10 Best Artificial Intelligence Companies to Watch 2018
The Silicon Review
“CloudMinds is the creator of an emerging fabric to connect a multitude of AI skills to cloud robots.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are a powerful combination for automating tasks inside and outside of the factory setting. In recent years, AI has become an increasingly common presence in robotic solutions, introducing flexibility and learning capabilities in previously rigid applications. While AI is still in its nascent stages, it’s been a transformative technology for some applications in the manufacturing sector, although there are many that have yet to feel the impact.
A handful of robotic systems are now being sold as open-source systems with AI capability. This way, users can teach their robots to do custom tasks based on their specific applications, such as small-scale agriculture. The convergence of open source robotics and AI could be a huge trend in the future of AI robots. When working together, robots are smarter, more accurate and more profitable. AI has yet to come close to reaching its full potential, but as it advances, so will robotics.
One such firm which is a world’s leading cloud robot and services company, offering an end-to-end cloud robot system in the global robotics industry which also is the very first firm to commercialize robot related products and services is CloudMinds. They are a catalyst that increases the value of AI developed anywhere in the world by creating seamless interoperability with robots.
The Success Mantra
CloudMinds was founded in 2015 with the three elements of many successful start-ups: a bold vision, creative people, and encouraging financial support.
Main Objective
The firm makes helpful robot services possible which is safe, secure, and affordable.The company’s main mission is to implement the Vision. As breakthroughs continue along the way to the Vision becoming reality, CloudMinds is preparing to be an operator of diverse models robots for people with a wide range of interests and needs.
Primary Perception
The CloudMinds vision is that by 2025, helpful humanoid robots will be affordable for the average household. The vision of the firm also includes creating a new kind of venture with the unique international character that earns and keeps the trust of people and markets across the world.
The robust infrastructure furnished by CloudMinds
Cloud Brain HARIX
HARIX (Human Augmented Robot Intelligence with eXtreme reality) is an AI-powered, constantly evolving cloud brain for operating cloud robotics over a secure mobile network connection. This ‘cloud brain’ is a highly scalable operating platform that can host a massive number of robot ‘brains’ each empowered by AI capabilities and skills that can be customized and integrated for robot applications in various service scenarios.
Working Principle
The system has deployed state-of-the-art data collection, processing technologies, and algorithms to power the AI capabilities which serve as the building blocks of the HARIX ‘cloud brain.’ These multi-modal AI capabilities, including smart vision, smart voice, and smart motion, utilize the common cloud AI brain to support both virtual and physical cloud robotics in various applications.
“Nerve Network” VBN
The VBN (Virtual Backbone Network) is a high-speed, secure and global intranet that serves as the ‘nerves’ of our cloud robotics system, connecting robots to the HARIX ’cloud brain‘.The VBN is a private backbone network isolated from the public internet and built upon the existing mobile network infrastructures of multiple 4G/5G telecoms operators.
Cloud Robots
XR-1
It is the first commercial Humanoid Service Robot Powered by two groundbreaking technologies, the Smart Compliant Actuator (SCA) and Human Augmented Robotics Intelligence with eXtreme Reality (HARIX). XR-1 is capable of vision-controlled robotic manipulations such as grabbing objects, opening doors, and threading a needle making it perfect as a concierge, receptionist, business guide, or VIP service staff under different scenarios.
XR-1 Technology Highlights
Cloud Patrol Security Robot
The Cloud Patrol robot is powered by CloudMinds real-time, multimodal deep learning-based AI Cloud platform (HARIX) that enables cloud robotics intelligence in many areas. These include self-navigation, auto obstacle avoidance, face/car/license plate recognition, natural language processing (two-way conversation with backend security center), and community surveillance.
Cloud Pepper
It is a Semi-Humanoid Robot manufactured by SoftBank Robotics and powered by CloudMinds HARIX cloud brain, the functions of Cloud Pepper include:
Cloudia: the Virtual AI Robot
Cloudia, CloudMinds’ Intelligent Digital Avatar, provides Conversational AI in virtual form. Cloudia can become the face of your brand to customers by connecting to people on an emotional level.
The Marvel behind the triumph of CloudMinds
Bill Huang serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CloudMinds. He is a technology visionary, innovator and entrepreneur with more than thirty years’ experience in the development and market introduction of emerging technologies. Bill started his career at AT&T Bell Labs, co-founded UTStarcom and most recently served as the General Manager of the China Mobile Research Institute. As CTO of UTStarcom, Bill was a trailblazer in the soft switch transformation, proposing the “network is the switch” concept in the mid-1990s, leading the creation of the world’s first mobile Softswitch system, and co-founding the International Softswitch Consortium.
The challenge of designing the ideal software and networking approach for robots has captured Bill’s attention since 2012, which led to his launching CloudMinds in 2015 with the vision to operate humanoid robots that would be in homes by 2025. In 2016, he was recognized with the IEEE CQR Chairman’s Award, cited for his leadership. Bill earned aMaster’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
“We can make Robots as smart as a human by using a cloud brain. Helpful humanoid robots will be affordable for homes by 2025.”