Bird or droid? Starlings nail R2-D2 beeps and boops.

R2-D2 is seen with Star Wars BDX Droids backstage during Star Wars Celebration Japan on April 19, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.

Can birds imitate R2-D2? Yes, and some are surprisingly good at it

When you think of birds imitating sounds, parrots and starlings might come to mind. They're famous for copying human speech, ...

This $20,000 Neo Robot Will Clean Your Home, But There’s A Catch

1X, the AI and robotics company behind a $20,000 home robot that will clean your house and water your plants, wants potential ...
Defense One

Naval drone startup HavocAI hopes to build 100-foot robot boat by year’s end

Robot-boat startup HavocAI has built 42 autonomous vessels in 18 months. And now, as the military focuses on deterring China, the company is working to finish a 100-footer by the end of the year.
9to5Mac

HomeKit Weekly: SwitchBot vacuums come to HomeKit, here’s how it works

Earlier this year, iOS 18.4 brought support for Matter’s implementation of robot vacuums into HomeKit. I’ve been testing a few various models over the past few months, and SwitchBot has done a ...
Defense One

SOCOM to get robotic anti-drone turret for maritime platforms

Some maritime special operators are getting a robotic turret that can turn machine guns into an autonomous drone-killer for boats and other vehicles. U.S. Special Operations Command awarded defense ...
EDN

How a goggle-wearing parrot and lasers could improve flying robot designs

Picture this: A tiny Pacific parrotlet blazing through the air decked with red-tined pilot goggles, a joint pairing between cuteness and science that ticks off every box of what makes interesting ...