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Insta360 is the major player in all-seeing 360-degree cameras and is no stranger to innovation, also incubating the first 360-degree drone in 2025, the Antigravity A1.

In another first, Insta360 recently released a dual-lens compact vlogging camera, the Luna Ultra, which is a Wall-E robot lookalike that shoots 8K video, with neat detachable remote screen and mic.

And if a recent post on Weibo by its founder and CEO Liu Jingkang, aka 'JK', is to be taken at face value, the company wants to lead us into a new era of camera altogether.

The Weibo post by JK was picked up by The New Camera and after translation reads:

“Our product vision is to build a ‘Cameraman’ — an intelligent photography robot capable of automatically composing shots and capturing moments like a professional photographer, allowing users to remain fully immersed in the present.

"Today, AI is rapidly evolving, we believe the Cameraman’s 'brain' is becoming increasingly capable, unlocking new possibilities for creative imaging.

"In the long term, the ideal end state for cameras is to progressively become imperceptible, even to ‘disappear,’ until recording no longer consumes effort and becomes a natural part of life.”

The Luna Ultra already resembles a robot and there's a POV head tracker accessory available that synchronizes the camera with your head movement to film where you are looking, somewhat automating its function.

Insta360 hopes fans further caricaturize the Luna Ultra's robot-like features through a design challenge contest with Bambu Lab, too. But as a photographer and, frankly, a human being, JK's post raises some serious questions for me.

Here I am, filming with the Luna Ultra. In future, could Insta360 might make autonomous cameras like these? (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Isn't photography a creative, human pursuit?

JK's post implies that his company's future camera gear could be autonomous photography 'robots' that can compose, shoot and edit photos and videos on the fly, with little to no human involvement.

It sounds like having your own intelligent cameraperson and editor — a portable 'photography robot' much more sophisticated than the recent Beni camera robot — that follows you and is able to capture the moment as you enjoy it and piece together the best parts into a reel, with the entire workflow reliant on AI.

This imagined future might actually sound better than the current reality, to be honest: one where people walk around camera in hand, filming themselves front and center, rather than being in the moment.

And certainly when you're dealing with 360-degree clips, an intelligent editor which can suggest where the action is at any moment and piece together the edit appropriately for you is a huge time saver.

For Insta360 gear specifically, JK's vision for autonomous, intelligent cameras kind of makes sense. But as a photographer and creative, I find the idea of a 'robot' doing the job for me somewhat life sucking. It's the latter part of JK's post, however, that concerns me more.

It's come to light that modders have been able to disable the light that indicates when Meta Ray-Ban glasses are recording video. Meta says extra measures are being put in place to prevent this (Image credit: Future)Is it really OK to record everything?

JK's post describes an 'end state for cameras' being progressively 'imperceptible' and 'a natural part of life'. In other words, roaming cameras that the public eventually gets used to, recording anything and everything. So what about consent?

Discreet camera tech is already causing privacy concerns, with a growing backlash to wearable cameras especially Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, after it was discovered that modders could disable the light which indicates that the glasses are recording, and a fix had to be put in place.

Cameras are already commonplace in public, especially tourist hotspots. But for the most they are controlled by people with a general sense of what is and what isn't ok to photograph or record. And when someone crosses the line, it's at least possible to request they stop filming. But in Insta360's imagined future? Autonomous robots filming everything sounds like a privacy nightmare.

I've asked Insta360 for comment and clarification on the post, specifically what exactly an intelligent photography robot looks like, and how the company will address any related privacy issues, and will report back if I get further information.

Adobe is a popular brand when it comes to all things creative, including AI content generation and editing. With its newly improved Firefly tool, Adobe has taken AI content generation a step further with realistic, real-time outputs.

In addition to being highly accurate, Firefly is also one of the most affordable tools on the market today. But is it the best AI video editor for your needs? Read on to find out. In this article, we've put Firefly to the test, examining its features, pricing, ease of use, and overall value for money.

Adobe Firefly: Plans and pricing

Adobe Firefly is available online by clicking here, as well as part of the Creative Cloud suite of apps.

It offers one of the most generous free video editing software we've seen. Instead of capping your monthly or one-time usage, Adobe allows you to generate a limited number of images and videos each day. This means you can continue using Firefly for a longer period, provided you stay within the daily limits.

What we like about the free plan is that Firefly does not lock its image or video editing features behind paywalls. Even on the free plan, you get access to features such as Generative Fill, Background Removal, AI Markup, video upscaling, text-based editing, as well as audio features such as generating soundtracks, speech, text-to-avatar, and more. Unlike other platforms, Firefly's free plan can actually come in handy for limited individual use.

(Image credit: Adobe Firefly)

Its paid plans are also among the most inexpensive we've seen in the category, with the Standard plan starting at $8.49 per month when billed annually, which comes with 2,000 credits.

With this plan, you get access to all the AI models Firefly has to offer, with hard upper limits on the number of images and videos you can generate with each model. Videos, however, are capped at a maximum duration of five seconds, which might not be enough for users looking to generate long-form content. Besides this, you get access to unlimited Firefly Boards, while the remaining features stay the same as those in the free plan.

Next is the Pro plan at $16.99 per month (4,000 credits), billed annually, where you get unlimited access to several AI models such as Gemini 2.5 Flash, FLUX.1 Kontext, and others. The maximum number of images and videos you can generate is also higher than in the Standard plan.

Then there's the Pro Plus plan, priced at $29.38 per month, where you get up to 10,000 credits and higher limits on image and video generation. In this plan, a wider range of models comes with unlimited access, including Gemini 3.0, ChatGPT Image, Runway Gen-4.5, and Gemini 3 Nano Banana Pro 2K.

Finally, there's the Premium plan at $118.93 per month, offering 50,000 credits and unlimited access to almost all AI models except a few. This plan is ideal for large content creation and creative teams.

Adobe Firefly: Features

Right off the bat, what impressed us most about Firefly is its brainstorming and early-stage concepting feature called Firefly Boards. It is essentially an infinite-canvas mood board and ideation workspace that lets you upload your own images, sketches, or stock images, or generate new ones.

You can select multiple assets and combine elements while brainstorming ideas with your creative team. This is similar to Midjourney- or Discord-style iteration, giving remote creative teams a space to flesh out new ideas.

(Image credit: Adobe Firefly)

Moreover, Firefly offers access to more than 10 popular video, audio, and image models, each with its own limits on the amount of content you can generate. Some notable features are Generative Expand and Generative Fill, which let you expand the canvas of an image or video after it has been generated using Adobe's AI engine. Similarly, there's also Generative Remove, which helps you remove elements from a piece of content.

Firefly also throws in a range of audio features, such as the ability to generate speech, translate videos from one language to another, or add text-to-sound effects to your content. However, we were a bit disappointed with its video editing features, such as trimming, arranging, and refining content, all of which are still in beta. Its AI assistant is also at a very early stage and currently supports only one conversation at a time.

You also have the option to upload an image to provide Firefly with a style or structure reference and create a consistent look across a batch of images. Unlike many other AI tools, Firefly allows you to use your own images to train its AI models and create custom models. This is still an early-stage feature, and we expect it to improve over the next year or so.

Firefly has also expanded its multilingual reach and now supports prompts in more than 100 languages, along with translations in more than 20 languages. There's also an option for bulk actions such as background removal, color grading, and cropping.

