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The 7 coolest gadgets I've seen at IFA 2025 (including ones you can actually buy)

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. IFA is Europe's largest consumer electronics show, and this year is no different. IFA 2025 features some of the most eye-catching innovations ever, so much so that it's hard to narrow down the list of amazing products. However, at a time when the tech world is saturated with artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, I found it refreshing that the best products I've seen don't hinge on AI. As I walk through the halls of Messe

Elon Musk's New Optimus Robot Demo Is So Painful It Will Make You Wince

Hot off of proudly announcing that he had replaced 4,000 people with AI at his company, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff posted a video of Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, calling it a "productivity game-changer." However, going by the 52-second clip, the carmaker has a long way to go until it can successfully have AI-powered bipedal robots replace human jobs. Is this really what will make up a whopping 80 percent of Tesla's value, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised in a tweet earlier this week? In an

I got to see Eufy's stair climbing robot at IFA (and more new Anker products)

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. From pet robots to way more robot mowers than the world needs, IFA features some of the coolest tech we'll see all year. Companies use the event to showcase new products and the latest innovations they're working on, and Anker delivered some exciting updates. Also: The coolest gadgets I've seen at IFA 2025 (including ones you can actually buy) Marswalker: A stair-climbing robot Maria Diaz/ZDNET Part of the appeal of e

This AI Box Lets You Search Your Security Camera Footage Using a Text Prompt

SwitchBot had a few AI-powered devices on display at IFA 2025; not just a furry little robot pet (I picked it up and it’s not cuddly). They included an E Ink AI art display, which generates AI art on demand, an AI tennis robot that you can “play” matches against, and a couple of robot vacuums. We’ll get to all of that, but the main thing that caught my eye was the SwitchBot AI Hub. It’s not that the others aren’t interesting—of course they are—it’s that I love good, easy automation. The promise

People Are Backflipping Off of Waymo’s Robotaxis

In a bizarre (or hilarious) late-night episode that underscored public unease with autonomous vehicles, several men climbed onto stalled Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco’s Marina District and began attacking them. They then started sitting and climbing on them and, at one point, began doing backflips off the driverless cars while a crowd cheered. City police eventually cleared the scene, but the incident highlights growing tensions over deployments of robotaxis in urban areas. So what happene

Tesla Makes a Huge Move to Appease Regulators

Tesla appears to be bending to the will of regulators. In a visible sign of its shifting posture from daredevil innovation to cautious compliance, Tesla this week relocated its robotaxi safety monitors, employees who supervise the autonomous software’s performance and can take over the vehicle’s operation at any moment, from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat. Tesla’s Robotaxi service represents one of the company’s most ambitious and long-delayed projects. First teased by Chief Executiv

IFA 2025 Highlight: MAMMOTION’s Tri-Fusion Positioning System takes its robot lawn mowers to the next level

Stephen Schenck / Android Authority Robot mowers may seem like a niche product, but the amount of time you save and the physical labor you avoid from not having to mow your own lawn can’t be stated enough. It started with low-powered devices that would get stuck on slopes and required physical boundaries that were difficult to install. But these robots have evolved exponentially since, with current generation robot mowers able to navigate using virtual boundaries and handle different types of t

People Are Back-Flipping Off of Waymo’s Robotaxis

In a bizarre (or hilarious) late-night episode that underscored public unease with autonomous vehicles, several men climbed onto stalled Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco’s Marina District and began attacking them. They then started sitting and climbing on them, and are one point began doing back flips off the driverless cars while a crowd cheered. City police eventually cleared the scene, but the incident highlights growing tensions over deployments of robotaxis in urban areas. So what happen

How to Build a High-Performance UR5 Inverse Kinematics Solver with IK-Geo

Hiring? I'm a robotics Ph.D. open to full-time or consulting roles. Contact me. How to Build a High-Performance UR5 Inverse Kinematics Solver With IK-Geo August 27, 2025 Inverse kinematics (IK) is a fundamental problem for robot arms: What joint angles achieve a desired hand pose? UR5e robot following a straight line with all 8 IK solutions. The best choice of IK solution may depend on joint limits, singularities, collision avoidance, or dynamic performance. IK remains a challenge for many p

Topics: ik joint p_ r_ robot

Roborock’s New Lineup at IFA 2025 Includes Its First Robot Lawnmowers, an Ultra-Thin Robot Vacuum and More

Roborock is one of the better-known companies if you’re looking to buy a robot vacuum. Options range from the capable Qrevo Curv to the innovative Saros Z70, which comes with a mechanical arm and a handsome price to match. So it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Roborock is entering the robot lawn mower market, a category we test that’s dominated by companies like Husqvarna, Eufy, Sunseeker, and others. There’s also a new set of stick vacuums, an ultra-thin robot vacuum and a self-santizing

