Kayden Knapik set out to copy one of Disney’s BD-X droids from the Star Wars areas in their parks. He had no big budget and only basic robotics experience when he started his bachelor’s thesis project. The finished machine walks on two legs, turns on command, keeps its balance even when nudged, and moves its antennas to show feelings. All of it runs on parts bought online and printed at home.

Knapik chose the BD-X because the droids look simple but move with a lot of personality in the parks. Disney keeps full-sized versions locked away and never sells them to the public. He wanted something similar enough for people to see and touch without requiring a ticket. His version is nearly the same height as the park models and employs the same type of brain that Disney picked for its own robots.

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Sixteen Robstride motors drive every joint, which actually offers high torque at a price a heck of a lot lower than the custom gear Disney uses. The total set of motors cost roughly $2800. For identical hardware, Disney’s version would cost roughly $7,500, just for the legs. A regular 40-volt lithium-ion battery from a lawn mower is utilized to power the device because it is safe and easy to replace. The sensors inside each joint detect its position, and an inertial measurement unit monitors tilt and direction, allowing the droid to adjust itself as needed.

The majority of the body began as plastic printed on a standard 3D printer, however PETG with extra infill was insufficient to withstand daily stress, as the hips began to shatter under full motor power. Knapik replaced the essential joints with aluminum parts made on a CNC machine. That adjustment only took a few days, but it effectively stopped the brakes. Everything else still prints at home if you’re ready to work with his open-source files.

It’s the software that moves the legs without requiring any line-by-line walking code. Knapik created a digital clone of the robot within an NVIDIA simulation program and had it practice millions and millions of small efforts at remaining upright and moving ahead. Each run involved random weight changes, surface grip, and motor timing, allowing the robot to learn to deal with a variety of real-world conditions. Once training was completed, the same policy was simply applied to the actual hardware. The gait was choppy at first, but he eventually matched the simulation delays to the physical motors. After that, the droid’s gait improved dramatically, and it was soon walking forward, backward, and using voice commands.

Total spending is still cheap enough that Knapik has begun drawing concepts for a smaller version at about $400. The CAD files, training code, and assembly notes are all stored on a public GitHub page named BDX-R. If you have a 3D printer and basic skills, you may download the file and begin creating your own. The open approach is all about breaking down the traditional barriers that keep advanced robotics out of reach for everyday people.
[Source]

Two of the Google Cloud developers who were hit with bills for thousands of dollars following unauthorized API calls to Gemini models have had their bills reversed, the users told The Register  in recent days. But Google plans to continue automatically expanding users’ spending limits, leaving them and countless other customers vulnerable to bills they cannot afford, whether from fraud or a sudden traffic surge.

Australia-based developer Isuru Fonseka – whose usage bill skyrocketed to $17,000 in minutes after Google automatically upgraded his $250 spending tier when a hacker took control of his account – told us that he was happy to put this behind him. 

“It’s so good. It felt like they were just giving me the run around until your article. I just hope they fix it properly for everyone,” he said. “It’s great that the article was able to get the refund but it’s sad that it had to go to that level for them to process it urgently.” 

Despite refunding his money, Google seems to have lost a customer. Fonseka said that he has since ensured his API cannot be used with Google’s stable of AI products, and will likely try one of the independent foundation models if he needs those features. 

“I’ve disabled Gemini on everything – if I ever plan to use AI on my projects, I’m better off using it via a different service such as OpenRouter or going directly to one of the other LLM providers – just as a way to keep Gemini out of my account and the risk as low as possible,” he said. 

Fonseka said he was blindsided by a Google policy that allowed the company to automatically upgrade a user’s billing tier without permission or adequate warning. He had thought by signing up for a user tier with a $250 spending cap that his bills would be restricted to that amount. It was only after attackers exploited his API key that he learned Google would upgrade the cap automatically based on his history of spending. 

While Google acknowledged that the automatic tier upgrades allowed credential hijackers to rack up thousands of dollars in bills in cases like the one Fonseka described to The Register, it said it has not reconsidered the policy.

In a statement to The Register, Google said that it wants to prioritize access to Google Cloud services without interruption, preferring to prevent service outages over respecting users’ budget preferences.

