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from the imagine-a-Beowulf-cluster-of-these dept.
And Now, a Bicycle Built for None (archive)
As corporate giants like Ford, G.M. and Waymo struggle to get their self-driving cars on the road, a team of researchers in China is rethinking autonomous transportation using a souped-up bicycle.
This bike can roll over a bump on its own, staying perfectly upright. When the man walking just behind it says "left," it turns left, angling back in the direction it came.
It also has eyes: It can follow someone jogging several yards ahead, turning each time the person turns. And if it encounters an obstacle, it can swerve to the side, keeping its balance and continuing its pursuit.
It is not the first-ever autonomous bicycle (Cornell University has a project underway) or, probably, the future of transportation, although it could find a niche in a future world swarming with package-delivery vehicles, drones and robots. (There are even weirder ideas out there.) Nonetheless, the Chinese researchers who built the bike believe it demonstrates the future of computer hardware. It navigates the world with help from what is called a neuromorphic chip, modeled after the human brain.
Towards artificial general intelligence with hybrid Tianjic chip architecture (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1424-8) (DX)
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 08 2019, @03:45PM (2 children)
Link to vid, or it didn't happen. And, no, views from the rear don't count.
inB4TMB
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 09 2019, @03:24AM (1 child)
No vid or pic that I know of. This messenger contest happened before phones had cameras. Besides, the crowd of mostly other messengers were respectful (as well as appreciative) and were mature enough to not post photos that might cause trouble later.
She eventually wrote a book about bike messengers, review here, http://www.sfcall.com/issues%202002/5.17.02/williams_reilly_5_17_02.htm [sfcall.com]
Disclaimer: When she organized a different competition in a city near to me, I volunteered to help out, so I met her briefly, about 20 years ago.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 09 2019, @03:04PM
I had to click through several links, and finally found a pic of her, on her facebook page. Mature woman, naturally, but that face? Yeah, she looks like she could have been a hellraiser if she wanted to be. Of course, the thumbnail sucks, you gotta pull up the larger pic to see her. https://www.facebook.com/pg/RebeccaLynnReilly/photos/?ref=page_internal [facebook.com]