# What's new, Atlas? (AI, Robotics and tech thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952 "2017-11-18T02:39:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/201 "2021-05-29T21:34:33Z")
It was the juxtapositioning too; earlier she had held the apple with the new hand and cut it with the other. But yeah: I’d definitely hold with the metal hand too! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/202 "2021-05-30T04:00:33Z")
Travel faster than the wind using the wind for power: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jyQwgBAaBag/maxresdefault.jpg "Risking My Life To Settle A Physics Debate") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQwgBAaBag) Great links in the description for that video on YouTube, eh, including the forum discussions referenced in the video. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/203 "2021-05-30T08:25:14Z")
It’s a little counterintuitive but I am surprised that anyone with a reasonable grounding in physics (let alone a professor) would say it’s impossible. I guess the main hurdle to get past is that contrary to expectations, it’s the wheels driving the propeller. As the video notes, the prop is acting as a fan, not a wind turbine. But beyond that I have my own explanation for how it works. Kinetic energy is mv^2/2. The equation is not too important except to note that v^2 factor: that means it takes more energy to increase velocity as the velocity goes up. I think that’s intuitive to most people; cars accelerate more slowly as they speed up. The converse of this is also pretty intuitive–you get more energy out when you decelerate at higher speeds (your brakes heat up more decelerating from 70 mph to 60 than from 10 to 0). The upshot is that when you’re at wind speed, the wheels are moving fast relative to the ground whereas the fan is stationary relative to the wind. So just a little bit of drag on the wheels makes more than enough power to drive the fan–and therefore the car accelerates. It’s not perpetual motion, because you’re extracting energy from the wind relative to the ground. If the air was still, then no matter what speed you were at, the wheels would have the same speed relative to the ground as the fan does to the air. Therefore, no advantage in energy efficiency and the car doesn’t accelerate. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/204 "2021-05-30T18:50:48Z")
It seems to me that this principle could be used for power generation, couldn’t it? Just replace the ground with a belt. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/205 "2021-06-01T03:39:14Z")
5 minute video about electric airplanes: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IJ00RL8_3mQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Here's what it's like to fly in an electric plane — the third revolution in aviation") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ00RL8_3mQ) ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/206 "2021-06-01T16:42:21Z")
Nova just did a show on electric aviation last week. It’s well worth the watch. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/207 "2021-06-01T22:32:04Z")
If the ground is a belt, you can just bolt the car to the ground and forget the wheels completely. I think we have a name for that sort of thing 🙂 . That said… it could almost be useful. Moving the turbine upwind would generate more power–more than you need to power the belt. What happens though is that you leave a bunch of “slow air” downwind, so you can’t actually generate more average power on a given track. However–if the turbine itself is for some reason super-expensive, you could move it laterally to a different track, and extract all the energy from an adjacent “tube” of air. Rinse and repeat until the slow air in the first tube has been cleared, then start over. Not that this is really practical in any way. But I can’t exclude it on a theoretical basis… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/208 "2021-07-02T00:59:35Z")
Special effects people everywhere: “Holy shit; these crazy mofos went and built _actual_ robots so they could film music videos with robots in them!” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7atZfX85nd4/maxresdefault.jpg "Spot's On It") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7atZfX85nd4) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/209 "2021-07-02T19:08:08Z")
Very cool! And sad. They are way better at dancing than I am. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/210 "2021-07-06T15:05:23Z")
Here is an excellent 5 minute video about a robotic grocery store/warehouse/delivery center in the UK. I agree with the concluding thought: the facility is one giant robot with thousands of parts, not just a collection of thousands of robots. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ssZ_8cqfBlE/maxresdefault.jpg "How many robots does it take to run a grocery store?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssZ_8cqfBlE) This is the future, folks, if we can manage to survive. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/211 "2021-07-15T04:06:59Z")
Humans can do _such_ cool shit when we aren’t being dumbasses: > **[Device taps brain waves to help paralyzed man communicate](https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-health-2034d0fff5e63a83b7add3e991df79b1)** > > In a medical first, researchers harnessed the brain waves of a paralyzed man unable to speak — and turned what he intended to say into sentences on a computer screen. It will take years of additional research but the study, reported Wednesday, marks... ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/212 "2021-07-15T15:18:25Z")
That is the true hivemind. Octopus approved. Very cool! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/213 "2021-07-17T10:33:10Z")
