Spot the robot dragon! Explore the latest breakthroughs in autonomous systems and robotics
Free speaker series at UC Berkeley, plus database of Agrobotics companies, and more Humanoids Summit videos
Thanks to Carl Lippert, local roboticist, founder and farmer, for sharing his new Agrobotics Database. (also Carl and Tanya Grinberg helped me with the SVR Robotics Investor Summit and help with SVR events is ALWAYS appreciated!)
And spot the robot dragon!
Spotted at Epic Universe in Florida. Smart money is on an off the shelf quadruped in a dragon suit, and early betting is on Spot from Boston Dynamics. What do you think?
From WESH 2 News:
Chopper 2 has the latest Parks Central update with a first look at Dart the Dragon coming to Universal Epic Universe! This is in How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk! We are officially 100 days away from the grand opening of Central Florida's newest theme park. Head to https://www.wesh.com/parks-central to see what else guests can expect at Epic Universe!
Explore the latest breakthroughs in autonomous systems and robotics
After some great talks by Vincent Vanhoucke, Terry Fong, Cathy Wu and Zenhui ‘Jessie’ Li, here are the next speakers in this free, and open to the public, speaker series at UC Berkeley from CITRIS and the Banatao Institute and the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute (C3.ai DTI). The UC Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) is co-sponsoring the presentations by Tedrake and Vanhoucke.
Free and open to the public — no registration necessary! — the talks will take place in Room 250 on the second floor of Sutardja Dai Hall at UC Berkeley on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon PT. Seating is first come, first served.
March 4:
Mac Schwager
Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University
“Perception-rich Robot Autonomy With Neural Environment Models”March 11:
Jeannette Bohg
Assistant Professor for Robotics, Stanford University
“A Vision for Robotics in the Age of Foundation Models”March 18:
Grace Gao
Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University
“Towards Autonomous Driving on the Moon”April 1:
Andrea Bajcsy
Assistant Professor in the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
“Towards Open World Robot Safety”April 15:
Dorsa Sadigh
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University
“The Data Problem for Pre- and Post-training of Robotics Foundation Models”*April 22:
Russ Tedrake
Toyota Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Vice President of Robotics Research, Toyota Research Institute
“Large Behavior Models: Testing Specific Hypotheses About Multitask Learning for Dexterous Manipulation”April 29:
Ricardo Sanfelice
Professor and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz; Director, CITRIS Aviation
“Hybrid Systems Methods to Enable Use of AI-driven Algorithms: Formal Guarantees for Robustness and Performance”
Hey roboticists!
The next speaker at the CITRIS Autonomy Series at UC Berkeley on Feb 25th is Terry Fong, Chief Roboticist, NASA Ames Research Center; Deputy Rover Manager, VIPER Lunar Mission, NASA talking about “The NASA Volatiles Inspecting Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) Mission”. The seminar is free and open to the public.
Urban Machines are selling their old picker cell at auction, and are willing to take a bargain basement offer on it so that you can harvest it for parts. It has like 26 clearpath servos in there each worth about $500. Probably 15-20k worth of parts total. So lots of valuable components for someone willing to take it apart. Here's a link: https://svdisposition.hibid.com/lot/225906731/nail-picking-machine
California Competes Tax Credit – The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size, or location compete for tax credits will have their submittals analyzed based on fourteen different factors of evaluation, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment, and strategic importance to the state or region. The next application period for businesses to apply for the CCTC will open on Monday, February 24, 2025. For more information, visit the California Competes Tax Credit website.
Perception Challenge for Bin Picking - We invite you to join our Intrinsic Bin Picking Challenge, featuring $60k in prizes! The competition runs from February 1st to May 1st, and winners will present their solutions at the workshop. This challenge is organized by OpenCV in collaboration with Intrinsic, BOP, Orbbec, and the University of Hawaii. Learn More About the Challenge
Join Industry Leaders Driving the Next Era of Space Innovation
SUBMIT YOUR SPEAKER PANEL - Deadline March 1
Showcase your expertise at the Space Industry & Government Summit, August 27-29 in National Harbor, MD. We invite you to apply as a speaker and join over 2,000 influential leaders and decision-makers shaping the future of the space industry.
• Gain visibility among key industry stakeholders
• Connect with influential professionals and forge strategic collaborations
• Engage in critical discussions and shape the next era of space exploration and commercialization
• Enjoy special privileges, including a complimentary pass for each panelist
Get Recognized and Win Part of $50K for Your Space Innovation
The next frontier of space exploration and commercialization is here! Join the Space Innovation Challenge to showcase your solutions in satellite systems, propulsion, advanced manufacturing, space operations, and more.
Finalists will present their breakthroughs to an expert panel of industry, government, and investment leaders. Top innovators will be awarded a piece of $50K in prizes for their contribution to solve space challenges!
Submit your innovation by March 7 to TechConnect Critical Technology Challenge: Materials and Manufacturing, an open innovation program aligned with U.S. National Priorities and Critical Technology areas.
Selected participants will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions to key industry, investment, and government leaders who are making waves in the materials and manufacturing sectors at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference this June in Austin, Texas. LEARN MORE
Send me your community news to share!
Jeff Frick has done a great job with these interviews with Bernt Ovind Bornich of 1X and Aaron Prather of ASTM at the Humanoids Summit, held at the Computer History Museum in December 2024.
Robotics News
Yamaha buys Tauranga’s Robotics Plus, unveils big plans - NZ Herald
Robots Making Robots: Apptronik’s Humanoid Robots Set To … Reproduce - Forbes
Figure will start ‘alpha testing’ its humanoid robot in the home in 2025 - TechCrunch
You Are Completely Unprepared for What This Humanoid Servant Robot Looks Like - Futurism
Humanoid Robots Finally Get Real Jobs - WSJ
How Amazon used Oreos and dog toys to develop an army of robots to grab what you buy - Business Insider
Amazon Banking on Robotics Savings Amid Increased AI Spending - PYMNTS
Why fast-learning robots are wearing Meta glasses - Computer World
BYD’s Free Self-Driving Tech Might Not Be Such A Boon After All - Wired
Tesla, Uber Head Toward a showdown in Austin - Barrons
How Porsche, Volvo and Rivian Are Injecting Unique Driving Styles Into Self-Driving Cars - WSJ
Waymo has doubled its weekly robotaxi rides in less than a year - TechCrunch
Anthony Levandowski Keeps on Truckin’ - Bloomberg
Why Nvidia’s autos segment is the future of self-driving cars - Yahoo Finance
AI robots may hold key to nursing Japan’s aging population - The Japan Times
Robotics Events
HRI 2025 Melbourne Australia March 4 - March 6
ProMat 2025 Chicago IL Mar 17 - Mar 20
Nvidia GTC San Jose Mar 16-21
ROS-by-the-Bay Circuit Launch MV Mar 19
European Robotics Forum Mar 25-27
Online Prototype to Product Workshop - early May
Automate Detroit May 12-15
ICRA 2025 Atlanta Georgia 17 May - 23 May 2025
SVR Robotics Leadership Summit
Robotics Invest Boston - June 10-11 ?
CVPR Nashville Tennessee - June 11-15
Hard Tech Venture Summit & Startup Manufacturing Workshop - June 18-19
Future Monozukuri Osaka Japan 16 July -19 July 2025
SVR Robotics Investment Summit
Join the organizing team at Silicon Valley Robotics - bots&beer@svrobo.org
