Category Archives: Robotics

Theres a new farmer in the cannabis industry and its faster, smarter and sleeker, thanks to artificial intelligence.

From small-scale home systems that take the guesswork out of growing for beginners to commercial operations and predictive software, the technology has the ability to change how the world grows, sees and uses cannabis, from hemp and CBD to marijuana, along with the other crops were more accustomed to like cucumbers and tomatoes. But we arent jumping into the future just yet.

Right now, its kind of an obscure topic, said Nathaniel Morris, founder of William Bond Ai in Ontario, which uses AI to train machines to grow cannabis. Its not going to be obscure for long. [Cannabis] is going to be one of the first industries to be disrupted.

Morris said AI imaging can find impurities in the plants, like mold, or a male plant that can impact the entire crop, better than the human eye, once trained to do so by an expert. The technology isnt really new but adapting it to fit the needs of cannabis growers is.

Morris uses the common agricultural robots from FarmBot, programming the devices to work specifically for cannabis. The technology is expensive, and often doesnt make sense for many farmers growing like tomatoes or cucumbers. But with cannabis, which is legal and booming in Canada, the price point is just right, Morris told NJ Cannabis Insider.

Here in New Jersey, AI is playing little role in agriculture and robotics are scare, too, said Peter Furey, the executive director of the state Farm Bureau.

Thats due largely to prohibitive pricing and a steady supply of labor, said A.J. Both, an extension specialist in controlled-environment engineering with Rutgers Universitys New Jerseys Agricultural Experimental Station.

Eventually, it will come here, too, Both said. Its a matter of time.

For now, theres some robotics in greenhouses, many of them have sophisticated control systems, allowing farmers to use their smartphones to get updates or updates throughout the day, he said.

Thats a similar method employed by Seedo, an Israeli-based company, sells hydroponic, automated grow boxes.

Customers can grow vegetables, herbs and cannabis, with medical cannabis coming in as the most popular, a spokesperson for the company said. Thats because growing at home gives customers more control over additives like pesticides and lowers costs.

To make that happen, theres huge appeal in the AI component Seedo is more than just a fancy, protective box with lights. The device monitors the plant and takes pictures, allowing it to identify changes in real time. It collects information on and controls temperature, humidity, water, lighting and nutrients.

And its all managed from a mobile app, which notifies the grower. Seedo sees this as the optimal way to grow. Its only getting better as the company gleans data from its machines.

The developments in AI helped Seedo become what it is now a leader in accurate agriculture, the spokesperson said. "The AI developments help Seedo truly optimize the entire grow process by processing data from our camera [and] sensors and thereby make the necessary changes to grow parameters.

But AI isnt just important in the growing process: Pot Bot is an app that makes personalized cannabis recommendations based on someones needs. It reads through medical journals and studies on cannabinoids, then pairs symptoms such as insomnia, asthma and cancer with branded marijuana strains to find type of weed is best suited to each.

And that could help build up the lack of research weve had so far on cannabis. Morris said studying cannabis in a lab hasnt proved the best fit. Its more effective, he said, to see how the full spectrum of cannabinoids impact users in their lives. Such a feat takes a lot of data, but AI could be the tool we need.

Artificial intelligence is the first time weve had a tool worthy of the challenge of studying cannabis, he said.

AI and robotics will likely make their way to Jersey farms as they become more affordable. But with that leap will come the concerns that plague AI: what will people do for jobs?

At some point, we need to come to a realization that as a society if we focus on robots, we make sure that doesnt displace paying jobs for people," Both said. "Its a challenging point, and something that we will have to face.

This story first appeared in NJ Cannabis Insider.

NJ Cannabis Insider is produced by NJ Advance Media, which also provides content for NJ.com, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated papers. Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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These robots are learning to grow weed. Yes, theyre pot bots.' - lehighvalleylive.com

Although automation of aircraft maintenance is expected to be a gradual, limited process--aircraft production should see much faster and further-reaching gains.

