Abstract: In some embodiments, techniques are disclosed for creating a fabricable segmented design for a physical device for which a loss is to be minimized. A computing system determines costs associated with touching each segment of a proposed segmented design based on a design specification with a first paintbrush pattern associated with a first material or a second paintbrush pattern associated with a second material. The computing system chooses a segment to touch with the first paintbrush pattern or the second paintbrush pattern based on the costs, and touches the segment with the pattern. These actions are repeated until all segments have been associated with the first material or the second material. The computing system estimates a gradient of the loss, and backpropagates the gradient of the loss to update the design specification.

Abstract: An optical communication system includes an optical transmitter and one or more processors. The optical transmitter is configured to output an optical signal, and includes an average-power-limited optical amplifier, such as an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). The one or more processors are configured to receive optical signal data related to a received power for a communication link from a remote communication system and determine that the optical signal data is likely to fall below a minimum received power within a time interval. In response to the determination, the one or more processors are configured to determine a duty cycle of the optical transmitter based on a minimum on-cycle length and a predicted EDFA output power and operate the optical transmitter using the determined duty cycle to transmit an on-cycle power that is no less than the minimum required receiver power for error-free operation of the communication link.

Abstract: Techniques for ensuring fabricability of segmented designs are provided. In some embodiments, a computing system receives a design specification to be used to create a proposed segmented design. Each segment of the proposed segmented design indicates a material within the segment. The proposed segmented design includes segments that indicate at least two different materials. The computing system chooses a segment to touch with a paintbrush pattern for a first material. The computing system updates a set of material statuses for each material based on the chosen segment. The computing system updates a set of touch statuses for each material based on the chosen segment. The choosing and updating actions are repeated until all segments are associated with a material. The computing system generates the proposed segmented design based on the sets of material statuses.

Abstract: A method includes receiving input data indicative of tactile input at a bidirectional jog control device associated with a seven-degree-of-freedom (7DOF) robotic arm, where the 7DOF robotic arm is in a first arm configuration with an end effector of the 7DOF robotic arm positioned at a first pose in an environment. Based on the input data, the method further includes determining a direction to jog the 7DOF robotic arm through a null space while keeping the end effector fixed at the first pose in the environment. The method additionally includes controlling the 7DOF robotic arm to jog through the null space in the determined direction to a second arm configuration, where the end effector is positioned at the first pose in the environment when the 7DOF robotic arm is in the second arm configuration.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for using a neural network to predict locations of feeders in an electrical power grid. One of the methods includes training a generative adversarial network comprising a generator and a discriminator; and generating, by the generator, from input images, output images with feeder metadata that represents predicted locations of feeder assets, including receiving by the generator a first input image and generating by the generator a corresponding first output image with first feeder data that identifies one or more feeder assets and their respective locations, wherein the one or more feeder assets had not been identified in any input to the generator.

Abstract: The present application discloses implementations that relate to devices and techniques for sensing position, force, and torque. Devices described herein may include a light emitter, photodetectors, and a curved reflector. The light emitter may project light onto the curved reflector, which may reflect portions of that projected light onto one or more of the photodetectors. Based on the illuminances measured at the photodetectors, the position of the curved reflector may be determined. In some implementations, the curved reflector and the light emitter may be elastically coupled via one or more spring elements; in these implementations, a force vector representing a magnitude and direction of a force applied against the curved reflector may be determined based on the position of the curved reflector.

Abstract: Methods for annotating objects within image frames are disclosed. Information is obtained that represents a camera pose relative to a scene. The camera pose includes a position and a location of the camera relative to the scene. Data is obtained that represents multiple images, including a first image and a plurality of other images, being captured from different angles by the camera relative to the scene. A 3D pose of the object of interest is identified with respect to the camera pose in at least the first image. A 3D bounding region for the object of interest in the first image is defined, which indicates a volume that includes the object of interest. A location and orientation of the object of interest is determined in the other images based on the defined 3D bounding region of the object of interest and the camera pose in the other images.

Abstract: An example method includes determining, by a controller of an image capture system, a plurality of sets of exposure parameter values for one or more exposure parameters. The plurality of sets of exposure parameter values are determined at an exposure determination rate. The method further includes capturing, by an image capture device of the image capture system, a plurality of images. Each image of the plurality of images is captured according to a set of exposure parameter values of the plurality of sets of exposure parameter values. The method also includes sending, by the controller of the image capture system to an image processing unit, a subset of the plurality of images. Each subset of images is sent at a sampling rate, and the sampling rate is less than the exposure determination rate.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer-readable storage devices, for managing voice interface devices. In some implementations, messages are received from a plurality of devices, each of the messages indicating a respective voice input detected by the device that sent the message. Audio signatures are obtained for the voice inputs detected by the plurality of devices. The audio signatures for the voice inputs and times that the voice inputs were detected are evaluated. Based on the evaluation, at least some of the plurality of devices are grouped to form a group of multiple devices that detected a same user utterance. A device from the group is selected to respond to the user utterance, and the multiple devices in the group are managed so that only the selected device outputs a synthesized speech response to the user utterance.

