Category Archives: Robotics

Around the same time that Isaac Asimov published his short story introducing the laws of robotics in 1942, the worlds first nuclear reactor was being built under the viewing stands of a football field at the University of Chicago.

There had been some misgivings about initiating a chain reaction in the middle of a densely populated city, but Enrico Fermi, the Italian physicist leading the experiment, calculated that it was safe to do so. On its initial successful run, the Chicago Pile-1 reactor ran for four minutes, generating less than a watt of power about enough to illuminate one small Christmas tree ornament. The reaction was a major step in the development of nuclear energy, but it was also one of the earliest technical achievements of the Manhattan Project, the US-led initiative during the Second World War culminating in the atomic bombs that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki two and half years later.

The scientists involved knew that their work had the potential for creation as well as destruction. The question was how to ensure that its beneficial use in power generation and medicine did not also lead to proliferation of weapons threatening the existence of humanity.

After the conclusion of the war, that was the subject of the very first resolution passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. It created a commission tasked with recommending how to eliminate such weapons, while enabling all nations to benefit from peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, the history of efforts to safeguard nuclear power is relevant. Like AI, this is an example of a technology with enormous potential for good and ill that has, for the most part, been used positively. Nuclear power, though currently out of favour, is one of the few realistic energy alternatives to hydrocarbons; its use in medicine and agriculture is more accepted and widespread. Observers from the dark days of the Cold War anticipated this, but would have been surprised to learn that nuclear weapons were not used in conflict after 1945 and that only a handful of states possess them the better part of a century later.

Secondly, the international regime offers a possible model of regulation of AI at the global level. The grand bargain at the heart of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was that the beneficial purposes of technology could be distributed in tandem with a mechanism to ensure that those were the only purposes to which it was applied. That trade-off raised the level of trust between the then-superpowers, as well as between the nuclear haves and have-nots.

The equivalent weaponisation of AI either narrowly, through the development of autonomous weapons systems, or broadly, in the form of a general AI or superintelligence that might threaten humanity is today beyond the capacity of most states. For weapons systems, at least, that technical gap will not last long. Much as the small number of nuclear armed states is due to the decision of states not to develop such weapons and a non-proliferation regime to verify this, limits on the dangerous application of AI will need to rely on the choices of states as well as enforcement.

Clearly, it will be necessary to establish red lines to prohibit certain activities. Weaponised or uncontainable AI are the most obvious candidates. Mere reliance on industry self-restraint will not preserve such prohibitions. Moreover, if those red lines are to be enforced consistently and effectively then some measure of global coordination and cooperation is required. Here the analogy with nuclear weapons is most pertinent.

The effective regulation of AI requires norms and institutions that operate at the global level. The creation of an organisation like the IAEA, what I call the IAIA (an International Artificial Intelligence Agency), could permit a deal where countries with capacity, like the United States and China, agree to share some of that technology around the world, so that they all get the benefits of AI optimisation. But those benefits would come in exchange for a promise not to weaponise AI in terms of lethal autonomous weapons, as well as guarding against the possibility of a rogue or malignant super-intelligence that was uncontrollable or uncontainable.

This new grand bargain could offer benefits comparable to nuclear energys contributions to power, medicine and agriculture.

Moreover, unless there is some level of global regulation, it would be too easy for AI technology to move around the world. In the absence of global agreement, it would be impossible to enforce any of the red lines that we need to stop most immediately lethal autonomous weapons being given the power to make life-and-death decisions in the battlefield.

All this might sound nave, but in addition to nuclear weapons, weve seen other dangerous technologies outlawed: chemical and biological weapons, human cloning, and so on. The dangers posed by AI may seem further off into the future, but it is already clear that those dangers and the means of addressing them have moved beyond the realm of science fiction.

This is an edited excerpt from Simon Chestermans new book, We, The Robots?, in which he makes the case for a new global agency to regulate the development of artificial intelligence. You can read more about the book here.

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Redlining the robots - Cosmos

The new innovation centre will bring healthcare professionals from Europe, Middle East and Africa together with Smith+Nephew's R&D and medical education teams to explore digital surgery and robotics techniques and technologies. At the heart of this will be Real Intelligence, Smith+Nephew's digital ecosystem, including the new state-of-the-art robotics-assisted surgical system CORI.

The centre will feature a dedicated medical education facility, where surgeons can refine techniques and experience the latest technology through hands-on learning and immersive simulation technology.

The centre will also home Smith+Nephew's digital surgery and robotics R+D team, enabling them to collaborate with surgeons, scientists and engineers, driving innovation that meets unmet clinical needs. Many of this team joined Smith+Nephew from Brainlab under the terms of a collaboration agreement announced in 2019.

