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Google’s AI systems are on a roll as robots learn the best way to pick up objects [Video]

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As achievements go, learning how to pick up objects doesn’t sound quite as impressive as twice beating the world Go champion – it is, after all, something the average toddler can do. But it’s the fact that the robots themselves figured out the best way to do it using neural networks that makes this notable.

A recent Google report spotted by TNW explains how the company let robot arms pick up a variety of different objects, using neural networks to learn by trial-and-error the best way to handle each. Some 800,000 goes later, the robots seemed to have it figured out pretty well …


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Google’s new robotic dog is definitely deep in the ‘uncanny valley’

Introducing Spot - YouTube 2015-02-09 16-02-54

Google-owned Boston Dynamics seems to have a fascination with building robotic animals, and today they’ve posted a video showing off their latest creation. It’s called “Spot” and it’s a smaller version of the four-legged robot “WildCat” that the group showed off last year.

While the technology is astounding, the robotic dog is definitely equally as disturbing. Its ability to walk so naturally like a real animal is amazing to say the least, but watching it do things like recover when being kicked over and climb stairs definitely puts it in “uncanny valley” territory.

Check out the video:

Google kills CAPTCHAs with new one-step validation for proving you’re not a robot

No Captcha ReCaptcha

Google announced on Wednesday that it has fundamentally changed its reCAPTCHA security feature by removing CAPTCHAs entirely and adding a one-step solution for users to prove they aren’t robots. Instead of typing a few warped words, the new version of reCAPTCHA simply has a box labeled “I’m not a robot” that users can hover over.
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Boston Dynamics’ LS3 support robot enters simulated combat with a group of Marines (video)

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LS3

Boston Dynamics’ LS3 aka Legged Squad Support Systems is starting to earn its stripes. The creepy rough terrain robot recently trotted through its first set of training exercises with the US Marine Corps. These simulated drills took place at a pretend combat zone in Hawaii, where the mechanical gear-hauling quadruped demonstrated its ability to maneuver through hostile land.


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