Read all the biggest 3D printing stories of 2024 in the 3D Printing Industry Review of the Year.In April, business news continued to dominate the headlines. Two of the most influential additive manufacturing consultancies published annual market reports highlighting key industry trends, analysis, and forecasts for the future of 3D printing. Notably, the reports featured starkly contrasting 3D printing market size estimations.Elsewhere, GE Aerospace debuted as an independent company on the New York Stock Exchange following General Electrics restructuring. Solidscape also went solo after a private investor acquisition, while Markforged was ordered to pay $17.34 million in a patent-infringement lawsuit.Sustainability was another key theme in April, with several companies announcing eco-friendly additive manufacturing initiatives. Additionally, the focus on strengthening domestic supply chains in the US continued with efforts to re-shore the production of batteries and missiles. Medical applications were also spotlighted, with one research institute 3D printing ultra-realistic heart and lung models.Read on for 3D printing updates from Stratasys, MIT, Ursa Major, 6K Energy, Farsoon Technologies, Meltio, AML3D, and more.Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace, and Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova ring the Opening Bell. Photo via GE Aerospace.What is the 3D printing market size?In April, Wohlers Associates, the Colorado-based additive manufacturing consultancy firm operating under ASTM International, released its Wohlers Report 2024. This outlined that the industry had grown 11.1% to a 3D printing market valuation of $20.035 billion, exceeding $20 billion for the first time.The reports principal author, Terry Wohlers, told 3D Printing Industry that the market size is actually much larger than what we report. He explained that the estimate excludes capital spent on 3D printing within organizations like Adidas, NASA, and Stryker. The figure also omits the value of research, development, prototyping, tooling, and parts 3D printed by original equipment manufacturers.Looking to the future of 3D printing, the report anticipates a shift to the high-volume production of end-use parts. Wohlers predicts that production will move from thousands of parts to hundreds of thousands. Million-part production runs are also anticipated for small components.German consultancy AMPOWER reported a 3D printing market size of just 10.5 million for 2023, approximately half of the Wohlers figure. This estimate, published in the AMPOWER 2024 report, represents a 10.3% increase compared to the previous years estimation. Metal powder bed fusion 3D printers reportedly accounted for 40% of sales 2023 revenue. Additionally, robust growth was seen in the aerospace and defense sectors, with a 30% increase over the past two years. The rise in global defense budgets is expected to drive the adoption of additive manufacturing further. However, the automotive sectors investment in 3D printing stagnated in 2023, while startup funding declined due to a lack of global venture capital.AMPOWER projected steady industry growth, forecasting an annual growth rate of 13.9% and 20 billion in revenues by 2028. Equipment suppliers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region are expected to experience an annual growth rate of around 16% until 2028.Wohlers Report 2024 data shows increasing metal 3D printer sales. Image via Wohlers Associates.3D printing business updates April saw GE Aerospace debut on the New York Stock Exchange as an independent public company following GEs operational restructuring. This resulted in the creation of three independent companies: GE HealthCare, GE Vernova, and GE Aerospace. Metal 3D printer manufacturer Colibrium Additive, rebranded from GE Additive, is part of GE Aerospaces Propulsion & Additive Technologies (PAT) division.A joint opening bell ceremony alongside GE Vernova was held on April 2, 2024. The aerospace manufacturer entered the market with a sizeable installed base, including 44,000 commercial engines and 26,000 military engines worldwide.GE Aerospaces hypersonic dual-mode ramjet engine. Photo via GE Aerospace.Another company that announced its independence was high-resolution 3D printing specialist Solidscape. Known for its 3D printers for the jewelry and precision investment casting industries, the company was acquired by a private investor. This formed part of a strategic move to reinforce Solidscapes presence and innovation in the jewelry 3D printing market.This announcement followed the news in January that Prodways had discontinued the Solidscape product line of wax and resin 3D printers, which had performed poorly in 2023. Following the acquisition, Solidscape will continue to offer its range of 3D printers and materials for jewelry applications. The company also confirmed its commitment to developing new products and improving existing technologies.A 3D printed ring model and the final part. Photo via Solidscape.Elsewhere, Canadian 3D printing powder developer Equispheres raised approximately CAD 20 million in a Series B funding round. Martinrea International led the round, while INFOR Financial and Stifel Nicolaus Canada acted as financial advisors. The company planned to leverage this capital across various critical efforts, including new reactors to scale its production capabilities.In legal news, 3D printer manufacturer Markforged was ordered to pay Continuous Composites $17.34 million as part of a patent infringement lawsuit that began in 2021. A federal jury in the US District Court for the District of Delaware found that several of the companys 3D printers infringed on a patent covering the method and apparatus for continuous composite 3D printing. In a statement, Markeforged commented that it strongly disagrees with this verdict and outlined intentions to overturn the verdict in post-trial motions.Later this year, Markforged settled with Continuous Composites after agreeing to pay the company $25 million. The deal, which included a Patent License Agreement, resolved all claims and counterclaims in the IP dispute.Markforged HQ. Photo via Businesswire.Sustainable manufacturing initiativesThe sustainability of additive manufacturing was a key talking point in April. The month saw leading 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys publish its second environmental, social, governance, and sustainability report. This highlighted the environmental sustainability and social impact of the companys 3D printing technology.Stratasys stated that it is delivering on the mindful manufacturing commitments it made in its 2022 report, claiming its technology enables manufacturers to transition to more sustainable practices. The company also highlighted several environmental, social, and governance-based achievements.Most impressively, Stratasys announced it reduced 