Devialet’s Hi-Fi Phantom Hits the US

The compact, all-in-one speaker system from the French audio masterminds surprises with power, clarity and no distortion

Since it was founded in 2007, Paris-based Devialet has become known for their unusually sleek and compact hi-fi amplifiers. They’ve carved out a special place in the high-end audio marketplace by developing technology rather than repackaging the outdated. A brand first, Devialet has now designed an all-in-one amp and speaker, the Phantom, which will make its US debut this fall. It’s already available in France, …

Creating the World’s First Sentient Sex Doll

The latest episode of The New York Times’ “Robotica” video series explores the science and philosophy behind creating the world’s first sentient, animatronic sex doll. Matt McMullen—whose company Abyss Creations has already sold thousands of silicon sex dolls—is using robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality to allow his RealBotix dolls to blink, speak and, one day, think like real humans. His ultimate goal is to …

Oculus Rift Now Lets Users Touch

After strapping on an Oculus Rift headset, one of the first things people want to do is reach out and feel around in their new virtual world, but, until now, their pokes and prods have gone unanswered. Oculus hopes to fill this void in the VR experience with a new gadget called Oculus Touch. Announced alongside the consumer version of the Rift, Touch features two …