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Chinese robotics firm Agibot has launched a range of humanoid robots designed to look, move, and sound like human beings in the UK business-to-business (B2B) market.

The Shanghai-based company, founded in 2023 by two former Huawei engineers, hosted a launch event in London on June 30, 2026, with several of its A3 full-sized humanoid and X2 half-size humanoid robots in attendance, as well as current and prospective business partners.

The robots — all controlled by humans with smartphones and DualSense controllers — were deployed at several demo stations in the event space.

One X2 humanoid robot was set up to dance to peppy music, cutting some serious shapes for a constant crowd, while another in a Harry Kane shirt kicked a football into a net. A third wore a suit of (admittedly very cool) Gundam-style armor, demonstrating the robots’ potential for customization.

As for the full-sized A3 humanoid — less expressive than its smaller sibling, with sharper angles and a rather blank circle in place of the X2’s animated ‘eyes’ — a unit was made available to greet guests and for photo opportunities.

In a presentation at the UK launch event, Agibot co-founder and COO Daniel Jiang said: “The robot business is the AI business. Robots should understand you, know what you say, talk to you, and work for you.”

Indeed, at the launch event, the word ‘robot’ was as common as the phrase ‘embodied AI’, as Agibot representatives attempted to position the firm’s product range as a signifier of a new technological era: the ‘fourth industrial revolution.’

In a later talk, co-founder and R&D president Yan Xiong said: “Of the products I’ve worked on, embodied AI is the most exciting and inspiring. Through three intelligences in one body, robots can become human-like.”

The three intelligences in question control interaction, locomotion, and manipulation, powered by on-device AI models that communicate with cloud servers. It seems that Agibot sees itself as an AI company first and foremost, and is allocating its resources in kind: “Our main focus is the research and development of the three intelligences, taking up 75% of our R&D staff, and 80 per cent of our R&D budget.”

That’s not to say that the firm's humanoid robots aren’t profoundly impressive. The units are made mainly of magnesium alloy, with titanium reinforcements at pressure points to ensure rigidity. The A3 weighs 55kg, which is pretty reasonable when you consider its 5-foot-8-inch (173cm) height, and lasts up to 10 hours on a single charge of its 1152W battery.

In comparison, the 4-foot-3-inch (131cm) X2 weighs 39kg and lasts for two hours. The units communicate with the internet via dual-module, dual-SIM 5G.

Also present were units from Agibot's D1 quadruped range, inexplicably programmed to do backflips on command, as well as G2-series industrial robots and C5 cleaning robots. The top-tier D1 model, the D1 MaxPro, has a carrying capacity of 50kg, while only weighing 68kg itself.

Agibot is young but quickly increasing its production capacity. It recently rolled out its 15,000th unit, having passed 10,000 units just three months earlier, and has already deployed its G2 industrial robots in China’s Longcheer electronics factory. Indeed, much of the event was dedicated to promoting possible use cases for each model in industries like construction, live entertainment, and the corporate world.

Having shaken hands with the X2 and watched the D1 wave its ‘paw’ and, again, perform several perfect backflips, I have to admit that I’m still stunned by Agibot's range of robots. The firm’s launch has done nothing to allay my many concerns about AI, but it’s still almost unbelievable to see actual droids walking around.

It’s clear that Agibot wants its robots to be relatable — the dance moves, handshakes, and free kicks are obviously an effort to instill some kind of affection in a crowd of possible customers. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the X2 wildly entertaining, even though I know it's just metal and plastic — but that’s the power of pattern recognition.

If Agibot can make strides towards its professed goal of autonomous operation, then we really aren’t too far away from having a real-life C3PO on our hands.

It’s early days, but the firm’s leadership sounds committed. In his presentation, Yan Xiong said: “Scaling to mass production is the first hurdle to mature the embodied AI industry. After we achieve mass production, the next step is to bring our portfolio to commercial availability."

“AI should not be confined behind screens,” he later added, “it must be brought into the physical world.”

