“Monster wolf” robots in high demand to scare off bears in Japan after record number of attacks

A Japanese company making ferocious-looking robot wolves is being swamped by orders after record numbers of fatal bear attacks on humans last year. “Monster Wolf” is an animatronic scarecrow with flashing red eyes that howls and growls menacingly to scare away wild animals. Ohta Seiki, the Hokkaido-based firm that makes the devices, has already received … Read more

How Ukraine’s demining robots could help U.S. open the Strait of Hormuz

KYIV, Ukraine — The TLK-150 is 8 feet long, weighs roughly 50 pounds and glides just below the surface of the Black Sea mapping out the minefields that lay below. Once it dips underwater, its rotors can churn for over 1,200 miles before needing a recharge.  The sea drone, manufactured by the Ukrainian defense company Toloka, … Read more

Humanoid robots race past humans in Beijing half-marathon, showing rapid advances

BEIJING — Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the sector’s rapid technical advances. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The race’s inaugural edition … Read more

Melania Trump pitches robots as potential educators for American schoolchildren

Washington — For the first time in history, a robot, not a person, escorted the first lady of the United States Wednesday at the White House. Escorted by a walking, talking humanoid system, first lady Melania Trump pitched the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit on AI robots as potential, “personalized” educators for America’s … Read more