Two years after US-based Neato Robotics closed up shop in 2023, its robot vacuum cleaners have reached the end of the road (or rather, hallway). Users are receiving emails notifying them that their Neato robovacs will no longer have access to cloud services, meaning they can’t be controlled through the robots’ MyNeato app anymore. In […]
On Thursday, Nike announced Project Amplify, “the world’s first powered footwear system,” which it says isn’t intended for pros—in fact, quite the opposite. Much like e-bikes provide pedal assistance, Project Amplify uses a lightweight robotics system to boost running and walking speed. “The first-generation product, created alongside robotics partner Dephy, isn’t designed for competitive, faster […]
Well, that’s not very subtle. In an earnings call last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he needs more control over Tesla, as well as a pay package that could be worth nearly $1 trillion, in exchange for building a “robot army.” Otherwise, he could get ousted as CEO, and then, well, who would control […]
A New York Times report on Tuesday cited internal Amazon documents touting how its shift into automation could help it sell more products without hiring more people, but today the company has issued a PR blast about robotics and delivery tech that is much sunnier. Along with a tease of AI-connected augmented reality smart glasses […]
General Motors may be shrinking its electric vehicle production, but the automaker wants investors to know its still committed to future technologies like automated driving, software-defined vehicles, and AI voice assistants. Today, GM CEO Mary Barra announced a string of new features coming to the company’s brands, like Cadillac and Chevy, that she said will […]
The Litter-Robot 5 Pro is the newest poop-scooping machine from Whisker, makers of the excellent Litter-Robot 4, and it brings facial recognition for your cats to the self-cleaning litter box line. The company is also introducing an optional subscription service, Whisker Plus, that monitors and tracks your kitty’s bathroom behavior over time to produce “detailed […]
Amazon is reportedly leaning into automation plans that will enable the company to avoid hiring more than half a million US workers. Citing interviews and internal strategy documents, The New York Times reports that Amazon is hoping its robots can replace more than 600,000 jobs it would otherwise have to hire in the United States […]
Remember Pepper, the overhyped “emotional robot” that flopped hard a few years ago? Well, one of its makers, SoftBank, is getting back into the bot business with a $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB’s robotics division. The deal, which still needs the green light from regulators, bolsters the Japanese group’s hand in robotics, which includes stakes […]
This is Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Building humanoid robots is Meta’s next “AR size bet,” a top executive told me recently. That suggests the company plans to spend billions of dollars on the effort. During a recent conversation […]
Google DeepMind says its upgraded AI models enable robots to complete more complex tasks — and even tap into the web for help. During a press briefing, Google DeepMind’s head of robotics, Carolina Parada, told reporters that the company’s new AI models work in tandem to allow robots to “think multiple steps ahead” before taking action […]