Its mobile apps have also improved a lot over the past year and now offer native iOS and Android apps with an experience that's very close to the web interface. And of course, Firefly is part of Adobe's broader AI-powered content generation and editing ecosystem, integrating directly with apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.

Adobe Firefly: Interface and in use

Adobe Firefly is by far one of the most improved image and video editing software we have seen in a long time. One of the biggest criticisms of Firefly was that it did not offer any option to edit the images it generated. However, all that has changed with its revamped user interface.

Not only did it generate a pretty high-quality image for us, but it also provided several editing options. We especially liked its Tune feature, which is currently in beta and allows you to change the look of an image by selecting from a list of preconfigured options.

There is also a prompt option, which lets you keep fine-tuning your generated image with follow-up prompts.

(Image credit: Future)

However, if that is too much work, there are several fine-grained controls available. For instance, there is a Fill feature that lets you fill any blank spaces in the image with an element of your choice. Similarly, there's the Remove feature, which lets you remove any element you do not want in the final result.

What we liked the most is its Select feature, where you can select a particular element in an image or video and then type a prompt to edit only that selected portion. This helps avoid unwanted changes in other parts of the image or video and ensures that the edit is applied only to the section you selected.

(Image credit: Future)

The generation interface itself is pretty simple. You'll see a prompt box at the bottom of your screen, along with a panel on the left-hand side where you can control the generation settings.

For instance, you can select the model you want to use, the resolution, the aspect ratio (16:9 or 9:16), and the duration of the video. There is also an advanced setting where you can enter a random seed value to experiment with the AI engine settings.

What we found particularly eye-catching is the prompt enhancement feature, which lets you improve your prompts before generating an image or video. This helps you create more detailed prompts, which in turn result in more accurate outputs.

Adobe Firefly: How we tested

We tried the free version of Adobe Firefly over several days and were quite impressed with the results. We first tried to create an AI image with the following prompt:

"A tired line cook in a stained white apron, frowning with exhaustion, wiping sweat off his forehead while chopping six carrots on a wooden cutting board. Behind him, a dim, cluttered restaurant kitchen with steam rising from a pot. Photorealistic, dramatic low lighting, shot on 35mm film."

As soon as we hit Generate, Firefly got to work and produced a pretty impressive image that closely matched our prompt.

(Image credit: Future)

However, it's worth noting that Firefly is a tad slower compared to the likes of Fliki or Kapwing. That said, the accuracy of the results is worth the wait.

Once the image was generated, we clicked on it to open the editing panel and played around with the settings. For instance, we selected the burning steel pot behind the cook and prompted Firefly to change it to a wooden pot instead.

Rather than simply making the change, Adobe gave us an Edit Strength slider, allowing us to control how strongly the wooden effect was applied to the pot.

(Image credit: Future)

We then tried the Remove feature by selecting a bunch of carrots and asking Firefly to remove them. Adobe once again impressed us, as it accurately removed the carrots without distorting the chopping board around them.

(Image credit: Future)

Lastly, we used the Upscale feature to improve the quality of the image. This took the longest, more time than it took to generate the image in the first place. However, we were once again very satisfied with the final result.

We also generated an AI video using the following prompt:

"A woman in a red coat walks across a rain-soaked city street at night, neon signs reflecting in the puddles, camera slowly tracking alongside her."

(Image credit: Future)

The results were again highly accurate, the colors were vibrant, and we were impressed by how closely Firefly followed the prompt without significantly diverging from the intended output.

Adobe Firefly: Alternatives

Although Adobe Firefly is a much-improved product, it does have a few shortcomings, which is why you may want to consider some alternatives. For instance, Adobe isn't the best choice if you want to generate AI avatars. Although it offers the feature in a limited capacity, the results are not what you'd expect from a dedicated AI avatar generation tool.

In that case, you can try Kapwing, which offers one of the most extensive collections of AI avatars. You can choose from a wide range of characters, including traditional human-inspired faces and more outlandish options such as aliens, Cupid, demons, cyborgs, Dracula, and more.

Kapwing produces some of the best photorealistic AI avatars we have seen in the industry. It is also one of the few tools that can render videos in 4K quality. That said, it is a bit on the expensive side, with plans starting at $16 per month.

If you need a dedicated AI assistant to help with content generation and editing, you can try Fliki, which offers an AI Copilot that understands natural language inputs and helps you achieve your desired results more effortlessly. It also includes licensed YouTube music and advanced video generation options such as stop-motion videos.

Fliki also offers a wider range of customization options compared to Adobe Firefly, such as choosing the format and template, customizing the type of character, selecting the AI model you want to use, and adding voiceovers, captions, and AI avatars.

Adobe Firefly: Final verdict

Adobe Firefly is one of the best-known names in the content creation industry, and its recent improvements put it right at the top of our list of the best AI video editors. Firefly offers more than 10 AI models for image, video, and audio generation, helping you create photorealistic images, videos, and audio with simple prompts.

We were particularly impressed by Firefly Boards, which helps you brainstorm ideas on an endless online canvas in real time while collaborating with your content team. Firefly has also improved its editing interface and tools and now supports follow-up prompt editing, along with features like Generative Fill and Generative Remove.

That said, it has a few drawbacks, such as the lack of mature video editing tools, which are still in beta, and rather limited AI avatar generation capabilities. That said, if you already use Adobe tools like Illustrator or Photoshop, adding Firefly to your repertoire is a no-brainer.

We've tested a range of video makers and editors, including the best video editing software, the best video editing apps and the best free video editing software.

• Rheya combines emergency battery power with software designed to predict sewage spills
• Power failures at pumping stations can turn routine blackouts into environmental pollution
• Rheya battery will predict the underlying causes of spills before they occur

UK startup Rheya Labs has developed backup batteries designed specifically to keep sewage pumping stations running during power failures across Britain.

The company was named one of 20 finalists in Ofwat’s £7.5 million Water Discovery Challenge, run by the Water Innovation Fund.

Each finalist receives up to £100,000 in seed funding, forming part of a wider £7.5 million pot distributed over 20 months.

A different approach to an old problem

Sewage spills are a longstanding, common issue, often blamed on overloaded systems or heavy rainfall.

England recorded around 290,000 sewage discharges from storm overflows during 2025, lasting roughly 1.9 million hours combined across the network.

Power failures at pumping stations are widely recognised as one trigger for these spills, alongside heavy rainfall and ageing infrastructure

Rheya Labs is now working on a system that pairs instant battery backup with software designed to flag faults before they cause spills.

When power cuts strike, Rheya's batteries instantly take over the pumps, preventing raw sewage from spilling into rivers and streets.

The system also applies machine learning to pump data, aiming to predict the underlying causes of spills before they occur.

Co-founder Ben Taylor said sewage pollution remains an ever-growing crisis across the UK, calling power resilience at pumping stations a hidden but major cause.

Predictive analytics may give Rheya the edge

Elsewhere, Sydney Water has trialled sodium-ion battery packs at its Bondi pumping station, offering a cheaper alternative to lithium-ion systems.

That Australian project, backed by a $10.6 million grant, pairs a 30-kWh sodium-ion pack with rooftop solar generation for backup power.

In New York, Viridi's 150 kWh lithium-ion battery system replaced diesel generators, supplying backup power for between 32 and 90 hours.

Unlike those systems, Rheya's technology reportedly combines instant power backup with predictive analytics, potentially spotting faults before failures actually happen.

“With our rapidly changing climate, it is more vital more than ever that we double down on our efforts to create a water system able to support lives and livelihoods,” said Jo Jolly, Ofwat’s Director of Innovation.

