Technology
AI robot that can trim, edge, blow your lawn for you
Imagine a future where the hum of lawn mowers and the rustle of leaves being raked are sounds of the past, replaced by quiet and efficient robots. With the invention of Electric Sheep Robotics’ Verdie, the era of back-breaking yard work and coordinating with landscaping services could be over. This AI-powered bot doesn’t just trim the edges; it’s a whiz with power tools and a master at blowing away debris.
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AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
A new era in yard maintenance
Electric Sheep Robotics, based in San Francisco, has been revolutionizing the way we think about garden maintenance. Their Robots-as-a-Service rental model has been a game-changer, but their recent acquisitions of traditional outdoor service providers signal a bold move towards dominating the large-scale outdoor maintenance market.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: 5 BEST GADGETS TO MAKE GARDENING EASY
Tackling labor shortages head-on
In a bid to tap into the lucrative $1 trillion outdoor maintenance market, Electric Sheep is phasing out gas-guzzling power tools and replacing them with their fleet of emission-free robots. This not only addresses environmental concerns but also provides a solution to the labor shortages plaguing the industry.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: THE AI ROBOT GARBAGE PICKER CAN SORT OVER 500 TYPES OF TRASH IN SECONDS
The brain behind the bots
At the heart of Electric Sheep’s operation is ES1, a generative AI training model. By simulating photo-realistic parks and lawns, ES1 equips the maintenance bots with the intelligence to navigate real-world challenges, from dodging obstacles to escaping gopher holes.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: CONSTRUCTION WORKERS BEING REPLACED BY AI ROBOT BRICKLAYERS
Powered by Nvidia and learning on the go
Designed to run on Nvidia’s Jetson platforms, ES1 allows for the entire policy to be trained on a single desktop GPU. What’s more, the system continually evolves, learning from real outdoor scenarios to enhance its pre-trained knowledge pool.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MORE: THE CREEPY-EYED ROBOT THAT WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND AND TEACHER
Verdie is the star of the show
Currently, ES1 is the driving force behind a fleet of 40 robot mowers across America. And soon, it will be powering the garden bot Verdie. With reinforcement learning and a suite of common power tools at its disposal, Verdie is set to revolutionize outdoor maintenance.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Electric Sheep’s vision for a robotic future
With a variety of electric tools already tested and stereo cameras for spatial awareness, Verdie is well on its way to joining outdoor maintenance crews safely. Its self-balancing, articulating wheeled platform features six degrees of freedom, ensuring precision in every task.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
When will Verdie be rolled out?
Electric Sheep will add the AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot to its automated outdoor maintenance solutions from the second quarter of 2024.
AI-powered Verdie landscaping robot (Electric Sheep Robotics) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Kurt’s key takeaways
It’s clear that Electric Sheep Robotics’ Verdie is not just a leap forward for garden maintenance; it’s a giant stride towards a greener, more efficient future. So, next time you think about yard work, remember, Verdie’s got it covered – and it’s doing it with an eco-friendly wink and a robotic nod.
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Amid public backlash over its smart glasses, Meta announced that it will be updating its glasses with a new feature that will disable the camera when it detects that someone has tampered with or destroyed the glasses’ privacy LED light. The update is meant to address modders who have taken actions such as physically drilling into the LED light.
Meta has previously tried to discourage tampering with the LED light. For example, starting with its second generation glasses, blocking the light with tape or other objects will trigger a prompt asking users to uncover the recording light. However, many modders have found various workarounds for that particular measure.
Meta’s VP of wearables Alex Himel told The Verge that the privacy-focused update was on the way a few weeks ago after launching cheaper Meta Glasses without Ray-Ban branding. At the time, Himel acknowledged that the company was aware of increasing misuse alongside wider adoption of the devices.
Technology
Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images
Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and chief technology officer, writes that the bug impacted around 200 users who posted “grid-like” pictures, in addition to about 8,000 people who posted “other benign images” since May 2026. “Everyone affected has now been unbanned,” Vishnevskiy says.
In a thread on X, Discord writes that its safety system is designed to flag content by “matching it against known harmful material.” This system can produce “false positives,” Discord explains, which is when an employee would step in to review the flagged content. But instead of just temporarily preventing the account from uploading content during the review, a glitch led its system to ban users entirely.
“When our staff reviewed and cleared those accounts, the same bug prevented the ban from being lifted automatically, so it just stayed in place,” Discord says.
If your Prime Day purchases included a new desk, TV stand, bookshelf, or other furniture you still haven’t assembled, Hoto’s PixelDrive cordless screwdriver can help speed up the process. It’s currently on sale for $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, matching its best price to date.
From tightening loose screws on furniture to repairing electronics, the PixelDrive is designed to handle a wide range of household projects. Hoto includes 30 screwdriver bits that cover many of the most common screw types, all neatly organized in a small cylindrical case. It also offers six adjustable torque settings, allowing you to use less power when working with fragile electronics or increase it when putting together a desk, bookshelf, TV stand, or other furniture. You can also switch between a slower 80RPM mode for more precise work and a faster 200RPM mode with the press of a button.
Hoto also added several features that make assembling projects a little easier. A built-in display lets you quickly check your current torque setting and remaining battery life, while an integrated LED light helps illuminate dim spaces, whether you’re working under a desk or inside a cabinet. The rechargeable 2,000mAh battery also charges over USB-C, so you won’t need to keep buying disposable batteries.
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