Pool robots have become remarkably capable over the last few years. What started as simple cleaners designed to remove debris from the bottom of a pool has evolved into a new category of intelligent systems capable of navigating entire pools, adapting to changing conditions, and taking on multiple maintenance tasks at once. As expectations around smart home technology continue to rise, pool owners are increasingly looking for the same combination of automation, convenience, and reliability from their pool-care equipment.

Few brands have embraced that shift more aggressively than Beatbot. Available through the Beatbot website and Amazon storefront, the company has established itself as a leader in premium robotic pool care by combining advanced robotics, AI-powered vision systems, and intelligent navigation technologies into products designed to reduce the time and effort required to maintain a clean pool. This Prime Day, Beatbot’s lineup offers a closer look at how far automated pool care has progressed, from flagship systems capable of real-time decision-making to versatile robots designed to handle multiple aspects of maintenance in a single cleaning cycle.

Rather than focusing on a single product category, Beatbot has spent the last several years building a broader pool-care ecosystem powered by advanced robotics, intelligent navigation, and AI-driven automation. From flagship robotic cleaners capable of real-time decision-making to surface skimmers and more accessible cleaning solutions, the goal remains the same: reducing the time, effort, and guesswork traditionally associated with pool maintenance.

Inside Beatbot’s most advanced pool-care system

Beatbot’s vision for AI-powered pool care comes together most clearly in the AquaSense X. Combining an autonomous self-cleaning station with HybridSense™ AI Vision, CleverNav™ AI Path Planning, AI debris detection, intelligent obstacle avoidance, auto-recovery functionality, and night cleaning capabilities, it brings a deeper level of awareness and adaptability to the cleaning process.

The system continuously analyzes its surroundings, identifies obstacles and debris, and adjusts cleaning routes in real time to improve coverage across the entire pool. Instead of relying on fixed cleaning patterns, it adapts as conditions change, helping deliver a more thorough and efficient clean while reducing the need for user intervention.

The autonomous self-cleaning station further reinforces that hands-off approach. By minimizing routine maintenance after each cleaning cycle, it allows pool owners to spend less time managing their cleaner and more time enjoying their pool. For those looking for the most advanced option in Beatbot’s ecosystem, the AquaSense X combines intelligent navigation, adaptive cleaning, and automated maintenance in a single platform.

Prime Day price: $3,999 (regularly $4,250).

AquaSense 2 Ultra expands the idea of intelligent pool maintenance

While many robotic pool cleaners focus primarily on debris removal, the AquaSense 2 Ultra takes a broader view of pool maintenance. As the world’s first AI-powered 5-in-1 robotic pool cleaner, it combines floor cleaning, wall cleaning, waterline cleaning, surface skimming, and water clarification within a single system.

HybridSense™ AI Vision and CleverNav™ AI Path Planning help the AquaSense 2 Ultra navigate multiple cleaning zones while adapting to changing pool conditions. Combined with AI debris detection and intelligent obstacle avoidance, the system is built around what Beatbot calls full-pool intelligence, allowing it to tackle different maintenance tasks through a single platform.

Water clarification is what further separates the AquaSense 2 Ultra from traditional robotic cleaners. Beyond collecting debris, it actively contributes to cleaner, clearer water while reducing the need for additional maintenance tools. For pool owners looking for a more comprehensive approach to pool care, it brings cleaning, water care, and intelligent automation together in a single solution.

Prime Day price: $1,999 (regularly $3,150).

AquaSense 2 Pro brings comprehensive care into a single system

The AquaSense 2 Pro focuses on simplifying pool maintenance without sacrificing capability. Combining floor cleaning, wall scrubbing, waterline cleaning, surface skimming, and water clarification within a single platform, it is built for pool owners who want a more complete maintenance solution without juggling multiple tools.

Features such as the ClearWater™ Clarification System, Smart Water Surface Parking, and one-touch app retrieval help streamline day-to-day ownership, while Full Coverage Path Optimization supported by 22 sensors helps ensure efficient navigation and consistent cleaning performance across the pool. By continuously assessing its surroundings and adjusting cleaning routes as needed, the AquaSense 2 Pro is designed to deliver thorough coverage with minimal intervention.

The result is a system that brings together intelligent navigation, water care, and multi-zone cleaning in a way that feels practical rather than complicated. For pool owners looking for a balance between advanced automation and everyday usability, the AquaSense 2 Pro sits comfortably in the middle of Beatbot’s growing pool-care ecosystem.

