After the departure of one Republican and one Democratic commissioner on Friday, the Federal Communications Commission is down to two members, falling below the quorum threshold for what’s typically a five-person panel.

Commissioners Nathan Simington and Geoffrey Starks stepped down at the end of the week. That leaves Republican Chair Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez as the two remaining voting members. President Donald Trump has nominated Republican Senate staffer Olivia Trusty to the commission, but the chamber has yet to vote on her confirmation, which left the agency deadlocked even before these departures. The FCC is in charge of everything from broadband regulations and subsidies funds, to telecommunications mergers enforcement, to spectrum auctions. Without a three-member quorum, some of that work, and the agenda of Trump-aligned Carr, is left in limbo.

Starks and Simington both announced the date of their departures earlier this week, though Starks indicated in March that he planned to step down; neither offered specific reasons for their departure. Carr indicated he intends to keep up the pace, writing in a blog post that “the show must go on.”

There’s a lot that Carr can at least try to do while awaiting a quorum, even without another Republican commissioner to vote on more partisan proposals. Carr has already used so-called delegated authority to let the FCC’s various bureaus carry out the agency’s work without a vote from the full commission. Verizon’s $20 billion deal to buy Frontier was recently approved by the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau, for example, which Gomez criticized as a “backroom” deal that should have been brought to a full commission vote.

Gomez and Carr can also operate as a two-member board of the commissioners under Rule 0.212, allowing them to do most things they normally would besides issue final rules or actions, according to Public Knowledge senior vice president Harold Feld. That could hold up any final action to roll back a host of regulations through Carr’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” initiative, spurred by a Trump executive order, but allow for new notices of proposed rulemakings or other first steps — so long as they can both agree on them.

Even if the commission can likely accomplish most of its day-to-day work, Feld warns that operating without a quorum under confusing legal precedents could be risky. “It puts a cloud over everything,” he says. It could also cause problems if the Supreme Court issues an awaited ruling on the future of the Universal Service Fund, which helps subsidize communications services for rural and low-income households, and requires changes that would need to be approved by a commission vote.

Though a Senate vote on Trusty’s confirmation could be scheduled in the coming month or two and officially end the limbo, Feld worries about what could happen if it stretches into hurricane season. After past natural disasters, he says, the FCC has broken red tape to get money for telecommunications networks repairs out faster. “That potentially might be a problem if the FCC doesn’t have a quorum,” he says. “How much are we handicapped in the event of a weather-related crisis? Will we just decide that the bureaus can act on delegated authority? … [Or] is the commission going to be paralyzed to act in the face of a crisis?”

The demographic landscape in the U.S. is shifting rapidly, with the median age now at 38.9, almost a decade older than it was in 1980. 

By 2050, the population of adults over 65 is projected to surge from 58 million to 82 million, intensifying the already urgent challenge of eldercare. With falls remaining the top cause of injury among older adults, the need for innovative, tech-driven solutions has never been clearer. 

MIT engineers are stepping up to this challenge with E-BAR, a mobile robot designed to physically support seniors and prevent falls as they move around their homes.

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How MIT’s E-BAR robot helps prevent falls and support senior mobility

E-BAR, short for Elderly Bodily Assistance Robot, is not your typical assistive device. Rather than relying on harnesses or wearables, which many seniors find cumbersome or stigmatizing, E-BAR operates as a set of robotic handlebars that follow users from behind. This allows individuals to walk freely, lean on the robot’s arms for support or receive full-body assistance when transitioning between sitting and standing. The robot’s articulated body, constructed from 18 interconnected bars, mimics the natural movement of the human body, delivering a seamless and intuitive experience.

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The engineering behind E-BAR’s mobility is equally impressive. The robot’s 220-pound base is meticulously designed to support the weight of an average adult without tipping or slipping, and its omnidirectional wheels enable smooth navigation through tight spaces and around household obstacles. This means E-BAR can move effortlessly alongside users, providing support in real time, whether they are reaching for a high shelf or stepping out of a bathtub.

An individual demonstrating the E-BAR. (MIT)

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Inside MIT’s E-BAR: A fall-prevention robot designed for aging in place

What sets E-BAR apart from previous eldercare robots is its integrated fall-prevention system. Each arm is embedded with airbags made from soft, grippable materials that can inflate instantly if a fall is detected. This rapid response cushions the user without causing bruising, and, crucially, it does so without requiring the user to wear any special gear. In lab tests, E-BAR successfully supported elderly volunteers as they performed everyday tasks that often pose a risk for falls, such as bending down, stretching up or navigating the tricky edge of a bathtub.

