Free Republic

The homeless population in Honolulu can expect a visit sometime soon from a robotic police dog that will scan your eye to make sure you don't have a fever Spot, as its called, is a new law enforcement tool that some police departments are employing for various policing purposes Police experimenting with the four-legged machines say they're just another tool to keep emergency responders out of harm's way as they scout for dangers In Honolulu, the police department spent about $150,000 in federal pandemic relief money to buy their Spot from robotics firm Boston Dynamics The robotic police dog is...

Were you aware that cigarette butts are the category of waste that is least disposed of? Every year, no fewer than 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are found in the wilds, even they can take up to 14 years to decompose... It’s enough to make you see red. To fight against this plague, Dutch engineers working with Delft University of Technology have invented the BeachBot, an autonomous robot capable of picking up cigarette butts from the ground. Tired of seeing their children find cigarette butts on beaches, Edwin Bos and Martijn Lukaart, Dutch engineers from TechTics, set out to create the...

In a massive leap forward for autonomous robots, Cassie the running robot has completed an entire 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run in 53 minutes, becoming the first bipedal robot to use machine learning to control an outdoor running gait. Developed by researchers from Oregon State University and Agility Robotics, the robotic pair of legs may open doors to a host of new animal- and human-inspired machines. What makes the feat so impressive is that Cassie learnt to walk by itself, using just machine-learning and a lot of failure to gain the balance and gait required to go for extended runs. Through these...

As I slide my finger into the hand grip, a rubber ring clamps down on my knuckle to hold it into place. It’s a gentle reminder that I should be moving as little as possible... as I watch the tiny brush head trace an almost-perfect outline of my nail before continuing to fill it in with color in a mesmerizing loop, I reluctantly admit to myself that this is, almost certainly, the future. For starters, a robot painting your nails is fast and cheap. The shellacking of a deep maroon cost me $8 and was done within 10 minutes. Plus,...

e Need To Get To 70 Percent By July 4th': Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Hopes To Meet Biden Admin. Goal Astro is rolling in to help out. After the order is placed, Astro waits for the food and brings it to the table, freeing up the server to do other things. “I can go to other tables to take their order. I can have one, two, three, four tables. While he’s on the line with the food, I can prepare the toast, the coffee, the juice,” said server Claudia Lozano. While Lozano is making coffee, Astro’s being loaded up...

White privilege? A person of pallor is so low on the totem pole of L.A. streets that even a food delivery robot avoids him. The Postmate Serve rover sidesteps the surprised bearded man, reclining against a wall, as it cruises on its way to a customer delivery. This bleak encounter is a sneak peek of the dystopia ahead in crumbling Blue State cities, managed by Democrats to the point. Intentional or not, they are wiping out the lower middle class and the number of homeless is soaring. A few choice comments from the digital peanut gallery at TikTok, where the...

Researchers in Germany say the touch of a humanoid robot makes people happier and more likely to follow their requests. Instead of being reliant on other humans, researchers are hoping that one day robots may be able to fulfill the roles of therapists, personal trainers, and even life coaches. In this research, 48 students engaged in a counselling conversation with the humanoid robot NAO – a programmable research robot often used for education and research purposes. During the course of the conversation, for some participants, the robot briefly and seemingly spontaneously patted the back of the participant’s hand. This differed...

After a public outcry, a robotic dog once hailed by the New York Police Department a high-tech crime-fighting sidekick is getting sent back to its owner.In February, a viral video of the futuristic dog — seen patrolling a Bronx neighborhood after officers responded to a hostage situation — sparked controversy.Other photos at the link.

Whether you're a farmer tending to expansive crops that you depend on for your livelihood or a hobbyist gardener trying to keep your tomatoes in check, weeds can be a time-consuming and relentless problem. Startup Carbon Robotics has wheeled out an autonomous machine that has these pesky plants in its cross hairs, using a combination of computer vision and high-powered lasers to comb fields and take out thousands of weeds an hour. Carbon Robotics has built a 9,500-lb (4,300-kg), four-wheeled robot that uses GPS and computer vision to trundle through crops on the lookout for weeds. It relies on an...

Highway 231 in Lebanon, TN shut down due to suspicious RV. RV reportedly broadcasting the same message as Nashville.

