere. He can tell you the square root of your Amex card number at a glance. He can tell you, I dont know the square root of zinc. He has mild Aspergers, which prevents him from snagging on details and talking himself out of trying new things. Hes a perfect storm,"says Coupland.

Okay... butisn't all that tweeting about crypto kinda sketchy? According to Coupland, "Cryptocurrency does seem to be the one topic where Musk genuinely enjoys messing with peoples minds as well as with stock market regulators. I suspect that he doesnt have a stand on crypto at all my guess is that he sees cryptocurrencies as being interesting simply because they exist at all, like Klein bottles or those Japanese Kit-Kats in flavors such as pumpkin or green tea."

In the end, does Elon Musk even care about all these haters? Perhaps he'stoo busy to care. Coupland concludes, "[Elon] isnt trying to save the world, only to make it better. Musk has created three multibillion-dollar companies in four profoundly difficult fields in which to create anything. And these companies are successful, usually without help from the people we once considered gatekeepers. Like lots of people who do lots of things, hes too busy for elaborate introspection."

===

Source:The Guardian

Visit link:

It Seems The World Is Against Elon Musk: Time To Defend Him? - InsideEVs

Posted in Elon Musk | Comments Off on It Seems The World Is Against Elon Musk: Time To Defend Him? – InsideEVs

Elon Musk goads Jeff Bezos on Twitter as their prolonged space spat escalates – GeekWire

Posted: at 3:04 pm

The rivalry between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has surfaced on Twitter. Again. (Musk Photo: TED via YouTube; Bezos Photo: GeekWire / Kevin Lisota)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has fired a fresh volley of tart tweets at Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the Blue Origin space venture, in the midst of a regulatory tussle over SpaceXs Starlink satellite constellation and Amazons competing Project Kuiper concept.

And this time, space lasers are involved.

The spark that lit Musks latest flame war came after SpaceX sought the Federal Communications Commissions approval to amend plans for sending up tens of thousands of Starlink satellites to provide global broadband service. The amendment would let SpaceX use its Starship mega-rocket, currently under development, to put its Gen2 satellites into an assortment of orbits.

In response, Amazon urged the FCC to turn back SpaceXs request, saying that the amendment proposes two mutually exclusive configurations for the Starlink constellation and leaves too many details unsettled. And in response to that, SpaceX told the FCC that Amazons filing was only the latest in its continuing efforts to slow down competition.

SpaceX also complained that Amazon was neglecting to resolve the FCCs concerns about Project Kuiper. The FCC gave conditional approval to Amazons plans more than a year ago provided that the Kuiper satellites didnt interfere with previously approved satellite systems, including Starlink. SpaceX noted that Amazon hasnt yet filed documents showing how it planned to avoid interference and ensure safe satellite operations.

More than 1,700 first-generation Starlink satellites have already been launched in accordance with previous FCC approvals, and the internet service is currently in expanded beta testing.

The Starlink spat comes amid the backdrop of legal protests that Bezos other big brainchild, Blue Origin, has filed against NASA for awarding a $2.9 billion lunar lander contract to SpaceX. Because of Blue Origins lawsuit, NASA and SpaceX have suspended work to adapt Starship as the landing system for a crewed mission to the moon, which is currently set for as early as 2024. (That date seems increasingly unlikely, however, and not just because of the lawsuit.)

In todays tweets, Musk touched on the FCC filings as well as the lunar lander dispute, referring to Bezos without mentioning him by name:

Musk also referred to Bezos last week in a Twitter exchange, although he misspelled the billionaires name:

Weve reached out to Amazon and to Blue Origin for any response, but its unlikely that Bezos himself will engage in return fire. The most recent posting to Bezos Twitter account is a year and a half old, and previoustaunts from Musk have failed to get a rise. Nowadays, Bezos prefers to post Instagram updates, one of which said nice things about SpaceX. (Musk swore off Instagram in 2018, but his old account endures as a fan site.)

Meanwhile, the FCC has just posted a new filingin which Amazon seeks the commissions go-ahead to test prototype antennas for Project Kuiper at its labs in Redmond, Wash.

This grant would serve the public interest by enabling Amazon to further enhance and validate the components of the Kuiper System, the company said.

No Kuiper satellites have been sent into orbit yet, but in April, Amazon struck a deal with United Launch Alliance for nine launches that would use ULAs Atlas V rockets.

Read the rest here:

Elon Musk goads Jeff Bezos on Twitter as their prolonged space spat escalates - GeekWire

Posted in Elon Musk | Comments Off on Elon Musk goads Jeff Bezos on Twitter as their prolonged space spat escalates – GeekWire