Smith+Nephew EMEA President, Peter Coenen said, "We are excited to be announcing this state-of-the-art facility focused on the development and delivery of digital surgery technologies and techniques. We look forward to sharing our plans as we progress our technology vision, and to welcoming customers to experience a new approach to medical education when we open next year."

The new facility, which is expected to open late 2022, will be situated at the Rhythm complex at Kustermann Park, in central Munich. It joins Smith+Nephew's recently opened robotics R&D and medical education facility in Pittsburgh, US in offering a unique collaborative approach to customer experience and product development.

About Smith+NephewSmith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business that exists to restore people's bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose 'Life Unlimited'. Our 18,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients'lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies acrossour three global franchises of Orthopaedics, Advanced Wound Management and Sports Medicine & ENT.

Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $4.6 billion in 2020. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN,NYSE:SNN). The terms 'Group' and 'Smith+Nephew' are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plcand its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visit http://www.smith-nephew.com and follow us onTwitter,LinkedIn, InstagramorFacebook.

Forward-looking StatementsThis document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith+Nephew, these factors include: risks related to the impact of COVID-19, such as the depth and longevity of its impact, government actions and other restrictive measures taken in response, material delays and cancellations of elective procedures, reduced procedure capacity at medical facilities, restricted access for sales representatives to medical facilities, or our ability to execute business continuity plans as a result of COVID-19; economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers (including, without limitation, as a result of COVID-19); price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers (including, without limitation, as a result of COVID-19); competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith+Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith+Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith+Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith+Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith+Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith+Nephew's expectations.

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Smith+Nephew announces digital surgery and robotics innovation centre in Europe - PRNewswire

Dozens of Iowa youth will take part at an internationally based robotics competition, FIRST LEGO League (ages 9 to 14), hosted by the Quad Cities Engineering & Science Council along with Iowa State University College of Engineering at the Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport.

Teams will participate in STEM programming at the Quad Cities Davenport qualifier event of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday.

Teams will present their excellence in design, programming, research and teamwork in a fun, fast-paced environment. Teams will share their research and prototypes as part of their innovation project for improving transportation to be faster, more reliable, inclusive, and sustainable. Teams will work to qualify to receive a coveted invitation to the state championship at Iowa State University in January.

Teams represent students from the following communities: Bettendorf, Camanche, Davenport, and Iowa City.

FIRST programs include FIRST LEGO League Discover (ages 3-5), FIRST LEGO League Explore (ages 6 to 10), FIRST LEGO League (ages 9 to 14), FIRST Tech Challenge (ages 12 to 18), FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14 to 18).

Teams also can engage with business and industry professionals who will serve as event volunteers.

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Robotics teams will compete at the Putnam - WHBF - OurQuadCities.com

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Ultra-Wideband Market Research Report by Application, by Industry, by Region - Global Forecast to 2026 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Ultra-Wideband Market size was estimated at USD 1,279.90 million in 2020 and expected to reach USD 1,481.22 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 16.06% to reach USD 3,129.39 million by 2026.

Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.

FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Ultra-Wideband Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments

The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Ultra-Wideband Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Ultra-Wideband Market?

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Restraints

Opportunities

Challenges

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/twpbqz

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Insights on the Ultra-Wideband Global Market to 2026 - Featuring 5D Robotics, Alereon and Fujitsu Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business...

Understand the Application

To get the right gripper, its important to first consider the nature of the task, operating environment and workpiece, including its size, mass and material. Here are some key considerations and questions that will help determine which gripper type will get the job done as safely and efficiently as possible:

Environmental. What temperature range will the gripper operate in? Will the gripper be exposed to dirt, dust, oil or moisture?

Industry. Does the application involve food or other hygienic workpieces? Will the gripper be exposed to cleaning processes? Does the application require antistatic materials?

Design constraints. What direction of motion is needed? What is the applications maximum operating speed? How large is the workspace? Will operators share space with collaborative robots?

Costs. What are the upfront, operating and maintenance costs, as well as the energy consumption?

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Robotics Spur Growth in Grippers and Suction Cups - Hydraulics & Pneumatics

LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) In the next few weeks, you may start seeing produce at the grocery store thats been grown by robots in Lockhart.

A company called Iron Ox is finishing up construction on its 530,000 square-foot property that includes a greenhouse and production barn.

The company hopes to bring a new way of farming driven by artificial intelligence, in the historically agricultural city of Lockhart.