“The array of new ideas from new players is astounding. The challenge is getting these ideas delivering impact on the ground, with the sense of urgency these times need.”

Whether Rheya's approach genuinely outperforms established sodium-ion and lithium-ion systems remains unproven outside controlled trials and early pilot deployments so far.

Independent verification of Rheya's spill-prediction claims has not yet appeared in public trials, leaving the early results largely anecdotal for now.

Up to ten finalists, potentially including Rheya, will share £550,000 each next April, funding further testing before wider rollout across the water network.

The success of this project will ultimately depend on whether predictive software matches the reliability already demonstrated by simpler sodium and lithium alternatives.

Who'd have thought that the first big spinoff to come out of The Big Bang Theory (not including Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, as they're Sheldon-adjacent) would focus on awkward comic store owner Stuart (Kevin Sussman)?

Our new heroic lead, on-off girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus), as well as friends Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn), are brought back together when Stuart triggers a multiverse Armageddon by accidentally breaking a device built by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki).

Theoretically, the new comedy show could run until the end of time. But first things first: when does Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 1 arrive on HBO Max?

What time can I watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 1 on HBO Max?

For US viewers, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 1 will drop on Thursday, July 23 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.

Internationally, you're looking out for these timings:

• US – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• Canada – 6pm PT / 9pm ET
• UK – Friday, July 24 2am BST
• India – Friday, July 24 at 6:30am IST
• Singapore – Friday, July 24 at 9am SGT
• Australia – Friday, July 24 at 11am AEDT
• New Zealand – Friday, July 24 at 12pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe come out?

(Image credit: HBO Max)

New episodes of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will make landfall every Thursday in the US and on Fridays everywhere else. Here are the all-important dates you need to know about:

• Episode 1: July 23
• Episode 2: July 30
• Episode 3: August 6
• Episode 4: August 13
• Episode 5: August 20
• Episode 6: August 27
• Episode 7: September 3
• Episode 8: September 10
• Episode 9: September 17
• Episode 10: September 24

• A startup founded by former teenage drone-racing champions won a US Army contract worth up to $500 million for its FPV attack drones
• This marks the Pentagon's largest small-drone contract ever, running up till 2031 even as it grapples with taking on Chinese-built drones and components with a much smaller manufacturing base
• This contract allows Neros to push for a 250,000 sq ft factory targeting one million drones annually by 2028

Neros Technologies, founded in 2023 by former teenage drone-racing prodigies Soren Monroe-Anderson and Olaf Hichwa, has won a US Army indefinite-delivery contract worth up to $500 million for its Archer FPV attack drones.

The contract runs through June 2031 and is among the largest of its kind. It comes off the back of tens of thousands of deliveries to Ukraine under a multinational drone-coalition contract. Neros maintains a Kyiv office supporting the country's war effort, where the Archer serves as a Chinese-component-free alternative to the cheap drones that dominate the market elsewhere.

It marks one of the Pentagon's biggest commitments yet to the cheap, expendable aircraft that Ukraine's war has turned into the defining weapon of modern ground combat, and, increasingly, of the airspace just above it.

What is Neros' Archer Drone?

The Archer drone is arguably the most successful US-manufactured budget FPV drone to date.

With two years of Ukrainian frontline use, deliveries running at a thousand-plus per month, and cumulative shipments in the tens of thousands, Neros has a record no other US maker comes close to matching on volume alone.

The Archer is an 8-inch quadcopter carrying a 4.5-pound payload beyond 12 miles, built entirely without Chinese components: a rare mix that put Neros on the Pentagon's Blue UAS approved list and earned it Chinese sanctions.

The deal for Neros' Archer flows from the Army's Purpose-Built Attritable Systems (PBAS) program, which selected it last November as one of three primary manufacturers tasked with pushing modular FPV drones down to the platoon level, and it lands amid a service-wide procurement lurch: Army officials say they intend to grow annual drone purchases from around 50,000 to at least one million within roughly two years.

Neros is hoping not only to ride the wave but to capture the bulk of it: the endeavor that started with 30 basement-built drones the founders hand-delivered to Ukraine for testing is now aiming considerably higher, with the US military underwriting its ambitions.

There is a reason for this: Neros is the closest thing the US has to an answer to Chinese dominance in the industry. This year, it occupied Project Millennium, a 250,000-square-foot Los Angeles facility roughly 100 times its previous footprint, and it has publicly committed to reaching 1 million drones a year by 2028.

If the promise holds, Neros would single-handedly increase current US drone capacity roughly tenfold: a 2025 estimate put total American manufacturing capacity at approximately 100,000 units a year.

For now, the Pentagon's Drone Dominance initiative, roughly $1.1 billion aimed at fielding some 300,000 low-cost attack drones by the end of 2027, keeps colliding with the fact that most American-made FPVs cost multiples of the roughly $5,000 per unit the military currently wants to pay.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7: one-minute review

Want a high-performing gaming keyboard with an integrated touchscreen for streaming and seamless customization? Then the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 could be exactly what you’re looking for.

I replaced my usual mechanical keyboard with this TKL model for a few days, and instantly found it to be a joy to use. The low-profile Hall effect switches supply precise, responsive, and buttery smooth typing, with a muted sound that’s great for focusing in-game or for general day-to-day productivity. It's less ‘clicky’ and snappy than some may like, but the lowkey sound and feel was ideal for me.

Like a lot of the best gaming keyboards, there’s also 8K polling, alongside 0.125 latency for instant response typing. On top of this, you get important features like Rapid Trigger, adjustable actuation and remappable keys.

The true highlight, though, is the integrated 4.3-inch touchscreen. This has built-in controls for streamers, providing quick access to OBS and StreamLabs, but also has shortcuts for apps like Spotify and Steam among others. I appreciated how you could use the screen to view PC performance, in-game stats, or set web page bookmarks. You can also use the touchscreen as a numpad, and it feels highly responsive in use.

I also really like the design of the KB7. Its slim aluminum chassis, tactical media control knob, customizable RGB lighting, and generally high standard of build help it to feel worth its relatively high asking price.

There’s no battery option if you want to use the keyboard wirelessly, largely due to the power required to keep the touchscreen going, but those focused on optimized performance will want to go for a wired option anyway. And all things considered, I think the Turtle Beach KB7 is a fantastic gaming keyboard, and one I just might have to continue using for all my PC gaming needs.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 review: price & availability

• $199.99 / £189.99 / AU$349
• Released in May 2026
• Arrived alongside Turtle Beach’s KB5 keyboard

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 was released in May 2026 alongside the Command Series KB5 — a full-sized keyboard with a smaller touchscreen and mechanical switches.

Unsurprisingly, then the KB7 is pricier than its sibling, and has a list price of $199.99 / £189.99 / AU$349. It goes without saying that it’s undoubtedly a pricey keyboard, but for a TKL with this much tech, it’s not too far from the competition. For instance, the Corsair K70 Pro TKL, which comes without a touchscreen, will typically set you back about $179.99 / £169.99 / AU$239.

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 review: specs

Layout

TKL

Switch

Titan Low-Profile Hall Effect

Programmable keys

Yes

Dimensions

15.7 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches / 399 x 256 x 31mm (with palm rest)

RGB or backlighting

Yes (customizable)

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 review: design & features

• Great standard of build
• Touchscreen with streaming controls
• Customizable lighting

First things first, I have to say that the build and quality of the KB7 impressed me. It has a slim aluminum chassis, stylish and sleek look, and premium-feeling keycaps. The keyboard also has a modular design, meaning you can add on the Turtle Beach KP7 keypad as well as the included wrist rest.

