🚀 NASA tests lithium thruster reaching 120 kW for Mars missions

NASA fired a lithium-fed electric thruster at 120 kW, the highest power level for this type of system in the US.

The prototype uses electromagnetic acceleration of lithium plasma and consumes up to 90% less propellant than chemical rockets. It produces steady thrust over time, suited for deep space travel.

The next goal is scaling to 500 kW to 1 MW per thruster. A human mission to Mars would need 2 to 4 MW and over 23,000 hours of operation.

The focus is shifting to high-power electric propulsion for long-duration spaceflight.

📊@tech

🤖 Anthropic launches 10 financial AI agents

Anthropic launched 10 AI agents that turn Claude Code into a Wall Street analyst.

They analyze reports, build financial models, and conduct market analysis.

The agents manage personal finances and integrate with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

All agents are available now.

📊@tech

🍏 Apple to let users pick AI models in iOS 27

Apple plans to let users choose which AI model powers Apple Intelligence in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. Third-party chatbots will connect as extensions via App Store apps. Users can select their preferred model in settings, affecting Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground, and other system features.

Currently, ChatGPT is the only third-party model integrated. Apple is testing Google and Anthropic models too. Different Siri voices can be assigned to different AI models for responses.

This move shifts Apple from building its own AI to hosting multiple models in its ecosystem. The announcement is expected this fall.

📊@tech

🔍 Boston Dynamics shows new Atlas video

Boston Dynamics released a video of its humanoid robot Atlas demonstrating advanced mobility and manipulation. The robot may use Google’s Gemini Robotics technology.

Boston Dynamics and Google started partnering this year to develop next-gen humanoids. The video highlights progress but gives few details.

📊@tech

🤖 Anthropic agents now self-improve during idle time

Anthropic launched a new feature called dreaming in its research preview. It activates when agents are idle between sessions, letting them analyze past interactions to spot repeated errors, user preferences, and workflows.

The agent updates its memory by adding effective patterns and rules based on this analysis. Users can choose automatic updates or require manual approval.

This should improve agent performance and reduce resource use by keeping memory compact. The feature is currently limited to Claude Managed Agents.

📊@tech

🤖 ChatGPT integrated into Excel and Google Sheets

ChatGPT is now officially built into Excel and Google Sheets. Users can connect the bot directly within their spreadsheets without switching windows.

It helps analyze data, understand complex files, and write formulas inside the app interface. The integration is free for all users.

📊@tech

🛰 Perplexity CEO launches live map tracking hantavirus outbreak

After a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, the CEO of Perplexity created a live map tracking cases and updates worldwide.

The outbreak involved the Andes strain, the only hantavirus known to spread between humans. 3 of 8 infected passengers died, while 12 countries were warned after travelers returned home.

📊@tech