“The New Year won't fix your past, but it will reveal whether you've learned from it.”
– Unknown
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1. Nvidia's Generative AI at CES 2025
Nvidia revealed its generative physical AI platform at CES, highlighting world foundation models for industrial and robotics innovation. These 3D models promise to transform automation in factories, warehouses, and even surgeries by generating synthetic, physics-based training data. Key tools include Nvidia Cosmos and Nemotron large language models (LLMs) for streamlined AI training, agentic AI applications, and industrial AI blueprints. At this point, I feel like Nvidia has been using LLMs to generate new products!
2. 3D Printing Saves Lives (of Old Cars)
Ryan Cappelli of Fat Lip Collective uses 3D printing to create parts for classic cars, including a switch panel for his ‘74 Toyota KE25 Corolla. His “fail fast” approach prioritizes detail, testing, and preserving original components, blending ‘70s supercar aesthetics and JDM functionality into modern restorations. Given how niche and restoration-focused his work is, I’ll pray that Toyota sees it as a celebration of their legacy rather than an infringement (cough, Honda). Here's hoping creativity wins this round!
3. Robot Arms Building Canadian Homes
Canadian companies like Promise Robotics are using AI and robotic arms to revolutionize home construction, addressing Canada's housing shortage by automating tasks like assembling walls and roofs. These innovations promise to halve construction time, boost productivity, and attract interest from builders. Other firms, like Horizon Legacy, are developing portable 3D printing robots to enhance affordability and sustainability.
4. H-O-T-3-D To Go
Meta Reality Labs unveiled HOT3D, an open-source dataset featuring 833 minutes of multiview 3D videos showing humans manipulating objects from an egocentric perspective (from the point of view of the person completing the task). Collected via Project Aria glasses and Quest 3 headsets, it includes comprehensive annotations like 3D hand and object poses. HOT3D improves machine learning for tasks like 3D hand tracking and object pose estimation, enhancing AR, VR, and robotics.
5. US Manufacturing Plants Coming Soon
Major manufacturing projects in 2025 include Tesla’s $3.6-billion semitruck and battery plant in Nevada, Hyundai/LG’s $6.3-billion EV battery facility in Georgia, Samsung’s $17-billion semiconductor fabs in Texas, Panasonic’s $4-billion Kansas EV battery plant, TSMC’s $12-billion Arizona chip fabs, Ford/SK On’s $5.8-billion Kentucky EV battery factories, and LG Chem’s $3.2-billion cathode plant in Tennessee. Investments are bolstered by U.S. federal incentives. What a bunch of industry plants (ba-dum-tss)!
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