For those who hate mowing the lawn, a new robot could prove to be the answer. Described by its makers as the'world's first fully autonomous all-season garden robot', Kobi can cut grass, pick up leaves and even plough snow. The autonomous machine sports a rechargeable battery and will automatically dock itself in its charging station when it needs a power boost. Described by its makers as the'world's first fully autonomous all-season garden robot', Kobi can cut grass, pick up leaves and even plough snow Using GPS and built-in sensors, the robot helper can navigate around on its own. It can cut grass over a lawn measuring up to 7 acres (28,328 square metres) pick up leaves over an area of 3 acres (12,141 square metres) and shovel show over 0.37 acres (1,497 square metres).

General Electric (GE), the largest industrial company in the US, says it has developed processes that more than double the speed of innovation and which have the potential to completely restructure its own business. GE will next week launch its first business venture, called Fuse, that will test a hugely ambitious and radical approach to creating new companies through processes and technologies designed to harness the work of global crowds of experts. Dyan Finkhousen is Director of GE's Open Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing group. The GE startup "will usher in what we believe is the future of work," said Dyan Finkhousen, Director of GE's Open Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing group. See also: Emerging technologies to power your systems of insight Obama's report on the future of artificial intelligence: The main takeaways Robot security: Making sure machines don't become the latest big threat She was speaking at Brightidea's Synthesize user conference in San Francisco.

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday for developing the world's smallest machines, work that could revolutionize computer technology and lead to a new type of battery. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sauvage, British-born Fraser Stoddart and Dutch scientist Bernard "Ben" Feringa share the 8 million kronor ( 930,000) prize for the "design and synthesis of molecular machines," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said. Machines at the molecular level are 1,000th the width of a human hair and have taken chemistry to a new dimension, the academy said. Molecular machines "will most likely be used in the development of things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems." Stoddart has already developed a molecule-based computer chip with 20 kB memory.

What if you and your wearable could have a conversation? Not a conversation involving command prompts or specific phrases, but a natural, fluid discussion about the weather, or what kind of run you should go on today. That's the idea behind Asteria: claiming to be'True AI', which learns everything about you but doesn't just crunch numbers to throw them back at your face. Rather, it turns the data into personalized pieces of information relevant to you - through a conversation. It sounds like a film or novel, something romanticized and created to whet our appetites for genuine AI, but Asteria co-founders CEO Dan Gailey and COO Nathan Ross believe it's possible - and that they're well on their way to making it real.

How do you improve on a design as classic as the round wall clock? Glance Clock founder and CEO Anton Zriaschev has conjured up a delightful timepiece that blends elements of analog and digital design and promises to make you more productive by helping you avoid distractions and--surprisingly enough--the compulsion to keep an eye on the clock so you don't miss important events and appointments. TechHive only covers the occasional crowdfunding project (the Glance Clock's Indiegogo campaign starts today). To catch our interest, the project has to be particularly interesting, and the startup must be able to provide a working prototype. Zriaschev has only a handful of those, so he made the three-hour trek from the San Francisco Bay Area to my home (and TechHive's de facto test lab) to show me his invention.

Visitors walk past the showroom of LG Electronics during the Auto China 2016 show in Beijing, China April 26, 2016. SEOUL South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said on Friday it is partnering with Amazon.com LG said in a statement Alexa will work with its SmartThinkQ Hub, an LG device used to connect with home appliances over the internet, to allow users to control the South Korean firm's home appliances via voice-recognition technology. Dash feature on its SmartThinQ Sensors, which enabled so-called "smart" features on appliances that cannot communicate with other devices on their own, to allow users to quickly order household items such as laundry detergent or drinks. "We will work with a wide range of partners to deliver differentiated smart-home solutions to customers," said Jo Seung-jin, head of LG's appliances business, in the statement.

People walk past a LG Electronics logo during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 25, 2016. SEOUL South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said on Sunday it will aggressively invest in robots, seeking to capitalize on advancing artificial intelligence that may eventually lead to sophisticated machines performing everyday human tasks. LG, in a statement, said its appliances division is preparing the firm's entry into the robotics industry with the aim to develop products that will work closely with home appliances products such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioning units. "We will prepare for the future by aggressively investing in smart home, robots and key components and strengthen the home appliances business's capabilities," said Jo Seung-jin, head of LG's appliances business, in the statement. Advances in fields such as artificial intelligence and wireless communications are allowing for more sophisticated machines that can talk to each other via the internet and perform more complex tasks.

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG The Chinese government said on Friday it was investigating two high-profile takeover proposals involving U.S. companies, the latest sign of its growing influence on whether deals are approved - even those appearing to have little impact in China.

Artificial Intelligence Is It Real? Artificial intelligence could improve diagnostic power of lung function tests European Lung ...

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