The information: A brand new robotic coaching mannequin, dubbed “KnowNo,” goals to show robots to ask for our assist when orders are unclear. On the similar time, it ensures they search clarification solely when crucial, minimizing useless back-and-forth. The outcome is a great assistant that tries to verify it understands what you need with out bothering you an excessive amount of.
Why it issues: Whereas robots may be highly effective in lots of particular eventualities, they’re usually dangerous at generalized duties that require widespread sense. That’s one thing massive language fashions may assist to repair, as a result of they’ve plenty of commonsense data baked in. Learn the total story.
—June Kim
Medical microrobots that journey contained in the physique are (nonetheless) on their manner
The human physique is a labyrinth of vessels and tubing, stuffed with limitations which might be tough to interrupt via. That poses a severe hurdle for docs. Sickness is usually attributable to issues which might be onerous to visualise and tough to entry. However think about if we may deploy armies of tiny robots into the physique to do the job for us. They might break up hard-to-reach clots, ship medicine to even probably the most inaccessible tumors, and even assist information embryos towards implantation.
We’ve been listening to about the usage of tiny robots in drugs for years, possibly even many years. And so they’re nonetheless not right here. However specialists are adamant that medical microbots are lastly coming, and that they may very well be a sport changer for numerous severe illnesses. Learn the total story.
—Cassandra Willyard