The World’s Smallest Robot Is Barely Visible, But It’s a Huge Deal
Researchers have created the world’s smallest programmable, autonomous robot. At just 200 by 300 micrometers, it’s smaller than a freckle and can operate for months powered by light.
Category: Innovation
Coreboot’s New Release is a Big Deal for AMD and Qualcomm
The open-source firmware project Coreboot has dropped its year-end update, and it’s packing some serious hardware support. Version 25.12 brings official backing for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X1E80100 and a proof-of-concept for next-gen AMD Turin, signaling a major push into modern platforms.
The Two Big Mistakes We Make When Reading Sci-Fi
According to a science journalist, we consistently misread science fiction by either fetishizing its dystopian tech or treating it as a literal blueprint. Both mistakes blind us to the genre’s real power: to question the world as it is.
Factories Are Getting a Brain, and It’s a Multi-Billion Dollar Shift
Manufacturing is entering a new era powered by agentic AI. Systems that adapt in real-time are cutting defects and downtime, with giants like BMW and Tesla leading the charge. The financial stakes are massive.
Mill’s Amazon Deal Shows How to Sell to Big Business
Mill, the food waste startup from Nest’s founders, just locked in a major deal with Whole Foods. Starting in 2027, every store will get a commercial Mill bin. The strategy? Sell to executives at home first.
The Man Who Hunts Spies in Your Phone Sees US Democracy at Risk
Ron Deibert founded the Citizen Lab research center in 2001 to act as “counterintelligence for civil society.” He now warns that the United States, long a democratic standard, is seeing its foundational norms come under serious threat.
Neuro-Sama Smashes Her Own Twitch Hype Train Record. Again.
The AI streamer Neuro-Sama has broken her own Twitch Hype Train world record during her third birthday subathon. This time, she did it without any promotional help from the game Valorant.
Andrej Karpathy Says Vibe Coding Will ‘Terraform Software’
Andrej Karpathy, the former Tesla AI chief and OpenAI cofounder, published his 2025 year-in-review for LLMs. He doubled down on his prediction that “vibe coding,” a term he coined in February, will “terraform software and alter job descriptions.”
ScrubMarine’s $1M Bet on Underwater Robot Janitors
ScrubMarine just closed a €849,000 pre-Seed round to accelerate its autonomous subsea robotics. The UK startup aims to replace slow, dangerous legacy processes in maritime inspection and maintenance. It’s a tough market, but the timing might be right.
How a 22-Year-Old PBS Show Fights Our Math Crisis
The PBS Kids show ‘Cyberchase’ has been using animated adventures to teach math since 2002. Its creators now explicitly design episodes to combat sinking national math scores and the distraction of social media.