207 metric tons of CO2 emission by adopting renewable energy at its facilities. The company installed solar panels at its Israel facilities, generating 441,339 kWh of renewable energy. It also claimed to have reduced 3D printing waste through its recycling program. This increased the number of recycled filament spools, cartridges, and canisters by 11.3%.Rooftop solar installation at Stratasys Kiryat Gat Manufacturing installation. Photo via Stratasys.Later in the month, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed an FDM 3D printer that can autonomously create parameters for unknown materials. This system seeks to increase the adoption of unique 3D printing filaments that are more sustainable than hard-to-recycle, fossil fuel-based polymers.Also targeting recycling was UK-based 3D printing filament manufacturer Filamentive, which introduced its free 3D Printing material recycling service. Said to be the first scheme of its kind in the UK, it allows existing Filamentive customers to return their PLA waste free of charge. 100% of this material is then recycled into new products.The company hopes this will combat increasing 3D printing-related plastic pollution. According to Filamentive, 33% of 3D printed parts end up as waste, translating to 400,000 kg of plastic in the UK each yearOn the powder side, the AMGTA published the results of its study on the most sustainable metal 3D printing materials. The findings suggest that helium gas atomization is the most energy-efficient method for producing common metal powders. This reportedly uses 13% less energy per kilogram of powder compared to argon and 28% less than nitrogen for common alloys.Filamentive PLA recycling box. Image via Filamentive.Re-shoring manufacturing in the USIn April, efforts to re-shore manufacturing in the US ramped up. Within the defense sector, rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major signed a contract with the US Navy to design and test a 3D printed solid rocket motor (SRM) for the Standard Missile program.This agreement sees the company leverage its additive manufacturing-based Lynx technology to design the next generation of SRMs optimized for reliability and manufacturability.The project aims to create a new 3D printable design for the Mk 104 dual rocket motor, addressing challenges associated with traditional manufacturing methods. The Mk 104 powers the SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles. This year, demand for missiles in America surged due to a shortage of domestic suppliers, the need to replenish US stockpiles, and ongoing support for Ukraines war efforts.Also in April, a large-scale ARCEMY X-Edition 6700 3D printer from AML3D became fully operational at the US Navys Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Danville, Virginia. Worth AUD$1.1 million, the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing system was sold through the Australian 3D printer manufacturers US Scale-Up strategy, which delivered over AUD$12 million in orders last year. This initiative seeks to address supply challenges within the US Department of Defense, particularly the US Navys submarine industrial base.US Navy SM-6 missile. Photo via the US Navy.Away from defense manufacturing, 6K Energy, a division of advanced material specialist 6K, signed a strategic supply agreement with metal recycling firm Aqua Metals. Through this partnership, the companies are working to build a circular supply chain for lithium-ion battery materials in the United States.The collaboration sees Aqua Metals supply 6K with recycled battery materials from its Sierra ARC facility in Reno. 6K then uses its UniMelt microwave plasma technology to convert these critical materials into cathode active materials at its PlusCAM factory in Jackson, Tennessee. Recycled battery materials are later sold to US-based manufacturers.This aligns with the US Governments efforts to re-shore its production capabilities amid global supply chain challenges. By 2030, the lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity in the US is expected to reach nearly one terawatt-hour.6K Energy PlusCAM factory. Image via 6K Energy.Support-free metal 3D printingIn April, a key development in metal 3D printing came from Farsoon Technologies. The Chinese 3D printer manufacturer introduced its Support Reduction System to address common support-based challenges in metal powder bed fusion 3D printing.According to Farsoon, the technology combats stress and warping during the cooling process after 3D printing. This often causes parts to crack, especially in overhanging areas. The new technology facilitates reliable, support-free 3D printing of inverted conical structures with angles between 20 and 25, and round holes up to 50 mm wide.These capabilities reduce material requirements, translating to significant cost savings, cutting time commitments, and minimizing damage associated with support removal. The technology also facilitates the creation of more intricate part geometries, creating the potential for previously unachievable features.The fabrication of unsupported horizontal circular openings, reaching widths of up to 50 millimeters. Image via Farsoon.3D printing medical devices The increasing adoption of 3D printing for medical applications was also evident this month. Researchers from Nottingham Trent University produced realistic 3D printed heart and lung models that bleed, beat, and breathe like their real counterparts.Targeted to organ transplant training applications, the heart models reflect the tactile qualities of the real thing. They can be produced with different tissue hardness levels, allowing surgeons to plan operations.The 3D printed organs can also be used to research and teach transplant procedures. Most trainee surgeons currently practice with cadavers and animal organs, as existing models arent realistic enough. The researchers claim their 3D printed models are the first to offer the realism required for medical training.Elsewhere, biomedical 3D printing firm ArcomedLab announced that it had established the worlds largest case list of 3D printed craniomaxillofacial implants. By April 2024, the firm had completed 700 successful cases throughout Latin America, including in Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico.The implants were 3D printed in a PEEK biopolymer material and personalized to meet specific patient needs. They can also store and deliver liquid drugs at the point of need through the companys patented gravity-induced drip mechanism. This allows drugs to be administered up to 20 days after surgery.Senior research fellow Richard Arm holding a 3D printed heart model. Photo via Nottingham Trent University.3D Printing News Highlights from 2024: Innovations, Trends, and AnalysisAll the news from Formnext 2024.Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows a US Navy SM-6 missile. Photo via the US Navy.

