Greetings from Cincinnati. I'm here to do the opening keynote at a private event called "Future of Gen AI in Brand Marketing." It's going to be epic!
In the news: Boston Dynamics announced the retirement of its iconic Atlas humanoid robot. The decision by the Hyundai-owned company comes at a time when interest in humanoid robots is intensifying, with significant investment flowing into the sector.
Atlas, which was developed in collaboration with DARPA and marked its 10th anniversary last July, has been a cornerstone of Boston Dynamics' development efforts, contributing to advances in robot mobility and perception. Despite its achievements, aspects of Atlas (such as its hydraulics system) have become outdated compared to newer technologies. Here's a from a few months ago showing off what Atlas has accomplished.
Is this a signal that Boston Dynamics is going to jump into the modern humanoid robotics contest? They didn't say. Since Hyundai’s acquisition, the company has been aligning more closely with commercial applications, possibly paving the way for the next generation of robotics in industrial settings.
Last month, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the NVIDIA's potential to revolutionize robotics by providing AI models with a humanoid form. “In a way, human robotics is likely easier,” said Huang, “because we have a lot more imitation training data that we can provide robots, because we are constructed in a very similar way.”
I can't get the movie I, Robot out of my head this morning.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
