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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Google must have thought that it didn't have enough on its sci-fi to-do list. In addition to Google Glass and the Google self-driving car, the Internet giant still has enough time and money to create its own robot division. The unnamed robot initiative will be led by former Android CEO Andy Rubin. But this robot division wont't be completely built from scratch. Over the past six months, Google has acquired several companies that specialize in various robotics fields. Industrial Perception focuses on robotic arms that specialize in handling packages, while other companies such as Schaft and Meka are working on making more human-like robots. Gary McMurray, the associate director of industry at Georgia Tech's Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, said that based on the companies Google bought, it's not too hard to sketch out a rough picture of Google's plans. "They aren't going for the consumer market," he told ABC News. "They can use their robots for marketing, or they can go for something in manufacturing."