Object Recognition

Sorting trash is one of those tasks that people can get pretty tired of, pretty fast. That's why ZenRobotics makes robots that do the job. The company's latest generation is particularly trash-savvy, as it can ID over 500 types of waste.

There are many situations in which blind people don't necessarily have to see what they're holding, they just need it described to them. An experimental new wearable device, known as AiSee, is designed to do that very thing.

While there are already apps that guide blind users to a bus stop's GPS coordinates, those people may unknowingly end up standing too far away from the actual stop. A new app addresses that shortcoming, by letting the phone's camera in on the act.

If a robot is going to be grasping delicate objects, then that bot had better know what those objects are, so it can treat them accordingly. A new robotic hand allows it to do so, by sensing the shape of the object along the length of its digits.

When you're looking at a tank full of fish at a public aquarium, it can be difficult to figure out which ones are which species. The AI Aquarium is designed to help, by overlaying information that lines up with the individual fish in question.

Although self-driving cars are coming, the first ones will likely still need to periodically have the driver take manual control of the vehicle. A new system could check if the driver is currently able to do so, by monitoring what they're doing.

Samsung is claiming a few world firsts with its latest robot vacuum cleaner. The Jet Bot AI+ is said to be the first to feature an active stereo-type 3D sensor for object detection, and the first equipped with Intel AI for object recognition.

Lifeguards do play a vital role in the prevention of drownings, but at busy beaches, they can't always keep track of all the swimmers at all times. That's where Sightbit is made to come in, as it uses AI to catch what lifeguards may miss.

A new smartphone-based system can identify objects simply by being knocked against them.

Robot arms are getting smarter and smarter all the time, and now a team from Georgia Tech has taught them how to make their own tools. These resourceful robots are first taught to match form and function, then let loose on a series of everyday objects to build what they need to complete a given job.

Mattel is getting its toys-to-life aspirations on the road with its Hot Wheels brand. The popular die-cast cars have been given a modern virtual makeover with MindRacers, a game that combines physical toy cars and game tokens with digital racing.​

​Microsoft’s AR headset, the HoloLens, is an exciting prospect but isn't quite ready for the public. But as it inches closer to a consumer release, the company has revealed that the next version of the hardware will have an AI coprocessor built in, to help the headset recognize real-world objects.