Hundreds of millions of people in China are traveling for the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which begins Feb. 17, marking the world’s largest annual human migration with a record 9.5 billion trips expected. This year ushers in the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing speed, intensity, and decisive action, and has inspired playful traditions like decorating doors with “Draco Malfoy” for luck. Despite … Continue reading China celebrates Year of the Horse with humanoid robots

Anthropic’s AI model Claude was reportedly used in the U.S. military operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, marking one of the first classified deployments of the tool. Claude’s usage policies prohibit facilitating violence or weapons development, raising questions about how the model was applied during the mission. The Pentagon’s relationship with Anthropic is under review, and concerns over ethical AI use have led … Continue reading Pentagon Used AI in Maduro Venezuela Raid

China has launched the world’s first commercial humanoid robot combat league, the Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL), in Shenzhen, featuring high-intensity fights, spinning kicks, and a 10-kilogram gold championship belt worth $1.44 million. The league, running from February through December, uses T800 humanoid robots supplied free by EngineAI, providing both entertainment and a real-world testing ground for embodied AI. Experts say robot combat pushes machines … Continue reading China Launches World’s First Humanoid Robot Combat League

Researchers in the Netherlands have identified a smooth, white Roman-era stone as an ancient board game, using AI to help reconstruct its rules. The circular limestone features straight and diagonal lines, with wear patterns suggesting pieces were slid along them. Scientists at Maastricht University trained an AI program called Ludii on 100 similar ancient games, which generated possible rule sets that were then compared to … Continue reading Rules of mysterious ancient board game decoded by AI, scientists say

Boston Dynamics is completing final tests on its Atlas humanoid robot before moving to a production-ready version, pushing it through acrobatic maneuvers like walking, cartwheels, and backflips. The tests, conducted with the Robotics & AI Institute, evaluate Atlas’s control software and real-world mobility using simulation-trained, whole-body learning. Videos show the robot recovering from missteps with precise adjustments, demonstrating the sophistication of its control system. Slow-motion … Continue reading US humanoid robot hits perfect cartwheel and backflip with steady balance

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Preble successfully destroyed four drones last year using Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS high-energy laser system, marking the first confirmed multi-target engagement at sea. HELIOS, a 60-kilowatt-class directed-energy weapon that can also function as an optical “dazzler,” is designed to neutralize drones and small boats while conserving traditional missiles for higher-priority threats. Preble, the only Navy ship equipped with HELIOS since 2022, demonstrates … Continue reading US Navy Laser Weapon Takes Down Four Drones in HELIOS Test

A new service robot named Timmy has begun working at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rancho Mirage, offering a glimpse into the future of hospitality. Fully autonomous, the robot assists with tasks such as changing linens, making deliveries, moving luggage, and handling waste, helping reduce the physical workload on staff. Developed by TechForce Robotics, Timmy is designed to support—not replace—hotel employees and has been tested … Continue reading Hotel Robot “Timmy” Debuts at Rancho Mirage Hilton

Stellantis is using an AI-powered Dexory robot to sort inventory at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, cutting a task that would take humans 280 hours down to about 90 minutes. The robot, equipped with cameras, scanners, and LiDAR, has been deployed in four Stellantis facilities since late 2024. Company officials say the technology is significantly improving efficiency and streamlining plant operations. Stellantis is the first … Continue reading Stellantis’ new robot does in 90 minutes what would take a human weeks

In Shenzhen, China, a humanoid robot from EngineAI was spotted walking alongside uniformed police officers during what appeared to be a public patrol demonstration, highlighting China’s push to test advanced robotics in law enforcement. The robot, part of EngineAI’s T800 family, stands 5’8” tall, weighs 165 pounds, and is capable of walking, running, jumping, and handling objects with sensor-equipped hands. The appearance was reportedly a … Continue reading Humanoid ‘Terminator’ robot cop patrols with police officers in China

Figure has upgraded its AI system, Helix, to its most advanced full-body control version, Helix 02, enabling humanoid robots to manage walking, manipulation, and balance simultaneously. Unlike earlier models limited to upper-body tasks, Helix 02 uses a single neural network to process raw sensor data for coordinated, human-like motion. In a demonstration, the robot autonomously unloaded and reloaded a dishwasher across a kitchen without resets … Continue reading US humanoid robot unloads and reloads a dishwasher using full-body control

Physicists have, for the first time, created stable bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interactions inside a laser-generated grid. Unlike typical quantum waves that spread out, solitons remain concentrated in one spot. Using a Bose–Einstein condensate of cesium atoms cooled near absolute zero, the team trapped the atoms in an optical lattice of laser light and tuned magnetic fields to make them attract each other. This … Continue reading Breakthrough laser technique holds quantum matter in stable packets

Jersey City is launching a pilot program for Coco Robotics, a California-based company that delivers pizza, groceries, and other items using autonomous robots. Coco, a 100-pound, zero-emission robot with AI navigation and remote human oversight, can carry up to four grocery bags or six extra-large pizzas and travel at up to 15 mph in bike lanes, though it will stay on sidewalks in Jersey City. … Continue reading Introducing ‘Coco,’ Jersey City’s new delivery robot

