Yizhou Zhao won the NVIDIA #ExtendOmniverse contest with his "IndoorKit" for robotics simulation environments, enabling anyone to bring simulated bots to life with ease.

Contest participants were tasked with using the integrated development environment (IDE) of Omniverse Code and Omniverse while creating an extension that would benefit the community. The IndoorKit lets users click basic functions such as "add object," "add house," "load scene," "record scene," and similar buttons to easily environment aspects for the simulation.

Zhao is a Ph.D. student in statistics at UCLA and won the code contest aimed towards programmers, developers, engineers, technical artists, hobbyists and researchers - with the aim of creating Python-based tools for use in the metaverse.

Boston Dynamics has joined five other leading robotics companies to publish an open letter pledging that general-purpose robots should not be weaponized. Joining Boston Dynamics in the public statement were the following leading robotics companies: Agility, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, and Unitree.

Each company will ensure their "advanced-mobility general-purpose robots" and software that makes them run will not be weaponized. In addition, they will work to ensure customers also didn't weaponize any of the products for nefarious purposes. They will actively review plans customers have for their products, while also exploring features that would prevent any intended weaponization.

The industry leaders also want lawmakers to work with them to promote the safe use of the robots and prevent possible future misuse.

Honda has unveiled the Prologue, its first electric SUV, as the Japanese automaker continues to show its efforts to transition towards electric vehicles. The all-wheel drive SUV

The Prologue includes an 11-inch driver display panel and 11.3-inch audio/connectivity display in the vehicle. Honda chose to use physical buttons for heating and air conditioning instead of relying on touch-sensitive controls on the touchscreen display.

Honda's Prologue will also be larger than Honda's popular CR-V and has a "modern and fresh design" that Honda hopes will look especially shiny in dealership showrooms.

Keanu Reeves must have cloned himself a while back because the guy just doesn't stop: Keanu reportedly wants to direct Netflix's upcoming adaption of BRZRKR... a comic book that Keanu Reeves took to Kickstarter to fund last year.

BRZRKR is about an immortal warrior that fights through the ages, similar to how John Wick seems to be in the trilogy... while BRZRKR was written by Keanu Reeves and writer Matt Kindt, the warrior himself looks virtually identical to Reeves and beats the sh*t out of people throughout history.

The comic book is being adapted into a live-action movie that Reeves will start in the leading role while debuting on Netflix, but during a recent interview, the Matrix and John Wick star said he was definitely interested in sitting in the director's chair for BRZRKR.

Restaurants struggling to find human workers are finding robots to be a good way to augment staff, eliminating repetitive tasks in the back of house. In the future, robots will continue advancing from test labs into restaurant kitchens, with restaurant owners willing to invest in automation.

Restaurant hosts, baristas, and drive-through operators are at the greatest risk of robotic automation, and 76% of restaurants already are using 3 or more automated tools, according to a recent report from Capterra. For restaurants already embracing automation, the majority of workers also found it easy to use the tools while at work, an important metric as additional technology is added.

Diners tend to be oblivious to the automation that is already underway, and that is currently acceptable - it will take some time for them to become welcoming to robots and non-human automation that they must interact with directly. Everything from traditional restaurants to fast food restaurants and pizza shops have custom robots they can rent for monthly dues - or purchase outright - and see if their operations benefit.

Activision-Blizzard creates a new executive role that will discuss news regarding the merger with Microsoft.

As Microsoft's proposed Activision-Blizzard buyout looms, the Call of Duty publisher is gearing up for a big transition period and has appointed a brand new communications executive that will exclusively focus on the merger.

Activision today announced the creation of the Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer role that will help "share the company's strategic direction and lead its communications efforts." Activision appointed board member Lulu Cheng Meservey as the new comms exec.

Criterion Games is back with Need for Speed Unbound, a new high-octane street racer with a rebellious graffiti art style.

Need For Speed Unbound is due to hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this December, bringing high-performance gaming with a flamboyant anime style. The game mergers cel-shaded NPCs with high-res 3D environments and car models, and there's even comic book-style effects like speed lines and drawn tire smoke.

The new NFS will have an offline singleplayer campaign where players can bet on high-stakes street races, even offering up pink slips to their cars. There's also a seamless multiplayer mode with competitive and free roam activities, and future content planned, which could include monetization.

Sony is taking its first big step in unifying PlayStation games across consoles and PC.

Today Insomniac Games rolled out an update that allows gamers to link PlayStation Network accounts with Spider-Man on Steam. This integration is a big deal for Sony's cross-platform future and is one step closer to full and meaningful integration with its PlayStation games--especially singleplayer games.

The update follows the synergy creation guidelines that we presented days ago. Sony is going about this in the best way possible by offering incentives and rewards for players to link their PlayStation Network and Steam accounts. This development indicates that Sony is open to creating its own type of Ubisoft Connect platform that will offer in-game rewards for completing specific activities--which is something we advised in our content.

Pharmacy giant Walgreens is embracing prescription-packaging robots designed to free up pharmacists' time while greatly reducing costs.

Pharmacist workloads could be cut by 25% and may save the company $1 billion per year - and is an effort that will continue to accelerate in the future. Controlled medication and time-sensitive prescriptions still require a pharmacist to sign and validate the prescription.

Walgreens might see half of its prescription volume from stores filled at automated centers by 2025, which would make it possible for pharmacists to focus more on direct interaction with patients. Pharmacists will now be able to provide direct medical services and patient outreach, which is currently limited due to tasks that aren't automated.

SpaceX has taken to its social channels to announce that it launched its Falcon 9 rocket with its Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

Elon Musk's company took to Twitter to provide live updates on the launch and the condition of the Dragon capsule as it separated from the rocket. The Dragon capsule harbored the Crew-5 astronauts and launched from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The flight to the ISS is expected to take approximately 29 hours, and the four astronauts currently aboard the Dragon capsule are: NASA's Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

SpaceX's launch and the presence of NASA's Nicole Mann marks the first time a Native American woman has reached the final frontier, along with cosmonaut Anna Kikina being the very first Russian to fly on a private American spacecraft. On October 1, Mann said during a press conference, "I am very proud to represent Native Americans and my heritage. We're all from very unique, different backgrounds. We all came from different educations and different job specialties. And it's really great to see everyone coming together."