Tech How to restore deleted text messages on Android Here are multiple methods to restore deleted messages on Android smartphone Published December 30, 2024 6:00am EST close 'CyberGuy': How to factory reset your Android Tech expert Kurt Knutsson reveals how to securely back up and factory reset your Android to protect your privacy and data. We've all been here before. All of us have, at one point or another, accidentally deleted an important text. Gloria, from Chepachet, Rhode Island, reached out to us with this question:"I accidentally deleted a text message; how can I get it back on my Android phone?"Were sorry to hear that youve accidentally deleted a text message. The ability to recover it depends on several factors, including your phone model, whether a backup was made and the specific messaging app youre using. Here are some general methods you can try.(iPhone users, follow these tips.) A man texting on his phone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Check if the message was archived (Google Messages)If you have an Android-based phone or a Google account, you may use Google Messages as your primary platform for text messages. Here's how to check if your message was archived within Google Messages.Settings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.Open theGoogle Messages appTap yourprofile icon beside the search iconSelectArchivedLong press the messages you want to retrieveTap theunarchive button in the upper-right corner Google messages app (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Check the Recycle Bin (Samsung Messages)Settings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.If you are using a Samsung-based smartphone, your text messages can be stored in the Samsung OS'sRecycle Binfor up to 30 days. If you are using a Samsung smartphone, here's how to check the built-in recycling bin app to see if your messages are in there:Open the Messages appTap thethree-dot menu in the upper-right cornerChoose theRecycle binChoose thedeleted text messages you want to retrieveTapRestore to get them back to your messages list Samsung messages app (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Use a third-party recovery appIf you dont have a backup and your messages are permanently deleted, you might still have a chance to recover them using a third-party Android data recovery app.You can find Kurts picks for data recovery software here. Different apps will have different features, so be sure to pay close attention to which third-party recovery solution is the right one for your needs.Restore from a backup Google Drive on Android (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)If youve backed up your phone to Google Drive, you may be able to restore your backup to recover the deleted text messages. Please note that restoring a backup might overwrite the existing data on your phone. Here's how to check and see if you have a Google Drive backup for your smartphone:Settings may vary depending on your Android phones manufacturer.OpenGoogle Drive on your smartphone or visit drive.google.com.On Google Drive, select thestorage option from the bottom left corner.Tap onbackups to view any Android backups attached to your Google Drive.Kurt's key takeawaysGloria, hopefully, we were able to help you restore the missing Android message. Regularly backing up your data to prevent future data loss is always a good idea. If you have an Android smartphone, I strongly recommend using Google Drive to back up your phone; that way, you can always access the backup within your Google account. If you can't find your deleted messages in your phone's trash bin or recycling bin, don't panic. You can still most likely get any deleted data back with a third-party program, but check any program's features before paying.Have you ever experienced significant data loss? What lessons did you learn from that experience? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

In September 2024, Dunelm reported a 4.1% jump in annual sales to 1.71bn for the year to 29 June.During the same month, GlobalData estimated Dunelm had increased its market-leading share of the homeware sector to 11.5%, edging even further ahead of John Lewis, its closest competitor.New initiative after new initiative is a feature of the Dunelm growth story right now. It opened its first small-format store, at Westfield London, in December, and that came two months after it announced the revamp of its ecommerce capability by deploying Google Clouds artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Vertex to improve site search.An in-tune product development and sourcing team and a laser-focused multichannel approach are clearly at play here, but theres also something to report on the company culture.In February, the retailer launched a talent programme, Reach, to empower colleagues from underrepresented ethnic groups to reach their potential in the business.More than 80 participants have spent 2024 connecting and networking with role models from within Dunelm and outside of the business to be inspired, expand contacts and broaden horizons, according to the retailer.And alongside all this, the seeds have been sown for a movement to support another underrepresented group: women in technology.Dunelm software engineer Jo Kalnavarna was the catalyst for helping the retailers Women in Tech group gain a new lease of life over the past year. Its not a new concept at Dunelm, but after arriving at the business in April 2023, Kalnavarna found it had been put on the back burner during the Covid crisis.I was a case of where is the women in tech thing? I had to dig it out, but there was tumbleweed rolling, she says, explaining that she took the lead alongside senior people partner Leanne Orton in establishing a new plan for the initiative.I reached out to Leanne and I found out it was happening in the background, says Kalnavarna. I thought, Were past Covid now, so how can we accelerate it? I created workshops in London and Leicester, and went out to the women to ask what they wanted to happen.She instantly started recruiting for a leadership board for the group. I thought, lets build like we do in tech a board, a task, objectives like KPIs [key performance indicators], says Kalnavarna.Ive implemented what Ive learned in tech into this working group, and it has worked well, she adds. We have a board, we have tasks we assign, we come together regularly, and we have catch-ups and stand-ups. I would suggest for any communities that want to do something similar, this is an approach that really works.How does that look in practice? It involves quarterly catch-ups, and networking whereby participating employees play coffee roulette, being paired with a different person to discuss different job roles in tech and other career experiences.Coffee roulette is a monthly event all about making connections to build knowledge and confidence regarding different areas of technology and working life.Priti Verma, senior business analyst at Dunelm and STEM ambassador, says: Its a monthly as-long-as-you-want session where you get paired up with people who you dont know in tech.Its a way of networking in an age when people are working from home, and it gives you that benefit of meeting someone and understanding their story, she says. And if you need some info you have a connection and youre making friends at the same time.Its the heartbeat event that happens every single month without fail, says Verma. Every month, the tech team are hearing about what women in tech are doing. It wouldnt necessarily happen organically.The plan is to push more people to sign up next year. In general, this work is to help raise awareness of women in technology, create more opportunities for career progression, and give women confidence to apply for jobs they might not otherwise apply for within the tech function of the organisation.Read more about women in techA combination of the types of jobs women perform and biases influencing