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An Open Source Pioneer Wants to Unleash Open Source AI Robots

WIRED

Hugging Face, a company that hosts open source artificial intelligence models and software, announced today that it has acquired Pollen Robotics, the French startup behind the bug-eyed, two-armed, humanoid robot called Reachy 2. Hugging Face plans to sell the robot and will also allow developers to download, modify, and suggest improvements to its code. "It's really important for robotics to be as open source as possible," says Clรฉment Delangue, chief executive of Hugging Face. "When you think about physical objects doing physical things at work and at home, the level of trust and transparency I need is much higher than for something I chat with on my laptop." Simon Alibert and Rรฉmi Cadene are research engineers in AI and robotics at Hugging Face. In videos shared by Pollen Robotics, Reachy 2 can be seen performing tricks like tidying coffee mugs and picking up fruit.


It's time to put your old office scanner on Marketplace

Popular Science

No matter who you are, the ability to manage documents efficiently while on the move is invaluable--an idea that is not lost on app developers. And right now, it is on sale, big time. For a limited time, new users can secure a lifetime subscription for just 24.99 (regularly 199.99) by using the code SCAN at checkout through April 27. The app allows you to digitize a variety of documents, including contracts, receipts, ID cards, books, and handwritten notes, directly from your iOS device. This eliminates the need for bulky scanning equipment and enables you to work or study from virtually anywhere.


Plaything โ€“ how Black Mirror took on its scariest ever subject: a 1990s PC games magazine

The Guardian

Out of all the episodes in the excellent seventh season of Black Mirror, it's Plaything that sticks out to me and I suspect to anyone else who played video games in the 1990s. It's the story of socially awkward freelance games journalist, Cameron Walker, who steals the code to a new virtual pet sim named Thronglets from the developer he's meant to be interviewing. When he gets the game home, he realises the cute, intelligent little critters he's caring for on the screen have a darker ambition than simply to perform for his amusement โ€“ cue nightmarish exploration of AI and our complicity in its rise. The episode is interesting to me because โ€ฆ well, I was a socially awkward games journalist in the mid-1990s. But more importantly, so was Charlie Brooker.


Save 10 on the Amazon Echo Pop for a limited time

Mashable

SAVE 10: As of April 14, the Amazon Echo Pop is on sale for 29.99. If you're looking for a smart home device that won't take up space or stand out, the Echo Pop is what you've been looking for. The smallest of the Alexa devices, this nifty model boasts all the usual benefits of an Alexa, but without taking up lots of room. And as of April 14, you can buy it on sale, now just 29.99. Choose from charcoal, glacier white, lavender bloom, and midnight teal.


Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro and learn all its tricks for just 25

Mashable

TL;DR: Thoroughly enjoy all that Windows 11 Pro has to offer with this Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and The Essential Windows 11 Pro Course bundle for just 24.99 (reg. Been a while since you updated your operating system? If you've got a PC that could use a refresh, the Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and The Essential Windows 11 Pro Course provides that and more. Get a license for Microsoft Windows 11 Pro and a course to help you master the new features for just 24.99 (reg. Whether you're upgrading from an older version of Windows or setting up a new device, this bundle makes the transition easy.


I started 'vibe coding' my own apps with AI and I'm loving it

PCWorld

I've always had an interest in programming, because I've always had an interest in computers. I put together websites in HTML as a teenager (which, yes, were hosted on GeoCities) and have been occasionally dabbling in Python since. Yet none of my projects got very far and, apart from my early websites, I never made anything useful. My efforts all followed a familiar pattern: I'd fixate on a particular resource--like an O'Reilly book or an online course--and get started with great enthusiasm, but as I'd realize I was months or years away from creating anything remotely useful, I'd give up. That changed in late 2024 when my general frustration with WordPress, which I was using for my personal website, got the better of me. In a fit, I threw my website's content plus a screenshot of it into Claude 3.5 Sonnet and asked the AI to replicate my site with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.


PS5 price jumps 40 as Sony cites 'challenging' market conditions

BBC News

While President Donald Trump has revealed a tariff exemption for some electronics, video game consoles are not thought to be among them. Christopher Dring, who writes about the gaming industry in The Game Business newsletter, said while Sony did not directly mention tariffs in its decision, their "knock-on effect" could have an impact on pricing worldwide. "The US is the biggest market for video game consoles, and rather than simply increase prices there, it's possible the likes of PlayStation could increase pricing globally in an effort to protect, as best they can, the US market," he told the BBC. "Ultimately, the era when game consoles went down in price over time is certainly over." The price increase comes as Nintendo's launch of its rival Switch 2 console was marred by the impact of US tariffs on markets worldwide.


4-legged hydrogen-powered robot you can actually ride

FOX News

Kawasaki's CORLEO is a hydrogen-powered, AI-driven rideable robot. Kawasaki Heavy Industries has introduced something that feels straight out of a video game: CORLEO, a hydrogen-powered, four-legged robot prototype designed to be ridden by humans. Unveiled at the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, this futuristic machine is built to handle rugged terrain with ease, combining cutting-edge robotics and sustainable energy. Let's take a closer look at what makes CORLEO so cutting-edge. GET SECURITY ALERTS & EXPERT TECH TIPS โ€“ SIGN UP FOR KURT'S'THE CYBERGUY REPORT' NOW Instead of wheels, it has four robotic legs that move independently, allowing it to handle uneven ground like rocks, grass and steep inclines.


How to Survive the A.I. Revolution

The New Yorker

In the early hours of April 12, 1812, a crowd of men approached Rawfolds Mill, a four-story stone building on the banks of the River Spen, in West Yorkshire. This was Brontรซ country--a landscape of bleak moors, steep valleys, and small towns nestled in the hollows. The men, who'd assembled on the moors hours earlier, were armed with muskets, sticks, hatchets, and heavy blacksmith's hammers. When they reached the mill, those at the front broke windows to gain entry, and some fired shots into the darkened factory. But the mill's owner, William Cartwright, had been preparing for trouble.


Donald Trump Wants to Save the Coal Industry. He's Too Late.

Mother Jones

This story was originally published by WIRED and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump held a press conference to announce the signing of executive orders intended to shape American energy policy in favor of one particular source: coal, the most carbon-intense fossil fuel. "I call it beautiful, clean coal," President Trump said while flanked by a crowd of miners at the White House. "I tell my people never use the word coal unless you put'beautiful, clean' before it." Trump has talked about saving coal, and coal jobs, for as long as he's been in politics.