News

Robott scientists help BRETT learn new tasks

New approach trains robots to match human dexterity and speed

05/22/15 New York Times — Linking several powerful software techniques, as Berkeley engineers have done with BRETT (Berkeley Robot for the Elimination of Tedious Tasks), makes it possible for a robot to learn tasks rapidly with a relatively little training.

Robots are really bad at folding towels

05/20/15 NPR — Seven years ago, Berkeley researcher Pieter Abbeel set out on a quest: to teach a robot how to fold laundry. This proved to be a remarkably difficult task - and the difficulty of the task illuminates some key things about the limits of machines. See story and hear four-minute podcast.

How smart is today’s artificial intelligence?

05/20/15 PBS News Hour — How far away are we from making intelligent machines that actually have minds of their own? Berkeley researchers Stuart Russell and Pieter Abbeel weigh in on this nine-minute PBS News Hour segment, along with Elon Musk and Google's Ray Kurzweil.

A way to brew morphine raises concerns over regulation

05/20/15 New York Times — A fermentation process that produces heroin's raw ingredient has stirred debate over whether the drug trafficking trade could benefit more than the pharmaceutical industry.

Engineering graduate waving as she crosses the stage

Congratulations graduates!

05/18/15 — In case you missed it: Watch the 2015 commencement ceremonies.

Discovery paves way for homebrewed drugs, prompts call for regulation

05/18/15 — Research led by Berkeley bioengineers has completed key steps needed to turn sugar-fed yeast into a microbial factory for producing therapeutic drugs. But because the work could lead to home-brewing of opiates and other controlled substances, the researchers warn that regulators and law enforcement need to pay attention, too.

Throw this camera drone in the air and it flies itself

05/15/15 Wired — The Lily is a drone that doesn't need a controller, or a pilot; it just follows you. It's the first product from Lily Robotics, founded by a pair of recent UC Berkeley graduates including CTO Henry Bradlow (B.S.'13 EECS).

Drug perks up old muscles and aging brains

05/13/15 — UC Berkeley bioengineers have discovered that a small-molecule drug simultaneously perks up old stem cells in the brains and muscles of mice, a finding that could lead to drug interventions for humans that would make aging tissues throughout the body act young again.

ME’s Wienkers is University Medal finalist

05/12/15 — Aaron Wienkers, a graduating senior in mechanical engineering, is one of four finalists for the 2015 University Medal, which honors honors outstanding scholarship, public service and strength of character. He is also the recipient of the ME department citation.

Searching for the next Stanford: Silicon Valley turns its eyes to Berkeley

05/07/15 re/code — With loads of student-run companies and early access to ideas and research, UC Berkeley is becoming an increasingly attractive option for venture capital investors.

Smartphone video microscope automates detection of parasites

05/06/15 — A UC Berkeley-led research team has developed a mobile phone microscope, based on CellScope technology from bioengineer Daniel Fletcher's lab, that uses video to automatically detect and quantify infection by parasitic worms in a drop of blood.

Award-winning computer scientist opening doors for fellow Latinas

05/05/15 — Data scientist and University of Washington professor Cecilia Aragon co-founded Latinas in Computing, an international professional association that mentors Latinas working in technology, because she believes in numbers.

The skinny on skin

05/04/15 Inside Science — A study co-authored by materials science and engineering professor Robert Ritchie has shown, for the first time, that collagen explains the great durability of skin. The finding could help scientists develop better synthetic skin and improve the strength of man-made materials.