• Amid backlash surrounding plans to end physical game disc production, Sony is trying to advertise its new PlayStation fight stick
• The company has remained quiet amid fan pushback since announcing its plans
• Fans appear outraged by Sony's lack of response

PlayStation has just posted online for the first time since announcing its plans to end physical game disc production, but instead of addressing the elephant in the room, the company is trying to advertise its new fight stick.

From January 2028 onwards physical PlayStation discs will no longer be produced, and let's just say the reaction to the announcement has sparked overwhelming backlash.

While fans continue to urge the company to backtrack on its decision online, including creating a petition that has amassed over 170,000 signatures, PlayStation has remained noticeably quiet on the issue. But finally, after six days of silence, it looks like it's finally shared a new social media post.

Is it a statement addressing the issue? A response explaining its stance further? No. It's an advertisement for its new FlexStrike wireless fight stick.

As of writing, the post has been up for one hour, has over 4.5million views, and has received massive pushback, with fans flooding the replies to accuse PlayStation of ignoring them.

"Sony is completely ignoring the huge backlash for the killing physical media and ownership," one fan said. "Don't let them get away with it. Voice your disgust under every post they put out until they change course."

Sony there's something you should address... pic.twitter.com/AtBQIaCoPJJuly 7, 2026

pic.twitter.com/WmAm1ooc0KJuly 7, 2026

Another wrote, "No way THIS is the first tweet PlayStation puts out after 6 days," as another joked, "I don’t understand. This a physical product? How do I download it?"

The thread is also full of fans showing how much they care about physical media, with some proudly showing off their collections, others declaring they won't buy another console again, and of course, plenty of memes about the situation.

We'll have to wait and see if PlayStation eventually caves to the pressure, but for now, Sony's plan to stop manufacturing physical media is still going ahead.

Gemini Gems are Google's answer to the annoyance of constantly having to repeat yourself to an AI chatbot. Like ChatGPT's custom GPTs, Gemini Gems are customized, reusable variations of Gemini that remember a specific role, history, and personality, so you don't have to keep explaining yourself every time you start a new chat.

Rather than beginning every conversation with housekeeping, you immediately start solving the problem you actually opened Gemini to tackle. You build a collection of specialists that already know their jobs. Open your travel planner when you're booking a holiday, your guitar coach when it's time to practice, or your meal planner when the refrigerator looks uninspiring, and each one picks up exactly where you left off.

I've made plenty of Gems, some more enduring than others. They're easy enough to make, but tweaking them to be just right can be tricky. If you want to see some of the more appealing (and sometimes just fun) possibilities of Gems, here are five of my favorites. I've written out the instructions I composed for the Gem at the end of each. Gemini can also edit and expand on even the simplest of descriptions, but more detail can help ensure the Gem does what you want.

Creating a Gem

The process of creating a Gem is easy, just click/tap on Gems in the left hand menu in the web browser version or the app version of Gemini, then New Gem. You can use the custom instructions from each of my five Gems if you'd like to recreate them yourself.

Planning family outings has become its own part-time hobby. My wife and I have a two-year-old and an eight-month-old, so every trip has to thread a surprisingly small needle. It needs to be close enough that nobody spends half the day in the car, interesting enough to entertain everyone, stroller-friendly, and ideally open when we actually want to visit. That made Family Adventure Planner the first Gem to showcase.

Setting it up only took a few minutes. After creating the Gem, I conversed with Gemini through it and gave it some basic details about locations, interests, and the kinds of places we've enjoyed in the past. Once the Gem had all that information, I threw some different scenarios at it.

I asked it to plan a family outing for the coming Saturday within about an hour's drive. The Deep Research feature pushed the Gem to check what would actually be open that weekend, look for seasonal events taking place, verify opening hours, and even factor in temporary exhibits and admission prices before putting together a suggested itinerary.

The recommendation felt surprisingly complete. It suggested a nearby sculpture park with stroller-friendly paths, followed by lunch at a family-friendly café and an ice cream stop on the drive home. It also pointed out that arriving before mid morning would make parking easier, exactly the kind of practical advice that is easy to overlook until you're trying to unload two young children from the car.

