Skip to content
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2026

Computer vision camera system analyzing objects
AI & Machine Learning

What we’re watching next in ai-ml

A sea of new AI papers is forcing a rude wake-up call on how we measure progress. The latest wave from arXiv’s AI submissions, cross-referenced by Papers with Code, and echoed in OpenAI Research outputs suggests a shift from “bigger is better” to “better, documented, and reproducible.” Across these

EFF to Wisconsin Legislature: VPN Bans Are Still a Terrible Idea
Analysis

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

Logistics center with automated sorting systems
Industrial Robotics

Mitsubishi Goes Digital-First for Drone Logistics

Mitsubishi Electric rewired drone ops with software-first thinking. Mitsubishi Electric United States is steering its air-mobility and cargo-drones ambitions through a digital-first lens. The company is building software-as-a-service platforms, data-driven tools, and AI-powered systems that bridge t

Humanoid robot standing in modern environment
Humanoids

Apptronik Raises $520M in Series A Extension

Apptronik just locked in another $520 million, pushing its value beyond $5 billion. Apptronik, the Austin-based humanoid robotics startup, disclosed a fresh Series A extension worth $520 million, adding to the roughly $935 million it had already raised and signaling a calendar-shaping vote of confid

Industrial worker operating CNC machine
Industrial Robotics

Toyota Canada Bets on Digit Robots to Move Bins

Digit robots start moving bins at Toyota Canada plant. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) has signed an agreement with Agility Robotics to deploy its Digit humanoids after a year-long pilot that included development, proof-of-technology, and onsite phases. The company says the pilot began with

Smartphone displaying smart home controls
Consumer Tech

iPhone 17: Worth the Upgrade?

The iPhone 17 finally tightens the gaps the 16 left behind. The big takeaway from hands-on tests is simple: this is not a dramatic phone reshuffle, but a meaningful leap in three everyday areas—camera, display, and battery. If you shoot a lot of photos and videos, crave a brighter, smoother screen,

Beat Coverage

AI & Machine Learning

More

Open office workspace with multiple tech workstations
AI & Machine Learning

Narco Sub Tech Upends Drug Trade

Autonomous narco submarines just joined the cocaine supply chain. The MIT Technology Review’s latest edition flags a quiet but consequential shift: off-the-shelf tech—Starlink satellite terminals, plug-and-play nautical autopilots, high-resolution cameras—could turn handmade narco subs into semi-aut

Researcher analyzing data on transparent display
AI & Machine Learning

Microsoft’s Plan to Prove Reality Online

Microsoft just rolled out a blueprint to prove what’s real online. Microsoft’s AI safety research team has shared a concrete plan with MIT Technology Review for how to prove authenticity in a world thick with AI-generated deception. The document evaluates how today’s methods for documenting digital

Close-up of integrated circuit on motherboard
AI & Machine Learning

Autonomous narco subs upend cocaine trade

Autonomous narco submarines could move multi-ton cocaine runs without risking a single crew member. The MIT Technology Review’s The Download reports that a hardware lineup you can buy off the shelf—Starlink satellite terminals, plug-and-play nautical autopilots, and high-resolution cameras—could tur

Microsoft
AI & Machine Learning

Microsoft pushes AI-proof reality standards

Microsoft wants to prove what's real online. Microsoft’s AI safety researchers have rolled out a blueprint to distinguish real content from AI-manipulated media, a move born from the surge of interactive deepfakes and hyperreal content. The plan is not a product launch but a call for cross-company t

Beat Coverage

Industrial Robotics

More

Modern warehouse with automated conveyor system
Industrial Robotics

NAPA Bets on Brightpick AI for Faster Logistics

NAPA is turning to Brightpick’s AI-powered robotics to push faster order fulfillment across its sprawling distribution network. Brightpick, known for AI-driven automation in warehouses, has partnered with the automotive parts giant to deploy robotic technology in NAPA’s distribution centers. The mov

Factory floor with automated production machinery
Industrial Robotics

Dosenbach-Ochsner Deploys 100 Skypod Robots

A Swiss warehouse just swapped forklifts for 100 Skypod robots. Dosenbach-Ochsner, the Swiss arm of the Deichmann Group, has gone into full-scale automation at its Luterbach site in the canton of Solothurn, installing Exotec’s Skypod system to modernize intralogistics and warehouse operations. The p

