First state passes a law allowing robots to deliver straight to your door

Virginia has made robotics history. The commonwealth is the first state to pass legislation allowing delivery robots to operate on sidewalks and crosswalks across the state. The new law goes into effect on July 1 and was signed into law by the governor last Friday. The two Virginia lawmakers who sponsored the bill, Ron Villanueva […]

The 5 Jobs Robots Will Take First – Shelly Palmer

Oxford University researchers have estimated that 47 percent of U.S. jobs could be automated within the next two decades. But which ones will robots take first? First, we should define “robots” (for this article only) as technologies, such as machine learning algorithms running on purpose-built computer platforms, that have been trained to perform tasks that […]

All-bacterial battery makes a nutrient when charged, eats it to discharge

But the ultimate destination of this electron transport chain doesn’t have to be a chemical. There are a variety of bacteria that ultimately send the electrons off into the environment instead. And researchers have figured out how to turn these into a fuel cell, harvesting the electrons to do something useful. While some of these […]

Amazon tells Super Bowl viewers to look for Prime Air drone delivery “soon”

Amazon’s trend of running multiple, super-short commercials for its voice-activated Echo device continued during Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl LI. The last of the company’s three Echo spots included a surprise cameo: an Amazon delivery drone, described to viewers as a “Prime Air” delivery. A suggestive statement, spoken in its devices’ “Alexa” voice, played as […]

Vespa’s creators just unveiled a personal cargo robot

The Vespa brand’s owner, the Piaggio Group, doesn’t have a reputation for cutting edge tech (it only just started making an electric scooter). However, it’s making up for that in style. It’s establishing a robot-focused company, Piaggio Fast Forward, and has unveiled that company’s first product: meet Gita, a personal cargo robot.  The machine can […]