Elon Musk's New Robot Demo Is Astonishingly Bad

Hot off of proudly announcing that he had replaced 4,000 people with AI at his company, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff posted a video of Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, calling it a "productivity game-changer." However, going by the 52-second clip, the carmaker has a long way to go until it can successfully have AI-powered bipedal robots replace human jobs. Is this really what will make up a whopping 80 percent of Tesla's value, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised in a tweet earlier this week? In an

The Dreame X50 Didn’t Just Mop My Floors -- It Outsmarted My Furniture

CNET's key takeaways No robot vacuum has truly solved the challenge of multilevel cleaning without requiring you to physically move it between floors. This robo-vac can do it, for the high-end price of $1,700. You won't find another robot vacuum with its features for less than $1,000 right now. The whole point of owning a robot vacuum is so you don't have to do the cleaning yourself. But that was never the case at my house -- partly because of what I call my "Ikea chair challenge." I've seen

Eufy Just Launched an Autonomous Shell That Carries Robot Vacuums Up Stairs

Stairs are the enemy of robot vacuums. There isn’t currently a single robot vacuum on the market that can climb a flight of stairs without human assistance. Even the best robot vacuums we recommend for their ability to cross obstacles, like the Dreame X50 Ultra and Roborock Saros Z70, can only handle thresholds between two and three inches. Eufy’s Marswalker may be the first robot vacuum to truly be able to tackle this problem. It’s a robot vacuum that looks a bit like a wheeled Mars rover with

Roborock's new weed-killing robot mowers will save your back (and time)

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's takeaways Roborock has introduced its first robot lawnmowers. Three models will be available, each with a different purpose. The company hasn't revealed pricing or release date yet. Roborock is headed outdoors. The company best known for its robot vacuum cleaners (including the recent viral one with a mechanical arm that picks up small objects) has unveiled its first robot lawnmower. In an announcement today

Anyone can now download Tesla's iOS Robotaxi app, but there's still a waitlist

Tesla has made its iOS Robotaxi app available for all iPhone users to download as it expands service beyond a group of early access users for the first time. Beyond the current lack of an Android app (Tesla says one is on the way), there are a couple of things to bear in mind here. The company's proper robotaxis are currently only available in Austin, Texas. There's also a waitlist, so you won't be able to book a ride immediately. That said, it might not take folks on the waitlist too long to g

Eufy’s Got a Little Stair-Climbing Mech Suit for Its Robot Vacuums

Robot vacuums that can climb stairs are now officially a thing if IFA 2025 is any indication. At the Berlin tech show, Eufy announced the MarsWalker, a dang stair-climbing mech suit that your robot vacuum can wear. And Eufy plans to release it in the spring of next year, with pricing to be announced later. Robot vacuum owners have been waiting years for a couple of things: a robot that actually does what you want with no compromises (we’re not there yet) and the ability for them to actually get

Want to Try Tesla's Robotaxis? Testing Is Now Open to All, Alongside Dedicated App

After a couple of months of testing its Robotaxi service with invited members, Tesla is beginning to open the doors to its Robotaxi program. The electric car maker's newly launched iOS app is now live, signaling the start of a wider public beta -- though it's not quite a free-for-all just yet. You'll still need to join a waitlist, but the service is now open beyond the Tesla-focused influencers who were previously invited. This move is Tesla's biggest yet in its driverless mission, and it comes

GaN fast charging is now coming to your…robot vacuum cleaner?

TL;DR ECOVACS has launched the DEEBOT X11 at IFA 2025, featuring GaN fast charging technology for reduced downtime. It has an improved mopping system, a new climbing system, and an on-device AI assistant. This new robot vacuum cleaner is available for $1,499.99 from Amazon and other retailers. A high-quality, top-tier robot vacuum cleaner is one of the best upgrades you can make to your house. It dramatically simplifies cleaning routines while saving you a lot of time and effort. But not ever

Musk Stakes Tesla Future on One Major Gamble

In a striking shift of narrative, Elon Musk has declared that Tesla’s future valuation will derive 80% from its Optimus humanoid robots, not its electric vehicle business. This declaration, made in tandem with the release of Tesla’s “Master Plan Part IV,” shifts the spotlight firmly to robotics and AI as the company’s aspirational core. Optimus has morphed from a speculative experiment into Tesla’s defining strategic centerpiece. Musk envisions deploying “thousands” of robots in factories by y

Roborock’s Washer and Dryer Combo Also Doubles as a Robot Vacuum Dock

Roborock’s big product announcement at IFA 2025 is something I don’t think anybody saw coming: a combo washer and dryer with a secret compartment for robot vacuums. Called the 4-in-1 Household Cleaning Combo for now, it has no price and no release date, but it might be one of my favorite ideas on the show floor so far. The washer and dryer is essentially the Roborock Zeo One, which the company also showed off at the Berlin technology show. It’s a smart washer and dryer with a glossy glass front