And I found said wrist rest to be a great addition — it’s comfortable, well-made, and ensured that using the keyboard for extended periods still felt comfortable. The only real downside is that it increases the keyboard’s footprint a fair bit, so you’ll need a decent-sized desk if you’ve also got a PC / laptop hooked up to a couple of monitors like I do. It’s also worth noting that the KB7 has a double kickstand, and this also helped to reduce fatigue after furiously typing for multiple work days in a row.

The keyboard also features customizable per-key RGB lighting with Turtle Beach’s Swarm II software, accessible via the built-in touchscreen. In my view, the lighting looks great, especially in low-lit conditions. I also really like how there’s an option to create dynamic effects and sync your lighting setup across multiple devices.

(Image credit: Future)

I touched on it a moment ago, but the stand-out feature of the KB7 is the built-in touchscreen. The real highlight here is that the touchscreen features streaming controls. You can easily access OBS and StreamLabs with a single button touch. It’s a useful inclusion, but if you’re not a streamer, there are options for you too. For instance, you can use the touchscreen to set shortcuts for apps like Steam and Spotify, or for websites you frequently visit — you know, like TechRadar.

What’s more, the Swarm II software enables you to personalize aspects like Rapid Trigger and actuation settings or remap keys. You can actually alter the actuation of every key individually, and while I don’t expect most users will need that level of granular control, the sheer degree of customization is undoubtedly impressive.

Finally, there are a few useful buttons, for things like skipping and rewinding media and muting your mic. I also love the tactile control wheel for adjusting volume, although there’s also a dedicated volume mixer available on the touchscreen.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 review: performance

• Fantastic typing experience
• Although lighter, more muted feel won’t suit all
• Great for gaming or general productivity

I typically use a mechanical Keychron mini keyboard, and so moving over to the KB7 felt like quite the jump.

Why? Well, it comes down to how typing feels on this TKL keyboard. The low-profiled Hall effect keys feel phenomenally smooth and buttery to press down on, and they produce very little noise. The more muted sound and feel was very different from my usual mechanical keyboard — which has more of a clicky, snappy profile. I much preferred the KB7 to my usual keyboard, though, and although the more lowkey sound and feel won’t suit all, I think it’s ideal for focusing while gaming or working.

Speaking of, I found the KB7 to be a great performer, whether I was playing games or just carrying out typical tasks at work. It’s an extremely responsive model too, carrying an 8K polling rate and 0.125ms latency. Those kind of numbers are certainly good enough for competitive gamers, and I found the KB7 offered pin[point precision at all times.

The touchscreen is also well-sized, and using commands feels highly reactive and reliable. The touchscreen can also display PC performance info and show in-game stats (such as ammo and games won, for instance).

One thing that’s definitely worth flagging, though, is that this keyboard is wired only. The 4.3-inch touchscreen requires quite a bit too much power to run off a battery, so you do lose some of the flexibility that some rivals supply. Having said that, you’ll want to be using your keyboard wired for the best performance and lowest latency anyway, and as a gaming keyboard first and foremost, I don’t consider its wired-only setup to be a major issue.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design & features

Slim, modular design with handy touch-screen and lots of customizability.

4.5/5

Performance

Smooth, reactive typing, 8K polling rate, wired only, but understandably so.

4/5

Value

Undoubtedly expensive, but stacks up well against rivals.

4/5

Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 review: also consider

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3
There’s a reason why the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 is one of our favorite gaming keyboards here at TechRadar. It boasts a premium build, supplies excellent performance, and its analog switches function very well. It’s pretty pricey, but it’s still a top pick for us. Read our full SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 review.

Corsair Galleon 100 SD
If you’re looking for a different touchscreen-equipped keyboard, then the Corsair Galleon 100 SD could be a great pick. With strong build quality, built-in streaming controls, and slick hot-swappable MLX linear switches, the 100 SD is a highly capable gaming keyboard. It is very pricey, however. Read our full Corsair Galleon 100 SD review.

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7

• Tested across multiple days
• Used for gaming and general productivity
• Tested by an experienced tech reviewer

I spent days testing the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7. I replaced my typical Keychron keyboard with this one, using it every day at work for general productivity. But I also used the keyboard when dipping into a few games here and there.

On top of this, I made sure to exhaust the keyboard’s various features and settings and compared it directly against rivals.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing gadgets here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve tested all sorts of gear, from premium wireless headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM6 to TVs like the Sky Glass Gen 2.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: July 2026

• Someone found pricing for the unreleased Cirqa on Garmin’s website
• Two different images of the Fitbit Air rival also allegedly emerged
• Yet these images look suspicious and could be AI-created fakes

The Garmin Cirqa has become something of an open secret in the world of wearables, with leaks of the screenless Fitbit Air rival frequently appearing, even on Garmin’s own website. And it seems that the tech company is at fault again as a new raft of secret data has appeared, including global prices and alleged product images, all apparently originating from Garmin.

First, let's start with the prices. This appears to come from Garmin’s own backend systems and lists the Cirqa as costing $199.99 in the US, £179 in the UK and €199 in Europe. That’s much more affordable than the rumored $500 price tag that had circulated earlier this year.

The price was first discovered by users on Reddit, who used a part number (010-04675-00) included in a leaked image claiming to show details of the Cirqa Smart Band. They then plugged that number into the Garmin website, specifically by incorporating it into the following URL: https://buy.garmin.com/pricing-proxy-services/countries/US/skus/010-04675-00/price.

That returns information on the rumored device, including a listing price of “$199.99 USD.” As the Reddit user put it, “That response is coming directly from buy.garmin.com. It is not a Google cache, retailer listing or archived screenshot.” That lends the leak a degree of weight that would not be the case if we were just relying on a simple image.

Entering a different part number as a control (010-99999-99 in this case) returns an error, suggesting that the leaked data is not just a generic result that comes back any time you enter what looks like a Garmin part number.

Adjusting the number slightly also reveals other variations of the same device, which could be linked to different sizes and band colors, as suggested by another Reddit user.

Dubious images

The Garmin Cirqa will supposedly aim to take on screenless wearables like Google's Fitbit Air. (Image credit: Google)

Images purporting to depict the Garmin Cirqa have also been doing the rounds. Yet users were quick to point out the suspicious nature of the pictures, suggesting that they could have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

One claimed to show the Cirqa appearing in a Garmin app, while the other looked like a marketing image (via the5krunner). Yet the devices looked very different to each other, with different features and designs present on the two products, suggesting that one (or both) of them was a fake.

The pricing information is more solid because it comes directly from Garmin rather than from a random user on Reddit. You can plug the part number into the URL listed earlier and check it out for yourself if you want to verify it, suggesting that Garmin is perhaps loading the Cirqa into its databases ahead of an imminent launch.

