Abstract: In various examples, systems and methods for qualification of robotic firmware are described. In various examples, first firmware or first hardware may be deployed on a first set of robots and second firmware or second hardware may be deployed on a second set of robots. The first firmware may generate first log data and the second firmware may generate second log data during operation of the first and second set of robots during a first time period. A first value of a first performance metric may be determined using the first log data and a second value of the first performance metric may be determined using the second log data. The second firmware or the second hardware may be modified based at least in part on the first value and the second value.

Abstract: Techniques for performing conversation recovery of a system/user exchange are described. In response to determining that an action responsive to a user input cannot be performed, a system may determine a topic to recommend to a user. The topic may be unrelated to the original substance of the user input. The system may have access to various data representing a context in which a user provides an input to the system. The system may use these inputs and various data at runtime to make a determination regarding whether a user should be recommended a topic, as well as what that topic should be. The system may cause a question be output to the user, with the question asking the user about the topic, for example whether the user would like a song played, whether the user would like to hear information about a particular individual (e.g., artist), whether the user would like to know about a particular skill (e.g.

Abstract: A system that performs sound source localization (SSL) using acoustic wave decomposition (AWD) or an approximation. When a device detects a wakeword represented in audio data, the device performs SSL processing in order to determine a position of the user relative to the device (e.g., estimate angle of the user). The device calculates noise statistics based on first audio data representing the wakeword and second audio data preceding the wakeword. Thus, upon detecting the wakeword, the device calculates the noise statistics and a signal quality metric corresponding to the wakeword. In addition, the device uses Multi-Channel Linear Prediction Coding (MCLPC) coefficients to average out the room impulse response. Using the noise statistics, the MCLPC coefficients, and the audio data, the device performs AWD processing to decompose the sound field to disjoint acoustic plane waves, enabling the device to identify the most likely direction for the line-of-sight component of speech.

Abstract: Technology is described for electronic game interaction. A request may be received to generate an electronic link for an electronic game session hosted by a game server in a computing service environment. The electronic link may enable one or more game interactions to be performed with the electronic game session. The electronic link may be generated for the electronic game session to include link information. The link information may include one or more game parameters associated with the electronic game session that are to be included in the electronic link. The electronic link may be provided for inclusion in an electronic page. An activation of the electronic link by a target gaming device may enable the target gaming device to perform a game interaction with the electronic game session.

Abstract: A device in a home security system may detect a disconnect from a network and enter automatic setup mode based on trigger conditions. The trigger conditions are used to determine that the disconnect is based on changes to network configuration settings. The trigger conditions may include failing multiple attempts to access the network using a saved network password, or determining that an access point signal with a saved service set identifier has not been detected for at least a threshold time. Based on one or more trigger conditions being met, the device may enter automatic setup mode to receive updated configuration settings from a client device.

Abstract: A customer of a policy management service may use an interface with a configuration and management service to interact with policies that may be applicable to the customer's one or more resources. The customer may create and/or modify the policies and the configuration and management service may notify one or more other entities of the created and/or modified policies. The one or more other entities may be operated by user authorized to approve the created and/or modified policies. Interactions with the configuration and management service may be the same as the interactions with the policy management service.

