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Robot Talk Episode 119 – Robotics for small manufacturers, with Will Kinghorn

Robohub

Claire chatted to Will Kinghorn from Made Smarter about how to increase adoption of new tech by small manufacturers. Will Kinghorn is an automation and robotics specialist for the Made Smarter Adoption Programme in the UK. With a background as a chartered manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry, Will has extensive experience in developing and implementing automation and robotic solutions. He now works with smaller manufacturing companies, assessing their needs, identifying suitable technologies, and guiding them through the adoption process. Last year he released a book called'Digital Transformation in Your Manufacturing Business – A Made Smarter Guide'.


This little trick fixes everything you hate about office scanners

Popular Science

You've begged the scanner to connect. You've turned it off and on again (twice). There's a reason people are ditching old-school scanners for this document-scanner app that's faster, smarter, and doesn't scream when it feeds in paper crooked. The iScanner app doesn't have any of the usual nonsense and only takes up as much space as your iOS device. You can dodge the app's subscription fees with our lifetime offering: Use code SCAN at checkout to get it for 24.99 this week only (reg.


Engadget Podcast: Meta's first LlamaCon was kind of a bust

Engadget

This week Meta held its first-ever AI dev conference, LlamaCon, focused on the development of its Llama generative AI model. But while there was plenty of hype, not much happened, besides the launch of the Meta AI app and a new Llama API. In this episode, Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell joins us to talk about her thoughts on LlamaCon after attending in person. After just announcing its latest Llama models a few weeks ago, it was as if Meta didn't have much else to say. Meta's Muted LlamaCon: who was the AI dev conference really for? NPR report: DOGE employees may have access to U.S. nuclear secrets – 26:44


The Morning After: Microsoft's Xbox price increases

Engadget

Microsoft is dramatically increasing the price of the Xbox Series X and Series S as well as new games and accessories. The Series S will start at 380, up from 300, while the Series X will begin at 550, a 100 increase on its previous price. The company is also increasing the prices of pretty much all its first-party products and peripherals. A basic controller will now cost 65. Microsoft is also increasing pricing in Europe, UK, Australia and many other countries.


From landscapes to NSFW, this AI art tool can generate almost any image

Mashable

Imagiyo's AI can generate it in seconds. One of the things that makes Imagiyo different from other AI art tools is that it supports multiple image sizes, so whether you're crafting a desktop wallpaper or a precise social media graphic, Imagiyo has you covered. You can even generate NSFW content using ModelsLab's Stable Diffusion AI model, as long as you mark it as "PRIVATE." Every image you create is saved and available for download, so you can build your collection without worrying about losing your work. Imagiyo's user-friendly interface makes the creative process smooth and intuitive, even if you're not tech-savvy. There are no watermarks to deal with, and the images you create are yours to use however you want. Plus, with 250 images per month, you can experiment and produce content without feeling restricted. It's only 29 to get an Imagiyo subscription that lasts for life. StackSocial prices subject to change.


5 digital cleanup hacks you didn't know you needed

FOX News

'The CyberGuy' Kurt Knutsson discusses the creation of a robot in China that can reportedly build cars and do everyday tasks on'Fox & Friends Weekend.' Let's face it, our digital lives get messy. Whether it's thousands of unread emails, random screenshots cluttering your desktop or a downloads folder that's basically a graveyard, the digital gunk adds up fast. But cleaning it all up doesn't have to be overwhelming. With a few smart automations and tools, you can tidy up your tech and keep things running smoothly, without lifting a finger every week. Join the FREE "CyberGuy Report": Get my expert tech tips, critical security alerts and exclusive deals, plus instant access to my free "Ultimate Scam Survival Guide" when you sign up!


The Climate Crisis Threatens Supply Chains. Manufacturers Hope AI Can Help

WIRED

When clothing designers place an order at Katty Fashion's factory in Iași, Romania, they expect a bespoke service. If necessary, the factory will even rejig its production lines to make whichever garment a designer commissions. "From order to order, we may have to adapt," says Eduard Modreanu, the company's technical lead. "We cannot create one production line or shop floor that fits everyone." This adaptability is useful given the many diverse clients and orders Katty Fashion juggles, but it could also help future-proof the company against climate shocks.


Automation applied to technical drawings in industry: Interview with Vasil Shteriyanov

AIHub

In their paper Automating the Expansion of Instrument Typicals in Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), presented at The Thirty-Seventh Annual Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI 2025), Vasil Shteriyanov, Rimma Dzhusupova, Jan Bosch and Helena Holmström Olsson focus on automation of technical drawings in industry. In this interview, Vasil tells us more about their work. Our paper focuses on automating the Instrument Typical Expansion process in Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), which are vital technical drawings used in the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry. P&IDs are used to represent the layout of piping systems, instruments, and other equipment in large-scale infrastructure projects. A key challenge with P&IDs is that they often include Instrument Typicals – simplified representations of standard instrument assemblies, rather than visualizing each individual instrument.


Ready for AI-enhanced credit cards? Here's Visa's vision of automated shopping

ZDNet

AI has transformed everyday tasks such as writing, coding -- even shopping. Now, Visa is introducing an initiative to prepare its payment network for a new era of agentic AI shopping experiences. Earlier this week, the company unveiled Visa Intelligent Commerce at the Visa Global Product Drop. According to the release, this initiative opens Visa's payment network to developers and engineers who are building agentic AI shopping experiences that find and buy products for users. Also: Google's AI Mode may be the upgrade Search desperately needs - how to try it for free Moreover, Visa Intelligent Commerce is a commercial partner program for AI platforms that includes a suite of integrated APIs developers can use to deploy Visa's AI commerce capabilities.


Drones hit 'Freedom Flotilla' Gaza aid ship in international waters

Al Jazeera

A ship carrying aid to Gaza in a bid to break Israel's blockade has been hit by drones in international waters off Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the group that organised the mission. The FFC said in a statement on Friday that the vessel, now located 14 nautical miles (25km) from Malta, was the target of two drone strikes while on its way to Gaza. The ship had been seeking to deliver aid to the besieged enclave, where aid groups warn people are struggling to survive following a two-month total blockade by Israel. "Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull," the group said. The statement did not directly accuse Israel of carrying out the attack.