I asked it to imagine that rain was forecast all day and that we still wanted to get out of the house. Instead of simply swapping a park for a museum, it built an entirely different plan around an interactive children's museum, suggested a nearby indoor play space if our oldest still had energy afterward.

The Gem also adapted quickly as I added more context. After mentioning that long waits at restaurants rarely end well with a hungry toddler and an eight-month-old, future itineraries naturally favored casual cafés, picnic spots, and places where food was readily available. It quietly learned from each conversation instead of making me repeat those preferences every time.

If your weekends usually begin with twenty minutes of searching before anyone leaves the house, this is probably the first Gem worth creating.

Family Adventure Planner instructions

You are an enthusiastic, creative, family-focused activity planner. Learn my family's ages, interests, travel preferences, and other details. Whenever I ask for ideas, recommend activities that are realistic, seasonal, and varied while avoiding suggestions I have recently tried unless I specifically ask for favorites. Include all relevant logistics details like times, costs, and packing suggestions.

Some hobbies are easy to put down for a while. Others seem to expect you to remember exactly where you stopped. That made Hobby Coach one of the first Gems I wanted to build.

I set it up with two of my biggest hobbies: learning guitar and backyard astronomy. I told it I was still a beginner guitarist working toward playing complete songs and that my astronomy interests revolved around learning the night sky with a modest telescope instead of serious astrophotography. Once that information was saved, I never had to explain it again.

To see how useful it would be, I spent an afternoon asking it to map out future practice sessions instead of simply answering questions. For guitar, it created a progression that built from my current skill level, suggesting chord exercises, songs that gradually increased in difficulty, and realistic milestones to aim for over the next several weeks. Everything fit into a longer learning plan.

Astronomy worked just as well. I asked it to plan a series of upcoming observing nights, and it suggested different targets depending on the season, moon phase, and what I wanted to learn. One evening focused on easy constellations, another introduced brighter deep sky objects, while another became a relaxed tour of the Moon and planets.

The Gem also uses Guided Learning as its default tool, which structures lessons into connected learning paths instead of isolated answers. It builds on previous lessons, introduces new skills at the right pace, and creates the feeling that you're working with a patient teacher who already understands your goals.

Hobby Coach instructions

You are an encouraging, knowledgeable, and patient personal coach for my hobbies. Learn my current experience level, equipment, goals, schedule, and preferred learning style for each hobby I share with you. Remember my progress over time and build each lesson naturally on previous conversations instead of starting from the beginning. Break complex skills into manageable practice sessions, celebrate improvements, and recommend realistic projects that keep me motivated without becoming overwhelming.

Choosing something to watch should be one of the easiest parts of the evening, yet it often turns into an extended scrolling session. I knew that AI chatbots can be useful here, but a specific Gem for the endeavor felt like a good fit.

I gave my new Movie and TV Curator Gem everything it needed to know about our tastes. I told it which streaming services we subscribe to, the kinds of films my wife and I enjoy after the children are asleep, the comedies and mysteries we've already watched, and perhaps most importantly, that we have a two-year-old who is just beginning to sit through longer family movies.

That final detail completely shaped its recommendations. Instead of suggesting whatever happened to be popular, it focused on gentle, engaging films that would make good introductions to family movie nights without overwhelming a young child. It also remembered which movies we'd already seen so future recommendations wouldn't feel repetitive.

I asked it to build a month's worth of family movie nights, along with separate recommendations for date nights after the children were asleep. Within minutes, I had a calendar filled with classic animated films, newer family favorites, and several older movies that I had completely forgotten about but couldn't wait to introduce to my son.

It also understood the different kinds of evenings we have. A Friday after a busy week called for something light and funny, while a quiet Sunday evening was a better fit for a slower family film. I soon had a collection of family movie nights and grown-up viewing plans waiting whenever we needed them. Like the other Gems, it turned a repetitive decision into something I only had to think about once.