Prime Day price: $1,699 (regularly $2,299)

The Sora Series brings smarter cleaning to more pools

Not every pool owner needs a flagship-level solution, which is where the Sora Series fits into Beatbot’s broader lineup.

The Sora 70 is the most capable model in the range, delivering 4-in-1 cleaning across the floor, walls, waterline, and surface. By incorporating dedicated surface cleaning alongside traditional robotic cleaning functions, it provides broader coverage than many mid-range alternatives. Features such as Smart Surface Parking, shallow-area accessibility, SonicSense™ AI Ultrasonic Obstacle Avoidance, and intelligent path planning help improve cleaning consistency while making retrieval easier once a cleaning cycle is complete.

SonicSense™ AI Ultrasonic Obstacle Avoidance and intelligent path planning help the Sora 70 navigate more efficiently while improving cleaning consistency across the pool. Together with its 4-in-1 cleaning capabilities, those technologies make it one of the most capable options in Beatbot’s mid-range lineup.

Prime Day price: $999 (regularly $1,499)

The Sora 30 focuses on delivering stronger day-to-day cleaning performance without the premium investment associated with flagship models. Its enhanced 3-in-1 cleaning capability covers floors, walls, and waterlines, providing broader coverage and greater versatility than many entry-level cordless cleaners. For buyers looking to step into Beatbot’s ecosystem, it offers an appealing balance of performance, convenience, and value.

While positioned as a more accessible option, the Sora 30 still benefits from the design philosophy that runs throughout Beatbot’s lineup: broader coverage, smarter operation, and less manual effort. For pool owners seeking dependable day-to-day maintenance, it offers a practical entry point into Beatbot’s intelligent pool-care ecosystem.

Prime Day price: $649 (regularly $999)

Prime Day is the perfect time to upgrade

Beatbot’s Prime Day offers extend well beyond the flagship models. Alongside deals on the AquaSense X, AquaSense 2 Ultra, AquaSense 2 Pro, Sora 70, and Sora 30, shoppers can also save across the company’s broader pool-care ecosystem. The Sora 10 drops from $699 to $449, while the AquaSense 2 is available for $799, down from its regular $1,298 price. Surface-cleaning solutions are also seeing significant discounts, with the iSkim available for $299 (normally $499) and the iSkim Ultra reduced from $999 to $549.

Available from July 8 through July 11, these promotions make it one of the best opportunities of the year to upgrade to Beatbot’s AI-powered pool-care ecosystem. Whether you’re looking for a flagship robotic cleaner, a comprehensive maintenance solution, or a dedicated surface-cleaning system, the lineup offers options across a range of pool sizes, maintenance needs, and budgets.

For pool owners ready to spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying their pool, Prime Day may be the ideal time to make the switch.

Pause not a permanent withdrawal from drone delivery operations in Ireland, Manna said.

Drone delivery firm Manna is taking a “strategic pause” in operations in Ireland over what it describes as a lack of a clear national framework surrounding the technology.

The Irish company is instead shifting focus to the US, UK and other international markets where “regulatory, and planning frameworks are advancing and commercial drone delivery is accelerating”, it said in a statement. The company already has operational authorisation in both the US and UK and anticipates full authorisation to operate in the United Arab Emirates.

“The absence of a clear national policy framework for commercial drone delivery means there is currently no defined pathway for the sector to scale in Ireland,” Manna said.

“In the absence of such a framework, decisions are assessed locally, creating uncertainty around the planning and infrastructure requirements needed to support commercial drone delivery at scale.” The pause is not a permanent withdrawal from drone delivery operations in Ireland, the company said.

Manna was refused planning permission for drone aerial delivery hub in Dublin’s Dundrum region this week.

Last year, it was refused permission to retain a drone delivery hub in Blanchardstown, meanwhile, Cork City Council has also sent the company letters raising concerns about its operation there.

Despite the supposed regulatory setbacks, Manna has completed more than 300,000 deliveries and partnered with more than 120 Irish businesses.

It has also teamed up with companies such as food delivery platforms JustEat and Deliveroo – and Uber, more recently, primarily servicing parts of Dublin. And last year, it expanded its focus and announced an entry into Cork’s airspace.

“This is a difficult decision because Ireland is where Manna was founded, built and first proven,” said Bobby Healy, the founder and CEO of Manna.

“However, in the absence of a clear national pathway to scale commercial drone delivery, we have to focus our investment in markets where that pathway is now clear.”

