AI & Robotics News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[firestar464]

*sighs* more techbro cringe ig (andreessen detected)

also Qwen 3 is out

[weatheriscool]

Watch: Unstoppable robodog unleashed to tackle industrial extremes
By Paul Ridden
April 30, 2025

We've seen the Lynx robodog from China's Deep Robotics perform some incredibly athletic feats since launching last year, such as bounding over extreme terrain and chilling in snow. Now the company has debuted a rugged version for industrial use.

The Lynx M20 looks like a beefier version of its very capable wheeled kennel-mate, and is described as the world's first wheeled robot designed for industrial use in extreme environments. It's expected to see use in infrastructure inspection, disaster and emergency, logistics and distribution, and scientific research applications.

As demonstrated in the video below, "it conquers rugged mountain trails, muddy wetlands and debris-strewn ruins" and can be seen padding through desert sands, hopping down stepped inclines, crossing wobbly bridges, and even emerging from a watering hole.

https://newatlas.com/robotics/deep-lynx ... quadruped/

[firestar464]

Research finds lonely people feel even sadder after interacting with chatbots

https://san.com/cc/research-finds-lonel ... -chatbots/

[Yuli Ban]

2025 Is the Year of the Humanoid Robot Factory Worker

2025 looks set to be the year that multipurpose humanoid robots, until now largely confined to research labs, go commercial. Some have already taken their first tentative robot steps into paid work, with Agility Robotics’ Digit moving items in a warehouse and Figure’s eponymous biped shipping out to commercial customers last year.
Tech giants are also getting in on the trend: Both Apple and Meta are rumored to be working on some kind of consumer-facing humanoid robot. A 2024 Goldman Sachs report estimates that humanoid robots will represent a $38 billion market by 2035—more than six times what the firm projected a year earlier.
One of the biggest roadblocks to making multipurpose humanoids truly useful has been the time it takes to teach robots how to do different tasks. But experts think the huge progress made by large language models could help with that problem. That’s part of the reason humanoid robot projects are emerging at companies like Apple, Meta, and Tesla, which already have thriving AI labs. In March, Google DeepMind released a new AI model called Gemini Robotics with just this application in mind, using the adaptability of a large language model to make robots better at adapting to new situations.

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Specifically since March 2014, when I saw that video of ASIMO

Ever wonder why I did all those "Yuli Banularities?" Well the original reason was because I was frustrated at how little sci-tech news was being posted on the old forum at the time, but the trigger was this specific video, which pulled me directly out of a depressive funk and made me realize "holy shit, we're living in the Future™!" then me imagining what having an artificially intelligent humanoid robot ̶s̶l̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶ companion would be like and realizing that there were indeed robots capable of it theoretically (until later I realized no they weren't, ASIMO and Atlas circa 2014 were many years away from being commercializable... but a young man could dream!)
I know I've told the story a few times, but it was that summer of 2014 when I realized that nothing would have changed in 5 years, but things would start changing in 10 and everything would have changed in 15 that first demoralized me and then kept me going. It wasn't until maybe February or March 2023 when I finally decided to just take a break from futurology, just so I could finally put up to what I wrote on that guest blog on the main website about how I actually did enjoy the liminal sense of living between the way things were and the way things will be, and wanted to just spend time enjoying the mundanity of the present.

Lo and behold it's right as things are starting to happen that I return. The next few years are going to be the time period we've been dreaming of (and in some cases, fearing).
(Unfortunately, it seems we're going to have to rely on China to lead the pack into that future)

[funkervogt]

Prompt Engineering is already obsolete

Two years ago, prompt engineering was one of the buzziest jobs in tech, fetching salaries of up to $200,000 on the promise of becoming any company’s “AI Whisperer.”

Now, the role is basically obsolete thanks to the breakneck speed of AI development and companies’ own maturity in terms of understanding how to use the technology.

The concept of prompt engineers was to have an expert crafting the exact right inputs to generate the best responses out of large language models. But today, AI models are much better at intuiting user intent and they can ask follow-up questions when they’re unclear on it.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottes ... e-1961b054

The article mentions "AI trainer, AI data specialist and AI security specialist" are now the hottest jobs in the AI field. How many single-digit years will it be before they too are shut down?

[firestar464]

The Leaderboard Illusion

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.20879

[firestar464]

WSJ- Altman and Nadella, Who Ignited the Modern AI Boom Together, Are Drifting Apart

https://archive.ph/r6Yvc

[Yuli Ban]

Prompt Engineering is already obsolete

Two years ago, prompt engineering was one of the buzziest jobs in tech, fetching salaries of up to $200,000 on the promise of becoming any company’s “AI Whisperer.”

Now, the role is basically obsolete thanks to the breakneck speed of AI development and companies’ own maturity in terms of understanding how to use the technology.

The concept of prompt engineers was to have an expert crafting the exact right inputs to generate the best responses out of large language models. But today, AI models are much better at intuiting user intent and they can ask follow-up questions when they’re unclear on it.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottes ... e-1961b054

The article mentions "AI trainer, AI data specialist and AI security specialist" are now the hottest jobs in the AI field. How many single-digit years will it be before they too are shut down?

Prompt engineering is essentially an AI failure state. AI agents were always going to eviscerate that job title because that's essentially what prompting was supposed to fill in. Modern models have no autonomy (or perhaps very limited autonomy as of 2025), so that's why prompt engineering was ever a thing.

