Most of us can recognize an object after seeing it once or twice. But the algorithms that power computer vision and voice recognition need thousands of examples to become familiar with each new image or word. Researchers at Google DeepMind now have …Continue reading
AI Begins to Understand the 3-D World
There’s been some stunning progress in artificial intelligence of late, but it’s been surprisingly flat. Now AI researchers are moving beyond two-dimensional images and pixels. Instead they’re building systems capable of picturing the three-dimensional world and taking action. The work could have …Continue reading
A Modular Exoskeleton Will Make More Workers Bionic
As robotic technology gets cheaper and more capable, even human workers are starting to seem a bit robotic. SuitX, a spin-off of the University of California, Berkeley, that makes exoskeletons for those with disabilities, has launched a trio of devices that use …Continue reading
What to Know Before You Get In a Self-driving Car
Outside a large warehouse in Pittsburgh, in an area along the Allegheny River that was once home to dozens of factories and foundries but now has shops and restaurants, I’m waiting for a different kind of technological revolution to arrive. I check …Continue reading
China’s Driverless Trucks Are Revving Their Engines
China is gearing up to overhaul its road delivery with fleets of self-driving long-haul trucks. A number of companies are developing automation technologies that promise to lower costs, reduce accidents, and improve overall efficiency for the trucking industry by allowing drivers to …Continue reading
U.S. Wants Makers of Driverless Cars to Prove They Are Safe
The U.S. government has issued its first rules for automated vehicles. They include a 15-point set of “safety assessment” guidelines for self-driving systems. These cover issues such as cybersecurity, black-box recordings to aid crash investigations, and potential ethical conundrums on the road. …Continue reading
The HR Person at Your Next Job May Actually Be a Bot
The next time you’re hired, you might find yourself getting information about payroll, vacations, and expenses by talking to a chatbot instead of consulting a handbook for new employees or talking to someone in HR. A startup called Talla, based in Boston, …Continue reading
GM CEO: Car Hacking Will Become a Public Safety Issue
The auto industry may need to team up to prevent spyware, phishing, and ransomware from infecting your ride. Automobiles are starting to resemble robotic smartphones on wheels. Unfortunately, that makes them a pretty juicy target for would-be hackers. So far there have …Continue reading
This Is the Robot Maid Elon Musk Is Funding
Inside a secretive AI nonprofit backed by Elon Musk and other Silicon Valley figures, a handful of robots designed to help out in warehouses are gradually learning how to do useful household chores. OpenAI, which was created to do basic AI research, …Continue reading
Tesla Crash Will Shape the Future of Automated Cars
A fatal accident that occurred while Tesla’s Autopilot technology was engaged may have a significant bearing on the future of automated driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said yesterday that it is investigating the accident, which occurred near Williston, Florida, last …Continue reading