Scientists develop ‘superhuman’ robotic vision system, and other technology news you need to know

Scientists are developing a robotic system that can see through thick smoke, intense rain and around corners.

The tool, PanoRadar, is equipped with an innovative radio-based sensing system which, combined with AI, allows it to build a 3D view of its environment. While radar has been in use for a long time, the robot uses a spinning mechanism to direct waves in all directions which allows it to build a more complete picture of its surroundings.

"What we have been trying to do here is basically help robots obtain superhuman vision – to see in scenarios where human eyes or traditional visual sensors cannot," Professor Mingmin Zhao, who is developing the technology with his students at the University of Pennsylvania, told the BBC.

The robot senses the reflection of radio waves off surfaces, and unlike visible light waves, for example, they are not blocked by tiny particles such as smoke. Becuase of this, Professor Zhao hopes in future the technology could help search-and-rescue robots help save people from conditions such as burning buildings.

"The key innovation is in how we process these radio wave measurements," explained Professor Zhao in a previous interview. "Our signal processing and machine learning algorithms are able to extract rich 3D information from the environment."

The team is also testing the technology for other uses such as autonomous vehicles. "For high-stakes tasks, having multiple ways of sensing the environment is crucial," said Professor Zhao. "Each sensor has its strengths and weaknesses, and by combining them intelligently, we can create robots that are better equipped to handle real-world challenges.

South Korea has announced plans to secure 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) in 2025 in an effort to keep pace with global AI growth.

"As competition for dominance in the AI industry intensifies, the competitive landscape is shifting from battles between companies to a full-scale rivalry between national innovation ecosystems," South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.

The government intends to secure the GPUs in collaboration with private businesses as it looks to launch services at the national AI computing centre.

The announcement comes a month after the US government announced new regulations that aim to reduce the flow of American AI chips, restricting the exports of GPUs.

Details revealing budgets, models and participating private businesses are to be finalised by September this year.

The country recently joined Taiwan and Australia in banning downloads of DeepSeek, an AI model from China that has shaken up the market by using cheaper, less advanced chips while still offering comparable results to other leading models such as ChatGPT.

Banning mobile phones in schools is not linked to improving pupils’ grades or mental wellbeing, a first-of-its-kind study has revealed. The research from the University of Birmingham compared 1,227 students from 30 different secondary schools and their rules on phone use. While students’ sleep, classroom behaviour, exercise or overall phone usage were not impacted by whether bans were in place or not, the study did find that spending longer on smartphones and social media was linked to worse results for all those surveyed..

Meta has revealed it plans to build a 50,000km sub-sea cable. Project Waterworth would connect the US, India, South Africa, Brazil and other regions, and would be the world’s longest underwater cable when completed. The company said the cable would provide “industry-leading connectivity” to five major continents, supporting its AI projects. "This project will enable greater economic co-operation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions," Meta said in a blog post.

The world’s largest EV battery producer has applied for a listing in Hong Kong, aiming for one of the city’s largest stock offerings in years. China’s Contemporary Amperex technology supplies Tesla, BMW, Ford and Volkswagen among other companies and expects to raise at least $5 billion.

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The electrification of transport will require a significant increase in the supply of certain metals such as nickel, copper and steel. But how can these needs be met? In this article, Juan Merlini, Chief Strategy Officer, Vale and Ricardo Monte Alto, Senior Principal, HATCH explore why primary and responsible sources of these metals will be one of the key pillars of transport decarbonization.

While fossil fuel emissions continue to hit record highs, solar projects in some parts of the world are currently delivering energy at the lowest prices in human history. This dynamic could reset the logic of the global energy transition, according to industry leaders at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos. Find out more here.