RoboBusiness Solar future Displaying results 1 to 10 out of 405 The European Commission is expected to revise its minimum import price for Chinese solar photovoltaic (PV) modules shortly, which has already affected the shipments and prices of major PV manufacturers. Martin Schachinger of pvXchange GmbH (Cologne, Germany) predicts that this price will be EUR 0.53-0.54 (USD 0.73-0.75) per watt, and expects an official announcement in the near future. Read more... Ib vogt GmbH (Berlin) reports that it commissioned six solar photovoltaic (PV) plants totaling 80 MW in England during the first quarter of 2014. A new report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that due to greater-than-expected emissions, “major institutional and technological changes” will be needed to keep global temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius. Shunfeng Photovoltaic International Ltd. United Photovoltaic Group Ltd.
The Rise of Robotics Robotic applications have evolved over time. Historically, robots were used in manufacturing largely for repetitive tasks that require speed, strength, and moderate precision, such as material handling and processing, welding and soldering, and assembly. With their growing computing power and the development of miniature precision sensors, robots are moving from making cars to driving them. As they become more affordable and application programming becomes easier with more sophisticated user interfaces, robots are making small-batch production economically more feasible, because line changeovers are much faster. Given that product life cycles are getting shorter and just-in-time manufacturing helps minimize the need for inventory, robotic flexibility and responsiveness are important benefits. And since many of the new robots have multiple arms, they can multitask with ease—and without losing focus. Industries with complex supply chains may also benefit from robotics.
Photovoltaic film The Robots Are Winning! by Daniel Mendelsohn Her a film directed by Spike Jonze Ex Machina a film directed by Alex Garland We have been dreaming of robots since Homer. …He was crafting twenty tripods to stand along the walls of his well-built manse, affixing golden wheels to the bottom of each one so they might wheel down on their own [automatoi] to the gods’ assembly and then return to his house anon: an amazing sight to see. These are not the only animate household objects to appear in the Homeric epics. As amusing as they are, these devices are not nearly as interesting as certain other machines that appear in classical mythology. donned his robe, and took a sturdy staff, and went toward the door, limping; whilst round their master his servants swiftly moved, fashioned completely of gold in the image of living maidens; in them there is mind, with the faculty of thought; and speech, and strength, and from the gods they have knowledge of crafts. This story is, in its way, an heir to Frankenstein and its literary forerunners. Letters
Electronics Technology Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 28, #178 IBM sticks Watson's brain into a friendly virtual assistant In Brief Meet Amelia. She's a virtual assistant born out of a partnership between IPsoft and IBM's Watson. What It Is Amelia is a friendly virtual assistant designed for business environments. The Implications We’re going to be dealing with a lot of robots like this going forward, especially if there are tasks that require both skill and instruction.
Biotech trends Microsoft “Project Premonition” Can Prevent Epidemics Before They Happen This new project by Microsoft will employ drones to conduct genetic tests on mosquitos, analyzing infectious strands and producing vaccines before any disease outbreak can occur. Malaria: the Secret Killer As a widespread disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes, malaria affects over 500 million people annually. Over one million people die each year from mosquito-borne diseases. In fact, for every war that America fought in the 20th century, malaria killed more people than the gunfire did. Microsoft saw it fit to put a stopper on these fatal insects. Drones in the Bug Battlefield Project Premonition consists of using drones to capture mosquitos and transport them to remote locations to analyze their DNA. The project also aims to combat other emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) such as Ebola, which were caused by previously unknown pathogens. The End of Epidemics Sources: Tech Times, CBS Seattle, Newsweek, Popular ScienceImage Credit: Youtube, Newsweek
Patterning : Drum Machine Create dynamic drum patterns with the swipe of a finger. Make evolving, poly-metric rhythms, four-on-the-floor dance party jams, or laid back R&B grooves. Use Patterning’s independent loop settings to explore untapped rhythmic possibilities. Automate parameters to create intricate & complex beats. Arrange patterns on the timeline to construct songs. Use the built-in effects--delay, reverb, distortion, and 3-band EQ--to add atmosphere, shimmer and noise. Patterning comes loaded with classic drum machine samples as well as exclusive drum kits created and curated by contemporary producers and musicians. With an extensive and uncommon feature set, Patterning redefines what an iOS drum machine can be. “This is brilliant.” - Sebastian Dittman, Audiobus & Audanika "Patterning is fantastic…. "The honest truth is this: Patterning really does live up to the hype.” - Doug Woods, thesoundtestroom.com Media Kit for Version 1.1 Specifications iOS 8.1 + Recommended for iPad 3 and newer. Patterns Samples
Unmanned Ship Expected to Make Cross-Atlantic Voyage in 2020 In Brief Plymouth University in the United Kingdom revealed plans to build a "full-sized" autonomous unmanned ship. The ship will replicate the Mayflower journey across the Atlantic in 2020. Plymouth University is calling the project Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship, or MARS. Plymouth company MSubs will lead the project’s construction, but there’s potential regulatory issues with bodies such as the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.The ship will be designed by Shuttleworth Design, and early renders show it has two outriggers. The researchers plan to try out new navigation software as well as alternative forms of power, including wind.The researchers believe this project has the “potential to transform and influence the future of world shipping.”
Self-Driving Vehicles Development Platform | NVIDIA DRIVE PX NVIDIA DRIVE™ PX 2 is the open AI car computing platform that enables automakers and their tier 1 suppliers to accelerate production of automated and autonomous vehicles. It scales from a palm-sized, energy efficient module for AutoCruise capabilities, to a powerful AI supercomputer capable of autonomous driving. The new single-processor configuration of DRIVE PX 2 for AutoCruise functions —which include highway automated driving and HD mapping—consumes just 10 watts of power. Plus, it enables vehicles to use deep neural networks to process data from multiple cameras and sensors. DRIVE PX 2 can understand in real-time what's happening around the vehicle, precisely locate itself on an HD map, and plan a safe path forward. The scalable architecture is available in a variety of configurations. With a unified architecture, deep neural networks can be trained on a system in the data center, and then deployed in the car.
Autonomous Reproduction: Evolving Robots Are Here A study by the University of Cambridge examined the "evolution" of robots, where a mother robot created increasingly successful offspring based on natural selection. A mother robot designs and builds her own children, with each generation better suited to the environment than the last. By the final round, she has produced a generation that is over twice as fit as the first. The experiment, conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge, aimed to test the customization and evolution potential capable by robots. “We think of robots as performing repetitive tasks, and they’re typically designed for mass production instead of mass customization,”says lead researcher Dr. Fumiya Iida. In their experiment, a mother robot built her own children and allowed them to run, using the total distance traveled in a certain amount of time as an indicator of fitness. The children were created using one to five plastic cubes with a motor inside. The robots “evolved” in the same way as animals.
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