Eufy’s Marswalker Is the First Robot Vacuum Designed to Climb a Full Flight of Stairs

Stairs are the enemy of robot vacuums everywhere. There isn’t currently a single robot vacuum on the market that can climb a flight of stairs without human assistance. Even the best robot vacuums we recommend for their ability to cross obstacles, like the Dreame X50 Ultra and Roborock Saros Z70, can only handle thresholds between two and three inches. Eufy’s Marswalker may be the first robot vacuum to truly be able to tackle this problem. It’s a robot vacuum that looks a bit like a wheeled Mars

Roborock graduates from vacuuming your house to mowing your lawn

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Roborock, a company best known for its robovacs, is entering a new product category: robot lawnmowers. During the IFA 2025 tech conference, Roborock took the wraps off a trio of robot mowers, with its premium RockMow Z1 featuring an all-wheel drive system to han

This Robot Only Needs a Single AI Model to Master Humanlike Movements

Atlas, the humanoid robot famous for its parkour and dance routines, has recently begun demonstrating something altogether more subtle but also a lot more significant: It has learned to both walk and grab things using a single artificial intelligence model. What is more, the robot’s single learning model is showing some tantalizingly “emergent” skills, like the ability to instinctively recover when it drops an item without having been trained to do so. Boston Dynamics, the company that makes A

Apple’s AI exodus continues with four new deflections to Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic

It looks like Meta’s hiring freeze definitely does not apply to Apple engineers. As reported by Bloomberg, Jian Zhang, Apple’s Lead AI Researcher for Robotics, will be joining the Meta Robotics Studio. And he’s not the only one leaving. Here are the details. Apple’s AI alternatives (and teams) keep getting slimmer Last month, following a report that said that, despite Meta’s hiring freeze, there could be exceptions, Bloomberg reported that the company had poached Frank Chu, “who has led Apple

This Threshold-Climbing Robot Vacuum Overcame Every Obstacle in My Home and It's Still $500 Off for Labor Day

Even though Labor Day weekend is over, Amazon and other retailers still have some lingering deals on all kinds of items from tech to mattresses, including the one of the top rated robot vacuums on the market. Right now the Dreame X50 Ultra is $500 off the regular price at Dreame, which brings the price down to $1,260. New customers can also save an additional 10% by entering their emails. If you prefer to do your shopping on Amazon, the Dreame X50 Ultra is currently $500 off there, bringing the

Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs move robotics into the physical AI era

Editor's take: As exciting as generative AI may be, there is another AI-powered technology on the near-term horizon that could prove even more impactful: robotics, or as Nvidia's Jensen Huang and others have begun calling it, physical AI. The concept of physical AI is that many of the same algorithmic principles used to create large language models for text-based interactions can be applied to learning and replicating physical movements in the real world. Nvidia has offered robotics-focused har

Researchers Discover Another Place Where People Live Freakishly Long

There are regions where an atypically large number of people enjoy a much longer lifespan than elsewhere on the planet. In these so-called Blue Zones—such as Ogliastra in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, and Martinique—the population tends to eat healthy, stay physically active, engage with a community, and live with a sense of purpose. (Why are we surprised they live longer, again?). An international team of researchers has investigated how these Blue Zone lifestyle principles apply

Musk looks past Tesla sales slump, says 80% of value will come from Optimus

A mockup of Tesla Inc.'s planned humanoid robot Optimus on display during the Seoul Mobility Show in Goyang, South Korea, on Thursday, March 30, 2023. The motor show will continue through April 9. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted that Optimus robots, which have yet to hit the market, will eventually make up more than three-quarters of his automaker's value. In a post on X on Monday, Musk wrote, "~80% of Tesla's value will be Optimus." In mid-

I let my robot vacuum run for 10 days unattended - and the results surprised me

Narwal Freo Pro ZDNET's key takeaways The Narwal Freo Pro is now available for $500 (a $300 discount). Construction is optimized to prevent blockage and hair tangles, with a conical brush on a single floating arm and a hair-loosening side brush. The dust bag didn't last me the claimed seven weeks, and the robot's object detection leaves a lot to be desired $499.99 at Amazon Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. A recent trip took me and my family out of town for 10 days. I li

Why Runway is eyeing the robotics industry for future revenue growth

Runway has spent the past seven years building visual-generating tools for the creative industry. Now, it sees a new opportunity for its technology: robotics. New York-based Runway is known for its video and photo generation AI world models, or large language models that create a simulated version of the real world. Most recently, the company released Gen-4, its video-generating model, in March and Runway Aleph, its video editing model, in July. As Runway’s world models started to improve — an