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Tesla's robotaxi debut will reportedly be limited to only 10 cars in very specific areas

The long-promised launch of Tesla's robotaxi service in Austin is scheduled for June 22, and it sounds like the company's initial offering will be modest at best. The Financial Times writes that Tesla will only have around 10 cars available for rides and that the company plans to make them "avoid the city’s most challenging intersections." If issues arise, remote operators will also reportedly be able to take control of the cars to make sure they reach their final destination. Tesla CEO Elon Mu

Amazon’s Zoox opens its first major robotaxi production facility

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has opened its first full-fledged production facility, where it expects to be able to one day build 10,000 robotaxis per year. The facility marks the latest step in Zoox’s evolution out of the development phase. The company is currently testing vehicles in multiple U.S. cities, and offering rides to employees in Las Vegas and San Francisco. Public access is expected to begin with an early-rider program in 2026. The 220,000-square-foot factory is loc

Amazon's Zoox boosts robotaxi production ahead of first commercial launch in Las Vegas

Amazon's Zoox robotaxi unit is ramping up vehicle production at a new facility in Hayward, California. Amazon -owned autonomous vehicle startup Zoox on Wednesday opened a sprawling new manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, paving the way for more robotaxi production as it plans a commercial rollout of its fleet later this year. The company will use the site in Hayward, California, to increase its robotaxi fleet significantly. The facility is currently producing one robotaxi per

Zoox's New Manufacturing Facility Can Pump Out 10K Robotaxis a Year

Table of Contents Zoox's New Manufacturing Facility Can Pump Out 10K Robotaxis a Year As it gears up for its commercial launch, self-driving company Zoox on Wednesday shared that it's opened a 220,000-square-foot serial production facility for its purpose-built robotaxis. Located in Hayward, California, it's deemed to be the first-ever such facility in the US and will allow for the assembly of around 10,000 robotaxis a year. "The number of Zoox robotaxis we produce will grow and scale to match

Old Video Shows Elon Musk Saying That What Tesla's Launching This Month Wouldn't Count as Full Self-Driving

The launch date for Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas continues to slip, raising embarrassing questions for the company. For one, the modified Model Y SUVs that will initially make up the EV maker's robotaxi fleet won't technically be driverless, because they'll be teleoperated by human employees if anything goes wrong. They'll also be geofenced to only the easiest areas to drive in, which as Electrek points out is a fascinating example of how CEO Elon Musk has moved goalp

Why I recommend this Roborock over competing robot vacuums (and I've tested dozens)

ZDNET's key takeaways The Roborock Saros 10 is available for $1,599. This robot vacuum and mop does it all, with 22,000Pa of suction power, a retractable LiDAR sensor that easily fits under furniture, and a vibrating mopping plate that removes stubborn stains on hard floors. Unfortunately, the docking station has required intervention twice due to clogging issues. $1,599.99 at Amazon 2025 has been a big year for Roborock. The company launched two flagship robot vacuum and mop combinations, ea

Tesla stock slips after report EV maker is halting Cybertruck and Model Y production

A Tesla Cybertruck sits on a lot at a Tesla dealership on April 15, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Tesla shares slid more than 2% Tuesday after a report that the electric vehicle maker was halting production of Cybertruck and Model Y models for a week in Austin, Texas. The production stoppage begins June 30, Business Insider reported, citing a staff meeting where the announcement was made. The pause, which is for maintenance on production lines, would be the third such shutdown at the Austin facility

Why This Recent Total Solar Eclipse Was the First of Its Kind

The Sun’s outer atmosphere—the corona—only reveals itself during total solar eclipses, which happen about every 18 months on Earth, and are only visible along a narrow path. These events offer scientists a rare opportunity to observe the Sun’s violent surface—but now, they won’t have to wait on the cosmos to do so. On Monday, June 16, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that its Proba-3 mission created the world’s first artificial total solar eclipse. The mission’s two satellites, the O

Robot vacuums in HomeKit: Here are the supported models

When Apple released iOS 18.4 to everyone earlier this year, and it came with a big upgrade to the Home app. With iOS 18.4, users can now add robot vacuums to HomeKit for the first time thanks to the Matter smart home standard. Here are the robot vacuums compatible with HomeKit… What can you do with a robot vacuum in HomeKit? Once you add a compatible robot vacuum to the Home app, you’ll see the device alongside all your other HomeKit accessories. You can integrate your robot vacuum with diff

I made the switch to a smart litter box, and my cat approves

ZDNET's key takeaways The Whisker Litter-Robot 4 retails for $700 and comes in black or white. This self-cleaning litter box lets you keep tabs on your cat's health through the helpful app. However, it is an expensive buy, and the app frequently experiences glitches. You're either a cat person or a dog person, and this writer is a cat person. My cat, Norbert, is a loud, orange boy and is the cutest thing ever. He's easy to take care of, but one thing I, and perhaps all cat owners, dread is t

