The Mars InSight lander is on track to launch in May

The InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander has passed its last major environmental test ahead of a planned May 2018 launch to Mars. The thermal vacuum testing, or TVAC, lasted two weeks and simulates the harsh, stressful environment of space. “With InSight coming out of TVAC, the team has successfully completed the environmental testing phase and will now be finalizing launch preparations over the coming months,” Scott Daniels, the InSight assembly, test and launch operations manager, told Space.com, which reported the news.

The lander was initially scheduled to launch in March of 2016, but due to a leak in InSight’s vacuum system, its launch was rescheduled for May of 2018 — the next time Mars and Earth would be close enough for the mission to take place. Once it reaches Mars, it will then send a probe deep beneath the Martian surface to take measurements and collect information about how the planet formed and evolved.

InSight is scheduled to launch during a 30-day window that begins on May 5th and if all goes well, should reach Mars towards the end of November. The mission will take place over one Mars year, or around two Earth years, and could be extended depending on the state of the lander and available funding.

Source: Space.com

Palaces in the sky: The world’s most expensive helicopters

There comes a point in every millionaire’s life when they need a change of perspective. After building your own island fortress and breeding a frenzy of mutant sharks, it becomes difficult to view the world the same way most people do. Even driving in a supercar may leave you feeling blasé. The average person sees the world from ground level, but wouldn’t it be grand to get the view from Mount Olympus?

Thankfully, through the power of engineering, you can cast side earthly tethers and survey the world from on high. All you need is enough money to buy your own private helicopter. Planes may be faster, but helicopters allow you to take in the surrounding view like nothing else. Besides, you can’t exactly land a plane on top of a building in the middle of a city. For those with a few million dollars and a helipad, a helicopter is the perfect way to travel, gliding over town and country like an executive Hermes. Of course, there are quite a few helicopter models in the world. Check out the list below for a closer look at some of the most expensive helicopters available for private use. If you need to save up for a few more years before buying one, might we recommend a drone instead?

Note: The exact sales figures for the helicopters featured below are based upon what various helicopter-enthusiast sites claim. Most manufacturers don’t even provide an exact price quote.

Airbus H155 ($10 million)

Formerly known as the Eurocopter EC155, the name may have changed but the luxury is the same. Part of the opulently-named Dauphin line of helicopters, the H155 is a sizeable vehicle for the millionaire-on-a-budget. Depending on the configuration, the cabin can hold anywhere between eight to 12 passengers, in addition to two pilots. Large windows lining the sides of the cabin provide passengers with a wide view, and amenities such as leather seats, air conditioning, and in-flight entertainment mean you will be flying in comfort.

Range: 857 km

Cruise speed: 324 km/h

AgustaWestland AW139 ($12 million)

In the helicopter industry, AgustaWestland is a name synonymous with quality, and the AW139 solidifies that reputation. At $12 million, it’s on the modest side for helicopters on this list, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the interior. The AW139 has the largest cabin in its class and its spacious design allows for a variety of seating configurations. Energy-absorbing landing gear and fuselage ensure a smooth ride from takeoff to touchdown, so you can work or relax while flying.

Range: 1250 km

Cruise Speed: 206 km/h

Sikorsky S-76C ($12.95 million)

An exemplar of American engineering, the Sikorsky S-76 is equipped with two Turboméca Arriel 1S1 turboshaft engines and is constructed to be lighter and use fewer parts than a typical helicopter design. An executive seating arrangement can hold up to eight passengers. The S-76C is perfect for a millionaire with a fondness for machinery.

Range: 832 km

Cruise speed: 287 km/h

AgustaWestland AW609 ($14 million)

The AgustaWestland is a premier VTOL for those living the executive lifestyle. The ability to take off and land vertically means the AW609 can fly you straight to whatever location you want to go, yet it can also fly twice as fast and as far a typical helicopter. The AW609 is the future of helicopter-related luxury.

