New-Tech Europe Magazine | January 2019

Lifelong learning: also for robots In the run up to 2035, complex reasoning will become a new strategic research topic, with teams from across the globe studying how the underlying algorithms must be developed, implemented and optimized. Furthermore, we will be confronted with the issue of how machines can continually improve their reactions and ways of anticipating actions. This means that new ‘reward systems’ based on implicit and explicit feedback signals must be developed. “You can bet that, in future, the concept of ‘lifelong learning’ will no longer only apply to man, but also to machines…” How is imec contributing to this future? Imec holds a world-leading position in several of the technology domains that drive the creation of smart industries: from research into intelligent logistics and the Internet of Things up to human- machine interaction, making sense of big data, the creation of sensor systems for industrial applications, imaging technology, and so on. Questions that our researchers are trying to answer include: How can we help companies reduce operational costs (such as production time and energy consumption) – and help them solve complex logistical puzzles, leveraging intelligent algorithms? Howcanwe extend the advantages of holographic 3D technology or smart vision systems to domains such as smart entertainment and smart manufacturing? How can we optimally – and safely – accommodate human- machine interaction in production environments?

How can we combine sensors, actuators and electronics in small and ultra-low power chips that continuously acquire data on production processes, storage and stock management? How can low-cost identification, tracking and sensing chips be integrated in plastic foil, thinner than paper? How can we turn the massive amounts of unstructured data that are generated by sensor networks into usable knowledge that makes companies more efficient? Want to know more? Today, the 3D reconstruction of, for example, tunnels or industrial buildings is a time-consuming and expensive process. Read more about LiBorg 2.0 – a robot for on- the-fly 3Dmapping of environments, based on lidar technology. In this article, you will learn how you can inspect the inside of complex quality products and avoid damaging them. Learn more about Antwerp start- up Aloxy, a spin-off from imec and the University of Antwerp, which delivers plug-and-play IoT solutions for digitizing manual valves in the petrochemical industry and for asset

management during maintenance and shutdowns. In ‘The Internet of Unexpected Things’ a selection of IoT projects is presented in which imec collaborates closely with industrial partners. How can we plug robots into the IoT? Found out more in this article. Biography Pieter Simoens Pieter Simoens (1982) is a professor at Ghent University, affiliated to imec. He specializes in distributed artificial intelligent systems. His research focuses, among other things, on the link between robots and the Internet of Things, continuously learning embedded devices and the study of how collective intelligence can arise from the collaboration of individual and autonomous agents.

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