Too Many Robots in the Kitchen!

Gas Station Convenient Store Now has Robot Fry Cooks

Get ready to fuel up on more than just gas! Re-Up’s AI-powered convenience stores are flipping the script on fast food with their new robotic fry cook, “The Wingman.”

• The convenience store chain Re-Up is installing a robotic fry cook called “The Wingman” from Nala Robotics in its gas stations.
• The AI-powered robot can cook customizable fried chicken, french fries, and other menu items around the clock, aiming to improve quality and save on labor costs.
• Re-Up, which currently has nine stores with plans to expand, is harnessing AI to provide customers with convenient, personalized, and safe shopping and dining experiences at its gas stations.

​AI is Uncovering Underground Caves on Mars​

Researchers have trained a neural network to spot potential cave entrances, paving the way for future underground Martian habitats and the search for extraterrestrial life.

• Researchers Thomas Watson and James Baldini from Durham University have developed an artificial neural network to automate the process of identifying potential cave entrances (PCEs) on Mars.
• These PCEs are often formed by the collapse of lava tubes, which are hollow tunnels left behind by flowing lava streams.
• The AI system was trained using examples of already-identified PCEs and can now process images of the Martian surface to locate these caves, which could serve as promising locations for human habitats and the search for simple Martian life.

​Apple Aims to make Siri way faster and smarter with ReALM

Apple’s new AI model, ReALM, is set to supercharge Siri, making it faster, smarter, and more context-aware than ever before.

• Apple has unveiled ReALM (Reference Resolution As Language Modeling), a new small language model designed to run on phones and enhance voice assistants like Siri by improving contextual understanding and handling ambiguous references.
• ReALM is part of Apple’s growing AI research efforts, which include new models, tools for efficient AI on small devices, and partnerships.
• Despite being smaller and faster, ReALM performs as well as GPT-4 on several key metrics and could potentially be integrated into Siri for the launch of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024, contributing to a smarter and more capable Siri 2.0.