Tech Digest daily roundup: Elon Musk unveils Tesla humanoid robot Optimus
Elon Musk has unveiled a prototype of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, which the electric car maker aims to mass produce in the millions and sell for under £18,000. The billionaire tycoon said he expected the company would be ready to take orders in three to five years. Musk said the venture could outstrip that of Tesla’selectric vehicle business. The firm’s push to design and build mass-market robots that would also be tested by doing jobs in its factories sets it apart from other manufacturers that have experimented with humanoid machines. The debut of the prototype robots at Tesla’s office in Palo Alto, California, forms part of Mr Musk’s bid to position Tesla as a leader in fields such as artificial intelligence and not just a company that makes “cool cars”. Sky News
Blood glucose monitoring is touted to be the next big breakthrough for wearable devices like the Apple Watch. However, the hardware is yet to be seen on a commercially available, mass-market device. That might change soon. A team from Georgia’s Kennesaw State University claims to have developed a noninvasive system of blood glucose level measurement, thanks to a device called GlucoCheck. It follows the same fundamental approach as the oxygen-level analysis sensor on smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Digital Trends
Bruce Willis’s agent has denied reports that the film star has sold the rights to his face. Last week, it was widely reported that Willis, in the first deal of its kind, had sold his face to a deepfake company called Deepcake. However, a spokesperson for the actor told the BBC that he had “no partnership or agreement” with the company. And a representative of Deepcake said only Willis had the rights to his face. Willis announced his retirement from acting in March after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects speech. Deepfakes use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to create realistic videos – often of celebrities or politicians. BBC
We’ve been very much impressed with the new Apple AirPods Pro 2, and that’s partly down to the Adaptive Transparency tech they offer. Now it looks as though the same feature could be heading to the original Apple AirPods Pro as well. As spotted on Reddit(opens in new tab) (via AppleInsider), the latest iOS 16.1 beta brings a software switch for Adaptive Transparency for the first-gen AirPods Pro. Apple hasn’t said anything officially, and it’s only in testing for now, but it looks as though the feature is on the way. Tech Radar
Samsung has launched what it claims is the world’s brightest consumer TV. The QN100B Neo QLED TV stands a monster 98 inches diagonally across, and promises a peak brightness of 5000 nits – more than twice that offered by most rivals, PC Mag reports. That figure puts it among commercial displays designed to be used outdoors for advertising. The TV was unveiled at CEDIA 2022, a trade show for the smart home technology industry. The QN100B uses Mini LED backlighting, and Samsung claims its 14-bit panel can adjust its brightness in 16384 steps, thanks to its Neo Quantum Processor+ chipset. WhatHiFi
