DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Maryanne Kane, Journalist
DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF
By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane
LET THE ROBOT DO THE HEAVY LIFTING
- A number of global companies, including BMW, Amazon and Hyundai are developing humanoid robots to perform heavy duty tasks in their warehouses. A new example is Boston Dynamics' new robot called Atlas. Here are some key facts:
- Atlas is a highly agile and large humanoid robot designed to lift objects in warehouses that are too big for humans to lift and carry
- It's the replacement for Boston Dynamics famed HD Atlas who loved to dance and is now officially retired
- Unlike the original, this Atlas can be purchased
- The robot is a breakthrough - it's all-electric not hydraulic
- Its flexibility is unprecedented including lifting itself from a collapsed position on the ground, doing 360-degree rotation of its torso and its knees can swivel backwards
- Boston Dynamics will start testing it in Hyundai factories next year and it will officially launch after that
- Boston Dynamics is now owned by Hyundai
- The new Atlas is considered the future of Boston Dynamics humanoid robots.
NEW SCIENCE: RATS CAN COUNT & UNDERSTAND NUMBERS
- Turns out arithmetic calculations are not unique to humans. Rats are savvy about numbers too, according to new scientific research. Here's what we know:
- A South Korean research team found that a rat's brain has a specific area to process numbers
- In their scientific experiment:
- Researchers used rodents who had no previous counting experience
- They trained the rodents to recognize sound stimuli that represented 2 or 3 numbers
- The researchers devised an algorithm to help the rodents focus on numerical values
- The result: the small mammals were able to perceive and quantify numbers
- Wing-Ho Yung, the study's co-author, says the study encourages a reconsideration of the cognitive capabilities of animals
- Some monkeys, birds and fish are known to have a sense of numbers and are quite capable of addition and subtraction.
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