“With our automated growth tiers, we helped businesses scale as usage increased, built on their historic reputation of payments and usage,” a Google spokesperson told us in a statement. “This prevents their business having a hard service outage once they pass an artificial system quota.”

Tiers vs spending caps

There is some confusion between Google’s usage tiers and its newly introduced spending caps, and Google’s documentation hasn’t helped much. 

Google says its users can set their usage tiers not to exceed a certain spending level. For example the maximum spending allowed by a Tier 1 user like Fonseka is $250. However, if the account is older than 30 days and if, over the lifetime of their work with Google, they have spent at least $1,000, then Google will automatically allow that account to spend up to $100,000. So good customers have the most to fear from fraud or from an unexpected spike in usage.

In several cases shared on social media, Google users were only aware of this after their credit cards were billed thousands of dollars.  

On April 22, Google introduced a trial of hard caps on spending within Google Cloud, but those are in a preview and are approved on a case-by-case basis. 

“We’re excited to announce that Spend Caps are coming soon to Google Cloud. Designed to work with Google Cloud Budgets, FinOps and DevOps can set budgets that enforce automated cost boundaries (caps) at the project level for AIS, Agent Platform, Cloud Run, Cloud Run Functions, and Maps,” Google wrote. “These caps alert and ultimately pause API traffic once your set budget is reached, but leave your resources intact. If you need the traffic to resume, simply suspend the Spend Cap.” 

Spend caps can only be set per project for a single, eligible service, Google said. Eligible services for this preview include Gemini API, Agent Platform (previously known as VertexAI), Cloud Run, Cloud Run Functions, Maps, Google said. 

Users who apply for a spending cap will have their submissions reviewed on a “one to two week basis” and customers are added in the order they submitted. 

“Once onboarded, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the feature as well as details on how to submit feedback,” Google writes in its sign up page. 

Rod Danan, CEO of Prentus, a company that helps job applicants with interview preparation and tracks job placements for universities, told The Register earlier this week that he saw his bill skyrocket to $10,000 in just 30 minutes of usage by attackers who exploited his public API key. 

Google forgave the charges on Thursday, he said. 

“They got back to me today agreeing to a refund,” he told us. “It’s definitely relieving. You want to focus on the business. You don’t want to have to focus on going and getting refunds from some crazy charges.” 

He said the stress of running a startup is hard enough without the addition of fighting one of the largest companies in the world imposing erroneous five-figure charges. 

“I’m happy that it’s behind me. I wish it was easier,” he said. “I’ve learned, yeah, definitely don’t give up. Be annoying whenever something is wrong and just keep pushing. Again, try to make it as public as possible, get louder and louder until the people you need to hear you actually hear you.” 

Google said any unauthorized use of API keys will be investigated and it historically has treated customers compassionately when there is clear evidence of fraud or error. 

“We take reports of credential abuse and the financial security of our customers extremely seriously; and as you know are investigating these specific cases you have pointed to and we will work directly with any impacted users to resolve charges resulting from fraudulent activity,” Google said. ®

Investors can’t seem to get enough of RJ Scaringe or his ideas.

In less than a decade, the serial entrepreneur best known for his EV company Rivian has raised more than $12.3 billion from venture capital firms, as well as from strategic and institutional investors for his three — and counting — startups. If the latest $400 million raise for his new venture Mind Robotics is an indicator, investors are still happily piling in.

Outsized raises for newly minted startups have become more common in recent years. But those hundred-million-plus seed rounds have generally been reserved for buzzy defense tech startups or AI companies founded by former OpenAI or Anthropic employees.

Those supersized seeds certainly weren’t flowing toward something as niche as an electric micromobility startup. And yet in 2025, Scaringe raised $105 million for exactly that — a startup called Also, which he founded that same year. The total has since surpassed $300 million, with DoorDash among its backers.

Jiten Behl, partner at Eclipse and former chief growth officer at Rivian, has spent years watching and learning from Scaringe. His firm is now one of Scaringe’s biggest backers, leading rounds in both Also and Mind Robotics — Scaringe’s industrial AI and robotics startup that he also founded last year.