Okay; I’m not sure but I think this is the bridge that was mentioned waaaaaay back near the start of this thread: > **[Dutch queen and robot open 3D-printed bridge in Amsterdam](https://apnews.com/article/technology-europe-amsterdam-a37e034e02967886c2e0a64c17f34f3a)** > > Dutch Queen Maxima has teamed up with a small robot to unveil a steel 3D-printed steel pedestrian bridge over a canal in the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district. I thought this was the coolest part: > [@](#): > > The 6-ton structure will be loaded with sensors that researchers at Imperial College London will use to monitor the bridge in real time and gauge how it reacts to being used by pedestrians. > > It will remain in place for two years while the bridge that previously spanned the canal is renovated. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2021, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/214 "2021-07-17T10:36:17Z")
Deep fakes are part of the new norm now: > **[Why the Anthony Bourdain voice cloning creeps people out](https://apnews.com/article/technology-lifestyle-entertainment-anthony-bourdain-business-1dae37f748a22c946e2193fbb00ccc11)** > > The revelation that a documentary filmmaker used voice-cloning software to make the late chef Anthony Bourdain say words he never spoke has drawn criticism amid ethical concerns about use of the powerful technology. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/215 "2021-07-26T02:03:46Z")
Robot dolphins! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AZeyHTJfi_E/maxresdefault.jpg "How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks | Just Might Work") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZeyHTJfi_E) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/216 "2021-07-26T02:49:58Z")
Wetworld. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/217 "2021-08-17T23:04:15Z")
Another skill exhibition! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tF4DML7FIWk/maxresdefault.jpg "Atlas | Partners in Parkour") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4DML7FIWk) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EezdinoG4mk/hqdefault.jpg "Inside the lab: How does Atlas work?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EezdinoG4mk) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/218 "2021-09-11T19:18:30Z")
Here’s a short video on a new AI that can take simple English directives and write code to implement the ideas. Directions can be typed in _or simply spoken_. This (or something similar) is going to quickly change how the world solves problems, among other things. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/81rBzfbFLiE/maxresdefault.jpg "OpenAI Codex: An AI That Writes Video Games! 🤖") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81rBzfbFLiE) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/219 "2021-09-13T22:37:29Z")
I know this isn’t AI or robotics or even tech, but it _is_ SCIENCE! > **[No bull: Scientists potty train cows to use 'MooLoo'](https://apnews.com/article/oddities-new-zealand-europe-animals-biology-fc795581062bbde21c49143579f99639)** > > Researchers in Germany have potty trained cows, all in the name of science. Monday's study in the journal Current Biology reports how scientists got 11 of 16 Holsteins to do their business inside a special pen called a “MooLoo.” > [@](#): > > Just like some parents, the researchers used a sweet treat to coax the cows to push through a gate and urinate in a special pen. And it took only 15 days to train the young calves. Some kids take quite a bit longer. > > “The cows are at least as good as children, age 2 to 4 years, at least as quick,” said study senior author Lindsay Matthews, an animal behavioral scientist at New Zealand’s University of Auckland who worked with colleagues on the tests at an [indoor animal research lab in Germany.](https://www.fbn-dummerstorf.de/en/) > > What started with a half-in-jest question on a New Zealand radio talk show about the very real problem of livestock waste resulted in a serious study published Monday in the [journal Current Biology.](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home) And it wasn’t just a “wow, this could be fun” academic question. Massive amounts of urine waste is a serious environmental issue, Matthews said. > > Urine contains nitrogen, and when mixed with feces becomes ammonia, which is an environmental issue with acid rain and other problems, Matthews said. It can also taint the water with nitrates and create the [airborne pollutant nitrous oxide](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00288233.2016.1273838), he said. > > And cows do pee a lot. A single cow can produce about 8 gallons (30 liters) of urine a day, Matthews said. In 2019, nitrous oxide comprised 7% of all the U.S. greenhouse gases, according to the [Environmental Protection Agency.](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases) > > “I am not surprised they can train calves to urinate in set locations, but I am surprised no one has demonstrated this before,” said Duke University animal cognition scientist Brian Hare, who wasn’t part of the research. “The critical question is can it and will it scale?” > > If it could be done, toilet training animals makes it easier to manage waste products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Donald Broom, a professor of animal welfare at the University of Cambridge in England. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/220 "2021-11-01T12:59:13Z")
This seems pretty cool: > **[New Zealand strait crossed for first time by electric plane](https://apnews.com/article/oddities-technology-business-wellington-europe-66feb8a4e95bc2e87131298c6225e3e7)** > > WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — As he made history by becoming the first person to fly across New Zealand's Cook Strait in an electric plane, Gary Freedman thought it only fitting that the first thing he saw when approaching the Wellington coastline... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952.md?page=12)