Seven tech highlights from CES 2021
Coronavirus pushed Las Vegas' annual Consumer Electronics Show online, but there was still plenty to see. Here are seven highlights, including heated sex toys, an AI pet robot and a toilet with its own app. More
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Foster + Partners adopts Spot the Boston Dynamics robot dog
Architecture firm Foster + Partners has employed a robot dog named Spot, designed by Boston Dynamics, to oversee construction at Battersea Power Station in London. More
Moxie is a smart robot companion that teaches children life lessons
Technology company Embodied has developed a robot companion for children that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to process and respond to natural conversation and facial expressions. More
Elon Musk unveils updated Neuralink brain implant design and surgical robot
Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink has revealed the "dramatically simplified" design for an implant that aims to create brain-to-machine interfaces, alongside the robot that inserts it and several pigs that have the device installed. More
Matthieu Muller's Animate toy-making kit introduces children to electronics
OPPO x RCA Humanising Technology: Animate is a robotic toy-making kit by Matthieu Muller intended to make electronics fun and accessible for children. More
Apple Glass details discussed online amid rumours of forthcoming AR headset
Apple is developing an augmented reality wearable headset called Apple Glass, according to rumours circulating online. More
Google's Wing drones deliver essentials during coronavirus pandemic
The Wing drone delivery system developed by Google is being used to deliver toilet paper and medicine to residents in lockdown in Virginia, USA. More
Nagami Design 3D-prints face shields to protect medical staff from coronavirus
Spanish brand Nagami Design has switched the use of its robotic arm from making furniture to 3D-printing face shields for medical staff treating coronavirus patients. More
Drones and self-driving robots used to fight coronavirus in China
China is deploying robots and drones to remotely disinfect hospitals, deliver food and enforce quarantine restrictions as part of the effort to fight coronavirus. More
École des Ponts ParisTech's Build'in lab tackles digitisation of construction
Dezeen promotion: École des Ponts ParisTech has launched Build'in, a platform that reflects the university's move towards digital technologies, as the construction industry changes. More
"We're at the precipice of social change" when it comes to female sex tech says Lora DiCarlo
Sexual health technology for women is finally gaining acceptance according to founder of sextech startup Lora DiCarlo, who returned to CES this year with two new robotic massagers after its Osé product was banned in 2019 for being "immoral". More
Scientists make first living robots from frog cells
A team of scientists at Tufts University in the US have created xenobots, tiny robots made from frog skin and heart cells that can walk, work together and heal themselves. More
Eight cute and kitschy robots from CES 2020
Smart-home technology and innovative cars were overshadowed at CES by tiny robots designed to be human companions. We've rounded up eight of the kitschiest offerings at this year's event. More
Ballie the rolling robot is Samsung's near-future vision of personal care
Samsung introduced its vision of robots as "life companions" at this year's Consumer Electronics Show – a tiny, ball-shaped AI device that rolls around the house and responds to commands like a pet dog. More
Two robotic fabrication methods entwine to make Tongji University bridge
Thin carbon fibres wind over a 3D-printed metal frame to form this hybrid bridge, made by university students in Shanghai using two emerging robotic fabrication techniques. More
V&A Dundee curator selects five designs that map the evolution of robotics
An exhibition at the V&A Dundee explores the evolving relationship between humans and robots. From 1920s sci-fi films to brain-controlled exoskeletons, curator Kirsty Hassard picks five highlights. More
Daan Roosegaarde partners with Scribit to bring space waste into people's living rooms
Designer Daan Roosegaarde is the latest creative to collaborate with Carlo Ratti's Scribit project, creating a robot-drawn illustration based on his ongoing research into space waste. More
"Massive swarm" drone strike on Saudi oil facility demonstrates destructive potential of autonomous weapons
The reported drone strike that set fire to two oil production facilities in Saudi Arabia on the weekend highlights the rising threat of "massive disruption" posed by swarms of cheap, unmanned flying devices, according to designer Clemens Weisshaar. More
3D printing meets felt in new additive manufacturing technique
Acoustic panels and other architectural elements can be made in complex 3D forms using a robotic needle felting process developed by researchers at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning in the US. More
3D-printed robotic fish swims through water by mimicking the movement of a tuna
TU Delft student Sander van den Berg has invented a 3D-printed robotic fish that swims through water at a record-breaking 0.85 metres per second. More