Abstract: The disclosure provides for a system that includes a plurality of stations equipped for free-space optical communications (FSOC) in a network and a central control system. At least one station in the plurality of stations includes a wavelength selectable switch, an OEO module, and one or more first processors. The one or more first processors are configured to control the wavelength selectable switch, process an electrical signal that is extracted using the OEO module, and communicate with the central control system. The central control system includes one or more second processors that are configured to receive data regarding FSOC communication conditions at the plurality of stations, determine a path between stations through the network based on the received data, and transmit instructions to the plurality of stations.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for predicting locations of utility assets. One of the methods includes receiving an input image of an area in a first geographical region; generating, from the input image and using a generative adversarial network, a corresponding reference image; and generating, by an object detection model and from the reference image, an output that identifies respective locations of one or more utility assets with reference to the input image.

Abstract: In some embodiments, techniques are provided for analyzing the manufacturability or fabricability of objects based on segmented designs. In some embodiments, a scanning device scans a manufacturing device and/or an object manufactured by the manufacturing device to characterize a manufacturing capability of the manufacturing device. A paintbrush pattern may be determined based on the characterization, and a proposed design may be determined to be fabricable or non-fabricable using the paintbrush pattern.

Abstract: A fish monitoring system deployed in a particular area to obtain fish images is described. Neural networks and machine-learning techniques may be implemented to periodically train fish monitoring systems and generate monitoring modes to capture high quality images of fish based on the conditions in the determined area. The camera systems may be configured according to the settings, e.g., positions, viewing angles, specified by the monitoring modes when conditions matching the monitoring modes are detected. Each monitoring mode may be associated with one or more fish activities, such as sleeping, eating, swimming alone, and one or more parameters, such as time, location, and fish type.

Abstract: Example systems and methods allow for use of a graphical interface to cause one or more robotic devices to construct an output product. One example method includes causing a graphical interface to be displayed on a display device, receiving input data corresponding to one or more interactions with the graphical interface indicating at least one motion path and at least one sequence of tool actions to execute at one or more points within the at least one motion path for use in construction of an output product, generating a plurality of digital nodes including at least one robot node, at least one motion command node, and at least one tool command node, and providing instructions for the at least one robot actor to move according to the sequence of robot motion commands determined by the at least one motion command node and execute the sequence of tool commands determined by the at least one tool command node to construct the output product.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for optimizing structural parameters of a physical device are described. The method includes receiving an initial description of the physical device describing the structural parameters within a simulated environment. The method further includes performing a simulation of the physical device in response to an excitation source to determine a performance metric of the physical device. The simulation environment includes one or more absorbing boundaries for attenuation of an output of the excitation source during the simulation. The method further includes recording attenuated field values of the simulated environment associated with the attenuation during the simulation.

Abstract: A method of providing decisions to user queries includes: receiving, by at least one processor, a query transmitted from a client device; identifying, from a query database, a first query model; applying, by the at least one processor, the identified first query model to multiple user experience data entries from a user experience database, to obtain at least one correlation resulting from the application of the first query model to the multiple user experience data entries; and identifying, by the at least one processor, an answer to the query from the at least one correlation.

Abstract: A system includes a robotic device, a sensor disposed on the robotic device, and circuitry configured to perform operations. The operations include determining a map that represents stationary features of an environment and receiving, from the sensor, sensor data representing the environment. The operations also include determining, based on the sensor data, a representation of an actor within the environment, where the representation includes keypoints representing corresponding body locations of the actor. The operations also include determining that a portion of a particular stationary feature is positioned within a threshold distance of a particular keypoint and, based on thereon, updating the map to indicate that the portion is to be cleaned. The operations further include, based on the map as updated, causing the robotic device to clean the portion of the particular stationary feature.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for tuning photonic device performance. In one aspect, a method includes receiving an initial photonic device configuration including multiple coupling structures and multiple photonic components. A first amount of light coupling between a first photonic component and a second photonic component of the multiple photonic components is received, which depends upon a subset of the coupling structures that are located between the first photonic component and the second photonic component. One or more coupling structures of the subset of coupling structures located between the first photonic component and the second photonic component are determined to be removed to cause the light coupling between the first photonic component and the second photonic component to change from the first amount of coupling to a target amount of coupling.

Abstract: An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip includes: a systolic array of cells; and multiple controllable bus lines configured to convey data among the systolic array of cells, in which the systolic array of cells is arranged in multiple tiles, each tile of the multiple tiles including 1) a corresponding subarray of cells of the systolic array of cells, 2) a corresponding subset of controllable bus lines of the multiple controllable bus lines, and 3) memory coupled to the subarray of cells.

Abstract: A method for controlling a sensor subsystem, the method including receiving one or more metrics representing one or more characteristics of livestock, including one or more livestock objects, contained in an enclosure and monitored by one or more sensors coupled to a winch subsystem. The method further includes determining a position to move the one or more sensors based on the metrics and determining an instruction that includes information related to a movement of the one or more sensors. The method further includes sending the instruction to the winch subsystem to change the position of the one or more sensors.