Category robots

Since June, Qualcomm has had a significant laptop advantage over the more traditional processor suppliers like AMD and Intel. That changed this week when Microsoft and AMD announced that laptops using the Ryzen AI 300 processors will also support CoPilot, […]

The post AMD Gets Microsoft’s Blessing for Copilot+ – Is the desktop and Gaming Console Next? appeared first on TechSpective.

The Stages throughout IMTS feature executive conversations and presentations on AI transformation and empowerment, innovation and change management, digital transformation, growing the defense industrial base, manufacturing infrastructure, and much more.

In this post we will take a look at robot simulators and physics engines which should be discussed together.

Robot Simulator:

Basically a robot simulator is a computer program that facilitates building and testing of robots in a virtual environment.

Some key points:

Firstly, robot simulators help save great deal of time and money by elimination of physical prototypes and testing, at least during a major part of the design except the very last stages. Errors can be corrected, the simulations and tests can be reset, and any desired changes can be made far more easier than in real world for all aspects of the robot such as its sensors, actuators, kinematics, operating algorithms and control systems. Benefits are even further multiplied when building and testing multiple robot systems which may also be required to interact with each other and the system behavior must be coordinated.

It is important for a simulator to mimic real world as closely as possible, at least to a degree of simulating real life variables which will affect robots’ operation. This is done by a physics engine which is the core component of a robot simulator. It will be described in more detail below.

The robot simulator must integrate well with the actual operating system ( such as ROS etc…) that the robot will run on in the real world.

There are open source simulators. Using these have the advantages of not only cost but the possibility of being able to receiving inputs or at least discuss the process with far greater number of people.

One of the most beneficial aspects of using a robot simulator is to be able to train the AI far more easier than real world. Such training need a lot of trials and errors which can be performed much faster with a simulator.

Another advantage of using robot simulators is safety. Especially an incomplete robot’s operation may carry higher safety risks, even if all precautions are taken. Using a simulator eliminates such risks.

Real time ( or near real time) simulation and testing is also possible with simulators which means that the simulation runs at the same speed of the actual system.

Pysics Engine:

Simulators include a physics engine which is their key component. A physics engine tries to imitate real world by having virtual objects and environment interact within the boundaries of defined physical laws and constraints. Velocity, acceleration, position, mass of objects, collision detection and response, friction, rotations, kinetic and potential energy, their conversion into each other and conservation of energy concepts must all be represented within certain imposed constraints, with necessary mathematical functions, matrices, differential equations, numerical methods (methods which approximate solution to a complex system by enabling us to avoid very complex differential equations, by dividing the system into much smaller parts all of which can be solved easily and then their solutions are combined), within a coordinate system. As more advanced options, any soft bodies and their deformations, or even fluids may also need to be represented. So basically a physics engine is a mathematical model with variables representing a state of a system at a given instant. The simulation of the state of the system over time is of course ongoing which means all of these are continuously updated over time, which is done by numerical integration methods.

The author of this article, who is a civil engineer, can tell about a similarity here with structural analysis, which might reinforce understanding here. For example in structural analysis, when representing structural behavior under earthquake action over time, the state of the structure is also continuously updated by numerical integration methods, based on the forces on the structure and the structure’s stiffness at that instant (i.e. the equation [F]=[K][X] is continuously updated, where [F] is the global force matrix, [K] is the global stiffness matrix and [X] is the global displacement matrix of the structure. So this matrix is solved continuously within each small time increment ( i.e. 0.1 second). And the constraints as mentioned above in this case are the reaction forces provided by supports ( i.e. foundation) of the structure.

A. Tuter

It’s been less than two years since ChatGPT made Artificial Intelligence (AI) mainstream, dramatically surging the technology across industries, for enterprises and small businesses alike. The debate over whether this technology has done more harm or more good has shifted […]

The post The Pros and Concerns of AI for Small Business appeared first on TechSpective.

In a market dominated by tech giants like Samsung and Google, Honor is staking its claim with the release of the Magic V3, its most advanced foldable smartphone yet. Announced at IFA 2024, the Honor Magic V3 enters the foldable arena with one of the slimmest designs available, along with high-performance hardware, aiming to compete...

The post Honor Magic V3: A Bold Challenger in the Foldable Market appeared first on 1redDrop.

New AI system designs proteins that successfully bind to target molecules, with potential for advancing drug design, disease understanding and more.

Conveyor systems are central to most warehouse operations, and without regular maintenance, downtime can prevent a warehouse from functioning which obviously has a large financial impact.

Honesty is the best policy… most of the time. Social norms help humans understand when we need to tell the truth and when we shouldn't, to spare someone's feelings or avoid harm. But how do these norms apply to robots, which are increasingly working with humans? To understand whether humans can accept robots telling lies, scientists asked almost 500 participants to rate and justify different types of robot deception.

In creating a pair of new robots, researchers cultivated an unlikely component, one found on the forest floor: fungal mycelia. By harnessing mycelia's innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling 'biohybrid' robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their purely synthetic counterparts.

In simulated life-or-death decisions, about two-thirds of people in a study allowed a robot to change their minds when it disagreed with them -- an alarming display of excessive trust in artificial intelligence, researchers said.

Researchers are designing real-time, intelligent tutors powered by AI. These systems mimic human surgical instructors in brain surgical training. Intelligent tutors help the learner acquire excellent skills by continuously assessing hand movements during simulated brain procedures and providing personalized verbal feedback.

From AI-vision systems revolutionizing inventory management to advanced depalletization solutions streamlining logistics, we'll explore five critical considerations that can make or break your journey toward integrating robotics into warehouse operations.

A new study has found that U.K. hotels and restaurants using humanlike service robots can make solo guests feel more comfortable in engaging with these robots by providing comfortable ambient conditions—including lighting, scents and sounds—and adding local cues like British flag designs on the robot's body.

When your company starts its automation journey, you don’t need to spend big up front. It’s risky, and you still don’t know what you don’t know. So go for a project that will bring rapid ROI and get a win under your belt.