Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
Robot Can Detect if People Are Wearing Masks
September 15th, 2020Via: Fox 5 NY: A human-like robot called Pepper can now detect whether people are wearing a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Pepper uses cameras to scan the faces of up to 5 people in a group, simultaneously, in order to check if they are wearing a mask. During the interaction, Pepper […]
Tesla Delays Release of Important Autopilot Rewrite
September 14th, 2020“As for the robotaxis zipping from one burbclave to another… Not happening anytime soon.” —Automakers Are Rethinking the Timetable for Fully Autonomous Cars Via: Electrek: At this point, we need a major asterisk next to the “1 million Robotaxi vehicles” claim. Related: Director of AI at Tesla on Self Driving Progress: We’re Hiring
The Air Force Just Tested “Robot Dogs” For Use In Base Security
September 8th, 2020Bonus: Another one for your Starlink Is Mainly for Rural Internet Access *wink* file folder. Via: The Warzone: They look like they were cast straight from an episode of Black Mirror, and eventually, their mission could be similar in some ways, but for now, robot dogs are stretching their legs in the big test exercise […]
Dozens More Mystery Drone Incursions Over U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Revealed
September 8th, 2020Via: Forbes: I recently described how a swarm of drones flew in a restricted area at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant on two successive nights last September. A new cache of documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) reveals how 24 nuclear sites suffered at least 57 drone incursions from 2015 to 2019 […]
Consumer Reports: Tesla’s Self Driving Features Are a Mess
September 6th, 2020Via: Consumer Reports: Most features within Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Capability suite worked inconsistently, including the Autopark self-parking system that has been around for several years. Sometimes it would recognize a parking space as suitable, and we’d park in it. But when we drove by the same space again later, it was as if the parking […]
Police Across Canada Are Using Predictive Policing Algorithms
September 1st, 2020Via: Vice: Police across Canada are increasingly using controversial algorithms to predict where crimes could occur, who might go missing, and to help them determine where they should patrol, despite fundamental human rights concerns, a new report has found. To Surveil and Predict: A Human Rights Analysis of Algorithmic Policing in Canada is the result […]
Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet Hits Milestone with FAA Clearance
August 31st, 2020Via: Bloomberg: The Federal Aviation Administration designated Amazon Prime Air an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year. Amazon and its competitors must still clear some imposing regulatory and […]
SpaceX Veterans Pass Milestone in Self-Flying Plane Race
August 26th, 2020Via: Bloomberg: Silicon Valley has been hard at work on the vexing challenge of autonomous cars. Now veterans of SpaceX and Tesla Inc. are announcing what they’ve been up to: a new startup working on self-flying planes for cargo. Reliable Robotics isn’t trying to invent a new kind of aircraft. The idea is to bring […]
Navy F/A-18 Squadron Commander’s Take On AI Repeatedly Beating Real Pilot In Dogfight
August 24th, 2020Via: Warzone: Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the stunning results of DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials, now hear what the skipper of a fighter squadron thinks.
Mexican Drug Cartel Attacks City with Consumer-Grade Drones Packed with C-4
August 22nd, 2020Via: Daily Mail: Mexico’s fastest growing cartel has allegedly deployed drones packed with C4 explosives as it battles against armed residents for control over a city. For over a year now, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has attempted to exert its influence on the western city of Tepalcatepec. However, a group of armed residents say […]
