skepticism

Modex Continues to Question Reliability of Humanoid Robots

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It’s not a flat-out refutation of the form factor, so much as an acknowledgement that — in spite of investor enthusiasm — it’s not the ideal tool for every job. This week’s Modex supply chain show inAtlanta told its own story — one populated by very few humanoids. A number of the players I spoke with continued to express skepticism around the widespread adoption of humanoid robots in the workplace. I heard very few outright rejections of the humanoid form factor. These instances, which now require human intervention, could be the ideal scenario for humanoids, whether operating autonomously or teleoperated, as in the case of Reflex, the other humanoid robotics firm present at Modex.

New Room-Temperature Claims Receive Overwhelming Criticism

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Just when you thought the hype about room-temperature superconductors was over, it’s not. Room-temperature superconductors, if one is ever found and independently confirmed, could revolutionize everything from electricity transmission to computing, electric vehicles, MRI machines, maglev trains and more. Lately, claims of room-temperature superconductivity seem to be blooming like flowers after a rainstorm. In the last year alone, three high-profile cases were either debunked, retracted or seriously doubted. Researchers who TechCrunch+ spoke with were skeptical that this new material is a room-temperature superconductor.