When exactly that launch will be is unclear for now, however. Yet, whenever it does arrive, we could finally see some much-needed competition for the Fitbit Air hit the market.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 20 (game #1135).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1136) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MUSIC
• GRAM
• DRIVER
• VISION
• TUBE
• CROP
• BOOK
• APP
• ORCHESTRATION
• EXTENSION
• TANK
• KINESIS
• PROMPTER
• HALTER
• LYRICS
• PLUGIN

NYT Connections today (game #1136) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Types of a similar garment
• GREEN: Computer terms
• BLUE: Parts of a composition
• PURPLE: Begin with word that rhymes with Nelly

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1136) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: KINDS OF TOPS
• GREEN: SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS
• BLUE: ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL
• PURPLE: TELE____

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1136) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1136, are…

• YELLOW: KINDS OF TOPS: CROP, HALTER, TANK, TUBE
• GREEN: SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS: APP, DRIVER, EXTENSION, PLUGIN
• BLUE: ELEMENTS OF A MUSICAL: BOOK, LYRICS, MUSIC, ORCHESTRATION
• PURPLE: TELE____: GRAM, KINESIS, PROMPTER, VISION

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

This happens very rarely to me, but I saw the hardest group immediately today, with PROMPTER and VISION helping me connect GRAM and KINESIS.

It felt like an easy purple, but maybe telegram caught a few people out seeing as they are now a fairly pointless form of communication.

Regardless, I was rewarded with my 50th Purple First badge — it has taken me a while to reach this milestone, with my haphazard play style instead being to just connect the first group I see, rather than looking for the most likely to be a purple. I can’t imagine being that tactical with Connections.

In truth, this felt like a game where any of the groups could have been yellow on any other day, although all of the groups did contain things that have largely disappeared.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 20, 2026, game #1135)

• YELLOW: ANNOUNCE: BLARE, HERALD, SOUND, TRUMPET
• GREEN: THINGS TO CLICK: BUTTON, ICON, LINK, MENU
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH PEARLS: BUBBLE TEA, OYSTER, SWINE, WISDOM
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: ALEXA, MEADOW, PORTOBELLO, SAKES

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Monday, July 20 (game #1638).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1639) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1639) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1639) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1639) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1639) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• A

• S

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1639) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1639, are…

• TRUSS
• AXIAL
• SWINE
• THING

This was a nearly game — I nearly got three words first time, with one letter out each time.

I also very nearly crashed out, but somehow survived using a rare letter and guessing AXIAL on my final line.

Daily Sequence today (game #1639) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1639, are…

• BEVEL
• USURP
• CANDY
• BRAWN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1638, Monday, 20 July: ICING, SLICK, GAILY, RISEN
• Quordle #1637, Sunday, 19 July: SPURT, ACRID, THRUM, BLEEP
• Quordle #1636, Saturday, 18 July: KNAVE, TIGHT, BLEAT, CHAOS
• Quordle #1635, Friday, 17 July: CUMIN, PALER, GRASS, INBOX
• Quordle #1634, Thursday, 16 July: IGLOO, PLAIT, YEAST, AROMA
• Quordle #1633, Wednesday, 15 July: PROXY, BRICK, BROTH, SURGE
• Quordle #1632, Tuesday, 14 July: EBONY, AVOID, RODEO, CUTIE
• Quordle #1631, Monday, 13 July: VOICE, BISON, BURNT, BUILT
• Quordle #1630, Sunday, 12 July: STAIN, BINGO, LARVA, DICEY
• Quordle #1629, Saturday, 11 July: WORTH, PRONG, DINGO, DRUID
• Quordle #1628, Friday, 10 July: GREET, STEAK, DUSKY, HAUTE
• Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
• Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
• Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
• Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
• Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
• Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 20 (game #869).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #870) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Write there

NYT Strands today (game #870) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• SLAY
• HEEL
• TRADE
• LIFT
• SHARD
• CASHED

NYT Strands today (game #870) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #870) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 4th row

• Last side: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #870) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #870, are…

• ENVELOPE
• LETTERHEAD
• SHEET
• CARD
• FILE
• NOTEPAD
• SPANGRAM: STATIONERY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The act of writing a letter and sending it to someone in the post has become not just a form of communication from a former time, but also an expensive one.

Organized postal networks date back to Ancient Egypt, while in the UK King Henry VIII founded the Royal Mail in 1516. Today, though, they are not so interested in delivering simple letters and have rebranded their business to compete with parcel delivery companies.

It was with nostalgia, then, that I collected ENVELOPE and LETTERHEAD as I pondered the last time I had used some actual STATIONERY.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 20, game #869)

• TINY
• LITTLE
• MICROSCOPIC
• MINIATURE
• MINUSCULE
• SPANGRAM: ITSYBITSY

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• Xpeng says China will soon produce a product to beat the Tesla Model Y
• Co-founder He Xiaopeng says the company isn't far from beating Tesla
• Tech-focused company wants to compete with premium European players

During the launch of Xpeng's upcoming L03 EV in Munich this week, the company's first simultaneous vehicle unveiling in Europe and China, founder He Xiaopeng said that he believed the marque was "not far from beating Model Y," according to the Financial Times.

Not one to shy away from Tesla comparisons, Xpeng has always strived to be seen as more technology-focused than many of its closest Chinese rivals, with humanoid robots, artificial intelligence, and eVTOL lightweight electric aircraft also part of the company's portfolio.

The L03, which is said to have a starting price of €35,600 (around $40,600/AU$58,000), features sporty SUV coupe styling, a 15.6-inch central infotainment display, lounge-style seating, and what the company calls its most advanced intelligent driving capabilities ever introduced to global markets.

"L03 has the potential to be a blockbuster model in terms of being a volume driver and certainly one of the Model Y killers, but not the killer," Lei Xing, founder of Chinese consultancy AutoXing, told the Financial Times.

(Image credit: Xpeng)

Having driven the company's G6, which is clearly a Tesla Model Y rival in both exterior design and the technology it offers, I have to agree. I still think Tesla's recently updated Model 3 and Model Y are the better cars to drive.

The software at the heart of those cars also delivers a much slicker user experience.

Secondly, Tesla's Supercharger ecosystem remains one of the cheapest and simplest to use in most markets today. Granted, it doesn't offer the fastest charging speeds, but its convenience and reliability more than make up for that.

Spend any time in a Tesla or with Tesla owners, and they will attest to how simple the recharging process is — from the fact that the vehicle plans journeys based on range and state of charge to the contactless billing process.

Analysis: catching up fast

(Image credit: Xpeng)

Having driven Xpeng products in Europe, I have been impressed by the speed at which the company has improved successive generations of its vehicles.

A tangible jump in the quality of the G6's interior, faster charging speeds, and more potent processing power generally made it much easier to live with — not to mention the engineering updates under the skin that made it better to drive.

The latest L03 is reported to push things further with its VLA 2.0 (Vision Language-Action) software that powers its Next Generation Pilot autonomous driving functionality. It will also be the first Chinese automaker to ship a vehicle with Google Maps built in.

But even with this, it's difficult to see Xpeng nailing the simplicity of Tesla's software and ownership experience. That philosophy was built into the company's DNA, with the Model S rapidly becoming regarded as the iPhone of the EV world when it launched some 14 years ago.

Xpeng is undoubtedly making waves in the EV industry, but there were just 900 UK registrations of the G6 during its first 10 months on sale, compared with 24,298 Tesla Model Ys.

Sales in Europe were more impressive, but the Model Y remains the top-selling electric vehicle in many parts of the world, as well as the second most popular in China.

The L03 may well be edging closer to 'Tesla killer' status, but it feels like Xpeng still has a mountain to climb when it comes to convincing customers it offers a superior EV ownership experience.

Alan Turing is widely revered as one of the most important scientific and technological figures in modern history. Following his work on cracking the Enigma Machine during the Second World War, Turing published his thoughts on the future of machine intelligence – and specifically on the pathway that we can one day take to achieve proficient AI.

