Amazon has unveiled its latest warehouse robot. It says "Sparrow is the first robotic system in our warehouses that can detect, select, and handle individual products in our inventory." The robotic arm uses AI and computer vision to recognize and handle millions of items, according to Amazon.

The company says that, by employing robots in its warehouses, it can conduct operations more efficiently and safely. "Sparrow will take on repetitive tasks, enabling our employees to focus their time and energy on other things, while also advancing safety," Amazon said. "At the same time, Sparrow will help us drive efficiency by automating a critical part of our fulfillment process so we can continue to deliver for customers." It added that, by employing robots, it has been able to create more than 700 new job categories.

Amazon doesn't exactly have a spotless record when it comes to conditions for warehouse workers, particularly when robots are involved. In 2020, the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal publication released a report indicating that, between 2016 and 2019, the rate of serious injuries sustained by Amazon employees at automated warehouses was 50 percent higher than at facilities that don't use robots.

According to the report, the use of robots led Amazon to increase workers' quotas, requiring them to scan as many as 400 items per hour when they previously had to scan 100. "The data back up the accounts of Amazon warehouse workers and former safety professionals who say the company has used the robots to ratchet up production quotas to the point that humans can’t keep up without hurting themselves," the report reads.

This past July, it emerged that the US government was looking into Amazon over alleged unsafe workplace conditions. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration carried out inspections that were "related, among other things, to Amazon's required pace of work for its warehouse employees."

Amazon revealed Sparrow amid a drive by warehouse workers to unionize their workplaces, where robots are taking over duties in some cases. In March, workers at the JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island voted to unionize, becoming the first Amazon warehouse to do so. The company has challenged the result of the election. More recently, workers at an Albany, New York warehouse voted against unionization after Amazon conducted an anti-union campaign.

If you think of robots in the military, your mind may conjure dystopian images of science-fiction battlefields with AI-powered machines trading laser fire. But in a much more humane application, UK researchers are developing a potentially lifesaving medical system equivalent to a VR triage video call.

University of Sheffield researchers are working on a telepresence system to treat military personnel during combat. The plan is for offsite medics to don virtual reality headsets and control a battlefield robot. The machine can take the patient's vitals with the same technology used in robotic surgery.

Currently, injured combatants often have to see medical technicians with limited on-hand resources. These paramedics often do their jobs at significant personal risk (and, if contagious diseases and contamination are factors, a risk to others as well). If the patient needs further care, moving them to a safe location with proper resources could take hours or days.

The planned telepresence system would allow medical technicians to work offsite, using the robot to gather data like the patient's temperature or blood pressure. For example, the machines could take mouth swabs and draw blood samples from the patient's arm. In addition, it could send photos and videos of injuries to the offsite medical workers, allowing them to assess and perhaps even treat the patient remotely.

Project co-lead Sanja Dogramadzi, a professor at the University of Sheffield's Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, sees the initiative as a lifesaving measure. "Developing a remotely-operated robotic system would significantly improve safety by reducing the amount of danger military personnel are exposed to on the frontline. Our platform uses the latest technology and would integrate it in a way that hasn't been done before."

Robot vacuums can be a godsend if vacuuming is one of your least favorite household chores. In recent years, new models from iRobot and Shark have become more intelligent, more powerful and, best of all, less expensive. Still, a robot vacuum is an investment, and it helps when they go on sale like iRobot’s models are right now on Amazon.

To start, the retailer has discounted the Roomba 694, one of our favorite budget picks. After a 35 percent discount, the robot vacuum is $179. The 694 is great if you want a no-frills option. It features WiFi connectivity, allowing you to connect to it through iRobot’s easy-to-use companion app. The software makes setup and creating a vacuuming schedule easy. Add a powerful motor and decent battery life, and you have a robot vacuum that meets the needs of most people. One of the few downsides of the 694 is that it doesn’t come with spare parts, so you’ll be forced to pay extra when you need a replacement filter or brush. But when you’re saving almost $100 off the price of the 694's usual price, that’s less of a concern.

