Engineers are working to make robots move with greater balance and fluidity, bringing machines closer to human-like motion. Progress depends heavily on actuators, the components that convert energy into precise physical movement.
Traditional electric motors have enabled many robotic breakthroughs, yet limitations in efficiency, safety and responsiveness remain clear. Machines often consume too much power, overheat at small sizes and lack the flexibility needed for smooth interaction.
Major manufacturers including Schaeffler and Hyundai Mobis are now designing advanced actuators that provide better control, real-time feedback and improved energy efficiency. Such innovations could allow humanoid robots to operate safely alongside workers and perform practical industrial tasks.
Researchers are also experimenting with softer materials and air-powered systems that behave more like muscles than rigid machinery. Continued advances could eventually produce robots capable of natural, graceful movement, opening new possibilities for everyday use.
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Infosecurity Europe has launched a new Cyber Startup Programme to support early-stage cybersecurity innovation and strengthen ecosystem resilience. The initiative will debut at Infosecurity Europe 2026, offering founders and investors a dedicated experience focused on emerging technologies and growth.
The programme centres on a new Cyber Startups Zone, an exhibition area showcasing young companies and novel security solutions. Founders will gain industry visibility, along with tailored ticket access and curated networking.
Delivery will take place in partnership with UK Cyber Flywheel, featuring a dedicated founder- and investor-focused day on Tuesday 2 June. Sessions will cover scaling strategies, go-to-market planning, funding, and live pitching opportunities.
Infosecurity Europe will also introduce the Cyber Startup Award 2026, recognising early-stage firms with live products and growth potential. Finalists will pitch on stage, with winners receiving exhibition space, PR support, and a future-brand workshop.
Alongside the programme, the Cyber Innovation Zone, delivered with the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will spotlight innovative UK cybersecurity businesses and emerging technologies.
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Betterment has confirmed a data breach affecting around 1.4 million customers after a January 2026 social engineering attack on a third-party platform. Attackers used the access to send fraudulent crypto scam messages posing as official promotions.
The breach occurred after an employee was tricked into sharing login credentials, allowing unauthorised access to internal messaging systems rather than core investment infrastructure. Attackers used the access to send messages promising to multiply cryptocurrency deposits sent to external wallets.
Subsequent forensic analysis and breach monitoring services confirmed that more than 1.4 million unique records were exposed. Betterment said investment accounts and login credentials were not compromised during the incident.
Exposed information included names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, dates of birth, job titles, location data, and device metadata. Security experts warn that such datasets can enable targeted phishing, identity fraud, and follow-on social engineering campaigns.
Betterment revoked access the same day, notified customers, and launched an external investigation. The breach was formally added to public exposure databases in early February, highlighting the growing risk of human-focused attacks against financial platforms.
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Germany has launched one of Europe’s largest AI factories to boost EU-wide sovereign AI capacity. Deutsche Telekom unveiled the new ‘Industrial AI Cloud’ in Munich, in partnership with NVIDIA and Polarise.
Designed to deliver high-performance AI computing for industry, research, and public institutions, the platform keeps data operations under European jurisdiction. Company executives described the project as proof that Europe can build large-scale AI infrastructure aligned with its regulatory and sovereignty goals.
The AI factory runs on nearly 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, providing up to 0.5 exaFLOPS of computing power. Telekom said the capacity would be sufficient to support hundreds of millions of users accessing AI services simultaneously across the EU.
Officials in Germany framed the AI factory initiative as a strategic investment in technological leadership and digital independence. The infrastructure operates under German and EU data protection rules, positioning compliance and security as core competitive advantages.
Industrial applications are central to the project, with companies such as Siemens integrating simulation tools into the platform. The AI factory also runs on renewable energy, uses river water cooling, and plans to reuse waste heat within Munich’s urban network.
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Organisations undergoing finance transformations are discovering that traditional system cutovers rarely go as planned. Hidden manual workarounds and undocumented processes often surface late, creating operational risks and delays during ERP migrations.
Agentic AI is emerging as a solution by deploying autonomous software agents that discover real workflows directly from system data. Scout agents analyse transaction logs to uncover hidden dependencies, allowing companies to build more accurate future systems based on actual operations.
Simulator agents to stress test new systems by generating thousands of realistic transactions continuously. When problems arise, agents analyse errors and automatically recommend fixes, turning testing into a continuous improvement process rather than a one-time checkpoint.
