Nvidia robotics simulation
Nvidia
ChatGPT has kicked off a wave of interest in AI. For many consumers, AI is finally meeting long-overdue expectations. The achievements of ChatGPT in a short time are phenomenal. But what’s yet to come when AI is combined with robotics will change everything.
I have been promoting advances in robotics for several years. I’ve even called 2022 the year of robotics, partly because of the growing need to overcome labor shortages and handle tasks beyond the physical or mental capacity of humans, and partly because of the continuous advancements that AI, accelerated processing, semiconductors, sensors, wireless connectivity, and software technologies are enabling to develop advanced, autonomous machines. Robots are no longer just for manufacturing workshops. They are hazmat handlers, janitors, personal assistants, food preparers, food delivery people, security guards and even increasingly self-sufficient surgeons. Essentially, they are AIs in the physical world. As a result, robot competitions are springing up from colleges to Las Vegas.
As seen at CES, robotics technology is advancing rapidly with technological advancements. My favorite examples were the Yarbo multi-configurable outdoor robot and the John Deere See & Spray. Yarbo can be a mower, a leaf blower or a snow blower. If it could get rid of animal droppings and annoying neighbor, it would be a perfect garden tool. At the other end of the spectrum was the John Deere See & Spray Ultimate, a tractor with a reach of up to 120 feet (36.6 m) that uses AI/ML to detect weeds smaller than the size of a smart phone camera and spray the herbicide accordingly. John Deere also offers autonomous tractors.
The John Deere See & Spray Ultimate
John Deere
Many new technologies are being incorporated into these platforms and some of these latest technologies will be showcased next week at another key AI tech conference – the GPU Technology Conference (GTC) – hosted by Nvidia. GTC started out as a gaming conference, but has morphed into one of the leading AI conferences, a key part of which is robotics/autonomous machines.
One of the reasons for this transformation of GTC is Nvidia’s continued investment in artificial intelligence and robotics technologies, as well as in the ecosystem. At CES, Nvidia announced a new tool called Isaac Orbit to simulate environments and references for robot learning and motion planning. Nvidia also announced enhancements to Isaac SIM for reinforcement learning, collaborative programming, and realistic human simulation. Nvidia’s commitment to the segment is demonstrated in new platform and tool announcements every few months. As with previous GTCs, we expect new platform and tool announcements next week.
In addition, GTC offers a bot developer-only track that will showcase some of the apps using or being developed on Nvidia platforms, current and future software tools, ecosystem partners and solutions, and new features. of Isaac ROS (robot operating system) for the open source community. These sessions include topics such as “Training Highly Dynamic Robots for Complex Tasks in Industrial Applications” and “Designing Complex Robot Architecture on NVIDIA Isaac ROS”. The tracks will also include tutorials on how to use the different tools and the latest tool features for the Tao development framework, Deepstream for AI vision applications, and Isaac SIM for development, training, and testing. However, with all of Nvidia’s hardware, software, and tools built on the same AI technologies, other topics may be of interest to robotics developers, such as the Metropolis framework for AI video analytics and its Omniverse collaboration environment. . Even the Nvidia GPU roadmap points the way to future Jetson platforms.
Unfortunately, this GTC will still be virtual, so we won’t get any of the bot demos up close, but the event is free with free access to replay sessions on demand. The most important part of GTC for robotics is that the GTC announcements set the stage for more robotics announcements throughout the year.
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The author and Tirias Research staff members do not hold any ownership interests in any of the companies mentioned. Tirias Research follows and advises companies across the entire electronics ecosystem, from semiconductors to systems and sensors to the cloud. Tirias Research consulted with Nvidia and other companies involved in AI and robotics.