To go along with SPRK, Sphero also revamped the SPRK Lighting Lab app for iOS and Android. There's now more of a community aspect to it, where teachers and students can share their lessons, activities and programs with others. Sphero says the Lightning Lab application is what ties the entire experience together, as it allows it to continue promoting skills to anyone through robotics. "We just want to make toys that inspire," a Sphero representative said to Engadget during the SPRK demo. The SPRK arrives today for 129 on Sphero's site, as well as Apple stores and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

Consumers want a more interesting relationship with the brands they use, and think highly of virtual techniques promised by evolving technologies – especially on the more personal mobile level – says a report from the DMA. According to the study, half (48%) of respondents expressed an interest in artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to engagement, such as chatbots or virtual assistants. But this increased dramatically for younger age groups, rising to 79% for 16-24 year olds, 76% for those aged 25-34 and 62% of those aged 35-44. More than half (54%) of Gen Y/Millennial age groups (28% of the total sample) are interested in a service that detected how they were feeling and sent them surprise offers/deals based on their mood. "Current engagement methods often seem clumsy, like'brand stalking', where items follow a consumer around on web banners. Instead, consumer data could be used in virtual or artificial intelligence systems. One example could be chatbots, giving brands a better way to use their data and consumers a more meaningful interaction," said Rachel Aldighieri, DMA MD.

Take a good look at the people around you. If Governments and Academics are correct then the jobs of between a third to half of the people you're looking at, and at least a third of all of their organisations will be replaced and usurped by machines within just twenty years. Although you might not have realised it at the time your job and your company first came under threat was in the late 90's when the first E-commerce site popped onto your screen. Your first transaction was your first glimpse into a new world – a world where everything was on demand and where everything was served up from behind a screen. Yesterday you were buying books. While the glass hasn't changed much in those twenty or so years the technologies behind it have and at an exponential rate.

Machine-learning is all the rage in fraud detection, with industry analysts, academics, businesses and technology media examining the advantages of algorithms and big data in the fight against e-commerce fraud. Especially for fraud analysts working in companies with small budgets, machine-learning tools are seen as a cost-effective way to tighten fraud controls while maintaining fast decision times, as Forrester noted in its 2015 cross-channel fraud report. There's no question that machine-learning tools can be an effective component of fraud reduction program, but relying on them to save staffing costs may not be cost-effective in the long run. That's because while machine learning is an invaluable tool in the fight against fraud, it relies on human input and insight to create a comprehensive solution that yields the best results. Algorithms are useful for identifying potential fraud quickly, but due to variability in consumer behavior – such as making online purchases while traveling abroad -- some transactions will be falsely flagged for decline.

Wal-Mart could finally end the frustration of not being able to find the final food item on your shopping list - and becoming completely bewildered the second you set foot in one of their stores. It is working with a robotics firm to develop'driverless' shopping carts that allows customers to scan in their shopping list - and then guides them to the right aisle and shelf. This new innovation is a way for Wal-Mart to compete with the convenience that Amazon and other online stores offer consumers. Wal-Mart is working with a robotics firm to develop'driverless' shopping carts that will help customers find items on their lists. Wal-Mart is working with a robotics firm to developing'driverless' shopping carts that help customers find items on their lists. It has implemented tools that allow consumers to scan and purchase items using their mobile phones –without ever having to step foot in a checkout line.

The biggest retailer in the U.S., Walmart, is experimenting with robot shopping carts. The company has yet to release any details of how the robo-carts work. But the news highlights how rapidly automation is moving into shopping and warehouse fulfillment. It also shows how keen Walmart is to embrace any technology that might help it counter the shift toward online shopping and faster product delivery. Just a few weeks ago, Walmart also said it was testing whether drones could help check the inventory in its stores.

Half of consumers are interested in brands using artificial intelligence (AI) for customer engagement, such as chatbots or virtual assistants, according to new research. The study, conducted by the DMA examined consumer engage with the brands they love now and in the future. The survey also found that 40% consumers are actively loyal to brands, while 28% are actively disloyal and the remainder are only loyal depending on the context. Half (48%) of respondents expressed an interest in artificial intelligence approaches to engagement, such as chatbots or virtual assistants. But this increased dramatically for younger age-groups, rising to 79% for the 16-24 age-group, 76% for those aged 25-34 and 62% of those aged 35-44.

It is far from being the apocalyptic extermination of the human race depicted in films like the Terminator, but it seems the rise of the machines has begun. Robots are starting to perform a growing number jobs of that have traditionally been filled by humans – such as security patrols, courier deliveries and room service in hotels. These include five-feet tall security bots that are patrolling shopping centres and office buildings in California, using a range of sensors to look for anything suspicious. Robots are starting to perform roles that have traditionally been performed by humans. While there are many who fear robots are on the verge of stealing our jobs, it seems they have a weak spot - flat packed furniture.

From McDonalds' virtual reality Happy Goggles to Sony's tiny in-ear personal assistant, 2016 is set to be a year where your futuristic fantasies may become a reality. But how can online retailers keep up with this fast-paced tech world reducing consumers' attention spans? But while consumers are being drawn into hi-tech, marketers mustn't forget to remain human with their marketing strategies as it's crucial for consumers to be able to relate to ads. Ultimately, being human is crucial to converting consumers into buyers. As illustrated in Nielsen's recent report, personal recommendations remain the most trusted form of advertising, as 81% of UK respondents say.

Coming off its first quarterly revenue decline in 13 years, Apple Inc. kicks off its annual developers' conference Monday in San Francisco facing questions about whether the company's best days are behind it. The focus of the weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to be on Siri, Apple's digital assistant. When Apple introduced Siri as an iPhone feature in 2011, it heralded a future of people finding information or completing tasks on their devices by speaking rather than typing or tapping. That vision of Siri hasn't fully materialized, leaving the door open for other technology companies to push into Apple's turf. Google parent Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have all introduced voice-activated digital assistants that rely on artificial intelligence?technology that allows computers to understand inferences and context so they can make decisions like a human brain instead of following programmed instructions.