Researchers have developed a robotic sensor that incorporates artificial intelligence techniques to read braille at speeds roughly double that of most human readers. The research team, from the University of Cambridge, used machine learning algorithms to teach a robotic sensor to quickly slide over lines of braille text. The robot was able to read the braille at 315 words per minute at close to 90% accuracy. Although the robot braille reader was not developed as an assistive technology, the researchers say the high sensitivity required to read braille makes it an ideal test in the development of robot hands or prosthetics with comparable sensitivity to human fingertips. The results are reported in the journal IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

It has been well documented that technology has played a major role in the Olympics this year in Rio. Athletes are using technology to train smarter, wearing specialized equipment to compete stronger and are recovering faster and more effectively all due to advances in technology and new innovations. Barbara Kendall has seen this transformation in a way in which few can relate. She competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney and won gold, silver and bronze medals through her 25-year Sailboarding career. When her athletic career ended, she got into the technology world and is now a member of board of directors for an artificial intelligence (AI) company Arria NLG.

We present Kinect@Home, aimed at collecting a vast RGB-D dataset from real everyday living spaces. This dataset is planned to be the largest real world image col- lection of everyday environments to date, making use of the availability of a widely adopted robotics sensor which is also in the homes of millions of users, the Mi- crosoft Kinect camera.