We hear a lot about drones having the potential to revolutionize delivery and logistics. It’s easy to be dismissive — in many cases, a robot may take what would be a human’s job — but there are some examples where drone technology could genuinely be transformative. One such case is Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest […]
View More China’s JD.com tests drone delivery in Indonesia in first overseas pilotCategory: Emerging-Technologies
Work on world’s first CRISPR gene-edited babies declared illegal by China
Chinese authorities have declared the work of He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community by claiming he successfully created the world’s first gene-edited babies, an illegal decision in pursuit of “personal fame and gain.” Investigators have completed preliminary steps in a probe that began in November following He’s claims and say they will “seriously” punish the researcher […]
View More Work on world’s first CRISPR gene-edited babies declared illegal by ChinaDriving down the cost of preserving genetic material, Acorn Biolabs raises $3.3 million
Acorn Biolabs wants consumers to pay them to store genetic material in a bet that the increasing advances in targeted genetic therapies will yield better healthcare results down the line. The company’s pitch is to “Save young cells today, live a longer, better, tomorrow.” It’s a gamble on the frontiers of healthcare technology that has managed […]
View More Driving down the cost of preserving genetic material, Acorn Biolabs raises $3.3 millionWorld’s most valuable AI startup SenseTime unveils self-driving center in Japan
The world’s highest-valued artificial intelligence startup SenseTime has set foot in Japan. The Beijing-based firm announced on Friday that it just opened a self-driving facility in Joso, a historic city 50 kilometers away from Tokyo where it plans to conduct R&D and road test driverless vehicles. The initiative follows its agreement with Japanese auto giant Honda in […]
View More World’s most valuable AI startup SenseTime unveils self-driving center in JapanThis hole-digging drone parachutes in to get the job done
A new drone from the NIMBUS group at the University of Nebraska can fall out of a plane, parachute down, fly to a certain place, dig a hole, hide sensors inside it, and then fly away like some crazy wasp. Robots are weird. The goal of the project is to allow drones to place sensors […]
View More This hole-digging drone parachutes in to get the job doneWalmart taps startup Udelv to test autonomous grocery deliveries in Arizona
More autonomous vehicles are poised to descend on Arizona. This time, Walmart has signed a deal with startup Udelv to test the use of autonomous vans to deliver online grocery orders to customers. Under the agreement, Udelv will provide its second-generation autonomous delivery van, called the Newton, to Walmart to deliver groceries in Surprise, Arizona. […]
View More Walmart taps startup Udelv to test autonomous grocery deliveries in ArizonaSave your spot for TechCrunch Robotics+AI 2019
TechCrunch returns to UC Berkeley on April 18th for TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics+AI. The single-day event will feature talks, workshops, demos and plenty of networking opportunities. We added artificial intelligence to the event this year because the technology is so closely tied to the success of robotics and so much more. We have several ways for […]
View More Save your spot for TechCrunch Robotics+AI 2019Nvidia dives into a new business segment with Drive AutoPilot
Nvidia’s automotive ambitions seemed targeted solely on creating a platform to enable fully autonomous vehicles, notably the robotaxis that so many companies hope to deploy in the coming decade. It turns out that Nvidia has also been working a more near-term product that opens it up to a different segment in the automotive industry. The […]
View More Nvidia dives into a new business segment with Drive AutoPilotUK police to get more powers to curb drone misuse after Gatwick fiasco
The UK government has announced new powers for police to tackle illegal use of drone technology, including powers to land, seize and search drones. This follows the recent Gatwick drone fiasco when, just before Christmas, a spate of drone sightings near the airport caused a temporary shutdown of the runway, and disruptive misery for thousands of people at one of […]
View More UK police to get more powers to curb drone misuse after Gatwick fiascoAudi, Mobileye, Waymo, other top automakers unite to spread the self-driving gospel
The self-driving vehicle evangelists are uniting. A number of major automakers, technology companies and organizations with a stake in autonomous vehicles, including Audi, Aurora, Cruise, GM, Mobileye, Nvidia, Toyota, Waymo and Zoox has formed a coalition to spread the word about advanced vehicle technologies and self-driving vehicles. Their message: this tech can transform transportation and […]
View More Audi, Mobileye, Waymo, other top automakers unite to spread the self-driving gospelUK police release airport drone suspects and admit there may not have been any drones after all
Less than a week after mystery drones grounded flights at the U.K.’s second largest airport, wreaking havoc on as many as 140,000 people’s travel plans for the Christmas period, police have admitted that there may in fact not have been any drones at all. Gatwick airport reopened on Friday after a one-day shutdown but it appears that investigators […]
View More UK police release airport drone suspects and admit there may not have been any drones after allWhiteFox Defense lands $12 million as the demand for drone defense technologies intensifies
Four months ago, when two commercial DJI-made drones loaded with 1 kilogram each of plastic explosive detonated during a speech from Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro at a military event in Caracas, the world at large was introduced to the newest threat from our automated, dystopian present — cheap weaponized drone technology. For Luke Fox, the […]
View More WhiteFox Defense lands $12 million as the demand for drone defense technologies intensifies