For those with a bigger budget, Amazon has also discounted the Roomba j7+ and Roomba s9+. The former is $599 after a $200 price cut, while the latter is $799, instead of $1,000, thanks to a 20 percent discount. Of the two, the j7+ is the better pick for most people. It features Roomba’s latest computer vision software, making the vacuum better at avoiding obstacles like pet poop. The more expensive s9+ isn’t as smart as its newer sibling but features 40 times the suction power of a standard Roomba. If you have a lot of carpet in your home, the s9+ will leave your floors noticeably cleaner than the company’s other vacuum robots. Both models ship with a docking station where they’ll automatically empty their canisters at the end of a cleaning session. So if that’s a feature you’re set on, you don’t need to upgrade to the s9+.

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Lego's Mindstorms robotics kits have been on the market since 1998, born from a collaboration between Lego and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Now, Lego has announced it will be discontinuing Mindstorms at the end of the year and providing support for the mobile app for at least another two years beyond that, Gizmodo has reported. 

Starting as the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System over 24 years ago, the kits used Lego's advanced Technics pieces with gears and other robotics parts, powered by the basic "Brick" processing unit. They took a big step forward in 2006 with the introduction of the company's next generation of Mindstorms kits, dubbed NXT.

Another big jump came in 2013 with the EV3 robotics platform. This new lineup was backwards-compatible with the NXT series, offering enhancements to its sensor load and processing power. Lego also launched dedicated mobile apps, turning iOS and Android devices into remote controls for Mindstorms projects. Finally, it set up a Mindstorms community where users could share their creations and collaborate with other builders.

The last official product was the Robot Inventor lineup from 2020, but with nothing seen since, the writing seemed on the wall for Mindstorms — particularly as Lego was focusing on other educational ventures. 

"Now having a number of priorities in LEGO Education and other Build & Code experiences, we have decided to focus our resources and future plans by redirecting our Mindstorms Robot Inventor team and their expertise into different areas of the business," the company said in a statement to Brick Fanatics. "This means the physical Mindstorms Robot Inventor product (51515) and its related elements (88016 and 88018) are to exit our portfolio from the end of 2022, whilst digital platforms—such as the LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor App—will remain live until at least the end of 2024."

It was one of the first toys to actively promote STEM learning while getting kids and adults alike interested in robotics. (Engadget collaborated with Lego on a Mindstorms robotics contest in 2014.) While it's the end of an era in robotics education, there are now plenty of kits on the market, including Lego's own Boost robotics kit for beginners. And if you happen to own a Mindstorms robot, it might soon become a collector's item. 

The days of Spot being leveraged as a weapons platform and training alongside special forces operators are already coming to an end; Atlas as a back-flipping soldier of fortune will never come to pass. Their maker, Boston Dynamics, along with five other industry leaders announced on Thursday that they will not pursue, or allow, the weaponization of their robots, according to a non-binding, open letter they all signed.

Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics and Unitree Robotics all joined Boston Dynamics in the agreement. "We believe that adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, widely available to the public, and capable of navigating to previously inaccessible locations where people live and work, raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues," the group wrote. "Weaponized applications of these newly-capable robots will also harm public trust in the technology in ways that damage the tremendous benefits they will bring to society." 

The group cites "the increasing public concern in recent months caused by a small number of people who have visibly publicized their makeshift efforts to weaponize commercially available robots," such as the armed Spot from Ghost Robotics, or the Dallas PD's use of an EOD bomb disposal robot as an IED as to why they felt the need to take this stand. 

To that end, the industry group pledges to "not weaponize our advanced-mobility general-purpose robots or the software we develop that enables advanced robotics and we will not support others to do so." Nor will they allow their customers to subsequently weaponize any platforms they were sold, when possible. That's a big caveat given the long and storied history of such weapons as the Toyota Technical, former Hilux pickups converted into DIY war machines that have been a mainstay in asymmetric conflicts since the '80s.    

"We also pledge to explore the development of technological features that could mitigate or reduce these risks," the group continued, but "to be clear, we are not taking issue with existing technologies that nations and their government agencies use to defend themselves and uphold their laws." They also call on policymakers as well as the rest of the robotics development community to take up similar pledges. 