Consultancy Roland Berger predicts that aerostructures production will move from 35% to around 65% automation within 10 years, a view that has been bolstered by lastweeks opening of Airbusnewest assembly line in Hamburg.

With a special focus on manufacturing longer sections for the A321LR, the new facility features 20 robots, a new logistics concept, automated positioning by laser measurement as well as a digital data acquisition system.

For initial section assembly, eight robots drill and counter-sink 1,100-2,400 holes per longitudinal joint. In the next production step, 12 seven-axes robots join the centerand aft fuselage sections with the tail, drilling, counter-sinking, sealing and inserting 3,000 rivets per orbital joint.

Increasing the level of automation and robotics enables faster, more efficient manufacturing while keeping our prime focus on quality, said Michael Schoellhorn, Airbuss chief operating officer.

Perhaps in a nod to the production problems at Hamburg that have caused delays to A321neo deliveries, Schoellhorn added: We now need to deliver in line with our commitments made to customers while ensuring overall competitiveness.

As Airbus notes, the digitalization that accompanies robotic automation is also an important step, and it will be interesting to see how much the former can improve supply chain and logistics processes going forward.

For the robots themselves, further advances beyond welding, drilling and fastening might prove incrementally tougher to achieve, with Roland Berger estimating that one-third of production work will remain with touch labor the foreseeable future.

The remaining 35% is very difficult to automate unless you completely revolutionize the production system which is something that would take decades, Roland Berger partner Holger Lipowsky has told Aviation Week.

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Airbus Unleashes The Robots In Hamburg - MRO Network

07 Oct 2019 - 8:16

Young adults during an interactive session of Fun Robotics at Qatar National Library.

A group of young adults enjoyed an interactive session of Fun Robotics at Qatar National Library on Saturday. A hands-on introduction to robotics, the Internet of Things, and coding let enthusiastic participants do robotic coding with the aid of drag-and-drop functionality. After this brief introduction, the group solved a daily life issue using robotics.

The program is designed to enable young students to eventually address other real-time problems using the same strategy, applying collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and complex problem-solving.

A participant at the workshop, Sanad Joudeh, a robotics enthusiast who regularly attends competitions in Qatar and the region, said: This event is brilliant. It introduces new concepts in robotics and provides incredible learning materials to participants. The world of robotics is advancing very quickly, so it is always valuable to learn something new about this field. I have been practicing coding and robotics for the last two years, and Im thankful to have been part of a major robotics competition that brought the first cup to Jordan.

Sessions continue every Saturday throughout October. As the course progresses, the level of problems identified and the complexity of programming used to solve them will increase. A mini-challenge day will be held in November, when participants will exhibit their creations.

Zakariya Muhamed, who also took part, said: I am happy that the Library is organizing informative events for youth, and especially for those with an interest in computer science and information technology. Robotics teaches students how to solve complex problems and work together with other students. The lecture today helped me understand the different types of robot sensors and how they function.

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Youth have fun with robotics, coding at Qatar National Library - The Peninsula Qatar

A New Zealand designed and built robotic system is set to transform dairy-herd testing in this country.

LIC machine testing milk samples. Photo: Supplied / LIC

Herd improvement co-operative, LIC, collects about 11 million milk samples from farms every year and until now the samples have been manually tested.

The tests, carried out four times a year on farms help farmers judge the performance of each cow and also test the disease status of each animal.

LIC has been doing the work for the last 50 years.

This has involved a team of about 70 people who manually weighed each sample of milk and then took a small sub-sample which was then analysed in the lab.

It has now installed machines to automate the weighing and sampling process at its Hamilton and Christchurch laboratories.

The custom designed machines have been developed over the last three years by LIC staff and Intellitech Automation.

Chief executive Wayne McNee said LIC has been trying to automate the process for many years.

He said robotic testing is both quicker and more accurate and that the machines do not spill or contaminate samples.

