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The real danger in “I, Robot” isn’t AI. It’s humans.
“I, Robot” is a convincing allegory in favor of embracing AI innovation rather than over-regulating, centralizing, and stifling it.
Humanoid helpers are now entering our homes
Robotics startup 1X Technologies is now sending its humanoid robots into homes to help people with chores and provide companionship.
Series|
Hard Reset
How durable, inexpensive robotic hands are made
We met the team at PSYONIC, the minds developing one of the world’s most advanced robotic hands.
A memo from the future
In the world of 2069, humans have more reach, more speed, and more leverage than any previous generation.
How AI is reshaping the legal profession
AI-powered tools may already be giving some lawyers the upper hand in court.
Meet the humanoids: 8 robots ready to revolutionize work
Everything you need to know about the humanoids that will soon enter the workforce — or are in it already.
Boston Dynamics retires dancing Atlas robot — and debuts its electric replacement
A day after retiring its hydraulic Atlas robot, Boston Dynamics released a video debuting its all-electric, workplace-ready replacement.
America’s path to maritime leadership is clear — but it demands urgency
America leads the world in aerospace, software, and clean energy. Here's how it can lead in maritime, too.
Does AI need a “body” to become truly intelligent? Meta researchers think so.
We’re finally starting to see what can happen when we put an advanced AI “brain” in a state-of-the-art robot “body” — and it’s remarkable.
Humanoid robots are joining the Mercedes-Benz workforce
German automaker Mercedes-Benz is deploying Apptronik’s Apollo robots at a manufacturing plant in Hungary.
Bipedal robot takes a beating, keeps on hiking
LimX Dynamics’s bipedal robot, P1, can keep its footing, even when traversing rough terrain unlike any it’s seen before.
Robots who share your accent are more trusted, study shows
What makes a robot seem competent and trustworthy might be different for different people.
Can we automate science? Sam Rodriques is already doing it.
People need to anticipate the revolution that’s coming in how humans and AI will collaborate to create discoveries, argues Sam Rodrigues.
Install open-source AI in a commercial robot and it’ll clean your room
Open-source AIs and commercial hardware may be enough to build domestic robots that can take over our chores.
MIT engineers design flexible “skeletons” for soft, muscle-powered robots
New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots.
Watch: Figure’s humanoid robot just learned something new
Robotics startup Figure AI just shared a video showing its humanoid robot completing a fully autonomous “real world task.”
NASA tests autonomous space robots for off-world construction
NASA is developing autonomous space robots to build shelters, solar arrays, and more on the moon and Mars.
America underestimates the difficulty of bringing manufacturing back
Tariffs won't bring manufacturing back to the US, but there are ways to make it happen — if America is serious about doing so.
See the humanoid robots that will build new BMWs
General purpose robots developed by robotics startup Figure are going to be deployed at a BMW Manufacturing plant.
Series|
Hard Reset
Can underground tunnels make instant delivery possible?
McNuggets delivered in < 10 min for just $1? This underground “Amazon Prime”-like delivery service is the closest thing humans have to teleportation.
There are no new ideas in AI — only new datasets
Our next AI breakthrough will come when we unlock a source of data we’ve either overlooked or never fully harnessed.
Series|
Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Robot Recycling | Episode #13
How much of our recycling actually gets recycled? Robots could help boost the percentage of recycled trash with near-perfect accuracy.
OpenAI is reportedly investing in humanoid robots
Microsoft and OpenAI reportedly plan to invest $100 million into Figure, a startup developing a humanoid robot for the workplace.
Series|
Hard Reset
Meet Apollo, the real-life robot who wants to give you more free time
Will robots replace us? Apptronik, creator of the general purpose robot Apollo, has crafted a product that would only take the undesirable tasks away from humans.
No, AI won’t take all the jobs. Here’s why.
When you consider the mechanics of integrating AI into the job market, the idea that it will take all our jobs quickly falls apart.
Series|
Hard Reset
Disrupting one of the world’s dirtiest industries: Meet the 3D loom
Fast-fashion is over. “Automated Apparel” is here to reduce waste, fit everyone better, and save human time and labor.
AI robots are making burgers and fries at this new restaurant
The AI robots making burgers and fries at CaliExpress could help the restaurant industry address its persistent labor shortage.
Autonomous tech is taking over last-mile delivery
Autonomous robots, drones, and even underground tunnels could be the standard for last-mile delivery in the future.
Brain stimulation could boost learning
Noninvasive brain stimulation while a person learns a new task in VR can improve their performance in the “real world.”
Robot police dog helps end standoff in LA
The LAPD used its controversial robot police dog to deescalate a standoff with an armed man on a public bus.
New 3D printing technique creates life-like robots
A new 3D-printing technique, vision-controlled-jetting, can be used to create a robotic hand, complete with bones, ligaments, and tendons.
Autonomous auto racing promises safer driverless cars on the road
Autonomous racing is a testbed where competition spurs innovation and AI-controlled cars chart a course toward safer autonomous vehicles.
Technophobia has a body count
Activists push scary headlines about the harm they predict a technology will cause, but ignore the good things we stand to lose without it.
