Soft silicone dots rise and fall across an eight-by-eight grid, forming shapes and simple patterns without a single glowing diode or liquid crystal. Soiboi Soft, the maker behind the project, built this entire display from air pressure differences, 3D-printed plastic, and thin membranes that act like valves and memory cells. Atmospheric pressure stands in for a binary zero. A vacuum stands in for a binary one. Once a pixel settles into place it stays there on its own, no continuous power required.

Soiboi Soft began with some small experiments, including a four-by-four model and a seven-segment clock capable of pneumatically storing its state. Scaling up to sixty-four pixels, however, necessitated significantly tighter tolerances and a more sophisticated control system. It turned out that you needed sixteen small solenoid valves to feed the eight row and eight column lines. The fluidic logic integrated into the stack determined which pixels turned on and off.

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Things work like this: you hold a row and a column under vacuum pressure at the same time, and a local silicone switch opens, emptying the pixel chamber. The flexible dot on the surface pulls inward, resulting in a visible, touchable depression, similar to a pit. Close the switch, and the vacuum is trapped like a capacitor that never needs to be recharged.

Layers should be stacked properly, but not too perfectly, because being too perfect is ineffective. You received a translucent PLA baseboard that houses the control chambers. The logic membrane is made up of a special silicone sheet, which moves to open or close the passageways as needed. On top of it, there’s a pressure routing board, followed by a final piece of molded silicone with the sixty-four raised dots that make up the visible surface.

Everything is transparent, and you can see the internal channels in action. Getting it to work was a pain because consumer FDM printers are terrible at producing airtight parts, so he had to slow down the printing, raise the temperature, over-extrude some, and even put some concentric ridges around each chamber to help concentrate the sealing force. Then he’d vacuum clamp the boards in TPU sleeves and anneal them to keep them from warping, resulting in a soft, slightly yielding surface that you could actually touch, as it pushed back against your fingers.

The images are built up row by row. The controller, which may be a gamepad or something, sets the column pressures and then activates each row one at a time. All of the pixels read and lock in their values. So simple shapes, numbers, letters, and even a basic game of Snake arise. Refresh rates aren’t super high, and the resolution isn’t great compared to any modern screen, but that’s all you’d expect. Once the valves have done their thing, the display doesn’t use any electricity, and the same vacuum network that writes the image also gives the surface its living quality, as the dots move, hold, and respond to touch in a way that feels exactly like pixels should.
[Source]

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is worried that powerful companies are dominating the evolution of AI
• Altman has also expressed concern over AI’s potential for acting autonomously and possibly escaping human control
• The comments are believed to be a reference to his rival, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei

Are too few companies wielding undue influence on the direction of AI? That seems to be the belief of OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who has warned against a scenario where the people don’t have a say in how AI changes the world. Speaking to the David Senra podcast, Altman expressed a desire to see “society and the models… co-evolve.”

While this may seem desirable, a byproduct of this thinking might be harder to accommodate. Altman also expanded on his view that governments should not regulate AI, expressing a view that prefers the existence of liberty over the possibility of safety.

Staring at a pile of unedited clips is often the exact moment we give up on posting entirely. Instagram just tackled that problem head-on, by rolling out First Draft, a new one-tap tool that assembles your raw footage into a finished Reel in a few seconds. For now, First Draft is rolling out exclusively on iOS, with no word yet on when Android users might get access.

How does First Draft create Reels for you on Instagram?

The process starts just like making any other Reel. You select clips from your camera roll, but instead of manually trimming everything yourself, you tap the new First Draft button instead. You can also access it directly from Instagram’s camera while recording.

From there, Instagram’s model works through three visible steps, analyzing your clips, identifying the best highlights, and trimming everything down automatically. In one striking example, the tool condensed nearly five minutes of rollerblading footage into an engaging 17-second Reel.

Every decision it makes stays fully reversible too, so you can reorder clips, adjust the cut, or add music before posting anything. Instagram says the First Draft feature eliminates the tedious, frustrating first step of editing, and it can benefit creators with accessibility needs.

Where does this fit into Instagram’s other editing tools?

First Draft lives directly inside Instagram’s existing Reels flow, so you don’t have to jump into a separate app to use it. This feature is quite different from Edits, which is Instagram’s standalone video editor built for more advanced work like frame accurate timelines, storyboards, and AI powered effects.

Interestingly, Instagram hasn’t confirmed whether artificial intelligence actually powers First Draft, so for now it’s best understood as a smart automated tool rather than something explicitly AI branded. In 2026, Instagram has rolled out multiple creator-focused features like Replace Audio and Series, all aimed at making short form content easier to produce. Whether First Draft becomes your new go-to depends on how much creative control you’re willing to hand over, even briefly, to get started faster.