Mr McNee said five robotic machines will be working, while cows are being milked during the season running from July through to April.

He said the main benefit for farmers is a more efficient operation.

LIC has invested $3.2m in developing the machines and it expects to pay the cost off within two years with the savings made.

Mr McNee said seasonal staff will not now be required to do the testing.

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Robotics to transform dairy herd testing - RNZ

ONE OF the robot manufacturers at the centre of the "when good robots go bad" research which we reported on earlier this week has hit back at the "exaggerated" reports.

IOActive's research demonstrated how a domesticated robot can be hacked and turned into a screwdriver-wielding, tomato-squishing maniac that, much like a swan, could break a man's arm. But a swan with gears and cogs instead of feathers and a beak.

Now UBTECH, whose robots were featured in the research have hit back, dismissing the video.

"UBTECH has been made aware of a sensationalistic video produced by IOActive featuring the Alpha 2. The video is an exaggerated depiction of Alpha 2's open-source platform. UBTECH encourages its developer community to code responsibly and discourages inappropriate robot behaviour," it told INQ.

Which is kind of the point. The video served to show what would happen if the robot was hacked to be evil and while UBTECH implies scaremongering, it also does little to deny that actually, yes, it could happen.

It's a bit like saying "We at the INQUIRER as members of the press, discourage Katie Hopkins". We do, but someone is still obviously poking her with a stick somewhere.

With regards to protecting customers from the vulnerability, John Rhee, the General Manager at UBTECH North America adds: "UBTECH is committed to maintaining the highest security standards in all of its products. As a result, the company has conducted a full investigation into the claims made in the IoActive report regarding the Alpha 2 robot.

"The Alpha 2 robot was designed to be on an open-sourced platform where developers are encouraged to program their robots with code. UBTECH has fully addressed any concerns raised by IoActive that do not limit our developers from programming their Alpha 2"

So basically, again, a pretty empty but angry response. UBTECH has fixed everything, except the bits that might cause a problem for people using it for good things - which of course could then be used for bad things.

Basically, we're on different sides of the same coin here. For UBTECH the message is "our robots aren't dangerous because we're responsible". Ours is a less nuanced "it was a bloody silly report in the first place". After all, IOActive has been treading thispathfor months. Either way, it could still happen. Make sure you unplug your toaster oven at night or it WILL EAT YOU. That's scientific fact*.

*actual science may vary

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Robotics firm hits back at 'exaggerated' killer robot claims - The INQUIRER

An audio version of this story.

Georgia Tech researchers have opened a new lab that allows anyone around the world to remotely access and control its robots.

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Its called the "Robotarium" and the university claims it's the world's first open robotics research lab.

To demonstrate how it works, a few dozen robots sit on what looks like a large air hockey table with a smooth white surface.

Each is about an inch wide and tall. Theres a Wi-Fi chip on top and small rubber wheels on the bottom. Infrared cameras hanging overhead are scanning the robots below and can tell them apart based on how four to five reflective silver balls on top are configured.

The robots are given specific commands to help it find its final destination. Slowly the robots roll off their wireless charging stations at the edges of the table and into the center to spell out the letters GT for Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech post-doctoral fellow Sean Wilson said these swarm robots are meant to mimic how animals like honeybees and flocking birds move and solve problems together that individual animals or robots cant on their own.

"Swarm robotics is the challenge of controlling a large number of robots without a central computer, Wilson said. So what commands do you send each individual robot so that swarm does what you want them to do?"

Anyone from around the world can upload their code that tells the robots what to do and watch the robots interact through a live feed.

But what happens if someone programs the robots to destroy each other?

Researchers have planned ahead by automatically programming virtual barriers around each robot to prevent collisions.

The lab's computer system also tests new code for malware and viruses.

Georgia Tech Ph.D. student Siddharth Mayya said the goal of the open research lab is to make robotics more accessible.

"Even a high school student can just log on to robotarium.org and submit his experiment and run his code on actual robots," Mayya said.

