Author: Brett Venter

The current robotics drive seems like it’s confined to companies with budgets, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to get involved is a little programming know-how, a 3D printer… and about R41,000 for additional parts. A new project released on Hugging Face will handle most of the work, eventually leaving you with your very own pair of robotic legs to play with. It’s not really for having lying around the home, though. The project’s creators have designed the LeRobot Humanoid for more scientific endeavours. Still, if you have the cash and hardware, you can just… make a…

Programming your own smartwatch might be a little too far, but what about building your own smartphone? The Makerphone 2 from CircuitMess — the folks who also sell self-assembled NASA wristwear — could be just what you need to feel more in control of your tech. It’s supposed to be more-or-less idiot-proof, too. CircuitMess reckons that its product doesn’t require anything like soldering. It just clips together, a bit like a model aeroplane but without the glue. We suppose you could use glue if you’re very confident. Makerphone for me But you’ll have to wait for a while to get…

And now for something completely different. Oppo has a reputation in South Africa for affordable smartphones, but the Bubble is something entirely unexpected from the company. For starters, it’s difficult to guess what it is just from the title. Even the images shown here aren’t an immediate giveaway. Oppo’s Bubble might look like an AirTag knockoff, but it’s actually a small magnetic AMOLED display that you can plonk onto the back of your smartphone. An iPhone, for preference, since its MagSafe magnetic ring is built into the hardware. But it should work with more models, including Oppo’s own. Not the…

It’s a bad time to be launching premium over-ear headphones. Xiaomi has just announced an affordable pair, the Redmi Headphones Neo, for various markets. South Africa isn’t confirmed for this launch (yet), but we dearly hope they make it over here. And not just for the price, either. International pricing puts these at around R850, which translates to a price point closer to R1,000 here in SA. Based purely on looks, the Redmi Headphones Neo will outstrip what you’re paying for them. After a closer look at these cans, it’s obvious in other ways, too. Redmi Headphones Neo logistics The…

Huawei’s recent(ish) history in the smartphone arena saw the Chinese company cut off from various component sources. It adapted by pulling most of its missing supply chain in-house, and that development is still ongoing. Most recently, the company announced a new initiative to compete with TSMC, the world’s foremost semiconductor producer. Announced at the 2026 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems, Huawei presented something it calls the Tau (τ) Scaling Law. The company “proposes replacing geometric scaling with time (τ) scaling as a new guiding principle for the evolution of both semiconductors and electronic systems.” Huawei’s chip off the…

South Africa’s fuel levy relief, currently being used to offset astronomical petrol and diesel prices, is set to expire soon. The measure, announced in March this year, was always going to be temporary. Recent statements by SA’s finance minister Enoch Godongwana have made it clear that the Treasury is looking at ending the relief program. Godongwana told members of Parliament that the fuel levy relief program has already cost the country more than R17 billion in lost tax revenue. According to the minister, “This is further disrupting an already fragile global economic environment, shaped by trade wars and supply chain…

It doesn’t get douchier than that guy who hauls out an acoustic guitar at the beach at sundown. Or does it? The Melo-D, a guitar made by TemPolor, is billed as the “world’s first AI guitar”. If you can’t guess what that means, you haven’t been paying attention. The guitar is a musical instrument in much the same way as your old Guitar Hero controller is. In other words, it’s got the shape right but the rest of it…? Not so much. Its creators reckon the Melo-D can be used to create music using generative AI. It’s also supposed to…

Orbit Robotics, a Swiss company, has unveiled Helios. Nominally a humanoid, at least in general shape, the robot has one large difference compared to the likes of Unitree’s stable. That would be its arms, which make the ‘bot more similar to a chimpanzee than an actual human. See, Helios has limbs at all of the correct points. The catch is that its ‘legs’ are actually just another pair of arms. It’s a bit useless here on Earth, but that’s not where the robot is supposed to operate. Instead, it’s intended for work in space — specifically, space stations, but we…

Rocket League trailer previews Unreal Engine 6 upgrade, but don’t expect it any time soon The Unreal Engine has powered decades of video games, with Unreal Engine 6 just around the corner. The first game to get it, according to Epic, will be the company’s own Rocket League. Or, at the very least, it’s the first game to demo the new tech. The demonstration isn’t terribly long, and there’s no further detail about what UE 6 will bring to the table, but the brief seconds of gameplay are pretty enough. There are new lighting systems and particle physics on display,…

Artificial intelligence is coming for everything, including your bank account. Eventually, in South Africa’s case, but ChatGPT users in the States (who give Sam Altman’s company money) have the option to start right now. The AI chatbot shouldn’t wind up making payments for you — that’s a custom option, if you’re brave enough — but giving OpenAI’s AI access to your financial accounts will apparently result in better financial advice from ChatGPT. Show ChatGPT the money Of course, you probably shouldn’t treat any AI’s financial advice as… well, financial advice, but giving it access to your balances, transactions, investments, and…