Daily Archives: February 6, 2017

South Hagerstown High School students from the Green Machine and Rebellious Misfits teams and the Synobotz Z team from Carroll Educational Robotics in Westminster, Md, were named tournament champions at Volvo Group Trucks VEX Robotics Qualifier.

There were 37 teams and more than 200 students battling their bots at the recent event held at South High.

The Green Machine team included Kent Ha, Maryanne Kimani, James Stell, and Cameron Hahn. The Rebellious Misfits team was comprised of Katie Custer, Xianvieve Hulbert, Brennen Rosage, Alex Wright and Dorian Johnson. The Synobotz Z squad included Chris Scott, Nolan Hintze, William Hoke and Alyssa Magaha.

The action-packed day required middle and high school students to execute the VEX Robotics Competition game Starstruck, which is played by scoring colored stars and cubes in zones and by hanging the robot on a hanging bar.

As tournament champions, the teams qualified to compete in two upcoming events. The first is the Maryland State Championship scheduled to be held from March 3 to 4 at Sollers Point Technical High School in Dundalk, Md.

The teams seek to continue to advance to participate at the VEX Robotics World Championship, the culminating event of the season held in April with the top teams from across the U.S. and around the world who seek to become world champions.

The second is the CREATE U.S. Open Robotics Championship, scheduled to be held from April 4 to 8 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The events are open and free for media, families and community members to attend.

To prepare for the competition, the teams worked together to design and build a robot using VEX EDR, that could quickly and efficiently solve specific obstacles and challenges that come with playing the VEX Robotics Competition Starstruck game.

The students apply what theyve learned about science, technology, engineering and math in order to build the semiautonomous machines.

An equally important set of skills is learned through the competition communication, project management, site management and the importance of composure, because students have to learn how to lose as much as they have to learn how to win.

South Highs Green Machine Robotics team earned the events top honor VEX Robotics Excellence Award.

Additional esteemed VEX awards were also presented.

Design Award IVM Bio-Quantum Clubs QH BioDragons team

Judges Award North Hagerstown High Schools Hubs team

Robot Skills Winner Carroll Educational Robotics Synobotz Z team

Dawn Reed, tech ed teacher at Smithsburg Middle, was recognized with VEX Robotics Volunteer of the Year award for her time and effort as adviser and coach to five teams from Smithsburg Middle and Senior High schools.

For more information, go to RoboticsEducation.org or RobotEvents.com.

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South High wins Volvo's robotics tournament - Herald-Mail Media

East Maine School District 63 is celebrating unexpected wins by the school district's junior high school robotics team, which amassed several awards and a berth to a state competition in the last two months.

A team of nine seventh and eighth graders at Gemini Junior High School competed Dec. 10 for the first time in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League Competition, school officials said in a news release.

As part of the competition, they programmed a robot to complete 13 "missions," according to the news release.

It was supposed to be a chance for the students to gain experience with the competition and be more ready for it the following year, officials said.

But the students went on to win several accolades at the first competition and a chance to compete in the state competitions that was held Jan. 28 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, according to the news release.

The Gemini school team called the Gembots -- included Christopher Alexander, Ronnette Bressler, Bushido Ellis, Sarah Hussein, Prapti Patel, Neelesh Patel, Hadi Rihawi, Halle Santiago and Hannah Suboni-Kaufman. They competed against 34 other teams at the December event and won the Rookie of the Year award and placed third overall then, school officials announced.

At the January competition, they competed against 63 other teams. They didn't place, but school officials are relishing the Gembots' efforts.

"These students are a powerhouse of intelligence and design creativity," said Kathryn Sjoholm, an eighth grade science teacher who also served as one of three advisors to the team. "Our future is bright because of these young minds."

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Gemini school robotics team wins in 'FIRST' competition - Chicago Tribune

The Telangana Minorities Residential Institutes Education Society (TMRIES) has tied up with Robotics Centre of Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology (MJCET) to impart robotics education to class 7 students of eight TMR schools in Hyderabad district as a pilot project. It would be extended to all other schools in the remaining districts of the State in a phased manner soon, according to B. Shafiullah, Secretary, TMREIS.

