Lifeboat Foundation

Pilot season has officially begun for the world of humanoid robotics. Last year, Amazon began testing Agility’s Digit robots in select fulfillment centers, while this January, Figure announced a deal with BMW. Now Apptronik is getting in on the action, courtesy of a partnership with Mercedes-Benz.

According to the Austin-based robotics startup, “as part of the agreement Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robotics in Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing.” Specific figures have not been disclosed, as is customary for these sorts of deals. Generally, the actual number of systems included in a pilot are fairly small — understandably so, given the early nature of the technology.

Even so, these deals are regarded as a win-win for both parties. Apptronik can demonstrate clear interest from a leading automotive name, while Mercedes signals to customers and shareholders alike that it’s looking to the future. What comes next is what really matters. Should the pilot go well, causing the carmaker to put in a big order, that would be a massive feather in Apptronik’s cap — and the industry at large.

Apple will soon add 12 new languages to the virtual keyboard on the Vision Pro, based on code discovered by MacRumors. Right now, the Apple Vision Pro keyboard only supports English (US) and Emoji, which makes sense as it is limited to the United States.

To bring the Vision Pro to new countries, Apple needs to add support for additional languages. The code indicates the following languages will be added:

New York startup itselectric hit an important milestone with its detachable Level 2 chargers, coming soon to Detroit and other cities.

Startups and tech giants are trying to move from chatbots that offer help via text, to AI agents that can get stuff done. Recent demos include an AI coder called Devin and agents that play videogames.

Hugging Face presents Unlocking the conversion of Web Screenshots into HTML Code with the WebSight Dataset.

Using vision-language models (VLMs) in web development presents a promising strategy to increase efficiency and unblock no-code solutions: by providing…

Join the discussion on this paper page.

Quiet-STaR

Language models can teach themselves to think before speaking.

When writing and talking, people sometimes pause to think.

Continue reading “Paper page — Quiet-STaR: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Think Before Speaking” »

In a picturesque corner of England, along dramatic sandstone cliffs, researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff have uncovered a wondrous discovery: 390-million-year-old fossilized remains of the oldest forest ever found.

Tantalizingly, this forest is unlike anything you could see in today’s natural environment. As detailed in a new paper in the Journal of Geological Study, the trees — which look like giant 13-foot thistles — are considered some of the first to appear in our planet’s long history.

Another notable feature about these trees, known as Calamophyton, is that they had hollow trunks and were composed of smaller, multiple trunk-like strands ringing the hollow. The smaller trees would expand and eventually grow so thick and big that the entire structure would split apart.

Removing ‘noise’ from atomic motion enables scientists to observe electron movement in real time, leading to new interpretations of previous results.

Measles outbreaks are growing globally.

Seven additional states have reported measles cases since the CDC issued an emergency warning at the end of January.