Were an indoor farming company thats using technologies like robotics, AI and plant science to grow more sustainable, local, fresh produce, said Brandon Alexander, Iron Oxs CEO who grew up in Texas.

Alexander says Lockharts operations would be much bigger than what theyre already doing in California their property can fit 10 Walmarts, he said.

But he said they will be using the same technology: Grover, the companys bot.

One of the key things that our technology does, its always monitoring the plants, and its reacting, Alexander explains. How is this plant doing? Can we tweak it? Maybe a little more nitrogen? Adjust the water acidity?

The company says that attention to detail cuts down food waste dramatically, as well as water use by 90%.

Once the lettuce and other herbs are ready for harvest, Grover will pick up the 1,000-pound pods, carry them through a tunnel, and into the connecting barn, where the produce will be packaged for local grocery stores and restaurants and, eventually around Texas.

Alexander says customers will start seeing these leafy greens in stores by the end of the year and hopes to start growing strawberries and other products sometime next year.

He also says they decided to expand even before that due to the interest from businesses over the past year securing incentives deals with the city of Lockhart on Nov. 16 for a second production location.

That includes up to $200,000 to expand wastewater and water lines to the site, and a five-year property tax rebate, said Lockharts economic development director, Mike Kamerlander.

The number of economic development leads that we have done this year in 2021 is more than double what it was in 2020 and 2020 was a record year for us, Kamerlander says.

Kamerlander points to the citys affordability, easy permitting process and proximity to Austin as reasons for increased development, and said he expects the projects will keep rolling in.

We certainly think thats going to continue as things like Tesla continue to ramp up and get going and everything is going to go around them, he said.

Alexander says that means more mouths to feed and hes hoping that food will come from their facilities, instead of being imported from other states or countries.

Less traveled distance, less chemicals and a better, fresher product to boot, he said.

He says Iron Ox is also hiring everything from technicians to food scientists. As of publication, their website shows about a dozen openings in Austin and Lockhart, but Alexander said they wont turn away qualified workers.

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You may soon be able to buy produce grown by robots in Lockhart - KXAN.com

Mecademic's CEO Jonathan Coulombe, credits the companys unique offering of ultra-small and compact robots, his staffs dedication, along with a growing network of partners with the company's 242 percent revenue growth.

Montreal, November 17, 2021 Mecademic Robotics is presented the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program award for its rapid revenue growth, entrepreneurial spirit and bold innovation. The program recognizes Canada's 50 fastest-growing technology companies with the highest revenue-growth percentage over the past four years. Mecademic Robotics achieved a 242 percent revenue growth from 2017 to 2020.

Mecademic's CEO Jonathan Coulombe, credits the company's unique offering of ultra-small and compact robots, his staff's dedication, along with a growing network of partners with the company's 242 percent revenue growth.

Coulombe said, "We're honoured to receive this recognition by Deloitte and would like to congratulate all the winners! Our fast growth in the competitive robotics industry stems from an entirely new type of product that helps customers increase production volumes while maintaining high precision within an incredibly compact footprint." He added, "the fast and sustained growth we've seen is thanks to the hard work of the entire Mecademic team, the support of our global network of partners, and of course, the trust our valued customers have placed in us. We're excited for what the future holds and look forward to continue evolving and delivering value to our customers."

On his part, Philippe Jacome, Mecademic's CFO, underlines that this growth was fueled by traditional funding methods and sales profits. Jacome said, "We're proud to have achieved this growth through grants and sales revenue. As any startup can attest, this can be an incredibly challenging feat to accomplish."

"As we rise above another year of uncertainty, we are exceptionally proud to announce this year's Fast 50 winners," stated Anders McKenzie, partner and national leader for the Technology Fast 50 program at Deloitte Canada. "These innovative trailblazers have demonstrated resilience, true commitment to innovation, adaptability, and business leadership as we cope with an ever-changing new normal. The Fast 50 companies act as catalysts, driving growth of Canadian business."

To qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking, companies must have been in business for at least four years, have revenues of at least $5 million, be headquartered in Canada, own proprietary technology, conduct research and development activities in Canada and invest a minimum of five percent of gross revenues in R&D.

About the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program is Canada's pre-eminent technology awards program. Celebrating business growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, the program features distinct categories, including the Technology Fast 50 ranking, Enterprise Fast 15, Clean Technology, and Companies-to-Watch. The program also recognizes companies within the North American Technology Fast 500 ranking, identifying technology companies in the United States and Canada. The 2021 program sponsors include Deloitte, RBC, EDC, Miller Thomson, Clarity Recruitment, and Lafond. For further information, visit http://www.fast50.ca.

