Menu

Blog

Page 1830

Nov 18, 2023

Watch this robot install solar panels in Arizona [video]

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, solar power, sustainability

Terabase Energy has successfully completed its first commercial solar installation using Terafab, its automatic solar-installing robot.

The Terafab robot – aka the “construction automation platform” – installed 17 megawatts (MW) of the 225 MW White Wing Ranch project in Yuma County, Arizona, on which solar tech company Terabase Energy is working alongside developer Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) and contractor RES.

The Terafab robot completely eliminates the manual lifting of heavy steel tubes and solar panels – an industry first. Terabase Energy says that its robot achieved labor productivity improvements of 25% compared with manual installation, and the setup improves working conditions for solar technicians, as they’re housed in shaded and cooled conditions. The robot’s precision also enables the 100% return of solar panel packaging for reuse by the manufacturer.

Nov 18, 2023

Hubble Discovers Closest Earth-Sized World to Our Star System

Posted by in category: space

Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescopes, astronomers can confirm that there’s a rocky exoplanet just a couple dozen light years away.

Nov 18, 2023

What Do We Know About OpenAI’s New CEO, Mira Murati?

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

We’re still reeling from the just-breaking news that OpenAI’s enigmatic CEO and figurehead Sam Altman has been sacked by the company’s board of directors. And make no mistake that we’re still intensely curious what went down behind the scenes that led the company to part with Altman during the exact moment when its ascendant tech is driving the nascent AI industry. But as the dust settles, there’s another looming question: what’s the deal with Mira Murati, the company’s interim CEO who’s stepping in to lead immediately?

One thing’s for sure: she’s no lightweight. Here’s what Fast Company had to say earlier this year:

Nov 18, 2023

How OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Was Fired by Rival Board Members

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI

Four board members are left after Altman’s shocking ouster.

Nov 18, 2023

Understanding the intelligence of decision making

Posted by in category: futurism

New research into how humans and animals use complexity to make decisions offers some tantalizing insights into the nature of intelligence.

Nov 18, 2023

Cybertruck Spotted With Christmas Tree Sticking Way Out of Its Tiny Bed

Posted by in category: transportation

A recent video that went viral on social media showed off the entirety of the truck’s interior for the first time, suggesting the cabin of the Cybertruck will be more cramped than one might expect from a full-sized pickup.

Oddly, it’s now starting to sound like the same could go for the truck’s bed. One image circulating online shows that not even a single mountain bike can fully fit inside the bed.

And a separate image uploaded to the Cybertruck subreddit shows most of a Christmas tree awkwardly protruding from the back of the truck, suggesting it’s not exactly going to compete with other pickup trucks when it comes to utility alone.

Nov 18, 2023

Sculptural steel arches support Jiangxi River Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects

Posted by in category: transportation

Two symmetrical steel arches define this bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, which stretches 295 metres across a tributary of the Tuojiang River in Chengdu, China.

Named Jiangxi River Bridge, the structure is used by cars, cyclists and pedestrians and is intended to become a landmark for the city in Sichuan province.

Zaha Hadid Architects designed the bridge to tie in with the city’s existing road system and Airport New Town, a new development surrounding Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.

Nov 18, 2023

‘This Is Insane’: OpenAI Investors Blindsided By Sam Altman’s Firing

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Leading investors including Vinod Khosla and Reid Hoffman didn’t receive advanced notice that OpenAI’s board would push out its CEO and cofounder, sources told Forbes.

Nov 18, 2023

These Are The People That Fired OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Posted by in categories: business, governance, robotics/AI

According to OpenAI’s corporate governance, directors’ key fiduciary duty is not to maintain shareholder value, but to the company’s mission of creating a safe AGI, or artificial general intelligence, “that is broadly beneficial.” Profits, the company said, were secondary to that mission. OpenAI first began posting the names of its board of directors on its website in July, following the departures of Reid Hoffman, Shivon Zilis and Will Hurd earlier this year, according to an archived version of the site on the Wayback Machine.

One AI-focused venture capitalist noted that following the departure of Hoffman, OpenAI’s non-profit board lacked much traditional governance. “These are not the business or operating leaders you would want governing the most important private company in the world,” they said.

Here’s who made the decision for Altman to be fired, and for Brockman to be removed from its board of directors. Update: Altman didn’t get a vote, The Information has reported. Brockman posted an account of his version of events to X that indicated the board had acted without his knowledge as well.

Nov 18, 2023

Text-to-image AI models can be tricked into generating disturbing images

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Nonsense words can trick Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2 into producing pictures that show violence and nudity.

Popular text-to-image AI models can be prompted to ignore their safety filters and generate disturbing images.