Google teaches robots to recognize objects by interacting with their environment

We, humans, are capable of recognizing our surrounding objects since our early age. This ability to interact with objects in our environments plays a vital role in the emergence of object perception and manipulation capabilities.
This also benefits us by teaching self-supervision- what actions we shall take and learn from the result. This is the case in humans, whereas, in robots, this capability is actually researched. It enables robots to learn without the need for large amounts of training data or manual supervision.
Considering the fact of object permanence, Google scientists now have proposed a new system called Grasp2Vec, an algorithm to gather object representation. Grasp2Vec is based on the intuition that an attempt to pick up anything provides several pieces of information - if a robot grasps an object and holds it up, the object had to be in the scene before the grasp.

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Comfort Systems USA Announces Acquisition

Business Wire | February 01, 2024

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. today announced that it has closed its previously announced transaction to acquire Summit Industrial Construction, LLC (“Summit”) headquartered in Houston, Texas. As previously disclosed, Summit is a specialty industrial mechanical contractor offering engineering, design-assist and turnkey, direct hire construction services of modular systems serving the advanced technology, power, and industrial sectors. Summit’s capabilities encompass a wide range of modular and site-based construction, including process piping, equipment setting, large pipe rack trestles, and related steel erection and specialty concrete work. Summit is a trusted supplier to some of the world’s largest advanced technology, power and industrial companies and is currently deployed on several major chip fabrication projects. Initially, Summit is expected to contribute annualized revenues of approximately $375 million to $400 million, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $35 million to $40 million. In light of the amortization expense, Summit is expected to make a neutral to slightly accretive contribution to earnings per share in 2024 and 2025. Brian Lane, Comfort Systems USA’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to announce the closing of our agreement to acquire Summit, an extremely capable provider of modular and other complex mechanical services. Summit brings a stellar reputation as a modular technology leader in growing end markets, including multiple ongoing and large semiconductor projects. We are happy to welcome Summit’s wonderful leadership team and excellent production and craft workers across many states, and we are confident Summit will continue to innovate and grow as a part of our network of world-class contracting companies. We are grateful that Summit has chosen to become part of Comfort Systems USA.”

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