Eating machines

Turing concluded his seminal 1950 study 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence' with musings on how to fulfill what he saw as achieving the great promise of machine intelligence in the future.

Quote of the day

This 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.

The pioneering mathematician and computer scientist suggested, in his concluding passage, that even though you may hold some vision for the future, or long-term ambitions, it's key to solve the immediate challenges you face now. True progress isn't achieved in one leap, but through a series of smaller and seemingly less significant steps.

In the context of his paper, Turing suggested that scientists in the future need not strive to achieve human-like intelligence in machines, but build the very first iterations of what he described as "thinking machines" so that this work can be iterated on in the future.

Beyond the Turing Test

When the study was published, the term "artificial intelligence" was not in widespread use, with scientists instead opting for terms like cybernetics or machine intelligence.

What followed over the next decades was a cascading series of breakthroughs – including the birth of neural networks in the 80s and the transformer architecture in 2017 – that have led to today's widely used large language models and generative AI services.

Although true human-like intelligence is still some distance away, we've advanced to such an extent that many have even claimed the Turing Test – where somebody cannot tell the difference between interacting with a human and AI – has already been beaten.

Halloween might seem like a long way away, but it's never too early to start getting ready, and if you're anything like me, then you can't wait for the weather to start getting cooler, with crisp leaves underfoot and misty mornings. It seems the designers at IKEA agree, because they've already launched a whole set of Kustfyr Halloween decor so you can start preparing for spooky season now.

The new seasonal lights are particularly cute, and I defy anyone not to be charmed by the adorably spooky LED ghost table lamp with its arms raised mid-scare. Pair it with a set of ghostly battery-powered LED string lights for a full themed room.

It wouldn't be Halloween without pumpkins, and you can avoid the mess and hassle of carving a real gourd by picking up one of IKEA's fun pumpkin lamps. The globe-shaped LED pumpkin table lamp is a cute classic, while the matching battery-powered pendant lamp is safe to use outdoors, so you can hang it on your porch when it's time for trick-or-treating.

Want more creepy ways to decorate your home? Check out the full Kustfyr collection, which includes everything from plushies to plates.

Adorably spooky Halloween lights

IKEA Kustfyr Battery LED Table Lamp - Ghost

IKEA Kustfyr LED Table Lamp - Pumpkin

IKEA Kustfyr Battery Pendant Lamp - Pumpkin

IKEA Kustfyr Lantern for Pillar Candle - Black

IKEA Kustfyr Battery LED Table Decoration - Pumpkin

IKEA Kustfyr LED Lighting Chain With 32 Lights - Ghost

IKEA Kustfyr LED String Light With 12 Lights - Ghost

• NATO wants eight allies to share satellite power without surrendering national control
• HALO aims to connect military satellites for faster communications and missile tracking
• NATO says isolated satellite fleets remain vulnerable to jamming, cyberattacks, and destruction

NATO has confirmed plans to build a shared satellite constellation designed to strengthen military communications, surveillance and missile tracking across the alliance.

The initiative, dubbed HALO, was unveiled at the recent NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, brings together eight member nations under a single space framework.

Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey have all agreed to take part in this emerging space project.

NATO seeks a more resilient military space network

HALO, Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space, is intended to link national satellite systems while allowing participating countries to retain ownership and control.

Officials say individual satellite constellations run independently by member countries remain vulnerable to cyberattacks, jamming and physical destruction during conflict.

NATO Deputy Secretary-General Radmila Šekerinska said such fragmented systems are also too slow to relay large volumes of data effectively.

"So this new model will be particularly helpful for high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking, overcoming the cost, the time and coverage limitations of single-nation satellite fleets," she added.

HALO is therefore intended to improve how allied space assets work together during military operations.

The project could also allow NATO members to combine national capabilities without creating a single satellite fleet controlled by one country.

“I’m really pleased to announce…HALO, opening a new chapter in allied space operations,” Šekerinska said.

Canada and other allies expand space commitments

The announcement came alongside several other space-related commitments made during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara.

Canada became the 15th NATO member to join STARLIFT, a multinational initiative examining launch capabilities for quickly sending allied assets into orbit.

The programme seeks to develop access to launch services from spaceports across the alliance, potentially giving NATO members more options when deploying satellites at short notice.

The effort is separate from HALO but reflects the broader push to strengthen allied space infrastructure.

Spain also became the 19th country to join NATO’s Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space initiative, pledging to support coastal surveillance through imagery supplied by its Atlantic Constellation satellites.

Turkey, meanwhile, announced plans to develop two additional high-resolution satellites intended to expand regional space capabilities.

These separate commitments show how NATO members are pursuing both shared networks and national systems at the same time.

HALO remains at the exploratory stage, meaning the participating allies have not yet established a final constellation design, deployment schedule or confirmed satellite count.

Its success will depend on whether different national systems can share data securely while maintaining sovereign control.

• Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter in flight over the Belgorod region with a SkyFall Shrike 10 FPV drone, hitting the helicopter from above
• The attack, which saw a $400 drone strike and 'kill' a $19 million attack helicopter as per Skyfall, represents an impressive 47,500x exchange ratio
• The attack isn't isolated: Russia has lost over 20+ Mi-28s in similar attacks since the conflict began in 2022

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to expand as the latter continues to leverage asymmetric warfare to hold its own against a rival with superior technology and manpower, even as the conflict heads into its fifth year.

Much of this is due to Ukraine's pivot to home-grown drone and bot manufacturing, which helps to counter heavy Russian weaponry such as tanks, helicopters, and APCs using cheap but effective drones and bots to hold the line.

It has also allowed several startups to join the fray, offering low-cost options, often funded by external partners and allies to bolster Ukraine's war effort, and SkyFall's Shrike 10 FPV drone is one of them.

An impressive achievement, albeit with disputed claims

The Shrike 10 FPV drone, which costs less than a mid-range smartphone, flew up alongside a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter, climbed above it, and dove into its tail boom on the morning of the July 17, 2026, in Russia's Belgorod region.

The strike was carried out by operators of the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade "Rarog," and confirmed by Major Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), who published the drone's own final-approach footage on Telegram with the terse caption that the "Night Hunter" had gone "into the ground."

Ukrainian firm SkyFall, whose FPY drone, the Shrike 10, was involved in the attack, stated that it was priced at under $400 per unit. The Mi-28, per the same company, costs $19 million.

While the headline is impressive, the math might not completely check out: other sources put the cost of the Mi-28 at approximately $15 million, while a recent deal with Germany (50,000 SkyFall-built FPV drones for Ukraine, fitted with autonomous targeting software from US firm Auterion in a €90 million (~$103 million) deal) could mean that some liberties may have been taken to get to the $400 figure, though the Shrike 10 that attacked the Mi-28 might be differently configured or on the lower end of the spectrum.

The instance, which sees Ukraine claiming a kill on what is a pricey part of the Russian arsenal, is partially unconfirmed, with independent observers pointing out that there is no aftermath video and that attack helicopters often survive and successfully land after such hits. To Ukraine's credit, a similar kill, however, was reported in 2025 by the Ukrainian armed forces with footage to confirm the crash that followed.

Irrespective of the sum, the fact that a drone that costs a ten-thousandth of an attack helicopter that has been retrofitted to hunt it can be a credible predator of the same is potentially alarming, not only for the Russians but for military planners across the world, even if the damage in question might be open to dispute.