Robotics centre

He said the society was also planning to establish a full-fledged robotics centre where the students would get to do innovative and challenging projects like robominton, parent and child robot, quadcopter, ocean roverbot, spiderbod, cleanerbot etc and participate in various State-level and national-level robotics competitions.

At a recent programme, Mohammed Faisal, third year ECE student of MJCET and team leader of external academia programme, said the association would also help the engineering students in interacting closely with the schoolchildren and make them more socially responsible citizens.

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TMRIES to impart robotics education - The Hindu - The Hindu

MERIDIAN, Idaho (KBOI)

A Meridian robotics team is putting the final touches on a robot before it competes against several others around the region.

Team 'Bullbots,' based out of Mountain View High School, worked nonstop Saturday building their robot for the Idaho FIRST Robotics Regional Competition.

The robot will be competing against others the weekend of March 30. The goal is to create a 120-pound robot that can hang game elements on pegs, climb a rope, and shoot balls into a goal.

"We just, like, all decided on an idea really fast and we've just been able to go and it worked out very well," said Tiffany Jensen, the Bullbots team mechanical lead. "Our robot is actually going to be really good."

This is Jensen's second year on team Bullbots. She's been climbing the ranks and now leads a team of mechanics.

There are only a handful of girls on the team, and Jensen hopes her leadership will encourage other females to join.

The FIRST Robotics Competition provides a hands on approach to learning science, technology, engineering and math. Students also learn programming and electric work.

"I learn a lot more here than I usually do in school honestly," said Egan Schafer, the Bullbots team programming lead.

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Meridian robotics team gears up for Idaho FRC Regional - KBOI-TV

Pace University professor Rick Kline talks about the FIRST Tech Regional Championship at Pace University, Feb. 5, 2017 in Pleasantville. Tania Savayan/lohud

John Jay High School students Elliot Lear, 16, right, Michael Fischetti, 17, and James Lucassen, 15, control the robot they built during the FIRST Tech Regional Championship at Pace University, Feb. 5, 2017 in Pleasantville. (Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)Buy Photo

PLEASANTVILLE - Student Gregory Salguero sounded happySunday afternoon that his robotics team from Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES school was vying for the lead in the Hudson Valley NY FIRST Tech Challenge regional contest.

Salguero, of Mahopac, said his parents work in the engineering field and that he would be interesting in pursuing that field as well someday.

The team from Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, which is in Yorktown Heights, goes by the moniker Dead Voltage.

One of the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES coaches, Gerry Markel, said it gets a new group of students ever year. "They've got to be quick learners," he said.

Twenty-eight teams of students participated in the regional event held at Pace University. Each match features four robots; one team's robot teams up with another's, and they face off against another alliance of robots.

For a 30-second period, students must tell robots what to do solely by using coding; during two minutes after that, the teams may use controllers to commands their bots.

John Jay High School students James Lucassen, 15, left, Michael Fischetti, 17, and Elliot Lear, 16, control the robot they built during the FIRST Tech Regional Championship at Pace University, Feb. 5, 2017 in Pleasantville. (Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Techno Chix Stefanie Gschwind, 14, of Chappaqua, left, Susanna Dummit, 16, of Chappaqua, Tara Venkatadri, 16, of Ardsley, Simran Arneja,14, of Monroe and Sophia Pao, 15, of Chappaqua with the robot they built for the FIRST Tech Regional Championship at Pace University, Feb. 5, 2017 in Pleasantville. The Techno Chix members are from the Girl Scouts Heart of Hudson in Pleasantville.(Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Tasks in each match include picking up a ball, which include hurling balls into a kind of basket that is suspended above the robots. Another task has robots seek to touch a beacon, changing its color.

The winner of the regional competition moves on to a competition in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Over at Peekskill High School's team table the Iron Devils student Aldaine Heaven said his becoming part of the team "started by just liking how machines work."

He said he plans to study in college something in the technology area, "programming, most likely."

