Articles about Robot

A lot can happen in 12 months. Last year, bots exploded into the mainstream, and adoption was rapid. For example, over $1.5 billion was invested in AI startups; Microsoft has over 35,000 bot developers on its platform; The Economist even asked if bots are the new apps.

As with any technology that grows so quickly in such a short amount of time, sometimes we need to take a step back. Last year, we saw bots enter the home through the likes of Amazon Echo’s Alexa and Google Assistant, and this paved the way for more bots to be introduced to our everyday lives. So what happens next?

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The hype over machine learning masks the real changes happening in the workplace.

Looking back on 2016, it would be easy to think that this was the year that artificial intelligence arrived, borne in by an army of automated workers. Media outlets bombarded us with news on the future of AI and automation. The vision of a dystopian future where robots do all the work and humans are trapped in a jobless, meaningless existence drove headlines of all kind. In politics, this ranged from speculation around a universal basic income, to debates over whether Donald Trump can reverse decades of technological progress in US manufacturing. In AI, the latest tangential development from any tech giant was duly reported as headline news.

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While technology can lead to exciting new products like self-driving cars and artificial intelligence, it can also improve boring products, such as appliances. Things such as refrigerators, thermostats, and washing machines are getting smarter and better, making day-to-day chores a little less tedious.

One product type that has benefited greatly from advanced technologies, such as machine learning and robotics, is the lowly vacuum. While not a sexy product, it can be essential for keeping floors clean. While iRobot Roomba is probably the most recognizable robot vacuum, Samsung is hoping consumers will choose its new POWERbot VR7000 instead. What makes this vacuum particularly interesting, is that it is compatible with Amazon Echo.

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The Henn-na hotel opened its doors to the public last year, and is yet to pay its receptionist staff a single penny in salary. How have they gotten away with this? Well, as it turns out, velociraptors dressed in bow ties and bellhop hats will work for you for free. More accurately, though, it’s because 90 percent of the hotel staff are robots.

As automation technology continues to proliferate almost all areas of work, concerns have begun to surface over the security of human jobs. The Henn-na hotel is a prime example of this -- rooms cost just £36 per night, making it a low-cost automated alternative that could take away hundreds of jobs if the idea spreads.

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Machine learning and vision are essential technologies for the advancement of robotics. When sensors come together, they can enable a computer or robot to collect data and images in real-time.

A good example of this technology in real-world use is the latest Roomba vacuums. As the robot cleans your dirty floor, it is using sensors combined with a camera to map your home. Today, Google releases Cartographer -- an open source project that developers can use for many things, such as robots and self-driving cars.

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Computer vision -- meaning quite literally, machines seeing things -- is poised to explode over the next several years. This technology is very important to things such as security cameras, artificial intelligence and robotics. On an immediate consumer level, Intel's RealSense technology is already being used for Windows Hello -- a secure camera-based method of logging into Microsoft's operating system with biometrics.

Intel is looking to further bolster its RealSense technology, plus other such initiatives, with the acquisition of Movidius. This soon-to-be-acquired company's main focus is computer vision and artificial intelligence, making it a seemingly smart fit for achieving Intel's goals.

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Robots and technology are invading more and more areas of our lives, but there are some places they have yet to... ahem, penetrate.

A conference in Salford, UK this week organized by the TC9 group of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is set to explore issues of technology and intimacy.

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In a time when some really intelligent people are expressing fears over intelligent robots, the worst thing you can do is tell a bunch of scientists that robots that smart can’t be made.

Yet, that’s pretty much what shared services professionals said when they were polled by robotics and automation specialists Redwood Software, together with Shared Services Link, the online community for finance, shared services and outsourcing leaders.

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Digital transformation has become a popular term in IT circles, fast becoming a priority for organizations across the private and public sectors. The UK government’s shift to digital services and departments has been a longstanding goal over the last three years and continues to be a long-term objective, as success across online services has created more efficiency for both workers and UK citizens. It’s surprising therefore that this year’s Budget, as delivered by George Osborne, was a little light on the technology front and neglected the next chapter in the government’s digital story.

IT and technology sectors are considered to be the foundation points for economic growth and needs to continue to be a priority for organizations to get more done. Productivity plays a crucial role in sustaining this growth, but continues to be an area where the UK falls short. Just recently, the Smith Institute found that while UK workers continue to work longer hours, they are less productive. Academics have questioned whether technology has a role in solving this puzzle.

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Six-wheeled robots could be delivering groceries to shoppers in the UK within the next six months. Starship Technologies, a company set up by two of the co-founders of Skype, is building up fleets of robots that can deliver goods within 30 minutes.

A pilot of the robotic delivery scheme is due to start in the UK, and a testing program will start in the US in April. The aim of the self-driving robots is not just to speed up deliveries, but also to keep costs to a minimum. The zero-emissions units also boast environmentally-friendly credentials.

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Ah, Linux. What can't the open source kernel do? For many projects, operating systems based on it have proven remarkably adaptable -- being made to work with countless hardware configurations. While Windows may remain king of the desktop -- for now -- Linux has its fingers in many pies for which Microsoft's offering is just too bloated. It remains to be seen if Windows 10 IoT will be embraced.

Today, Canonical announces that it will be releasing an Ubuntu Core image for Samsung's IoT-focused ARTIK platform (5 and 10 modules). What does this mean? Well, developers can now leverage one of the most popular Linux distributions on this hardware. This creates amazing potential for ARTIK.

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You shouldn’t fear immigrants taking your job, you should fear robots. A new study by jobs search engine Adzuna suggests that more than 100,000 of current job vacancies will be fully automated within the next 20 years.

The results are based on the study of Oxford University researchers, looking at which jobs would basically be given to robots before 2035.

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When you make an impulse purchase -- or you're just an impatient type -- time is of the essence. Next day delivery is far too slow, and same-day delivery has gradually spread to certain places. Some cities have the option of delivery within the hour, but Amazon is working on cutting this down to as little as 30 minutes with Prime Air.

As you would probably expect, these super-speedy deliveries will be facilitated by drones, and Amazon has unveiled a new prototype drone that blends elements of a helicopter with those of an airplane. Unlike other drones we’ve seen the Prime Air model is quite large, and is capable of carrying up to 5 pounds.

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Indeed -- the world’s largest job site -- has just launched a new research study that determines that almost half (49 percent) of young people in Britain are not taking the issue of job automation into account when choosing their career.

Furthermore, Indeed’s study reveals that 17 percent are not aware of the industry trend towards automation and the effect it will have on future employment both at the low and high end of the skills market.

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Vaio, the computer business formerly owned by Sony, is taking its first steps outside of its native Japan.

Sony sold the PC business back in February, and although it does retain a minority five percent stake, as a result of the declining laptop market, it opted to focus on smartphone sales.

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