Gadget

Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi has reversed Russian gains, with robots carrying out combat airdrops and clearing mines, Ars Technica reports. The operation reportedly defeated a Russian pincer movement, highlighting how uncrewed ground systems are taking on dangerous logistics and engineering tasks on the front line as battlefield automation expands in the war.

China is trialling self-driving traffic cones that can reposition themselves at construction sites and roadworks without workers manually lifting them. The robotic cones are designed to move into place automatically, potentially improving safety for road crews and cutting labour costs. Coverage so far is limited to gadget news, with little detail on which agencies are involved or when the technology might be deployed widely.

Meta is reportedly developing the Muse Charm, a small dedicated AI device compared to a Tamagotchi for your AI assistant. The reveal has sparked debate over whether purpose-built AI gadgets make sense when phones already handle assistants, and whether a charm-like companion device could appeal to everyday users or remain a niche experiment.

Philips has released the Sonicare Next-Generation DiamondClean 9900 Prestige smart toothbrush in Europe and the US. First announced in July with a limited launch planned for later in the year, the electric toothbrush is now on sale, with a wider global rollout expected in 2027. It succeeds the previous DiamondClean model, which remains on the market.