Steel manufacturing facility with heavy machinery
Industrial Robotics

Brightpick, NAPA Bet on Robot-Enabled Auto Parts

Brightpick’s AI-powered bots are rolling into NAPA’s distribution centers, signaling a high-stakes push to automate automotive parts fulfillment. The joint initiative, announced as a strategic partnership, positions Brightpick’s robotic automation to be deployed across NAPA’s distribution network. T

Novell
Industrial Robotics

Brightpick and NAPA Forge Warehouse Automation Pact

NAPA is betting that robo-pickers can dramatically cut costs in its sprawling parts-distribution operation. Brightpick, a maker of AI-powered warehouse robotics, announced a strategic partnership with NAPA to deploy its automation stack across the retailer’s distribution centers. The aim is clear: s

Beat Coverage

Humanoids

More

Research lab with humanoid robot prototype
Humanoids

NORD's Digital Twin Slashes Robot-Drive Development

NORD's new digital twin platform promises virtual commissioning that can cut weeks, even months, from robotics drive development. Engineering documentation shows that the platform builds digital twins directly from a myNORD configuration, delivering individually created drive system models for simul

Different types of robots, such as this cobot arm, rely on different motors for precise motion.
Humanoids

NORD Digital Twins Accelerate Robotic Drive Development

NORD’s new digital twin platform promises to cut weeks, even months, from getting a robot’s drive system from concept to commissioning. NORD Drivesystems says its digital twins, built from a user’s myNORD configuration, let robotics developers request individually created drive models for simulation

Video Friday: Humanoid Robots Celebrate Spring
Humanoids

Humanoids Edge Toward Peak Human Performance

Humanoids look fast and fluent—yet real-world testing matters. IEEE Spectrum’s Video Friday curates this week’s springtime robot reel, and the standout is PNDbotics Adam. The clip frames Adam’s routine as a milestone: a bipedal showpiece that seems to translate rhythm into precise, gravity-defying c

Robotic drill demonstrates how motion control is enabling new levels of precision.
Humanoids

Digital Twin Platform Accelerates Robotic Development

NORD's digital twin lets engineers test robot drives before assembly. Engineering documentation shows NORD Drivesystems now offers digital twins for system development, built from a myNORD configuration to produce individually created drive-system simulation models. The company says virtual commissi

Beat Coverage

Consumer Tech

More

Modern living room with connected devices
Consumer Tech

Apple Preps Five-Product, Three-Day Spring Blitz

Apple bets five new products in a three-day blitz. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company plans to roll out at least five launches from March 2 to March 4, using what Gurman calls an “Apple Experience” format that hits New York, London and Shanghai in a live-event cadence rather than a tr

Apple
Consumer Tech

Apple Preps Five-Product March Blitz

Apple is lining up a five-product wave in a three-day March blitz. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple will unveil at least five products in a tightly choreographed push starting March 2 and running through March 4, with an in-person “Apple Experience” set for New York, London, and Shanghai on the fi

Smart security camera mounted on home exterior
Consumer Tech

Sony WF-1000XM6: Not Quite Best in Class

Sony’s flagship earbuds aren’t the best in class anymore. Engadget’s latest round-up puts the WF-1000XM6 in the familiar lanes of “great-sounding, sometimes muddled by some real-world tradeoffs.” The review recap notes two sticking points that keep the XM6 from a clean sweep: ANC performance and voi

Modern smart speaker on living room shelf
Consumer Tech

Orlando Showroom Signals Smarter Kitchens in 2026

Three days of demos in Orlando prove smart appliances finally mean something in real kitchens. The three-day home, kitchen and bath showcase in Orlando became a blunt coming-out party for smart appliances, with CNET highlighting 10 new large-appliance features that hint at a genuinely smarter home i

Newsletter

The Robotics Briefing

Weekly intelligence on automation, regulation, and investment trends - crafted for operators, researchers, and policy leaders.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Read our privacy policy for details.