Most auto insurance companies are unprepared for the arrival of self-driving cars. Metromile, however, is a firm that charges based on how much you use your car and could reflect how auto insurance will work in the era of self-driving cars.
Chinese Robotics Investors Buy Canada’s ESI for $300M
Industrial automation and actuator technologies make robotics companies attractive acquisition targets.
The Way Forward
When it comes to control product development there seems to be no middle ground between large automation vendors and small OEMs with unique product requirements. This seems incongruous against the background of emerging technologies and the market opportunities they are intended to address. In the field of mechatronics it seems even more difficult to sort […]
Japan’s Spread Co. Builds the Biggest Automated Lettuce Farm
Spread Co. is building what it claims will be the world’s largest fully automated lettuce factory in Kyoto. Automated agriculture promises to save money, increase yields, and be useful anywhere.
Proposed Calif. Drone Law Shot Down
“Drone technology certainly raises novel issues that merit careful examination,” says California Governor Jerry Brown in his veto message. “This bill, however, while well-intentioned, could expose the occasional hobbyist and the FAA-approved commercial user alike to burdensome litigation and new causes of action.”
Big bucks and big audiences for drones
Intel Capital invested $60M in Chinese drone startup Yuneek last month. At this week’s InterDrone conference and expo, one can readily see why: lots of interest, lots of people, and products that are becoming commodities. Intel and Yuneec will work on developing future products. Yuneec makes drones for consumers and industrial users, as well as manned electric…
Drone Films Migrants on Train Tracks Near Hungary Border
Migrant refugees from the Middle East continue to enter Hungary despite a barbed wire fence along the border. Drone footage from the Associated Press shows crowds walking along train tracks near the border.
Steve Wozniak: Self-Driving Cars Make Sense for Apple
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, says self-driving cars will be a huge market, which is why it makes sense for Apple to pursue the category.
Throwbot Maker ReconRobotics Forced to Regroup
The rise and fall of ReconRobotics isn’t because its Throwbot is a bad product; federal budget wrangles and questionable expenses took their toll.
Chris Anderson: Drone “Jackassery” Must Stop
Anderson says geo-fencing software and dynamic no-fly zones will prevent drones from flying in areas they aren’t supposed to be.
Drunk Man Arrested for Kicking Pepper Robot
Police arrested 60-year-old Kiichi Ishikawa at a SoftBank store in Japan for “allegedly kicking a Pepper robot in a fit of rage.” The Pepper robot now moves more slowly, and its internal processor may be damaged.
Toyota Spends $50M on AI Cars, Hires DARPA Lead
Unlike Uber or Google, Toyota is cautiously pursuing technology to make driving safer, not fully autonomous.
More Than Obsolete
The legendary PLC 5 product line officially becomes obsolete this year after more than a decade of protests from customers with large installed bases of these products. This may not be front page news, but is the tip of the iceberg that represents a crisis for manufacturers in all sectors of the industrialized world. At the same […]
Corporations and governments stimulating robotics and AI development
In two simultaneous launches last week, Toyota Motor and the UK RAS Group backed their previous statements regarding the imperative for robotics and AI development with money, roadmaps and strategic alliances. TOYOTA MOTOR CO. Toyota Motor announced an alliance with the AI labs at MIT and Stanford, along with a $50M investment, to develop auto-related…
Rodney Brooks: AI Systems “Very Narrow Tools”
Brooks says, “People hear AI and they think they’re these smart machines with wants and desires and capabilities. They don’t have any of that. I wish they did, but that’s not what we’ve been able to do in the last, really, 55 years of AI research.”
Watch: Farmer Catches Fish with Drone
The drone enthusiast recently used his DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, equipped with fishing line and a camera, to catch a small bluegill fish. He used a fake worm for the bait and flies the fish back to shore.
You Should Be More Scared of Smartphones Than Robots
Gill Pratt, one of the top roboticists in the world, says people should not fear robots because they have legs. He says you should be more worried about all the data you carry around on your cellphone, and who has access to it.
Renishaw: New office + facility near Chicago
Renishaw recently broke ground on its new 133,000 sq ft office and warehouse facility in West Dundee, IL, about 40 miles from Chicago. The two-story facility will be located at the Oakview Business Park and will be the company’s North American headquarters. The new building, slated for completion in June 2016, will also include space for product development, testing, warehousing and distribution. […]
Vecna Cares About Robotics Standards, Absorbs VGo
Vecna is working with other organizations to develop robotics standards, says CTO Daniel Theobald, who says that automation for its own sake isn’t enough.
Drone Delivery Tests Begin in Finland
Posti, the Finnish postal service, started experimenting with drone delivery. A custom drone will deliver packages to customers in Helsinki, between the mainland and an island just off shore.
Canon Spends $3.2B to Widen Focus to Robotics
Camera company plans to increase automated production, while Fanuc readies for IoT.
Watch: Man Flies in 54-Propeller “Super Drone”
A UK inventor tests out a 54-propellor super drone called Swarm because its propellers make a noise resembling a swarm of bees.