The lab's director, Magnus Egerstedt, is also executive director of the Institute for Robotics and Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines. Egerstedt said the lab will soon have 100 aerial drones, or mini-quadcopters, as well as mini-robots. Eventually, he wants to increase the number to 1,000.

Building and maintaining a world-class, multi-robot lab is too expensive for a large number of roboticists and budding roboticists, Egerstedt said. This creates a steep barrier to entry into our field."

And he said hes noticed that it's not only engineers who are uploading experiments.

"We've had biologists that are interested in social insects test their ideas. Traffic engineers who are looking at traffic congestion, Egerstedt said. People that are studying social interactions on Facebook test their algorithms for social dynamics.

And it was only fitting that a robot helped cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the Robotarium.

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Ga. Tech Unveils World's First Open Robotics Research Lab | WABE ... - WABE 90.1 FM

There was a flurry of tech deals announced this week in Boston, including the acquisitions of Applause, Digital Lumens, and Dragon Innovation, and a $6 million investment in GNS Healthcare. Here are a few more deals you might have missed:

Rethink Robotics raised $18 million from investors, part of a funding round announced last December that now totals $36 million, according to SEC filings. That brings Rethinks total venture capital haul to at least $148 million. The company makes robots that can collaborate with factory workers on tasks like assembly and testing.

Semcasting, a North Andover, MA-based provider of data tools for marketing and advertising, acquired Orlando, FL-based Transparency AI for an undisclosed price. Transparency AI helps clients in the automotive industry measure the effectiveness of their online advertisements. With the acquisition, Semcasting now has around 60 full-time employees located at offices nationwide, a spokeswoman said.

Warwick, RI-based SquadLocker received a $7 million Series B investment led by Causeway Media Partners, a spokesman said. Causeways managing partners include Boston Celtics co-owner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck. Earlier SquadLocker investor James Lombardi also contributed to the funding round. Causeway managing partner Bob Higgins has joined SquadLockers board, according to a press release.

SquadLockers online tools help coaches and parents manage the process of designing and ordering youth sports apparel. The company has raised about $18 million from outside investors, according to the Boston Globe. SquadLocker co-founder and CEO Gary Goldberg has also put in $4 million, the Globe reported.

Heres one that flew under the radar: Day Zero Diagnostics announced earlier this month that it closed a $3 million seed funding round led by Golden Seeds and Sands Capital Ventures. The startup, based at the Harvard Innovation Lab, wants to use genomic sequencing and machine learning tools to improve infectious disease diagnostics.

Boston medical device firm Rebion raised nearly $2.2 million from investors, according to a new SEC filing. Formerly known as Rebiscan, the company says it has developed eye-scanning technology for detecting lazy eye and traumatic brain injury.

CareAcademy closed a $1.7 million seed round led by Rethink Education, Lumina Foundation, and Techstars Ventures, according to multiple news reports. The Boston-based startup, which provides online education for professional in-home caregivers, participated in this years Techstars Boston accelerator program.

Jeff Engel is a senior editor at Xconomy. Email: jengel@xconomy.com

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Boston Tech Watch: Rethink Robotics, SquadLocker, Semcasting & More - Xconomy

Andover high school student Aum Trivedi found a way to turn his passion into profit, while also paying it forward.

Earlier this year Trivedi created Derive, a business where he offers a five-day course to middle school students to teach them the basics of robotics and engineering.

It all started when Trivedi signed up for an eight-week course known as the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. The course teaches students how to create a business plan, financial projections, and market research for their business. It was through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy that Trivedi was able to develop his plans for the business, and eventually get Derive up and running.

"The idea of providing robotics education came from my own experience as a young, inexperienced, member of the Andover High School Robotics Club," said Trivedi. "As a freshman in high school, I was taught by several incredibly talented upperclassmen. Without their mentorship, I would still know nothing about robotics. I decided that as I am now an upperclassman, I have the opportunity to return that favor, and begin to offer the same sort of mentorship that I received to as many people as possible. With that notion of spreading the knowledge, I came up with Derive as an effective way to train future robotics engineers."

