News
- Over half of Gen Z workers feel more productive working from home
- 34% of Gen Z workers believe their workplace does not allow them to focus effectively
- The findings are the result of a survey conducted by Diamond Interiors and YouGov
A new survey has claimed Gen Z employees feel they’re at their most productive working from home, rather than in the workplace, flying in the face of those attempting to get people back into the office.
The Diamond Interiors report notes focusing on work is widely recognized as improving productivity, which might explain the challenge for Gen Z. Home can be quiet, distractions managed, and with the right setup, focused productivity can deliver early completion and potentially the option to finish work early. With a commute to a busy office, this may seem tougher to achieve.
With 53% claiming they feel more productive working from home rather than in the noisy office, the challenge here might not be so much getting people into the office, but what the office really represents.
20-somethings don’t like the officeOver the years, office-based environments have evolved, from closed rooms to open-plan operations, sometimes occupying an entire floor without walls. The noise – for instance in call centers – can be considerable, and the opportunities for distraction soon add up. Throw in the period of enforced remote working from 2020 to 2023, which may also have included a period of university study for Gen Z, and you have a generation that isn’t geared to handle distractions.
The report highlights that 53% of those surveyed in the Gen Z cohort believe that working from home makes them more productive, with 34% blaming the design of the workplace.
“These findings highlight an important challenge facing employers," noted Rebecca Waller, Head Of Design at Diamond Interiors. "While offices remain incredibly valuable for collaboration, many employees are telling us they do not always feel they have the right environment to focus on individual tasks.”
“In many cases, it is not necessarily because employees prefer being at home, but because home environments often offer greater control over noise, interruptions, and comfort.”
Is this the end of the office?The big question isn’t “how do we successfully move on from the office” – at least, not yet. Rather, it seems to be that offices don’t offer the level of comfort and focus that Gen Z employees need. As Waller says “It is not necessarily because employees prefer being at home, but because home environments often offer greater control over noise, interruptions, and comfort."
She highlights that workspaces need to support methods of working that suit everyone, with open-plan layouts balanced with quieter areas, environments that can avoid distractions. If employers expect Gen Z team members to produce their best work, it’s going to be a choice between home working and finding a workplace design that fosters productivity, not distractions.
- Russia is adding magnetic compasses to drones affected by satellite navigation jamming
- The Molniya can use Earth’s magnetic field for basic directional guidance
- A camera periodically checks the compass during the drone’s flight
Russian engineers have reportedly fitted a basic magnetic compass onto the cheap Molniya attack drone to counter satellite jamming.
The modification offers a low-cost alternative when electronic warfare systems interfere with GPS or GLONASS signals used by many unmanned aircraft.
Although the upgrade does not make the drone completely immune to interference, it removes dependence on satellite signals for basic directional guidance.
A compass helps the Molniya survive satellite jammingMost drones depend on satellite navigation systems that both Ukrainian and Russian electronic warfare units have spent the war jamming and spoofing.
Unlike satellite navigation, a magnetic compass reads Earth’s magnetic field directly and does not depend on an external radio signal.
This makes the system difficult to disrupt through conventional jamming, which targets the signals drones use to determine their position and maintain planned flight paths.
The modification could therefore help the Molniya continue following a general course after electronic warfare systems interfere with satellite navigation.
According to Ukrainian defence advisor Serhii Beskrestnov, the latest upgrade was done by Skolkovo technologies.
“Skolkovo technologies continue to develop. A compass was installed on the Molniya drone, and the camera periodically tilts down to look at it,” he said.
The Molniya has also appeared in versions controlled through fibre-optic cables, which cannot be disrupted wirelessly because commands travel through a physical connection.
Those cables, however, add weight and create limitations for range, payload capacity and deployment flexibility.
Beskrestnov has also reported a Molniya attack involving no control antenna, with an onboard camera and computer handling navigation and target selection.
These developments suggest that the low-cost drone is being adapted through different approaches to reduce dependence on vulnerable communications links.
Low cost makes simple upgrades attractiveRussia’s approach to cheaply upgrading the Molniya drones suggests that it is focused on spending less in the war against Ukraine.
The Molniya drones are pretty cheap and are largely made of plywood and aluminum tubing.
This explains why Russian engineers can add simple technologies instead of redesigning the entire aircraft around more expensive navigation systems.
Beskrestnov has estimated that Russia can build 10 to 15 Molniya drones for the cost of one Supercam reconnaissance drone.
The Supercam can cost close to $100,000 per aircraft, according to the estimate, making the cheaper Molniya suitable for modifications that prioritise affordability over sophisticated hardware.
