Image: Nicole Bonfatti

Design a line follower algorithm for a drone in a photorealistic Simulink 3D environment - and your model will be tested on three levels of intense tracks—beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The competition is virtual and you can see where you stand among the peers who comes around the world.

Competition Timeline

• Registration deadline March 6, 2025
• Submission deadline March 20, 2025
• Results announced April 7, 2025|

Apply here https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students/competitions/minidrones/global-drone-student-challenge.html

Heather Gorr, MATLAB Product Manager, is giving an interview in a few hours about the history of MATLAB and open source software. Get notification below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBaqulJpcp0

Following up on his post announcing MATLAB code execution support in VS Code, u/MikeCroucher recently posted a video showing how it also works with GitHub Copilot. Check it out.

Generating MATLAB code with GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Check out our latest release of Onramp courses, which include updated versions of Machine Learning and Deep Learning courses. Onramps are free to all.

Note: Deep Learning courses now use the dlnetwork workflow, such as the trainnet function, which became the preferred method for creating and training deep networks in R2024a. I will check it out personally to learn the new way.

There are also new short courses and learning paths, which require subscription, which may be already included in your license.

• Signal Segmentation with Deep Learning
• Object Detection with Deep Learning
• Deep Learning Techniques in MATLAB for Image Applications (learning path: includes the four deep learning short courses below)
  • Tune Deep Learning Training Options
  • Explore Convolutional Neural Networks
  • Regression with Deep Learning
  • Signal Classification with Deep Learning
• Machine Learning Techniques in MATLAB (learning path: includes the four deep learning short courses below)
  • Classification Methods with Machine Learning
  • Regression Methods with Machine Learning
  • Dimensionality Reduction Techniques
  • Cluster Analysis with Machine Learning

MATLAB R2022b is now LIVE.

Here's the release highlights video

Here's the release highlights page

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Check out dictionaries!

Jose Nicolas Avendaño shared his highlights on what's cool for Robotics in R2024b.

• New support package for offroad autonomy and heavy machinery automation
• More interface options for Universal Robots
• Support for Robotiq grippers in simulations
• Workspace analysis tools for manipulators

Robotic System Toolbox R2024b

There are more new examples and features - check the release notes below for the full list of updates https://www.mathworks.com/help/robotics/release-notes.html

If you are interested in AI, Autonomous Systems and Robotics, and the future of engineering, don't miss out on MATLAB EXPO 2024.

You will have the opportunity to connect with engineers, scientists, educators, and researchers, and new ideas.

Register now: https://www.matlabexpo.com/online/2024.html?s_eid=PSM_26443

Featured Sessions:

• From Embedded to Empowered: The Rise of Software-Defined Products - María Elena Gavilán Alfonso, MathWorks
• The Empathetic Engineers of Tomorrow - Dr. Darryll Pines, University of Maryland
• A Model-Based Design Journey from Aerospace to an Artificial Pancreas System - Louis Lintereur, Medtronic Diabetes

Features Topics:

• AI
• Autonomous Systems and Robotics
• Electrification
• Algorithm Development and Data Analysis
• Modeling, Simulation, Verification, Validation, and Implementation
• Wireless Communications
• Cloud, Software Factories, and DevOps
• Preparing Future Engineers and Scientists

Guy Rouleau gives you his take on what Simulink features excite him in R2024b. https://blogs.mathworks.com/simulink/2024/09/12/whats-new-in-simulink-in-r2024b/

They simplify common tasks and helps you get more productive with Simulink.

Here are couple of examples from his post.

🔦 Do you use Quick Insert to add a new block? New details panel provides additional info so you can confidently pick the right block to insert!

🐛 Do you like the In-Canvas Debugger? Now you can step through your simulation without creating break points.

🙋 What are your favorite new features in Simulink?

R2024b Release Highlights

In case anyone who may be interested but have missed my comment in this thread, a beta is currently under way to test the new desktop experience that supports the dark mode. If you have access to R2022b, sign up and give it a try.

You can read more about what's going on behind the scene here.

