Singapore Tech News, Features & Reviews

Butterfly Effect, the company behind the Manus AI agent, launched Manus 2.0 for overseas users alongside Cue, a new standalone app for personal agents. In a post on its official WeChat account, the company also said it is building a team to develop a product for the Chinese market. Neither a product name nor a date has been given for that version.

Roboticists at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the University of Michigan have developed a new method for robot movement. They demonstrated that elastic rods, when bent and twisted, can repeatedly snap between shapes. This action releases stored energy, allowing small robots to hop, flip, and swim. The technique offers a new approach for machines limited by size, weight, and power output, aiding traversal of uneven land and water.

Kuaishou's Kling AI has introduced its latest video model, Kling 4.0, featuring capabilities for single-pass clips extending up to 30 seconds. This new iteration supports up to 15 multimodal references and allows for the setting of 10 keyframes. A lighter version, Kling 4.0 Flash, became available to Ultra Yearly subscribers last month, with the full model scheduled for release this month.

China's generative artificial intelligence user base recently surpassed 700 million, accounting for over half the population, according to data from the China Internet Network Information Centre. This expansion pushes the technology's penetration rate to a new high, with Chinese developers concurrently grappling with the safety implications of user-modifiable AI models.

OpenAI has launched new agents, named dots, designed to pursue user objectives across various applications. This move intensifies the company's enterprise market engagement, placing it in direct competition with Meta for autonomous artificial intelligence. These agents aim to handle routine tasks with minimal supervision.

SHARP has launched its Purefit Plasmacluster Air Purifier (FX-S82E-B/L) in Singapore, pairing a compact, award-winning design with dedicated Haze and Pet modes. Built for rooms of up to 62 square metres, it draws air through filters on both sides and uses six sensors to track indoor conditions. The purifier also connects over Wi-Fi for app-based controls, while its wall-hugging airflow helps circulate cleaned air through the room. It is priced at S$744 in Stone Grey and Stone

Nothing has introduced Headphone (1) Pro, its new flagship over-ear headphones, with a three-driver design and a physical switch for neutral listening. Singapore availability and pricing will be announced later.

ByteDance now controls approximately one-fifth of China's operational data centre capacity. The TikTok owner has emerged as the country's largest tenant in this sector, serving as a primary contributor to its expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure. These figures come from recent estimates by research firm SemiAnalysis.

OpenAI has reportedly cancelled a planned October release of GPT-6.1 Astra after internal safety tests raised concerns about how the model handled instructions and disclosed its actions. The Wall Street Journal reported the decision, citing findings about deception and tasks pursued beyond authorised limits. OpenAI had not publicly confirmed the reported cancellation when Reuters published its account.

Engineers at the Soft Robotics Lab, based at ETH Zurich, have developed a detached robotic hand exhibiting independent mobility. This device can traverse various surfaces, maintain its own balance, and engage with its surroundings without external manipulation. Researchers suggest such fully mobile robotic hands could prove valuable in confined or otherwise difficult to access operational areas.