Jumping Robot Salto-1P Now Goes Where You Tell It To

UC Berkeley’s robotic pogo stick can bounce its way up and over obstacles Last time we saw UC Berkeley’s Salto-1P, the robot was bouncing all over the place, able to hop continuously without any trouble. It was impressive to watch, especially when it occasionally exploded itself. But of course the Berkeley researchers had long-term plans to take the robot from generally bouncy to bouncy with a level of control that would allow them to teach it some sophisticated tricks. We saw some of those tricks this week at IROS 2018 in Spain, where Justin Yim presented a new video of Salto-1P turning some office furniture into a bouncy house.

Regina Barzilay, James Collins, and Phil Sharp join leadership of new effort on machine learning in health

Regina Barzilay and James Collins have been named the faculty co-leads of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, or J-Clinic, effective immediately, announced Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering and chair of J-Clinic. Institute Professor Philip Sharp will also serve as the chair of J-Clinic’s advisory board. Launched on Sept. 17, J-Clinic is the fourth major collaborative effort between MIT and Community Jameel, the social enterprise organization founded and chaired by Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel ’78. A key part of the MIT Quest for Intelligence, J-Clinic will focus on developing machine learning technologies to revolutionize the prevention, detection, and treatment of disease. It will concentrate on creating and commercializing high-precision, affordable, and scalable machine learning technologies in areas of health care ranging from diagnostics to pharmaceuticals. “J-Clinic will make a difference in patients’ lives everywhere from major hospitals to villages in the developing world. Continue reading Regina Barzilay, James Collins, and Phil Sharp join leadership of new effort on machine learning in health