[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/technology-in-100-years.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlbMzpi571Qendofvid [starttext]Today Kurzweil is the first technical director of Google, he is engaged in the development of artificial intelligence. Recently, he proposed another round of predictions. For many people it may seem too optimistic, but let's remember that technology is progressing exponentially, not linearly. So, we present you a technological forecast for a hundred years, by the most respected futurist on the planet. [endtext]

TECHNOLOGY IN 100 YEARS

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/future-service-robots-using-haptic.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jHQSVR8QT0endofvid [starttext]Future service robots are expected to achieve high-quality task performance for everyday household chores. Some of the most frequent tasks in this domain are related to wiping of surfaces, such as vacuuming the floor, sweeping dust, or cleaning windows. However, the performance for these tasks is not directly observable as small dirt particles, dust, and residual water are hardly perceivable by means of computer vision. In this work we propose to utilize haptic perception paired with a qualitative effect representation to reason about the task performance of robotic wiping motions despite poor visual information. In particular, we relate the desired contact force to the measured end-effector force in order to simulate the effect of previously executed wiping motions. This way we are not just able to distinguish good from bad contact situations, but also replan recovery motions w.r.t. the effect-space to accomplish the commanded cleaning task subsequently. We evaluate our approach in a set of experiments with the robot Rollin' Justin. Daniel Leidner and Michael Beetz "Inferring the Effects of Wiping Motions based on Haptic Perception", in Proc. of the International Conference on Humanoid Robots (ICHR), Mexico, November 2016.
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Future service #robots using #Haptic Perception

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/wal-mart-secretly-tests-self-driving.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4QkyHapXSAendofvid [starttext]The autonomous cleaning robot dubbed Emma, an A.I. navigated system capable of operating floor care equipment on nightshifts, is able to clean the entire store front without human interaction.San Diego-based startup Brain Corp., works with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop novel machine learning algorithms that focus on taking jobs from middle class Americans. BrainOS is the company’s flagship product that enables robots to “perceive their environments, control motion, and navigate using visual cues and landmarks, while seeing and avoiding people and obstacles”.[endtext]

Wal-Mart Secretly Tests Self-Driving Floor-Scrubbers

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/us-navy-5600-mph-railgun.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UKk84wjBw0endofvid [starttext]The Electro-Magnetic Laboratory Rail Gun is a 32-megajoule electro-magnetic laboratory rail gun being evaluated by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department. The US Navy is pursuing development of the launcher system through two industry teams -- General Atomics and BAE Systems - to reduce risk in the program and to foster innovation in next-generation shipboard weapons. The same amount of energy is released by the detonation of 4.8 kg (11 lb) of C4. [endtext]

US NAVY 5600 mph RAILGUN

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/superships-launching-leviathan.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqnXI_UbJkkendofvid [starttext]The TI Class of supertankers are currently the four largest ships in the world (by displacement, deadweight tonnage ≈ cargo mass, and gross tonnage, a formula value based on internal volume, not mass). The class comprises the ships TI Africa, TI Asia, TI Europe and TI Oceania, where the "TI" refers to the VLCC Tanker Pool operator Tankers International L.L.C. The class were the first ULCCs (ultra-large crude carriers) to be built in 25 years.[2] Compared to the TI Class, the Maersk Triple E class container ships are longer and have a higher cargo volume, including above deck containers. The previous largest ship, the supertanker Seawise Giant, was scrapped in 2010. [endtext]

Superships - Launching a Leviathan

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/here-come-slaughterbots.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO6M2HsoIAendofvid [starttext]Killer robots are weapons systems that, once activated, would select and fire on targets without meaningful human control. They are variously termed fully autonomous weapons or lethal autonomous weapons systems. The concern is that low-cost sensors and rapid advances in artificial intelligence are making it increasingly possible to design weapons systems that would target and attack without further human intervention. If this trend towards autonomy continues, the fear is that humans will start to fade out of the decision-making loop, first retaining only a limited oversight role, and then no role at all. The US and others state that lethal autonomous weapon systems “do not exist” and do not encompass remotely piloted drones, precision-guided munitions, or defensive systems. Most existing weapons systems are overseen in real-time by a human operator and tend to be highly constrained in the tasks they are used for, the types of targets they attack, and the circumstances in which they are used. While the capabilities of future technology are uncertain, there are strong reasons to believe that fully autonomous weapons could never replicate the full range of inherently human characteristics necessary to comply with international humanitarian law’s fundamental rules of distinction and proportionality. Existing mechanisms for legal accountability are ill suited and inadequate to address the unlawful harm that fully autonomous weapons would be likely to cause. 
http://autonomousweapons.org/sample-page/
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Here come the #Slaughterbots!