Those who have a robot vacuum on their gift list this year can pick up a few iRobot machines for less right now. Arguably the best for most people is the Roomba 694, which is 27 percent off at Amazon (which now owns iRobot) and down to only $199. While this model has dropped to $179 in the past, this is the best deal we've seen on it since June. Also discounted are the higher-end Roomba j7+ and Roomba s9+, which are going for $599 and $799, respectively.

The Roomba 694 topped our list of best budget robot vacuums because it combines all of the essential features you'd expect in one of these machines with a relatively slick design and an easy-to-use mobile app. It cleans both hard and carpeted floors well, and it'll run for about 90 minutes (depending on floor surfaces) before it automatically returns to its dock to recharge. Its three-stage cleaning system did a pretty good job sucking up dirt, debris and even pet hair, and it navigates around furniture well, too.

You can control the device using the physical buttons on it, but the iRobot app is where you'll have more customization options. In it, you can check on the status of the robot's current job, plus set cleaning schedules, manually send the robot home and more. And when you don't even want to lift a finger, you can use Alexa or the Google Assistant to control the machine. While the Roomba 694 doesn't have the bells and whistles of the brand's more expensive devices, it has all the necessities and will be easy for first-time users to figure out.

If you're looking to invest in something more powerful, or just know you'll need stronger suction power, either the Roomba j7+ or the s9+ would be great picks. The j7+ is the newer of the two, debuting last year, and it has advanced obstacle avoidance that should help it navigate around a robo-vac's worst enemy — pet poop. It also has 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba and smart mapping abilities, plus it comes with a clean base into which it automatically empties its bin after every job. The Roomba s9+ takes it even further with 40x the suction power, a more corner-friendly design, obstacle detection, smart mapping and an included clean base.

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In addition to launching the 12T smartphone series today, Xiaomi also announced that its Robot Vacuum X10+ — which debuted in China back in April — is now headed to Europe. This is the company's most versatile robot vacuum to date: Not only can it vacuum with 4,000Pa suction and mop with pressurized dual rotating pads, but with its base station, it can automatically empty its trash, refill its water tank, wash its mops and dry them with heat as well. All told, the robot vacuum itself should require little maintenance; you'll just need to refill the base station's water reservoir and empty its waste water tank and dust bin from time to time.

This isn't the first time Xiaomi released a robot vacuum with both mop-cleaning and mop-drying features; it did so for the Chinese market almost a year ago. With other models, you'd have to detach and wash the mop yourself which, let's be honest, isn't the most pleasant job in the world. Even if you think the mop looks fine after each run, chances are it would eventually become smelly due to the moisture encouraging fungal growth. That's obviously not good.

Xiaomi

The X10+ solves this problem with its multi-functional base station. When docked, the two mops will be cleaned by rotating wet brushes underneath, followed by a two-hour, low-heat drying session. Basically, you'll likely never have to touch the mops until you need to replace them due to wear and tear. Additionally, the X10+ can detect carpets using its ultrasonic sensors, at which point it'll automatically lift its mops.

Like its predecessors, the X10+ uses LDS (laser distance sensor) for indoor mapping and navigation. It's also equipped with Xiaomi's very own "S-Cross AI" system — some software trick combined with the machine's dual-line laser and RGB camera — to recognize the types of objects ahead, in order to estimate the suitable clearance distance for each of them. Say you have a weighing scale in your living room — the X10+ will keep a distance of 2cm to 4cm from it just in case. As for general furniture pieces like coffee table or couch, the robot can go right up to them to perform its usual tasks. For those who are concerned about adding yet another camera to their private space, Xiaomi applied for a TÜV Rheinland Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Standard Certificate for its X10+.

The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ will be available across Europe starting at 899 euros (about $900). Compared to the $1,099 Roomba Combo j7+ which is also shipping today, Xiaomi certainly has a price advantage, especially considering that barely of the competition is offering both self-cleaning and self-drying features on their mopping robots, let alone combining these with automatic dust bin emptying.

It seems like just yesterday that Elon Musk ushered a gig worker in a spandex suit onto the Tesla AI Day 2021 stage and told us it was an robot — or at least probably would be one eventually. In the intervening 13 months, the company has apparently been hard at work, replacing the squishy bits from what crowd saw on stage with proper electronics and mechanizations. At this year's AI Day on Friday, Tesla unveiled the next iteration of its Optimus robotics platform and, well, at least there isn't still a person on the inside? 

Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk debuted the "first" Optimus (again, skinny guy in a leotard, not an actual machine) in August of last year and, true to his nature, and proceeded to set out a series of increasingly incredible claims about the platform's future capabilities — just like how the Cybertruck will have unbreakable windows. As Musk explained at the time, the Optimus will operate an AI similar to the company's Autopilot system (the one that keeps chasing stationary ambulances) and be capable of working safely around humans without extensive prior training. 

Additionally, the Tesla Bot would understand complex verbal commands, Musk assured the assembled crowd, it would have "human-level hands," be able to both move at 5 MPH and carry up to 45 pounds despite standing under 6-feet tall and weighing 125 pounds. And, most incredibly, Tesla would have a working prototype for all of that by 2022, which brings us to today.

Kicking off the event, CEO Elon Musk was quickly joined on stage by an early development platform prototype of the robot — the very first time one of the test units had walked unassisted by an umbilical tether. Lacking any exterior panelling to reveal the Tesla-designed actuators inside, the robot moved at a halting and ponderous pace, not unlike early Asimos and certainly a far cry from the deft acrobatics that Boston Robotics Atlas exhibits. Musk estimates that they could cost under $20,000 when built at volume.

Developing...

One of Shark's higher-end robot vacuums is on sale at Amazon, and you may want to check it out if you're looking for a model with a clean base. The Shark IQ RV1001AE robot vacuum is currently listed for $300, and the deal is only available today. That's half off the model's original retail price of $600 and just a dollar more than its all-time low on the website. The RV1001AE vacuum features powerful suction that can clean both bare floors and carpets, as well as a self-cleaning brush roll that can remove pet and human hair on its own. No more balls of tangled hair getting stuck and preventing the vacuum from being able to clean efficiently.

The machine cleans the floor row by row, and its IQ navigation capability means it can map your whole home so that you can select specific rooms to clean. If it runs out of battery, it can even go back to its dock, recharge and pick up from where it left off. When you want to the robot to start cleaning, you can get it to move by controlling it with your voice through Alexa and Google Assistant. And yes, the vacuum is also connected to the company's app, which you can use to schedule cleanings for your whole house or for certain rooms at specific hours of the day. The robot empties its bin into the clean base once it's done, and that bagless base can hold up to 45 days' worth of dirt.

In case you'd rather get a model you can manually use — maybe your pet is deathly afraid of robot vacuums or maybe you personally want to make sure no corner gets missed — Shark has another two models on sale at Amazon. The Shark IZ363HT has a self-cleaning brush roll, as well, and is listed for $230 at 34 percent off. Meanwhile, the Shark IZ483H is currently on sale for $300, or $200 off its regular price. It has a self-cleaning brush roll, a removable hand vacuum and a 120-minute battery life on a single charge.

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Chipotle's tortilla-making robot will soon help out in a restaurant you can visit. The chain has unveiled a slew of technology updates that include moving the Miso Robotics-made Chippy robot to a real restaurant. The machine will start cooking tortilla chips in a Fountain Valley, California location in October. Feedback from customers and workers will help the company decide on a national rollout.

Artificial intelligence will influence some human cooks, too. Chipotle is piloting a demand-based cooking system that uses AI to tell staff what and when to cook based on forecasts for how much they'll need. In theory, this lightens the load for employees while making sure there's enough freshly-cooked tacos and burritos when you show up for dinner. The pilot is underway at eight Orange County, California restaurants.

There's also an upgrade for tech you can use. An opt-in program in the Chipotle App lets you know when your order's ready, reminds you to scan your rewards code and can even warn if you show up at the wrong pick-up location. The experiment is in progress at 73 restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Chippy and kitchen AI projects may be well-timed. While there are concerns that AI and robotics may automate people out of jobs at restaurants like Chipotle and McDonald's, the deployments come as retail continues to struggle with staff shortages. This theoretically frees workers to concentrate on serving customers, rather than handling drudgery behind the scenes.