OpenAI’s new system lets you train robots entirely in VR

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence platform OpenAI introduced a new program to train robots entirely in simulation. Now they’ve added a new algorithm, named one-shot imitation learning, which will only require humans to demonstrate a task once in VR for a robot to learn it.

The system is powered by two neural networks. The first takes a camera image and determines objects’ spatial position in relation to the robot — but it was trained only with a host of simulated images, meaning it was taught how to interact with the real world before it ever actually saw the real world. The second imitates tasks shown by the demonstrator by scanning through recorded action and paying attention to frames that tell it what to do next.

This training model is only a prototype, but teaching robots entirely in simulation could allow researchers to train them for complex tasks without needing physical elements at all. That would let humans safely and easily approximate extreme environments like arctic waters or areas soaked in nuclear radiation — or even other planets.

Source: OpenAI

European regulators push Facebook to tighten user privacy rules

Authorities in France and the Netherlands are the latest to speak out against the way Facebook handles the massive amounts of user data it collects. In separate announcements today, privacy watchdog groups in both countries said that Facebook did not give users enough control of their data, and that the company had collected information through third-party websites without users’ consent.

As the New York Times reports, however, those regulators are sort of toothless in the face of Facebook’s money-printing revenue machine. The French Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) imposed a mere 150,000-euro fine (about $164,000), while the Dutch haven’t set a financial penalty at all, although the Times notes Facebook could still reach a settlement with them. Either way, neither agency has actually ordered Facebook to make any changes to how they handle user data.

For its part, Facebook claims it is up to code with Europe’s strict data protection rules and that it has recently simplified its privacy settings. On the other hand, it’s not the first time Facebook’s “share everything” approach rankled authorities in Europe and led to a real change for users. A “tag suggest” automatic facial recognition feature was blocked in the EU and last year privacy regulators forced the social network to stop siphoning user data from WhatsApp. At the moment, Germany’s Ministry of Justice is also considering heavier fines against the social network for failing to clean up hate speech.

Via: New York Times

Source: CNIL, Dutch Data Protection Agency

DJI Launches Apple TV App for Streaming Drone Footage

Drone maker DJI this week announced the launch of a new Apple TV app, which is designed to allow users to watch aerial content and 4K videos captured from around the world using DJI drones.

“We’ve made flying and capturing aerial footage easy with our drones, and now with the DJI Smart TV App, creators will have more ways to share their work with the world. This is really an opportunity for people to be inspired, intrigued, travel to places they would have never imagined and see the world in a whole new way,” said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager.

The app can be used both to watch drone footage and upload drone footage that can then be shared with other users. Content currently available is curated by DJI and is organized into various categories.

DJI’s Apple TV app can be downloaded on the fourth-generation Apple TV through the tvOS App Store. It’s also available on Samsung Tizen TV platforms.

Tag: DJI
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple could update its entire MacBook line at WWDC next month

Apple will debut new hardware WWDC, rather than simply focus on software, according to a new report.

Apple typically uses its mostly-annual developers conference to announce new software updates to existing products, giving developers a chance to become acquainted with the changes and maybe get their third-party integrations, tie-ins, services, and apps ready. However, this year, Apple will also announce hardware updates. It will refresh its laptop lineup at WWDC 207 in June, according to Bloomberg.

Apple is planning three new laptops: the MacBook Pro will get a faster Kaby Lake processor from Intel, a new version of the 12-inch MacBook with a faster Intel chip, and the 13-inch MacBook Air will get a new processor. Bloomberg noted Apple wants to keep its MacBook laptop line fresh for customers, especially due to recent hardware pushes from rivals, such as Microsoft, as well as declining iPad sales.

• Apple’s Siri speaker: What’s the story so far?
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch could be launched in June following case leak

The updated MacBook Laptops will apparently still look the same; they’re only getting different internal architecture. In other words, none of the updates are major changes. The MacBook and MacBook Air are definitely due for an update, considering they were last updated in 2016 and 2015, respectively. Check out Pocket-lint’s WWDC round-up to see what else Apple may announce at its 5 June keynote.

Keep in mind Apple has been working on a new in-house chip for future MacBook Pro models, which would manage their low-power mode, but it’s unclear if that chip will be ready in time for WWDC 2017.

• Which MacBook is best for you? MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

Twitter wants you to slide into its DMs for account help

Ever wanted to have a private chat with Twitter to settle your burning questions? At last, you can. As hinted a few weeks ago, Twitter has started offering both tips and account help through direct messages to @support. You’re talking to a chatbot and not a live human, but this could still help you deal with abuse, regain control of an account or offer feedback without scrounging around Twitter’s website first. It certainly beats having to publicly mention the @support account and hope for the best. Just don’t expect them to give you an edit button and you’ll be set.