Movie and TV Curator instructions

You are a knowledgeable, conversational entertainment expert with excellent taste and a great memory. Learn my favorite genres, actors, directors, streaming services, viewing habits, and the movies and television shows I've already watched. Recommend films and series based on my mood, available time, and who will be watching, while avoiding unnecessary spoilers and repeating recent suggestions unless I ask. Explain why each recommendation suits my tastes, maintain a warm and enthusiastic personality, and regularly introduce overlooked classics alongside newer releases.

At first glance, Outfit Try On Planner sounded like a Gem I'd probably use once and then forget about. I enjoy looking reasonably presentable, but I wouldn't describe myself as someone who spends much time thinking about fashion. After setting it up, though, I realized it was less about keeping up with trends and more about making decisions before I actually needed to make them.

I started by teaching the Gem my style. I told it the kinds of clothes I usually wear, the colors I naturally gravitate toward, and the occasions I dress for most often. I also uploaded a few photos of myself so it could create realistic visualizations rather than relying on generic fashion models.

I asked it to put together outfit ideas for a fancy date, weekend trip, and a few other occasions. Seeing complete outfits instead of reading descriptions made decisions much easier. The most entertaining experiment had nothing to do with everyday clothes. I'd been thinking of dressing up for the Renaissance fair this year, so I asked the Gem to imagine me in a variety of Renaissance costumes before I bought or rented anything. You can see me as a hooded archer, an elaborately dressed nobleman, and a cheerful wandering bard carrying a lute.

Because the Gem remembers your appearance and preferences, it can help visualize costumes, themed party outfits, Halloween ideas, vacation wardrobes, or almost anything else you might wear before you spend money assembling it.

Outfit Try On Planner instructions

You are a friendly, fashion-savvy personal stylist with an eye for color, fit, and practicality. Help me create outfits using clothes I already own, visualize new pieces before I buy them, and suggest combinations that suit the occasion, weather, and my personal style. Ask questions before making recommendations. When I upload photos of clothing, accessories, or myself, use them to generate realistic outfit visualizations and styling ideas.

The final Gem was the one I expected to be the silliest, yet it ended up being one of my favorites. Google recently added a Music tool to Gemini that can generate original songs from simple prompts, so I decided to build a Gem called Personal Theme Song Composer, dedicated entirely to turning everyday moments into music.

Setting it up only took a few minutes. I told it about the musical styles I enjoy, asked it to learn how I like songs to feel, and instructed it to ask questions about the people, pets, places, or memories behind each request before using Gemini's Music service to compose something original. Once those instructions were saved, I could jump straight into ideas instead of explaining the same preferences every time.

One of the first finished songs involved my dogs. Every dog owner eventually invents a ridiculous tune while clipping on the leads for a walk, so I asked the Gem to write something jaunty about my two excitable Chihuahuas that sounded like the opening theme to a cheerful television comedy. The result perfectly captured the determined little strut they adopt every time they head out the front door, and the melody stayed in my head for the rest of the day.

It perfectly summed up what makes Gemini Gems so useful. They are more than saved prompts. They are specialists that remember their role, making new capabilities like Gemini's Music tool feel less like an occasional novelty and more like a creative partner that's always ready when inspiration strikes.

Personal Theme Song Composer instructions

You are an imaginative, enthusiastic, and collaborative songwriter and music producer. Your goal is to help me create original songs that celebrate and vibe with whatever topic you're given. Before writing a song, ask enough questions to understand the story I want to tell, the mood, the musical genre, whether I want vocals or an instrumental, the intended audience, and any specific lyrics, phrases, or themes I want included. Suggest genres, tempos, instrumentation, and vocal styles that fit the idea. If I provide photos or other context, use them as inspiration for the music's tone and storytelling.

What makes Gems feel different from saving a handful of good prompts in a notes app is continuity of purpose. A prompt tells Gemini what to do once. A Gem remembers who it is supposed to be every time you come back. It remembers you, your favorite way of working, and the tools that help it do its job best, creating an experience that feels much more personal over time.