About Mecademic Robotics

Mecademic Robotics is a Canadian designer and manufacturer of innovative, best-in-class industrial robots. Our products have the distinction of being the world's smallest, most compact, and precise industrial robot arms.

Mecademic was founded in 2013, in Montreal, Quebec. Today, our customers include some of the world's leading brands, as well as up-and-coming innovators and disruptors in the aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, medical, jewelry, and electronics industries. Learn more, at: http://www.mecademic.com.

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Mecademic Robotics announced as one of Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 program winners | RoboticsTomorrow - Robotics Tomorrow

Join gaming leaders, alongside GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming, for their 2nd Annual GamesBeat & Facebook Gaming Summit | GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2 this upcoming January 25-27, 2022. Learn more about the event.

Unity, the San Francisco-based platform for creating and operating games and other 3D content, on November 10 announced the launch of Unity Simulation Pro and Unity SystemGraph to improve modeling, testing, and training complex systems through AI.

With robotics usage in supply chains and manufacturing increasing, such software is critical to ensuring efficient and safe operations.

Danny Lange, senior vice president of artificial intelligence for Unity, told VentureBeat via email that the Unity SystemGraph uses a node-based approach to model the complex logic typically found in electrical and mechanical systems. This makes it easier for roboticists and engineers to model small systems, and allows grouping those into larger, more complex ones enabling them to prototype systems, test and analyze their behavior, and make optimal design decisions without requiring access to the actual hardware, said Lange.

Unitys execution engine, Unity Simulation Pro, offers headless rendering eliminating the need to project each image to a screen and thus increasing simulation efficiency by up to 50% and lowering costs, the company said.

The Unity Simulation Pro is the only product built from the ground up to deliver distributed rendering, enabling multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) to render the same Unity project or simulation environment simultaneously, either locally or in the private cloud, the company said. This means multiple robots with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of sensors can be simulated faster than real time on Unity today.

According to Lange, users in markets like robotics, autonomous driving, drones, agriculture technology, and more are building simulations containing environments, sensors, and models with million-square-foot warehouses, dozens of robots, and hundreds of sensors. With these simulations, they can test software against realistic virtual worlds, teach and train robot operators, or try physical integrations before real-world implementation. This is all faster, more cost-effective, and safer, taking place in the metaverse.

A more specific use case would be using Unity Simulation Pro to investigate collaborative mapping and mission planning for robotic systems in indoor and outdoor environments, Lange said. He added that some users have built a simulated 4,000 square-foot building sitting within a larger forested area and are attempting to identify ways to map the environment using a combination of drones, off-road mobile robots, and walking robots. The company reports it has been working to enable creators to build and model the sensors and systems of mechatronic systems to run in simulations.

A major application of Unity SystemGraph is how it enables those looking into building simulations with a physically accurate camera, lidar models, and SensorSDK to take advantage of SystemGraphs library of ready-to-use models and easily configure them to their specific cases.

Customers can now simulate at scale, iterate quickly, and test more to drive insights at a fraction of current simulation costs, Unity says. The company adds that customers like Volvo Cars, Allen Institute of AI, and Carnegie Mellon University are already seeing results.

While there are several companies that have built simulators targeted especially at AI applications like robotics or synthetic data generation, Unity claims that the ease of use of its authoring tools makes it stand out above its rivals, including top competitors like Roblox, Aarki, Chartboost, MathWorks, and Mobvista. Lange says this is evident in the size of Unitys existing user base of over 1.5 million creators using its editor tools.

Unity says its technology is aimed at impacting the industrial metaverse, where organizations continue to push the envelope on cutting-edge simulations.

As these simulations grow in complexity in terms of the size of the environment, the number of sensors used in that environment, or the number of avatars operating in that environment, the need for our product increases. Our distributed rendering feature, which is unique to Unity Simulation Pro, enables you to leverage the increasing amount of GPU compute resources available to customers, in the cloud or on-premise networks, to render this simulation faster than real time. This is not possible with many open source rendering technologies or even the base Unity product all of which will render at less than 50% real time for these scenarios, Lange said.

Moving into 2022, Unity says it expects to see a steep increase in the adoption of AI-powered technologies, with two key adoption motivators. On one side, companies like Unity will continue to deliver products that help lower the barrier to entry and help increase adoption by wider ranges of customers. This is combined with the decreasing cost of compute, sensors, and other hardware components, Lange said. Then on the customer adoption side, the key trends that will drive adoption are broader labor shortages and the demand for more operational efficiencies all of which have the effect of accelerating the economics that drive the adoption of these technologies on both fronts.