Heaven said while the team was not vying for the top spots, at least as of mid-afternoon, that's OK. He said it's the fun that counts.

Carlo Vidrini, Peekskill High's coach and a co-coach of Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, said "the robotics program encompasses so many aspect of engineering," from electrical to software.

In a technological age, the students who participate are getting exposure to the tools and thinking skills they need.

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First Tech Challenge: High schools battle in robotics competition - The Journal News | LoHud.com

VEX Robotics and VEXIQ teams competed Saturday at Monroe County Community College.

Tessa Garlepied and her teammates steadied their robot, then drove the machine toward the middle of the ring before throwing the orange cube.

The teenagers then used their controllers to pick up several yellow stars and do the same.

Tessa, 16, is a member of Monroe Countys Team Virus VEX robotics team, which was among more than 70 teams that competed Saturday in either the VEX or VEXIQ contest held at Monroe County Community College.

This is a difficult challenge, the homeschooler said. We havent done as well as we did at our last tournament but we are up against some really good teams.

Still, Tessa and her teammates were optimistic about their remaining matches Saturday afternoon and won their next one.

Tessa, who is in her fourth season of robotics, said she really enjoys the competitions. The team participates in about six contests a year.

Even though the competitions stress me out, I love the competitions, Tessa said. I also really like the building process.

Each season offers a different challenge. This year in the Starstruck contest, the student-constructed robots earned points for tossing stars and cubes across a large white fence. Teams could also earn points for having one robot hanging at the end of the match from their hanging bar.

This is a difficult challenge because you are constantly doing something all the time, Tessa said.

Matthew Nelson, 15 and a student at Monroe County Community College, is also a member of Team Virus, which had four groups competing Saturday.

In his group of four, Matthew agreed the competition was tough but he still enjoys participating.

I really like the camaraderie, he said. And I like that you really have to work as a team and depend on each other.

Teams from around the state participated in the event, which featured students from third grade through seniors in high school.

Sebastian Vanadia, 12, is a seventh-grader at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Pontiac. He and his three other teammates enjoy participating in the VEXIQ division, which is for younger teams.

Its fun to build the robot, Sebastian said. It took us a couple of hours.

The younger groups challenge Crossover was similar to their older counterparts having to get Hexballs across the other side of the match area. Points could also be scored when robots were parked or balanced on a bridge in the middle of the course.

Teammate Joshua Lyijynen, 12, said robotics is another way for him to use his hands to construct objects, which he has enjoyed for a while.

I love to build Legos and now with the robot I can help build something with a motor, Joshua said.

Robotics also gives participants the ability to think outside of the box, Joshua said.

I like it because you can be very creative, he said. We didnt like our first robot, so we built another one.

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Robotics competition events help teens express creativity - Monroe Evening News

If robots are taking jobs, should you invest in the robot makers?

Thats the argument behind a pair of outperforming exchange-traded funds that track the robotics industry, which could continue seeing strong growth as more positions get automated by machines or algorithms.

In a Jan. 23 note, UBS named automation and robotics as one of the two areas of technological innovation that would drive productivity over the coming decade, along with the digital data industry.

Both have the potential to profoundly transform the structure of our economy, disrupt existing business models, but also create substantial growth opportunities for those well-positioned to participate, the firm wrote, singling out the ROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF ROBO, -0.77% as a fund that would benefit from this trend, with the investment time horizon of a decade.

Another fund, the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic ETF BOTZ, -0.76% is also tied to the automation trend.

While the funds could be seen as siding with the enemy, given how the loss of jobs is seen as a long-term crisis for the labor market, investors have taken to them of late, with their growing by significant margins. About $77.8 has moved into the ROBO fund since Novembers U.S. election, bringing its assets to $195.7 million, according to data from ETF.com, while $6.1 million has come into the Global X fund, accounting for about three-fourths of its total $8.1 million in assets.

The election was seen as a possible accelerator for the industry. While President Donald Trump made disappearing manufacturing jobs a centerpiece of his campaign, and the issue arguably tipped him into the White House, his victory could accelerate the trend.