President-elect Joe Biden made another cabinet selection on Monday, announcing that Jake Sullivan will serve as his National Security Adviser. Sullivan worked for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was an advisor for Biden during the Obama administration. The selection signals a Biden administration willing to negotiate with China, as Sullivan has, in the past, suggested America should be involved in their rise. During a lecture in 2017, Sullivan told students at Lowy Institute that “we need to strike a middle course – one that encourages China’s rise in a manner consistent with an open, fair, rules-based, regional order.”...

Personnel will have the ability to "drive" the "computerized canines" using virtual reality headsets, according to the US Air Force. For the last year, the 325th Security Forces Squadron and Tyndall Air Force Base have worked with Ghost Robotics on a project to "enhance security and safety for the base population," according to a US Air Force press release. To accomplish this, Tyndall will incorporate a series of "semi-autonomous robot dogs" into patrol regiments, becoming "one of the first" Air Force bases to implement such technologies. On Tuesday, a demonstration at the Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida illustrated the...

Since July 20, anyone 11+ years of age must wear a mask in closed public places in France. This measure also is highly recommended in many European, African and Persian Gulf countries. To support businesses and public places, SoftBank Robotics Europe unveils a new feature with Pepper: AI Face Mask Detection. This new feature does not retain or use personal data. Discover how Pepper can help you with your business reopening needs:

The company building the virtual border wall has a new version of its stealthy fast-flying drones — and a fresh contract with Customs and Border Protection to match. Anduril, a young defense-friendly tech company from the founder of Oculus, received $36 million from Customs and Border Protection this month for its AI-powered autonomous surveillance towers... In July, CBP awarded Anduril $25 million for a previous set of surveillance towers. The agency plans to implement 200 towers by 2022 in an ongoing relationship with the contractor worth more than $200 million... Now, Anduril is launching the fourth iteration of its small,...

The Federal Aviation Administration will allow Amazon's fleet of Prime Air delivery drones to take flight. A FAA spokesperson told Business Insider that the administration issued Amazon Prime Air its certificate on August 29. The Part 135 air carrier certificate allows Amazon to use "unmanned aircraft systems," or UAS, in a commercial operation... The certificate will allow Amazon to dive into operating a commercial drone delivery service, which has been in the works since 2013. The FAA gave Amazon permission to test its drones in the US in June 2019... (Amazon Prime Air Vice President David Carbon) said, "This certification...

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents are utilizing small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to assist with border apprehensions... Over the weekend, agents arrested 67 illegal aliens in six separate sUAS deployments... Since the program’s inception, sUAS teams have been credited with assisting agents in more than 1500 apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley Sector. The sUAS ability to be deployed quickly and quietly gives agents the upper hand in combating human and drug smuggling attempts. The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382

 Miso Robotics is the company behind Flippy, the AI-powered Robotic Kitchen Assistant that cooks food perfectly and consistently, every time. https://youtu.be/ylO-OgRpobo 

SINGAPORE - A four-legged robot will be patrolling Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park to remind people of safe distancing measures starting from Friday (May 8).Called Spot, the robot will assist with safe distancing efforts at parks, gardens and nature reserves managed by National Parks Board (NParks) and at parks managed by town councils.The pilot trial is jointly conducted by NParks, and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).  The Spot robot will broadcast a recorded message reminding park visitors to observe safe distancing measures.It is fitted with cameras, enabled by GovTech-developed video analytics, to help it estimate the number of...

Google is creating AI-powered robots that navigate without human intervention—a prerequisite to being useful in the real world. ====================================================================== Within 10 minutes of its birth, a baby fawn is able to stand. Within seven hours, it is able to walk. Between those two milestones, it engages in a highly adorable, highly frenetic flailing of limbs to figure it all out. That’s the idea behind AI-powered robotics. While autonomous robots, like self-driving cars, are already a familiar concept, autonomously learning robots are still just an aspiration. Existing reinforcement-learning algorithms that allow robots to learn movements through trial and error still rely...

Punxsutawney Phil undergoes “great stress” every year on Groundhog Day and should be replaced by a robot, the leader of PETA says. Ingrid Newkirk writes in a letter to the furry celebrity’s Groundhog Club that Phil deserves a break and should be allowed to retire. The request, posted on PETA’s website, comes ahead of Sunday’s annual ceremony which will determine whether spring arrives early this year. If Phil sees his shadow this weekend in the small Pennsylvania town, he will retreat and winter will continue for six weeks. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will be here soon....