Rebounding robots 🏀, advanced touch sensors 🫳, AI world simulation 🌐
Machina Digest 2025-01-09
This basketball robot uses AI to rebound the ball after you shoot (1 minute read)
Davy Robot's Datic 1 is making waves at CES 2025 with its AI-powered basketball rebounding system. The 33-pound portable robot sits under the hoop and uses machine vision to track shooters, automatically returning the ball after each shot. While currently demonstrating with a lower-than-regulation hoop, the final version will extend to the standard 10-foot height. The company plans to launch on Kickstarter in June with a $1,000 price tag - potentially revolutionizing solo basketball practice sessions.
Teaching a robot its limits, to complete open-ended tasks safely (1 minute read)
MIT researchers have developed a new approach called PRoC3S that helps robots understand their physical limitations when performing complex tasks. By combining large language models with vision systems and simulators, robots can now test whether planned actions are actually feasible before attempting them. The system has successfully enabled robots to perform diverse tasks like writing letters and sorting blocks. This breakthrough could pave the way for robots to handle more intricate household chores by better understanding their physical constraints.
Google is building its own 'world modeling' AI team for games and robot training (1 minute read)
Google DeepMind is ramping up its AI capabilities by building a dedicated world modeling team, led by former OpenAI Sora project co-lead Tim Brooks. The initiative aims to create AI systems that can simulate physical environments for video games, movies, and robot training scenarios. This development marks another step in Google's race towards artificial general intelligence (AGI), competing with other major players like Nvidia's Cosmos platform and World Labs.
Electrohydraulic wearable devices create unprecedented haptic sensations (1 minute read)
Researchers at MPI-IS have developed CUTE (cutaneous electrohydraulic) wearable devices that revolutionize haptic feedback. Unlike traditional vibration-based systems, these devices can create a wide range of tactile sensations, from gentle squeezes to heartbeat-like pulses. The technology uses novel HASEL artificial muscles that expand with applied voltage, enabling customizable touch experiences. Users reported almost all tactile cues as pleasant, marking a significant improvement over conventional haptic feedback methods.