Now you can Direct Message @Support in English for #TwitterTips and inquiries regarding your account.

— Twitter Support (@Support) May 16, 2017

Source: Twitter Support

‘Shadow Brokers’ threaten to release more hacking tools in June

An exploit that the “WannaCry” malware used to encrypt computers worldwide first appeared in a leak from “The Shadow Brokers,” a group that claims to have stolen a number of tools from the NSA. Now the Shadow Brokers are back with a new blog post threatening more leaks. Through an intentionally sloppy writing style, the group taunts not only TheEquationGroup (read: NSA), but also Microsoft and its blog post blaming spy agencies, claiming that Microsoft is simply upset the NSA didn’t pay to hold its vulnerability.

The threat with the most teeth, however, is the claim that The Shadow Brokers could have more exploits to release, targeting mobile devices or Windows 10, as well as leaked data from the SWIFT banking system or nuke and missile programs in Russia, Iran, China or North Korea. The group proposed a “monthly subscription model” for dumps, beginning in June — despite the fact that earlier plans to auction the vulnerabilities didn’t pan out. However, as researcher Marcy Wheeler points out, simply threatening these leaks can strain relationships between Microsoft and the US government, which may be the real aim.

OH LORDY! Comey Wanna Cry Edition — Steemit https://t.co/V1XFCDsH6I #shadowbrokers #equationgroup

— theshadowbrokers (@shadowbrokerss) May 16, 2017

Source: The Shadow Brokers, Reuters, emptywheel, Washington Post

Score an Archeer bamboo Bluetooth speaker for just $70 on Amazon

Many of us fondly remember the old wood-paneled stereos and speaker systems from decades past, long before the days of modern technologies like Bluetooth and wireless streaming. Wood may be making a comeback, however, with bamboo fast becoming a popular option for giving new devices like wireless speakers that cool throwback look.

One highly rated and top-selling model is the Archeer bamboo Bluetooth speaker, now on sale on Amazon. This compact unit measures just under 10 inches across and about three inches tall, but delivers plenty of power thanks to dual 5-watt drivers and a 15-watt subwoofer for deep, punchy bass response.

The speaker utilizes the latest Bluetooth 4.0 technology for wireless connectivity with your devices, letting you stream audio from any compatible laptop, tablet, or smartphone. You can also use the Archeer bamboo speaker with devices that aren’t Bluetooth-enabled. Simply hook up the speaker to your audio source with the included 3.5mm audio cable and you’re ready to rock.

The speaker’s internal battery lasts for around 11 hours with the volume level at 50 percent, and the unit recharges via USB. The front and rear of the speaker features a thick, genuine bamboo fascia (as opposed to thin, glued-on fake wood paneling), while the sides of the speaker are covered in thick charcoal grey canvas. Audio playback can be controlled remotely via your connected Bluetooth devic,e and manual buttons are located on top of the housing as well.

The Archeer bamboo Bluetooth speaker is currently on sale on Amazon at a 65 percent discount, which knocks a whopping $130 off of the retail price. You can score this awesome little wooden speaker for just $70 for a limited time. If you’re in the market for a portable speaker for parties, picnics, or just for use around the home, now is a perfect time to score a top-rated model just in time for summer.

Buy it on Amazon

Virtual barrier allows drones to fly in swarms without crashing into each other

Why it matters to you

Swarms of drones working together opens up all kinds of new possibilities (like new crop-growing methods, for example).

The idea of a swarm of autonomous drones flying in formation is pretty darn cool. You know what is less cool? The idea of a swarm of autonomous drones all crashing into one another by accident.

That is a challenge that a new project carried out by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has attempted to solve: Opening up the possibility of multiple quadcopters working together in close proximity in a way that has not been quite so straightforward previously.

“What we developed is a strategy that lets a team of quadrotors fly aggressively and efficiently while ensuring that they remain safe at all times,” Wang Li, a graduate research assistant at Georgia Tech, told Digital Trends. “In particular, we have developed algorithms that let the team stay as close to the planned, collaborative behaviors as possible, while only deviating from the planned paths as little as is mathematically possible.”

As described in a new paper, titled “Control Barrier Certificates for Safe Swarm Behavior,” the work involves setting up virtual barriers around each drone. If one drone enters another’s airspace, it moves away automatically. In conception, it is not all that different from computer scientist Craig Reynolds‘ classic “boids” flocking algorithm — which has been around since the early 1990s — although it also has to account for the airflow problem that comes with one drone flying too closely below another.

Li told us that the technology could be crucial to a range of drone-based applications, such as precision agriculture (in which farmers want to send teams of quadcopters to inspect a crop’s growth condition) or search, rescue, and environmental monitoring tasks (where a team of quadcopters needs to quickly respond to changing task requirements.)

