Autonomous

Autonomous Vehicles to Hit the Streets of NYC for the First Time

Waymo heads to the Big Apple.

Transportation AJ Dellinger Aug 22

DARPA Is Taking Its AI Fighter Jet Program to the Next Level

Seems safe.

Tech News AJ Dellinger Aug 15

Xiaomi's SU7 electric car displayed in a showroom, with individuals standing around it taking pictures.

China Bans ‘Autonomous Driving’ Claims From Car Marketing Following Crash

Three passengers were killed after a Xiaomi SU7 operating in driver assistance mode hit a concrete barrier.

Transportation Thomas Maxwell Apr 17

Researchers Taught Autonomous Camera Drones to Film Like a Hollywood Director

Skydio was one of the first companies to create a flying drone that can autonomously track, follow, and frame the action, but it was more concerned about not crashing than aesthetics. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are taking the idea one step further by teaching camera drones how to not only fly safely but also…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 21

Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders on the Intersection Between Writing About Science and Writing Science Fiction

io9 was founded as a website dedicated to both science journalism and science-fiction and cultural criticism. And although that mission has evolved over the years, that intersection between science and science fiction is something that still drives co-founders Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz’ work as authors. At a recent talk in London, England, the…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Aug 30

Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz on Creating Worlds, and How to Tell If You’re in an Alternate Timeline

Readers of io9 are no doubt very aware that since leaving the site, co-founders Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz have gone on to write their own award-winning works of fiction. But how do science fiction and fantasy bloggers move to writing science fiction themselves? At a recent talk in London, England, the duo discussed…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Aug 29

io9 Co-Founder’s Sci-Fi Novel Autonomous Optioned by AMC

Well, here’s some exciting news. Autonomous, the 2017 sci-fi novel written by io9 co-founder Annalee Newitz, has been optioned by AMC to potentially be brought to television. Newitz co-wrote a pilot script along with Amanda Segel (Person of Interest, Nikita, The Mist) who’ll executive produce and run the show, should it get picked up. “I…

io9 Germain Lussier Nov 15

An Exclusive Excerpt From io9 Co-Founder Annalee Newitz’s New Novel, Autonomous

So you guys may remember the name Annalee Newitz. I mean, she only-co-created this very site and ran it as editor-in-chief from 2008 through 2015. So I thought you may be interested in reading a preview from Autonomous, her first novel, which bestselling scifi author Neal Stephenson describes thusly: “Autonomous is to biotech and AI…

io9 Rob Bricken Sep 14

DARPA’s New Autonomous Submarine-Hunter Could Change Naval Combat Forever

In 2010, DARPA announced it was creating an autonomous, submarine-hunting war machine that would be manned with exactly zero people. Now, that vehicle is ready for action. The Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel, or ACTUV, is now scheduled to be launched April 17 from the Vigor Shipyards in Oregon. The ACTUV will continue sea-trials…

Tech News Michael Nunez Feb 12

A Brand New Vision of the Future From io9 Founder Annalee Newitz

There’s a killer new novel about a pharmceutical pirate and the robot that hunts her, set in the world of 2144, coming from Annalee Newitz, the founding editor of io9. Annalee just sold her first novel, Autonomous, to Tor Books. Tor is describing Autonomous as a novel of ideas about intellectual property law, set in…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Dec 14

The Lily Is Your Latest Reminder That Flying Cameras Are The Future

You visit incredible places. You go on adventures. You want someone or something to capture them—and you—for posterity. But instead of reaching out with a selfie stick, you reach into a backpack… and toss a drone up into the air to film it all for you. It’s the dream, and a startup called Lily is…

Tech News Sean Hollister May 12

Elon Musk Describes the Future of Self-Driving Cars

Elon Musk isn’t afraid to speak his mind—and it always feels like he’s about to change the world. So when the Tesla, SpaceX and PayPal billionaire sat down with Nvidia’s CEO to talk about his self-driving cars, we listened carefully. (Not because he always delivers on his promises, mind you.) Here’s how Musk described the…

Tech News Sean Hollister Mar 18

Skydio Turns Your Phone Into a Crash-Proof Magic Wand for Flying Drones

Fully autonomous flight is the future of consumer drones. But today’s “autonomous” drone technology isn’t foolproof. Now, a startup called Skydio wants to change that with a new kind of auto-pilot that uses a drone’s camera. It looks insanely great. Skydio’s autonomous flight technology is so good, it seems, that it can turn your smartphone…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes Jan 15

This Emergency Smartboat Won’t Need Sailors to Help It Navigate

While GPS has enabled a degree of autonomous function in many modern maritime vessels, ships are very much unable to steer themselves upon the high seas—or even navigate out of the harbor. But, like a naval Knight Rider, this new “smart” search and rescue boat could soon be patrolling your local shores, all by itself.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 9