Storytelling and communication are one of his superpowers, according to Behl, who joined Rivian when the company had just a handful of employees.

“When RJ explains a certain issue, topic, opportunity, vision, he just has this very unique ability to communicate it so effectively, and it comes across so credible,” Behl said. “He’s not trying to undersell the difficulty or oversell the opportunity, and that’s an art.”

Scaringe isn’t the only serial entrepreneur to repeatedly attract massive amounts of capital, but founders who can raise billions across multiple ventures remain rare. A self-professed car enthusiast who earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from MIT, Scaringe joins a small cadre of entrepreneurs that includes Tesla CEO and SpaceX co-founder Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anduril and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, and Jack Dorsey, who founded Square (now called Block) and Twitter.

The difference, at least in the view of some investors TechCrunch spoke to, is that he is able to separate selling the idea from selling himself. “He is very comfortable and confident in his own personality, and he’s not trying to be an Elon,” Behl said, noting that many have tried to make the comparison over the years.

“It’s not about him,” another insider familiar with Scaringe’s companies told TechCrunch. “When you talk to him, he has enthusiasm about the product that is completely external.”

Of course, there is confidence and even a little ego, the same source mused, but “it doesn’t weigh on you.” The source also added that Scaringe has a unique ability to make you feel like the most special person in the room — a sentiment others echoed.

Giving that kind of undivided attention to an investor, supplier, or exec at a manufacturer is a challenge at the scale Scaringe is attempting. He is running three companies, often traveling between Palo Alto, Irvine, Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, and a second factory soon to open in Georgia. And then there is family — Scaringe has three sons with his ex-wife.

Joe Fath, another partner at Eclipse, credits his open-mindedness and collaborative nature for helping him attract investment and juggle these connected, yet disparate businesses.

He noted that Scaringe also “has the rare combination of being a truly great engineer while also having an exceptional instinct for product design,” said Fath, who previously worked at a major Rivian backer, T. Rowe Price. “Very few founders can operate at that level technically while also understanding what resonates emotionally with customers — both consumers and commercial buyers. That combination is incredibly uncommon and has clearly been part of what makes Rivian’s products, and now Also and Mind’s, so differentiated.”

The pace of Scaringe’s fundraising over the past eight years is particularly notable and doesn’t seem to be slowing.

More than $11 billion, and by far the largest slice of VC and strategic capital, went into Rivian — most of it between 2018 and its blockbuster IPO in 2021. That’s a startling timeline, especially considering the company, initially called Mainstream Motors, had existed since 2009. For years, Rivian operated as a small, unknown entity until its breakout moment in late 2018 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, when it revealed prototypes of its all-electric R1T truck and R1S SUV.

The money soon flowed, and from every direction. In early 2019 and just a couple of months after that reveal, Rivian raised a $700 million funding round led by Amazon. U.S. automaker Ford would invest $500 million and make plans to collaborate on a since-scrapped future EV program. Cox Automotive contributed $350 million. Rivian would close out the year with a $1.3 billion round — its fourth in 2019 — led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, with additional participation from Amazon, Ford, and funds managed by BlackRock.

In July 2020, Rivian raised $2.5 billion and another $2.65 billion six months later. As whispers of an IPO got louder, Rivian closed another $2.5 billion private funding round led by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, D1 Capital Partners, Ford Motor, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. Third Point, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Coatue also participated.

Then the IPO came. Rivian raised nearly $12 billion in gross proceeds after locking in $78 per share. Its market cap hit $100 billion when it debuted on Nasdaq in November 2021. Today, it stands at $18.2 billion, a significant comedown that also reflects the broader struggles of the EV sector.

The ability to raise that much capital, despite those headwinds, is exceptional. But Scaringe didn’t stop with Rivian. If anything, the pace has accelerated. Also and Mind Robotics have together raised more than $1.3 billion so far, with Mind Robotics moving especially fast: $115 million in its first year, $500 million in March, and another $400 million just this week.

Rivian also continues to land notable backers through high-profile deals like the $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group and a robotaxi partnership valued at up to $1.25 billion with Uber.

