🦇 A 'syllabus' for robots, bat blood may enable human hibernation, WWII-like bunker revival

Engineers have created an innovative framework that enables robots to share skills across models autonomously. Named RoVi-Aug, it eliminates the need for human intervention in the learning process, simplifying robotic training.

Physical tests reveal that RoVi-Aug trains on enhanced data to work instantly with new robots, regardless of camera angles. Unlike others, it skips extra test-time steps, adapts policies, and learns multi-robot tasks. This boosts skill transfer efficiency and raises success rates by up to 30 percent.

According to the UC Berkeley team, the approach marks a significant step toward developing more independent and adaptable robots. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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> Lead Product Software Engineer - Engineering Leader
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MUST-READ

🤖 US creates ‘syllabus’ for robots to swap skills at will without human need

Research shows that scaling up data improves robots’ ability to learn general and reliable skills. However, robot data is far smaller than those used in advanced AI models for vision and language. Collecting diverse and useful real-world robot data is slow, labor-intensive, and challenging to balance for adaptable training.

Existing models like the Open-X Embodiment (OXE) project combine data from 60 robot datasets to enhance cross-robot learning. This approach helps robots share experiences, improving their capabilities.

According to researchers, the dataset needs to be more balanced, dominated by specific robots like Franka and xArm, and needs diverse camera angles. This causes models to overfit and require adjustments when used with different robots or viewpoints.

🦇 Interstellar dreams: Bat blood may enable human hibernation for long space travels

As humanity dreams of becoming a star-faring civilization, the challenges of long-duration space travel loom large. One potential solution to this challenge is hibernation, which scientists believe could help astronauts endure long journeys between stars.

NASA has been investigating this idea for years, even studying the hibernation patterns of Arctic ground squirrels. However, recent research from a team in Germany, led by Gerald Kerth at the University of Greifswald, has focused on bats for insights into effective hibernation.

The study explores the role of erythrocytes, a specific type of red blood cell, in the hibernation process. The researchers conducted extensive analyses of the erythrocytes from both hibernating bats (specifically, Nyctalus noctula) and non-hibernating bats (Rousettus aegypticus), as well as human blood samples.

💣 Buildings into bomb shelters: Germany eyes WWII-like bunker revival amid Russia threat

Germany is taking significant steps to bolster its civil defense capabilities by identifying public and private buildings that can be repurposed as bunkers if needed.

The country’s Interior Ministry confirmed the plan emphasizing that this extensive project would include car parks, underground train stations, state-owned facilities, and private properties.

The German government is compiling a list of structures that could be converted into bunkers if necessary. According to the ministry’s spokesperson, the initiative will also include a phone app featuring a digital directory of these emergency shelters.

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