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Archives for September 2017

Halcyon Dialogue and AAAS Partner for Robotics Showcase

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Photo courtesy Halcyon.

Georgetown startup incubator Halcyon, in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), hosted a VIP event Thursday, September 28th to celebrate and discuss innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The event, led by industry experts, congressional leaders, technology companies, policymakers and media weighed in on the opportunities that this new technology will provide in the near future.

Speakers at the event included Axios Science Editor Alison Snyder, The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons, AAAS CEO Dr. Rush Holt, former White House CTO Megan Smith, Roomba inventor Helen Greiner, Microsoft’s Fred Humphries, and Congressman Will Hurd.

Also notable, Hitachi’s EMIEW3 robot made it’s U.S. debut at the discussion, accompanied by newly-crowned Miss America, Cara Mund.

Emerging Robotics Technology: Living with Robots

In the first panel of the Halcyon Dialogue Robotics Showcase, “Emerging Robotics Technology: Living with Robots,” Axios Science Editor Alison Snyder dove into current robotics technology and exciting future trends.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“We’re going to soon have fully autonomous vehicles, package delivery drones, robot caregivers,” Snyder said launching into the first panel discussion.  “And so the question I think is: there’s rapid progress in artificial intelligence and robotics that makes it sort of easy to imagine in this world where they’re amongst us and interacting among us every day.  But how close are we to that vision?… And are we fully ready to relinquish that control?”

The panel also featured iRobot Corporation’s co-founder and CTO of CyPhy Works Helen Greiner, a revolutionary robotics entrepreneur who has been on the cutting edge of robotics and AI since she was 11 years old.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

Greiner discussed how the robotics industry and development were breaking into the mainstream American economy affecting millions of people every day, along with the critical funding and investments that allow for future development starting to really step into this arena.

“We’ve come a huge way.  There’s lots of robots out there.  But we’re not R2-D2 yet… There’s so much more that robots and drones can do and I’m inspired to be part of the next ones as well,” Greiner explained.  “It does surprise me there aren’t many more.  It’s driven by not just the technology and other fields… but it also is coming from the investment, having… a successful acquisition drives investment.  Now you see… billions of dollars going into robot startups, which is another signal how we’re going to get through those technological and regulatory and policy hurdles.”

Also on stage in the second panel, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, who is currently CEO and founder of the startup shift7.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“The thing that i also love is it’s the beginning of these tools democratizing.  So the ability for anyone… to get ahold of some of these tools and actually make their own stuff is also really promising,” Smith said. “To Dr. Kuno’s creativity, the more we have more of us engaged in making and creating, this technology is better.  Because we don’t want just one group of people making all the stuff for everybody else.  We want everyone thinking about what they’re passionate about solving in the world and how might they apply whatever tools are available including robotics and AI to solve that problem.”

Policy Opportunities in the Robotics Age

The second discussion, titled “Policy Opportunities in the Robotics Age,” discussed ethical and policy implications of this emerging and evolving field, as well as the many ways that developments in these areas influence developments in robotics,  whether federal and state regulations would help nurture the future of robotics or build barriers to success.

Moderated by Washington editor-at-large at The Atlantic Steve Clemons, top experts on robotics and AI policy discussed ways to achieve public trust and legislative action without stifling innovation.

Clemons started out talking about the challenges between public policy advocates and technology development thinking and working on completely different levels of thought.

“I was at a dinner with Larry Page from Google and a bunch of other high tech other types,” Clemons said.  “And the topic of conversation was the end of death.  They’re trying to end death as we know it.  And a couple Washington people said ‘oh my gosh, what would happen to entitlements? It would go through the roof.’”

Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX), a former undercover CIA officer and senior cybersecurity advisor, discussed some of the challenges with robotics in public policy.  Hurd emphasized his thoughts that government’s role largely should be to allow the industry to thrive, innovate and grow smartly.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“Ultimately,” said Hurd, “our role is to stay out of the way of innovation and don’t stifle it.  The technological change we’re going to see in the next 20 years is going to make the last 20 years look really insignificant.  And one of the problems you have when you look at legislators or regulators not understanding where technology is going, …people are afraid of change.  We have to embrace it.  And I think where Congress should be having this conversation is how do you facility industry having a conversation on a code of ethics when it comes to artificial intelligence?  What are some of the elements in the federal government that could benefit from artificial intelligence?… Congress can play a role in our oversight function in making sure our various agencies are integrating that technology in the way that it should.”