In response to Beskrestnov, Russian military analyst Ian Matveev said, “I’m sure in the documents it says: Navigation equipment based on the principles of Earth’s magnetism.”
His remark captured how a low-cost compass fix can outperform far pricier electronic warfare countermeasures on the battlefield.
However, the magnetic compass does not provide precise satellite positioning, and the drone remains vulnerable to other countermeasures affecting its control, sensors or flight systems.
Via Defence Blog
- Anduril and Archer Aviation unveiled Thunder, an autonomous tiltrotor "loyal wingman" designed to fly alongside crewed attack helicopters
- The rotocraft can carry up to 10 air-to-ground missiles or 76 guided rockets while simultaneously being equipped with counter-drone technology
- Its first flight is targeted for 2027, but no price was disclosed, and no named customer was announced
Anduril opened the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow with the kind of reveal the event is increasingly built around: not a jet, but a robot.
The defense startup, in partnership with electric-aircraft maker Archer Aviation, pulled the wraps off Thunder, a Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft designed to fly alongside crewed attack helicopters like the Boeing AH-64 Apache and the US Army's upcoming Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II, or operate entirely on its own.
The Thunder aims to address the growing recognition that the modern battlefield is essentially a killing field for near-surface weaponry and personnel by offering a cheaper, safer option for Western militaries.
A concentration on 'mass' drives the Thunder's designAnduril has repeatedly mentioned mass when it comes to the Thunder, and for good reason.
The Thunder can not only essentially act as an autonomous aerial unit in a formation that has other attack helicopters in it, but it can carry an impressive amount of munitions and electronic warfare equipment to boot, essentially multiplying the threat any squadron of helicopters poses with it.
Not only does it risk fewer lives, if any, but it also costs less than both a fully equipped attack helicopter and the trained personnel required to man it, making it a relative no-brainer for the future if it lives up to its promise.
The trade is meant to be obvious: field enough autonomous wingmen cheaply enough that losing one is an accounting event, not a casualty notification. This is the same "affordable mass" doctrine Anduril and others have been pushing into the fighter world through Collaborative Combat Aircraft programs.
The Thunder simply extends it from fixed-wing fast jets down into Army attack aviation, which is arguably where Ukraine has shown the need is most acute.
It is also, tellingly, a teaming concept rather than a replacement one. Anduril is not claiming Thunder makes the Apache obsolete; it is claiming Thunder keeps the Apache relevant by absorbing the parts of a mission most likely to get a crew killed, while the humans stay farther back and make the decisions.
Anduril's Collaborative Combat Aircraft ambitions are already on display: a drone it designed recently launched an AMRAAM air-to-air missile at a digital target, with human pilots still firmly in control even as the device's autonomy continues to grow.
The Thunder is today a full-scale mockup with a 2027 first-flight target, meaning some details are subject to change. But even as Anduril Industries remains tight-lipped about cost and potential customers, the rotorcraft appears linked to Britain's Project NYX Apache-wingman program, for which the UK arm of the defense contractor has already been shortlisted.
- There was very little mention of the Samsung Galaxy Ring at this year's Unpacked presentation
- Nevertheless, it sounds like a Galaxy Ring 2 is coming
- I interviewed Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, who gave me the inside scoop
What a day! We've just seen Samsung's vision for the future of wearables at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including its AR glasses and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9.
However, conspicuous by its absence was the next iteration of Samsung's smallest wearable, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. While Samsung did confirm the Samsung Galaxy Ring's sleep apnea detection functionality was getting a coveted FDA certification — a significant badge of quality — very little else was said about the Ring, or its next generation.
While the silence has led some to believe that the Ring might be a one-and-done device, people are still passionate about the smart ring form factor. After all, the Oura Ring 5 was released this year, so I thought Samsung would be looking to follow up its smash-hit Galaxy Ring with a Galaxy Ring 2.
(Image credit: Future)While it didn't appear in this year's presentation, it seems that a successor is, indeed, on the way. During an interview with Samsung's VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience, Annika Bizon, I asked if there was any word on a potential Galaxy Ring 2.
"I will say yes, we are looking at the future of Ring, watch this space," Bizon told me. "It will definitely form part of our future portfolio of wearables."
I noted that Bizon was wearing a Samsung Galaxy Ring as we were speaking. "Well, I love it because it's discreet health," she said. "It tells me some of the things I need to know and when I put my watch back on, they'll work together."
There was definitely a "yes" in there, and the remark about the future portfolio suggests a new device, as well as a follow-up to the existing one, could be in the works. And the Galaxy Ring has certainly got fans inside Samsung's executive team.