Fortnite and Roblox are making Apple’s kid-friendly iPad obsolete sooner than expected

Apple doesn’t talk much about RAM and iPads. Popular iPad games, however, are forcing the conversation. Fortnite and Roblox, for example, are saying game over to an iPad model with a kid-friendly price that Apple sold until last year. What you should know Roblox is breaking on iPads with 3GB RAM or less Fortnite requires at least 4GB RAM to launch Apple stopped selling iPads with 3GB RAM in May 2024 How iPad games are breaking Epic Games brought Fortnite back to the U.S. App Store in May 2

This robot vacuum and mop was already a bargain, but a 56% discount makes it better

ZDNET's key takeaways The Yeedi M12 Pro+ was first available for $1,100, but it's now available with a limited-time deal for $669. The Yeedi performs like a high-end, two-in-one robot, with 11,000Pa of suction power, roller brush technology to prevent hair tangles, and a self-washing station. Unfortunately, I had to make virtual boundaries around my medium-pile area rug as the mop pads repeatedly got the soft surface wet, even though they lift 9mm when over carpets. $399.98 at Amazon The Yeed

This eufy Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo Is Almost 50% Off, Backed by 82K Amazon Reviews

There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a robot glide across your floors handling all the cleaning. You don’t want to have to vacuum your floor. You probably don’t even want to mop it. And if that’s the case, all you have to do is unleash a robot to handle it all. In the past, robot vacuums have been less than affordable. But these days you can get one for an excellent price that can do more than just vacuum. It can mop, too! See at Amazon Run to Amazon now to get the Eufy Omni C20 R

Topics: don just mop robot vacuum

I tested the new Dreame X50 Ultra for months and here's my buying advice

ZDNET's key takeaways The Dreame X50 Ultra is available for $1,700, but on sale for $1,300. This is one of the best robot vacuums and mops available, with anti-tangle dual brushes, 20,000Pa of suction, and legs to cross up to 4.2cm thresholds. The Dreame X50 Ultra can get caught on obstacles and require intervention, and sometimes leaves streaks while mopping. $1,299.99 at Amazon The Dreame X50 Ultra is 24% off right now, available for $1,399 -- a $400 discount. Dreame has quickly become a p

Bioprospectors mine microbial genomes for antibiotic gold

In brief The discovery of penicillin nearly 100 years ago started a gold rush to find new antimicrobials. Scientists mined microscopic bacteria and fungi for compounds that could help fight off infection. But over time the rate of antimicrobial discoveries slowed to a crawl. Now, modern-day bioprospectors are using genomics, synthetic biology, and AI to dig deeper than they ever have before. A new golden age of antibiotics may be upon us, say some on the hunt, though getting a drug candidate int

Seven replies to the viral Apple reasoning paper and why they fall short

The Apple paper on limitations in the “reasoning” of Large Reasoning Models, which raised challenges for the latest scaling hypothesis, has clearly touched a nerve. Tons of media outlets covered it; huge numbers of people on social media are discussing. My own post here laying out the Apple paper in historical and scientific context was so popular that well over 150,000 people read it, biggest in this newsletter’s history. The Guardian published an adaptation of my post (“When billion-dollar AI

This Roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop Drops to Near-Free Price Thanks to Almost 50% Off on Amazon

Tired of vacuuming your house? You and us both. It’s just not a fun task, no matter how you slice it. And it’s a thankless one. The end result is fine, sure, because you get floors that are clean. But who wants to keep taking time out of their day to clean? Couldn’t be us. If your floors are constantly covered in pet hair, crumbs, or tracked-in dirt, the idea of a robot vacuum doing the heavy lifting while you kick back (or, let’s be real, tackle a million other things) is pretty appealing. That

Roborock Smart Robot Drops from $599 to $159, Amazon Clears Stock at All-Time Low

With the latest robot vacuum models from Roborock now easily topping $2,000, it’s refreshing (and downright unbelievable) to see a device as capable as the Q7 Max robot vacuum and mop available for just $159 on Amazon: This limited-time deal marks a dramatic discount from the original list price of $599 (even if it’s now available at a regular price of $299 at Amazon). As you can imagine, it’s a new all time low price for this vacuum. See at Amazon Strong 4,200Pa of Suction Power The Roborock

Watching This Humanoid Robot Sort Packages Is Quite Something

Yep, they're definitely coming for our jobs. Package Deal Earlier this year, humanoid robotics company Figure showed off its Figure 02 robot using a sophisticated visual language system called Helix to sort packages at a logistics warehouse. Footage showed a small army of the humanoid robots deftly picking up packages of various sizes, shapes, and hardnesses, and manipulating their orientation. Just three months later, the company has published an update about its Helix learning-based approa

Boston Dynamics robots dance to ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ for ‘America’s Got Talent’ audition