Rounding out the second panel was Fred Humphres, corporate vice president for U.S. government affairs at Microsoft, who talked about the corporate responsibility of technology firms to educate, inform public policy makers understand where robotics and AI development is heading, and help them integrate these developments into our public lives smartly, without stifling innovation.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“We have a responsibility to make sure we’re getting up there and educating Members [of Congress] on the different issues.  Because it’s complex,” Humphres agreed.  “[T]here are some challenges up on Capitol Hill… learning this complex area.  So we have a responsibility as companies, we need to get up there and be honest brokers in advocacy and not spinning and not just positioning for our products.  Because when you think of AI, it’s complex.  Robotics, it’s complex.  It’s not black and white, it’s very nuanced.  And there’s a lot of anxiety about it.”

Robot Demos

Throughout the event, several robot demonstrations were on display, including Hitachi’s U.S. debut of their EMIEW3 robot, showing how it can offer services in a variety of scenarios.

Additionally, a display from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab offered videos and artifacts from their robotics / AI lab. Senior robotics engineer Dr. Edward W. Tunstel of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, discussed how those working in both technological development and public policy are optimistic about the future.

Screen grab courtesy Halcyon.

“Robotics has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people,” Tunstel said.  “You’ve got a segment of our society that is in some ways afraid, apprehensive.    We’ve certainly got a number of movies that might inject some of those thoughts.  In many cases one will find through dialogs like this that it’s not that scary at all.”

Microsoft provided access to their Perceptive Pixel (PPI) 55” Touch Device, also known as the Magic Wall. Participants and guests alike were all welcomed and encouraged to answer questions on robotics to be shared with the public.

The event was held at Halcyon’s headquarters in Washington, DC and was hosted alongside partners Axios, Science Robotics (AAAS) and Washington Ideas. Sponsors for the discussion included Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Microsoft, Honeywell, X, and Daikin.

You can watch the full livestream of the Halcyon Discussion online here.

Halcyon VIP Robotics Showcase – Live at 1:30

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Hitachi’s EMIEW3 makes its USA Debut at Halcyon VIP Robotics Showcase

Celebrate the innovations in the fields of AI and robotics as we release the 2016-2017 Halcyon Dialogue series report, Shaping Robotics Policy for the 21st Century. Tune into the Facebook livestream on September 28 from 1-4pm as we roll out the report with exciting robot demos and captivating conversations.

Listen to leading experts as they discuss our future living with robots. Top industry experts, congressional leaders and staff, leading technology companies, and influential policymakers and media figures will take part in the event. Don’t miss out on the chance to hear what they have to say.

Join live on Facebook @HalcyonInspires. 

Eager to learn more about the Robots visiting Halcyon? Check out our robotic guests: 

Amazon Web Services will demonstrate how to use a fully managed IoT service in the cloud (AWS IoT) as well as an Image Recognition service (AWS Rekognition) to assist in emergency response scenarios. The demonstration will include an IoT connected search device which will be fitted with a camera and LED indicators. Conceptually these devices could be mounted on an unmanned vehicle (drone or land based) or an emergency response vehicle. AWS will have a web interface that allows operators to enter search terms (e.g. fire, person etc.) for the search device to detect. When the search device is activated it will transmit images and location to an image recognition system (running on AWS cloud); service will analyze the incoming images, extract data from it and compare against the list of search terms that were entered into the system. When the system finds a match, operator is notified via the web console to review the image. If the image is a positive match the operator can put the search device into a beacon mode where it will flash its LED’s to notify nearby emergency responders to investigate the area.

Calypso for Cozmo (“Calypso” for short) is a new robot intelligence framwork for the revolutionary Cozmo robot by Anki. Calypso allows anyone age 8-80 to program Cozmo using computer vision, speech recognition, and artificial intelligence algorithms. Calypso was developed by Professor David Touretzky of Carnegie Mellon University. During this live showcase, Dr. Touretzky will demonstrate how Calypso’s innovative user interface supports “transparent robot intelligence”. #Cozmo #CozmoMoments

EMIEW3 is a humanoid robot with an enhanced degree of autonomy based on EMIEW and EMIEW2. A “remote brain” consisting of control functions deployed on the cloud and a robot monitoring system, forms the robotics IT platform, which enables EMIEW3 to support customer and guidance services. #EMIEW3 #HitachiRobot #Hitachi

This exhibit will highlight robotic systems developed in the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics at Johns Hopkins University, including new microsurgical robot developed to assist surgeons in minimally invasive applications of otolaryngology, neurosurgery and similar critical fields. The system can eliminate hand tremor and enforce virtual safety barriers to allow surgeons to perform high-stress cases with improved confidence.  We will demonstrate a research version of this robot.  A clinical version of this robot is being developed by Galen Robotics, Inc.