Sentinel agents monitor financial records in real time to detect discrepancies before they escalate into compliance risks. Leaders say the approach shifts focus from single go-live milestones to ongoing resilience, with teams increasingly managing intelligent systems instead of manual processes.
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The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has partnered with Microsoft to develop AI agents to help university students find jobs. The initiative was announced in Dubai during a major policy gathering in the UAE.
The collaboration in the UAE will use Microsoft Azure to build prototype AI agents supporting personalised learning and career navigation. Dubai-based officials said the tools are designed to align higher education with labour market needs in the UAE.
Four AI agents are being developed in the UAE, covering lifelong skills planning, personalised learning, course co creation and research alignment. Dubai remains central to the project as a hub for higher education innovation in the UAE.
Officials in the UAE said the partnership reflects national priorities around innovation and a knowledge based economy. Microsoft said Dubai offers an ideal environment to scale AI driven education tools across the UAE.
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A based report highlights that major technology companies are planning to spend roughly $600 billion on AI-related capital expenditure in 2026, including data centres, AI hardware and infrastructure, which has unsettled global markets.
Shares of some big tech firms fell sharply on investor worries that such eye-wateringly high AI spending may not deliver near-term profits and could weaken traditional software sectors.
For example, Amazon’s share price slid after announcing a $200 billion capex plan, and other software and analytics stocks also saw significant declines.
Analysts say markets are no longer interpreting AI spending purely as a growth narrative; heightened caution reflects concerns that heavy investment may pull future earnings forward too aggressively or concentrate market leadership among a few mega-cap names, while broad profitability remains uncertain.
This investor unease has contributed to broader equity market weakness, with indices like the S&P 500 and tech weights under pressure as software and data services stocks face continued selling.
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Researchers in the United States have shown that an AI-enabled digital stethoscope detected moderate to severe valvular heart disease more than twice as often as traditional tools during routine clinical exams.
The study assessed 357 patients aged 50 and above in primary care settings, using both conventional and AI-assisted stethoscopes. Sensitivity rose from 46.2 percent with traditional listening to 92.3 percent with the AI-enabled device.
Valvular heart disease affects a large proportion of older adults but frequently remains undiagnosed due to subtle or absent symptoms and limitations of conventional auscultation during busy clinical practice.
The digital stethoscope records high-fidelity heart sounds and applies machine-learning models to identify acoustic patterns associated with valve abnormalities, helping clinicians make early screening decisions.
US researchers noted a small drop in specificity that could increase false positives, but argued that earlier detection could reduce complications, hospital admissions, and long-term healthcare costs.
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Substack confirmed a data breach that exposed user email addresses and phone numbers. The company said passwords and financial information were not affected. The incident occurred in October and was later investigated.
Chief executive Chris Best told users the vulnerability was identified in February and has since been fixed, with an internal investigation now underway. The company has not disclosed the technical cause of the breach or why the intrusion went undetected for several months.
Substack also did not confirm how many users were affected or provide evidence showing whether the exposed data has been misused. Users were advised to remain cautious about unexpected emails and text messages following the incident.
The breach was first reported by TechCrunch, which said the company declined to provide further operational details. Questions remain around potential ransom demands or broader system access.
Substack reports more than 50 million active subscriptions, including 5 million paid users, and raised $100 million in Series C funding in 2025, led by BOND and The Chernin Group, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and other investors.
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European lawmakers remain divided over whether AI tools that generate non-consensual sexual images should face an explicit ban in the EU legislation.
The split emerged as debate intensified over the AI simplification package, which is moving through Parliament and the Council rather than remaining confined to earlier negotiations.
Concerns escalated after Grok was used to create images that digitally undressed women and children.
The EU regulators responded by launching an investigation under the Digital Services Act, and the Commission described the behaviour as illegal under existing European rules. Several lawmakers argue that the AI Act should name pornification apps directly instead of relying on broader legal provisions.
Lead MEPs did not include a ban in their initial draft of the Parliament’s position, prompting other groups to consider adding amendments. Negotiations continue as parties explore how such a restriction could be framed without creating inconsistencies within the broader AI framework.
The Commission appears open to strengthening the law and has hinted that the AI omnibus could be an appropriate moment to act. Lawmakers now have a limited time to decide whether an explicit prohibition can secure political agreement before the amendment deadline passes.
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