A dance crew of four-legged robots from Boston Dynamics appeared on “America’s Got Talent” to perform a synchronized routine to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Their performance was impressive enough to earn four “yes” votes from the judges — but one of the five robots experienced some stage fright, perhaps, and shut down in the middle of the routine. But the show must go on, so nevertheless, the four other robots persisted. “Can I be honest with you?” judge Simon Cowell asked at the conclusion o

Gamefam brings FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to Roblox

Roblox game studio Gamefam announced today it is collaborating with FIFA to bring the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 to its game Super League Soccer. The two are holding a major event within the game leading up to the Club World Cup to raise the tournament’s profile with Roblox’s Gen Z and Alpha-aged audience. All 13 of the participating football clubs are playable in Roblox for the first time, with the event set to kick off on June 14 and running through July 13 alongside the real Club World Cup. Ac

Eufy's 3-in-1 robot vacuum drops to a record-low price

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . Robot vacuums can save you a ton of time by automating a regular chore you'd otherwise have to do manually. But you may sometimes want a handheld or cordless vacuum to quickly clean up small messes, or debris in hard-to-reach places. Buying each type of vacuum is one way to get the bes

Poop Transplants Not All They’re Cracked Up to Be

Fecal transplants have emerged as a potential treatment for a wide range of conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, and even depression. These so-called poop transplants have understandably received a lot of attention, but new research casts a bit of a wet blanket over the practice. The procedure involves taking microbes from the poop of a healthy person and transferring them into a patient’s colon. This should restore balance to their gut microbiome, but according to a study

Tesla's Robotaxi Launch Date Was Supposed to Be Today, But We're Shocked to Hear That It's Been Pushed Back

The launch of Tesla's robotaxi network will have to wait. On Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk made a tweet stating that, "tentatively," the first public rides on its autonomous vehicles — which will not be in its purpose-built Cybercabs, but in regular Teslas with updated software — will start on June 22. But the date could shift, Musk added, because "we are being super paranoid about safety." That comment could prove to be revealing. Tesla's robotaxi initiative is clouded with uncertainty, because th

I tested a Eufy robot vacuum with a built-in handheld vac - and it just dropped to 42% off

ZDNET's key takeaways The Eufy Clean E20 3-in-1 robot vacuum and handheld vacuum combination costs $650. The Eufy E20 performed very well in suction testing; it offers up to 8,000Pa of suction power and thorough edge cleaning; the robot vacuum's dustbin doubles as a handheld vacuum that includes a floor attachment and a crevice tool. Unfortunately, the handheld vacuum doesn't offer powerful suction like that of a standalone unit like a Dyson, and removing it from the robot isn't easy with one

Researchers teach robot to play badminton using Nvidia RTX machine learning

Why it matters: Ever since Boston Dynamics first showcased its famous legged robots in 2013, numerous organizations have introduced machines that autonomously perform various professional and recreational activities. The latest research utilizes badminton to develop a robot's agility and coordination, which could help advance training methods and maneuverability. Scientists at ETH Zürich recently published a study and video (below) explaining how they trained a quadrupedal robot to play badmint

How Warp is introducing robots to automate its network of warehouses

Warp was founded in 2021 to help companies streamline their shipping supply chains and reduce costs through its tech-enabled network of shippers, carriers and warehouses. Now, it wants to make supply chains further efficient by using robots to automate its web of warehouses. Daniel Sokolovsky, the co-founder and CEO of Warp, told TechCrunch that Warp is always looking for ways to make shipping more efficient for its customers, which include enterprises like Walmart, Gopuff, and HelloFresh. Wit

I didn’t think I needed a robot lawnmower until I tried this one

MAMMOTION YUKA mini 800 The Mammotion Yuka Mini 800 functions reliably, runs silently, and gets the job done all on its own. I had fairly low expectations going into reviewing the Mammotion Yuka Mini 800, mainly because my understanding of robot grass mowers was outdated. The last time I had checked, they were all too expensive for me to seriously consider getting one for my suburban backyard. I also thought that these machines required guide wires to define the areas you want mowed, something

Reflections on Sudoku, or the Impossibility of Systematizing Thought

I reflect on the Entscheidungsproblem how it relates to Sudoku solvers. It's a little weird.. The other day, to no one's surprise, I was fumbling over a programming problem. This wasn't anything satisfyingly algorithmic, but more the thing where you're evaluating a million questions on "how should I structure this system?". While I'm no design purist, I like to at least make an attempt at sketching out the problem space and think through options before I just start coding something. My rule of

Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi service is coming to Austin this month

Something to look forward to: Robotaxi services are widely seen as the next major breakthrough in transportation, with Alphabet-owned Waymo already expanding its self-driving taxi operations across several US cities. Now, Elon Musk has announced that Tesla is finally ready to launch its long-awaited autonomous cab service in Austin, Texas, later this month. Replying to an X user asking about when public rides would begin, Musk said the launch date is "tentatively" set for June 22, but the actua