Read: Amazon is going to kill more American jobs than China did

Trump has been critical of U.S. companies that outsource jobs to countries where labor costs are cheaper, calling them out specifically on Twitter. While this has resulted in some jobs not leaving the country, as well as other firms announcing domestic investments, if labor costs start rising because more jobs stay in the States, that could skew positive for the automation industry, said Jay Jacobs director of research for Global X Funds, who added that theres not a consensus on this yet.

Still, the funds have seen gains since the election. The ROBO fund is up 13.6% over the past three months while the Global X fund is up 10.5%. The S&P 500 is up 8.7% over that same period.

The move to automation is expected to continue regardless of government policy. According to Allied Market Research, the global industrial robotics market is seen growing at an compound annual growth rate of 5.4% through 2020, reaching a size of $41.2 billion by that point.

The trend could impact all manner of sectors. Last year, the White Houses annual economic report gave an 83% chance that automation will take a job with an hourly wage below $20. Andy Puzder, Trumps nominee for the position of labor secretary, has talked up the benefit of replacing human workers with technology saying that machines are always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, [and] theres never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex or race discrimination case. Puzder is the chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc., which operates the Carls Jr. and Hardees fast food chains.

Even higher-paying jobs arent completely immune. Finance has seen the rise of robo advisers, while 12% of the holdings of the Global X fund are tied to the health technology sector.

A lot of people talk about automation with respect to manufacturing, and while thats a big issue this also impact military-related companies, medicine, with biomedical device makers, and of course transportation with self-driving cars, Jacobs said.

Nvidia, a leader in self-driving technology, announced partnerships with Bosch and Audi at CES 2017. Rob Csongor, Nvidia's automotive general manager, talked to MarketWatch about the company's promise to have a self-driving car on the road by 2020.

Such stats could make anyone fret about their job security, but the outlook isn't completely bleak, as far as machines taking over.

Given currently demonstrated technologies, very few occupationsless than 5 percentare candidates for full automation, wrote the McKinsey Global Institute in a report published in January. However, almost every occupation has partial automation potential, as a proportion of its activities could be automated. We estimate that about half of all the activities people are paid to do in the worlds workforce could potentially be automated by adapting currently demonstrated technologies.

The most susceptible activities, it said, were in highly structured and predictable environment, as well as data collection and processing.

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Robotics-focused ETFs see big gains, Trump could hasten trend - MarketWatch

More than a hundred students on 50 teams from schools across the state competed Saturday at the annual Belding High School Vex Robotics Tournament at Belding High School. Daily News/Cory Smith

BELDING All across the state of Michigan, robotics clubs are growing in popularity.

It has taken off so much so in recent years, according to Tom Daller, a Belding High School teacher, the competitions are starting to require an extra stage for competition. Instead of preliminary tournaments to decide which teams will go to state competitions, preliminary tournaments will be the deciding matches for regional competitions.

After regional competitions, qualifying teams will then move onto the state level and, if successful, they can get the chance to be invited to the worlds competition.

The popularity of robotics showed during Saturdays tournament at Redskin Arena at Belding High School. Fifty teams from across the state came together to compete in the mornings qualifying matches. Some of those lucky teams were able to move past the qualifying rounds into the main event the tournament to decide which teams would move on to compete at the state level.

There are 70 students involved with the robotics club both at the middle school level and the high school level, according to Daller. He said one of four Belding teams who made it to tournament play made it to the semifinals of the tournament. The rest fell to their opponents during the quarterfinals.

PHOTO GALLERY

In previous years, students have made it further into tournament play, but Daller said the club has grown in size more rapidly in recent years and more students are involved.

As a coach Ill make the sacrifice (of more quality time with individuals) to give more students an opportunity to be involved with this program, Daller said.

Daller said some of the students who competed Saturday have never built a robot before and there is a learning curve associated with that process.

There are some shining stars in the middle school teams, he said. And this way theyll have four years in high school (to be involved in robotics).