Range: 1389 km

Cruise speed: 510 km/h

Bell 525 Relentless ($15 million)

This one may be cheating as it’s not on the market just yet, but the Bell 525 — nicknamed “Relentless” — promises to be one of the most exciting helicopters available. One of the pioneering examples of the “super-medium” class of helicopters, the 525 can hold up to 20 passengers in comfort. At times the 525 seems less like a helicopter and more like a floating palace. The Relentless is also an engineering marvel, incorporating fly-by-wire technology and a Garmin G5000H touchscreen avionics system.

Range: 926 km

Cruise speed: 287 km/h

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The best Cyber Monday tech deals

Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.

The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.

If you can’t wait until Monday to start shopping, you can check out our Black Friday coverage for additional holiday deals, many of which are available now.

Where are the best Cyber Monday deals?

Online shopping has continued to gain popularity with each passing holiday season. Consumers spent a record-breaking $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday last year, making it the biggest day in the history of U.S. ecommerce. With such a high number in the books, you can be sure retailers will be competing heavily for your business next week.

As a consumer, we don’t think you should have to wade through the madness to find the deal you’re looking for. Let us be your guide to everything tech-related this Cyber Monday, as we work hard to find the best deals and discounts available.

Amazon

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the United States, so it’s no surprise that the Seattle-based tech giant is at the top of our list. You can expect discounts on everything from headphones to baby products, not to mention a wealth of various Amazon devices. The company’s Cyber Monday deals won’t be going live as soon as the Black Friday deals come to an end, but you can bookmark this page in preparation.

You can also check out our roundup of some of Amazon’s better Black Friday deals, if you’re looking for current deals.

Walmart

Although Walmart is better known for it’s Black Friday deals than it’s online presence, that doesn’t  mean the retail chain won’t have some great Cyber Monday deals to kick your way following Thanksgiving. You can expect huge savings on a host of popular brands — Samsung, Google, etc. — come Monday.

If you want a better idea of what to expect, check out our Walmart Black Friday preview.

Newegg

While other online retailers are great for finding a wide variety of deals, sometimes you’re looking for something a little bit more specific. If saving on laptops, desktops, and anything related to computers is what you’re after, Newegg is the way to go.

You can also check out Newegg’s Daily Deals for new discounts every day.

Dell

If you’re a big fan of Dell, then we have some excellent news for you — the company has already detailed its forthcoming discounts for the holiday shopping season. Everything from laptops to desktops to gaming monitors will be on sale during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Most of the deals are time-sensitive, but, thankfully, you can check out Dell’s deal schedule ahead of time.

Looking for more great deals on tech and electronics? Check out our Deals page, or sign up for our Deals newsletter for weekly updates.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Count down to the Best Black Friday 2017 deals, and score some early savings
• Scan the horizon for savings with our Walmart Black Friday preview
• Take a sneak peek at the Best Buy Black Friday deals before you buy
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• Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

The best Cyber Monday tech deals

Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.

The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.

If you can’t wait until Monday to start shopping, you can check out our Black Friday coverage for additional holiday deals, many of which are available now.

Where are the best Cyber Monday deals?

Online shopping has continued to gain popularity with each passing holiday season. Consumers spent a record-breaking $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday last year, making it the biggest day in the history of U.S. ecommerce. With such a high number in the books, you can be sure retailers will be competing heavily for your business next week.

As a consumer, we don’t think you should have to wade through the madness to find the deal you’re looking for. Let us be your guide to everything tech-related this Cyber Monday, as we work hard to find the best deals and discounts available.

Amazon

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the United States, so it’s no surprise that the Seattle-based tech giant is at the top of our list. You can expect discounts on everything from headphones to baby products, not to mention a wealth of various Amazon devices. The company’s Cyber Monday deals won’t be going live as soon as the Black Friday deals come to an end, but you can bookmark this page in preparation.

You can also check out our roundup of some of Amazon’s better Black Friday deals, if you’re looking for current deals.

