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Tesla outlines plan for ‘Robotaxi’ ride-sharing service

Tesla CEO Elon Musk presented some new details on the Tesla Network’s Robotaxi ride-hailing service during the company’s Autonomy Day. Musk outlined his how much electric car owners can earn from the service, as well as how long vehicles can last operating as autonomous ride-sharing Robotaxis.

Musk started his presentation by reiterating Tesla’s Master Plan, which includes the deployment of the company’s Robotaxi program sometime in 2020 (pending regulatory approval, of course). Musk joked about Tesla’s delays in the rollout of Full Self-Driving features, though he did note that “we said we’re gonna do the Robotaxi, and we’re gonna do the Robotaxi.”

Tesla owners who wish to use their vehicles for the Tesla Network will be able to manage their electric cars through their smartphone. Musk dropped several points of information that will be key to the Tesla Network’s Robotaxi service as well. Among these is the vehicles’ longevity. The CEO noted that current-generation battery packs are good for about 300,000 to 500,000 miles, though Tesla’s upcoming batteries which will go on production next year will operate for twice as long, up to 1 million miles with minimal maintenance.

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Qualcomm launches QCS400 SoC series: An AI-enabled chipset with far-field voice capabilities for smart speakers

Far-field speech and voice recognition smart speaker products such as Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap, Apple HomePod, and Google Home witnessed a high level of adoption within 2 years of their commercialization. With recent advancements in adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) and beamforming technology, Qualcomm, on March 2019, unevils AI enabled Qualcomm QCS400 SoC series designed to deliver advanced multi-mic far-field voice capability with highly responsive voice activation and beamforming technologies for smart speakers such as Google Home or the Amazon Echo. The launch of new chip help device manufacturers helps manufacturers accelerate the development and commercialization of smart and networked speakers.


Qualcomm launches QCS400 SoC series: An AI-enabled chipset with far-field voice capabilties for smart speakers : MarketsandMarkets Point of View on the Market Impact.

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‘Sewing machine’ robot paves the way for brain computers

Imagine being able to play a song on your computer just by thinking of its title. Or transmitting your thoughts to a friend over the internet without uttering a word. Scientists have now invented a ‘sewing machine’ capable of stitching electrodes into the brain, which may one day help to make such things a reality.

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Cornell scientists create ‘living’ machines that eat, grow, and evolve

The field of robotics is going through a renaissance thanks to advances in machine learning and sensor technology. Each generation of robot is engineered with greater mechanical complexity and smarter operating software than the last. But what if, instead of painstakingly designing and engineering a robot, you could just tear open a packet of primordial soup, toss it in the microwave on high for two minutes, and then grow your own ‘lifelike’ robot?

If you’re a Cornell research team, you’d grow a bunch and make them race.


This Tic-Tac-Sized Computer Can Turn Almost Anything Into a Smart Device

The idea is to give craftspeople the tools they need to incorporate digital services to the items they’re already making. Poupyrev made it clear that he doesn’t want fundamentally change tried and tested items, like a jacket, into a computer first, and an article of clothing second. He wants to imbue everyday items with digital functionality.

In its final form, Poupyrev envisions clothing, furniture, and accessories that are all connected to the cloud, each providing their own, specialized functionality. Users will interact with screens using their sleeves and pause their music by tapping their glasses. Step trackers will live in our shoes, translators will live in our ears, and medicinal nano-robots could be injected into our blood streams. The very notion of a computer will radically change as little computers get placed into everything.

“This could allow makers to image and create a new world where things are connected and we don’t need keyboards, screens, or mice to interact with computers,” he said. “I’ve been working on this for 20 years and as it’s taken shape I’m realizing that we’re not building an interface. We’re building a a new kind of computer, an invisible computer.”

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