Besides, Samsung aggressively pursuing certifications for the first-generation Ring shows it remains committed to investing time and money into its smallest wearable form factor. The short segment at Unpacked felt like a reminder that yes, the Ring exists, and there's more on the way.
Even though it's a mere tidbit compared to all the big news we got at the event, this is exciting stuff for fans of the best smart rings. The recent announcement of the blood-pressure monitoring startup Signal Ring from ex-Head of Android Tom Moss shows that tech companies are still pushing the limits of what smart rings can do.
- White Eagle knocked Matador's head off with a precise high kick during combat
- Matador continued fighting after losing its head and head-mounted sensors during battle
- EngineAI's humanoid robot can perform uppercuts, spinning kicks, and rapid recovery after falls
A white T800 humanoid robot named White Eagle stunned spectators in China after landing a precision kick that dislodged its rival's head.
The bout was part of the opening contest of the Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) tournament, the world's first full-scale humanoid robot fighting event.
Held at the Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center, the event drew 32 teams from around the world.
A robot that kept fightingThe most striking moment came when White Eagle's opponent, a black-clad robot called Matador, lost its head to a precise high kick.
Despite losing its head-mounted sensors, the machine kept throwing punches and absorbing strikes, finishing the match through its torso-based core systems alone.
Organizers said the sequence shows the robot's durability and its resistance to sustained physical impact, according to the Guangzhou Daily.
According to EngineAI, the T800 stands 1.73 meters tall and can perform uppercuts, spinning kicks and rapid recoveries after falls.
The company said each unit costs roughly $50,000 and features strong posture control, dynamic perception and shock-absorbing capabilities for combat.
All 32 competing teams used the EngineAI T800 as a standardized platform, ensuring every fighter entered the ring with identical hardware.
Selection for the inaugural tournament reportedly involved rigorous testing of each robot's stability and combat responsiveness before the event officially began.
The Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center provided the backdrop for a tournament organizers hope will grow into a recognized global sporting franchise.
Tournament tests more than robot strengthThe URKL format assesses robots through effective strikes, body stability, defensive and evasive abilities, and overall durability in combat.
That structure means victory depends on more than simply delivering the hardest punch or kick.
EngineAI founder and CEO Zhao Tongyang said the tournament aims to develop a globally influential commercial humanoid robotics fighting franchise.
He also said competition could support research and industrial development by exposing machines to demanding physical conditions.
"We want to use competition to drive research and industry development," Zhao said. "Let the event feed back into technology, and let technology drive the industry."
Real combat could help assess mechanical balance, millisecond-level decision-making and coordination between multiple sensor systems.
Feedback from such conditions could accelerate the movement of intelligent robots from laboratory development toward commercial use.
Actor Donnie Yen attended the event and compared the experience favourably with staged combat scenes from films.
"Honestly, I used to see robot fighting only in science fiction movies. But today, for the first time, I got to watch real robots fighting up close,” Yen said during the opening ceremony.
The event's unusual head-loss incident reveals the durability of the T800, while also showing the limits and risks of using complex humanoid machines in physical combat.
Future contests will likely determine whether such events can produce useful engineering data beyond entertainment.
Via Global Times
Computing is so ubiquitous that we often see more than one in most households, including laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, smartphones, tablets, and so on. But there was once a time when that certainly wasn't the case. In that context, some comments made by industry stalwarts of the past may appear like massive miscalculations.
Ethics in AIThe late Ken Olsen was the co-founder and CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), a major company in the mid-20th century that produced a series of minicomputers over the decades in which it operated until its decline in 1998.
Quote of the dayThis article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.
Despite being a key part of the computer industry, Olsen was adamant that the computer was something isolated to the enterprise — delivering his infamous comments in 1977 at a convention of the World Future Society. There are, however, two very important caveats.
Firstly, computers at the time were either gigantic mainframes or minicomputers that needed specialized staff to manage. Secondly, Olsen later claimed his words were taken completely out of context.
Smart livingOlsen claimed he wasn't referring to the sort of computers we see today in homes like desktop PCs or laptops, but actually the then-futuristic proposal of a master computer that would automate different functions around the house.
What the executive was referring to was what we now understand as the smart home. However, regardless of the context, his comments still missed the mark — as the rise of smart home technology has been a very exciting development during the 21st century.
That said, the vision of a fully automated and intelligent home has proven massively prohibitive, partially due to cost, partially due to hardware, and finally due to slow interoperability and integration. That latter element, however, is finally something that's been changing thanks to the Matter smart home standard.