Walmart

Although Walmart is better known for it’s Black Friday deals than it’s online presence, that doesn’t  mean the retail chain won’t have some great Cyber Monday deals to kick your way following Thanksgiving. You can expect huge savings on a host of popular brands — Samsung, Google, etc. — come Monday.

If you want a better idea of what to expect, check out our Walmart Black Friday preview.

Newegg

While other online retailers are great for finding a wide variety of deals, sometimes you’re looking for something a little bit more specific. If saving on laptops, desktops, and anything related to computers is what you’re after, Newegg is the way to go.

You can also check out Newegg’s Daily Deals for new discounts every day.

Dell

If you’re a big fan of Dell, then we have some excellent news for you — the company has already detailed its forthcoming discounts for the holiday shopping season. Everything from laptops to desktops to gaming monitors will be on sale during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Most of the deals are time-sensitive, but, thankfully, you can check out Dell’s deal schedule ahead of time.

Looking for more great deals on tech and electronics? Check out our Deals page, or sign up for our Deals newsletter for weekly updates.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Count down to the Best Black Friday 2017 deals, and score some early savings
• Scan the horizon for savings with our Walmart Black Friday preview
• Take a sneak peek at the Best Buy Black Friday deals before you buy
• What is Green Monday and when will it have the best deals?
• Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

The best Cyber Monday tech deals

Black Friday sales are everywhere. Whether you’re listening to the radio, watching television, or just casually walking down the street, you can expect to be bombarded with advertisements for the annual event. Which is why it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon that follows: Cyber Monday.

The deals don’t have to end with the passing of the weekend, and neither does your excitement for them. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, sans the lines and negative social implications that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do your shopping online this year, make sure to check back here for the latest offers. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best Cyber Monday deals as they go live.

If you can’t wait until Monday to start shopping, you can check out our Black Friday coverage for additional holiday deals, many of which are available now.

Where are the best Cyber Monday deals?

Online shopping has continued to gain popularity with each passing holiday season. Consumers spent a record-breaking $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday last year, making it the biggest day in the history of U.S. ecommerce. With such a high number in the books, you can be sure retailers will be competing heavily for your business next week.

As a consumer, we don’t think you should have to wade through the madness to find the deal you’re looking for. Let us be your guide to everything tech-related this Cyber Monday, as we work hard to find the best deals and discounts available.

Amazon

Amazon is the largest online retailer in the United States, so it’s no surprise that the Seattle-based tech giant is at the top of our list. You can expect discounts on everything from headphones to baby products, not to mention a wealth of various Amazon devices. The company’s Cyber Monday deals won’t be going live as soon as the Black Friday deals come to an end, but you can bookmark this page in preparation.

You can also check out our roundup of some of Amazon’s better Black Friday deals, if you’re looking for current deals.

Walmart

Although Walmart is better known for it’s Black Friday deals than it’s online presence, that doesn’t  mean the retail chain won’t have some great Cyber Monday deals to kick your way following Thanksgiving. You can expect huge savings on a host of popular brands — Samsung, Google, etc. — come Monday.

If you want a better idea of what to expect, check out our Walmart Black Friday preview.

Newegg

While other online retailers are great for finding a wide variety of deals, sometimes you’re looking for something a little bit more specific. If saving on laptops, desktops, and anything related to computers is what you’re after, Newegg is the way to go.

You can also check out Newegg’s Daily Deals for new discounts every day.

Dell

If you’re a big fan of Dell, then we have some excellent news for you — the company has already detailed its forthcoming discounts for the holiday shopping season. Everything from laptops to desktops to gaming monitors will be on sale during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Most of the deals are time-sensitive, but, thankfully, you can check out Dell’s deal schedule ahead of time.