Manna has launched and operated drone delivery services in Ireland in Moneygall, Oranmore, Balbriggan, Blanchardstown and Cork, and has expanded services internationally to Finland and Texas.

It has made nearly 90,000 deliveries in its most mature market in Blanchardstown, where Manna has operated since early 2024.

Manna has been at the receiving end of criticism from residents – especially in Dublin 15 – where it runs four sites. Complaints include the frequency of drones, with one telling the Irish Independent that they saw “at least” 50 drones every day, as well as noise and environmental concerns.

According to Manna’s own account, its three planning permissions drew objections from 255 individuals.

Manna currently employs nearly 200 people across engineering, technology, operations and corporate functions in Dublin. It said that future employment and planned expansion at local delivery hubs will not proceed “at this time”. Earlier this year, the company announced around 300 new jobs in the country, alongside a $50m Series B raise.

“This decision does not affect Manna’s continued investment in Ireland, which will remain the company’s primary base for research and development, engineering, robotics, regulatory affairs, customer operations and corporate functions,” Manna clarified.

Responding to Manna’s decision, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD, said: “I regret the announcement and the uncertainty that this creates for workers and their families.

“Government are ensuring that all available supports are put in place for workers that may be impacted, including supports for retraining and job search assistance.”

Last August, the Department of Transport published a national policy framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems that aims to foster “growth and innovation, while ensuring that operations remain safe and secure and environmental and social concerns are managed”.

An action plan, published in March, laid out sixteen goals across planning, compliance, enforcement and innovation.

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Updated, 07:40pm, 19 June, 2026: The article has been updated with the Government’s response and background information.

Logitech teamed up with the Genshin Impact team for a special edition of its slim wireless keyboard, and the result feels more thoughtful than most licensed gear. The G515 Kamisato Ayaka special edition model, priced at $69.99 (was $170), takes the standard low-profile TKL hardware and wraps it in a clean white design that nods to the character without turning the whole thing into a billboard. It stays subtle enough for daily use while still giving fans something distinctive to look at every time they sit down.

The keyboard itself measures only 22 millimeters at its tallest point, giving it a very thin profile, thanks mostly to the low-profile GL mechanical switches and a chassis that has been shortened significantly by the lack of a number pad. The end product is a really slimline device, with the white body featuring some really sleek light blue and lavender artwork down the edges, as well as swirling swirls and snowflake accents that pay homage to Ayaka’s cryo theme and her extremely graceful fan design. To accentuate the idea, the spacebar features a fan emblem and her name. The legends on the keycaps are designed in a way that uses a variety of colors that are readable even when the RGB lighting is turned on, since they do not clash with it.

The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT and have lasting legends, as well as a nice matte finish that does not shine with time. The casing provides significant sound dampening, as it is much quieter than many low-profile boards. The stabilisers are adequate for a prebuilt keyboard, though you may notice a slight vibration in the spacebar if you search for it. The feet on the bottom offer two tilt angles, allowing you to modify the slope without using any other equipment.

The 1.3-millimeter actuation point and 3.2-millimeter overall travel are beneficial for both typing and gaming, since the tactile brown switches in this edition are light and provide sharp feedback that registers rapidly without being mushy. The factory lubrication ensures that the keys remain smooth from day one. Going low profile also means less finger travel, which some individuals find less exhausting during extended sessions. The bad news is that there is no wrist rest in the box, so users who like one will have to either get used to the floating feel or create their own.

Wireless performance is based on Logitech’s LIGHTSPEED 2.4 GHz connection, which maintains a 1-millisecond report rate throughout gaming. There’s a Bluetooth option if you merely want to use it for light tasks or multi-device settings, as well as a USB-C wired mode that can be used as a backup or to charge. The provided dongle allows 2:1 pairing, which means that one USB port can handle both this keyboard and a compatible Logitech mouse. The battery should last for at least 36 hours with the RGB turned on, and much longer if you dim or turn off the lights. A USB-C to USB-A cable for charging is included in the box, along with the dongle and basic documentation.

The RGB illumination is fully incorporated into Logitech’s LIGHTSYNC system and looks stunning on the shine-through keycaps. Because this is a special edition, you’ll find some custom Ayaka-themed effects in G HUB, which focus on soothing blues and whites and subtle transitions rather than dramatic rainbow sweeps. The software allows you to build profiles, remap keys, and customize illumination by key or across zones. Onboard memory stores a few profiles, allowing the keyboard to work properly on different computers without the need to reload anything.

