Gadgets
Australian lidar maker Baraja collects $31M B round to illuminate the future of autonomy
Lidar companies across the planet are going SPAC, but Baraja isn’t in a hurry to go public. The Australian lidar maker has raised a $31 million B round to continue the deployment and development
H3X rethinks the electric motor to power the next phase of mobility
It’s plain to see that electric vehicles are the future, but there’s more to making that change happen than swapping out a gas motor for a battery-powered one — especially in aircraft. H
Quest for prosthetic retinas progresses toward human trials, with a VR assist
An artificial retina would be an enormous boon to the many people with visual impairments, and the possibility is creeping closer to reality year by year. One of the latest advancements takes a differ
Apple to invest $1.2 billion in silicon design center in Germany
Apple has announced that it plans to increase its corporate spendings in Germany. In particular, the company wants to set up a new facility in Munich, Germany. Called the European Silicon Design Cente
SkyMul’s drones secure rebar on the fly to speed up construction
There are many jobs in the construction industry that fall under the “dull, dirty, and dangerous” category said to be ripe for automation — but only a few can actually be taken on with t
Tonal triples its physical stores with Nordstrom partnership
Tonal, maker of the smart home fitness trainer, announced it is more than tripling the number of physical locations it sells devices in through a new partnership with Nordstrom. Starting this month, T
The keyboards of TechCrunch’s editorial staff
Few things are more personal than a keyboard, and yet they are often overlooked by Work From Home guides. Why use the standard-issue keyboard when there are so many options available? This is a sampli
Orca wants to give boating navigation its ‘iPhone moment’
Boating is a hobby steeped in history and tradition — and so is the industry and those that support it. With worldwide connectivity, electric boats, and other technological changes dragging the sect
Stoke Space aims to take reusable rockets to new heights with $9M seed
Many launch providers think reusability is the best way to lower the cost and delay involved in getting to space. SpaceX and Rocket Lab have shown reusable first stages, which take a payload to the ed
Xiaomi further localizes India supply chain via BYD, DBG partnerships
China’s Xiaomi had dominated the Indian smartphone market for three consecutive years until recently losing the top spot to Samsung. It has played by the Indian government’s rulebook to su
Rode’s Wireless Go II delivers key upgrades to the best mobile mic for creators
Rode Microphones has a new and improved version of its much-loved Go portable mic, the Wireless Go II, which uses the same form factor as the original but adds a list of new and improved features. Mos
Hasselblad X1D II 50C: out of the studio and into the streets
We crawled into an abandoned school bus, trespassed through dilapidated hallways, dodged fleeting thunderstorms, and wandered the empty streets of Chinatown late into the evening. For two summery week
Metalenz reimagines the camera in 2D and raises $10M to ship it
As impressive as the cameras in our smartphones are, they’re fundamentally limited by the physical necessities of lenses and sensors. Metalenz skips over that part with a camera made of a single
Tovala, the smart oven and meal kit service, heats up with $30M more in funding
With more of us spending significant amounts of time at home because of COVID-19, our attention has turned increasingly to how and what we eat. Even for those who like to cook, but especially for thos
Canon takes tentative step towards eliminating photographers with robotic PICK camera
Canon is embracing the AI-infused future with a strange new robotic camera called the PowerShot PICK. This little device swivels and keeps its subjects in view, taking commands or snapping shots on it
Xiaomi teases over-the-air wireless charging, but it’s not coming to its devices this year
Xiaomi, the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, today unveiled “Mi Air Charge Technology,” which it says can deliver 5W power to multiple devices “within a radius of several metres”
Huawei’s struggles hurt overall smartphone shipments in China, but rivals like Apple found new opportunities
The impact of United States government sanctions on Huawei is continuing to hurt the company and dampen overall smartphone shipments in China, where it is the largest smartphone vendor, according to a
Sony tempts professionals with the top-shelf, top-tier Alpha 1
Sony is making a play for the top end of the professional digital camera world, where videographers and sports photographers demand immaculate image quality at high resolutions in short order. The new
The Tula Mic is a powerful portable recorder that doubles as a great USB-C microphone
Tula is a new company founded with the specific purpose of developing user-friendly hardware and software for sound capture, and its debut product, the Tula Mic, is now shipping after a successful cro
Nomad’s charcoal grill suitcase is modern ingenuity combined with classic cooking
Dallas-based Nomad set out to take an age-old cooking method and modernize it — but not by introducing connected or smart features. Instead, the Nomad Grill & Smoker takes classic charcoal grill