Looking for more great deals on tech and electronics? Check out our Deals page, or sign up for our Deals newsletter for weekly updates.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Count down to the Best Black Friday 2017 deals, and score some early savings
• Scan the horizon for savings with our Walmart Black Friday preview
• Take a sneak peek at the Best Buy Black Friday deals before you buy
• What is Green Monday and when will it have the best deals?
• Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Torch it, roast it with a jet: These are the most absurd ways to cook a turkey

Although each year a turkey or sometimes even two, are pardoned by the president, another nearly 50 million are consumed each Thanksgiving across this truly blessed land. While the number of vegetarians has increased in the United States in recent years, even a third of these admit to scarfing down hunks of animal flesh after a few drinks. And considering Thanksgiving is one of the drunkest of American holidays, come Turkey Day, booze will be quaffed, (for some) ethical stances thrown to the wayside, as sheer tons of smoldering piles of turkey are consumed by the literal boat loads.

But why traditionally cook a turkey using tried and true culinary methods when you can just as easily risk life, limb, and homestead to torch your feast to perfection with a jet engine? What could be more American than putting the finishing touches on your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos turkey recipe with a blowtorch? Absolutely nothing. Completely rhetorical.

In the supersized land of the free, bigger and badder is always better. Besides, if the early American colonists taught us anything it was most certainly a lesson or two about overkill. So sit back, relax, bust out the bibs and ranch and enjoy the most completely unnecessary ways to systematically transform a turkey into carbon this Thanksgiving.

Just roast it with your Lambo

Finally, a cooking method fit for a Big Tymer. If you have a candy-painted Lamborghini, you take any and every opportunity to flaunt it. Even if this means conspicuously and inefficiently using exhaust backfire to prepare your Thanksgiving feast. Since you’re already seemingly just burning money, might as well punt a Butterball in the quarter-of-a-million-dollar dumpster fire.

Can your Mercury Topaz do that? Nah.

Torch it to death with this thing

If there is one thing we love more than a glazed hunks of torched cancer-meat, it’s monster truck things — making this a regular twofer. What is that abomination you ask? Oh, that is the Flash Fire Jet Truck with a “fire-breathing 12,000 horsepower jet engine” slapped on the back for full-effect. Simply hang your preferential bagged Butterball somewhere, anywhere behind this beast and dinner is all but served.

Let’s face it, this turkey was born for the sole purpose of being brutally defeathered with a shop vac, slow roasted in carbon emissions, and then transcend into its next life through our bowels.

Maybe a bunch of flashlights?

The real-world lightsaber FlashTorch flashlight is powerful enough to ignite combustible materials on contact and even fry an egg. We had the opportunity to test one these bad boys in the office and, believe it or not, it’s just as terrifying in person. Apparently, some humans have attempted to cook a turkey with a jury-rigged apparatus of said terrifying flashlights. Using this method, will the flesh putrefy before it ever is thoroughly cooked? Yes. Do you risk a high probability of foodborne illness using this approach? Also, yes. The choice is yours.

Texas Turkey: Cook it in a trash can

Seeing as The Lone Star State has led the nation in Thanksgiving Day grease- and cooking-related insurance claims for seven years running, it’s really no surprise this proud Texan took the cooking to outside just to be safe. While there are higher quality and slightly more informative step-by-step trashcan turkey tutorials online, none hold a candle to the pure cinematic gold seen above. As noted by our fine host, remember to have your welding gloves handy because that trash can is “mucho caliente.” That’s Spanish for “a lot of hot,” specifically.

Hell, may just lob it at the sun

A few years back, some industrious individuals at NASA came up with a few clever ways to cook up a turkey with some of the most sophisticated gadgets the space agency had lying around. This ranged from using a run of the mill satellite dish and some Kapton to even stowing a turkey on a solar probe.

Perhaps when the agency launches the Parker Solar Probe next summer, the agency will consider bringing a turkey in tow. Considering the additional weight should only cost $150,000 to launch into the cosmos, this seems reasonable enough. The probe will orbit just 4 million miles from the sun and experience temperatures up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit — more than enough to get those 13 herbs and spices up to temp.

