Downtown Miami
Creating an AI Observer: Generative Semantic Workspaces
Holur, Pavan, Rajesh, Shreyas, Chong, David, Roychowdhury, Vwani
An experienced human Observer reading a document -- such as a crime report -- creates a succinct plot-like $\textit{``Working Memory''}$ comprising different actors, their prototypical roles and states at any point, their evolution over time based on their interactions, and even a map of missing Semantic parts anticipating them in the future. $\textit{An equivalent AI Observer currently does not exist}$. We introduce the $\textbf{[G]}$enerative $\textbf{[S]}$emantic $\textbf{[W]}$orkspace (GSW) -- comprising an $\textit{``Operator''}$ and a $\textit{``Reconciler''}$ -- that leverages advancements in LLMs to create a generative-style Semantic framework, as opposed to a traditionally predefined set of lexicon labels. Given a text segment $C_n$ that describes an ongoing situation, the $\textit{Operator}$ instantiates actor-centric Semantic maps (termed ``Workspace instance'' $\mathcal{W}_n$). The $\textit{Reconciler}$ resolves differences between $\mathcal{W}_n$ and a ``Working memory'' $\mathcal{M}_n^*$ to generate the updated $\mathcal{M}_{n+1}^*$. GSW outperforms well-known baselines on several tasks ($\sim 94\%$ vs. FST, GLEN, BertSRL - multi-sentence Semantics extraction, $\sim 15\%$ vs. NLI-BERT, $\sim 35\%$ vs. QA). By mirroring the real Observer, GSW provides the first step towards Spatial Computing assistants capable of understanding individual intentions and predicting future behavior.
Simulation of Atlantic Hurricane Tracks and Features: A Deep Learning Approach
Bose, Rikhi, Pintar, Adam L., Simiu, Emil
The objective of this paper is to employ machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques to obtain from input data (storm features) available in or derived from the HURDAT2 database models capable of simulating important hurricane properties such as landfall location and wind speed that are consistent with historical records. In pursuit of this objective, a trajectory model providing the storm center in terms of longitude and latitude, and intensity models providing the central pressure and maximum 1-$min$ wind speed at 10 $m$ elevation were created. The trajectory and intensity models are coupled and must be advanced together, six hours at a time, as the features that serve as inputs to the models at any given step depend on predictions at the previous time steps. Once a synthetic storm database is generated, properties of interest, such as the frequencies of large wind speeds may be extracted from any part of the simulation domain. The coupling of the trajectory and intensity models obviates the need for an intensity decay inland of the coastline. Prediction results are compared to historical data, and the efficacy of the storm simulation models is demonstrated for three examples: New Orleans, Miami and Cape Hatteras.
Can ugly urban car parks be repurposed as vibrant neighborhood hubs?
For me everything is evolution," he says. Nor is he a big fan of the "gig economy", the use of often poorly paid contractors, which has been used to power so many other "disruptive" tech platforms like Uber and Lyft. Reef kitchen employees are staff and get paid $20 an hour. "Our approach from the beginning was that this has to be a business built on ownership and accountability," he says. "In general I don't believe in the fundamentals of building a business on gig workers.
'Throwable' drone that climbs stairs and picks up body heat sent to help at collapsed Florida condo
As rescue teams continue to search for survivors amid the rubble of the collapsed condo in Surfside, Florida, they have increasingly high-tech tools at their disposal. Massachusetts-based robotics company Teledyne Flir sent the Miami-Dade Fire Department the Flir FirstLook, a rugged but lightweight drone that'investigates dangerous and hazardous material while keeping its operator out of harm's way.' Unlike human responders, FirstLook doesn't have to worry about smoke inhalation, can reach into cramped areas, and won't risk destabilizing the structure further. 'In a collapse situation like this, the pile is structurally unsound and constantly vulnerable to shifting,' Teledyne Flir vice president Tom Frost told The Washington Post. 'It's much safer to have a robot crawl deeper into a void than to have a person crawling into that void,' Frost said. About the size of a brick, FirstLook can even be thrown from a distance--if it lands upside down, it has the capability to right itself.
Possibility or pipe dream: How close are we to seeing flying cars?
