Ecovacs Deebot Deep Discounts Hit New Low
Two premium robot vacuums just slashed prices ahead of spring. Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 Pro Omni and X9 Pro Omni have dropped to their lowest prices yet, positioning them as unusually compelling buys for folks who want hands-off cleaning with a mop built in. The Verge reports that both Omni models are on
RoboForce raises $52M for physical AI robots
RoboForce just bagged $52 million to push physical AI onto factory floors. The oversubscribed round, bringing its total raised to $67 million, signals serious investor appetite for robo-labor that blends AI perception with heavy-duty, on-site work. The deal was led by YZi Labs, a $10 billion fund, w
Sputtering Targets Power the Next-Gen Chips
Tiny sputtering targets quietly power the next-gen chip stacks. The scale and complexity of thin-film deposition in modern fabs is hard to overstate: every wafer passes through a gauntlet of deposition steps that add layer after layer of materials in vacuum chambers. Sputtering targets—precision bla
Boox Go Lumi: Android 15 for E Ink
Boox's Go Lumi finally runs Android 15. Boox is refreshing its Go 10.3 tablet with a lighter chassis, a 10.3-inch front-lit E Ink panel, and for the first time, Google Play access. The Go Lumi tips the scales at about 12.8 ounces and sits a svelte 4.8mm thick, making it noticeably lighter than the o
AI HR Agents Hit the Factory Floor
Hundreds of HR requests weekly are now handled by AI agents. A widely cited article from Robotics & Automation News paints a crisp picture: AI agents can streamline factory HR tasks by taking on repetitive processes—onboarding paperwork, shift-change approvals, and safety-training updates—fast, cons
Aqara G350 Debuts as Matter Camera, Yet Limited
The first Matter camera is here—and it mostly streams a live feed. Aqara’s Camera Hub G350 isn’t just another indoor camera: it’s the first to carry Matter support, a credential many buyers have waited for as smart home ecosystems flirt with a universal standard. Announced at CES and rolling out thi
AI & Machine Learning
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Glass Chips Power AI Data Centers
Absolics kicks off glass-based AI chips this year, promising big energy savings. The tech world is watching a quiet hardware hinge swing open: specialized glass panels that could make next-generation AI computing both more powerful and far more energy efficient. A South Korean player, Absolics, says
Glass Chips Could Power Next-Gen AI
A glass sheet could slash AI data-center energy bills. South Korea’s Absolics plans to begin producing specialized glass panels this year to power next-generation computing hardware, signaling a potential shift in how AI workloads are cooled, powered, and packaged. While Intel and other players are
Pragmatic AI in Real-World Engineering
A significant majority of engineers are stepping up AI investment—but with tight guardrails. Technology Review’s latest look at product engineering shows AI is entering the physical world, not just the back office. The report draws on a survey of 300 respondents and in-depth interviews with senior t
AI Targeting: Humans Vet the Robot Picks
AI chatbots could rank strike targets, but humans would still approve. A Defense Department official said the military is exploring a workflow where a generative AI system could ingest lists of potential targets in classified settings, analyze them, and prioritize which targets to consider first. Th
Industrial Robotics
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Auto automation surges, ABB survey finds
Automotive plants are sprinting toward automation—and the returns are real. ABB Robotics’ Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey signals a sharp shift: manufacturers are accelerating investments in robotics and automation to control costs, address persistent workforce pressures, and meet energy cha
Ox unveils Digital Warehouse for 3D visibility
A 3D warehouse map just became the real-time nerve center. Ox, the company billing itself as a pioneer in human-centered AI, has rolled out a new product called Digital Warehouse. The off-the-shelf platform promises to create a living, three-dimensional model of a facility and overlay operational da
Humanoids
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What we’re watching next in humanoids
Mind Robotics just raised $500 million to train AI-powered industrial bots inside Rivian’s own factories. The funding news confirms a bold bet: use data from a living factory to teach a humanoid robot how to operate, fix, and optimize the very processes that powers an EV assembly line. Mind Robotics
Whisper-Selective AI: MIT Solves Cocktail Party
Your brain tunes a single voice out of a thunderclap crowd—and robots may soon copy the trick. MIT neuroscientists have mapped a path from brain to machine that could finally give humanoid speakers a real shot at “hearing” in loud environments. In a study published March 13, 2026, researchers used a
China Leads Early Humanoid Market
China is sprinting ahead in humanoids, shipping more units and iterating faster than the U.S. The TechCrunch report maps a clear tilt in the early market: domestic Chinese firms are delivering humanoid robots at scale and cycling hardware and software updates with a tempo that Western rivals struggl
The Alpha Trap of Early Rocket Dreams
Goddard's first liquid-fueled rocket rose 12.5 meters—and promptly crashed 56 meters downrange in 2.5 seconds. On March 16, 1926, in a snow-dusted field in Auburn, Massachusetts, a slender bundle of pipes and tanks defied the era’s physics expectations, lifting briefly before a frozen ground claimed
Consumer Tech
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What we’re watching next in consumer
Smart-home devices are quietly turning into subscription services. Testing shows the shift isn’t an anomaly but a pattern: vendors are layering cloud-based features behind paid tiers, sometimes even for what looks like basic automation. In hands-on reviews, testers found that devices tout “AI” or “p
Yahoo bets on homepage comeback with Scout AI
Yahoo wants your browser’s old-school start page back—and it’s betting big on AI. In a wide-ranging conversation with The Verge’s Decoder, Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone sketches a path where the internet’s “home page” is not a relic but a front door to a larger, AI-enhanced ecosystem. After a storied run of
Fitness trackers: lifeline for chronic illness
A sunny January ride in New York turned dangerous for a chronically ill rider—and a Whoop fitness tracker became the critical data lifeline. In The Verge’s feature, Arielle Duhaime-Ross writes about a day when riding with a friend, after logging more than 40 miles, her body suddenly betrayed her: he
Spigen Turns AirPods Pro 3 Case into Macintosh Mouse
A $29 case just turned your AirPods Pro 3 into a vintage Macintosh mouse. Spigen is betting you’ll pay more for nostalgia than for tech specs. The accessory maker’s new two-part shell coats the AirPods Pro 3 charging case in the silhouette of a classic Macintosh peripheral: a look that fans of retro
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