Besides, what could be a more appropriate tribute for our species than a jettisoned twice-baked, antibiotic-resistant, gentically modified turkey drifting through interstellar space destined to burn up in an alien atmosphere as a shooting star? Absolutely nothing.

Thanks given indeed.

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Next-gen cochlear implant restores hearing by shining a laser beam in your ear

Could focused laser light be used to help deaf people hear again? Based on some innovative work by a team of researchers in Europe, the answer certainly seems to be a resounding “yes.” What the team of engineers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have invented is a brand-new type of cochlear hearing implant that uses laser pulses to trigger auditory signals from hair cells in the inner ear. The result? A more focused listening device that could prove transformative for those lucky enough to wear it.

The laser-based approach differs significantly from conventional cochlear implants, which use electric fields to stimulate auditory nerves. The problem with this method is the challenge of stimulating a single auditory nerve in the cochlea, due to the fact that the auditory portion of the inner ear is tiny and crams lots of nerves into a closed space — meaning-less focused electric fields, and worse sound quality. Lasers, on the other hand, are much more efficient at targeting specific areas of the ear.

“[We’ve built] a prototype of a cochlear implant based on opto-acoustic stimulation,” Dr. Mark Fretz, a physicist and project manager at the wiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, told Digital Trends. “We use laser light in the infrared range to generate a sound wave in the fluid inside the cochlea. The process is somewhat similar to the thunder following lightning. In both cases, the sound is the result of rapidly heated fluid, with the distinction that in our device the light is actually generating the sound by heating up the liquid, whereas in the case of the lightning, a strong electric current quickly heats up the air, consequently generating both the light and the thunder.”

Over the past three years, the team has demonstrated its theories about using laser light to stimulate auditory nerves using guinea pigs. They have also created a device (not yet tested in vivo), comprising a palm-sized box containing the necessary electronics components and two ultrathin implantable lasers.

Going forward, the main challenges are to turn this into a finished product, while finding a way to deal with the issue of energy consumption, as well as increasing the number of lasers per device  and looking at different stimulation patterns.

Should all go to plan, however, it may not be long before focused laser light is a crucial part of helping people who are deaf or hard of hearing to register sound again.

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Want to chime in? Viewers can now ask to join any Instagram live-stream

Instagram is better with friends — and now the social media platform allows viewers to request to join a live-stream to become part of the broadcast. On Tuesday, November 21, Instagram launched the ability to request to join a live-stream, a feature that expands the shared live-stream options that first launched three weeks ago.

While viewing a live video, a new request button allows you to ask to join the live-stream. If the host accepts the invitation, the screen will split, with the bottom half containing a display that tells the guest to prepare to go live, with a brief countdown before joining the stream. Guests can also leave the live-stream at any time.

For hosts, requests to join the stream will show up as a new smile icon at the bottom right of the screen, with a red notification icon showing the number of requests. While streaming, hosts can see the request in the comments section, then accept to share the stream or ignore the request.

The feature expands on the shared live-stream tools globally launched in October after testing the feature with a select group of users in August. While streaming, hosts can still invite any viewer that is tuned into the stream to join in on the broadcast instead of waiting for requests. Instagram says live video hosts can remove guests and add another at any time during the stream. And like earlier live videos, those videos can be added to Stories or discarded after the stream ends.

“Going live together is the best way to connect in real time and have fun with friends, even when you’re not together,” Instagram’s official announcement reads. “With this update, friends have even more ways to quickly join each other’s live videos.”

The update continues Instagram’s expansion of live video after launching the feature late in 2016 with a global rollout in January of this year. Along with sharing the stream, Instagram added the ability to use augmented reality face filters in real time earlier this fall. Those updates followed the option to save a live video in the spring, with the option to add to Stories for 24 hours following in June.

