This paper presents CRADLE, a conversational framework for design space exploration of RTL designs using LLM-based multi-agent systems. Unlike existing rigid approaches, CRADLE enables user-guided flows with internal self-verification, correction, and optimization. We demonstrate the framework with a generator-critic agent system targeting FPGA resource minimization using state-of-the-art LLMs. Experimental results on the RTLLM benchmark show that CRADLE achieves significant reductions in resource usage with averages of 48% and 40% in LUTs and FFs across all benchmark designs.

This report provides an overview of the workshop titled Autonomy and Safety Assurance in the Early Development of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, hosted by the Centre for Robotic Autonomy in Demanding and Long-Lasting Environments (CRADLE) on September 2, 2024, at The University of Manchester, UK. The event brought together representatives from six regulatory and assurance bodies across diverse sectors to discuss challenges and evidence for ensuring the safety of autonomous and robotic systems, particularly autonomous inspection robots (AIR). The workshop featured six invited talks by the regulatory and assurance bodies. CRADLE aims to make assurance an integral part of engineering reliable, transparent, and trustworthy autonomous systems. Key discussions revolved around three research questions: (i) challenges in assuring safety for AIR; (ii) evidence for safety assurance; and (iii) how assurance cases need to differ for autonomous systems. Following the invited talks, the breakout groups further discussed the research questions using case studies from ground (rail), nuclear, underwater, and drone-based AIR. This workshop offered a valuable opportunity for representatives from industry, academia, and regulatory bodies to discuss challenges related to assured autonomy. Feedback from participants indicated a strong willingness to adopt a design-for-assurance process to ensure that robots are developed and verified to meet regulatory expectations.

In the 1991 movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," a sentient killer robot travels back in time to stop the rise of artificial intelligence. The robot locates the computer scientist whose work will lead to the creation of Skynet, a computer system that will destroy the world, and convinces him that A.I. development must be stopped immediately. Together, they travel to the headquarters of Cyberdyne Systems, the company behind Skynet, and blow it up. The A.I. research is destroyed, and the course of history is changed--at least, for the rest of the film. In the sci-fi world of "Terminator 2," it's crystal clear what it means for an A.I. to become "self-aware," or to pose a danger to humanity; it's equally obvious what might be done to stop it.

Proteins are the molecules that get work done in nature, and there's a whole industry emerging around successfully modifying and manufacturing them for various uses. But doing so is time consuming and haphazard; Cradle aims to change that with an AI-powered tool that tells scientists what new structures and sequences will make a protein do what they want it to. The company emerged from stealth today with a substantial seed round. AI and proteins have been in the news lately, but largely because of the efforts of research outfits like DeepMind and Baker Lab. Their machine learning models take in easily collected RNA sequence data and predict the structure a protein will take -- a step that used to take weeks and expensive special equipment.

This article has been excerpted from The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future by Orly Lobel. For years, Japan has been the indisputable leader in robotics. If Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge is the cradle of humanity, Japan is the cradle of the humanoids, developing the first humanoid robot in the 1970s and many iterations since. Japanese roboticists pioneered the notion that artificial intelligence should be embodied. While the West focused more on algorithms in the abstract, Japanese institutions believed that AI innovation should be developed alongside--or rather, within--a physical artificial body. Japanese roboticists have been leading the way in realizing the aspiration to create robots that offer companionship to humans for decades.

Blockchain technology has had quite a ride over its relatively young lifespan but it might be a surprise to see how deeply it's got its hand into the concept of the Metaverse. The literal meaning of Metaverse is'beyond universe' and that might be a good point to start. As all new things always carry a notion of fear, metaverse was actually first introduced in a 1992 book under the name Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. The science fiction novel is about 3D space that imitates the real world where humans as avatars interact with one another and with software agents as well. While Stephenson coined the term'metaverse', the concept has appeared under various other names in the cyberpunk fiction genre in the 1980s as well.

This speaker pumps out a lot of sound for its size, and it manages to balance portability and durability surprisingly well. The swivel handle on top makes it very easy to carry, and with its water-resistant design, the Portable Smart Speaker is at home at the beach or poolside. The Portable Smart Speaker is water-resistant. Here are the Portable Smart Speaker's Specs: The Portable Smart Speaker's round design allows for a 360-degree sound field, which is perfect for great sound in pretty much any space. Despite its compact size, this speaker puts out a surprising amount of volume, but it does begin to lose a little clarity as it approaches its max.

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 21 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com A well-known Hong Kong actor suffered a deep gash to his abdomen and a hand injury Saturday when a knife-wielding suspect attacked him onstage at a promotional event in China, according to a report. Simon Yam Tat-wah, 64, who appeared in the 2003 Hollywood film, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life," starring Angelina Jolie, was recovering after medical treatment and returning to Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported. ANGELINA JOLIE WAS A'HORRIBLE B---H' DURING NIGHTMARE DINNER, MODEL CLAIMS Simon Yam poses on the red carpet of the Hong Kong Film Awards in Hong Kong, April 3, 2016.

Newly leaked concept images have revealed the first real glimpse into Alphabet's plans for an Orwellian smart city on the Toronto waterfront. Sidewalk Labs, an offshoot of Google's parent company, reached an agreement with the city back in 2017 to develop a futuristic community known as Quayside, complete with robotic waste-sorting systems, sensor-lined pavement, digital infrastructure, and wireless 5G connectivity all throughout. The plans have sparked both concerns and curiosity from the public, fueled further by a lack of information on how it will ultimately come to fruition, aside from a series of simple sketches. The new images published by Sidewalk Labs this month and leaked by Toronto Star now reveal stunning plans for a dozen timber towers and modular pavement in the development, allowing it to evolve to the city's changing needs. Sidewalk Labs also detailed a system of underground tunnels where robots can transport waste and freight out of the public's sight.

It's 2045 and Earth has been brought to its knees by catastrophic climate change and a worldwide energy crisis, not to mention famine, poverty, disease and war. In short, everything we presently fear has come to pass. It is the ultimate dystopian future. Wade Watts, the story's protagonist, is born into a generation that feels failed by reality. The only thing making life bearable is the OASIS, a globally networked virtual reality world.