Two fellow Andover high students,Aurash Bozorgzadeh andAlex Yang, worked as instructors alongside Trivedi during the Derive pilot session. The three are rising seniors this year, all belonging to the Andover High robotics club.

Trivedi will be holding future sessions for Derive Robotics during February and April school breaks. The 5-day course aims to help middle school students get ready to compete in the First Tech Challenge in high school, and costs $500 per student.

"What was most remarkable is that he demonstrated that there was a market need for what he was going to do," said Walter Manninen, a mentor of Triveldi's from the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. "What he saw was a need to target junior high students to give them a footing in robotics. He was really helping young people embrace robotics with the end goal in mind that this could help them in their college career and help them get scholarships."

Trivedi held the first Derive Robotics session the week of July 10 this summer.

"Robotics was compelling to me because working as a part of a robotics team incorporates an immense array of different skill sets," said Trivedi. "A member of a robotics team could be working on anything from documentation of designs and building progress, to designing 3D models of printable parts, to physically assembling the robot itself. This broad diversity means that anyone can be involved, and there is a huge amount to learn."

Follow Kelsey Bode on Twitter @Kelsey_Bode

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High school student teaches middle schoolers the ABCs of robotics - Andover Townsman

Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

Temple Sholom Nursery School adds woodworking, robotics room for toddlers

GREENWICH One by one, the preschoolers strapped on safety goggles and grabbed a saw. Back and forth, the children pushed the blades through a thin piece of wood tied with a red ribbon, their arms quaking from the effort.

This is tricky! said Jordan Rosenthal, 3, wielding a saw half her height.

Parents and teachers gathered round, watching many nervously and helping the children. When 4-year-old Oliver Halios saw broke through the skinny plank, the room erupted in cheers.

The ribbon sawing Thursday morning marked the opening of the new STEAM room at Temple Sholom Selma Maisel Nursery School.

When nursery school classes resume in September, 3-year-old and prekindergarten children will have access to the new room outfitted with knee-high wooden work benches, water tables, programmable robotic toys, ramps and a cannon-like wind tunnel made out of clear plastic.

When we stay on the cutting edge of early childhood education, our students reap the benefits, said David Cohen, director of the nursery school. We see public and private elementary schools investing in these programs and we want to ensure our students will arrive ready for the challenge.

Temple Sholom spent about $20,000 on the new STEAM room, Cohen said. The nursery school has been planning the new addition since January, when Cohen attended an early childhood STEM conference at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

The nursery schoolers will use the STEAM room on a weekly basis, receiving safety instruction and activity prompts but also with the freedom to experiment. The new space does not shy away from putting drills, screwdrivers, hammers and other tools into the hands of young children.

We dont play around with fake stuff, Cohen said. Woodworking is highly recommended for (young childrens) development and physical skills, but its something that a lot of people shy away from.

For an additional $5,000, the nursery school also added a new gymnastics room with pint-sized parallel bars, balance beams and mats next door to the STEAM room. The gymnastics room will be used as part of the schools physical education classes.

It will really do wonders for developing gross motor skills and building confidence, said Cohen.

The new additions are part of Selma Maisels efforts to offer forward-thinking early childhood education to children of all faiths and ethnicities, administrators said.

We are always looking to grow and enhance our program and see what will entice kids, said Eileen Robin, executive director of Temple Sholom.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson

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Temple Sholom Nursery School adds woodworking, robotics room ... - Greenwich Time

Hawaii launches new credit-based internship program in robotics work for college students Pacific Business News (Honolulu) Hawaii's state-funded aerospace agency, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, has launched a new credit-based internship program for students at the Big Island's Hawaii Community College to gain high-tech skills. The state ...

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Hawaii launches new credit-based internship program in robotics work for college students - Pacific Business News (Honolulu)