Unity is doubling down on building purpose-built products for its simulation users, enabling them to mimic the real world by simulating environments with various sensors, multiple avatars, and agents for significant performance gains with lower costs. The company says this will help its customers to take the first step into the industrial metaverse.

Unity will showcase the Unity Simulation Pro and Unity SystemGraph through in-depth sessions at the forthcoming Unity AI Summit on November 18, 2021.

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Unity moves robotics design and training to the metaverse - VentureBeat

Want a career with upside? Then you might consider working in automation. After all, robots are already commonly found in a lot of industries today, and their usage is only expected to grow over time.

This web-based training package features five highly rated courses from software engineer and entrepreneur Edouard Renard that introduce students to ROS technologies. Students will learn the basics of robotics using beginner-friendly technologies like the Raspberry Pi mini-PC and Arduino microcontrollers, plus theyll discover how to build their own creations, as well as how to program them for all kinds of purposes.

Thecareer possibilities in the robotics and automation fieldare pretty wide-ranging. If this is an area you want to explore, give yourself a solid foundation with The 2021 Raspberry Pi and Arduino Bootcamp Bundle. Normally offered at $995.00, you can now get it for just $29.99.

Prices subject to change.

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Learn the in's and out's of robotics with this elite training bundle - PCWorld

The multidisciplinary research team believes that by utilizing swarm robotics to reduce soil compaction and working to avoid herbicide-resistant weeds through nonchemical methods of control, significant ecological and environmental benefits can be achieved.

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The use of adaptive swarm robotics has the potential to provide significant environmental and economic benefits to smart agriculture efforts globally through the implementation of autonomous ground and aerial technologies.

Agricultural robots, when used properly, can improve product quantity and quality while lowering the cost, said Kiju Lee, associate professor and Charlotte & Walter Buchanan Faculty Fellow in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution and the J. Mike Walker 66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

A project led jointly by Lee, Muthukma Bagavathiannan in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Juan Landivar in the AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been recently funded by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the National Robotics Initiative 3.0 program.

The entire multidisciplinary group comprised of members from several Texas A&M University System departments, institutions and agencies is working to establish a configurable, adaptive and scalable swarm (CASS) system consisting of unmanned ground and aerial robots designed to assist in collaborative smart agriculture tasks.

We will develop the technical and theoretical groundwork for the deployable, scalable swarm system consisting of a physical robotic swarm, of both ground and aerial robots, a digital twin simulator for low- and high-fidelity simulations, and an easy-to-use user interface for farmers to make this CASS system into use, Lee said.

This approach to smart agriculture, enabled by the CASS technology, could result in long-term benefits thanks to reduced waste through better logistics, optimal use of water and fertilizer, and an overall reduction in the use of pesticides.

The research team believes that by utilizing smaller machines to reduce soil compaction and working to avoid herbicide-resistant weeds through nonchemical methods of control, significant ecological and environmental benefits can be achieved.

Recent trends in smart agriculture focused on the usage of large machinery have had the objective of maximizing product quantity and minimizing costs an approach that has resulted in some economic and environmental concerns. Lee said issues including soil compaction, a limited ability to address small-scale field variability and reduced crop productivity are some of the long-term issues that have emerged from this approach.

By leveraging the flexibility of swarm robotics, the CASS system is intended to become a platform technology that can be configured to meet application-specific needs.

Current trends in precision agriculture and smart farming mostly focus on larger machinery or a single or a small number of robots equipped and programmed to perform highly specialized tasks, Lee said. This project will serve as a critical pathway toward our long-term goal of establishing a deployable easy-to-use swarm robotic system that can serve as a universal platform for broad agriculture applications.

Although other systems employing swarm robotics exist, they are typically designed to perform just one specific task rather than being adaptable to a variety of situations.

Moving forward, the team will have the opportunity to address several challenges related to the complex and varying scale of agriculture applications through the design and implementation process of their system.

Despite the great potential, swarm robotics research itself has been largely confined to low-fidelity simulations and laboratory experiments, Lee said. These rarely represent the intricacies of an agricultural field environment. Also, human-swarm collaboration has not been extensively explored, and user-in-the-loop development and evaluation approaches are needed in particular for the target end-users in our case, farmers.

Other investigators on the team include John Cason in Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Robert Hardin in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Luis Tedeschi in the Department of Animal Science and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Dugan Um in the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mahendra Bhandari in Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

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Adaptive Swarm Robotics Could Revolutionize Smart Agriculture - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today