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Neurorobotics, Robot Mice, and Brain Implants
One of the most interesting discussions from this past week at RoboUniverse was Dr. Florian Röhrbein’s talk about his work in Neurorobotics as part of the Human Brain Project (see prototype below). Röhrbein has created a suite of robots including iCub, Roboboy, and a robotic mouse that maps the synapses of the rodent’s brain. This… Listen ⇢
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Seriously, I am the Robot Rabbi!
Every time someone hears my blog’s name, I get a laugh. I am happy to oblige, as I know that the robotics industry is changing the world for the better – making our roads safer, our workers more efficient, and our doctors better. So this week, I feel compelled to put the… Listen ⇢
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The Robot State Of The Union
Two weeks ago, while many humans were chugging green beer, Alphabet announced its divestment of its robotic portfolio. This was greeted as suspiciously as its original purchase of Boston Dynamics, and many think Amazon could be the best suitor for the entire portfolio. As Wall Street bankers scratched their heads at the rash decision making… Listen ⇢
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Killer Robots, Superior AIs, Car Hacking – Don’t Worry, Be Happy…
Landing back in New York from SxSw, I keep hearing Rodney Brooks in my head tell a vividly anxious crowd to calm down as the robotic Judgement Day is way off (maybe by 50 years ). While agreeing that media driven tech-hysteria is unproductive, I do think we should be responsive in… Listen ⇢
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Are Hotels The Best Robotic Testing Ground?
This week a big story in AI was AlphaGo beating Grandmaster Lee Se-dol in the ancient Chinese game of Go (a more complex strategic game than chess). Confucians were left dumbfounded, reminding the word of IBM’s victory over Kasparov in 1977. Deep Blue has been replaced by Watson, and when not… Listen ⇢
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RoboSwarms & RoboSkins (warning: not for the paranoid)
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs lead to the worst nightmares. I often wake up shaken from a recurring image of insect swarms. Now at the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) has taken the idea of robotic swarms to a whole new level. This follows the Harvard experiment last year: Swarm robotics studies… Listen ⇢
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The Robohand Solution
Two years ago, I invested in Ekso Bionics, and did well on their public offering. I shared with a close friend my excitement of seeing a person walk again using their technology. She then reminded me her son is a quadriplegic and would be unable to use an exoskeleton. I realized then that the… Listen ⇢
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The Maxwell Smart Problem…
One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Get Smart. Who can forget The Cone of Silence, the Shoe Phone, and, of course, Agent 99. Max, Agent 86, was funniest when he failed, using the same excuse: When thinking about autonomy, missing the target by even “that much” is not good enough, especially when people’s… Listen ⇢
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Man vs. Machines: AI’s Victory Party!
As I write this post, one of the greatest sports competitions is taking place on Pebble Beach – The US Masters PGA Golf Tournament. However, as we dig deeper into AI and Robotics, one has to wonder about the longevity events. Chess masters have been belittled for over 20 years… Listen ⇢
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My goal for this book is to help you at a pivotal point in your ideation process and, at the same, introduce you to a cadre of potential mentors. Through interviews with some of the most respected luminaries in this field, I aim to help fortify your resolve to follow your passions and build a billion-dollar company. The chapters of this book have been organized like field guide, as if you are setting out on a trip in the wild. Just like it’s essential to satiate yourself before scaling mountains, fast-tracking your innovation into the hands of early adopters is vital for achieving success on Main Street.
“Oliver Mitchell is among the world’s leading thinkers about robots and robotics. He is also one of the world’s leading visionaries about how humans think about robots, invest in robotics, and build robotics companies. …. The reader gets to be the beneficiary of Oliver’s creation of a new knowledge ecosystem.” – Dan Burstein, New York Times bestselling author of 15 nonfiction books, and Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Millennium Technology Value Partners.
“This book … [draws] from interviews with industry experts who share firsthand experiences from real-world ventures, the author distils invaluable lessons from both their successes and failures. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to my students and colleagues involved in robotics research and education as an exceptional resource for guiding their entrepreneurial pursuits.” Katsuo Kurabayashi, Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, USA.