The Perceptive Pixel (PPI) by Microsoft 55″ Touch Device is a touch-sensitive computer monitor capable of detecting and processing a virtually unlimited number of simultaneous on-screen touches. It has 1920 x 1080 resolution, adjustable brightness of up to 400 nits, a contrast ratio of up to 1000:1, and a display area of 47.6 x 26.8 inches. An advanced sensor distinguishes true touch from proximal motions of palms and arms, eliminating mistriggering and false starts. With optical bonding, the PPI by Microsoft 55″ Touch Device virtually eliminates parallax issues and exhibits superior brightness and contrast. And it has built-in color temperature settings to accomodate various environments and user preferences. #Surface #SurfaceFam #MagicWall

John Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (#JHU or #JHUAPL) will present Intelligent Systems that can make decisions under uncertainty and take action when authorized. A legion of trusted, intelligent systems able to autonomously sense, think, decide and act, while interfacing with human teammates on critical applications. JHU/APL has developed Think/Decide algorithms that allow robots to operate “in the wild”. Specifically, their team has focused on enabling a heterogeneous team of robots to:

  • perceive and describe novel objects they encounter
  • collaborate autonomously on mapping, navigating, and manipulating a challenging environment
  • interface with human teammates using natural language

Daniel Turner and Stephen Carter, the co-Founders of TRAXyL and two of Halcyon Incubator’s own Cohort 7 fellows, install optical fiber communications on the fly. Using their latest prototype, the FiberTRAXtor, to test their patented installation method, the final product blends in directly with the road surface and allows for digital communications without compromising road surface integrity.

NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ Most Watched Sunday Morning News Show

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NBC International Information Bureau. Photo courtesy Jeff Maurone via Flickr.

NBC News’ Meet the Press with Chuck Todd was the most-watched Sunday morning political and public affairs show throughout the past year.

According to the media site Adweek, the NBC news program averaged 3.66 million viewers for the season, besting second-place CBS’s Face the Nation at 3.62 million total viewers and third place ABC’s This Week at 3.23 million viewers.  Fox News Sunday received 1.54 million viewers, while data for Univision’s Al Punto was unavailable.

“I’d like to think viewers believe we are producing a show that’s less stuffy, more approachable, more relevant and intelligent,” show host Chuck Todd said. “I also think the efforts we have made to expand our footprint beyond Sunday mornings — in the forms of a weekday MSNBC show, a podcast and a film festival this November — have helped create more urgency and relevancy to our Sunday morning edition.”

Meet the Press is the longest-running show in the history of television, celebrating its 70th anniversary in November with a documentary film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute.

Protesters Blocked From Discussion on Free Speech Headlined by Attorney General at Georgetown

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Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited the campus of Georgetown University Law Center in Washington on Tuesday to give a lecture on the First Amendment and freedom of speech.

However, over 100 students that had reportedly been invited to the event were barred and dis-invited due to the threat of protests against the Trump administration’s top justice official.

Greyson Wallis, a law student at Georgetown, told the Washington Post that:

“It seemed like they were rescinding those invites because they didn’t want any sort of hostile environment, and I can understand not wanting to have a violent environment, but that’s not at all what we were trying to do. We’re law students. We all just wanted to hear what he had to say and let him know where we differ from his opinions.”

As Sessions read remarks about plans to defend free speech, some students in attendance silently protested the event by placing duct tape over their mouths.  Roughly 100 other students and approximately 40 faculty members stood outside the building in protest, holding signs and chanting through bullhorns.  They also took a knee and later linked arms, in a symbolic reference to protests over the weekend by NFL players against accusations of police violence toward African Americans.