The task now, he said, will be taking the drones out of the lab and into the real world. “Currently, experiments are performed in a well-structured lab environment,” Li said. “The next significant step is to implement this algorithm in an outdoor environment in combination with advanced perception technologies, similar to those used by autonomous cars.”

Microsoft is making it easier to share OneDrive files in Windows and Mac

Why it matters to you

Using OneDrive to collaborate will be a good deal easier soon, thanks to some new file-sharing options coming this summer.

Of Microsoft’s many cloud solutions, its OneDrive cloud storage service is probably the most familiar to the average PC user. OneDrive is Microsoft’s competitor to Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud storage options, and it serves as the primary means to share documents through Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity service.

Microsoft announced an important new feature at its recent Build 2017 developers conference, namely OneDrive Files On-Demand, which makes a user’s entire list of files available on a machine without taking up local storage space. Now, the company is introducing another significant improvement to the OneDrive service by way of a new, simplified sharing experience.

It has always been possible to share files from OneDrive, but users have needed to go to the web experience or use an app in order to send a link to file. Now, Microsoft is adding the ability to share Office 365 files directly from File Explorer on a Windows PC or from the Finder on a Mac. That’s an important addition that will let users more naturally share files without the need to work outside their existing desktop workflows.

The new sharing experience has also been simplified to make it easier to share a file or folder with specific people or to make a link accessible to anyone inside or outside of an organization. This feature includes the ability to modify permissions after they have been granted and to limit the amount of time a file or folder will be available for access.

The new experience will be rolled out for Windows 7 and 10 users, Macs, and the web this summer. The improvements join OneDrive On-Demand and a host of other new features and capabilities that Microsoft hopes will put OneDrive at the center of everyone’s cloud storage requirements.

Bragi’s fully wireless headphones just got better with the custom-fitted Dash Pro

Why it matters to you

The Dash Pro are Bragi’s second shot at highly futuristic true wireless in-ears, offering AI integration, better battery life, an available custom fit, and (hopefully) better connection.

Fully wireless headphone brand Bragi has unveiled two iterations of a new headphone model, packing impressive new features as well as a first when it comes to true wireless earbuds: A custom fit for the perfect seal.

The company today announced the second evolution of its first true wireless in-ears, the Dash. Dubbed the Dash Pro, the latest big little thing from Bragi come in either a standard model, or an available custom-molded model using the same process audiologists employ for expensive earplugs, hearing aids, and professional in-ear monitors. The custom-fit model is the result of Bragi’s new partnership with Starkey Hearing Technologies.

Though multiple headphone manufacturers offer custom molded in-ear monitors with wires — typically for live music applications — Bragi claims its new Dash Pro tailored by Starkey are the first ever fully wireless headphones to sport a custom fit. Impressively, the new earphones will also be among the most affordable to feature custom molding, retailing for $500. The standard Dash Pro will retail for $330.

Bragi’s original Dash were among the most feature-packed fully wireless earbuds on the market, but all that technology came with some prohibitive issues when it came to functionality. So far, the company seems to be on a steady path towards improvement, however. Last year Bragi released a more affordable set of wireless in-ears with fewer frills called The Headphone, which rank among some of our favorites in the genre.

Bragi says the new Dash Pro models feature numerous improvements over the original Dash, including a slightly modified exterior and improved battery life of 5 hours per charge (up from 3 hours previously), which is supplemented by a charging case that’s good for 30 total hours of playback time.

In addition, the company is debuting Bragi OS 3, which includes live language translation, a new head gesture system, simplified touch interface, and various audio improvements designed to offer better sound. Those who want to use their headphones during a workout will also be excited to learn that the new OS is designed to automatically detect when users are working out thanks to advanced AI fitness tracking technology. Whether or not the latest models have solved the original Dash’s issues, including poor Bluetooth connection and garbled phone calls, remains to be seen.

As with the original Dash, the Dash Pro feature 4GB of internal storage, waterproofing, and a built-in microphone, along with a bevy of other features.

“The Dash Pro tailored by Starkey and The Dash Pro are the most intelligent devices of their kind, representing incredible advancement and achievement over the last 18 months,” said Bragi CEO Nikolaj Hviid in a press release. “These magical devices have seamless Bluetooth pairing and connectivity, a longer-lasting battery life and groundbreaking achievements like real-time language translation powered by iTranslate, a 4D menu allowing users to go hands-free and integration with IBM Watson’s famed AI. We’re excited to enable people to do more.”

That’s a lot of promises, and we too are excited to see if Bragi’s latest wireless buds can deliver. Those interested in learning more can check out Bragi’s website here, and stay tuned for our full review coming soon.