Deadlines.

You either love them, hate them, or experience both sentiments at the same time.

For AI-based true self-driving cars, there isn’t a human driver involved. Keep in mind that true self-driving cars are driven via an AI driving system. There isn’t a need for a human driver at the wheel, and nor is there normally a provision for a human to drive the vehicle. For my extensive and ongoing coverage of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and especially self-driving cars, see the l… See more.

A deadline can be handy as a focal point that aids in rallying together everyone towards achieving something great. On the other hand, a deadline can turn each person against the other and fester a bitter fight that leaves all involved forever scarred and upset due to a seemingly arbitrary and reprehensible line in the sand.

Deadlines do decidedly set expectations, though at times the expectations are out of whack with reality.

The wheeled Jaeger-C is a small machine with a low profile designed to attack from ambush. In some ways, it might be seen as a mobile robotic mine. This is especially true because the makers note it can be remote-controlled or “autonomously with image analysis and trained models linked to robotic actions,” according to a report in Overt Defense. This sounds very much like the sort of deep learning increasingly used for other automatic target recognition, a trend driven by the ready availability of new, low-cost hardware for small uncrewed systems.

The Jaeger-C will sit in ambush in Gaard mode – a long-term silent watch mode – until it detects potential targets. It will then switch into either Chariot mode or Goliath mode depending on whether the targets are personnel or vehicles.

The value of attending major industry events like Nvidia’s GTC (GPU Technology Conference) is to see what companies are and are not focusing on going forward. Nvidia has transformed the agenda for GTC from gaming into one of the leading AI events. The agenda also includes HPC and data center networking topics, representing other areas Nvidia has been expanding into in the last few years. If the agenda for the upcoming GTC event is any indication, the company has greatly increased its focus on autonomous machines, which includes all forms of robotics.

In addition to autonomous vehicles, this GTC agenda includes more than ten sessions focused on autonomous machines. As the company has done with other market segments, the autonomous machines sessions will bring together experts from academia, the industry, and Nvidia to provide training, industry insights, and technical assistance in AI and robotics. Some of the experts attending include Brian Gerkey, Co-founder and CEO of Open Robotics, Patty Delafuente from the University of Maryland, Ajit Jaokar and Ayşe Mutlu form the University of Oxford, and Johan Barthelemy from the University of Wollongong. There will also be AI and robotics experts from Denso Wave, Digeiz, Hammerson, Integral AI, Milestone Systems, Nota, and SK Telecom presenting at the conference.