Not only were there more students participating than in previous years, but Daller said parents have been more involved this year than in previous years.

Its Dallers hope that other people from the community will continue to take an interest in the robotics competitions and the different areas of knowledge students need to utilize in order to be successful in tournaments like Saturdays.

Theres so much knowledge I think there are a lot of individuals out there that have the background in design and have that time to spend. We need to start looking to those people to pass on that knowledge to these kids, he said.

Despite the challenges students from Belding teams faced Saturday, they remain determined to figure out where they can improve and make the necessary changes.

For C.J. Bunce, a 16-year-old sophomore, one of the best parts about being involved in the robotics club is to be a part of a family.

Everybody here is a family, no matter where youre from. Everybody is friendly with each other, he said.

Bunce plays football and is involved in track, as well. He said the competition in those sports is much more fierce and people on other teams arent as willing to offer support or advice during a competition.

Bunce said he recently broke his hand, which left him unable to play football. In order to fill his time, he got more involved with robotics and has been interested in it ever since. He said his favorite part of the process is to build the robots while his least favorite part is programming the robot.

Luckily, Bunce said, other teammates offer their support and help him with the programming portion of the competition.

We all help each other out when someone needs help, even if were further behind, he said. We have to work together to get further.

A teammate of Bunces, Zach Brown, 16, another sophomore, said he also really enjoys building the robots. He said hes learned other valuable skills being part of the robotics club, including how to communicate effectively with teammates and total strangers.

I just think (building robots) is a useful skill to have, Brown said.

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Belding hosts largest robotics competition in history of event - Greenville Daily News

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New year, new perspectives

2017 ushered ina new batch of fresh-faced game changers, celebrated in the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Amidst the bright young shakers and innovators,some interesting trends in robotics, AI, intelligence energy storage, and automation shone through. Hint: watch out for connected/smart consumer goods, advanced manufacturing, and AI in 2017.

Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum(WEF) annual meeting convened on the 17th of January in an attempt to set the course for 2017, andto address issues of responsive and responsible leadership. World leaders, academics and titans of industry converged on Davos to museamongst a plethora other issuesthe role AI, cyber security, drone warfare and the role of humans in the fourth industrial revolution.

The WEF werent the only ones attempting to comprehend the fast-evolving technological landscape. The Legal Affairs Committee urged the EU Commission to put forward new rules for the robotics sectorfor example, compliance with ethical standards and liability for accidents involving driverless cars. And across the pond, a New York Times article imaginedhow robots and automation might reshape the US manufacturing sector, and potentially impede President Trumps endeavour to bring jobs back to American factories.

Farewell to abumper year for startups

2016was a busy and abundant year for seed, crowd, series A,B,C,D and VC funding ofrobotics-related startups. 128 companies got funded, some multiple times:$1.95billion, 50% more than 2015,which was also a phenomenal year with over $1.32 billion funded. Good news for firms like Rethink Robotics: The Boston-based maker of the Baxter and Sawyer robots, founded by iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks, raised an additional $18 million in an unfinished $33 million Series E round led by private equity firm Adveq.This brought cumulative funding to $131.5 million, which will be used for Rethinks global expansion initiatives andnew product development.

5 privately fundedteams received exciting news from Google as they advanced to the final of the Lunar XPrize. To have a shot at $30 million in prizes, the teams mustsend a robot to the moon, move 500 meters across its surface, and send pictures back to Earth. Contestants have until New Years Eve 2017 to launch, so keep an eye out for developments throughout the year.

Robotics gets down to business

The new Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Innovation Hub (ARM) was awarded $250 million to fund its mission of revitalising American manufacturing by creating and deploying robotics technology.Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, the new institute is made up of governments, industry, academia, and non-profit organisations from across the country. Combined, they have contributed $173 million that will be fused with $80 million in federal funding.

In the UK, Open Bionics announced a partnership with the NHS in a feasibility study to develop hands for amputees.Open Bionics is to be awarded to 100,000 through SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England initiative, as part of its new challenge to fund innovations that will support children living with disability and long term conditions.

