GoKawiil
Tech News
DoorDash announced it will now deliver from every Costco warehouse in the US starting Thursday, requiring customers to link an existing Costco membership in the app. The move follows Uber Eats' announcement a day earlier that it's expanding Costco delivery from 17 states to all 47 it serves.
A TechCrunch reviewer spent two weeks using Tovala's connected oven and pre-portioned meal deliveries to see if the system could rival the ease of ordering takeout. The oven, priced at $299 or $349 for the Pro model with steam capability, automatically adjusts cooking modes when users scan a QR code tied to each meal. Results were mixed: some dishes impressed while others fell short of a traditional home-cooked meal.
Walmart is rolling out AI-driven product recommendations, quicker delivery options and a broader selection of budget-friendly clothing to attract more online shoppers. The retailer says these changes are already showing results in customer engagement and sales growth. Executives frame the effort as part of a larger strategy to embed Walmart more deeply into everyday consumer habits.
Uber and Costco have widened their delivery partnership from 17 states to 47, meaning almost 600 Costco warehouses now offer Uber Eats delivery to members. Shoppers must verify Costco membership before ordering, and the app will let some members buy Costco memberships or get discounts on Uber One, its paid subscription.
McDonald's has teamed up with Chinese super-app Meituan to deliver food by drone to designated pickup kiosks in Shanghai's waterfront district. Customers place orders through Meituan, and drones fly meals like Big Macs and McNuggets directly to these collection points within minutes.
Transforma Insights projects the number of automated urban delivery vehicles will jump from 28,000 in 2025 to 559,000 by 2035. The forecasted growth raises concerns about gig worker displacement at companies like Uber Eats and DoorDash, even as current robots' roughly two-mile range keeps human drivers necessary for now. Meanwhile, weak oversight—including over 20 states classifying these devices as pedestrians—is prompting cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and Toronto to impose restrictions or bans.
Amazon has discounted Belkin's 45W USB-C wall charger by 25%, bringing the price down to $14.99. The compact charger supports USB Power Delivery 3.1 and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) standards, making it compatible with fast charging for phones, tablets, and some laptops.
Scientists have developed a drug delivery approach that targets specific structures within individual cells rather than simply reaching a cell as a whole. This subcellular precision aims to route therapeutic payloads to particular organelles or compartments where they can act most effectively.
Scientists are engineering particle-based delivery systems intended to ferry large molecules such as proteins and messenger RNA past the blood-brain barrier, a membrane that normally blocks such compounds from reaching brain tissue. Small chemicals like paracetamol already pass through naturally, but bigger therapeutic molecules cannot, limiting treatment options for brain disorders.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, led by surgeon Daniel Saltzman, have developed a therapy using genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria to carry interleukin-2, an immune-stimulating molecule, straight into tumours. Pancreatic cancer patient John Heller received the experimental treatment after starting chemotherapy for advanced disease, illustrating an early real-world test of the approach.
A Nature feature surveys six novel approaches under development for delivering drugs more precisely and effectively, ranging from advanced nanoparticle carriers to devices designed to target specific tissues. These innovations aim to overcome longstanding challenges such as poor bioavailability, degradation before reaching target sites, and off-target side effects.
A dozen Coco delivery robots bunched together on a narrow Lincoln Park sidewalk in Chicago, blocking pedestrians for several minutes, according to a video shared by resident Becca Ostein. Coco confirmed the malfunction, saying its team resolved the issue quickly and the robots resumed normal operation shortly after.