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A saliva test can diagnose a concussion and tell you how long it will last

Thankfully, awareness of concussion-related trauma has increased in recent years. Although diagnosing a concussion can still be a guessing game — thereby potentially exposing patients to additional risks. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine think they have a new diagnostic tool for the job, however: By analyzing folks’ saliva. The results are 85 percent accurate not just at predicting whether a person is suffering from a concussion, but whether or not the symptoms will last longer than four weeks.

“Currently, doctors mainly rely on reports of symptom and medical history to make educated guesses about how long symptoms may last after a concussion,” Steven Hicks, an assistant professor of pediatrics, told Digital Trends. “In this study of 52 children with concussions, we showed that epigenetic signaling molecules in saliva, called microRNAs, can potentially predict symptom duration with greater accuracy than standard concussion survey methods.”

As a doctor who specializes in pediatric medicine, Hicks told us that he regularly sees kids in his clinic who may or may not have suffered concussions. While it’s possible to diagnose likely concussions based on the events that have taken place, he says that he has “a difficult time determining who will have prolonged symptoms and who will recover in the typical timeframe.”

The current work is Hicks’ attempt to come up with an objective test that could help doctors to make more informed decisions about which patients need a referral to a concussion specialist, when it is safe for them to return to play, and whether a child might benefit from medications typically reserved for severe or prolonged concussions.

As neat as the discovery is, though, it is likely to take a bit longer before every coach is able to carry around a portable spittoon for diagnosing head trauma.

“Though novel and promising, the results of this study need to be validated prospectively in a large cohort of patients,” Hicks said. “We also need to learn more about the various factors that can influence saliva microRNA expression — things like exercise, diet, age, and medications.”

A paper describing the work, “Association of Salivary MicroRNA Changes With Prolonged Concussion Symptoms,” was recently published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

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Walmart looks to keep store floors squeaky-clean by using self-driving robots

Cleaning the floors at Walmart isn’t exactly an enviable job, and now it’s becoming one that humans no longer have to do. As originally reported by LinkedIn, the retail giant is currently applying some high-tech to a generally low-paying task. Walmart now has self-driving machines of its own, but you won’t see any of them on highways. Rather, these bristle-wielding devices designed by Brain Corp. are autonomously rolling themselves around Walmart stores, cleaning up after customers and employees.

The autonomous floor cleaner is currently being tested in five stores in the vicinity of company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. With its sensors, cameras, and even Lidar, the floor scrubber features all the bells and whistles of a self-driving car, though for different purposes. As LinkedIn noted, the machine exists somewhere between a Roomba and a Tesla. And while a human is needed to first show the scrubber the ropes (guiding it on its path, alerting it as to when the store is busiest and emptiest), the autonomous vacuum otherwise works on its own.

“We’re always testing new ideas and new technology,” Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg told LinkedIn. “We still have a lot more to learn about how this technology will work best for our different retail locations.”

Though folks may not generally associate Walmart with cutting-edge technology, the retailer has made strides in recent months to integrate digital innovation into its stores. For example, there’s the Walmart app, meant to speed up both the checkout and return process, as well as the Walmart grocery delivery service, in which folks actually walk into your home and drop off purchases.

In fact, this is far from Walmart’s first foray into robot technology. In October, the company expanded its existing fleet of robots to even more retail locations, where these machines are slated to take on monotonous tasks like “scanning shelves for out-of-stock items, incorrect prices, and wrong or missing labels.”

Of course, all this automation has employees concerned that their jobs might be in danger. “Retailers are looking for opportunities to automate processes and stop paying people,” nots Richard A. Feinberg, a professor of consumer sciences and retailing at Purdue University, in a LinkedIn interview. “It changes the nature of the jobs; it may not mean fewer jobs, it may mean they can retrain the people to do things that are more useful for them, business-wise,” he added. “It wouldn’t surprise me if it reduces head count, but I don’t know.”

But when it comes to scrubbing floors, it seems like few folks will be complaining about having that particular task removed from their list of responsibilities.

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