Formerly a separate Gadget/Tech blog, now all the old posts are integrated into Pattern Recognition.
“We envision in the future, you can take your hands off the wheel, and your commute becomes restful or productive instead of frustrating and exhausting,” said Jeffrey Zients, director of the National Economic Council, adding that highly automated vehicles “will save time, money and lives.”
Source: U.S. Signals Backing for Self-Driving Cars – The New York Times
GoPro’s latest product is a move in a new direction: Up.After a year of rumors and teases, the action camera company finally announced its very first drone, the Karma ($800).
Source: GoPro announces its own drone GoPro — cameras sold separately – Sep. 19, 2016
If you’ve been looking for a way to test Amazon’s voice assistant/AI/Machine Learning gizmo Alexa, here’s the cheapest way yet to give it a try.
Amazon is unveiling an all-new, second-generation Dot today that’s priced at just $49.99. Just like the previous Dot, you can use the tiny puck-like device to add the Alexa voice assistant to existing speakers. Amazon is releasing the new Echo Dot in both black and white, with a more powerful, completely redesigned voice processor.
Source: Amazon’s cheaper Echo Dot improves voice recognition, available in black and white – The Verge
This looks like the sort of thing that you might find at Aviary…
Have we reached peak 3D printing? 3D printed drinks #arselectronica16 pic.twitter.com/7jSLbtLcmN
— Jesse LouisRosenberg (@nervous_jesse) September 9, 2016
PRINT A DRINK combines methods from robotics, life sciences, and design to explore a completely new field of 3D-printing. Rather than building up objects layer by layer, the process uses a high-end KUKA iiwa robot to accurately “inject” microliter-drops of edible liquid into a cocktail. Within a minute, PRINT A DRINK can build up complex 3D structures in a wide range of drinks – creating fascinating augmented cocktails using only natural ingredients.
Source: 3D-printed Drinks
Alphabet’s Project Wing, a branch of the behemoth tech company formerly known as Google, announced the tests today, which will include autonomous drones being monitored by human operators. But the drones won’t take off from Chipotle stores with orders. Instead, test participants will order from a special kiosk on campus, prompting the drones to take off from Chipotle food trucks and ultimately lower the packages to the ground.
Source: Chipotle Starts Testing Burrito Delivery Drones at Virginia Tech Next Week
Like other Disney creations, Jimmy looks rather magical.
While humanoid robots can be painfully slow, Jimmy moves with lifelike speed and grace. A video posted earlier this year shows the robot waving at people, doing a little dance, drumming on a table. Just as impressive, Jimmy can safely operate near people, and by “near” we mean in contact with them. In the video, the robot plays patty-cake with a kid and even pats her cheeks—something you don’t see very often in human-robot interaction experiments.
Source: Disney Robot With Air-Water Actuators Shows Off “Very Fluid” Motions – IEEE Spectrum
The hackers would provide data proving the medical devices were life-threatening, with Block taking a short position against St. Jude. The hackers’ fee for the information increases as the price of St. Jude’s shares fall, meaning both Muddy Waters and MedSec stand to profit. If the bet doesn’t work, and the shares don’t fall, MedSec could lose money, taking into account their upfront costs, including research.
Source: Carson Block’s Attack on St. Jude Reveals a New Front in Hacking for Profit – Bloomberg
Really amazing video demo of what’s possible these days with visual analysis and control systems….
Starting later this month, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones, crossing an important milestone that no automotive or technology company has yet achieved.
Source: Uber’s First Self-Driving Fleet Arrives in Pittsburgh This Month – Bloomberg