• OpenAI’s Sam Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki list future goals for the AI giant
• The world economy is now beginning to shape around AI and are committed to delivering tools that people would use
• The note also reaffirmed OpenAI’s commitment to AGI with a caveat: ensuring it benefits all of humanity

With modern AI solutions moving well beyond simple chatbots to agents and projected to evolve into operators, one could assume that the automation of everything is an eventual goal.

This, however, has been denied by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki, who said the goal of the artificial intelligence research and deployment company is not to automate everything but to allow people to make better decisions as AI improves their lives.

The last thing you want to happen after dropping hundreds of dollars on a wearable is to discover that it doesn’t work with your body. But, that’s a fairly common problem people with wrist tattoos have been running into since the advent of smartwatches and fitness trackers. As countless posts on device support pages and Reddit have chronicled over the years, tattooed skin and the sensors used by wearables often don’t mix well.

One of the main issues people experience is with heart rate sensing. Wearables use a light-based technique called photoplethysmography (PPG) to measure heart rate. That’s the green light you see when you flip your device over. But, tattoos can get in the way of that light, messing with the readings. The other problem is wrist detection, which also uses lights to determine if the tracker is on a person’s wrist (along with an accelerometer and electrical sensors). Slap a fitness tracker on a wrist that’s covered by a tattoo, and the device may not register that it’s being worn at all, consequently requiring the wearer to repeatedly unlock the device whenever they want to interact with it.

It might seem a bit silly that technology advanced enough to respond to gesture controls and provide personalized sleep coaching would be stumped by a bit of pigment, but the tattoo issue isn’t just a baseless gripe that consumers have latched onto. Device makers have acknowledged it and advised buyers to avoid putting their trackers on top of tattoos.

“Tattoos (ink, pattern, saturation) can block the heart rate sensor’s light, causing inaccurate or missing readings,” Garmin notes on a support page. “For best performance, wear the watch on skin that is free of tattoos if possible.” Apple has issued similar notices going back to the release of the first Apple Watch.

Is there a solution?

People with tattoos have devised sorts of workarounds to get the most out of their smart watches and fitness trackers, though none are exactly ideal. The simplest? If the inside of your wrist isn’t tattooed (or at least has larger areas of clear skin), you can position the device there instead of on top of the wrist. Similarly, if your other wrist is tattoo-free, wear the device on that one. But if you’ve grown used to wearing a watch on a certain wrist for years, it’s going to feel pretty weird to change it up.

As a quick fix, some people swear by epoxy bottle cap stickers or layering pieces of clear tape, either of which are placed over the sensors and inexplicably correct the problem for a lot of wearers. Reusable accessories designed to work the same way have seen some success too. There’s also the option of using a chest strap if accurate heart rate tracking is all you’re after — and if you don’t have chest tattoos. Again, though, this isn’t the most comfortable or convenient way to use a wearable in most situations day-to-day. 

Ultimately, it’ll continue to be an issue until the sensors these watches and fitness trackers rely on are improved to account for skin variations like tattoo ink. Likewise, light-based sensors have been found to be less reliable for people with dark skin, highlighting a need for more diversity in the research and development of this type of technology.

Anecdotally, it seems like Google’s Pixel Watch 4 might be much better at handling tattooed skin than its predecessors. There were rumors of Samsung introducing an update a few years back to improve things in this area too, but the complaints of tattooed Galaxy Watch users would suggest otherwise.

More research is needed

Identifying the problem is theoretically the first step to solving it, but unhelpfully, the reality is that how much tattoos interfere with sensor readings isn’t consistent from case to case. A study published in 2025 attempted to quantify the difference in readings taken from devices worn over tattooed skin versus non-tattooed skin, and while it did find the former suffered inaccuracies, the results were mixed.

The researchers used the Polar Verity Sense and armband, outfitting participants with one device over a tattoo plus one on the same arm in an area without a tattoo. Participants also wore a Polar H10 chest strap heart rate monitor to establish a baseline, as this style of wearable is considered to be more accurate. Over the course of a day, they were monitored when at rest, walking at their own pace and jogging.

This revealed that the presence of the tattoos did have an impact on heart rate readings, but it was dependent on the wearer’s activity level, “with the greatest effect observed at rest and variation decreasing as exercise intensity increases.” And in some cases, the researchers note, “the presence of an arm tattoo did not affect the heart rate validity measurement at all.” There are a number of variables that must be taken into account — like ink color, saturation and depth — and as it stands today, there just hasn’t yet been enough research down to the nitty-gritty of the problem to bring about a solution.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle changed at the last minute. The Times had another puzzle scheduled for today, but moved it to June 30 at the last minute. And if you’re a fan of a certain New York team that just won a basketball championship, you can see why. They substituted today’s puzzle, which features some words relating to that winning team. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: The 11th letter.