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/ibc-2017-path-to-human-like-robot-meet.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiJvYQfzKn0endofvid [starttext]David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics, presents Sophia at the IBC conference in Amsterdam. Sophia is labelled as the world's most lifelike humanoid robot and the goal is to give her intelligence, social presence, skills to manipulate, walk, make emotional and social bond. Sophia shares the stage with her “brother” Einstein, a robot available now that wants to help children to learn. [endtext]

IBC 2017-Path to the Human Like Robot: Meet Sophia

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/child-robot-with-biomimetic-body.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYLm8iMY5ioendofvid [starttext]A platform for Cognitive-development Robotics built by JST ERATO Asada Project and Kokoro Co. Ltd. This is an award-winning video showcasing what the project is all about. [endtext]

Child-robot With Biomimetic Body

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-space-elevator-connecting-earth-to.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fASklODXNnwendofvid [starttext]Astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson explains on the program NOVA ScienceNow how a Space Elevator could be constructed. You will see that travel from earth to space is possible through a space elevator. This future technology will change our ways by which we go to space. You will also be able to travel to space via this space elevator technology just by buying a ticket to space. In this video explore the potential of carbon nanotubes, whose strength and unique properties make them useful for a variety of applications. See animations of how carbon atoms bond to one another in different ways to make diamond, graphite, buckyballs, and nanotubes, and observe one method that is being researched to form and assemble carbon nanotubes into a long ribbon. Consider how a seemingly impossible application, such as an elevator from the surface of Earth to space, is now theoretically possible given this revolutionary new building material. It costs about $500 million to take the space shuttle out for a spin. But what if there was another way to get to space? And what if that way were as easy and as cheap as riding an elevator? Well, some people think this kind of trip might be possible someday, thanks to something known as the Space Elevator, a 22,000-mile-long cable that could lift people and payloads straight to outer space.
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A Space Elevator Connecting Earth To Space Station

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/robot-david-drilling-and-hammering-into.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVdufPRK4NIendofvid [starttext]David (formerly Hand Arm System) is an anthropomorphic robot developed at DLR that features variable stiffness actuators (VSA) in all its joints. This demo shows David drilling into a block of concrete with a drill hammer. The built in VSA enhance Davids mechanical robustness against external impacts. This allows him to handle the impacts due to the drill hammering with relative ease. The drilling task shown requires both, precise positioning of the tool center point and vibration damping. [endtext] Bookmark and Share

Robot David Drilling and Hammering into Concrete

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/d3-assembly-with-sensitive-compliant.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpvr57GYDV4endofvid [starttext]Chapter 1: Introduction (0:00) Chapter 2: Work cell description & configuration (00:29) Chapter 3: Selection of the job (00:50) Chapter 4: Preparation step (01:09) Chapter 5: Riveting (01:44) Chapter 6: Error handling with automatic solution (02:17) Chapter 7: Finalise workflow (02:34) Chapter 8: Statement (03:09) Chapter 9: Outro (03:40) Chapter 10: The Consortium (03:54) [endtext] Bookmark and Share

D3 Assembly with sensitive compliant robot arms

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/robex-mond-analog-mission-sizilien-2017.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wXQf0b1bqQendofvid [starttext]In June and July 2017, the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics completed Robex tests on the volcano Etna in Sicily as part of the Helmholtz Alliance. This video shows part of the Moon-Analog Mission. As part of the experiment, the rover drives to the lunar lander and uses the robotic arm to release the seismic instrument from the screw connection. Then the seismic instrument is placed in a holding device on the rover and the rover moves to a predetermined point to deposit the seismometer there on the ground. Then the seismometer makes a measurement, is raised again and autonomously driven by the robot to another point of the traverse and dropped off there. [endtext] Bookmark and Share

ROBEX Mond-Analog-Mission Sizilien 2017

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/meteron-supvis-justin-first-intelligent.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfhDS7zSz-0endofvid [starttext]On August 25th 2017, ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli became the first human to collaborate with an intelligent service robot from space. During the METERON SUPVIS Justin Experiment, DLR humanoid robot Rollin’ Justin was instructed to service a simulated Martian solar farm on Earth. A tablet computer on board the International Space Station let the crew supervise the robot with abstract commands. Rollin’ Justin is capable of a wide variety of tasks, like to connect a data interface probe to the solar panels, inspect the system status, or perform updates. The intuitive user interface inspired Nespoli to train two more NASA Astronauts in flight. Jack Fisher was able to get up to speed with the system in a few minutes. With our scheduled crew time running out, Randy Bresnik still successfully performed an additional maintenance task. This two hour ISS crew session gave us our first insights into how astronauts can collaborate with remote robots as co-workers. The data we collected will serve as the baseline of our continuing endeavor to create better robot assistants for future space exploration. [endtext] Bookmark and Share

METERON SUPVIS Justin: The first intelligent robotic co-worker for astronauts

[postlink]https://radical-technology.blogspot.com/2017/11/rollin-justin-infers-effects-of-wiping.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jHQSVR8QT0endofvid [starttext]Future service robots are expected to achieve high-quality task performance for everyday household chores. Some of the most frequent tasks in this domain are related to wiping of surfaces, such as vacuuming the floor, sweeping dust, or cleaning windows. However, the performance for these tasks is not directly observable as small dirt particles, dust, and residual water are hardly perceivable by means of computer vision. In this work we propose to utilize haptic perception paired with a qualitative effect representation to reason about the task performance of robotic wiping motions despite poor visual information. In particular, we relate the desired contact force to the measured end-effector force in order to simulate the effect of previously executed wiping motions. This way we are not just able to distinguish good from bad contact situations, but also replan recovery motions w.r.t. the effect-space to accomplish the commanded cleaning task subsequently. We evaluate our approach in a set of experiments with the robot Rollin' Justin. Daniel Leidner and Michael Beetz "Inferring the Effects of Wiping Motions based on Haptic Perception", in Proc. of the International Conference on Humanoid Robots (ICHR), Mexico, November 2016. [endtext] Bookmark and Share

Rollin' Justin infers the Effects of Wiping Motions using Haptic Perception

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