NaaS Technology one of the largest and fastest growing electric vehicle charging service providers in China, recently announced the launch of its first self-developed automatic charging robot with features including active vehicle locating, smart charging, and automatic payment settlement to meet the rising demand for mobile charging of electric vehicles ("EV"). With the future popularization of self-driving vehicles, compatible automatic charging robots will become indispensable infrastructure. During an automatic charging session, robots with mechanical arms will automatically dock with the ports of EVs and complete the charging and settlement processes in one go. Empowered by deep learning, 5G, V2X, simultaneous localization and mapping, and other underlying technologies, NaaS' waterproof and shock-proof charging robot brings science fiction to life with one-click ordering, active vehicle locating, precise self-parking, automatic docking, charging and undocking via mechanical arms, and automatic return and recharging functions. It is available in various charging power and battery capacity configurations and can connect with major OEMs seamlessly through an open API, enabling EV owners to enjoy unmanned service anywhere, around the clock, saving much time and effort.

On a cloudy Christmas morning last year, a rocket carrying the most powerful space telescope ever built blasted off from a launchpad in French Guiana. After reaching its destination in space about a month later, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began sending back sparkling presents to humanity--jaw-dropping images that are revealing our universe in stunning new ways. Every year since 1988, Popular Science has highlighted the innovations that make living on Earth even a tiny bit better. And this year--our 35th--has been remarkable, thanks to the successful deployment of the JWST, which earned our highest honor as the Innovation of the Year. But it's just one item out of the 100 stellar technological accomplishments our editors have selected to recognize. The list below represents months of research, testing, discussion, and debate. It celebrates exciting inventions that are improving our lives in ways both big and small. These technologies and discoveries are teaching us about the ...

Monterey Car Week has been a hotbed of EV debuts this year with unveilings from Dodge, Acura, DeLorean and a host of other automakers. On Thursday, Lincoln revealed the Model L100, its futuristic foray into electrified mobility, which draws inspiration from the company's very first luxury sedan, the 1922 Model L. Like its pre-Depression predecessor, the Model L100 exhibits a shocking degree of opulence. "Next generation battery cell and pack technologies," read the Thursday release, will deliver "game changing energy density," while the steering wheel will be replaced with a "jewel-inspired chess piece controller that captures light and depth by redefining the vehicle controls inside the cabin." That fancy yoke won't be much use for actual steering thanks to the vehicle's theoretical autonomous driving capabilities taking care of the navigating. "Concept vehicles allow us to reimagine and illustrate how new experiences can come to life with the help of advanced technologies and allow our designers more creative freedom than ever before," Anthony Lo, Ford's chief design officer, in a statement.

Elon Musk has long used his mighty Twitter megaphone to amplify the idea that Tesla's automated driving software isn't just safe -- it's safer than anything a human driver can achieve. That campaign kicked into overdrive last fall when the electric-car maker expanded its Full Self-Driving "beta" program from a few thousand people to a fleet that now numbers more than 100,000. The $12,000 feature purportedly lets a Tesla drive itself on highways and neighborhood streets, changing lanes, making turns and obeying traffic signs and signals. As critics scolded Musk for testing experimental technology on public roads without trained safety drivers as backups, Santa Monica investment manager and vocal Tesla booster Ross Gerber was among the allies who sprang to his defense. "There has not been one accident or injury since FSD beta launch," he tweeted in January.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often presented in binary terms in both popular culture and political analysis. Either it represents the key to a futuristic utopia defined by the integration of human intelligence and technological prowess, or it is the first step toward a dystopian rise of machines. This same binary thinking is practiced by academics, entrepreneurs, and even activists in relation to the application of AI in combating climate change. The technology industry's singular focus on AI's role in creating a new technological utopia obscures the ways that AI can exacerbate environmental degradation, often in ways that directly harm marginalized populations. In order to utilize AI in fighting climate change in a way that both embraces its technological promise and acknowledges its heavy energy use, the technology companies leading the AI charge need to explore solutions to the environmental impacts of AI.

Coco, the robot based delivery service, announced the official launch of COCO 1, a larger, more advanced version of its signature pink bot. The COCO 1 is a first of its kind delivery robot designed and manufactured in partnership with the largest micro mobility hardware manufacturer, Segway. Coco is currently deploying 1,000s of COCO 1 robots to serve local merchants in multiple cities, over the next few months. With its increased carrying capacity, the COCO 1 will deliver larger orders for a wider range of merchants, further eliminating the need for car-based delivery. Compared to the current model, the COCO 1 offers a number of added features including a more efficient drivetrain and a larger battery capacity that allows for an increased delivery radius of up to three miles, nearly double the radius of the original model.

The TriRhenaTech alliance presents the accepted papers of the 'Upper-Rhine Artificial Intelligence Symposium' held on October 27th 2021 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Topics of the conference are applications of Artificial Intellgence in life sciences, intelligent systems, industry 4.0, mobility and others. The TriRhenaTech alliance is a network of universities in the Upper-Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region comprising of the German universities of applied sciences in Furtwangen, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Offenburg and Trier, the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Loerrach, the French university network Alsace Tech (comprised of 14 'grandes \'ecoles' in the fields of engineering, architecture and management) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. The alliance's common goal is to reinforce the transfer of knowledge, research, and technology, as well as the cross-border mobility of students.

The Indian automotive sector is close to a $100 billion industry, and employs over 19 million people (according to the Department of Heavy Industries). Within this is the electric vehicles (EV) sector, which is seeing a transformation with new technologies and new ways of ownership. The changes driving the sector are electric vehicles, shared mobility, autonomous driving, IoT-enabled connected vehicles, and increasing line automation in manufacturing. The NITI Aayog expects that, by 2030, 80% of two and three-wheelers, 40% of buses, and 30 to 70% of cars will be electric vehicles. It further expects that 35% of passenger miles will be on shared vehicles.

More than $3.5 billion in funding was funneled into 35 startups last month, much of that scattered across the globe. Several Chinese companies received significant funding as the country bulks up domestic production of wafers and GPUs. In addition, with attention increasing on the need for electric vehicles and renewable energy, big investments went into battery manufacturing startups. One company making EV batteries garnered $1.5 billion, while several other large rounds were targeted at grid-scale energy storage companies. Metax designs high-performance, reconfigurable GPUs based on its own instruction set for data center, gaming, and AI. Funds will be used for R&D, and the company recently launched a corporate research institute at Zhejiang University. Based in Shanghai, China, Metax was founded in 2020.

Save $110: The Ninja Dragons Blade X 4K Drone is on sale for $89 as of Aug. 21 -- a more than 50% dip from its original price of $199. But the real nerding out comes when you take those cool shots yourself. The Ninja Dragons Blade X Drone offers a perfect entry-level setup for beginner pilots. A secondary camera and built-in stabilization system are present to boost the quality of your footage. Fly and shoot for over 10 minutes on a single charge. The Blade X ships with the gear needed to keep your device flying pristinely over time: backup blades, protective blade frames, a rechargeable battery, and charging cable, remote control, and clutch bag.