Algorithm finds hidden connections between paintings at the Met

Art is often heralded as the greatest journey into the past, solidifying a moment in time and space; the beautiful vehicle that lets us momentarily escape the present.  With the boundless treasure trove of paintings that exist, the connections between these works of art from different periods of time and space can often go overlooked. It’s impossible for even the most knowledgeable of art critics to take in millions of paintings across thousands of years and be able to find unexpected parallels in themes, motifs, and visual styles.  To streamline this process, a group of researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Microsoft created an algorithm to discover hidden connections between paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) and Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.  Inspired by a special exhibit “Rembrandt and Velazquez” in the Rijksmuseum, the new “MosAIc” system finds paired or “analogous” works from different cultures, Continue reading Algorithm finds hidden connections between paintings at the Met

iRobot’s New Education Robot Makes Learning to Code a Little More Affordable

iRobot has been on a major push into education robots recently. They acquired Root Robotics in 2019, and earlier this year, launched an online simulator and associated curriculum designed to work in tandem with physical Root robots. The original Root was intended to be a classroom robot, with one of its key features being the ability to stick to (and operate on) magnetic virtual surfaces, like whiteboards. And as a classroom robot, at $200, it’s relatively affordable, if you can buy one or two and have groups of kids share them. For kids who are more focused on learning at home, though, $200 is a lot for a robot that doesn’t even keep your floors clean. And as nice as it is to have a free simulator, any kid will tell you that it’s way cooler to have a real robot to mess around with. Today, iRobot is announcing a Continue reading iRobot’s New Education Robot Makes Learning to Code a Little More Affordable