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At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Singapore-based startup Strutt introduced the EV1, a powered personal mobility device that uses lidar, cameras, and onboard computing for collision avoidance. Unlike manually-steered

Join Hannah Alpert (NASA Ames) to explore thermal data from the record-breaking 6-meter LOFTID inflatable aeroshell. Learn how COMSOL Multiphysics® was used to perform inverse analysis on flight thermocouple data, validating heat flux gauges and preflight CFD predictions. Attendees will gain technical insights into improving thermal models for future HIAD missions, making this essential for engineers seeking to advance atmospheric reentry design. The session concludes with a live Q&A.Register now to watch this free on-demand webinar!

In 2024, Google claimed that their data centers are 1.5x more energy efficient than industry average. In 2025, Microsoft committed billions to nuclear power for AI workloads. The data center industry tracks power usage effectiveness to three decimal places and optimizes water usage intensity with machine precision. We report direct emissions and energy emissions with religious fervor.These are laudable advances, but these metrics accou

When Alan DeKok began a side project in network security, he didn’t expect to start a 27-year career. In fact, he didn’t initially set out to work in computing at all.DeKok studied nuclear physics before making the switch to a part of network computing that is foundational but—like nuclear physics—largely invisible to those not directly involved in the field. Eventually, a project he started as a hobby became a full-time job: maintaining one of the primary systems that helps keep the internet secure.Alan DeKokEmployerInkBridge NetworksOccupationCEOEducation

In December, NASA took another small, incremental step towards autonomous surface rovers. In a demonstration, the Perseverance team used AI to generate the rover’s waypoints. Perseverance used the AI waypoints on two separate days, traveling a total of 456 meters without human control.“This demonstration shows how far our capabilities have advanced and broadens how we will explore other worlds,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Autonomous technologies like this can help missions to operate more efficiently, respond t

MicroVision, a solid-state sensor technology company located in Redmond, Wash., says it has designed a solid-state automotive lidar sensor intended to reach production pricing below US $200. That’s less than half of typical prices now, and it’s not even the full extent of the company’s ambition. The company says its longer-term goal is $100 per unit. MicroVision’s claim, which, if realized, would place lidar within reach of

IEEE TryEngineering is celebrating 20 years of empowering educators with resources that introduce engineering to students at an early age. Launched in 2006 as a collaboration between IEEE, IBM, and the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), TryEngineering began with a clear goal: Make engineering accessible, understandable, and engaging for students and the teachers who support them.What started as an idea within IEEE

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.ICRA 2026: 1–5 June 2026, VIENNAEnjoy today’s videos! No system is immune to failure. The compromise between reducing failures and improving adaptability is a recurring problem in robotics.

MicroLEDs, with pixels just micrometers across, have long been a byword in the display world. Now, microLED-makers have begun shrinking their creations into the uncharted nano realm. In January, a startup named Polar Light Technologies unveiled prototype blue LEDs less than 500 nanometers across. This raises a tempting question: How far can LEDs shrink?We know the answer is, at least, considerably smaller. In the past year, two different research groups have demonstrated LED pixels at sizes of 100 nm or less.These are some of the smallest LE

As new consumer hardware and software capabilities have bumped up against medicine over the last few years, consumers and manufacturers alike have struggled with identifying the line between “wellness” products such as earbuds that can also amplify and clarify surrounding speakers’ voices and regulated medical devices such as conventional hearing aids. On January 6, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance documents clarifying how it interprets existing law for the review of wearable and AI-assisted devices. The first document, for general wellness, specifies that the FD