At the San Diego City Council’s most recent budget meeting, Sith Lord Darth Vader had some points to make. Between gasping breaths, Vader praised the council’s recent votes to renew its contract with the surveillance company Flock Safety, which has been making headlines recently as more and more stories of police officers abusing its tools have continued to come out—and as a WIRED review of code for a new AI tool already in use by some police departments has made clear that it is watching far more than just license plates.

“The emperor is a fan of Flock. And we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.”

The recording of the video has gone viral, reaching millions of people on TikTok and Instagram.

The man behind the stunt is Anthony Ralphs, a San Diego-based DJ, event producer, and agriculture consultant who has spent the better part of the past year advocating against the city’s support of Flock’s use by the San Diego Police Department.

Initially, Ralphs thought about keeping his identity hidden behind the Vader mask—a 2004 Hasbro model. But he says that as the video has picked up more and more steam, he decided to “take ownership” of the stunt that put Flock and surveillance technology on the minds and feeds of millions of people around the world.

WIRED spoke to Ralphs about advocacy, crafting a costume, and the role that art can play in civic engagement.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

VITTORIA ELLIOTT: How did this start for you? Was this your first city council meeting?

ANTHONY RALPHS: No. My first time attending a city council meeting was sometime last summer or last fall. But really the most consequential city council meeting that I attended, that really got me in the fold of starting to regularly participate in my civic duties, was this issue of Flock. It was my third, or maybe my fourth, city council meeting back on December 9th, and the city council was putting this up to a vote, whether to continue to use Flock.

The story back then was that the city council didn’t exactly know what the technology was. The police were touting it as a force multiplier. There were over 300 people at that vote, the meeting room was completely full, and I would say 95 percent of the people there were saying they didn’t want Flock. But the council voted for it anyway. It was extremely discouraging, and it really lit a fire under me to start going and regularly participating.

I came to the following city council meeting, and I was one of maybe five people in the city council chambers, and there had been close to 300 just a couple of weeks prior. That moment was eye-opening. I realized not everyone can be there all the time to do this, and that’s what we need. We need consistent advocacy. So I took time off of school to be able to do that.

Why did this feel so critical?

Our city’s $120 million deficit. They cut several arts programs, and while they did that, they also provided the $2.2 million for Flock’s contract, even when people in those communities that are being most heavily policed say that they don’t want this. And now, we have the case of Hugo Parra, a local San Diegan who was falsely imprisoned and sat in prison for 30 days due to an erroneous tag by the Flock cameras. [Flock did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this matter.]

Wearables like fitness trackers and smart rings traditionally focus on collecting health data at the individual level, but the AI-powered intelligent family care system Luffu is expanding that scope.

Launched by Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman in February, Luffu started out as an app where family members could log health information, including medications, diet, doctors’ appointments, vaccine records, symptoms and more. It’s currently in public beta.

Luffu announced on Tuesday that it now has its own screenless wearable, the Luffu Link, and it’s available for preorder in the US for people age 13 and up.

How Luffu links the entire family together

A press release described the Luffu Link as a health and safety band that operates over 4G LTE, meaning you don’t need to have your phone nearby to reach out to your contacts for help or use certain features, like voice logging for medications, meals, mood, symptoms, reminders and notes. It also has built-in GPS, so you can share your location or send a check-in to family members.

When it comes to your personal health, Luffu Link can capture data around sleep, activity, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, calories burned and breathing rate. AI then uses this information to learn patterns and alert users to any changes.

The band features a single button. When you press and hold the button, it allows for voice logging. Press twice to send a check-in to select family members. Any health information you log is organized by AI and then added to the family’s Luffu app, where you can also create a profile for your pet to log their medications, meals and vet visits.

According to the press release, families decide what information gets shared and with whom.

The Luffu timeline and cost

Luffu is designing its ecosystem around three locations: the phone, wrist and home.

While the app is in public beta, broader US availability is planned for later this year.

As for Luffu Link, those in the US can now preorder it on the Luffu website for $250 and get beta access to the app along with a quick charger and large and small silicone bands. Available in halo gold, sterling blue and onyx black, Link is expected to start shipping in early 2027. After that, the expected price will be $300.

Water-resistant up to 50 meters, Luffu Link offers battery life of up to five days, a charging time of around 1 hour, a one-year limited warranty, and compatibility with Android 14 or later and iOS 18 or later.

LTE data service is included with no separate carrier plan needed. However, to use Luffu, a family plan is required. Sold separately and available later this year, the plan covering up to four people costs $20 per month or $200 per year, while the extended family plan for eight people is $30 per month.

Luffu is also developing an intelligent home device — expected to be announced later this year — that allows families to coordinate care across generations and households. In the meantime, the company sent over a preview photo of the device.

