Author: TechBrunch

At CES 2025, German Bionic unveiled Apogee Ultra, a new robotic exoskeleton that the company claims is “the world's strongest.” What did the system do to earn such a prestigious title? It provides dynamic lift assist of up to 80 pounds. This means that a 70-pound payload feels like 9 to 11 pounds of strain on the lifter's lower back. In addition to lift assistance, Apogee Ultra also provides walking assistance, making a 10-mile trip feel like 8 miles. The company is targeting industries such as baggage handling and construction, as well as nursing care, which require workers to get…

When Valeria Kogan earned her Ph.D. in 2017 and enrolled in a program in bioinformatics, a scientific field that uses computers and software to analyze biological data, she realized that her career had always been I imagined it to be in the fields of mathematics, medicine, or biology. But after the first AI boom in the late 2010s, she found an interesting opportunity in an area she hadn't considered before: agriculture. Kogan (pictured above, center) told TechCrunch that when he was approached by a friend of a friend, a tomato grower, who was looking for someone to understand AI and…

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency that defines international operational standards for civil aviation, confirmed it was investigating the cybersecurity incident. In a statement issued on Monday, ICAO said it is “actively investigating reports of possible information security incidents allegedly linked to threat actors known to have targeted international organizations.” . This follows a January 5 post on a popular hacking forum in which an individual claimed to have accessed 42,000 ICAO documents containing personal information. A sample of the allegedly stolen data posted on the forum, seen by TechCrunch, included names, dates of birth, home…

Kombucha, a fermented tea that has been around for thousands of years and was once considered a niche health drink, is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as more consumers seek out gut-friendly drinks. However, this carbonated drink isn't necessarily cheap, and home-brewing can be tedious, very complicated, and time-consuming. Additionally, the necessary supplies take up a considerable amount of space, making homebrewing impractical for many people. At CES 2025, San Francisco-based hardware startup Kombu announced a home kombucha brewer that aims to combine all the essential steps of the DIY brewing process while reducing the challenges of typical setup.…

Kombucha, a fermented tea that has been around for thousands of years and was once considered a niche health drink, is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as more consumers seek out gut-friendly drinks. However, this carbonated drink isn't necessarily cheap, and home-brewing can be tedious, very complicated, and time-consuming. Additionally, the necessary supplies take up a considerable amount of space, making homebrewing impractical for many people. At CES 2025, San Francisco-based hardware startup Kombu announced a home kombucha brewer that aims to combine all the essential steps of the DIY brewing process while reducing the challenges of typical setup.…

Self-driving vehicle technology startup May Mobility unveiled the next vehicle in its portfolio at CES 2025: an electric self-driving minibus built in partnership with European electric bus manufacturer Tecnobus. Ann Arbor-based May Mobility provides on-demand, fixed-route self-driving shuttles on campus and within planned communities. Currently, the company's fleet consists of 40 Toyota Sienna minivans that have been modified with May's software and hardware self-driving stack and can seat up to eight passengers. May said the Technobus fleet will join the company's Siena fleet in late 2026 and will be able to carry up to 30 passengers, including those in wheelchairs.…

Dutch semiconductor giant NXP announced on Tuesday that it plans to acquire TTTech Auto, an Austrian company specializing in safety software for self-driving cars, in an all-cash deal valued at $625 million. TTTech Auto was spun out from TTTech Group in 2018 with approximately $78 million in backing from AUDI, Samsung, GE Ventures and others. The company raised another $285 million in 2022, with Aptiv leading the Series C round. TTTech Auto is collaborating with the automotive industry to further expand into the realm of software-defined vehicles, including semi- and fully automated. The company's flagship product, MotionWise, is a middleware…

Microsoft will invest $3 billion to expand its artificial intelligence and cloud Azure service capabilities in India, and plans to upskill an additional 10 million employees in the country with AI, the software giant's top official said. The company's chief executive officer (CEO) made the announcement on Tuesday. “The investments in infrastructure and skills that we are announcing today reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first and will enable people and organizations across the country to engage broadly,” Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangalore. It will help ensure that they receive the benefits.” “India is rapidly becoming a…

Apple announced Monday that it will release an update to better indicate that notification summaries are generated by artificial intelligence. “A software update in the coming weeks will make it even clearer when the text you see is a summary provided by Apple Intelligence. If you see a summary of an unexpected notification, please report a concern. “We encourage our users to do so,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. Apple's notification summaries are helpful, but they can also be quite inaccurate. Summaries can be interesting, but they are also often mildly confusing. Last month, the BBC complained that…

Apple announced Monday that it will release an update to better indicate that notification summaries are generated by artificial intelligence. “A software update in the coming weeks will make it even clearer when the text you see is a summary provided by Apple Intelligence. If you see a summary of an unexpected notification, please report a concern. “We encourage our users to do so,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. Apple's notification summaries are helpful, but they can also be quite inaccurate. Summaries can be interesting, but they are also often mildly confusing. Last month, the BBC complained that…