Google DeepMind's latest AI model, Gemini, achieves a significant milestone in 'physical AGI' by enabling a humanoid robot to physically interact with its environment, though this advancement also raises concerns about the risks of integrating AI into the real world.
Iron Bestie, a personalized robotic make-up assistant, won the Grand MVP award at Hong Kong's first physical artificial intelligence hackathon, beating over 160 global competitors.
Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut and first director of the National Air and Space Museum, recounts the museum's 1976 opening ceremony. The event's ribbon-cutting was tied to a signal from the Viking 1 probe on Mars, a complex operation with a backup plan involving a hidden button.
Fuyao Glass, a major automotive glass supplier, is leveraging a new 90% automated plant in Anhui, China, as a blueprint for future production, integrating robotics and AI to enhance productivity and maintain its global market leadership.
Fuyao Glass Industry Group's new smart factory in Anhui, China, features 90% automation with robotics and AI, serving as a model for future plants and reinforcing its position as a key global auto glass supplier.
China's State Grid Corporation plans to invest $1 billion (6.8 billion yuan) to deploy approximately 8,500 robots across the national power grid by 2026. The fleet includes quadruped robot dogs for terrain patrol, wheeled robots with robotic arms for precision maintenance, and experimental humanoid robots. Developed by domestic companies including Unitree Robotics, Deep Robotics and UBTech Robotics, these machines will assist with inspection and fault detection using thermal imaging and sensors in hazardous or remote locations.
Sony has developed a table tennis robot called Ace that uses AI and a network of cameras to compete against professional players. The robot learned through reinforcement learning rather than fixed programming, allowing it to adapt during rallies and serve under official rules. Tested on a full-size court in Tokyo and described in Nature, Ace can read the logo on the ball to gauge spin and react within split seconds. While its physical reach and pace are kept close to human levels, its vision and consistency stand out.
