Lifeboat Foundation

US Government’s cool $100 mil in brain research. As we have been highlighting over the past couple of months that the US Government’s IARPA and DARPA program’s have and intends to step up their own efforts in BMIs and robotics for the military; I am certain that this research will help their own efforts and progress.

Intelligence project aims to reverse-engineer the brain to find algorithms that allow computers to think more like humans.

By Jordana Cepelewicz on March 8, 2016.

Continue reading “The U.S. Government Launches a $100-Million ‘Apollo Project of the Brain’” »

Interesting set of survey results on travel and robotics. However, like many things in life; things in moderation have more stayong poor v. going overboard. And, robots are not exception to this. It is inate for humans to have and need human interaction especially in personable service space.

LONDON, March 9, 2016 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — A survey of more than 6,000 travellers in Asia, Europe, North America and South America reveals nearly 80% of respondents expect robots to play a big part in their lives by 2020, with three quarters believing they will make their lives significantly better. Almost two thirds of respondents would be comfortable with robots being used in the travel industry. (Logo: http://photos.NEWS.GNOM.ES.com/prnh/20160303/340128LOGO )

Travelzoo (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global media commerce company, conducted the research as part of its Future of Travel project exploring consumer acceptance of robots in the travel and tourism industry. Richard Singer, Travelzoo’s European President, will make a keynote speech on the findings at this year’s ITB Berlin – Europe’s largest travel trade show. On March 11, Mr. Singer will share the stage with Toshiba’s Chihira Kanae – one of the world’s most human-looking robots, who will make her European debut at the event.

Continue reading “Travellers Expect Robots on Their Holidays” »

As BMW celebrates its 100th birthday in Munich, the company decided to unveiled its futuristic self-driving #VisionNext 100 concept car!

If and when self-driving cars become a practical reality, you’ll probably want something to do during your journeys besides chatting with passengers or checking your phone. Thankfully, Ford might have an answer. It recently obtained a patent for an “autonomous vehicle entertainment system” that would let you watch videos when you’re hands-free. Kick your vehicle into self-driving mode and a projector system could swing into action, complete with its own screen — yes, you could watch a movie while you’re on the way to visit family. Think of it as in-flight entertainment, just grounded.

As with most patents, there’s no certainty that Ford will ever use this. While the car maker is serious about autonomous vehicles, it could just as easily resort to flat-panel displays and other less dramatic hardware. There are some safety concerns, too. Do you really want the driver to be completely oblivious to road hazards? For this to work, driverless car tech will have to advance to the point where it’s truly reliable — where you can watch a 2-hour flick without worrying that your car might plow into a bus.

BMW Concept

BMW believes this is the future of innovation and mobility. Autonomous, shape-shifting and augmented-reality guides you.

Virtual and augmented reality is taking giant leaps every day, both in the mainstream and in research labs. In a recent TechEmergence interview, Biomedical Engineer and Founder of g.tec Medical Engineering Christopher Guger said the next big steps will be in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and embodiment.

Image credit: HCI International

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, embodiment is the moment when a person truly “feels” at one with a device controlled by their thoughts, while sensing that device as a part of, or an extension, of themselves. While researchers are taking big strides toward that concept, Guger believes those are only baby steps toward what is to come.

While augmented or virtual reality can take us away for a brief period, Guger said true embodiment will require far more BCI development. There has been a lot of work recently in robotic embodiment using BCI.

Continue reading “When Will Virtual Embodiment Take Shape in Mainstream Society?” »

This looks fascinating.

This remarkable shape-shifting car is autonomous, and it comes with artificial intelligence.

MiniBots manufacturing.

These tiny robots can reconfigure themselves in a custom tool shop that’s just a few square inches in size.

Continue reading “SRI’s Micro Robots Can Now Manufacture Their Own Tools” »

At Camp Pendleton, Marines are testing a new, cutting edge form of live-fire training using robotic targets.

Stationary and on-rails targets are all well and good, but enemy combatants haven’t behaved like that since the formal battle lines of the Revolutionary War. It’s long past time for a training program that provides a more accurate simulation of today’s combat situations, and the Marines of Camp Pendleton are taking steps toward just that.

Continue reading “Marines Adapting Live-Fire Training Using Robots” »