Robotics

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Waymo launches Chinese-made robotaxi Ojai for public rides

   Waymo started offering rides in its new pale-blue Ojai self-driving cars to the public in California and Arizona today. The vehicles are manufactured in China, marking a shift for the Google-owned company's robotaxi fleet.

   More self-driving taxi options are becoming available to regular passengers, potentially making autonomous rides cheaper and more accessible in these test markets.

2. 2

   New AI robot brain Wall-OSS can perform complex tasks without specific training

   Researchers released Wall-OSS-0.5, an AI system that can control robot arms to perform tasks like covering objects with cloth, sorting by color, and multi-step operations without being trained on those specific tasks first. The 4-billion parameter system (a measure of AI complexity) demonstrated zero-shot capabilities on 17 different robotic tasks.

   This could lead to more versatile factory and household robots that don't need extensive reprogramming for each new task they're asked to perform.

3. 3

   DJI passes independent security test as FCC ban battle continues

   Drone maker DJI released results from U.S. security firm OnDefend showing no critical vulnerabilities in their Air 3S and other drone systems. The assessment comes as DJI appeals its inclusion on the FCC's Covered List, which could effectively ban their products in the United States.

   DJI drone owners may see continued access to their devices if the security assessment helps overturn regulatory restrictions on the world's largest drone manufacturer.

4. 4

   Niantic partners with Spexi to create 3D city maps from drone footage

   Niantic Spatial (known for Pokémon Go's location technology) partnered with drone company Spexi to turn aerial footage into detailed 3D city models using AI. The service creates 3D Gaussian splats (detailed digital recreations) for enterprise customers on demand.

   Businesses could soon get highly detailed 3D maps of their facilities or cities for planning, security, or virtual reality applications without expensive surveying equipment.