Researchers are building robots that can build themselves

Researchers at MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms are working on an ambitious project, designing robots that effectively self-assemble. The team admits that the goal of an autonomous self-building robot is still “years away,” but the work has thus far demonstrated positive results. At the system’s center are voxels (a term borrowed from computer graphics), … Read more

Are tech valuations artificially low, or are we simply returning to reality?

Yesterday this column discussed a tranche of data from Carta detailing an evolving venture capital market. We argued that the collected information showed the existence of a Series C “crunch,” or a bottleneck in the capital ladder that startups climb. Because there have been “crunches” at various stages before, the fact that Series Cs are … Read more

Real-time analysis of customer sentiment using AWS

Companies that sell products or services online need to constantly monitor customer reviews left on their website after purchasing a product. The company’s marketing and customer service departments analyze these reviews to understand customer sentiment. For example, marketing could use this data to create campaigns targeting different customer segments. Customer service departments could use this … Read more

Are crypto bros really selling their Lamborghinis?

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Cryptocurrency traders love Lamborghinis. Hang out in the parking lot of any Bitcoin conference or lurk around on Instagram, and you’ll see plenty of evidence of this. So with crypto prices plummeting and high-profile exchanges like FTX collapsing, it stands to reason that the used car lots would … Read more

Spotify launches audiobooks to more English-speaking markets outside the U.S.

Spotify is expanding its newly launched audiobooks service outside the U.S., the company announced today. The service will now become available in other English-speaking markets, including the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, allowing users to access Spotify’s catalog of audiobook titles from the streaming app. The company first launched support for audiobooks in the … Read more