Lifestyle

iRobot has fixed a couple of glaring issues with its robot vacuum range – but are the latest Roombas enough to save the company? We spent a couple of months with the affordable, midrange Roomba Plus 505 Combo Robot + AutoWash dock.

Some tools are made to be admired and fondled as much as they're made to actually be used. Such certainly seems to be the case with the sandblasted titanium GripNGo 2.0 ratcheting bit driver, which is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.

Much in the same way humans can become addicted to online gaming or internet gambling, dogs can become addicted to their toys. That's the finding of new research that examined the behaviors of 105 pups in a laboratory setting.

Not that long ago, most of us didn't even know what a fractal vise was. Now, however, we're hearing about the fourth one in six months. That said, the Titaner TiFractal Vise still manages to pack in a few unique selling points of its own.

Sandro Dias has broken two Guinness World Records after turning the curved facade of a 22-story high-rise in Brazil into the world's largest skate ramp. He dropped from a height of 197 ft and reached speeds of up to 64 mph during his descent.

Behold, the rise of the tennis-coaching robots. First there was the PongBot, followed by the Tenniix and the Acemate. Now, there's the possibly even more capable ball-shooting, performance-assessing, AI-packin' Aceii One.

A new chef's knife with sophisticated vibration tech built in promises to cut the effort you put into chopping ingredients in half. It won't buzz loudly, it'll charge wirelessly with an optional accessory, and it'll even prevent foods sticking to it.

The largest-ever study of dog behavior, tracking more than 47,000 pets, reveals how breed, size, sex, and age shape canine traits. It provides insights that could help identify early signs of illness and improve training and welfare.

Roborock is best known for its futuristic and forward-thinking robovacs – but it's out to prove it can be just as innovative in the world of hand-held stick vacuums. The H60 Hub Ultra brings robovac tech to the stick world, to excellent effect.

It's 2025, and we have AI. We have humanoid robots that can do front flips. We have autonomous delivery vans and taxis. And yet, the craziest thing to me is having a little autonomous robot doing my yard work.