Israel has deployed its new Iron Beam to defend against rockets and missiles fired by Iran and its proxies. The system uses precision lasers to intercept projectiles mid-air, complementing the existing Iron Dome, which relies on missile interceptors. Footage shows incoming rockets from Hezbollah exploding after being targeted by the Iron Beam, which can track threats within a 2.5–43 mile radius and prioritize those aimed … Continue reading Israel uses Iron Beam laser to shoot down rockets

Kyoto University has introduced a robotic monk, the “Buddha Robot Plus,” to address Japan’s shortage of Buddhist priests amid an aging population. Built on Chinese Unitree hardware and powered by ChatGPT, the robot moves with the deliberate gestures of a monk and uses deep learning on Buddhist texts to provide real-time spiritual guidance. Unlike earlier AI models, it can generate context-sensitive answers on topics like … Continue reading Japan transforms Unitree robot into a ‘Monk’

Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native, warned clergy against using AI to write sermons, saying true homilies require sharing faith, which machines cannot do. He urged priests to exercise their intelligence and study continuously, cautioning that overreliance on the internet and social media illusions, like TikTok, cannot replace authentic spiritual connection. The remarks coincided with the Vatican debuting an AI-powered translation system for liturgical celebrations … Continue reading Pope demands priests stop using AI to write sermons

A wargame exercise at King’s College London simulated nuclear conflict using AI models ChatGPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 3 Flash, with three teams playing 21 games over 329 turns and generating roughly 780,000 words explaining their decisions. The results were alarming: no AI ever surrendered, and 95% of the time they opted to use nuclear weapons, highlighting that the “nuclear taboo” has little effect … Continue reading AI Models in Simulated Combat Recommended Nukes 95% of Time

A Foundation says the Trump administration is exploring the use of its humanoid robots on future battlefields. So far, Foundation has received at least $18 million in U.S. military contracts for research, logistics, and equipment manufacturing, but none involve arming the robots. Co-founders Mike LeBlanc and Sankaet Pathak envision robots assisting troops with tasks like reconnaissance, supply transport, and translation, while maintaining human oversight for any combat actions. By the end of this month, two … Continue reading San Francisco startup pitches Trump admin on arming robots for U.S. military

The 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1″] has set a new Lap”,”automotive testing record”] record at Virginia International Raceway, beating the long-standing McLaren Senna mark of 2:34.9 with a 2:34.2 lap. While the Corvette ZR1’s 1,064-hp is less exotic than the Senna’s 789-hp rear-wheel layout, its heavier 3,899-pound frame still delivers nearly identical power-to-weight performance. The ZR1 also claimed the top-speed record for the Lightning Lap at 179.0 mph, surpassing the … Continue reading Corvette ZR1 Sets Car And Driver’s New Lightning Lap Record

An East Hollywood resident, Kaiya Reel, reported that a pink Coco food delivery robot damaged her garden and got entangled in her fence. The robot uprooted plants and dragged fencing and palm fronds down the street while Reel chased after it, shouting for it to stop. Neighbors noted that while delivery robots are common in the area, unpredictable incidents like this are unusual. Previous problems include robots colliding … Continue reading Food delivery robot goes rogue, causes property damage at L.A. home

At the 2026 China Media Group Spring Festival Gala, humanoid robots performed alongside young kung fu artists in a groundbreaking martial arts showcase watched by hundreds of millions. Developed by Unitree Robotics, G1 and H1 humanoid robots demonstrated advanced bipedal movement, multi-robot coordination, and real-time motion control. The machines wielded traditional weapons and executed complex feats such as table vaults, aerial flips, and high-speed synchronized … Continue reading Humanoid robots perform drunken kung fu with nunchucks at China’s Spring Gala

China’s Robotera released a video of its full-sized L7 humanoid robot performing a traditional Chinese sword dance to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse, highlighting its advanced capabilities. Standing 5.6 feet tall and weighing 143 pounds, the L7 has 55 independently moving joints, enabling intricate movements like arm rotation, wrist flipping, and grip adjustment. The sword dance demonstrates the robot’s real-time whole-body coordination, precise … Continue reading China’s humanoid robot masters stunning sword dance, shows perfect control

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