“Now, the big question is, how much can he do?” Behl said. “That’s a question [that] already assumes that he’s reaching his limit. The thing is, he doesn’t look at it that way. His perspective is that there is huge value to be created, there is huge impact to be created, and I just have to do it.”

Watch the 2026 Eurovision Grand Final tonight at 8pm (May 16) to see 25 acts compete for the glitziest crown in music. The winner will, as ever, be chosen by wildly unfair judging based on ancient ties between nations and the prevailing political climate.

But after two pulsating semi-finals, who exactly is in the mix to come out on tops. The general consensus is that will probably be Finland (Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen with “Liekinheitin”), Greece (Akylas and “Ferto”) or Denmark (Søren Torpegaard’s “Før vi går hjem”).

Hot afternoons demand something cold and sweet right when the craving strikes, yet store pints cost plenty and rarely match what fresh ingredients deliver at home. Traditional machines take time to churn and leave bowls to clean afterward, so many people stick with whatever sits in the freezer section. The CuisinArt FastFreeze Ice Cream Maker (ICE-FD10), priced at $97.56 (was $120), changes that routine entirely by handling the heavy work in under a minute once the base sits ready.

Preparation is so simple that all you have to do is pour a few ingredients into a half-pint cup and freeze for a day. From there, simply twist the wand onto the cup, choose a preset from the five solid possibilities, and push it down, and you’ll have a treat ready to go. After a few spins, ice cream becomes silky smooth, sorbet remains bright and fruity, slushies become icy and ideal for hot days, and milkshakes blend up smooth without the need for any pre-freezer prep at all. To top it all off, each serving is the perfect size for one person, with no leftovers to clutter up the freezer or waste.

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Storage is a breeze because the entire wand disassembles into pieces that go into the kitchen drawer among all of the other culinary tools. The cups stack nicely in the freezer and are then washed in the dishwasher, as all that is required to clean the blade is a brief rinse. The item is so quiet, it operates without even disturbing the area, unlike those large heavy machines that usually appear to be rumbling around.

Customization is the name of the game with this device, especially if you don’t have much free time. Start with a mango and cream foundation, then add some actual mango chunks at the end to create a mango ice cream that tastes like it came directly from the shop. Want a post-workout treat that tastes like dessert? Throw in some protein powder and peanut butter, and you’re ready to go. Cookie dough and candy bits combine well without becoming damaged, and the half-pint size is ideal for experimenting with new combinations without committing to a whole recipe. Recipes in the manual or online suggestions will provide you with some inspiration to get you started, but you can also wing it with whatever you have in the cupboard and still come out with something wonderful.

In terms of cost, it’s a no-brainer because it pays for itself quickly when you consider how much you’ll save on store-bought ice cream. A single store-bought pint might cost several dollars, whereas making your own allows you to use components you already have on hand. Over the course of a few weeks, the machine will have more than paid for itself simply by reducing impulse purchases and improving control over sugar and nutritional ingredients.

Google may cut the free storage for new Gmail accounts from 15GB to 5GB, according to a report from Android Authority. Those who want a storage upgrade from those 5GB accounts would need to provide a phone number to Google to unlock the extra gigabytes.

A Google representative confirmed that it’s trying out new account options.

“We’re testing a new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions that will help us continue to provide a high-quality storage service to our users, while encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery,” the representative said in a statement to CNET.

Typically, a verified phone number blocks multiaccount storage abuse and secures Google profiles with a reliable recovery method. Some online speculate that the move could also be a way for Google to encourage more people to subscribe to paid cloud storage plans under Google One. 

It’s unclear if the regions where this is being tested include the US. Android Authority reported that accounts with only 5GB of storage were primarily in African countries.

Google has been expanding the tiers of paid accounts it offers, combining Gemini AI features into bundles. It recently added three new tiers focused on AI features, starting at $8 a month with 200GB of storage included.

Google’s storage space

When Gmail debuted in 2004, it offered users a full 1GB of storage, which fundamentally changed the way many people used email: They could keep everything and search for what they needed. 

