The Digital Tech Conference is over for this year! And these two stimulating days have proven that, when it comes to robots and blockchain, most of the story is yet to be written.
In its new two-day format, the event toed the line between expertise and discovery, between debate and exploration. It presented a topic that is easy to understand, and yet more complex than it looks (robots), and another that’s just as complex as it looks (blockchain)!
By François-Guillaume Derrien.
Robots are one of the two central themes of the third Digital Tech Conference. What will it mean for people and machines to coexist in 2030? This is the question that’s being asked today in Rennes.
By Chloé Dupré.
When we think about robots, the first thing that comes to mind may be the endless production lines of the car or food industries, churning out bolts and canned lentils with a speed that would be the envy of any Stakhanovite. The unveiling of Nao and his big sister Pepper have turned this stereotype around and opened up new, more social possibilities for robotics. Spoon Artificial Creatures is using these successes as a springboard to go even further.
By Christian Veyre.
Having nothing in common does not preclude working together on online projects. Olivier Sarrouy, a university lecturer at Université Rennes 2, knows this well, as the collaborative mechanisms of Web 2.0 are a central topic in his research. He now ventures off the University’s beaten paths to present his latest project to us: wespr, a collaborative editing platform.
By Christian Veyre.
Ritta Baddoura is a researcher and psychologist specialising in human-robot interaction. On Friday 8 December, she will be taking part in a debate on the theme of confidence in robots at the Digital Tech Conference in Rennes. And what a sparring-partner, her arguments hit the mark every time
By Christian Veyre.
In 2050, the global population could reach 10 billion people. And even if worldwide population growth slows down, agriculture will be faced with never-before-seen challenges: increased production, dietary changes, adaptation to climate change, management of health risks, etc. For Yael Rozencwajg, the CEO of Blockchain Israel and a startups mentor at Google, these technologies will play a role in this agricultural and dietary transition.
By Christian Veyre.
Woleet is a fledgling Rennes startup on the cusp of leaving the nest of the Télécom Bretagne incubator and spreading its wings. It specializes in securing sensitive data flows using blockchain, a protocol that enables the tracking of information flows and that operates without a central controlling body. And for Gilles Cadigan, it is essential that this remain the case!
By Chloé Dupré.
Described by some as the 4th great innovation of this century, blockchain was initially introduced in the cultural industries in response to problems linked to intellectual property and copyright. Faced with the failed attempt to share all databases relating to the production and marketing of music across the world, how can blockchain bring greater harmony to this cacophony, through “smart contracts”?
By Christian Veyre.
AI, human-machine interaction, affective and interactive robotics… In the future, could we develop peer-to-peer relationships with robots? On 8 December, the “Ministry of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics” and one of its most prominent magistrates, Laurence Devillers, will take the floor at the Digital Tech Conference in Rennes.
By Christian Veyre.
On December 8th, the Digital Tech Conference in Rennes will welcome Primavera de Filippi, a specialist in Blockchain, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and their legal implications. For this researcher, it’s use that will change the system, rather than innovation. As disruptive as it may be! Read on for an explanation.