the development of artificial intelligence leaves them in more danger of AI disruption.Computer Weekly has revealed who is on the 2024 list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech, including this years winner, Sheridan Ash.Key to getting women to take on more roles in tech is representation, according to Verma, who says imposter syndrome is real particularly for women who are returning from parental leave or if theyve taken a sabbatical.We need to ensure people are confident and happy to apply for roles and even if they dont get the job, that they get the right feedback to help them the next time they apply, she says.Underlining her credentials as the designated leader of the women in tech movement at Dunelm, Kalnavarna says she is a big risk taker.We want to build a feeling of, You have the confidence, you just need to go for it I want to show that attitude, she says.Were running all these events to show what you can do; just go for it, dont be afraid, and dont shy away from it. Were trying to build a community at Dunelm to show anything is possible here, at least, and one day, youll see the wider change in society.The landmark moment so far for the reinvigorated group was Women in Tech Week, which ran from 711 October 2024. Dunelm created its own internal event to align with the broader national campaign, and used the five days to align the C-suite with the wider tech and engineering team, and create an environment for progress and support.In a celebration of achievements of women in tech, Dunelm hosted multiple virtual and in-person gatherings including a Q&A with the retailers chief technology and information officer (CTIO), John Gahagan. This sort of transparency is important in any company you work for, says Kalnavarna.Verma calls the session with the CTIO open and honest. The hope is that opening up the communication channels like this can get everyone in the organisation considering the different experiences men and women have in terms of tech job opportunities, and how they have historically been viewed and treated in the workplace.There was also a panel discussion with male allies, where Dunelm tech representatives talked about their experience and insights related to supporting women in tech. The panel was led by software engineering and team lead Rowan Powell, and included the views of Tom Keeber, head of quality, Paul Kerrison, director of engineering, and John Burgess, head of business analysis.During the week, some of the female tech leadership team spoke about their background, career journeys and experiences with the aim of conveying how to feel empowered as a woman in tech. There was also an appearance from founder and CEO of Shift Left, Susan OConnor, a leadership coach, who shared her expertise and guidance with the cohort of Dunelm women in tech.We got people in the tech team to understand what women in tech means to them, and which people in tech have inspired them, says Verma.It was a really good week and everyone got what they wanted from it. It wasnt dictating or spouting out information: it was inclusive, and people were welcome to be part of the conversations.In the year ahead, more lunch and learn sessions are set to take place, fuelling knowledge share and helping those involved build stronger connections internally.Kalnavarna has already helped work experience students understand what being in technology is like, but there are wider plans underway to see if Dunelms tech team can get into schools in the Leicester area near the retailers HQ to help young girls realise early that a career in engineering or tech could be for them.Getting to women with this message at college stage can be positive, but the earlier girls understand the opportunities available to them, the better, according to Verma, who sees plenty of opportunity to engage primary school age children built around Lego demonstrations, for example.When chatting to children about what you do, you can see this lightbulb go on thats why Im a STEM ambassador, she says.Kalnavarna adds: If we start talking about this to people from a very young age, maybe it stays. They will see someone out there who encourages them, have a role model and pursue it [a career in engineering or tech].For Verma, the main aim of the women in tech work at Dunelm is raising awareness. We are fostering an environment so if theyre a women and want to grow and progress, they can, and if theyre a man, they can help and support, she says.Its about being comfortable in your own skin and feeling that if you want to be a director, you dont have to act like a man.

I believe computer science is the cornerstone of all technological advancements in the business world.

Man studying a see-through computer monitor thats displaying AI text.gettyAI assistants could start manipulating you into making decisionsand then selling your plans to the highest bidder before you've even consciously made your mind up.According to AI ethicists from the University of Cambridge, published research and the hints dropped by several major tech players indicate that the 'intention economy' is set to take off.AI agents, from chatbot assistants to digital tutors and girlfriends, could exploit the access that they have to our psychological and behavioral data, and manipulate our responses by mimicking personalities and anticipating desired responses."Tremendous resources are being expended to position AI assistants in every area of life, which should raise the question of whose interests and purposes these so-called assistants are designed to serve," said visiting scholar Dr Yaqub Chaudhary of the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence."What people say when conversing, how they say it, and the type of inferences that can be made in real-time as a result, are far more intimate than just records of online interactions."Large language models can cheaply target a users cadence, politics, vocabulary, age, gender, online history, and even preferences for flattery and ingratiation, the researchers said.Brokered bidding networks would then attempt to maximize the chance of achieving a given aim, such as selling a cinema trip or pushing a political party, by subtly steering conversations."Unless regulated, the intention economy will treat your motivations as the new currency. It will be a gold rush for those who target, steer, and sell human intentions," said Dr Jonnie Penn, an LCFI historian of technology.Read More: Ukraine Hit By Massive Cyber Attack"We should start to consider the likely impact such a marketplace would have on human aspirations, including free and fair elections, a free press, and fair market competition, before we become victims of its unintended consequences."This isn't just idle speculation. An OpenAI blog post last year called for "data that expresses human intention... across any language, topic, and format", while the director of product at Shopifyan OpenAI partner spoke of chatbots coming in "to explicitly get the users intent" at a conference the same year.Meanwhile, Nvidias CEO has spoken publicly of using LLMs to figure out intention and desire, while Meta released research on what it referred to as the 'Intentonomy' in 2021.And earlier this year, Apples new 'App Intents' developer framework for connecting apps to its voice-controlled personal assistant Siri included protocols to "predict actions someone might take in future" and "suggest the app intent to someone in the future using predictions you [the developer] provide"."AI agents such as Metas CICERO are said to achieve human level play in the game Diplomacy, which is dependent on inferring and predicting intent, and using persuasive dialogue to advance ones position," said Chaudhary."These companies already sell our attention. To get the commercial edge, the logical next step is to use the technology they are clearly developing to forecast our intentions, and sell our desires before we have even fully comprehended what they are."