[weatheriscool]

World's first AI meeting recorder that works with wireless earphones
By Abhimanyu Ghoshal
May 01, 2025

If you've been looking for a quicker way to record and transcribe meetings on the go, this might be just the thing. Hong Kong-based HiDock says its new pocket-sized P1 recorder is the first device on the market to capture audio from your Bluetooth earbuds for high-quality recordings.

That means that unlike other physical transcription gadgets, you don't need to have your meeting participants' audio come through a speaker – making this worth considering if you take a lot of calls in public environments like coffee shops and co-working spaces.

Before we get into the P1's features, I should mention that since most virtual meetings take place on platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, you already have a ton of note-taking apps available to plug into these and transcribe notes (I personally use Fathom a whole lot). But if you happen to take meetings over regular phone calls, use a platform that doesn't support meeting assistants, or want to skip their subscription fees, you might find the idea of a physical recorder compelling.

https://newatlas.com/consumer-tech/firs ... hidock-p1/

[weatheriscool]

Clever cargo robot uses legs and wheels to tote boxes without human help
By Ben Coxworth
May 03, 2025

Ground-going delivery robots are already streamlining operations in various industries, but they typically still have to be loaded and unloaded by humans. That's where the multi-terrain LEVA bot comes in, as it can autonomously lift and drop off cargo boxes weighing up to 85 kg.

Currently in functional prototype form, LEVA is being developed by a team of engineers and designers from Switzerland's ETH Zurich university, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and Zurich University of the Arts.

ETH spinoff company RIVR (formerly Swiss-Mile) already manufactures the RIVR ONE (formerly ANYmal) quadruped robot, which certainly could be used for deliveries in urban settings. Like RIVR ONE, LEVA has four jointed legs, each one with a motorized wheel at the end instead of a foot.
The existing RIVR ONE delivery robot

https://newatlas.com/robotics/leva-legg ... ery-robot/

[Cyber_Rebel]

Well, this is interesting. I remember Sam Altman saying that we would have superhuman level persuasion capability long before actual superintelligence itself. I would be hesitant to call that this though.

People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies

Self-styled prophets are claiming they have 'awakened' chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT

By Miles Klee

May 4, 2025

Source: Rolling Stones

---------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, this one is paywalled, hopefully the article can be accessed if one hasn't read any other free monthlies.

[firestar464]

Here ya go.

https://archive.ph/eMnzp

Chatbot jailbreaker Pliny also documented this shit happening

[weatheriscool]

Fire-quenching modular robodog pads into danger zones
By Paul Ridden
May 05, 2025
https://newatlas.com/robotics/unitree-b2-fire-rescue/

Unitree has launched a modified version of its B2 quadruped aimed at putting out fires. Able to host various use-specific modules, the robodog hauls a powerful water cannon high-flow and can operate in extreme environments.

Though quadruped robots can take on inspection, mapping and surveillance duties, they can also scout dangerous environments so that humans don't have to. Such is the case with the fire rescue bots from Unitree, which can be equipped with surveillance modules to provide live video feeds to remote firefighters, allowing them to assess a situation before going in.


Other modules mounted to its back can include a robot arm, LiDAR sensors, comms equipment and a water cannon with a range of up to 60 m (nearly 200 ft) and a high flow rate of 40 liters per second. The hose is attached to the rear while the business end can be angled up to 85 degrees to suit the fire-quenching need. The system can use water or foam, and the quadruped can automatically uncouple the hose and potentially move on to other tasks without missing a beat.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

Fire-quenching modular robodog pads into danger zones
By Paul Ridden
May 05, 2025
https://newatlas.com/robotics/unitree-b2-fire-rescue/

Unitree has launched a modified version of its B2 quadruped aimed at putting out fires. Able to host various use-specific modules, the robodog hauls a powerful water cannon high-flow and can operate in extreme environments.

Though quadruped robots can take on inspection, mapping and surveillance duties, they can also scout dangerous environments so that humans don't have to. Such is the case with the fire rescue bots from Unitree, which can be equipped with surveillance modules to provide live video feeds to remote firefighters, allowing them to assess a situation before going in.


Other modules mounted to its back can include a robot arm, LiDAR sensors, comms equipment and a water cannon with a range of up to 60 m (nearly 200 ft) and a high flow rate of 40 liters per second. The hose is attached to the rear while the business end can be angled up to 85 degrees to suit the fire-quenching need. The system can use water or foam, and the quadruped can automatically uncouple the hose and potentially move on to other tasks without missing a beat.

Gosh, this reminds me of that long-teased never-materialized "disaster ASIMO"
This was first mentioned something like 10 or 11 years ago, had ONE update a few years later, and nothing more. Would have been quite the interesting update to ASIMO if we got a robot capable of navigating disaster sites.

[firestar464]

Using AI on the Russian Wikipedia: opportunities or challenges?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... 1/In_focus

What surprises me is that the debate was perfectly rational and coolheaded, unlike the circlejerks that plague much of the internet.

[wjfox]

[weatheriscool]

Smooth-moving AI robot tennis coach tracks and adapts in real time
By Bronwyn Thompson
May 12, 2025

Sports-conditioning robotics makers T-Apex has launched what could be quite literally a game changer for tennis players of any level, with its AI-powered robot coach that glides around the court and responds to your movement in real time.

Now, we're yet to be put through our paces by Tenniix, but San Francisco's T-Apex has a solid track record of developing and delivering innovative training and conditioning tools, dating back to 2018. It's also offering guaranteed delivery and a one-year warranty for anyone hesitant about Kickstarter. The reward, however, is getting 41% off the retail price of its featured model, the Tenniix Pro.

https://newatlas.com/sports/robot-tennis-trainer/

[firestar464]