In today's China, behemoths like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. are out of favor, but "little giants" are on the rise. That's the designation for a new generation of startups that have been selected under an ambitious government program aimed at fostering a technology industry that can compete with Silicon Valley. These often-obscure companies have demonstrated they're doing something innovative and unique, and they're targeting strategically important sectors like robotics, quantum computing and semiconductors. Wu Gansha won the little giants title for his autonomous driving startup after a government review of his technology. That gave the Beijing company, Uisee, an extra dose of credibility and financial benefits.

Robots, it seems, are lucky that way. Most every organization has been thrust into the future of work faster than prognosticators dared imagine. What will determine failure or success in this brave new world of work? The global pandemic has sidelined workers across an unthinkable swath of sectors during a particularly tight labor market. Automation solutions that were unthinkable a twenty years ago have blossomed thanks to the convergence of technologies like machine vision, machine learning & AI, open-source robotic operating systems, and mobile components and sensors.

Carrying your own luggage may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a few mad scientists obsessed with making your life more convenient. On Sunday, at a preview event at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the tech company ForwardX Robotics unveiled its latest creation: the CX-1. The CX-1 may look like your average suitcase, but what's inside makes it anything but. According to UberGizmo, the suitcase contains sensors that will track its owner anywhere he or she goes. It will then follow them like a well-trained dog using its four-wheel-drive system, avoiding any speed bumps along the way thanks to its 170-degree, wide angle camera.