Predicting 2017 and beyond

Robohubs Sabine Hauertwas on the panel for Brian Cox presents Science Matters. Experts discussed some key issues that will shape our future, and pondered questions such as: How and when will machines be able to explain themselves? Should weworry about an artificial intelligence advancements? Or, are there bigger and more imminent challenges presented by advances in machine learning?

The Royal Institute wasnt the only organisation asking questions about the future ofAI.The MIT Media Lab and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University will serve as the founding anchor institutions for a new initiative aimed at bridging the gap between the humanities, the social sciences, and computing by addressing the global challenges of AIfrom a multidisciplinary perspective.Initially funded with $27 million from the Knight Foundation, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and others, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Funds mission is to catalyse global research that advances AI for the public interest, with an emphasis on applied research and education. The fund will also seek to advance public understanding of AI.

Further, anew study by the McKinsey Global Institutepredictedthatthe march of automation will displace jobs more gradually than some alarming forecasts suggest. The institute, the research arm of the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, concluded that many tasks can be automated and that most jobs have activities ripe for automation, but the near-term impact will be to transform work more than to eliminate jobs.

Robots that learn

Bots_alive launched a Kickstarter campaigninvolvinga smartphone kit that gives simple but lifelike autonomy to a popular RC toy, the Hexbug Spider. The aim is to pioneera new form of character AI. Much like motion capture for scripted animation, this new technique may revolutionise how interactive characters are created, through observation of authentic human-generated behaviour.

Elsewhere, employing the techniques that drove their Go playing AI to mastery, Google has developed machines that have learned for themselves how to perform simple tasks like opening doors. Google are keeping their lips tight on many aspects of their AI developments, but its likely theyll be sharing more of their learning machines in 2017.

CES 2017

Las Vegas, Nevada, was fizzing with techno-buzz in January as CES 2017the global consumer electronics and consumer technology tradeshowkicked off in style, showcasing the latest innovations and ideas from some of the top companies on the planet.

The eHang 184 hadBrad Templetontalking flying cars and the future of personal transport.Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, showed its intricate vision for the future of deliveriesin the form of theVision Van. Their four-wheeled concept is designed to cut down on the amount of time it takes to sort packages for delivery as well as the actual delivery time, utilizing vans with roof-mounted autonomous drones, and robotic package-sorting devices to ferry packages from its vehicles. And Mercedes werent the only automotive giants sharing their vision for the future: Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and BMW were amongst others showcasing new concepts in self-driving technology.

But are robotsready to help?That was the question posed by CNETs CES 2017 Robotics panel.

Autonomous cars updates

Away from CES, self-driving cars were testedfor the first time on the streets of Britainin January.The portentous trial saw a two-seater LUTZ Pathfinder travel 1.25 miles (2km) through pedestrianised areas of Milton Keynes, reaching speeds of up to 15mph whilst having to cope with walkers and cyclists for the first time.

Tesla AutoPilot hit the headlines again in January. NHTSA released the report from their Office of Defects Investigation on the fatal Tesla crash in Florida during the spring of 2016.The ODI report ruled that Tesla properly considered driver distraction risks in its design of the product. It went even further, noting that drivers using Tesla AutoPilot (including those monitoring it properly and those who did not) still had a lower accident rate per mile than drivers of ordinary cars without autopilot. There was also alot of press speculation swirling around a dashcam video of a car accident in the Netherlands. It showed a Tesla in AutoPilot hitting the brakes around 1.4 seconds before acollision occurred between two other cars. But Brad Templeton attempted to dispel the notion thatthe Teslapredicted the collision,pointing out that the vehicle merely responded to its radar system and the breaking of the car in front.

Social robots

The social robotics industry is on the rise. But early adopters be warned: Its going to cost you.Ewaybot Technologys MoRo robot assistant can grasp and handle objects around your home to help simplify your life, and empty your wallet of $30 thousand. One of the most advanced robotic debutantes at CES 2017, its princely price tag will likely limit its use to academic research, rather than domestic service, in the immediate future.