Abstract: Systems and associated methods are disclosed for automatically configuring cameras to be associated with a known physical location in response to exposing the camera to a fiducial marker. In certain embodiments, boundaries for a zone of interest within images from the camera can be defined using the fiducial markers physically placed within the physical space.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for identifying safety concerns by employing dynamic semantic analysis on natural language provided in free-text reviews of products. A computing environment may encode user interface data that causes an event listener to monitor a free-text description provided in a text field in a user interface. A semantic analysis may be performed on the free-text description in real-time as the free-text description is generated. Remedial actions may be performed based on the semantics identified in the free-text description or severity levels associated with identified safety concerns.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a method for allocating shared processing resources, comprising the steps of (A) predicting a first amount of processing resources needed to complete each of a plurality of transcoding jobs in a work queue of a project, (B) determining a second amount of processing resources available prior to processing the project and (C) adding processing resources needed to complete the project. The processing resources are added in a fixed number of predetermined processing units. The fixed number of computer resources are added (a) to minimize an overall use of said processing resources needed to complete the project and (b) to complete the project within a target time.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for determining the maximum throughput of a service are disclosed. A first sequence of load tests is initiated for a service host. Individual ones of the load tests comprise determining a respective throughput at the service host for a respective number of concurrent connections to the service host. The number of concurrent connections increases nonlinearly in at least a portion of the first sequence of load tests. The first sequence of load tests is discontinued when the throughput is not increased by a threshold from one of the load tests to the next. An estimated maximum throughput for the service host is determined based at least in part on the first sequence of load tests. The estimated maximum throughput corresponds to a particular number of concurrent connections to the service host.

Abstract: A system determines if someone watching a live video feed looks or moves away from a display screen, and when their attention is back on the display, provides an accelerated recap of the content that they missed. The video component of the feed may be shown as a series of selected still images or clips from the original feed, while audio and/or text captioning is output at an accelerated rate. The rate may be adaptively adjusted to maintain a consistent speed, and superfluous content may be omitted. When the recap catches up to the live feed, output returns to regular speed.

Abstract: Techniques are described for determining a direction in which a computing device is being transported by a user who is walking, running, or otherwise moving relative to a direction in which the device is being held. Acceleration data may be collected by accelerometers of the device during a time window, and transformed to determine a rotated acceleration along one or more candidate directions. The rotated acceleration is transformed to a frequency domain, and a peak power is determined within the frequency transformed acceleration data for each candidate direction. The peak powers are compared across multiple candidate directions, and the candidate direction having a higher peak power may be designated as a movement direction of the device relative to the device orientation. A gross movement direction may be determined based on magnetometer data, and may be employed for navigation or other applications.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus are described for determining eligibility for a location-based shipping option for multiple fulfillment networks. Embodiments may send display information to a user in response to a user request for display information for one or more items offered on a network-based site. The display information may be configured to indicated whether items are eligible for an enhanced shipping option based upon the shipping origin of the item and a predicted shipping destination. Some embodiments may provide multiple fulfillment networks with the enhanced shipping option. Some of the fulfillment networks may be controlled by an entity different from the entity controlling the network-based site. In some embodiments the enhanced shipping option is an option within a subscription-based shipping program for the network-based site.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of a self healing andon system. One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a system comprising at least one server. The system further includes logic executed on the at least one server that retrieves a defect history associated with a vendor and at least one product from an inbound shipment from a memory. The at least one product is stocked in a materials handling facility, and the defect history is associated with a specified time period. The at least one server extracts at least one inventory defect from the defect history in a computer system and calculates an inventory defect rate. The at least one server imposes remedial measures if the inventory defect rate exceeds a specified threshold of the inventory defect rate.

Abstract: An architecture and techniques for implementing a unified and extensible meta-testing framework within a distributed environment. This framework allows entities within the distributed environment to run tests written in different testing frameworks in a unified way. In addition, this disclosure describes techniques for allowing an entity within the distributed environment to test itself, both from its own perspective as well as from the perspective of other entities within the distributed environment.

Abstract: Portable user devices, such as electronic book reader devices, may have a limited power supply. Power management techniques, such as current sensing, dynamic voltage measurement, and/or power state control may be used to manage power usage of such user devices.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system provides various features for assisting customers in locating items and generating orders from a merchant's electronic catalog, and for assisting customers and merchants in communicating about such orders. A user-definable categories feature allows customers and/or merchants to define search queries for searching the electronic catalog, and to store these search queries under user-defined category names for subsequent use. An “active quote” feature allows the customer to view and modify quantities of items selected for prospective purchase throughout various catalog browsing or viewing modes. A message audit trail feature allows a customer and a merchant to send messages to one another that are linked to a particular order, and to view an order-specific log of such messages.