Google is rolling out a new option called “Listen to this page” that can read a webpage out loud to you from within the Android Chrome browser. The feature comes with playback controls similar to those you’d find in music or podcast players, letting you pause, change the reading speed, scrub forward, or skip ahead or back by 10 seconds at a time.

You can also change the voice it uses, as well as the language. The feature supports several, including English, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, and Spanish, according to a Google help page about the feature. To see if you have it, head to a page with a lot of text, then tap the three dots menu and “Listen to this page,” which should appear just below the Translate option.

If your local McDonald’s has been getting your order confidently wrong with an AI chatbot at the drive-thru, I have good news for you: The company is ending the program for now. The company told franchisees that it’s winding down an AI drive-thru ordering partnership with IBM “no later than July 26th, 2024,” according to trade publication Restaurant Business.

The company will reportedly remove the tech from the over 100 restaurants it’s been testing the system in after partnering with IBM in 2021. It’s not clear why the company is ending the IBM deal, though. It told Restaurant Business it was testing whether the voice ordering chatbot could speed up service and that the test left it confident “that a voice-ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future.”

Fast food companies in general are hungry for AI. White Castle has been testing AI provided by speech recognition company SoundHound. And Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, and others use an AI drive-through chatbot that an SEC filing revealed was underpinned by remote human workers in the Philippines most of the time.

In the world of robotics, there’s always something new on the horizon, but Mitsubishi Electric has really turned heads this time. Its robot, TOKUFASTbot, which you might find on a regular day carefully wiring motors, has just stepped into the spotlight for a completely different reason. 

It’s taken on the Rubik’s Cube and not just played around with it. It’s set a new world record.

This isn’t just about being fast; it’s about redefining what we think robots can do. It’s precision and technology coming together in a way that’s frankly mind-blowing. And it all happened so fast. If you blinked, you probably missed it.

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The puzzle phenomenon revisited

So, the Rubik’s Cube. We all know it, right? That colorful little cube that’s been twisting our brains since the ’80s. Fast-forward to the early 2000s, and it was back in the limelight, captivating a whole new generation. It’s not just about making each side match; it’s about the journey there. It takes logic, patience and some nimble fingers at play.

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And let’s not forget “speedcubing.” It’s like the Olympics for puzzle solvers, where every tiny tick of the clock can make or break a world record. It’s this thrill that keeps the cube turning in hands all over the world.

Rubik’s Cube  (Rubik’s)

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A record shattered

The human record for solving the Rubik’s Cube, an impressive 3.13 seconds, was set by Max Park in 2023. However, Mitsubishi Electric’s TOKUFASTbot has left human competitors in the dust, solving the cube in a mere 0.305 seconds. This achievement not only breaks the previous robot record set by an MIT robot in 2018 but does so in less time than it takes for a human to blink.

TOKUFASTbot  (Mitsubishi Electric)

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The technology behind the triumph

The TOKUFASTbot owes its success to a rotation mechanism capable of a 90-degree turn in just 0.9 milliseconds. This incredible speed is made possible by Mitsubishi Electric’s signal-responsive servomotors and a cutting-edge color-recognition artificial intelligence algorithm. The result is a robot that can assess, plan and execute the puzzle’s solution faster than we can see it happen.

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TOKUFASTbot  (Mitsubishi Electric)

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More than just a record breaker

While setting a new Guinness World Record for the “fastest robot to solve a rotating puzzle cube” is a remarkable achievement, the TOKUFASTbot isn’t just a one-trick pony. Its design isn’t for show but for function. As Yuji Yoshimura, senior general manager at Mitsubishi Electric’s Component Production Engineering Center, points out, the robot’s primary role is to enhance motor manufacturing for everyday appliances.

TOKUFASTbot (Mitsubishi Electric)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

You know, this whole record-smashing thing isn’t just about a robot solving a puzzle super fast. It’s really shining a light on how far we’ve come with robots and AI. Looking ahead, the stuff they’re making today is going to really change the game in ways we’re just starting to get. And while the TOKUFASTbot isn’t winning any beauty contests, it’s pretty darn impressive to those who dig tech like me.

Considering the rapid progress in AI and robotics, what considerations do you think companies should keep in mind as these technologies develop? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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