“A law school is a place for people to learn about the deepest principles that undergird our democratic republic. Those principles are trampled upon by Attorney General sessions in particular and Donald Trump,” Georgetown law professor Heidi Li Feldman said. “You cannot invite people who so thoroughly threaten the basic premises of American law to a campus and not speak up if your mission in life is to educate people about the American legal system.”

Tanya Weinberg, a spokesperson for the law school, replied to criticisms lobbed against the school saying “At events like today’s, we designate protest areas to allow free expression on campus in a manner that upholds safety and security and minimizes potential disruptions to learning. Additionally, students in the auditorium were allowed to protest in a way that did not disrupt the event.”

Hannity Outperforms Maddow in First Head-to-Head Ratings Match-Up

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Photo courtesy Pixabay.

In their first 9PM showdown Monday night, Fox News’ Sean Hannity bested MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in the battle for ratings.

According to data provided by Nielsen Media Research, Hannity received 3.3 million total viewers for his broadcast, making the program the most-watched show in all of basic cable.  Data suggests his show Hannity was also watched by 666,000 viewers in the critical advertising demographic between the ages of 25-54 years old.

Maddow delivered 2.7 million total viewers for her show in the same timeslot, finishing in second place.  The Rachel Maddow Show trailed Hannity by 610,000 viewers, and was also behind with adults aged 25-54 with 591,000 viewers.

Significantly, Maddow finishes the third quarter as the highest-rated program in cable news overall.  This marks the first time any MSNBC program has finished a quarter as the top cable news show.

Much of the growth associated with the three main cable news networks throughout 2016 seems to have slowed.  MSBNC remains the only network to see a year-over-year improvement in the third quarter, with viewership increasing by 43 percent, including a 29 percent increase in the 25-54 demographic.  However, Fox News remains the top network in basic cable, beating both MSNBC and CNN for the 63rd consecutive quarter.

Former Presidents Join Forces to Fundraise for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Disaster Relief

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Photo by Eric Draper, courtesy the White House.

All five living former U.S. presidents joined together to expand fundraising efforts for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, following the massive devastation created by Hurricane Maria.

Expanding on the “One America Appeal” launched to raise funds for Texas and Florida created to help in the aftermath of last month’s destruction from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the campaign will allow donors to also contribute to help the efforts to assist fellow U.S. citizens of both island territories in the Caribbean.

“Now individuals, foundations and institutions making tax deductible donations at OneAmericaAppeal.org may choose to assist all three recovery efforts from Hurricanes Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida and Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — or to direct their donation to a specific recovery effort — using the drop-down menu in the website’s donation section,” the presidents said via press release.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama spearhead the One American Appeal efforts.

You can learn more and make a contribution to the relief efforts at OneAmericaAppeal.org.

Over 400,000 Sign The #SaveYourUber Petition!

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Photo courtesy Pixabay.

Uber riders have responded in force to the U.K. Government’s move to shut down Uber London operations. In this Change.org riders ask the London Mayor to reconsider the decision.
https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber

In an announcement that caught many by surprise, the city agency Transport for London has announced it will not reissue Uber’s private hire license within the city.

According to the agency, the company operations were not “fit and proper” for the city, and the groundbreaking ride-sharing company had only one week left until its current license runs out.

Uber has announced it will appeal the decision, which will allow drivers to stay on the road until a final ruling is passed.

Tom Elvidge, general manager of Uber London, slammed the decision, saying that:

“3.5 million Londoners who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision.  By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice.  If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.”

Uber also noted that their drivers undergo the same background checks as London’s black cab drivers.  In a statement, the company countered the city’s criticism, saying:

“Drivers who use Uber are licensed by Transport for London and have been through the same enhanced DBS background checks as black cab drivers. Our pioneering technology has gone further to enhance safety with every trip tracked and recorded by GPS.  Uber operates in more than 600 cities around the world, including more than 40 towns and cities here in the UK. This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers.

For now, the ride-sharing platform will continue to operate within London.  The Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 states that companies are permitted to appeal decisions within 21 days.  Uber has already announced it will counter Transport for London’s claims in court, which would enable drivers to keep operating until a final judgement is passed.

Uber has created a petition on Change.org petitioning the Mayor to reconsider the decision.  You may view the petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/save-your-uber-in-london-saveyouruber

Top World Leaders and CEOs Gather for Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York

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Screen grab courtesy Bloomberg Global Business Forum.

