The state of the art practice in robotics planning is to script behaviors manually, where each behavior is typically generated using trajectory optimization. However, in order for robots to be able to act robustly and adapt to novel situations, they need to plan these activity sequences autonomously. Since the conditions and effects of these behaviors are tightly coupled through time, state and control variables, many problems require that the tasks of activity planning and trajectory optimization are considered together. There are two key issues underlying effective hybrid activity and trajectory planning: the sufficiently accurate modeling of robot dynamics and the capability of planning over long horizons. Hybrid activity and trajectory planners that employ mixed integer programming within a discrete time formulation are able to accurately model complex dynamics for robot vehicles, but are often restricted to relatively short horizons. On the other hand, current hybrid activity planners that employ continuous time formulations can handle longer horizons but they only allow actions to have continuous effects with constant rate of change, and restrict the allowed state constraints to linear inequalities. This is insufficient for many robotic applications and it greatly limits the expressivity of the problems that these approaches can solve. In this work we present the ScottyActivity planner, that is able to generate practical hybrid activity and motion plans over long horizons by employing recent methods in convex optimization combined with methods for planning with relaxed plan graphs and heuristic forward search. Unlike other continuous time planners, ScottyActivity can solve a broad class of robotic planning problems by supporting convex quadratic constraints on state variables and control variables that are jointly constrained and that affect multiple state variables simultaneously. In order to support planning over long horizons, ScottyActivity does not resort to time, state or control variable discretization. While straightforward formulations of consistency checks are not convex and do not scale, we present an efficient convex formulation, in the form of a Second Order Cone Program (SOCP), that is very fast to solve. We also introduce several new realistic domains that demonstrate the capabilities and scalability of our approach, and their simplified linear versions, that we use to compare with other state of the art planners. This work demonstrates the power of integrating advanced convex optimization techniques with discrete search methods and paves the way for extensions dealing with non-convex disjoint constraints, such as obstacle avoidance.

These days, most robots under development seem to be based on humans. However, a tweak to these designs might actually make robots more effective and stable. Centauro is based on the design of a centaur, hence the name, and its four legs on wheels provide movement and freedom that have been unachievable with comparable bipedal models. Its human-like torso and arms allow it to perform fine motor functions. The robot stands 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) tall and weighs 93 kgs (just over 200 lbs). Its skeleton is composed of lightweight metals, and its body is covered in 3D-printed plastic.

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu speaks with Lori Sterling, deputy minister of Labour and associate deputy minister of Employment and Social Development, as they appear at a Commons human resources committee hearing on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. Federal officials overseeing billions in benefit payments to millions of Canadians are hoping machine learning tools can solve ongoing snags in the system. Federal officials overseeing billions in benefit payments to millions of Canadians are hoping artificial intelligence can resolve ongoing snags in the system. The government is looking to "push the boundaries" of what artificial intelligence can do to improve a variety of services, including the pace of benefit decisions to Canadians applying for disability pensions, say documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the access to information law. Employment and Social Development Canada is currently facing processes that are "slow, inefficient, inconsistent, and prone to error," reads a presentation about the AI efforts.

HOUSTON – High-tech devices in agriculture such as unmanned aerial vehicles and sensors are leading to immense growth in data collection and deployment, and a Houston conference Aug. 20-21 will feature scholars and industry experts discussing future applications in all aspects of production agriculture. The invitation-only conference, Identifying Obstacles to Applying Big Data in Agriculture, will be held at the Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. It is sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture- National Institute of Food and Agriculture. "We have had advanced technologies like GPS in agriculture for over 20 years, but only a small handful of these technologies have made a significant impact," said Dr. Alex Thomasson, conference coordinator and Texas A&M AgriLife Research engineer in College Station. "Thus we want to cast a vision for the practical use of big data in production agriculture so we can take advantage of the current wave of attendant technologies like the so-called Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, wireless communications, the cloud, etc. "This conference will feature discussion with key business leaders and academics involved in a broad range of disciplines within big data and precision agriculture.

The use of facial recognition software is growing in China--s universities, ostensibly to improve security, but concerns are growing that it is used for monitoring students -- including foreing students -- and teachers, creating massive data bases on student attendance and movements around campus. Peking University in Beijing now screens students entering the university--s south-western gate by using a camera to scan their faces in a trial that began at the end of June to see if the technology can replace the use of university identity cards. The system scans through a database of thousands of photographs taken for student and staff identity cards, using a powerful system to match the photograph against a database of thousands of others. Facial recognition devices have already been installed outside the university--s libraries, classrooms, student accommodation, sports facilities and computer centres, but these match a face to an existing photograph of that person on the database rather than sifting through the entire database. Photographs can be retaken in the guard room at the gates if the photos do not quite match, according to the university--s social media account on Sina Weibo, though it does not say what the failure rate is -- in particular for foreign students.

Amazon's online facial recognition system incorrectly matched pictures of US Congress members to mugshots of suspected criminals in a study by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU, a nonprofit headquartered in New York, has called for Congress to ban cops and Feds from using any sort of computer-powered facial recognition technology due to the fact that, well, it sucks. Amazon's AI-powered Rekognition service was previously criticized by the ACLU when it revealed the web giant was aggressively marketing its face-matching tech to police in Washington County, Oregon, and Orlando, Florida. Rekognition is touted by the Bezos Bunch as, among other applications, a way to identify people in real time from surveillance camera footage or from officers' body cameras. The results from the ACLU's latest probing showed that Rekognition mistook images of 28 members of Congress for mugshots of cuffed people suspected of crimes.

Light, on the other hand, travels 186,282 miles in a second. Imagine the possibilities if we were that quick-witted. Well, computers are getting there. Researchers from UCLA on Thursday revealed a 3D-printed, optical neural network that allows computers to solve complex mathematical computations at the speed of light. In other words, we don't stand a chance.

Yesterday, the ACLU published a report showing that Amazon's Rekognition facial mapping software could have some serious problems with accuracy. A test scanned every current member of the House and Senate and compared them to a database of 25,000 mug shots -- and matched 28 of those lawmakers with various mugshots. It hasn't taken long for some politicians to craft a response. Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL 4th district) and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA 11th district) sent a letter to Amazon and Jeff Bezos asking for more information on Rekogntion, specifically concerning its sale to law enforcement agencies. Today's letter from Markey, Gutiérrez and DeSaulnier said that "the efficacy and impact of [facial recognition] technology are not yet fully understood," going on to note that "serious concerns have been raised about the dangers facial recognition can pose to privacy and civil rights, especially when it is used as a tool of government surveillance."

Sky is ditching the humble remote control thanks to an experimental new feature that will see Sky Q owners able to control their television using only their voice. The firm is developing technology that allows viewers to bark orders to switch channels, record live TV and even look-up shows featuring their favourite actors. Sky has confirmed plans to start trialling the experimental feature, which it describes as'hands-free TV', later this year. It is not yet clear whether the technology will come loaded onto a new set-top box, or as a downloadable update to existing hardware. Sky is asking viewers to ditch the TV remote.

By using artificial intelligence (AI), the cyber insurance solution from XL Catlin will generate real-time alerts to customers and help them to better handle their risk postures. The new cyber insurance solution, which will be subscription and usage-based, will feature services designed to aid clients in preparing for cyberattacks. It will be available on-demand for SMBs, said Slice Labs. Slice CEO Tim Attia said: "The new economy is not only on-demand but it is heavily dependent on protecting technology assets due to the rapidly changing landscape of cybersecurity threats. "Insurers are no longer in a position where they need to suspend or delay an idea for lack of technology or financial resource contracts.