A program that debates humans, 3D printed aircraft and autonomous flying vehicles can only mean that the future is here (Curated By- Anjan Das; Coordinated By- Mexy Xavier)
Ira, Robot assistantCurrently deployed at HDFC Bank’s Koramangala branch in Bengaluru, Ira gained fame as the robot that shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump at the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad. At the HDFC branch, Ira meets customers and answers queries. It was designed and manufactured by Invento Robotic
Image by Nishant Ratnakar for Forbes India
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Flytrex mule, Delivery droneIsrael-based drone company Flytrex and Iceland’s largest online marketplace AHA launched the world’s first autonomous drone delivery system in Iceland in 2017.
Image by http://www.flytrex.com/
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The cloud-controlled drones can carry parcels weighing up to 3 kg to a distance of 10 km. The drones collect airspace data from a network of sensors and other air borne drones, helping the system optimise flight planning and lower delivery costs.
Image by http://www.flytrex.com/
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Atlas, The fearsome robotBoston Dynamics has excelled at designing machines that can walk, run and even jump like humans. They can stand their ground even in difficult terrains. Atlas is the latest humanoid from Boston Dynamics. It runs on battery power and weighs 75 kg. With hydraulic actuation, Atlas’s control system coordinates motions of the arms, torso and legs and keeps its balance
Image by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
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SpotminiSpotMini is a small, four-legged, all electric-robot with the ability to pick up and handle objects using its arm and perception sensors. The arm has five degrees of freedom. At 40 kgs, inclusive of the detachable arm, SpotMini can operate indoors and outdoors and can work for about 90 minutes on a single charge.
Image by Laura Chiesa/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Project debater , AI that debates humansIBM’s Project Debater moves us closer to one of the most important tenets of AI: Mastering language. In June, the program engaged in a public debate with a professional human debater Dan Zafrir. The program can fetch over 300 million indexed news articles and academic papers and respond with an introductory speech, debate the opponent’s views and gi
Image by IBM Research
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Pepper, a social machineAt the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), cognitive sciences and robot-human communication are studied. The team works with two robots. With Pepper (above), research is oriented around its autobiographical memory. Its clinical application is to accompany and bond with elderly people and interact with them around past, shared experien
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Thor 3D-printed aircraftAirbus 3D-printed this four-metre-long, 21 kg mini aircraft named Thor—‘Test of Hi-tech Objectives in Reality’. Airbus is using Thor as a test bed for futuristic aircraft technologies: From 3D-printed structural parts to advanced aerodynamics and even artificial intelligence.
Self-driving minibus, Charité hospitalAn electric, self-driving minibus was launched through Berlin’s Charité Hospital and Medical Campus in March this year. The four electric minibuses are capable of driving autonomously through pre-programmed routes, yet each still has a technician on board to intervene if necessary. The pilot project is a joint effort between Charité, Berlin’s transpo
