This week, we’ve been following stories about all kinds of automation, from good talkers to hard workers to map makers. Check out our picks:
Let’s make this work. Humans and our automated creations are certainly in a long-term relationshipand, as any therapist will tell you, good relationships take work. The Verge reports on Google’s efforts to improve AI’s communication skills with Duplex, which mimics human pauses and “umms” in uncanny ways, and also discusses the ethical issues that Duplex raises. WIRED surveys the efforts of diverse research teams to help humans and robots get along better (note: both parties have to be willing to change). And Inc. explores the positive sides of the human-robot partnership for business.
Getting an eyeful. The Eiffel Tower is fantastique, but soon it will be even better. The competition to reimagine the visitor experience at the Tower is underway. The first step, creating a detailed 3D model not only of the tower, but the 2.4 square kilometer area around it, is now complete, with Autodesk as the sole technology partner. Get the scoop from the ArchDaily, or be trèschic and see what Le Parisien had to say.
All over the map. Want to map your factory or facility for automation or AR applications, but don’t want Google or Apple to have that data? Tech Crunch reports on Fantasmo, an open-sourced mapping system that puts you in control.
Credit: Fantasmo
So sketchy. Drawing on a napkin is out, using Sketchbook is in—especially now that it’s free. Solidsmack shares the good news.