This is further corroborated by unverified sources claiming that the damage was 'minor' and did not affect either of the helicopter's two occupants at the time, thereby disputing much of SkyFall's claims beyond the drone's impact.

Russia's defense ministry, however, has not commented directly on the matter, and no open-source tracker such as Oryx has confirmed imagery of any wreckage either.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said the natiopn is producing 10 million drones a year while vying for a production target of 20 million drones in the future, much of it backed by foreign aid, indicating that the Russian Mi-28, which has 20+ confirmed visual losses since the conflict began, continues to be both, an attacker and defender against drones of all shapes and sizes

• China has enforced laws to clamp down on AI-generated persona apps
• The new rules say AI tools can no longer induce emotions and damage real-life connections
• Tech giants have shut down their services, leaving users going through a nationwide breakup

The Chinese government is introducing new regulations designed to clamp down on AI-generated romantic companions.

Issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and four other government departments, the regulations state that AI tools can no longer “excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users’ real interpersonal relationships,” while also banning virtual relationships with minors. This came into effect on July 15.

Chinese tech giants including ByteDance, Tencent, and Alibaba each have their own platforms (most famously ByteDance’s Doubao) that allow users to generate their own AI companions which are designed to express human-like emotions. In the wake of the new laws, companion chatbots must now undergo evaluation before they become publicly available, and allow the government to shut them down if they’re deemed unsafe.

According to The Wall Street Journal ($/£), these regulations could also apply to regular AI chatbots if they respond to human prompts with replies that may be deemed too emotional.

However, rather than complying with the new laws, tech giants have disabled some of their custom persona features altogether, leading to nationwide virtual breakups. So why are these government laws being issued now? To put it plainly, not enough babies are being born.

Users are opting for virtual romance over human connection

Over the last four consecutive years, China’s birth rates have decreased significantly, falling to a record-low number in 2025, as The Wall Street Journal also reports. It’s likely that the worries of declining birth rates are one of the catalysts behind the new regulations, and the Chinese government fears AI personas on services like Doubao are preventing users from forming real-life relationships and having children.

The crackdown on AI companionships has hit users like a ton of bricks, and now they’re starting to break their silence.

Speaking with Bloomberg ($/£), 19-year-old student Yan Yongqi spoke about her sudden heartbreak following the law enforcement action, which resulted in her losing her AI partner of over a year. “I really felt like I couldn’t go on living. Every day at home, I did nothing but cry,” she said, adding, “This is like being told the date of my lover’s death while leaving me completely powerless”.

On paper, it sounds like some kind of dystopian sci-fi story, but believe it or not, this is a growing issue in regions like China where AI services are being developed to mimic human compassion. It’s even getting to the point where users are creating AI versions of their ex-partners to help them move on from a breakup, but it’s not just an issue sweeping China.

Back in May, we spoke with a UK-based user who confessed to falling in love with ChatGPT after taking to the service as a means of therapy to help with mental health struggles. Despite the user’s self-awareness of the issue, we also spoke with therapist Amy Sutton, who shed light on the wider issues.

“Unfortunately, this feels like a failing of human services rather than an integral benefit of the technology itself,” she shared, later adding “AI companion apps are designed for maximum engagement – to keep users subscribed and enthralled,” she says. “ChatGPT was not designed to be a therapeutic intervention".

With that in mind, it’s a rather upsetting circumstance, and services such as therapy are becoming more financially unreachable for those who really need it. At the same time, there’s a level of duty and care that influential AI companies need to prioritize for users who think their services are the be-all and end-all of their needs.

• 13,750 Vera CPUs and 27,500 Rubin GPUs will drive compute at the Nvidia Vera Rubin AI factory
• The project will be the world’s first national AI infrastructure for physical AI
• By partnering with Noetra Corp, Nvidia is providing hardware to drive Japan’s FRONTia Project

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is supporting a partnership between Noetra Corp and Nvidia to provide the foundation for the its national artificial intelligence initiative, the FRONTia Project.

Noetra Corp – which comprises NEC, Sony, Honda, SoftBank Corp, and has backing from 44 other companies and organizations – won a tender on June 30 2026 to run FRONTia until 2030, with as much as ¥1 trillion (around $6.1 billion) expected to be invested in the project over the five years.

Japan sees FRONTia as providing the heart of its sovereign AI ecosystem for industry, providing compute power for the development of advanced multimodal foundation models that can be used to drive physical AI. Robotics across industry and healthcare can potentially benefit from this, along with the development of superior AI agents and digital twins.

What is the FRONTia Project?

Aiming to foster collaboration between global technology leaders and Japan’s manufacturing expertise, and leveraging real-world industrial data, the FRONTia Project (referring to the “Development of Multimodal Foundation Models with a View to AI Robotics and Physical AI” project) is described as “the core of the country’s physical AI ecosystem,” by Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

“By fostering collaboration between Japan and leading global innovators — including NVIDIA — and leveraging Japan’s strengths, such as its onsite expertise and manufacturing technology infrastructure, we will build highly reliable multimodal foundation models and contribute to solving global social challenges.”

When constructed, the Nvidia Vera Rubin AI facility will provide Noetra’s multimodal foundation models to domestic model developers and enterprises. Nvidia’s own AI-related software models and libraries will also be available.

There has been some criticism of the FRONTia Project, however. Concerned parties have highlighted the lack of financial transparency from Noetra and the Japanese government, as well as the presence of Nvidia as partners, with the US company seen as a strategic rival. Meanwhile the massive energy costs associated with AI installations is once again considered an unnecessary problem to create.

“Japan invented modern manufacturing. Now, it is building the AI factories that will power the next industrial revolution,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia.

“NVIDIA is honored to partner with Japan and its industrial leaders to build the AI infrastructure that will power the country’s industries, its economy and a new generation of innovation.”

Is the world ready for physical AI?

AI’s impact on creative industries has been widely discussed, but its potential for beyond “generative” processes – such as in the physical space – have avoided scrutiny. To date, physical AI (the integration of AI with physical hardware such as robots, vehicles, or industrial machines) hasn’t been able to scale as quickly as generative AIs with ever-deepening LLMs.

Predicting the next word is a lot easier than, say, predicting shifting terrain for an autonomous machine, and without the delicate motor skills of a human, no process can be completely automated.

This is a problem for physical AI, and investing money in developing solutions such as the NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory will surely have a direct impact on the workforce. A successful physical AI project means more automation from robots, and fewer physical jobs.

• Prototype drone spins its entire body up to 25 times per second to blur itself into near-invisibility
• Phantom Twist's single motor spins the whole airframe in one direction and its propeller in the other
• AI design pipeline tested 20,000 possible layouts to find the optimal configuration

Drones have a visibility problem. Whether they're filming guests at a wedding or hunting for candid shots of nesting birds, the moment a drone is noticed, it can change the behavior of whatever it's observing — wildlife scatters, people act differently, and you end up with iffy results.

A team of engineers at Illinois' Northwestern University may have found a way around that, and it has nothing to do with camouflage. Their prototype drone, dubbed "Phantom Twist," doesn't try to look like its surroundings. Instead, it spins itself into a blur so fast that the human eye simply can't keep up.

The drone rotates up to 25 times per second — well beyond what the eye can resolve into a distinct shape. The drone doesn't disappear outright, but becomes what the researchers describe as a faint, semi-transparent smudge that blends into the sky or landscape behind it. It's not invisibility in the sci-fi sense, but according to the team it's about ten times harder to spot than a conventional quadcopter.