At the core of intelligent system design is the principle of instrumentation and iterative improvement.

Forward-looking: Nvidia, now a $3 trillion+ titan, has grown synonymous with graphics cards and AI accelerators. But as the company has become the one to beat in these arenas, it now has its crosshairs aimed at what it sees as the next major growth area: robotics. A report by The Financial Times has revealed Nvidia's plans to achieve this future. It highlights how Deepu Talla, Nvidia's VP of robotics, believes the robotics market has reached an inflection point where physical AI and robotics are about to take off in a big way."The ChatGPT moment for physical AI and robotics is just around the corner," Talla told the publication, adding that he believes the market has reached a "tipping point."To capitalize on this, Nvidia wants to position itself as the go-to platform for robotics. The company already offers a full robotics stack. This includes the software for training foundational AI models on DGX systems, its Omniverse simulation platform, and the Jetson hardware.However, things are set to accelerate next year, with Nvidia planning to launch its latest robot brain called Jetson Thor. This will be the newest addition to the company's Jetson platform, which is a line of compact computers designed for AI applications. Jetson Thor will be a model focused specifically on robotics, though.Talla says that there are currently two key breakthroughs driving Nvidia's robotics optimism. First is the rise of powerful generative AI models. The second is the ability to train robots in these foundational models using simulated environments.He stated that in the past year alone, this 'sim-to-real gap' has progressed enough to enable the combination of simulations with generative AI in powerful new ways that were not feasible two years ago. // Related StoriesIt's worth mentioning here that Talla has played an instrumental role in helping Nvidia break into robotics. The roots trace back to 2013 when Talla joined to work on its Tegra mobile chip. The company pivoted those engineers to autonomous vehicle training, which eventually led to the 2014 launch of Jetson robot brain modules.As for where the Jetson Thor will be useful, we can take hints from Nvidia's recent investments. Earlier this year, the buzzy robotics startup Figure AI raised $675 million from investors including Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Apptronik, another robotics company using Nvidia's tech, recently partnered with Google's DeepMind subsidiary.The robotics push comes as Nvidia faces increasing competition in AI chips from the likes of AMD. While AI still accounts for a massive 88% of Nvidia's $35 billion in quarterly revenue, the company is wise to explore new frontiers. After all, the robotics market is projected to soar from $78 billion currently to $165 billion by the end of 2029, per BCC Research.

In brief: Russia's quest to develop home-grown consoles that are made by Russians and enjoyed by Russians doesn't seem to be having a lot of success. According to new reports, two machines are being created: one isn't very powerful, and the other is a $45 device that streams games from the cloud. Back in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government to create Russian stationary and portable game consoles, along with operating systems and cloud-based game delivery systems for the machines.With Russia heavily sanctioned and looking to promote its own products, one of its in-development consoles is powered by the Elbrus processor. Developed by Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies (MCST) and based on the VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) architecture, Elbrus is designed primarily for domestic applications in critical infrastructure, defense, and other sensitive areas.Elbrus processors' performance can't match high-end CPUs from Intel, AMD, and Arm, but they are adequate for enterprise and government work. The CPUs certainly aren't going to power a console that can compete with the PS5 or Xbox Series.The console will also use a domestic OS, though it's still undecided whether this will be Aurora or Alt Linux.The Russian government admits that this device isn't going to be on the same level as current-gen machines. // Related Stories"I hope my colleagues will approach this task with full responsibility and come up with something truly groundbreaking," said Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy. "It is obvious to everyone: Elbrus processors are not yet at the level required to compete equally with the PS5 and Xbox, which means the solution must be unconventional."Gorelkin said that Russian consoles aren't being designed only to play ports of hundreds of old, less-demanding games. He added that they should primarily serve the purpose of promoting and popularizing domestic video game products.Another organization following Putin's instructions is Russian telecommunications firm MTS. Its console (above) will use the company's cloud-based gaming platform, called Fog Play. It allows owners of high-end PCs to rent out their computing power to those with less-powerful equipment, charging an hourly price. Those with more powerful PCs can access games on the service and use their own hardware to play them.MTS' device is expected to cost no more than $45 and come with an Xbox-like controller, suggesting it's unlikely to appeal to those who enjoy current-gen console games.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsSamsung Galaxy S25 Slim: possible release dateSamsung Galaxy S25 Slim: possible priceSamsung Galaxy S25 Slim: designSamsung Galaxy S25 Slim: specsSamsung Galaxy S25 Slim: other detailsSamsungs January Galaxy Unpacked event is just around the corner. We know the event will show off the Galaxy S25 lineup, but theres a chance that it could also unveil the long-rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim (and maybe give us a proper name for it besides the rumored title).Weve been following the rumors about this handset for a long time, and weve gathered quite a bit of information about the Galaxy S25 Slim. If youre curious about its specs, potential release window, and everything else we know, read on.Recommended VideosEvan Blass / XAccording to all of the information weve uncovered so far, the Galaxy S25 Slim will be receiving an international launch not just a Korea-focused one. As for the date, theres no firm information. The Galaxy S25 Slim isnt expected to launch anytime soon, though. Most predictions place it sometime in the middle of summer, perhaps around June.Please enable Javascript to view this contentRumors also suggested it wouldnt be announced at the Galaxy Unpacked event in January, but a fresh leak says the handset could be announced in January though it wont be available to purchase for a while longer.RelatedTraditionally, Samsung has released new entries in its handheld lineup earlier in the year. Releasing a phone in summer would be out of the norm; its entirely possible we wont see the Slim until September or October when Samsung usually releases the new FE devices.Andrew Martonik / Digital TrendsThe problem