The intended audience

A Luffu representative told CNET that some are confusing Luffu Link as a device specifically for aging adults, but it’s intended for the entire family.

“That includes adults [ages] 35 to 60 managing kids, aging parents, pets and their own health; independent, active adults 65+ who want discreet health and safety support without a traditional emergency pendant; and younger or middle-aged adults who may start with health tracking or voice logging and also benefit from safety, location and shared care features,” the representative said.

Co-founders Park and Friedman said they were inspired by their own caregiving experiences to create Luffu and their goal is to give families a single place to easily track their loved ones’ health and safety.

Anna Gragert

Senior Editor, Health and Home

Anna Gragert (she/her/hers) was previously the lifestyle editor at HelloGiggles, the deputy editor at So Yummy and the senior lifestyle editor at Hunker. Over the past 12 years, Anna has also written for the LA Times, Elle, Bust Magazine, Dazed, Apartment Therapy, Well+Good and more. At CNET, she’s a senior editor on the Healthy Home team, and her coverage includes health, wellness tech, meal kits and home and kitchen tech with a focus on the technology that aims to help us live our healthiest, happiest lives.

See full bio

The KEF LS LUXE are a $4,000 all-in-one wireless speaker system aimed at listeners who want serious hi-fi performance without building a traditional stack of amplifiers, streamers, DACs, and speakers. Although the name may suggest a connection to the smaller LSX II, the LS LUXE are much closer to the LS50 Wireless II in size, capability, and ambition. Their most obvious point of separation is the enclosure, created by renowned industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, who also designed KEF’s radically sculpted Muon loudspeakers. The rounded cabinets give the LS LUXE a far more distinctive visual identity than KEF’s other wireless models and make them as much a design object as an audio system.

Skip the reading? Click play above or watch KEF LS LUXE review on YouTube.

Inside, KEF uses its 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array with a 6.5-inch aluminum-cone woofer and 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter, along with Metamaterial Absorption Technology and the company’s Music Integrity Engine DSP. The LS LUXE also introduce VECO, which monitors driver movement and compensates in real time, along with KEF’s Current Drive amplification technology designed to further reduce distortion. Amplification totals 280 watts of Class D power for the woofers and 100 watts of Class A/B power for the tweeters, while connectivity includes HDMI eARC, optical, coaxial, 3.5 mm analog, Ethernet, subwoofer output, AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Bluetooth 5.3, and internet radio. There is no phono stage or RCA analog input, so turntable users will need an external phono preamp and, depending on their setup, an adapter.

Do the LS LUXE improve on the LS50 Wireless II? In some respects, yes. KEF has added newer driver-control and amplification technology, the Lovegrove-designed cabinet is far more visually ambitious, and the sound is exceptionally clean, neutral, detailed, and controlled, with impressive bass speed and very low perceived distortion. But the jump is not transformative enough to make the LS50 Wireless II obsolete, especially when you consider the roughly $1,000 premium and the inevitable diminishing returns at this level. Buyers are paying for both the engineering and the industrial design. For a closer look at how the LS LUXE perform with music and movies, and whether they can really justify that $4,000 asking price, watch our full video review on YouTube.

The Bottom Line

The KEF LS LUXE earn our Editors’ Choice designation because they combine exceptional ease of use, superbly clean and controlled sound, and a genuinely distinctive industrial design in a compact wireless system that looks unlike anything else in the category. Ross Lovegrove’s sculpted enclosure, KEF’s latest driver-control technologies, HDMI eARC connectivity, and excellent overall refinement make the LS LUXE one of the most complete premium wireless speaker systems we’ve tested. They are also unusually versatile, working equally well as a serious music system or an elegant alternative to a conventional TV audio setup.

The catch is value. Buyers are clearly paying a premium for Lovegrove’s design, the compact form factor, and KEF’s newest engineering, but the sonic improvement over the LS50 Wireless II is not large enough to make that model suddenly irrelevant. Klipsch’s The Sevens II remain the stronger value, particularly for TV use, at half the price. But if design matters as much as sound and you want a compact, beautifully finished, genuinely high-end wireless system that requires very little fuss, the LS LUXE occupy a space that few competitors can match.

Pros

• Incredibly clean, precise sound
• Easy to setup and use
• Gorgeous industrial design
• HDMI eARC for connecting to TVs
• Digital connectivity options
• Included high quality remote control
• Supports Hi-res audio up to 192 kHz/24-bit
• Optional finishes

Cons

• Doesn’t glow up lesser recordings
• No RCA or Phono Inputs
• No volume/play controls on speaker itself

Our Ratings

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound Quality

★★★★★★★★★★ Build Quality

★★★★★★★★★★ Usability

★★★★★★★★★★ Value

Where to Buy