AGIBOT Lands in Germany, Bets on Europe
AGIBOT just parked a humanoid in Munich—Europe’s factory floor is getting a Chinese upgrade. In a Munich press event on February 24, AGIBOT rolled out its full lineup of general-purpose embodied robots and system-level solutions tailored for the German market, while signing a strategic cooperation a
Rsemi Lands Strategic Financing for Auto SerDes
Rsemi just landed strategic financing to scale in-vehicle SerDes. Rsemi, a Beijing-based automotive-chip designer founded in 2022, announced a strategic financing round led by SAIC Capital and its Shangqi Capital unit, with participation from Tianhong Capital, Qian Investment, and other industrial b
What we’re watching next in humanoids
Boston Dynamics’ latest humanoid prototype packs more joints than Atlas did in its prime—and it’s still learning to walk on straight lines. In a world that has grown tired of vaporware, this lab demo signals a concrete step forward in the ongoing tug-of-war between more degrees of freedom and practi
Galaxy S26 arrives with a bigger battery and a higher price
Samsung's Galaxy S26 arrives with a bigger battery and a higher price. Following the Unpacked event, pre-orders are live, and the handheld lineup sticks to a familiar, compact DNA while nudging a few meaningful upgrades. The centerpiece changes are practical, not flashy. Samsung nudges its flagship
Alipay AI Pay Reaches 100M Users, Shaping Shopping
AI Pay just crossed 100 million users, turning chats into checkout. Alipay disclosed that its AI Pay product, built to enable payment within AI-driven conversations, has surpassed 100 million active users, with weekly transactions topping USD 17.47 million. The milestone marks a transition from a pr
Retinal Reset Reverses Amblyopia in Mice
Two days of retinal quiet renewed vision in amblyopic mice, a startling hint that adult brains may still rewrite lifelong biases if we reset the right activity pattern. In a finding that sounds almost cinematic, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear and his team showed that deliberately anesthetizing the ret
AI & Machine Learning
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Retina reboot for amblyopia in adulthood
Two days of retinal anesthesia reboot the brain’s wiring in adult mice with amblyopia. Amblyopia, commonly called a “lazy eye,” has long stumped clinicians because the brain’s visual wiring solidifies in early life; once those connections form, fixing the eye itself often leaves vision-impaired. In
AI-Designed Proteins Detect Cancer in Urine
AI-designed proteins sniff out cancer in a urine test. Researchers at MIT and Microsoft are using artificial intelligence to design tiny peptide sensors that light up when they encounter proteases—enzymes that are unusually active in cancer cells. The technique hinges on nanoparticles coated with sp
Retina Reboot Reverses Amblyopia in Mice
A two-day retinal anesthesia reboot can rewire the brain’s vision wiring, even in adult mice. In a striking demonstration of neural plasticity, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear and colleagues report that blocking signals from the retina of the amblyopic eye for a brief window can restore the brain’s con
Chicago's Surveillance Dragnet Nabbed Suspect in 90 Minutes
A citywide surveillance dragnet nabbed a suspect in 90 minutes. The sequence began with a horrific mass shooting on September 2, 2024, on the Blue Line as the train neared Forest Park. Police activated a sprawling, citywide web of cameras that makes Chicago’s public safety ecosystem feel like one la
Industrial Robotics
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Smart Water Systems Transform Automated Plants
Water is the quiet bottleneck in your robotized factory. Automation strategy lately isn’t just about cobots and vision systems; it’s about giving the utilities that feed those systems the same level of discipline. In February 2026, industry chatter and early deployments converge on a simple truth: s
Smart Water Systems Redefine Factory Reliability
Smart water systems finally prove their ROI on the factory floor, turning a once-hidden utility into a real production asset. In automation essays, the spotlight often shines on robotics, AI inspection, and synchronized lines. Yet production data shows water treatment is not a background service—it’
Smart Water Systems Quietly Transform Manufacturing
The bottleneck wasn’t the line—it was the water. Production data shows that in modern automated facilities, the utility layer is no longer a background hum but a critical driver of uptime and throughput. A recent wave of smart water-system deployments has reframed what “reliable line” means, tying w
Smart Water Systems Quietly Power Automated Factories
Water quality now decides line uptime. Production data shows that in automated facilities, how you treat water directly affects cooling loops, chemical dosing, and sensor reliability across the line. The story behind Smart Water Systems in automated manufacturing isn’t flashy, but it’s unfolding at
Humanoids
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AlphaBot’s Big Series B Bet on General-Purpose Robots