with looking to the FE series for a possible release window is that the Galaxy FE phones are priced lower than the base models. The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is $650, versus the $800 for the base Galaxy S24.From what weve seen so far, the Galaxy S25 Slim could receive upgraded specs versus the base S25. Better internals, combined with the already likely price increase for the Galaxy S25 lineup means the S25 Slim could cost as much as the base model if not more.For reference, the Galaxy S24 was $799 for the base model, $999 for the Plus model, and $1,299 for the Ultra. We expect an increase of around $100 for each size for the S25, meaning the S25 Slim could very likely cost over $1,000.Galaxy S24 FE Joe Maring / Digital TrendsUnlike the other entries in the S25 lineup, the Slim is one we dont quite have a dummy unit for yet. That means theres no clear picture of what the devices silhouette might look like, but we do know that it should be smaller than nearly anything else Samsung currently offers.Last week, well-known tipster Ice Universe shared on Weibo that the S25 Slim should fall between 6mm and 6.9mm thick. We still arent sure how thin the Slim will be, but early information says its significantly narrower than the latest Pixel or the iPhone.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsThe technical specifications are another area were still largely in the dark about. Some leaks have suggested a camera setup that is more in line with the Vivo X200 Pro Mini, with three 50MP cameras and a 32MP selfie cam.Preliminary reports from GSMArena give the S25 Slim the following configuration:Display6.7 inchesPlatformAndroid 15, One UI 7RAM12GBStorage256GBMain Camera200MP primary, 50MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawideSelfie Camera10 MPVideoBetween 720p@960FPS and 8K@30FPSThe Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsThere is still much we dont know about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim. What kind of battery life we can expect, the different color options, and more concrete details about the cameras are still unknown.However, we do expect it to make an appearance either at Galaxy Unpacked in January or later in the year, and the existence of the handset is all but guaranteed. Well update this guide as we learn more, so stay tuned.Editors Recommendations

NOT (QUITE) READY FOR PRIMETIME Passkey technology is elegant, but its most definitely not usable security Just in time for holiday tech-support sessions, here's what to know about passkeys. Dan Goodin Dec 30, 2024 7:00 am | 8 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt's that time again, when families and friends gather and implore the more technically inclined among them to troubleshoot problems they're having behind the device screens all around them. One of the most vexing and most common problems is logging into accounts in a way that's both secure and reliable.Using the same password everywhere is easy, but in an age of mass data breaches and precision-orchestrated phishing attacks, it's also highly unadvisable. Then again, creating hundreds of unique passwords, storing them securely, and keeping them out of the hands of phishers and database hackers is hard enough for experts, let alone Uncle Charlie, who got his first smartphone only a few years ago. No wonder this problem never goes away.Passkeysthe much-talked-about password alternative to passwords that have been widely available for almost two yearswas supposed to fix all that. When I wrote about passkeys two years ago, I was a big believer. I remain convinced that passkeys mount the steepest hurdle yet for phishers, SIM swappers, database plunderers, and other adversaries trying to hijack accounts. How and why is that?Elegant, yes, but usable?The FIDO2 specification and the overlapping WebAuthn predecessor that underpin passkeys are nothing short of pure elegance. Unfortunately, as support has become ubiquitous in browsers, operating systems, password managers, and other third-party offerings, the ease and simplicity envisioned have been undoneso much so that they can't be considered usable security, a term I define as a security measure that's as easy, or only incrementally harder, to use as less-secure alternatives."There are barriers at each turn that guide you through a developer's idea of how you should use them," William Brown, a software engineer specializing in authentication, wrote in an online interview. "None of them are deal-breaking, but they add up."Passkeys are now supported on hundreds of sites and roughly a dozen operating systems and browsers. The diverse ecosystem demonstrates the industry-wide support for passkeys, but it has also fostered a jumble of competing workflows, appearances, and capabilities that can vary greatly depending on the particular site, OS, and browser (or browser agents such as native iOS or Android apps). Rather than help users understand the dizzying number of options and choose the right one, each implementation strong-arms the user into choosing the vendor's preferred choice.The experience of logging into PayPal with a passkey on Windows will be different from logging into the same site on iOS or even logging into it with Edge on Android. And forget about trying to use a passkey to log into PayPal on Firefox. The payment site doesn't support that browser on any OS.Another example is when I create a passkey for my LinkedIn account on Firefox. Because I use a wide assortment of browsers on platforms, I have chosen to sync the passkey using my 1Password password manager. In theory, that choice allows me to automatically use this passkey anywhere I have access to my 1Password account, something that isn't possible otherwise. But it's not as simple as all that.When I look at the passkey in LinkedIn settings, it shows as being created for Firefox on Mac OS X 10, even though it works on all the browsers and OSes I'm using. Screenshot showing passkey is created for Firefox on Mac OS X 10.Why is LinkedIn indicating otherwise? The answer is that there's no way for LinkedIn to interoperate flexibly with the browsers and OSes and vice versa. Per the FIDO2 and WebAuthn specs, LinkedIn knows only the browser and OS I used when creating the credential. 