On Wednesday, the first-ever Bloomberg Global Business Forum gathered at the Plaza Hotel in New York City to tackle some of the most important international issues of the day.

Joined by innovators, heads of state and celebrities, former New York City mayor and Bloomberg, L.P. founder Mike Bloomberg launched the day’s events saying:

“Too often governments and businesses don’t talk to each other. This forum aims to fix that, and it’s especially important when isolationism is rearing its head, including here in the U.S.”

Recognizing that diplomacy is often contingent and influenced by economic relationships, the first annual Bloomberg Global Business Forum aimed to strike an unprecedented collaboration between corporations and nations, seizing the opportunity to reinforce the notion that those in the private sector and boost and enhance diplomatic ties that governments may neglect.

“We have to take [cooperation] to another level, and it depends upon our mind and our heart,” said Bloomberg as he opened the Bloomberg Global Business Forum. “First believing that we can and must every day expand the definition of ‘us,’ shrink the definition of ‘them.’ We shouldn’t have to have an earthquake or a hurricane to know that that is what we are about.”


Former President Bill Clinton addressed the crowd, challenging them to work to unite people around the globe, instead of building barriers.

“I want you to look to the future, but I believe underneath all these debates that are going on today lingers one simple question. Whether you believe social strength, economic reform and political reform flow from division or multiplication,” Clinton said.


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chimed in on the importance of economic relationships, and how trade policies and pro-growth agendas are needed to counter modern-day scourges such as discrimination, poverty and inequality.

“[T]rade leads to growth, and we made a deal with citizens that we would pursue pro-growth policies and that everyone would benefit. So we’ve seen growth, but it hasn’t necessarily reached everyone. And that’s where we fall into the politics of fear and envy… So now we need to make a turn into a new progressive trade agenda,” Trudeau told the forum attendees.


Apple CEO Tim Cook pointed specifically to restricting border crossings and cutting back on immigration opportunities being one of the largest challenges to advance economic growth and prosperity around the globe.

“If I were a leader of a country… I’d want every smart person coming into my country… Smart people create jobs.”

NBA star LeBron James summed up the purpose of the gathering during a video statement.

“We all know what’s happening right now, how hard it is suddenly to understand so much in this world. You’re in this room for a reason. We’re leaders. We all know the world needs us to step up.”


Other notable attendees at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum included French President Emmanuel Macron, Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma, World Bank president Dr. Jim Kum, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Softbank CEO Masayshi Son.

Washington Post Names Steven Ginsberg as New National Editor

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Steven Ginsberg has been named the new national editor at The Washington Post.

The Post welcomed Ginsberg into his new role by announcing that:

“For the past six years, Steven has brought a combination of zeal and Zen to the leadership of our national political report, inspiring reporters and editors to deliver fast-paced, creative and revelatory work.  A master of recruiting, retention and the morale-boosting chat, he has built the politics team into the powerhouse it has become, delivering peerless coverage of the 2016 race and the early months of the Trump presidency.”

He steps into the national editor role after former editor Scott Wilson left the position earlier this month.  He left “after disputes with his superiors over newsroom resources for his coverage areas,” sources said.

Ginsberg has worked at The Washington Post since 1994, when he joined the paper as a nightside copy aide.  He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Spicer Regrets Arguing With Reporters Over Inauguration Crowd Size

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James Brady Press Briefing Room. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer regrets berating journalists during his first White House press briefing in January.  During this session, Spicer had aggressively asserted the inauguration crowd size was the largest ever.

“Of course I do, absolutely,” Spicer admitted during an interview Monday with the New York Times.

During the first official appearance in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Spicer announced that “[t]his was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period.  Both in person and around the globe.”

Photos and videos of the inauguration showed fewer people gathered on the National Mall than for former President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.  Additionally, Nielsen data suggests the television audience for the Trump inauguration fell below numbers for both Presidents Reagan and Obama.

Spicer made a surprise guest appearance at the Emmys on Sunday to make fun of this notable first briefing.  Appearing at the end of Stephen Colbert’s opening monologue, the former press secretary emerged on stage pushing a mobile podium similar to one used by Melissa McCarthy in a popular Saturday Night Live skit.

“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period.  Both in-person and around the world,” Spicer responded to Colbert.

“This was an attempt to poke a little fun at myself and add a little bit of levity to the event,” Spicer explained during in his interview with the New York Times.