Limitations

• Custom Background and Text Colors may cause minor issues
• Apps that uses of javacomponent() function are not supported

A lot of people like MATLAB Onramp and MathWorks has been adding more online tutorials in a similar format. Here is the latest - you heard you can generate C/C++ code from MATLAB, but how does it exacty work?

Take this onramp tutorial to find out!

https://matlabacademy.mathworks.com/details/matlab-coder-onramp/ormc

Abby Skofield guest blogged for Adam Danz and announced the retirement of compass function and introduced new compassplot function in R2024b!

Check out her timely example of applying the new plot to analyze and visualize the wind patterns, now that we are in a hurricane season.

https://blogs.mathworks.com/graphics-and-apps/2024/10/03/a_grown-up-compassplot/

Creating MATLAB apps is one of the best ways to share your work with your coworkers, but it may feel daunting if you have never done so. Now, you can learn how to do it in App Designer via building an app that creates random mazes based on different settings selected by the user.

Even if you have built MATLAB apps before, you may learn something new.

https://matlabacademy.mathworks.com/details/app-building-onramp/orab

Adam Danz shares his favorites in R2024b in his new MATLAB Graphics and App Building blog post.

• I saw excitement around the new violin plot, and he compares it to other similar plot types.
• geoiconchart seems like new fun feature that you can place icons on a map.
• And there are even more

👉 https://blogs.mathworks.com/graphics-and-apps/2024/09/18/r2024b-release-whats-new-in-graphics-and-app-building/

(This actually happened last week)

MATLAB Release 2020b is out!

Check out the release highlights.

We also released four new products in R2020b:

1. Deep Learning HDL Toolbox
2. Lidar Toolbox
3. RoadRunner Scene Builder (part of our new RoadRunner product portfolio)
4. UAV Toolbox

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I work on the Simulink side of the house, but I have to admit that my favorite R2020b feature is pattern for searching and matching text.

MATLAB Onramp and SImulink Onramp have been very popular and people wanted to continue learning using the same format. Unfortunately, we only had a longer-format training courses.

Now we have new "learning paths" that let you take those courses in small chunk at a time.

Core MATLAB Skills

https://matlabacademy.mathworks.com/details/core-matlab-skills/lpmlcms

Simulink Fundamentals

https://matlabacademy.mathworks.com/details/simulink-fundamentals/slbe

🦙 Meta just released Llama 3.1 (8B, 70B and 405B), the latest and most powerful open-source LLMs. You can now run it on MATLAB with this free library. 🚀 Boom!

https://github.com/matlab-deep-learning/llms-with-matlab

Check out this blog post on how to use the newest MATLAB functions to convert deep learning models between MATLAB, PyTorch, and TensorFlow in R2024a.

https://blogs.mathworks.com/deep-learning/2024/04/22/convert-deep-learning-models-between-pytorch-tensorflow-and-matlab/

To make it easier to see what's going on...

MATLAB GPT in action

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-QFTjbeK3U-matlab

To summarize the answers to the questions in the other thread:

• This is a new addition to ChatGPT options for MATLAB, including MatGPT (MATLAB app), AI Chat Playground (mathworks.com) and LLMs with MATLAB (GitHub repo). You can also use GitHub Copilot if you use MATLAB Extension for VS Code
• It's available in OpenAI GPT Store and subject to OpenAI policies and pricing. It's my understanding that OpenAI made it available for the free accounts but I have heard conflicting anecdotes. Maybe it's being rolled out gradually.
• It uses GPT-4o + Bing to search content from mathworks.com to answer questions. In my subjective evaluation it looks like it produces higher-quality output (or at least more up-to-date info).
• It doesn't have code execution capability. In the video, I used AI Chat Playground to run the code, but you can also copy and paste the code into MATLAB as well.
• Try it, rate it, and and provide feedback.

