Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
Elon Musk: AI “Potentially More Dangerous Than Nukes”
August 4th, 2014Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom Via: ExtremeTech: Elon Musk, the mastermind behind SpaceX and Tesla, believes that artificial intelligence is “potentially more dangerous than nukes,” imploring all of humankind “to be super careful with AI,” unless we want the ultimate fate of humanity to closely resemble Judgment Day from Terminator. Personally I think […]
UK to Allow Driverless Cars on Public Roads in January
July 30th, 2014Via: BBC: The UK government has announced that driverless cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year. It also invited cities to compete to host one of three trials of the tech, which would start at the same time. In addition, ministers ordered a review of the UK’s road regulations to provide […]
Robot with Broken Leg Learns to Walk Again in 2 Minutes
July 30th, 2014Via: Medium: When animals lose a limb, they learn to hobble remarkably quickly. And yet when robots damage a leg, they become completely incapacitated. That’s not so much of a problem for robots that are confined to factories where help is always on hand. But robots have been evolving rapidly and are now on the […]
JIBO “Family Robot”
July 25th, 2014Via: My Jibo:
2009: Robots Evolve to Deceive One Another
July 16th, 2014Via: Science Blogs: In a Swiss laboratory, a group of ten robots is competing for food. Prowling around a small arena, the machines are part of an innovative study looking at the evolution of communication, from engineers Sara Mitri and Dario Floreano and evolutionary biologist Laurent Keller. They programmed robots with the task of finding […]
Apple’s New iPhone, Made in China—By Robots
July 14th, 2014Via: Fiscal Times: The worst kept secret of Apple and its Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn isn’t their poor labor conditions. It isn’t even the fact that they use robots to help bring together all the pieces that make up an iPhone. It’s that their robots are now performing more and more human-like functions. In the past, […]
U.S. Marines Test Robotic Mule at RIMPAC, Hawaii
July 14th, 2014That thing is loud. Pretty effective for announcing their presence. Via: BBC: US marines have tested a new robotic mule at the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise in Hawaii. The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is operated by a sensor strapped to a human foot. Military footage shows Lance Corporal Brandon Dieckmann fitting the […]
Foxconn May Replace ‘iPhone 6’ Assembly Line Workers with ‘Foxbot’ Robots
July 7th, 2014Via: Apple Insider: During a recent shareholder meeting, president and CEO of Apple partner manufacturer Foxconn said his company plans to roll out robots on assembly lines responsible for products like the iPhone, possibly in time for production of the so-called “iPhone 6.”
These Bricks Are Like Lego for Full-Sized Buildings
July 5th, 2014Via: Wired: A company called Kite Bricks is out to disrupt the construction business starting with the humble brick. Kite Bricks has developed “Smart Bricks” (S-Bricks) made out of high-strength concrete that can be used to make buildings rapidly, cheaply and energy efficiently. The bricks — which are patent pending — are much like Lego […]
McDonald’s Testing Order-Ahead and Payments App
June 30th, 2014See: Seattle Hikes Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour: Cashiers and food service workers: You’re pretty much screwed. … Notice how companies in Seattle have between three and seven years to start paying the $15/hour rate? *wink* Will this be a ready-the-robots phase? I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what happens, […]
