I've no doubt you'll be familiar with all of the talk regarding Artificial Intelligence's accelerating capabilities, impending arrival, and possible widespread disruption to life as we currently now know it. While some leaders are voicing their concerns on this new Artificial Intelligence era, claiming we're doomed for a'rise of the robots' type scenario where human existence is threatened. Other, more rational thought leaders – while recognising the threats AI poses, by advocating the measures required to safe guard against them – are however focussing on the positives of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the huge benefits it can offer. No area is perhaps more prime for an AI overhaul than the workplace. So much so, that AI along with other key ingredients such as The Internet of Things has led to the generally accepted arrival of the'Fourth Industrial Revolution'.

Intel intc is to buy the Irish chip firm Movidius to boost its ambitions of giving "human-like sight" to connected devices. Movidius makes system-on-a-chip (SoC) platforms that are designed to aid computer vision applications, and also has algorithms for things like deep learning, navigation and depth processing. The idea is to be able to do on a mobile device the kind of heavy image interpretation that currently requires remote processing power somewhere off in the cloud. This should allow for quicker reactions and ultimately more autonomous machines. Movidius's technology will be integrated with Intel's RealSense depth-sensing camera tech, which is already found in a few webcams out there and is also being built into augmented reality headsets and drones.

The next president will have a range of issues on their plate, from how to deal with growing tensions with China and Russia, to an ongoing war against ISIS. But perhaps the most important decision they will make for overall human history is what to do about autonomous weapons systems (AWS), aka "killer robots." The new president will literally have no choice. It is not just that the technology is rapidly advancing, but because of a ticking time bomb buried in US policy on the issue. In 2012, the Obama administration created Department of Defense Directive 3000.09, which sets policy on how the Pentagon handles the questions of this new technology.

Sure, the feds finally made it reasonably easy to get a drone pilot's certificate, but it's clear they still see unmanned aviation as a dodgy proposition. Among the many questions that come with any new tech is a basic limitation: The radio links and Wi-Fi that control the aircraft limit range to a few thousand feet, and aren't robust enough for reliable drone control over long distances. So the new rules, which took effect last month, limit drone use to visual line-of-sight operation, hamstringing operators interested in delivery, search-and-rescue, and remote-inspection operations. The solution may lurk in your own line-of-sight--on top of water towers and rooftops, or shrouded by poorly faked roadside "trees." Qualcomm Technologies and AT&T announced today they're collaborating to make wide-ranging drone operations reliable and safe, using current 4G LTE and future 5G networks.

Intel's RealSense computer vision platform has been lacking a low-powered way of recognizing what its depth-sensing cameras are seeing -- until now. The chip giant is buying Movidius, the designer of a range of system-on-chip products for accelerating computer vision processing. Movidius supplies chips to drone makers such as DJI and to thermal imaging company FLIR Systems, itself a supplier of DJI. Its chips help computers figure out what they are seeing through cameras like Intel's RealSense by breaking down the processing into a set of smaller tasks that they can execute in parallel. There are systems that already do this using GPUs, but those are relatively power-hungry, often consuming tens of watts. That's not a problem in fixed applications with access to mains electricity, or in cars, which have huge batteries and a way to recharge them.

We imagine it wouldn't have taken the Sainsbury's store in Edenthorpe, UK, long to notice and rectify the mistake below, but unfortunately for them someone on Twitter got there first. In case you were wondering what the "seabirds straight ahead" bit means, this is what a petrel looks like: Still, the supermarket had a good sense of humour about the whole thing. "We're aware of this and correcting the misteke," they told the BBC.

It could be a key part towards building a standalone VR headset, and more. Movidius has developed compact chips that already power DJI's Phantom 4 drones, enabling autonomous piloting. Intel's plans for a fully cordless VR headset with depth-sensing cameras, called Project Alloy, were unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum in August. In a press release from Movidius, CEO Remi El-Ouazzane says "our leading VPU (Vision Processing Unit) platform for on-device vision processing combined with Intel's industry leading depth sensing solution (Intel RealSense Technology) is a winning combination for autonomous machines that can see in 3D, understand their surroundings and navigate accordingly."

Intel just announced a pending acquisition of Movidius, a chip manufacturer focusing on integrated system-on-chip solutions for machine learning and computer vision. It could be a key part towards building a standalone VR headset, and more. Movidius has developed compact chips that already power DJI's Phantom 4 drones, enabling autonomous piloting. Movidius was also close to releasing a dedicated VR headset with Lenovo earlier this year. Intel's plans for a fully cordless VR headset with depth-sensing cameras, called Project Alloy, were unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum in August.

Intel's RealSense platform was the star of its Intel Developer's Forum conference in San Francisco last month and it seems the company is only looking to grow the scale and capabilities of its computer vision tech. Today, the company announced that it is acquiring the computer vision startup behind Google's Project Tango 3D-sensor tech, Movidius. In a blog post, Movidius CEO Remi El-Ouazzane announced that his startup will continue in its goal of giving "the power of sight to machines" as it works with Intel's RealSense technology. Movidius has seen a great deal of interest in its radically low-powered computer vision chipset, signing deals with major device makers, including Google, Lenovo and DJI. The eight-year old company has about 180 employees with offices inSilicon Valley, Ireland and Romania.

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