While scientists can't go back in time to study the environmental pressures that shaped the evolution of the diverse vision systems that exist in nature, a new computational framework developed by MIT researchers allows them to explore this evolution in artificial intelligence agents. The framework they developed, in which embodied AI agents evolve eyes and learn to see over many generations, is like a 'scientific sandbox' that allows researchers to recreate different evolutionary trees. The user does this by changing the structure of the world and the tasks AI agents complete, such as finding food or telling objects apart. The researchers' experiments with this framework showcase how tasks drove eye evolution in the agents. For instance, they found that navigation tasks often led to the evolution of compound eyes with many individual units, like the eyes of insects and crustaceans. This framework could enable scientists to probe 'what-if' questions about vision systems that are difficult to study experimentally. It could also guide the design of novel sensors and cameras for robots, drones, and wearable devices that balance performance with real-world constraints like energy efficiency and manufacturability....

Japan's third-largest bank has secured agreement to purchase 61.6% from a major shareholder and is seeking approval from remaining holders to increase its ownership. The transaction is set to become Mizuho's largest investment in India. Avendus was founded in 1999 and operates across investment banking, wealth management, and asset management. The firm has advised on several of India's largest equity offerings and strategic transactions. Subscribe to our Newsletter to increase your edge. Don't worry about the news anymore, through our newsletter you'll receive weekly access to what is happening. Join 120,000 other PE professionals today....

The home-vacuum robot began, like most things, with war. In August 1990, the same month and year Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, three MIT roboticists incorporated the company that would eventually become iRobot, the maker of the Roomba. In its first decade, iRobot began to assemble a small-droid A-team for the theater of combat. The Ariel defused mines; the PackBot handled bomb disposal. (Later they would be joined by the Warrior, which breached obstacles; the camera-encrusted SUGV, which handled recon; and the palm-size FirstLook, which could be thrown through a window to investigate hazardous materials.) These machines weren't weapons, but they facilitated weaponry's consequences. At the turn of the millennium, iRobots might be seen on cable news kicking up Iraqi dust, investigating suspicious domestic packages, and probing the ruins of the World Trade Center. From their armature, iRobot built Roomba in 2002'a domesticated robot that surveilled, detected, and removed materials from wood floors and carpets. Roomba created the U.S. market for home vacuum robots, and home robotics in general, insofar as a general home robotics was ever realized. Eventually, things went south. Competitors took over. A 2022 acquisition by Amazon failed on antitrust grounds, and this week iRobot filed for bankruptcy. Roombas will continue to meander across wool and laminate, but under the control of iRobot's Chinese manufacturing partner....

When your senior leadership makes a big decision that you profoundly disagree with'for example, a layoff of reorg'how can you maintain integrity, influence, and impact' When the C-suite's call tests your convictions, your influence depends not on agreement but on whether you execute with purpose, empathy, and precision. Leaders should do four things when asked to execute a call they disagree with: 1) Stabilize themselves; 2) prioritize where they can make an impact; 3) lead the team through the transition; and 4) preserve trust....