The five Gems here are really just a starting point. Once you get comfortable creating them, it becomes surprisingly easy to imagine building one for meal planning, another for packing for trips, or any other gems you want to fill your treasure chest with.

• The Blood of Dawnwalker game director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, says the game's 30-day time system offers a "sense of urgency"
• The game will give players 30 days to rescue Coen's family, and the timer will add "emotional impact"
• Tomaszkiewicz says, "the world is living and it's not waiting for you"

The Blood of Dawnwalker game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz wants players to feel driven by a "sense of urgency" through the role-playing game's (RPG) unconventional time-limit mechanic.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at a hands-on preview event, Tomaszkiewicz explained why Rebel Wolves chose to include a time system that gives players only 30 days to rescue protagonist Coen's family.

Every time players take on a quest, time moves forward within the game's world, so choosing how to spend time is vital. It's a unique feature for an RPG because these games typically allow players to explore for hundreds of hours without consequence. However, as Tomaszkiewicz explained, in The Blood of Dawnwalker, "The world is living and it's not waiting for you."

"If you have some particular goal and you decide to go and do some stuff which is not connected with this goal, you have some consequences, right?" he said. "I think that in the games and the RPGs where time is not important, you lose this sense of urgency, and you lose this belief that this goal is real.

"If we give you the goal that your family is in the castle and something bad will happen to them, but if time wouldn't move and events wouldn’t move it forward, you wouldn't feel this sense of urgency and any emotions connected to it, because you know that they are there, and you will go there whatever time you want."

Tomaszkiewicz added that the timer also allowed the team to tell a story that has "a bigger emotional impact" and while it may look like a small thing, it changes almost everything and "changes your thinking about the content."

"It's not only giving you the feeling that you are there, but you need to think what you want to do, and sometimes, to decide when not to do something," the director explained.

"Going there and doing something is your choice, but not going there is also your choice, and it will have consequences. It adds to the non-linearity of the game, because you know the world is living and it's not waiting for you — stuff will just happen."

The Blood of Dawnwalker arrives on September 3 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and PC.

• The Blood of Dawnwalker director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz says the team knew the game's day and night system would be "expensive as hell"
• However, Rebel Wolves knew the concept would be "unique"
• The director says he was inspired by the werewolf tale, but from a vampire perspective

Rebel Wolves knew The Blood of Dawnwalker's day and night system was going to be challenging as well as costly, but wanted to deliver a "unique" experience for players.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at a preview event for the upcoming role-playing game (RPG), director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz likened The Blood of Dawnwalker to "two different games" because of its day and night cycle.

In the game, protagonist Coen can be played as a human during the day and a vampire at night, and each version offers different abilities and ways to complete quests.

According to Tomaszkiewicz, he was inspired by the concept of the werewolf, but from a vampire's perspective, and the dual gameplay loops allow for a unique structure within the open world.

"I have this idea to create a creature which is similar to the werewolf, but from the vampire side: they are human in the day and a vampire at night, and start from this," he said.

"We said, okay, this is the cool idea, but if you have a human in the day and a vampire at night, you know that you need to create two gameplay loops. If you create those gameplay loops and put them in an open world structure, we’ve decided that, basically, we're doing almost two different games, and it's crazy."

Tomaszkiewicz added that the team knew the idea was "expensive as hell, but we thought it's worth it because it's unique and different."

"It would deliver something new to the market and deliver something different to players," the director said. "That idea was from the beginning. When I started to think about the protagonist, and the company, and the setting, and the saga we wanted to create, let's create a protagonist who will be something different."

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and PC.

Shark makes some of the best fans we've tested here at TechRadar, including several models that spray a super-fine mist of water that evaporates on contact with your skin for an enhanced cooling effect. Interested? Good news: there's a sale happening right now at Amazon, with big discounts on three of my favorite misting models.

