Research & Development news

• Motorola’s AI Necklace Tests a New Kind of Digital Assistant

  07-01-2026 17:52 via eweek.com
  Motorola used CES 2026 to quietly test the waters in the emerging AI companion hardware market, previewing a minimalist wearable designed to act as an always-available assistant rather than a full-fledged smart device. The company debuted the product during its Lenovo World Tour events surrounding CES.The wearable shows Motorola’s attempt to explore a category that has struggled to gain traction, following the high-profile stumbles of earlier AI-first devices. Enterprise leaders, platform
  
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• China’s Roborock Unveils a Robot Vacuum That Can Climb Stairs

  07-01-2026 17:21 via eweek.com
  Robot vacuums have learned how to mop, dodge cables, and even lift small obstacles. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Roborock added a new milestone to that list: stairs.The company, headquartered in Beijing, China, used its CES stage to unveil the Saros Rover, a robot vacuum that uses a wheel-leg design to climb staircases, handle slopes, and clean areas that have long been off-limits to robotic cleaners.Roborock describes the Saros Rover as the world’s first robot vacuum with a two-wheel-leg arc
  
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• Best Free and Low-Cost AI Certifications Tech Pros Can Earn in 2026

  07-01-2026 17:06 via eweek.com
  Artificial intelligence skills are now essential for many tech jobs, but training and certification can be expensive.Thankfully, major tech companies and popular learning platforms are offering free and low-cost AI courses. These programs help professionals gain in-demand skills at different stages of their careers without spending a lot of money. Most of these free and affordable AI certifications focus on practical skills, from understanding AI fundamentals to applying machine learning co
  
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• How to Colorize and Restore Old Photos With AI in 3 Simple Steps

  07-01-2026 16:58 via eweek.com
  You found an old family photo. It’s faded and scratched. It looks like it survived a minor flood. But is it toast? Not anymore.The good news: ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now colorize and gently restore old photos in seconds. No Photoshop, plugins, or PhD required.Bad news: if you’re sloppy, the model will happily “improve” your relatives into people you don’t recognize. The key is careful restraint.Here’s how to do it right.Step 1: Give the AI something wort
  
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• How to Colorize and Restore Old Photos With AI

  07-01-2026 16:58 via eweek.com
  You found an old family photo. It’s faded and scratched. It looks like it survived a minor flood. But is it toast? Not anymore.The good news: ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now colorize and gently restore old photos in seconds. No Photoshop, plugins, or PhD required.Bad news: if you’re sloppy, the model will happily “improve” your relatives into people you don’t recognize. The key is careful restraint.Here’s how to do it right.Step 1: Give the AI something wort
  
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• Ring Rolls Out AI-Powered Security Tools and Hub-Free Sensors at CES 2026

  07-01-2026 16:00 via eweek.com
  Ring just turned your front porch into a much smarter neighbor.At CES 2026, the Amazon-owned security company introduced a massive expansion of its ecosystem, moving beyond simple motion pings to artificial intelligence that can actually recognize when your routine is “off.” The biggest change coming to your smartphone is a feature called AI Unusual Event Alert. Instead of buzzing every time a car drives by, the system learns the daily routine patterns of your property. If somet
  
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• Apple’s iPhone Air Designer Abidur Chowdhury Moves to AI Startup Hark

  07-01-2026 15:30 via eweek.com
  Apple’s design team just lost one of its brightest stars to the world of startups.Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who became a familiar face to Apple fans after introducing the ultra-thin iPhone Air, has officially joined the AI startup Hark as its new Head of Design. The move, reported by Bloomberg, marks another high-profile exit from the tech giant as top-tier talent continues to migrate toward artificial intelligence.Chowdhury was a rising star who had been with Apple si
  
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• Amazon’s AI Shopping Tool Faces Retailer Backlash Over Website Scraping

  07-01-2026 15:05 via eweek.com
  Amazon’s latest AI experiment has backfired, igniting a revolt amongst small retailers.
  The e-commerce giant quietly launched a feature that scrapes competitor websites without permission, and now hundreds of small businesses are fighting back.
  Amazon’s “Shop Direct” feature, launched in February 2025, was designed to make shopping easier by letting customers browse products from other retailers directly on Amazon’s platform.
  But what seemed like innovation has turn
  
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• Mobileye to Buy Israeli Startup Mentee Robotics for $900M

  07-01-2026 12:37 via eweek.com
  Self-driving car firm Mobileye has made a massive acquisition that signals where AI is heading next.
  The company announced it will acquire humanoid robotics startup Mentee Robotics for $900 million, marking one of the largest humanoid robot deals in history.
  Mobileye will pay $612 million in cash plus 26.2 million shares, representing a 455% premium over Mentee’s $162 million valuation from 10 months ago. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
  Dynamic duo
  The timing is
  
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• Leading AI Doomsayer Rethinks the Timeline for Humanity’s End

  07-01-2026 10:43 via eweek.com
  Humanity’s ultimate demise at the hands of AI sounds like a sci-fi trope, but today experts debate its very real probability.For much of the past year, a figure whose name has been spoken time and time again in discussions about artificial general intelligence (AGI) and human extinction is Daniel Kokotajlo. A prominent voice in the AI safety community and former OpenAI researcher, Kokotajlo helped spark a global conversation last April with “AI 2027,” a speculative scenari
  
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• Elon Musk’s xAI Raises $20B in New Funding

  07-01-2026 10:32 via eweek.com
  Elon Musk’s xAI has secured $20 billion in Series E funding, exceeding its initial target by a remarkable $5 billion.
  The capital injection comes with heavyweight backing from tech giants Nvidia and Cisco, positioning xAI as a formidable challenger in the intensifying AI arms race.
  This funding round represents one of the largest AI investments ever recorded, signaling unprecedented investor confidence in Musk’s vision for AI dominance.
  The announcement arrives just one week after Op
  
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