Green group hint: I’m behind you!

Blue group hint: Sit down.

Purple group hint: Rock on.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Featuring silent and pronounced “K”s.

Green group: Endorse.

Blue group: Kinds of chairs.

Purple group: Words repeated in hit song titles.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is featuring silent and pronounced “K”s. The four answers are jackknife, knapsack, Knicks and knock-knock.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is endorse. The four answers are back, bolster, champion and support.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of chairs. The four answers are beanbag, recliner, rocker and stool.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is words repeated in hit song titles. The four answers are Jumpin’, Louis, New York and Rebel.

Owners of original PlayStation consoles have watched their disc drives age for decades. Lasers fade. Games start to skip or fail to load altogether. Replacement drives grow scarce and expensive. A new device called ArcStation steps in with a direct solution. It replaces the entire optical drive assembly inside the console with a compact circuit board that loads games from an SD card instead. No discs stay necessary after setup. The change keeps the original hardware intact and authentic while removing the most common point of failure.

Installation is mercifully simple: simply unplug and open the case with a single Phillips screwdriver, and you’re done. Owners then carefully remove the old drive, flip over to the shiny new board, and adjust two little DIP switches to match the region settings on their console. Once that’s done, simply plug in the short cables provided, which go into the exact same locations as the originals. You will not need to apply any solder or make any lasting modifications to the motherboard. Instead, the new board sits well on the existing posts inside the casing thanks to a 3D manufactured mount that also accommodates both the larger “fat” PlayStation models and the handy tiny PSOne. A simple test boot with the lid remaining open will ensure that the old Sony logo and boot animation are back in action. Put the case back on, and you’re finished.

PlayStation®5 console – 1TB

• PlayStation 5 Console – 1TB, includes wireless controller, 1TBSSD, Disc Drive, 2 Horizontal Stand Feet, HDMI cable, AC power cord, USB cable, printed…
• 1TB of Storage, keep your favorite games ready and waiting for you to jump in and play
• Ultra-High Speed SSD, maximize you play sessions with near instant load times for installed PS5 games

Once inserted, the board appears as soon as you turn on the console and displays a very clean small menu on a tiny built-in LED screen. Users just copy their game files to a normal SD card formatted in either FAT32 or exFAT. It is not an issue to have CUE/BIN pairs, BIN files on their own, or ISO pictures on there; the board can handle them all. You can keep the games in folders or subfolders if you like, as this is all about organization. Simply hit the refresh button in the menu, and the board will scan your card and generate a list for you. Then simply press the title button with your controller, and the game will launch immediately on the original hardware. In terms of load timings, they’re not far off from what you’d get from an actual CD, and there’s even a special option for early motherboard revisions that can shave even more off.

The reason this works so well is that it accurately mimics the behavior of the original CD-ROM drive, down to the radio frequencies that the console expects. Games that generally look for modchips or copy protection will not even blink an eye. You get region-free access on all PS console generations, including the legendary PSOne. If you’re playing a game with multiple discs, the board will usually handle the queue for you. You can even build a manual queue of up to six discs and move between them as needed; simply press the button next to the SD slot while keeping an eye on the LED display.

Save games are moved to virtual memory cards that are kept directly on the SD card; each game has its own dedicated file, so storage never runs out like it did on the old physical cards. You can attach the virtual card to either slot 1 or 2 on the fat models, but be careful because some older systems cannot handle it. Owners can access the menu without having to turn off the console by specifying a button combination on the controller, which is far more convenient than fiddling around in the settings. The tiny PSOne differs from the others in that it cannot use virtual memory cards or the game reset combo due to its completely different internal layout, but it can still use all other functionalities. Some additional options on the main menu allow you to adjust video settings, switch to a light or dark theme, receive sound cues, have the console auto-start the previous game you played with a slight delay, and even display the game title from either a database or what is actually on the folder name.

Pre-orders began at the end of May at a reduced price of roughly 140 euros. Shipping is expected in September, but fingers crossed it will arrive sooner. The kit contains all of the wires required for both the fat and slender models, as well as the board, which is pre-mounted for ease of installation. There has been thorough testing on over a hundred titles, and the results on the fat models have been remarkably consistent, even after extended gaming sessions.