I regard “smart” as an epithet I want to avoid in appliances. Light switches, thermostats, refrigerators, and all the rest seem to work great without adding internet connectivity, security breaches, corporate surveillance, and vendors removing functionality, or ending support to turn the appliance into e-waste.
It helps to separate the technology from the companies. We don't need Google, Amazon, or any other company to make use of network connected technology. It doesn't have to be internet-connected, either. You can have a completely automated home with no more risk of intrusion than a standard locked door already has from a well-placed boot.
When Foxconn announced its plans to open facilities in Wisconsin back in 2017, it promised to invest $10 billion into bringing production to the US that was expected to lead to as many as 13,000 jobs.
Now, the Taiwanese supplier to tech giants like Apple is selling two properties in Eau Claire and Green Bay, purchased for almost $12 million in 2018.
Meanwhile, the portion Foxconn owns in a mixed-use property in Eau Claire has reportedly remained empty for years.
In 2021, however, Foxconn massively altered the scale of the project and told the local government that it would be investing $672 million instead of $10 billion like it intended.
Foxconn didn’t comment on its Eau Claire property, but it told WPR that it “will add to the vibrancy of the city’s downtown.”
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich posted on X that he hopes a sale “will lead to better utilization of a fantastic waterfront building.”
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There’s only two videos of it on the company website and they’re both rendered. Doesn’t really inspire confidence that their product is actually ready to market.
Named Apollo, the machine is designed to “work in environments designed for, and directly alongside, humans.” The android is initially intended to move and carry cases and totes in logistics and manufacturing settings.
But the Austin-based Apptronik sees Apollo expanding into “construction, oil and gas, electronics production, retail, home delivery, elder care” and more.
Apollo follows Xiaomi’s reveal of the CyberOne robot last year, which looked remarkably similar to the still-unreleased Tesla Bot.
(Apptronik says it optimized efficiency by making its arms lighter than the weight they can lift.)
It uses swappable batteries — running up to four hours per pack — which should provide more flexibility than robots that require wall charging before springing back into action.
The company says it built “modularity into Apollo’s design, empowering users to decide whether Apollo is best used for their applications as a true bi-pedal walking humanoid, a torso that operates on wheels or one mounted in a stationary location.” The robot has digital panels on its face and chest to provide a “friendly, human-like countenance” to make workers feel comfortable working alongside it (as it potentially moves towards automating their jobs).
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I still kinda doubt that. It’s general label for me is Facebook for the modern era. It’s Facebook but built from the ground up to support following influencers and not family.
Gee, a controllable and fairly steady source of something that naturally generates methane. Better just bury it real quick because we’ve got fracking to do!
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