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Category: robotics/AI – Page 2,859

MIT researchers develop 3D printing process that creates fully functional robots as soon as they come off printer

Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new 3D printing process that creates fully functional robots from the moment they come out of the printer.

MIT process of robot making is quite streamlined, as the robot’s solid and hydraulic parts are created in one step. CSAIL Director Daniela Rus, who oversaw the project, said that their approach of printable hydraulics is a step ahead in the rapid fabrication of functional machines.

The single-step process involves printing a small six-legged robot that crawls with the help of 12-hydraulic pumps embedded in its body. Working of the printer includes inkjet printer deposits drops of material quite small in size. The object is printed layer wise from bottom to the top. High-intensity UV light solidifies the materials that were used to create the object.

Guangzhou restaurant fires its robot staff for their incompetence

To the Robots of this restaurant “You’re Fired!”.

Employing robots and artificial intelligence in Chinese restaurants has turned out to be not such a smart idea after all, with restaurants in Guangzhou either closing down or firing their mechanical staff.

According to Workers’ Daily, two restaurants which made use of robotic waiters have closed down and a third which remains open has given all but one of the robots the sack.

Their human counterparts at the restaurant were full of complaints about their former colleagues. “The robots weren’t able to carry soup or other food steady and they would frequently break down. The boss has decided never to use them again,” said one employee.

LIU Adds Cyber Extortion Endorsement to Product Recall Policies

Hmmmm;

Liberty International Underwriters (LIU), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance, has launched a cyber extortion endorsement to its Product Recall and Contamination insurance policy for food and beverage companies.

This endorsement offers coverage to food and beverage policyholders for cyber extortion monies and consultant costs up to the policy sub-limit for acts against production and day-to-day operations.

“With operations being mostly automated now and an increasing reliance on technology, the food and beverage industry faces a very real risk of having its systems hijacked by cyber criminals and held for ransom,” said LIU Senior Vice President of Global Crisis Management, Jane McCarthy. “But what many companies don’t realize is that cyber extortion is not always covered under a typical cyber policy or by a general liability policy. We developed this to address the risks associated with new technology and –‘ransomware’–, malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.”

Digital Marketing CCO: How Quantum Computing Will Change Work As We Know It

Imagine robotics and other AI on QC; because it is coming and on a very large scale.

The computer chip has now reached middle age. Like most of us in middle age, it is not as sprightly as it once was, and is set to be superseded by younger forms of computing. Enter the quantum computer. It’s set to transform our lives, the way we work and play.

What exactly is quantum computing?

In a nutshell, conventional microprocessors are limited to binaries of ones and zeros, which limits their processing capability. But quantum computers hinge on the principles of quantum physics, which allows for something called ‘superimposition.’ This means an electron can exist as a zero and one at the same time, as opposed to either one or zero. This allows for levels of processing power that are millions of times greater than we currently have.

The Singularity Controversy: 3 years later (A London Futurists Event)

Three years have passed since the publication of the volume of essays “The Singularity Hypotheses” — a publication that was marked at the time by a London Futurists discussion event. During these three years, public awareness of the concepts of an intelligence explosion has grown sharply — fuelled, in part, by statements from luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk.

In this event, Amnon Eden, lead editor of Singularity Hypotheses, returns to London Futurists to provide an update on the controversies about the Singularity. Topics to be covered will include:

• Luddites, Philistines, and Starry-Eyed: The War over Killer Robots.
• AI (Artificial Intelligence) vs. IA (Intelligence Augmentation)
• “Technological Singularity”: A Definition, Sufficient and Necessary Conditions.
• Perennial Fallacies, Debunked and Re-debunked.
• Learning from the media storm.

Taco Bell wants you to order food from a chat bot

We’ve seen some clever ways to order food online in our day, but this one is decidedly off the wall. Taco Bell is testing TacoBot, a chat AI that helps you order (what else?) tacos in a Slack conversation. Think of it as a tasty text adventure — you can ask questions about the menu, customize your order and check your cart. It’s only in a private beta with a few companies at the moment, but you can sign up for a waiting list to have your Slack team give TacoBot a try. Just think — you could have tacos sent your way while you’re stuck in a planning session.

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