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Scientists in South Korea have developed Octoid, a soft robot that mimics an octopuss movements and color changes. This innovative robot, made from photonic crystal polymer, can change color and capture prey, marking a significant step in biomimetic robotics. Potential applications include self-aware robots, military camouflage, deep-sea exploration, and medical micro-robots.

NHTSA Investigates Teslas Full Self-Driving Software for Traffic Law Violations: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received numerous complaints and reports of Teslas Full Self-Driving software breaking traffic laws, including running red lights and driving into the wrong lane. This marks a significant increase from the initial fifty violations cited in October. NHTSA is now investigating whether Teslas software can accurately detect and respond to traffic signals, signs, and lane markings, as well as if it provides sufficient warnings to drivers. Tesla is required to respond to these inquiries by January 19, 2026.

Cloudflares recent outage, affecting one-third of its hosted sites, including LinkedIn and Zoom, was caused by a system error during a critical vulnerability update. The issue was resolved within 25 minutes, but its the second such incident in recent weeks, following an Amazon Web Services outage in October. These events underscore the internets interconnectedness and the potential impact of a single point of failure.

Antonio Forenza, a former Rakuten Symphony executive, identified a gap in the consumer health market after struggling to manage his own stress. He turned to EEG technology, commonly used in clinical settings, to create a wearable device called Awear that measures psychological stress by tracking beta waves. Awear, a finalist at TechCrunch Disrupt, aims to help users intercept excessive stress before it causes negative health effects. The device is currently available through an early-access program and plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign after securing a five million dollar seed round.

SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is reportedly launching a secondary share sale valuing the company at a staggering eight hundred billion dollars, surpassing OpenAI and making it Americas most valuable private company. This valuation reflects a growing trend in private markets, where companies achieve massive financial milestones without going public. SpaceX, established in 2002, has become a dominant force in commercial rocket launches and operates Starlink, its satellite internet service, with over eight million customers worldwide. The potential eight hundred billion dollar valuation underscores the immense growth and market confidence in SpaceXs diverse ventures, all while remaining a privately held entity.

Limitless, the AI startup known for its wearable pendant, has been acquired by Meta. The company will no longer sell hardware, but will support existing customers for a year. Current users will transition to the Unlimited Plan, but some features will be phased out. Limitless, founded by Brett Bejcek and Dan Siroker, had pivoted to AI devices, launching a pendant last year. The acquisition aligns with Metas vision for AI-enabled wearables, likely contributing to existing products like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The company cited increasing competition from larger players as a reason for the acquisition.

ChatGPTs growth may be slowing, as Googles Gemini gains traction. Gemini now accounts for half of all new downloads and 55% of monthly active users, with user growth increasing by 170% year-over-year. ChatGPTs growth slowed to 6% from August to November, reaching 810 million users. Geminis integration with Android and new image generation model, Nano Banana, are giving it a competitive edge. The AI chatbot market is evolving, with Googles strategic moves challenging ChatGPTs dominance.

Google Chromes autofill feature is set to become more robust, allowing users to input loyalty card numbers and travel details directly from Google Wallet. This update, rolling out to Google Account holders this Friday, aims to save time and reduce manual data entry, enhancing user experience with a more intuitive autofill suggestion box.