Catalia Health is also leading the surge in social robotics, with Mabu, their patient care managementsystem. Mabu is a cute little robot who engages patients through conversation in an effort to support Cataliasfocus on helping patients adhere to their treatment, whether that be taking medication, or managing chronic disease over the long term. Such systems, augmented with cultural awareness and good bedside manner, are great news for ameliorating the elderly healthcare crisis, according to academics.An international team is working on a 2 million project to develop versatile robots to help look after older people in care homes or sheltered accommodation. The robots will offer support with everyday tasks, like taking tablets, as well as offering companionshipin an effort toalleviate pressures on care homes and hospitals.

Drones and the government

An effort is underway,led by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, aimed at tackling the threat to civilians posed by fully autonomous weapons systems.The Campaign is calling for an international treaty pre-emptively banning the development, production, and use of such weapons. Is this a predictor of a growing movement againstthisnew generation of decision making drones?

The Hill took offered a more optimistic interaction betweendrones and government, outlining 3 ways the Trump administration can help the drone industry take off.Somehave predicted that the USAs domestic UAS industry will grow to be an $82 billion market while creating more than 100,000 new jobs. And the FAA recently estimated that by 2020, 11 million commercial drones will have been sold in the United States. So how can Trump help?

Well see if he takes the advice on-board.

Drones and consumers

January was a tough time for the consumer drone industry:Parrot struggled, and Google closed its Titan Project as the drone industry appeared to disunite. But, arguably, none had itharder than failed drone startup Lily.TheSilicon Valley startup, with a stylish camera drone and presentation, announced that although it had $34 million in pre-sales, it couldnt get additional funds to meet production demands and was closing down. Bad news after bad, a Forbes article stated that law enforcement agents had raided the companys San Francisco headquarters for a potential criminal investigation against the company. Doubtless, this isnt the last well hear ofLilys legal woes.

On the humanitarian side, apassenger drone, which completed its first flight over low terrain in November, could be in use by 2020. Developed over 15 years for rescue or military use, the $14 million Cormorant (formerly AirMule) can carry 500kg at 185km/h. Urban Aeronautics says internal rotors make it safer than a helicopter. And as well as taking off and landing vertically, it can fly between buildings and below power lines!

Agriculture and robotics

Multiple research reports forecast significant overall growth in the agricultural robotics industryover the coming years, even decades.Grace Market Data predicts the global agricultural drones market to grow phenomenally at 37.1% per annum by unit shipment, and 28.9% yearly by annual sales revenue generated from agricultural UAV hardware, drone software and servicing section over the next ten years.

John Payneoutlined how augmented reality technology can help farmers stay relevant, and augment the introduction of robotic technology on farms, worldwide. In another article, John introduced the concept of regenerative agriculture working in harmony with robotics and automation.

And finally picture this:

Robohubs Kassie Perlongowas on the convention floor at CES 2017, and you can see what she saw in her gallery article #CES2017 in pictures. Meanwhile, design innovators After the Flood introduced us to the Robot Life Survey: An alternative history series that visualises Boston Dynamics Big Dog, Prox Dynamics Black Hornet Nano, and Harvard Universitys Kilobot Swarm as if witnessed by an early explorer.

First-time contributor Alistair Wickoffered a fledgeling computer scientists guide to inverse kinematics, complete with codes and illustrations.

The BBC releasedSpy in the Wild in January. The series employsrobots mounted with cameras, disguised as wildlife, to bring audiences up close and personal with wildlife.

Upcoming events for February March 2017

IEEE- International Conference on MECHATRONICS: February 14-17, Gippsland, Australia.

MIT Tech Conference: February 18, Cambridge, MA.

Robotics Alley:February 28-March 1, Minneapolis, MN.

Conf on Human-Robot Interaction: March 6-9, Vienna, Austria.

Age of Drones Expo:March 14-15, Hamburg, Germany.

European Robotics Forum:March 22-24, Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Robohub Digest 01/17: New year, new perspectives and forecasts for the year ahead in AI, machine learning and ... - Robohub