My personal top pick is the Shark ChillPill, which is now $99.99 at Amazon (was $129,.99). This is the same as its Amazon Prime Day price, but this time you don't need to be a Prime member to get the deal. The ChillPill is a pocket-sized fan designed for use on the move, and comes with three attachments: a regular fan, a misting fan with a built-in water reservoir, and a metal cooling plate to use on pulse points when you need fast relief. Check out our full Shark ChillPill review for more details.

Want a full-size fan to keep you comfortable at home? The Shark FlexBreeze Pro Mist is now just $179,99 at Amazon (was $249.99), with its extra-large water tank and rechargeable battery so you can carry it around the house, or even use it in the yard. It comes with two bases too, so you can use it as a standing fan when you're working in the kitchen or watching TV, and a table fan when you're at your computer.

The ChillPill is back down to its Amazon Prime Day price right now, but this time you don't need to be a Prime member to save $30 off the list price.View Deal

Get a huge $70 off this super-versatile fan, with an extra-large water tank that enables it to spray an extra-fine mist for hours. This is just a few dollars off its lowest-ever price.View Deal

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Looking for a great deal on a Shark fan, but don't think you'll use the misting feature? Good news: the original version of the Shark FlexBreeze is also on offer, with a $30 summer price cut. Like the FlexBreeze Pro it has a rechargeable battery so you can take it anywhere indoors or out, and it can be used as a standing fan or a table fan by simply swapping the base.

Similar to the FlexBreeze Pro above, but without the misting feature, this cordless oscillating fan has received a $30 summer price cut at Amazon.View Deal

If you're not in the US, here are today's best offers on Shark fans where you are.

• Samsung is targeting 2028 to commercialize its floating data centers
• Land shortages and application processes would be avoided
• Saltwater challenges need to be ironed out

With terrestrial data centers under increased scrutiny over water and energy consumption, and facing intensifying local opposition, cloud providers are being forced to think more creatively, and Samsung is now dreaming up a floating data center.

Its Samsung Heavy Industries group subdivision now has plans to commercialize floating data centers by as soon as Q2 2028, and even plans to secure orders before installations.

By floating compute on the water, Samsung would be able to overcome land shortages but also reduce cooling requirements by keeping them at a more stable temperature.

The company's plans include developing a dedicated barge to house servers, electrical infrastructure and on-board power equipment, however initial deployments would primarily use shore-based electricity, tapping into existing grid infrastructure but benefiting from the cooling properties of water.

Earlier concepts also proposed the idea of using LNG-fuelled solid oxide fuel cells, while renewable sources like solar and wind could also be considered.

Samsung also argues that floating facilities could be delivered more quickly than traditional terrestrial facilities because they can avoid lengthy permitting processes and use existing shipbuilding manufacturing processes and tooling.

However, the concept also has some complexities that need to be addressed, like water ingress and humidity, the corrosive nature of saltwater, and stability in tides and currents.

"Floating data centers represent a major new opportunity for the shipbuilding and offshore industries," Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Sung-an Choi concluded.

Samsung is not the first technology heavyweight to moot the potential of floating data centers, especially as power demands rise due to AI pressures.

Recent reports detailed how startup Panthalassa, backed by Peter Thiel, is developing floating data centers using wave energy and ocean water cooling systems.

And in May 226, a floating data center project in Japan gained significant backing from Hitachi, which signed a memorandum with shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines to develop and operate the facility.

Chinese authorities and private engineering company HiCloud Technology also recently announced the launch of a jointly-developed $226 million installation of an underwater data center where sealed server modules operate beneath the ocean using seawater for passive cooling.

This 24-megawatt installation processes artificial intelligence workloads, 5G services, and large-scale data annotation operations requiring substantial computing capacity.

Microsoft also previously tested submerged data center capsules through its Project Natick initiative, conducted near Scotland and California before discontinuing commercial development efforts.

All of this while talks of data centers being sent up into space are playing out, of course, and while it's unclear which may solve the problem long-term, floating data centers certainly look to be more realistic on a shorter timeline.

Via Seoul Economic Daily