AI2 Robotics just raised about $145 million to push AlphaBot from the demo reel into daily work. The Shenzhen-based startup—founded in 2023 by Dr. Yangdong Eric Guo—says the money will accelerate its mission to turn humanoid platforms into general-purpose productivity engines, not just flashy showpi
AI² Robotics Raises $145M for AlphaBot
AI² Robotics just raised CN¥1.2 billion ($144.7 million) to turn AlphaBot into a universal robot. The company disclosed a Series B round aimed at accelerating its embodied AI platform and moving AlphaBot toward broader, general-purpose use. Based in Shenzhen and founded in 2023 by Dr. Yangdong Eric
Tesollo Ships Lightweight 20-DoF Hand DG-5F-S
Tesollo’s new DG-5F-S hand arrives on the market with a bold claim: a five-finger, 20-degree-of-freedom (DoF) gripper that stays compact and light enough to ease integration across humanoid platforms. It debuted at CES 2026 and is now officially commercialized, a signal that the company believes the
Tesollo Ships Its 20-DoF Humanoid Hand for Real-World Use
Twenty DoF in a palm-sized hand—Tesollo's DG-5F-S just went commercial. Tesollo Inc. has announced the commercial availability of its lightweight, compact humanoid hand—the DG-5F-S—bending the company’s own design philosophy toward easy integration rather than loading the hand with ever-tighter benc
Consumer Tech
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1Password Hikes Prices in Biggest Jump in Years
1Password just hiked prices—the biggest jump in years. The individual plan moves from nearly $36 a year to $48, and the family option climbs to $72 from $60. The new rates take effect at your next subscription renewal after March 27, the company told users in emails. It’s a sizable lift, but not a t
Eufy Omni C28: Longest Mop for the Price
Eufy’s new Omni C28 ships with the longest roller mop we’ve seen at this price point. In hands-on terms, the Omni C28 aims to turn a humble mop into a feature of its own: a notably extended roller meant to spread cleaning action across more floor in a single pass. The pitch is simple: more coverage
Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Pro Embraces Dynamic Island
Apple’s next MacBook Pro goes touch, redefining the interface. Bloomberg, via reporting summarized by Engadget, says Apple plans to ship a touchscreen MacBook Pro this fall that borrows the iPhone’s Dynamic Island concept. The laptops—14-inch and 16-inch models—are expected to pair OLED displays wit
1Password Price Hike: What It Means
1Password just hiked prices, and your password vault just got pricier. The change hits both the individual and family plans. The individual rate climbs from nearly $36 per year to $48, while the family option goes from $60 to $72. The higher prices take effect for users at their next subscription re
China Robotics & AI
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Merz in China: Robots, Deals, Ambition
Germany's chancellor stops in Hangzhou to meet Unitree Robotics. Germany’s visit to China this week is more than ritual diplomacy: it is a high-stakes signal that even as Western capitals fret about tech decoupling, Beijing remains a critical hub for cutting-edge robotics and a key partner for Europ
Xpeng Bets on Embodied AI Globalization
Xpeng plans to hire 8,000 more staff in 2026 to mass-produce humanoid robots, flying cars, and Robotaxis. In a blunt articulation of where it wants to go, CEO He Xiaopeng told employees that 2026 would be a historic inflection point for Xpeng’s embodied intelligence—what Chinese executives often des
AI² Robotics Raises Over RMB 1B in Series B
China’s most Tesla-like robotics startup just closed a Series B north of RMB 1 billion, cementing its place in a rarefied club with a valuation above RMB 10 billion. AI² Robotics announced a Series B round exceeding RMB 1 billion, pushing its valuation past RMB 10 billion and continuing a fundraisin
Xpeng Bets Big on Embodied AI Mass Production
Xpeng aims to mass-produce three frontier AI products in 2026, hiring 8,000 more people. Xpeng Motors’ founder-CEO He Xiaopeng sent an internal letter framing 2026 as a historic inflection point: “physical AI + globalization must break through this year,” even as the automaker set out to enlarge its
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Wisconsin VPN Ban Sparks Civil Liberties Fight
Wisconsin's proposed VPN ban is drawing a privacy storm. The bill, S.B. 130 / A.B. 105, would require invasive age verification for websites that host content lawmakers designate as “sexual” and would compel those sites to block any user who connects via a VPN. The goal, supporters say, is to shield
Sovereign AI Promise, Murky Warranty
The U.S. is exporting “sovereign AI,” but the warranty isn’t clear. Policy researchers and industry insiders say Washington is pressing a new form of AI statecraft: let partners deploy American AI tech under governance that preserves national autonomy, while offering assurances that reduce the uncer
Sovereign AI Gap Stirs U.S. Statecraft Debate
America’s push for “sovereign AI” abroad just hit a new inflection point, as policymakers and researchers contest whether participation in U.S.-led AI ecosystems comes with enough assurances to quell partner uncertainty. A recent Lawfare op-ed by Pablo Chavez of the Center for Security and Emerging
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