This digest compiles the latest from Tech Spot.
Today’s Tech Spot Roundup
Suddenly Toto's most valuable business isn't toilets, but chipmaking ceramics
Behind the investor interest is a highly specialized component: electrostatic chucks, or ESCs, used in semiconductor etch tools to hold wafers flat, clean, and thermally stable while they are bombarded with plasma.
The rise of delivery robots is sparking vandalism, protests, and debate
Serve Robotics, a San Francisco-based startup spun out of Uber, has emerged as one of the most aggressive players in the race to automate local delivery. Just a year ago, its fleet numbered only about 100 robots. But the firm has since deployed roughly 2,000 machines across multiple cities.
AI-generated passwords are surprisingly easy to crack, researchers find
Security firm Irregular analyzed outputs from tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini, and found that many AI-generated passwords appear complex but are actually highly predictable and crackable.
Windows 11 keeps adding small conveniences, including speed tests
The beta update is now available to Release Preview Channel insiders, labeled Windows 11 version 24H2 Build 26100 and 25H2 Build 26200. The new features from the update will roll out gradually.
Pixel 10a launches at $499 with modest refinements and familiar hardware
The device’s most visible change is its rear panel. The camera module, flattened further compared to the 9a’s already streamlined bump, now sits flush with the back surface. It’s a design continuity that makes the 10a feel more seamless in hand, even if it’s nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor.
Lords of the Fallen 2 PC requirements unveiled: RTX 3080 recommended for UE5-powered sequel
Lords of the Fallen 2’s PC requirements have popped up on the game’s Epic Games Store page. The specs are on the higher end – at least when it comes to the recommended GPU.
Harmful chemicals found in dozens of popular headphones
According to The Guardian, the TOX-Free Project tested 81 pairs of in-ear and over-ear headphones available from Shein, Temu, and retailers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. Of the samples tested, 98% contained bisphenol A and more than three-quarters contained its substitute, bisphenol S.
Judge warns smart glasses wearers of contempt charges as Zuckerberg testifies in Meta trial
The case, K.G.M. v. Meta et al., involves a 20-year-old Californian identified as Kaley who claims that years of using Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat as a child led to body dysmorphia, depression, and self-destructive thoughts. TikTok and Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, have already settled in the case…
AI agents push battlefield autonomy closer to reality in military tests
Instead of relying on preprogrammed routines, Scout AI’s platform used a layered model architecture to make tactical decisions in real time.
End of today’s Tech Spot roundup.