Series|
Hard Reset
See the robots turning a $250B industry into a one-button click
It takes years to fix a complex fighter jet. Machina Labs' robo-factory could do it at the click of a button.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its first device in a human being
Now that Neuralink has implanted a device in a person, CEO Elon Musk is closer to his goal of making brain chips common in the future.
Google’s AI can create a video game based on a napkin drawing
Named Genie, the AI can create a short video games from a single image. It could one day create a wide range of interactive environments.
Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops — but conscious minds don’t
Anil Seth suggests the difference is that living beings are rooted in time and entropy, a grounding that may be essential for consciousness.
Disney’s new robot is a cartoon came to life
A highly expressive new Disney robot developed in a fraction of the time it usually takes could be the first of many expressive bots to come.
World’s largest robots will help airlines cut carbon emissions
Norwegian startup Avinxt is building massive AI robots to help airlines reduce their emissions, save water, and inspect their planes.
Why Toyota is building a “kindergarten for robots”
Toyota is using a generative AI-based method to teach robots to peel veggies, prepare snacks, and perform other dexterous tasks.
Will AI companions help or hurt the “loneliness epidemic”?
About a third of people are lonely. Three scholars consider whether AI can help, or if it'll just make things worse.
First-of-its-kind robot receptionist is like ChatGPT with a face
Engineers have combined the AI model powering ChatGPT with a humanoid bust to create a robot receptionist for the UK National Robotarium.
Robot painter lets smaller crews do jobs twice as fast
Tennessee-based startup PaintJet’s robot painter Bravo slashes the time it takes to complete painting jobs.
This startup is solving the biggest problem to creating drugs that work
Lab-grown human tissues could revolutionize drug development. This AI-powered robot can create and test 10,000 of them at once.
We tested the most advanced haptic gloves in the world
HaptX's new technology uses tactile and force feedback to allow people to "feel" virtual objects with high fidelity.
DARPA is testing this autonomous tank with glowing “eyes”
DARPA just tested an autonomous tank that could help keep soldiers safe — and even more self-driving military vehicles are on the horizon.
NASA partner unveils the “iPhone” of robots
Texas-based robotics company Apptronik has unveiled Apollo, a humanoid robot that could revolutionize the workforce.
Students use calculators to do math. Let them use ChatGPT to write.
Researchers tasked teachers with rating hundreds of essays, some written by students and others written by ChatGPT. Here's what they found.
Chipotle’s new robot can make your burrito bowl or salad
Chipotle is testing a new robot that makes burrito bowls and salads under the same table where employees fill orders.
Boosted Breeding and beyond: 3 tech trends that could end world hunger
A world without hunger is possible, and the development and deployment of new farming technologies could be one key to manifesting it.
NASA is sending a team of autonomous robots to the moon
NASA is sending three autonomous mobile robots to the moon where they’ll have to work as a team under challenging conditions.
Welcome to the world’s first fully robotic restaurant
In partnership with Million Stories
Mezli chef Eric Minnich designed a menu for both diner’s delight and ease of robotic cooking.
These robot excavators are making workers more money
In partnership with Million Stories
With the rise of AI, more people are afraid of robots taking their jobs than ever before. But in this industry, AI is actually creating jobs — and helping workers make more money.
Autonomous construction robots are coming to a site near you
In partnership with Million Stories
Built Robotics has introduced an upgrade to construction equipment that converts regular excavators into near-autonomous digging robots.
A robot pilot is ready to fly a real plane — are you onboard?
PIBOT, a humanoid robot pilot developed in South Korea, is ready to take control of a real plane for the first time.
Why futurist Amy Webb sees a “technology supercycle” headed our way
Amy Webb's data suggests we are on the cusp of a new tech revolution that will reshape the world in much the same way the steam engine and internet did in the past.
Will LLMs lead to an artificial general intelligence?
An exclusive excerpt from AI podcaster Dwarkesh Patel's first book, "The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI 2019-2025."
AI deadbots can keep “you” around after death — what does that mean for the living?
We can now use AI to create versions of real people that can live on long after their bodies die. But should we?
Gold-laced gel could help you recover from a major muscle injury
A combination of electrical stimulation and a gold nanoparticle-laced hydrogel could one day help people recover from major muscle injuries.
These robots learn how to do chores from watching videos
A new method for training robots could help streamline the ways researchers teach robots to perform simple tasks.
How to build the skills needed for the age of AI
Knowledge-based workers already need to skill-up to coexist with sophisticated artificial intelligence technologies.
Google’s “RoboCat” will power new general purpose robots
In a bid to help develop general purpose robots, Google has created a robotic training, self-improving AI, “RoboCat.”
ChatGPT forces us to ask: how much of “being human” belongs to us?
Large language models have been trained on massive amounts of “natural” human language — just like us. Does this make the robots part human?
Shape-shifting space robots help firefighters on Earth
The designer of a new type of rover for NASA has found a way to make her space robots useful to firefighters on Earth.
Life on Mars, together
Researchers spent two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station conducting an analog mission for potential future trips to Mars.
Farmers can fight invasive insects with AI and a robotic arm
As the invasive spotted lanternfly threatens to expand its range, Carnegie Mellon researchers are developing a robot to fight back.
