A Walmart Supercenter in Salem, New Hampshire, has been the first store to test a new kind of technology that will use robots to collect grocery items for online order fulfillment. Walmart is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue, with at least 2.3 million employees in the US, has seen rapid […]
Amazon Employees Hired and Fired by Robots…
Software and algorithms are used to screen, hire, assign and now terminate workers at Amazon. For lower-paid employees, the Robot Overlords Have Arrived. “Millions of low-paid workers’ lives are increasingly governed by software and algorithms. This was starkly illustrated by a report last week that Amazon.com tracks the productivity of its employees and regularly fires […]
The Globotics Upheaval: The Globots Coming for the Middle Class…
Robot Boat Sails Into History to Become the First Unmanned Vessel to Cross the Atlantic…
A robotic craft has made history as the first unmanned sailboat to cross the Atlantic after a 1,800-mile (3,000 km) journey from Newfoundland in Canada to Ireland. The boat’s two-and-a-half-month journey saw it cross the churning North Atlantic as part of the Microtransat Challenge – a transatlantic race for autonomous boats. The SB Met, built […]
The Pentagon Wants to Bring Mind-Controlled Tech to Troops…
The idea of humans controlling machines with their minds has spun off sci-fi blockbusters like “Pacific Rim” and entire subgenres of foreign film, but while today skyscraper-sized fighting robots exist only on the big screen, the Pentagon is building technology that could one day make them a reality. Today, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency […]
Amazon Has More Than 100k Automated Warehouse Robots…And Growing…
Amazon’s fleet of automated warehouse robots, now more than 100,000 machines strong, is working alongside human employees to help meet the e-commerce giant’s massive fulfillment demand. The company’s robots carry inventory around massive warehouse floors, compiling all the items for a customer’s order and reducing the need for human interaction with the products. But the […]
The Politics of Machine-Learning Algorithms by Mark MacCarthy…
As machine-learning algorithms come to dominate decision-making in business, politics, and society, the pressure to make more personal data available will steadily increase, and privacy protections will be eroded. If we do not take the reins of these new technologies, they could lead us toward a political system we did not choose…
Tech Moguls Driving Mass Layoffs in the Economy Want Universal Basic Income As a Cure…
Driverless cars! IBM Watson! News-writing robots! Amazon Go! The future is here, friends, and it apparently excludes humans. People are preparing for the next mass extinction — an evaporation, if you will — not of humans, polar bears or other creatures, but of jobs. This prospect has been sending shivers through humanity, from New York […]
Flippy the Burger Flipping Robot Is Now Cooking at the CaliBurger Fast Food Chain…
A robot named Flippy is now in the kitchen at a fast food restaurant called CaliBurger in Pasadena. We were there for a preview event where Flippy made us some lunch. Your next fast food burger might be cooked by a robot! Flippy is a brand new, burger flipping robot now cooking at a chain […]
Robots Being Tested in 50 Wal-Mart Stores Across the U.S….
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. customers in a few Arkansas stores will soon cross paths with robots roaming the aisles. The Bentonville company said it will begin using autonomous devices in about 50 stores next month that are programmed to scan store shelves and identify things like out-of-stock items or products incorrectly priced or placed in the […]