Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

An MIT study found that only about a fourth of jobs are economically sensible to replace with AI vision systems. | Source: MIT CSAIL A new study from MIT CSAIL, MIT Sloan, The Productivity Institute, and IBM’s Institute for Business Value provided more insight into how artificial intelligence could affect the job market. Its findings challenge the common belief that AI will put vast numbers of people out of work.  There’s a lot of research that exists about AI in the workplace, but much of it focuses on quantifying all of the potential uses AI can have in various sectors. It doesn’t focus on how likely those industries are to adopt that technology, and what costs might prevent them from doing so. This research examined the economic practicality of using AI for automating tasks in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on computer vision.  The authors claimed that their tripartite analytical model sets this research apart from others. This framework assesses the techni...

FlexxConnect is a process-control program for CNC shops. Source: Flexxbotics Flexxbotics, which provides process-control software to automate workcells, today announced that Scott Harris, co-founder of SOLIDWORKS and Onshape, has mentored and invested in the company. It said the unspecified “strategic investment marks an exciting development for Flexxbotics, propelling the company towards further innovation and growth in the field of smart factory robotic manufacturing.” Harris has extensive experience in computer-aided design and manufacturing software. Dassault Systèmes acquired SOLIDWORKS , and PTC acquired Onshape. As co-founder of both, Harris knows about innovation and digital transformation, said the Boston-based startup.  “His investment and involvement with Flexxbotics underscore the company’s visionary approach to the software solutions that orchestrate robotics and equipment in smart manufacturing,” said the company in a release . Flexxbotics continues digitizin...

Robotics, data, and AI promise to help both sustainability and profitability. Source: Gecko Robotics Robots and artificial intelligence have a significant role to play in maintaining crumbling infrastructure — and they could help bring about a zero-carbon economy while they’re at it. That’s the conclusion of a  new report by Gecko Robotics and Rho Impact , which studied how these technologies could reduce the environmental impact of critical infrastructure by bringing them into the digital world. The potential is massive: The report claimed that digitizing carbon-intensive infrastructure could reduce emissions by a whopping 853 million metric tons (MMT) of CO 2 annually. This is the equivalent of taking almost two thirds of gas-powered vehicles in the U.S. off the road, according to Gecko Robotics and Rho Impact. Gecko identifies five areas for digital transformation The report looked at five different sectors to demonstrate how digital transformation technologies could hel...

Robotics competition teams can use the Kria KR260 Robotics Starter Kit. Source: AMD From students and startups to the world of entertainment, interest in robots is everywhere these days. In visiting with roboticists of all types across the globe, Advanced Micro Devices found that successful robotics design generally comes down to three key considerations: Timing is everything, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and distribution beats centralization. Timing is everything in robotics Just as location is everything in real estate, timing is everything in automation. If you’ve ever been on a video call, they are typically done using a “best-effort” Internet connection. You may have even experienced a temporary situation where audio and video fall out of sync with each other. This is because the data connections we are all so accustomed to, whether it be a hardwired Ethernet connection, Wi-Fi, or mobile, are not the same as those used in the world of robotic automation. ...

Tufts Nano Lab won the 2023 Form and Function Challenge with its Ingestible Pill for Multi-Spot Gut Sampling. Source: MassRobotics There are plenty of robotics challenges, but many are narrowly focused on a specific task or application, according to MassRobotics. The organization yesterday hosted an informational session to explain its Form and Function Robotics Challenge. The competition calls for university teams to “create any type of robotics or automation project that delivers a compelling form factor specific to its task while accomplishing a useful function,” said MassRobotics. “This call is purposefully broad,” Russ Nickerson, partner engagement liaison at MassRobotics, said during the call. “I’ve seen competitions with a focus such as underwater robots or drones, but a lot of robots don’t get notice or have a place. We want to allow creativity and ingenuity to shine.” MassRobotics is an organization dedicated to nurturing startups and other robotics and connected device...

BMW plans to see what a Figure 01 humanoid robot can do in its factory. Source: Figure AI The interest in humanoid robots continues to gain steam. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Figure AI signed an agreement with BMW Manufacturing to test its 01 humanoid at the car maker’s plant in Spartanburg, S.C. This is an impressive milestone for Figure, which was founded in 2022 and exited stealth in early 2023. BMW Manufacturing employs 11,000 people at its 8 million-sq.-ft. campus. The Spartanburg plant assembles the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and XM Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes and their variants. BMW said its Spartanburg facility is the largest automotive exporter in the U.S., and it has assembled more than 6.3 million BMWs over the past 30-plus years. Figure called this a “milestone-based” deal. In the first phase, the company has been identifying the initial tasks its robot could perform. Brett Adcock, Figure’s founder and CEO, said the initial tasks include moving bins and boxes and oth...

Robotics companies have an opportunity to obtain up to $100,000 of funding and participate in a six-month program geared toward helping them with getting started and scaling. The Robotics Factory, an initiative dedicated to creating, accelerating, and scaling Pittsburgh-area startups, has opened applications for its Accelerate Program’s second cohort.  The global robotics market is expected to grow to more than $230 billion by 2030, with key sectors including logistics, healthcare, and agriculture, said the Robotics Factory. Pittsburgh is a global hub for innovation, with more than 140 robotics organizations across 18 vertical markets. The Robotics Factory Accelerate Program aims to foster the next generation of robotics startups in the area.  “The inaugural cohort of the Robotics Factory included a diverse set of companies tackling a wide array of problems including underwater surveillance, computer vision, cell processing, bicycle safety, and more,” said Ven Raju, preside...