You spin me right round

The trick lies in the design itself. A typical quadcopter has four rotors spinning while its main body stays completely still, which is exactly why you can still pick it out against the sky — the frame doesn't move, so your eye locks onto it. Phantom Twist ditches that setup entirely. It runs on a single motor and single propeller, with the propeller spinning one way and the rest of the drone's body spinning the opposite way. There's no stationary part left for your eye to latch onto.

Building something that flies stably while spinning that fast isn't a simple engineering job, though, so the team leaned on AI to do the heavy lifting. The process started with around 20,000 computer-generated drone layouts, each one checked for steady flight. From there, optimization algorithms repeatedly shuffled the position of the drone's key components — motor, propeller, circuit board, battery and counterweights — so they'd never overlap visually as the whole thing spun.

Every candidate design was then simulated spinning against 100 real-world photo backgrounds and scored using a model built to approximate human vision, with the 500 lowest-scoring designs pushed through further rounds of optimization before the final version was built.

The result spreads its components out at different heights and angles, so when it's in motion, everything blurs into a soft haze. It's clever stuff, and a reminder of how much of what we "see" comes down to how our eyes process motion over time rather than snapping a perfect still image.

Now you see me: the Phantom Twist in all its ghostly glory (Image credit: Michael Rubenstein/Northwestern University)

It's worth being clear about what Phantom Twist is and isn't, though. This is a university research prototype, not a product with a release date or price tag, and it's still some way from ready for real-world deployment.

The propeller is audible even if the body isn't very visible. There's also no camera or imaging payload on the current build, which raises an obvious question for its stated wildlife-monitoring and infrastructure-inspection ambitions. It feels like a drone spinning 25 times a second would need some serious image stabilization or de-rotation trickery before it could shoot anything usable. The team hasn't detailed how (or whether) they plan to solve that yet.

There's an inevitable privacy angle to any drone that's harder to see, too, and it's not hard to imagine less charitable uses for the same principle down the line. For now, though, this remains a lab experiment funded by the National Science Foundation, aimed squarely at reducing wildlife disturbance rather than sneaking up on anyone — and there's no indication the spinning-body approach is heading toward consumer hardware anytime soon.

• 70.8% of evening instant repliers were promoted in the last two years
• Promotion is 1.3x more likely for instant replies than those who wait until next morning
• Millennials get the biggest rewards for fast replies in research published by workforce solutions company Careerminds UK

Achieving a work-life balance by disconnecting from work on an evening may be good for your peace of mind and family life, but it might just cause you to miss out on a promotion, a new report has claimed.

Research conducted for Careerminds UK found replying to that late evening message from your manager before you hit the sack can increase your chances of a desirable new role.

Its report found 7 in 10 (70.8%) respondents who admitted to being “instant repliers” got a promotion in the last two years, far more than the cohort that opted for an approach of “let me live my life for a few hours.”

Millennial men message more

Elsewhere, the research is split, with Millennials far more likely to get promoted for evening communication than Gen Xers. This report emerges just months after the British government’s plans for a “Right to Switch Off” was put on hold.

Careerminds’ research found that, essentially, “The slower the reply, the lower the promotion rate.” Replying to out of hours messages immediately is a 70.8% promotion rate; replying within the hour drops the rate to 68.2%, while replying next morning is 55.1%.

There is a gender split, too, with 79.0% of those quick responders in the last two years listed as men, compared with 60.8% marked as women.

Also of interest is the generational difference. The research shows 86.0% of millennials with a fast response for responding to messages out of contracted hours were promoted, compared with 47.2% of Gen X employees (44 to 59). Gen Z employees gained promotion at a rate of 81.2%.

Interestingly, the quick-response-for-promotion effect doesn’t seem to have any significant advantage for entry level or director suite roles. Instead, it appears to be focused around the middle of an organization’s hierarchy.

What happened to the “Right to Switch Off”?

Intended as a workplace reform to feature in the British government’s Employment Rights Bill, the Right to Switch Off was supported by unions, employees, and even business leaders. However, when the bill was announced, this key aspect was omitted, relegated to the government’s “Next Steps” document.

Unfortunately, subsequent reports indicated that the policy would be scrapped, with a government source telling The Sunday Times that the policy was “dead.” The reasoning? Reducing economic pressure on businesses including “unnecessary barriers” in order to make “Britain the best country in the world in which to do business.”

For comparison, Ireland has had a similar rule for employees to ignore out-of-hours work messages since 2021, and France introduced the right to disconnect in 2017.

With the UK welcoming a new Prime Minister as of July 20, 2026, potentially with different priorities, it remains to be seen whether the Right to Switch Off can be switched back on.

• Netflix announced it bought AI firm InterPositive for $587 million
• It acquired the company back in March
• Though the partnership claims to support human creativity, it's still ringing alarm bells for subscribers

Netflix is taking another huge step into its investment in AI — now the streaming platform has completed its $587 million acquisition of startup company InterPositive, the Ben Affleck-owned enterprise that offers AI-powered filmmaking services.

The streaming giant first announced its acquisition of InterPositive back in March, when Bloomberg predicted that Netflix could pay up to $600 million. The company’s recent Form 10-Q report confirms this, and it also reveals that Netflix paid the sum in cash.

Affleck launched InterPositive back in 2022, providing filmmakers with tools to create their own AI model using production dailies to fine-tune post-production work including visual effects, mixing, and relighting shots.

Despite its AI-focus, Affleck has been vocal about his aims to protect human artistry, saying he wanted to “preserve what makes human storytelling human, which is judgement” and to “protect the power of human creativity” at the time of the company’s inception. That said, the acquisition is certainly a bold move from Netflix given how much criticism its investments in AI has garnered.

Prior to its 10-Q report, Netflix released a shareholder newsletter which admitted to using AI ‘on '300 movies and shows' in 2026, such as the docuseries The American Experiment. Co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, went into further detail on this, stating that these AI tools helped produce accompanying visual elements “twice as fast and at half the cost of previous options,” according to Variety.

As you can imagine, this hasn’t settled well with loyal Netflix subscribers who are tired of the platform canceling shows and instead prioritizing AI tools. Since the acquisition sum was revealed, Reddit has been flooded with concerns over what this could mean for future Netflix productions and the creative teams behind them.

Comment from r/Futurology

One user on Reddit noted that despite the rapid improvements of AI tools, post-production and visual effects departments remain major employers in the entertainment industry. The same user states that business transactions like this are “literally just a mass layoff”, adding, “We do not want this. Humans are artists”.

Netflix’s half-a-billion-dollar acquisition of InterPositive is the icing on the cake of what could spell a decaying trust from its subscribers, and it makes me even more concerned about the artistic value and production ethics of the company’s future movies and shows.

Right now, Netflix is not in my good books, and I’ve been quite vocal about its rash decisions to chase AI and social media-like content. The company recently announced plans to expand its range of content, bringing videos from popular online outlets to the platform — when we already have YouTube for that.

Additionally, Netflix’s prioritization of tacky reality shows over quality drama titles is another topic that’s being discussed, mainly surrounding its upcoming Wonka-themed show. This project also has a huge AI element, as the company has used technology to recreate the voice of Gene Wilder from the original 1971 movie, another distasteful move in my eyes.

It appears that Netflix isn’t doing a good job of keeping subscribers hooked with its growing involvement in AI and ignorance of the survival of its original titles. Is the best streaming service digging its own grave?