Multimodal
One Model Does It All: Multi-task AI models got more sophisticated in 2022.
Individual deep learning models proved their mettle in hundreds of tasks. The scope of multi-task models expanded dramatically in the past year.
Robotics
Machine Learning Research
Seeing What Comes Next: Transformers predict future video frames.
If a robot can predict what it’s likely to see next, it may have a better basis for choosing an appropriate action — but it has to predict quickly. Transformers, for all their utility in computer vision, aren’t well suited to this because of their steep computational and memory requirements...
Tech & Society
Parsing Commands Into Actions: NLP Helps Google Robot Understand Spoken Instructions
A new method enables robots to respond helpfully to verbal commands by pairing a natural language model with a repertoire of existing skills.
Business
Neural Nets Catch Fresher Fish: Robot Deck Hand Automatically Processes Fish
Shinkei Systems developed a machine that uses computer vision to slaughter fish in a way that maximizes their shelf life and flavor.
Business
One Cool Robot: FamilyMart Uses TX SCAR Robots to Restock Beverages
FamilyMart, a chain of Japanese convenience stores, plans to employ robots to fill shelves with beverage bottles at 300 locations.
Machine Learning Research
Humanized Training for Robot Arms: New Research Improves Robot Performance and Adaptability
Robots trained via reinforcement learning usually study videos of robots performing the task at hand. A new approach used videos of humans to pre-train robotic arms.
Science
More Autonomy for Martian Drone: NASA Upgrades Ingenuity Rover's Navigation Algorithm
The United States space agency is upgrading the system that pilots its helicopter on the Red Planet. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that Ingenuity, a drone sent to Mars as part of its 2020 mission to Mars, will receive a new collision-avoidance algorithm.
Tech & Society
Ethics Team Scuttles Taser Drone: Axon Cancels Plans to Sell a Taser Drone
A weaponized AI system intended to protect students has been grounded. Axon, which makes law-enforcement equipment such as tasers and body cameras, canceled a plan to sell remote-controlled drones capable of firing electroshock darts.
Tech & Society
One Model, Hundreds of Tasks: Multimodal Transformer Performs Over 600 Different Tasks
Researchers took a step toward achieving a longstanding goal: One model that performs a whole lot of very different tasks. Scott Reed, Konrad Żołna, Emilio Parisotto and a team at DeepMind announced Gato.
Tech & Society
Nurse’s Mechanical Helper: Inside the Moxi AI-Powered Hospital Robot
Hospitals are using robots to lighten the load on clinical staff. A number of U.S. hospitals are using Moxi, a robot from Diligent Robotics, to ferry supplies, lab specimens, soiled laundry, and other items.
Machine Learning Research
Coordinating Robot Limbs: Machine learning improves robot dog reaction time.
A dog doesn’t think twice about fetching a tennis ball, but an autonomous robot typically suffers from delays between perception and action. A new machine-learning model helped a quadruped robot coordinate its sensors and actuators.
Tech & Society
Robots Don’t Want Human Jobs: Countries with high automation have more jobs.
Research challenges long-held assumptions about how automation will affect employment. Studies in various countries found that automation is associated with more jobs, fewer working hours , and higher productivity.