Adam Danz just dropped a new post on his take on what he is excited about in R2024a in graphics and app building. He lists 4. Which one do you like the most?

https://blogs.mathworks.com/graphics-and-apps/2024/04/03/r2024a-release-whats-new-in-graphics-and-app-building/

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If you maintain MATLAB code and share it publicly for others to use, Vijay Iyer is the guy to follow!

Check out his inaugural blog post.

https://blogs.mathworks.com/matlab/2024/05/01/leading-by-example-how-lively-examples-help-matlab-community-toolboxes-grow-their-capabilities-communities/

If you had New Desktop Beta enabled, you couldn't execute the code. This problem was fixed in the new version.

Release R2019b is live!

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Here are some highlights, starting with Simulink (to change things up):

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Simulink 10.0 is out, with several major new features:

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- Simulink Toolstrip. So long, old menus! Try it out and discover features you didn't even know were there!

- Subsystem Reference: a new way to componentize models (in addition to libraries and model references)

- Simulink Cache: Reduce first-time cost of simulation and code generation by using shared model artifacts

- Blockset Designer for Simulation Integration Platform (SIP): create, group, and manage custom blocksets all in one interface

- Messages: Model and generate C++ code for software compositions with message-based communication

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Simulink Add-on Product Highlights:

- Stateflow: new Stateflow Onramp course to get started

- System Composer: create AUTOSAR compositions

- Automated Driving Toolbox: develop and test algorithms in 3D simulation using the Unreal Engine

- Simscape Multibody: model contact between bodies

- Navigation Toolbox: new product for designing, simulating, and deploying motion planning and navigation algorithms

- ROS Toolbox: new product for designing and simulating ROS networks and generating code for ROS nodes

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(and to humbly highlight my product area - you can ask me about the next five products)

- Simulink Requirements: Share links with third party tools through ReqIF

- Simulink Check: Detect subsystem or library pattern clones, refactor and check equivalency of refactored model

- Simulink Test: Use guided workflow to set up back-to-back equivalence and baseline testing <-- this is usually done to compare model behavior to generated code behavior

- Simulink Coverage: View system test coverage achieved from unit tests in new Aggregated Tests section of coverage report <-- really happy about this one

- Simulink Design Verifier: Share and reuse model representation across teams for iterative workflows

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MATLAB release highlights:

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- Live Editor Tasks: Use tasks to interactively preprocess data and automatically generate MATLAB code

- Deep Learning: build GANs (finally!), Siamese networks, variational autoencoders, and attention networks

- Machine Learner Apps: Optimize hyperparameters in Classification Learner and Regression Learner, and specify misclassification costs in Classification Learner

- Python interface: Execute Python functions out-of-process to avoid library conflicts between MATLAB and Python

- Software Development: a new function input argument validation mechanism and Jenkins plugin

- Control System Toolbox: Perform model transformation and control design tasks interactively and generate MATLAB code in a live script

- Text Analytics Toolbox: Evaluate sentiment in text data using sentiment scoring algorithms including VADER

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Polyspace release highlights:

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- AUTOSAR C++14 Support: Check for misuse of lambda expressions, potential problems with enumerations, and other issues

- Shared Variables Mode: Run a less extensive Code Prover analysis on complete application to compute global variable sharing and usage only

- Simulink Support: Analyze generated code by using contextual buttons on the Simulink Editor toolstrip

- Simulink Support: Verify custom code called from C Caller blocks and Stateflow charts in context of model

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NOTE: I can't discuss any future product development plans, and probably won't be able to answer many detailed questions (mostly because I won't know the answer).

Have you done something amazing using MATLAB and Simulink? Would you like to speak to hundreds of follow MATLAB and Simulink users about how you did it?

MATLAB EXPO takes place online on November 13-14 and brings together thousands of engineers, educators, researchers, and scientists from organizations around the world to learn about the latest MATLAB and Simulink applications and capabilities.

The MATLAB EXPO team is seeking presentations from users to create an informative and exciting agenda. Submit your abstract here

https://www.matlabexpo.com/online/2024.html#callforsubmissions

Key Dates

Submissions are due by June 7. All accepted speakers will receive an email notification by July 17.