1Password, meanwhile, has no way to coordinate with LinkedIn to ensure I'm presented with consistent information that will help me keep track of this. Suddenly, using passkeys is more confusing than it needs to be for there to be utility to ordinary users.Things get more complicated still when I want to log into LinkedIn on Firefox for Android, and am presented with the following dialog box. Screenshot showing a dialog box with the text: "You're using on-device encryption. Unlock your passwords to sign in." At this point, I don't know if it's Google or Firefox that's presenting me with this non-intuitive response. I just want to open LinkedIn using the passkey that's being synced by 1Password to all my devices. Somehow, the mysterious entity responsible for this message (it's Google in this case) has hijacked the process in an attempt to convince me to use its platform.Also, consider the experience on WebAuthn.io, a site that demonstrates how the standard works under different scenarios. When a user wants to enroll a physical security key to log in on macOS, they receive a dialog that steers them toward using a passkey instead and to sync it through iCloud. Dialog box showing macOS passkeys message. The user just wants to enroll a security key in the form of a USB dongle or smartphone and can be used when logging in on any device. But instead, macOS preempts this task with directions for creating a passkey that will be synced through iCloud. What's the user to do? Maybe click on the "other options" in small text at the very bottom? Let's try and see. The dialog box that appears after clicking "other options." Wait, why is it still offering the option for the passkey to be synced in iCloud, and how does that qualify as "other options"? And why is the most prominent suggestion that the user "continue with Touch ID"? It isn't until selectng "security key" that the user will see that option they wanted all alongto store the credential on a security key. Only after this stepnow three clicks indoes the light on a USB security key begin blinking, and the key is finally ready to be enrolled. Dialog box finally allows the creation of a passkey on a security key. The dueling dialogs in this example are by no means unique to macOS.Too many cooks in the kitchen"Most try to funnel you into a vendor's sync passkey option, and don't make it clear how you can use other things," Brown noted. "Chrome, Apple, Windows, all try to force you to use their synced passkeys by default, and you have to click through prompts to use alternatives."Bruce Davie, another software engineer with expertise in authentication, agreed, writing in an October post that the current implementation of passkeys "seems to have failed the 'make it easy for users' test, which in my view is the whole point of passkeys."In April, Son Nguyen Kim, the product lead for the free Proton Pass password manager, penned a post titled Big Tech passkey implementations are a trap. In it, he complained that passkey implementations to date lock users into the platform they created the credential on.If you use Google Chrome as your browser on a Mac, it uses the Apple Keychain feature to store your passkeys, he wrote. "This means you cant sync your passkeys to your Chrome profile on other devices. In an email last month, Kim said users can now override this option and choose to store their passkeys in Chrome. Even then, however, "passkeys created on Chrome on Mac dont sync to Chrome in iPhone, so the user cant use it seamlessly on Chrome on their iPhone."Other posts reciting similar complaints are here and here.In short, there are too many cooks in the kitchen, and each one thinks they know the proper way to make pie.I have put these and other criticisms to the test over the past four months. I have used them on a true heterogeneous environment that includes a MacBook Air, a Lenovo X1 ThinkPad, an iPhone, and a Pixel running Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, and on the phones, a large number of apps, including those for LinkedIn, PayPal, eBay, Kayak, Gmail, Amazon, and Uber. My objective has been to understand how well passkey-based authentication works over the long term, particularly for cross-platform users.I fully agree that syncing across different platforms is much harder than it should be. So is the messaging provided during the passkey enrollment phase. The dialogs users see are dictated arbitrarily by whatever OS or browser has control at the moment. There's no way for previously made configuration choices to be communicated to tailor dialog boxes and workflow.Another shortcoming: There's no programming interface for Apple, Google, and Microsoft platforms to directly pass credentials from one to the other. The FIDO2 standard has devised a clever method in an attempt to bridge this gap. It typically involves joining two devices over a secure BLE connection and using a QR code so the already-authenticated device can vouch for the trustworthiness of the other. This process is easy for some people in some cases, but it can quickly become quirky and prone to failure, particularly when fussy devices can't connect over BLE.In many cases, however, critics overstate the severity of these sorts of problems. These are definitely things that unnecessarily confuse and complicate the use of passkeys. But often, they're one-time events that can be overcome by creating multiple passkeys and bootstrapping them for each device. From then on, these unphishable, unstealable credentials live on both devices, in much the way some users allow credentials for their Gmail or Apple ID to be stored in two or more browsers or password managers for convenience.More helpful still is using a cross-platform password manager to store and sync passkeys. I have been using 1Password to do just that for a month with no problems to report. Most other name-brand password managers would likely perform as well. In keeping with the FIDO2 spec, these credentials are end-to-end encrypted.Halfway house for password managersWith my 1Password account running on my devices, I had no trouble using a passkey to log into any enrolled site on a device running any browser. The flow was fast and intuitive. In most cases, both iOS and Android had no problem passing the key from 1Password to an app for Uber, Amazon, Gmail, or another site. Signing into phone apps is one of the bigger hassles for me. Passkeys made this process much easier, and it did so while also allowing me the added security of MFA.This reliance on a password manager, however, largely undermines a key value proposition of passkeys, which has been to provide an entirely new paradigm for authenticating ourselves. Using 1Password to sync a password is almost identical to syncing a passkey, so why bother? Worse still, the majority of people still don't use password managers. I'm a big believer in password managers for the security they offer. Making them a condition for using a passkey would be a travesty.I'm not the first person to voice this criticism. David Heinemeier Hansson said much the same thing in September."The problem with passkeys is that they're essentially a halfway house to a password manager, but tied to a specific platform in ways that aren't obvious to a user at all, and liable to easily leave them unable to access ... their accounts," wrote the Danish software engineer and programmer, who created Ruby on Rails and is the CTO of web-based software development firm 37signals. "Much the same way that two-factor authentication can do, but worse, since you're not even aware of it."He continued:Let's take a simple example. You have an iPhone and a Windows computer. Chrome on Windows stores your passkeys in Windows Hello, so if you sign up for a service on Windows, and you then want to access it on iPhone, you're going to be stuck (unless you're so forward thinking as to add a second passkey, somehow, from the iPhone will on the Windows computer!). The passkey lives on the wrong device, if you're away from the computer and want to login, and it's not at all obvious to most users how they might fix that.Even in