Robotic devices have been used to help people walk or run in rehabilitation settings, but until now, they’ve been tethered and limited to a single action, like walking or running. In a paper published in Science today, a team of researchers explain how they’re going to change that. The researchers — from Harvard University and the University of Nebraska Omaha — have…
Setting reminders for yourself is easy, but not so much when you want to remind someone else of their responsibilities. You often have to resort to old-fashioned techniques like text messages and Post-it notes, which are easily lost and forgotten. Google, however, has come…
AI avatars of Chinese authors could soon narrate audiobooks
August 13, 2019
The Chinese search engine Sogou isn’t stopping at AI news anchors. The company has created “lifelike” avatars of two Chinese authors, and it plans to have them narrate audiobooks in video recordings. According to the BBC, Sogou used AI, text-to-speech…
Can an open-source AI take on Amazon and Google?
August 9, 2019
It’s only been a few years since Amazon unveiled the Alexa-powered Echo, but since then, smart speakers have become a major consumer-electronics category. Key to its success is the notion of the always-on virtual assistant, which other companies like Apple and Google have adopted as well. In fact, not only has Google made Assistant the driving force behind its Android smartphones, it has…
The Morning After: VAIO's new laptop has all the ports
August 9, 2019
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Welcome to Friday morning! Google is refunding the difference if your flight price drops after you book it with them, VAIO has an epic laptop with every port imaginable and Apple suggests you don’t replace your iPhone battery with…
DeepMind uses AI to track Serengeti wildlife with photos
August 8, 2019
DeepMind has joined the ranks of those using AI to save fragile wildlife populations, and it’s doing that on a grand scale. The company is partnering with conservationists and ecologists on a project that uses machine learning to speedily detect and count animals in…
VAIO's port-loaded 12-inch laptop goes on sale in the US
August 8, 2019
Following its launch in Japan, VAIO’s small but mighty SX12 — which offers just about every conceivable I/O you could ever want — is now available in the US. Its starting price of $1,119 means this isn’t a cheap deal, but how could it be when such a diminutive 12-inch model somehow crams in three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a HDMI port, a full-sized SD card slot, a…
Sony is using AI to replace drummers, one beat at a time
August 6, 2019
Sony is the latest company to dip its toes into AI-powered music. The company revealed this week that its researchers have created a machine learning model that can create kick-drum tracking. According to Sony, the artificial intelligence is capable of building…
Welcome to your Monday! This week, we’ve got Samsung’s big Unpacked event (Galaxy Note incoming), as well as Disney reporting on how its expansion is faring so far. Over the weekend, you might have missed an E3 data breach that leaked thousands of registered…
AI knitting system designs and creates garments
August 5, 2019
If you’ve ever wanted a custom bobble hat but your knitting skills aren’t up to par, let the robots do it. Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a computer-aided knitting system which can automate the design and manufacture of knitted garments.
Even non expert knitters can use the system to create individual designs…