Overhead Cams Replace Bored Humans in Honda’s Driverless Valet System

If worrying about your vehicle and personal possessions has always made you hesitant about using valet parking, Honda will alleviate your fears with a new system that replaces clumsy valet drivers with overhead tracking cameras and software smart enough to juggle an entire lot full of cars. First and foremost, the system does require a…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 21

Volvo’s Awesome New Autonomous Self-Parking Car Is Pure Magic

Realizing that cars that automatically parallel park themselves are old news, Volvo has taken the concept one step—actually several miles—further with a new concept vehicle that can actually find an empty spot and park itself in a lot. You just abandon your car at the entrance of a parking lot, and like a valet you…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jun 20

A Toddler-Driven Power Stroller Means Parents Never Have To Push

You might think you’ve got the most badass stroller at the playground, but it’s got nothing on Xandon Frogget’s creation which adds motors and a wireless steering system using a Wiimote controller. And thanks to an onboard Kinect sensor, his toddler can even drive it without the risk of crashing into anything. Enhanced with wheelchair…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Nov 15

Future Volvos Will Drive Themselves in Slow Moving Traffic Jams

In a few short years Volvos-the fancy ones, anyway-will include a cruise-control system that lets your car drive and steer itself through crawling traffic. So if your daily commute involves a long stretch sitting in a jam, you’ll be able to sit back and read a book, get caught up on work, or just keep…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 26

This Team of Quadrocopters Can Throw and Catch Better Than You

Remember the team of autonomous quadrocopters that could work cooperatively? Well they’re back and upgraded with the abilty to thrown and catch objects on the fly. You need to watch it to believe it. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-best-use-of-drones-in-the-history-of-drones-5889460 Using an elastic net spread between the three drones, they can toss a ball to themselves or shoot it through…

Tech News Brent Rose Sep 27

Marine Robot Helicopters Can Now Snatch Cargo Without Landing

With a skilled pilot at the controls, a helicopter can easily pick up cargo while remaining hovering in the air. It’s a time-saving maneuver that the Marine Corps’ K-MAX autonomous helicopter has just learned to perform itself. The military has been testing the K-MAX for just over half a year now, and with a million…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski May 31

Autonomous

Autonomous Vehicles to Hit the Streets of NYC for the First Time

DARPA Is Taking Its AI Fighter Jet Program to the Next Level

China Bans ‘Autonomous Driving’ Claims From Car Marketing Following Crash

Researchers Taught Autonomous Camera Drones to Film Like a Hollywood Director

Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders on the Intersection Between Writing About Science and Writing Science Fiction

Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz on Creating Worlds, and How to Tell If You’re in an Alternate Timeline

io9 Co-Founder’s Sci-Fi Novel Autonomous Optioned by AMC

An Exclusive Excerpt From io9 Co-Founder Annalee Newitz’s New Novel, Autonomous

DARPA’s New Autonomous Submarine-Hunter Could Change Naval Combat Forever

A Brand New Vision of the Future From io9 Founder Annalee Newitz

The Lily Is Your Latest Reminder That Flying Cameras Are The Future

Elon Musk Describes the Future of Self-Driving Cars

Skydio Turns Your Phone Into a Crash-Proof Magic Wand for Flying Drones

This Emergency Smartboat Won’t Need Sailors to Help It Navigate

Overhead Cams Replace Bored Humans in Honda’s Driverless Valet System

Volvo’s Awesome New Autonomous Self-Parking Car Is Pure Magic

A Toddler-Driven Power Stroller Means Parents Never Have To Push

Future Volvos Will Drive Themselves in Slow Moving Traffic Jams

This Team of Quadrocopters Can Throw and Catch Better Than You

Marine Robot Helicopters Can Now Snatch Cargo Without Landing

‘Good Omens’ Season 3 Is Still Just One Episode, Despite Being Called That

Steam Gaming Has Arrived on Apple Vision Pro, and It’s Unexpectedly Glorious

RFK Jr. Will Take on Joe Rogan for Podcaster Supremacy

The Spymaster’s Guide to the Secret Agencies of ‘Star Trek’

Uber Is Testing Driverless Volkswagen ID. Buzz Vans in Los Angeles

Cast Adrift, Meta Employees Have No Idea Who the ‘Token Legend’ Is Anymore

Microsoft Office 2024 and Windows 11 Pro Bundle Hits 76% Off, a Complete PC Setup for Less

You Can Add ‘Lamp That Folds Your Laundry’ to the List of Doomed Startups

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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