The next year, Google doubled the amount of free storage to 2GB. The storage kept ticking up, to 7GB, then 10GB and finally to 15GB in 2013, when Google Drive, Google Phones and Gmail merged into a shared pool of data for users.

Why did Google do it? In 2013, CNET wrote: “Google — as we all know — is in the business of making money. If Google is offering you more storage, then there is something that extra storage helps you do that will help Google make more money.”

One reason Gmail succeeded over other email services in the early days was lowering the barrier to entry, as Google increased free access to services across the platform, making it less likely that customers would leave for competitors.

These days, Google is battling its competitors on the AI front, which explains why it’s increasingly bundling Gemini AI features with the email, photo and document services users have come to depend on.

The medtech space, like most STEM fields, has evolved exponentially, so what skills might help you keep your head above water?

The medtech space is incredibly diverse with careers in a range of areas, with many requiring unique skills or a resume of cross-compatible abilities. That is to say, it can be difficult as a student selecting a college course, or indeed a graduate looking at post-bachelor degrees, to identify the skills most suited to a future career in the medtech industry.

Well SiliconRepublic.com is here to help. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it will give you an idea of some of the skills you should prioritise if you want to develop a broad range of abilities in an ever-evolving and highly skilled field. Without further ado, here are some of the most crucial skills in any medtech career.

Regulation

It is fair to say that regardless of which aspect of medtech you specialise in, or which avenue your professional life goes down, you are going to require a degree of knowledge in how the sector is regulated. The regulatory landscape is undergoing significant transformation as evolving frameworks in Europe and the US make an impact.

EUDAMED, the European Database on Medical Devices, is set to come into effect in late May and is just one of the critical frameworks students and professionals in this area will have to become familiar with. 

Europe is also in the process of revising its Medical Device Regulation and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation policies, a task that began in late 2025.

The point is, medical frameworks and requirements are always going to be subject to revision and change. To that point, it’s the job of a professional in this space not just to understand the rules that govern their own country, but to have a greater understanding of the global ecosystem.

AI and automation

To what extent AI and automation are going to play a role in modern-day healthcare is unclear. Some would say it will only be used when needed and others would argue that it is becoming a significant element of the medtech scene. Regardless of where you fall between the two schools of thought, knowing how to wield AI and automation in healthcare is undoubtedly a useful and potentially necessary addition to a medtech skillset.

Since its inception, AI and automated technologies have been used to create wearables that monitor health, accelerate drug discovery and administer treatments and therapies for conditions that impact quality of life.

People considering a career that amalgamates AI, medtech and entrepreneurship could benefit from researching how AI impacts the medtech space, the application of AI for medical devices, how to bring a device to market and commercialisation. For the more technical experience, an understanding of robotics, automation, engineering and programming languages will be crucial. 

Quantum

To what extent quantum might impact the medtech space is also up for debate, as the field is still in some parts theoretical. But what is not theoretical is that quantum computing has the potential to address many of the globe’s most pressing health-related challenges, in that it could accelerate drug discovery, improve diagnostics, personalise treatment and aid research far more quickly than current methods allow.

With that in mind skills in this space could certainly give a student or professional an edge when it comes time to secure a position or further a career.

If this sounds like an opportunity you would be interested in, start studying quantum mechanics, quantum computing, quantum-related cybersecurity and ensure you have a strong understanding of both the ethics involved and any regulation covering quantum and the medtech space. A basis in maths and physics is also going to be a great help. Quantum is in some ways a new frontier for STEM professionals, so this is certainly a skill worthy of a future-focused, adventurous and ambitious person. 

Soft skills

You can’t talk about cross-functional skills without mentioning soft skills. You may not think soft skills rank as highly as technical abilities when it comes to preparing for a future career, but you would be wrong.

Skills that empower communication, that advance learning, that establish and build upon networks, that create opportunities for you in competitive landscapes, are immensely valuable and should not be overlooked.

In the medtech sector, employers will likely value employees who can work independently but also work as part of a team, they will prize presentation skills and acknowledge those who can contribute not just to the research, but to the wider team as a motivator and leader. So don’t neglect soft skills as you become a technical wizard. 

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