TECHNOLOGY

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Tesla's Autopilot (again) to determine if the over-the-air update to the automated driving system was enough to keep drivers on the road. 

The new probe comes after the NHTSA closed a multi-year investigation into Autopilot. The prior report found evidence that "Tesla's weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot's permissive operating capabilities," which resulted (more…)

For those curious, owning a flamethrower is broadly legal across the United States, with Maryland being the exception, as the state has effectively banned these devices. In California, flamethrowers are legal but require a permit. 

With the legality all sorted out. What's been making headlines this week is a Unitree Go2 quadruple robot equipped with a flamethrower. 

"Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog. This quadruped is coupled with the ARC Flamethrower to deliver on-demand fire anywhere!" Throwflame, the company behind the robot flamethrower, wrote on its website. 

Called the "Thermonator," the flamethrowing robot retails for $9,420 and can shoot napalm upwards of 30 feet. 

Throwflame says Thermonator is mainly used for "wildfire control and prevention," "agricultural management," "ecological conservation," "snow and ice removal," and "entertainment and SFX." 

Over the years, we have covered the proliferation of this technology, from 'cute' dancing robo-dogs from (Japanese-owned) Boston Dynamics to the Chinese version of 'spot' with a machine gun strapped to its back. 

Even an armed robo-dog deployed by a drone. 

Meanwhile, just days ago, Boston Dynamics unveiled its (more…)

Authored by Giorgio Cafiero via The Cradle

Launched in 2017, Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, a sprawling high-tech development on the northwestern Red Sea coast, was introduced as the crown jewel of Vision 2030. This futuristic desert megaproject, extending over some Jordanian and Egyptian territory, was cast as a bold leap toward economic diversification under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). But, recent geopolitical setbacks have raised significant concerns (more…)