Shanghai/Beijing – Huawei Technologies founder Ren Zhengfei's global ambitions are marked in bricks and mortar at a new company campus in southern China, where the buildings are replicas from European cities. Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance, the operator of short video app TikTok, has plastered his Beijing headquarters with posters including a cover of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's book "How Google Works," and has long said he will build a global firm that can compete with U.S. tech giants. But the two companies that best exemplify China's ambitions to challenge U.S. tech dominance are now stymied by strains in relations between China and countries including the United States, India, Australia and Britain. Chinese companies with world-beating technology -- including drone-maker DJI, artificial intelligence firms Megvii, SenseTime and iFlytek, surveillance camera vendor Hikvision and e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group -- are also among those losing access to markets. Smaller companies are being forced to rethink too. "What we are experiencing now is unprecedented," said a Chinese startup founder who has operations in the United States and India but asked not to be identified as he is now considering walking away.

The increased sophistication of artificial neural networks (ANNs) coupled with the availability of AI-powered chips have driven am unparalleled enterprise interest in computer vision (CV). This exciting new technology will find myriad applications in several industries, and according to GlobalData forecasts, it would reach a market size of $28bn by 2030. The increasing adoption of AI-powered computer vision solutions, consumer drones; and the rising Industry 4.0 adoption will drive this phenomenal change. Deep learning has bought a new change in the role of machine vision used for smart manufacturing and industrial automation. The integration of deep learning propels machine vision systems to adapt itself to manufacturing variations.

From Michigan to Tokyo, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a surge in demand for contactless delivery robots. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, lunch orders for Refraction AI's last-mile REV-1 autonomous delivery robot have jumped by up to four-fold since the health crisis began. The company, which started operations in July 2019, created the robot for local deliveries between stores and customers. Residents in Ann Arbor, where the pilot program is now underway, can register for REV-1's lunch delivery that offers cuisine from a variety of restaurants including Asian and Mexican. Able to operate in the bike lane and on public roads, REV-1's can travel at up to 15mph but will slow to a fast walking pace in residential areas.

The Cotton Bowl is the first stadium in Texas to take a chance on the technology, which has the capability of disinfecting a 92,000 person stadium within 4 hours. DALLAS -- Stadiums are looking for ways to bring fans back to the stands in time for fall sports despite the coronavirus outrbreak, leading some Texas facilities to turn to drones for help. Cotton Bowl senior marketing director Julian Bowman describes the feeling of seeing the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas empty for the last few months, saying, "It is a weird feeling." "The Cotton Bowl opened up in 1930, so this was our 90th year and it was set to be our best year ever and unfortunately with COVID we are not able to do that," Bowman said. "It has really affected how we have been able to connect with our sports community and our entertainment community." The last event the Cotton Bowl was able to host was in January of 2020, before COVID-19 shut them down.

The Israeli army says one of its drones came down in Lebanese territory, following a reinforcement of its presence at its northern frontier near Lebanon. The drone fell "during IDF operational activity" along the border, the army said in a statement on Sunday. "There is no concern that any information was leaked," it said. Israel's Channel 12 reported that the drone crashed after it experienced a technical failure. Tensions have risen along Israel's frontier with Syria and Lebanon this week after a fighter from the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli strike on the edge of Damascus.

Welcome to the world of delivery robots: one of the fastest-growing and most competitive markets in robotics. The idea behind these bots is simple: The customer orders an item, that item is loaded into or onto the robot, and then the robot travels to the customer to drop it off. But that's not stopped multiple intrepid companies from exploring their own innovative approaches to the challenge. Here are six of the biggest names to watch out for when it comes to delivery robots. With its Star Trek-sounding name, it's no surprise that Starship went boldly where no other robotics company has gone before; helping invent the modern delivery robot in the process.

Each day from within our homes, we see COVID-19 dominating news cycles as it upends lives, economies, and systems across the globe. Our shared humanity--and the need for empathy--is emphasized by this pandemic, but without the option to have human interaction, what do we do? From working to find a cure to finding ways to stop the spread to helping organizations help others, artificial intelligence (AI) companies are providing innovative ways to keep the world running and experiences connected. Robotics have been finding their way into businesses over the last decade, but now they are used in the front lines of the pandemic. A "smart field hospital" was built in the Hongshan Sports Center in Wuhan, China, following the start of the outbreak.

Japan is paving the way for autonomous delivery robots to become part of everyday life as the social distancing drive for the coronavirus pandemic makes the push all the more vital. The coronavirus crisis has increased the appeal of services that allow for reduced human contact and Japanese firms are counting on the potential of robots that can deliver a range of products from nearby warehouses or shops to consumers. In August, an autonomous delivery robot by ZMP Inc. dubbed DeliRo will deliver soba dishes to customers for a trial run in Tokyo. Customers can place orders via tablet computers during the trial from Aug. 12 to 16 near JR Takanawa Gateway Station, make a cashless payment and have their food delivered by robot within a designated area. "We want to explore what kinds of autonomous delivery services are possible and what the DeliRo can offer at a time when new lifestyles are called for amid the coronavirus outbreak," a ZMP official said.

US engineers have taught AI to fly drones in unfamiliar or tight spaces. Devices will not hurt each other even in a small room. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have unveiled a new way to fly drones in unfamiliar space. They have developed a machine-learning algorithm that allows even multiple devices to autonomously navigate themselves in tight and unfamiliar spaces. The system gives each drone a certain degree of independence, which allows it to adapt to a changing environment.

Kiwi announced today that its rover robots are now delivering food and other items around two areas in San Jose, CA. According to Kiwi, what makes this rollout unique is that the company has partnered with the city itself to help mitigate deployment and maintenance issues that come with robots scurrying around city sidewalks. Starting today, a "squad" of 25 robots will be making deliveries in the downtown area and Buena Vista neighborhoods of San Jose. As many as 120 businesses will be participating in the program. Kiwi is also working with the city of San Jose to help with the management of the roaming robots.