A glossy high rise in the heart of Miami aims to be the first residential building in the U.S. with a specially designed rooftop to accommodate a Jetsons-like future where cars take to the skies. Halfway through the construction of Paramount Miami World Center, developers determined that the $4 billion, 60-story complex needed something extra to stand out among the vast array of living options for the super-rich. So they installed an observation deck at the top that doubles as a landing pad for vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, often called VTOLs, or flying cars. The tower will have its grand opening early in 2020. Meanwhile, a flying car's reality, where passengers can be dropped off at home like Amazon drone packages, could be decades away – if ever.
Robot butlers are coming to this downtown hotel. Is Miami ready for robo-room service?
Welcome to the 21st century, where a request for extra towels in your hotel room may be answered by a roughly 4-foot-high purple robot on wheels. Miami YotelPad -- an unfinished 30-story mixed-use development in downtown Miami -- will employ three robot butlers for its guests. These robots don't look like humans (thankfully?), but they're programmed to execute tasks normally left to their biological counterparts: delivering room service, playing music and even engaging in conversation. No one covers what is happening in our community better than we do. And with a digital subscription, you'll never miss a local story.
Ford will test self-driving car service on Miami streets
Ford is venturing well beyond its home turf of Michigan to test its fledgling self-driving delivery service. The automaker has revealed a pilot program that will see its autonomous vehicles roaming the streets of downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The initial test will separate the delivery and self-driving products, and will gauge what works for both customers and companies. How do you pick up your delivery from a self-driving car, for example, and how far are people willing to walk to get their grub? Domino's is active right now, while Postmates should be available in March.
Donald Trump again suggests Clinton's Secret Service bodyguards disarm: 'Let's see what happens'
Donald Trump invoked the possibility of a violent assault on Hillary Clinton once again on Saturday, a day after he suggested that her Secret Service bodyguards disarm and "let's see what happens." In a post Saturday morning on Twitter, Trump falsely accused Clinton of trying to take away Americans' 2nd Amendment rights, just as he did Friday night at a Miami rally where he said her Secret Service agents should "drop all weapons." "Will guns be taken from her heavily armed Secret Service detail? Trump said Friday night that Clinton's Secret Service detail should disarm because she supports gun control. "What do you think, yes?" he asked the crowd. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK? It would be very dangerous."
Trump again suggests Clinton's Secret Service bodyguards disarm: 'Let's see what happens'
Donald Trump invoked the possibility of a violent assault on Hillary Clinton once again on Saturday, a day after he suggested that her Secret Service bodyguards disarm and "let's see what happens." In a post Saturday morning on Twitter, Trump falsely accused Clinton of trying to take away Americans' 2nd Amendment rights, just as he did Friday night at a Miami rally where he said her Secret Service agents should "drop all weapons." "Will guns be taken from her heavily armed Secret Service detail? Trump said Friday night that Clinton's Secret Service detail should disarm because she supports gun control. "What do you think, yes?" he asked the crowd. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK? It would be very dangerous."
The Second International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction
Schultz, Alan C., Breazeal, Cynthia, Fong, Terry, Kiesler, Sara
Hackman delivered a talk entitled "Humans, Robots, and Teams" that leveraged work in The conference's outstanding paper award went to "Humanoid Robots as a Passive-Social Medium: A Field Experiment at a Train Station" by Kotaro The best student paper award went to Guy Hoffman and Cynthia Breazeal for their paper, titled "Effects of Anticipatory HRI-2007 was the second step "Speed Adaptation for a Robot Walking Spurred by included teamwork, social robotics, momentum has been built for HRI-advances in robotics technologies and adaptation, observation and metrics, 2008, which will be held in Amsterdam, communications, many researchers attention, user experience, and The Netherlands, March 12-15, are studying how to use these field testing. The 21st International FLAIRS Conference (FLAIRS-21) will be held May 15 - 17, 2008 at the Grand Bay Miami Hotel in the village of Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida, USA. The conference hotel is on the waterfront of Biscayne Bay close to downtown Miami and South Beach. FLAIRS-21 will feature technical papers, special tracks, and General Chair invited speakers on artificial intelligence. Architectures: Agents and distributed AI, Intelligent user interfaces, Natural lane@ict.usc.edu