The little humanoid robot's name is Meccanoid, and it is a scoundrel. The well-meaning human test subject asks the robot: If you were to make a friend, what would you want them to know? "That I'm bored," Meccanoid says. A new participant asks Meccanoid the same question, but now the robot is programmed to be nice. What does this robot want the friend to know? "I already like him a lot," Meccanoid says. Researchers in France have been exposing human subjects to nasty and pleasant humanoids for good reason: They're conducting research into how a robot's attitude affects a human's ability to do a task. On Wednesday, they published their research in the journal Science Robotics, an issue that also includes research on how robots can pressure children into making certain decisions.

Mixing the perfect drink could soon be as easy as pushing a few buttons. A Los Angeles-based startup has launched the Somabar, a $430 robot bartender that can create simple mixed drinks selected by the user via the device's accompanying app. It could one day replace minibars in hotel rooms, help busy bartenders in restaurants or be used to mix drinks for airplane passengers. An LA-based startup has launched the Somabar (pictured), a robot bartender that can create mixed drinks selected by the user via the device's touchscreen or an accompanying app The Somabar is a futuristic robot bar that can mix drinks in 10 seconds or less. It's made of hardwood and plastic and can store up to six different Soma Pods, where users manually fill and remove air-tight containers of alcohol.

Recently I raised the question as to whether Google was ever going to make the leap from cloud pretender to cloud contender. One of the areas I felt it was playing second fiddle to Amazon is artificial intelligence (AI), but it's certainly trying to close that gap. Businesses of all sizes have been looking to the cloud to provide the infrastructure required to perform AI and machine learning (ML)-related tasks. Most organizations, particularly those just embarking on the AI/ML journey, don't have the necessary infrastructure or the skills. That is why so many companies have turned to cloud providers for their AI needs.

If 2017 was the year artificial intelligence rose to prominence, 2018 is when we're seeing it go mainstream. Whichever area you work in, it's likely AI will become increasingly prevalent in your everyday activity. Wherever you are in the world – whether you are an expert in AI, someone whose job increasingly uses AI or simply an interested reader we would like to hear from you. Earlier this year, the Guardian published a long read that asked: Has technology evolved beyond our control? Its author, James Bridle, argued that "our technologies are extensions of ourselves, codified in machines and infrastructures, in frameworks of knowledge and action. Computers are not here to give us all the answers, but to allow us to put new questions, in new ways, to the universe."

But they did not imagine one thing: that the first places where humans and humanoids interacted would be airports. Robots now do things like scan boarding passes and provide duty free shopping advice. For many people, this will be the very first chance to interact in an everyday context with robots designed to mimic human behavior. Many of us have cleaning robots at home, of course. They are able to roam around, avoiding furniture and any other obstacle -- and that's kind of like one of the robots you'll find at Seoul Incheon airport, one of the busiest in the world.

Artificial Intelligence is improving day by day and making improvements in a myriad of industries including healthcare. AI is gradually learning the way to diagnose a disease like any human physician. In the future, they might replace doctors in hospitals near you. The latest development has taken place in London where Google's DeepMind subsidiary, UCL, and Moorfields Eye Hospital have incorporated deep learning to develop a software that helps in diagnosing a multitude of common eye diseases from 3D scans and recommend some treatment for the patients. The development has taken place because of a multiyear collaboration between the three institutes.

An ERC-20 utility token that empowers users to purchase services and to be rewarded for seeking help through Virtual Rehab's online portal Described by US Digital Government Head as a "capability that is very very promising for public services" Virtual Rehab's evidence-based solution uses Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, & Blockchain technology for Pain Management, Prevention of Substance Use Disorders, […] Virtual Rehab's evidence-based solution uses Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, & Blockchain technology for Pain Management, Prevention of Substance Use Disorders, […] Virtual Rehab's evidence-based solution uses Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, & Blockchain technology for Pain Management, Prevention of Substance Use Disorders, […]

Sameer is overjoyed when his daughter gets admission to a dream university. However, he realises that he has to arrange a fairly large amount of funds quickly. Sameer browses his bank's website aided by a friendly chatbot, calls up the call centre where a virtual assistant arranges for a sales officer to visit him and help apply for a loan on a tablet, and obtain immediate approvals based on an automated credit scoring system. All of Sameer's banking interactions were assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is empowering banks to make customer lives simpler and easier. AI is not one single application.

DeepMind and its partners in the research, London's Moorfields Eye Hospital and the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, said they plan prospective clinical trials of the technology in 2019. If those trials are successful, DeepMind said it would seek to create a regulator-approved product that Moorfields could roll out across the U.K. It said the product would be free for an initial five-year period. The software would be the first time a DeepMind AI algorithm using machine learning has ended up in a healthcare product. Alphabet has several initiatives aimed at using artificial intelligence to improve healthcare. Earlier this year, Verily, an Alphabet company that says its goal is to extend human lifespans, teamed up with AI experts from Alphabet's Google, to develop an algorithm that could spot a range of cardiovascular issues from a different kind of retinal image.

This article is a guest post on NoCamels and has been contributed by a third party. NoCamels assumes no responsibility for the content, including facts, visuals, and opinions presented by the author(s). Mor Assia is a founding partner at iAngels, an Israeli VC and angel investment firm, and iCapital, an investment platform dedicated to blockchain opportunities. Artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are possibly the two most influential technologies currently fueling innovation at this very moment and are expected to create radical shifts in almost every industry. Israeli startups are at the forefront of both of these sectors, receiving notable attention and investments from global players which are further propelling Israeli development in these industries.