Currently, E-BAR is operated via remote control, but the MIT team is already working on automating its navigation and assistance features. The vision is for future versions to autonomously follow users, assess their real-time fall risk using machine learning algorithms and provide adaptive support as their mobility needs evolve.

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An individual demonstration of the E-BAR. (MIT)

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Why E-BAR prioritizes dignity, usability and independence for older adults

The E-BAR project is rooted in extensive interviews with seniors and caregivers, which revealed a strong preference for unobtrusive, non-restrictive support systems. E-BAR’s U-shaped handlebars leave the front of the user completely open, allowing for a natural stride and easy exit at any time. The robot is slim enough to fit through standard doorways and is designed to blend into the home environment, making it a practical addition rather than an intrusive medical device.

MIT researchers see E-BAR as part of a broader ecosystem of assistive technologies, each tailored to different stages of aging and mobility. While some devices may offer predictive fall detection or harness-based support, E-BAR’s unique combination of full-body assistance, fall prevention and user autonomy addresses a critical gap for those who want to maintain independence but need occasional support.

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What’s next for MIT’s E-BAR robot: Timeline, AI features and market readiness

Currently, MIT’s E-BAR robot is still in the prototype stage and is not yet available for consumer purchase. The research team is continuing to refine the design and aims to bring it to market in the coming years, but it could take 5–10 years before the device receives full regulatory approval and becomes commercially accessible.

Looking forward, the research team is also focused on refining E-BAR’s design to make it slimmer, more maneuverable and even more intuitive to use. They are also exploring ways to integrate advanced AI for real-time fall prediction and adaptive assistance, ensuring that the robot can meet users’ changing needs as they age. The ultimate goal is to provide seamless, continuous support, empowering seniors to live safely and confidently in their own homes.

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An individual using the E-BAR. (MIT)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

What stands out about E-BAR is how it’s designed with real people in mind, not just as a tech gadget. It’s easy to see how something like this could make a big difference for seniors wanting to stay independent without feeling tied down by bulky or uncomfortable devices. As the technology improves, it could change the way we think about caring for older adults, making everyday life safer and a bit easier for everyone involved.

How comfortable would you feel trusting a robot like E-BAR to help your loved ones move safely around their home? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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After retroactively lowering the original Nintendo Switch’s repairability score from an 8 out of 10 to just 4 out of 10 to reflect 2025 standards, iFixit has found the Switch 2 to be even harder to fix. Following its full teardown of the new console, iFixit is giving the Switch 2 a 3 out of 10 repairability score thanks, in part, to a battery that’s once again “glued in with powerful adhesive” and flash storage modules and USB-C ports that are soldered to the main board.

Nintendo continues to rely on the tri-point screws the company has been using to assemble its consoles and handhelds for decades, and on the Switch 2, many are hidden behind stickers that get damaged in the process of removing them to access the screws. The company has never released repair parts or manuals for the original Switch, and there are currently none available for the Switch 2, so you’ll need third-party alternatives to reassemble the console.

Components like the headphone jack, speakers, microphone, and microSD reader on the Switch 2 are easy to remove. As are buttons that are soldered to breakout boards, and the console’s cooling fan that’s held in place by three screws.

But iFixit describes removing the Switch 2’s battery as an “absolute mission” and “just as bad as the original Switch.” Lots of isopropyl alcohol and a “whole set of pry tools” were needed to remove it, and in the process the foam Nintendo glued to the battery was left disintegrated making a future battery swap a difficult and messy endeavor.

The Switch 2’s gamecard reader, which was modular and relatively easy to remove and replace in the original Switch and Switch OLED models, is now soldered to the console’s mainboard as it is on Switch Lite. iFixit also found three different types of thermal paste used in the Switch 2 which in the original Switch would solidify over time making it hard to remove and less effective at preventing the console from overheating.

Even the new Joy-Cons on the Switch 2 are harder to disassemble, which is problematic because the joysticks are using the same potentiometer technology as the original Joy-Cons that rely on a resistive material that can wear away over time. That’s one of the causes of the original Switch’s notorious joystick drift issue and this time around it’s going to be even harder to do repairs or replace the sticks altogether with Hall effect or TMR alternatives.