This restaurant is run entirely by robots
In partnership with Million Stories
These robots can chop, cook, and serve — and they could revolutionize the food industry.
Series|
Hard Reset
What is Generative AI? It’s going to alter everything about how we use the internet
Artificial intelligence is bigger than image prompts and idea generation. Much bigger. This veteran technologist says Generative AI will bring about “The New Internet.”
Watch NASA’s one-of-a-kind snake robot training to go to space
NASA has released a video of its one-of-a-kind snake robot EELS slithering across a variety of challenging terrains.
Gallium: The liquid metal that could transform soft electronics
By harnessing the unusual properties of a liquid metal called gallium, scientists could create a new generation of flexible devices.
10 must-see technologies from CES 2024
From super-hyped AI assistants to apps that translate babies’ cries, CES 2024 has given us a glimpse at the tech of tomorrow, today.
UCLA’s humanoid soccer robot is headed to the “RoboCup”
A first-of-its-kind soccer robot built by researchers at UCLA is heading to France to compete in the annual RoboCup.
“Blind” robot hand can operate solely by touch
Columbia University’s new robot hand can deftly manipulate objects without seeing them, allowing it to work in complete darkness.
Man receives donor lung through tiny 3-inch incision
The first fully robotic lung transplant was completed in Spain by surgeons using a robot and a brand-new access point.
A general-purpose robot is entering the workforce
Tech startup Sanctuary AI has unveiled Phoenix, a general-purpose robot designed to perform many workplace tasks.
Series|
Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Cars | Episode #8
You’re worried about autonomous cars. We want to answer your questions.
Honda unveils hands-free wheelchair you steer like a Segway
Honda Robotics has unveiled a prototype of the UNI-ONE, a hands-free wheelchair that you steer with your body weight.
This robotic arm study is preparing us for our cyborg future
A new study at the University of Tokyo aims to find out how people feel using robotic arms — and sharing them with others.
What if humans mastered every aspect of nature?
A bold vision of a 10x better future where humanity has mastered biology, energy, and matter to unlock unprecedented progress.
6 tech trends at CES 2024 that are shaping the future
From AI to health and the metaverse, these tech trends promise to change our lives long after the excitement of the newest TV wears off.
Tiny biobots surprise their creators by healing wound
Tiny “biobots” made from human windpipe cells, amazingly, helped damaged neural tissue to repair itself in a new study.
Humanoid robot Digit finally gets a head and hands
The newest version of Agility Robotics’ humanoid robot Digit has new body parts designed to make it more useful in workplaces.
“Relationships 5.0”: Are people going to start dating AI?
Online dating is so mainstream that you’re an outlier if you haven’t met your partner on an app — so why not AI?
40% of chores could be done by robots within 10 years, according to a new study
Nearly 40% of the time spent on domestic chores could be automated within a decade, researchers estimate.
Massive autonomous robot is 3 to 5 times faster than a human construction crew
Built Robotics has unveiled an autonomous construction robot that speeds up the installation of utility-scale solar farms.
The AI healthcare revolution has begun
The ability of AI to diagnose diseases, discover drugs, and even perform surgery is increasing rapidly — but will patients accept Dr. AI?
This bionic hand is fused to a woman’s bones, muscles, and nerves
A new way of merging the body with a bionic hand provided a woman with more control over her prosthetic and less phantom limb pain.
“Universal” BCI lets anyone play games with their minds
A specially trained “decoder” slashes the time it takes a brain-computer interface (BCI) to read a user’s mind.
Killing this toxic invasive species could help fix the climate
A robot from Seaweed Generation will drag chunks of sargassum 200 meters deep until they burst and die.
T-Minus: Counting down 10 upcoming moon missions
A countdown of 10 upcoming moon missions, all leading up to the one expected to return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface.
T-Minus: Starship reaches new heights, volunteers discover “active” asteroids, and more
Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring Starship's third test flight, a new Mars volcano, and more.
Series|
Hard Reset
Laser “death ray” kills weeds 80x faster than humans
This farming robot kills 200,000 weeds per hour with lasers.
What does the future hold for generative AI?
Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot, kicks off a symposium on the promise and pitfalls of increasingly powerful AI tools like ChatGPT.
This incredibly life-like robot hand can be made for just $2,800
Low-cost robots that perfectly mimic parts of the human body foreshadow a future in which humanoid robots do all the work people don't want.
Watch: Robotic window cleaners take to the sky
In a bid to shake up the industry, two Israeli companies will soon deploy robot window cleaners to cities around the world.
Researchers release open-source space debris model
The MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool lets users model the long-term future space environment to map space debris.
Scientists tweak Meta VR headset to measure brain activity
A modified VR headset that records brain activity reveals how being immersed in VR impacts people on a neurological level.
Technology expert tells us why the AI “doomer” narrative is all wrong
Alex Kantrowitz believes “doomerism” is born of our misplaced and exaggerated human propensity for fear. Plus, fear sells.
In Japan, humanoid robots could soon become part of the family
More than any other nation, Japan tends to feel comfortable with the idea of humanoid robots entering the home.