the best case scenario, where you're using an iPhone and a Mac that are synced with Keychain Access via iCloud, you're still going to be stuck, if you need to access a service on a friend's computer in a pinch. Or if you're not using Keychain Access at all. There are plenty of pitfalls all over the flow. And the solutions, like scanning a QR code with a separate device, are cumbersome and alien to most users.If you're going to teach someone how to deal with all of this, and all the potential pitfalls that might lock them out of your service, you almost might as well teach them how to use a cross-platform password manager like 1Password.Undermining security promisesThe security benefits of passkeys at the moment are also undermined by an undeniable truth. Of the hundreds of sites supporting passkeys, there isn't one I know of that allows users to ditch their password completely. The password is still mandatory. And with the exception of Google's Advanced Protection Program, I know of no sites that won't allow logins to fall back on passwords, often without any additional factor. Even then, all bug Google APP accounts can be accessed using a recovery code.This fallback on phishable, stealable credentials undoes some of the key selling points of passkeys. As soon as passkey adoption poses a meaningful hurdle in account takeovers, threat actors will devise hacks and social engineering attacks that exploit this shortcoming. Then we're right back where we were before.Christiaan Brandt, co-chair of the FIDO2 technical working group and an identity and security product manager at Google, said in an online interview that most users aren't ready for true passwordless authentication."We have to meet users where they are," he wrote. "When we tested messaging for passkeys, users balked at 'replace your password with passkeys,' but felt much more comfortable with more softened language like "you can now use a passkey to log in to your account too.' Over time, we most definitely plan to wean users off phishable authentication factors, but we anticipate this journey to take multiple years. We really can only do it once users are so comfortable with passkeys that the fallback to passwords is (almost) never needed."A design choice further negating the security benefits of passkeys: Amazon, PayPal, Uber, and no small number of other sites supporting passkeys continue to rely on SMS texts for authentication even after passkeys are enrolled.SMS-based MFA is among the weakest form of this protection. Not only can the texts be phished, but they're also notoriously vulnerable to SIM swaps, in which an adversary gains control of a target's phone number. As long as these less-secure fallbacks exist, passkeys aren't much more than security theater.I still think passkeys make sense in many cases. I'll say more about that later. First, for a bit more context, readers should know:Passkeys are defined in the WebAuthn spec as a "discoverable credential," historically known as a "resident key." The credential is in the form of a private-public key pair, which is created on the security key, which can be in the form of a FIDO-approved secure enclave embedded into a USB dongle, smartphone, or computer. The key pair is unique to each user account. The user creates the key pair after proving their identity to the website using an existing authentication method, typically a password. The private key never leaves the security key.Going forward, when the user logs in, the site sends a security challenge to the user. The user then uses the locally stored private key to cryptographically sign the challenge and sends it to the website. The website then uses the public key it stores to verify the response is signed with the private key. With that, the user is logged in.Under the FIDO2 spec, the passkey can never leave the security key, except as an encrypted blob of bits when the passkey is being synced from one device to another. The secret key can be unlocked only when the user authenticates to the physical key using a PIN, password, or most commonly a fingerprint or face scan. In the event the user authenticates with a biometric, it never leaves the security key, just as they never leave Android and iOS phones and computers running macOS or Windows.Passkeys can be stored and synced using the same mechanisms millions of people already use for passwordsa password manager such as Bitwarden, Apple iCloud, Google Password Manager, or Microsoft's cloud. Just like passwords, passkeys available in these managers are end-to-end encrypted using tried and true cryptographic algorithms.The advent of this new paradigm was supposed to solve multiple problems at oncemake authenticating ourselves online easier, eliminate the hassle of remembering passwords, and all but eradicate the most common forms of account takeovers.When not encumbered by the problems mentioned earlier, this design provides multifactor authentication in a single stroke. The user logs in using something they havethe physical key, which must be near the device logging in. They must also use something they knowthe PIN or passwordor something they aretheir face or fingerprintto complete the credential transfer. The cryptographic secret never leaves the enclave embedded into the physical key.What to tell Uncle Charlie?In enterprise environments, passkeys can be a no-brainer alternative to passwords and authenticators. And even for Uncle Charliewho has a single iPhone and Mac, and logs into only a handful of sitespasskeys may provide a simpler, less phishable path forward. Using a password manager to log into Gmail with a passkey ensures he's protected by MFA. Using the password alone does not.The takeaway from all of thisparticularly for those recruited to provide technical support this week but also anyone trying to decide if it's time to up their own authentication game: If a password manager isn't already a part of the routine, see if it's viable to add one now. Password managers make it practical to use a virtually unlimited number of long, randomly generated passwords that are unique to each site.For some, particularly people with diminished capacity or less comfort being online, this step alone will be enough. Everyone else should also, whenever possible, opt into MFA, ideally using security keys or, if that's not available, an authenticator app. I'm partial to 1Password as a password manager, Authy as an authenticator, and security keys from Yubico or Titan. There are plenty of other suitable alternatives.I still think passkeys provide the greatest promise yet for filling the many security pitfalls of passwords and lowering the difficulty of remembering and storing them. For now, however, the hassles of using passkeys, coupled with their diminished security created by the presence of fallbacks, means no one should feel like a technophobe or laggard for sticking with their passwords. For now, passwords and key- or authenticator-based MFA remain essential.With any luck, passkeys will someday be ready for the masses, but that day is not (yet) here.Dan GoodinSenior Security EditorDan GoodinSenior Security Editor Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82. 8 Comments