Restaurants have been struggling with labor shortages since the worst days of the pandemic, and the situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. After employees quit in droves and millions of restaurants shut down and laid off their entire staff, people seem to have found other ways to earn a living. Long waits, slow service, and disappointing meals. While there may not be a ton that robots can do to help at traditional sit-down restaurants, they're quickly moving in to fast food and fast-casual restaurants. Miso Robotics' Flippy, initially debuted in 2017 to flip burgers at a California fast food chain, got hired at 100 White Castles earlier this year (with expanded capabilities!).

A few years ago, Samsung had major battery issues when several faulty Galaxy Note 7 phones had exploding batteries. The devices were recalled, and the company spent a lot of time over the following years outlining all the rigorous battery tests it did to ensure it didn't happen again. Now, YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss, as well as others, have noticed batteries in Samsung phones are swelling up at a disproportionately high rate. This usually affects older devices, but some are only a couple of years old – the 2020-era Galaxy Z Fold 2, for instance. Samsung hasn't formally responded yet, but battery swelling isn't a new problem, nor one unique to Galaxy phones.

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.

About Hyundai Motor America Hyundai Motor America is focused on delivering an outstanding customer experience grounded in design leadership, engineering excellence, and exceptional value in every vehicle we sell. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs, and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assurance-our promise to deliver peace of mind to our customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide, and the majority sold in the U.S. are built at U.S. manufacturing facilities, including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.

The emergence of Internet of Things technology is driving the development of smart cities in many booming metropolitan areas around the world. The visions that planners have for these cities are bold--from autonomous buses and free Wi-Fi throughout Barcelona to LED streetlights in Los Angeles that have sensors to monitor their conditions. Tangible benefits are all falling into place, like security, savings and sustainability, as well as attracting residents and businesses that want to capitalize on lower operating costs and position themselves at the forefront of the smart city revolution. With plenty of incentives for cities to embrace the tech future, here are the trends in the emerging social and digital arena. As IoT-connected devices become more commonplace, security becomes an increasingly important challenge.