A Russian pro-Kremlin outlet released footage showing a Chinese-made laser weapon, the Silent Hunter (Low-Altitude Laser Defending System), being used against Ukrainian drones in Belgorod near the Ukraine border. The video shows the turret-mounted system tracking and disabling a drone, operated by a Russian special operations unit called “Kochevnik.” Silent Hunter is designed for short-range air defense, targeting small aerial threats with a 10-kilowatt directed-energy … Continue reading Russian forces use Chinese-made laser to counter drones

Anahita Laverack, originally aspiring to be an aerospace engineer, founded Oshen after realizing the lack of reliable ocean data hindered autonomous robotics challenges. She and co-founder Ciaran Dowds developed fleets of autonomous micro-robots, called C-Stars, capable of surviving 100 days at sea to collect ocean data. Starting small, they tested their robots from a 25-foot sailboat in the U.K., iterating through harsh conditions to make … Continue reading Oshen built the first ocean robot to collect data in a Category 5 hurricane 

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are developing robot “dogs” to assist in dangerous situations where humans cannot safely operate. One such robot, named Spotless, can search for casualties, detect hazards like toxic gas, and assess injuries and heart rates. Kimberly Elenberg, a project scientist, demonstrated how Spotless speeds up search-and-rescue operations by providing critical information before medics arrive. The project highlights Pittsburgh’s growing … Continue reading Pittsburgh researchers developing lifesaving robot “dogs”

Security researchers have discovered a vulnerability called WhisperPair that allows attackers to hijack Google Fast Pair–enabled Bluetooth devices. The flaw affects more than a dozen products from major manufacturers, including Sony, JBL, Google, and OnePlus, even if users have never used Google services. Attackers can exploit the weakness in seconds from up to 14 meters away, often without the victim noticing. Once connected, hackers can … Continue reading Bluetooth devices with Google Fast Pair vulnerable to “WhisperPair” hack

Verizon announced it will issue $20 account credits to customers affected by a nearly daylong cellular outage on Wednesday. The disruption, which halted voice and data services nationwide, lasted from around noon until late evening. Verizon apologized for the failure and said customers can redeem the credit through the myVerizon app. The company did not explain the cause of the outage, while lawmakers raised concerns … Continue reading Verizon to issue $20 credits to customers affected by cell service outage

Nearly five million social media accounts belonging to Australian teenagers have been removed or deactivated since a law banning users under 16 took effect last month. The law requires major platforms to take reasonable steps to block underage users or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the early results encouraging, though officials acknowledged the figures offer only … Continue reading 5 Million Accounts Removed Under Australia’s New Social Media Ban

Alphabet-owned Wing is expanding its drone delivery partnership with Walmart to 150 more U.S. locations, including Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami. The service, which launched in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2023, will aim to serve up to 40 million customers and operate from 270 locations by 2027. Wing’s top customers order deliveries up to three times a week, reflecting growing demand for drone-based grocery … Continue reading Walmart expands drone delivery with Wing to 150 more stores

The Trump administration has designated Indiana as one of two new national drone test sites, alongside Oklahoma, a move expected to boost research, military training, and commercial drone development. Sen. Todd Young, who led the effort, said the site will create high-paying jobs, expand military exercises, and support universities like Purdue in advancing drone technology. Gov. Mike Braun hailed the designation as a major economic … Continue reading Indiana wins national drone test site designation

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest fully programmable autonomous robots, each smaller than a grain of salt. These tiny robots can sense their environment, respond to it, and move in complex patterns using minimal energy powered by light, with durability that allows them to operate for months in liquid. The robots use an onboard computer … Continue reading Scientists Create Robots Smaller Than Grain of Sand

Broadcom launched its next-generation BCM4918 accelerated processing unit (APU) and two new dual-band Wi-Fi 8 chipsets, the BCM6714 and BCM6719. The unified Wi-Fi 8 platform offers higher throughput, smart intelligence, improved power efficiency, and built-in security for residential and AI-driven applications. The BCM4918 APU integrates computing, networking, and AI acceleration in a single chip, combining CPU flexibility, network efficiency, and dedicated crypto engines. This platform … Continue reading Broadcom Launches Unified Wi-Fi 8 Platform for Seamless AI Experiences in Homes

Motorola unveiled its first side-foldable smartphone, the Razr Fold, joining devices like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7. It features a 6.6-inch external display, an 8.1-inch flexible main screen, and supports the Moto Pen Ultra stylus, a feature Samsung removed from its latest foldable. The phone includes a versatile camera setup with multiple 50MP lenses, a 32MP external selfie camera, a … Continue reading Motorola just announced a foldable phone to rival Samsung and Google

At CES 2026, Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics publicly demonstrated its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time, showcasing its ability to walk, wave, and swivel its head fluidly on stage. The robot was remotely piloted for the demo, but the company said future versions will move autonomously. A production model designed to assist in car assembly is set to deploy by 2028 at Hyundai’s EV facility … Continue reading Hyundai and Boston Dynamics unveil humanoid robot Atlas at CES

At CES 2026, Lego unveiled its new Smart Bricks, tech-packed 2×4-stud bricks with sensors, LEDs, speakers, and Bluetooth that can detect nearby bricks, tags, and minifigures. The bricks feature accelerometers, synthesizers, ambient lights, and magnetic coils that sense proximity to Smart Tags and Star Wars Smart Minifigures, allowing interactive lights and sounds. Star Wars sets with these smart bricks, including TIE Fighters and interactive minifigures, … Continue reading Lego announces Smart Brick, the ‘most significant evolution’ in 50 years