Episode 204 – Hot to Trot Bots

Michael and Michael make a rare recording appearance at their favorite coffee shop, Bean Traders, in Durham, NC, to talk about coffee, robot dogs, and much more.   This week’s episode is fueled by discussions on artificial intelligence, machine learning, power storage & delivery, as well as the future use cases for bots both big & small.  Kicking things off with Dominic Tan’s Domo Arigato poster with 262 robots, Michael & Michael then move on to the physical robots, starting with a robotic arm with a dodecahedron grasping mechanism, designed to capture delicate undersea creatures, like jellyfish.  Continuing on with … Continue reading

Episode 193 – Icy Robotic HomePods

Curling at the 2018 Pyeonchang Winter Olympics Michael M welcomes the HomePod and it’s robotic assistant Siri to his home, and shares some of his good experiences with his new smart speaker, not the least of which was listening to the radio broadcast of the Tar Heel Sports Network synchronized to the television video courtesy of the Tunecast app and the HomePod. The 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympics’ opening ceremony incorporated augmented reality and drones, much to the delight of the Games At Work crew.  Michael R pointed out the challenges involved in the droneshow, remembering the Super Bowl 51 weather, … Continue reading

Episode 192 – PVP-Y

  On a Games at Work busy day — the co-hosts start with follow up to the last two episodes dealing with smart speakers about the new HomePod being released.  While not said on the show, Michael M is looking forward to experiencing the dulcet tones of the Games At Work podcast on his HomePod in just a short few days! Robotics & automation loom large for this episode with many stories converging on the concept of whether automation will be a net job destroyer or creator.  The MIT Technology Review article gives a comprehensive snapshot of a variety of … Continue reading

Episode 186 – Accio Mjolnir

  Michael and Michael use their prognostic skills to divine what the next Niantic game might be in 2018 based on the non-specific reports in the media about the Wizards Unite game to be unveiled in a few months. Could there be a spell collecting game that drives players to bookstores and libraries to discover & unlock spells?  Maybe use newspaper vending machines as something to check into in order to open powerups.  How about zoos to collect your own fantastic beasts into your virtual menagerie? Speaking of pictures, the data in the pictures can provide an huge amount of … Continue reading