Five Things Tech: Solar Germany, Invisible Drones, China-Free Robot, Apple Vision Pro Surgery, Solar EV
So much tech, somewhat orderly grouped around Five Things
Heya and welcome to Five Things Tech!
I tried to be a bit on the positive side today and just show you really cool developments that will help us lead better lifes and that couldn’t be possible without science and technology. I am not so sure about the drone example, but I am truly fascinated about that nonetheless. And imagine your car can literally run forever, or until you need a bathroom break. Amazing tech.
Check it out!
Germany Records Historic 12 Billion kWh Solar Feed-In in July 2026
During July, average midday solar power output exceeded 40,000 MW, equivalent to the generating capacity of more than 40 nuclear power plants rated at 1,000 MW each. According to the IWR, this level of generation displaced a significant share of electricity that would otherwise have been produced by coal- and gas-fired power plants.
The organization said the milestone represents a structural shift in Germany’s power system, with photovoltaics evolving from a supplementary energy source into one of the country’s key pillars of electricity supply. It attributed this growth to investments made over the past two decades by millions of homeowners, farmers, commercial enterprises, and small and medium-sized businesses.
The equivalent of 40 nuclear power plants. Wow. Let that sink in. And then add all the wind energy to it. We haven’t even started with putting solar panels on large warehouse roofs or on top of other large buildings at scale. I always think this development needs to go faster, but I am also happy that we finally have reached a point where solar really matters.
New spinning drone hides in plain sight
For years, researchers have tried to design invisible drones and robots using camouflage, transparent materials or light-bending optical systems. But the Northwestern team instead used a concept called “motion blur” — the same effect that makes fast-spinning fans and propellers seem to disappear.
Called the “Phantom Twist,” the drone spins up to 25 times per second, which is too fast for the human eye to see clearly. While it isn’t completely invisible, it morphs into a ghostly smudge that seamlessly blends into the background. The work eventually could lead to drones that monitor wildlife, survey the environment and inspect infrastructure with less visual disruption.
This is fascinating and scary at the same time. Just imagine that in a few years from now lots of drones will be flying across our heads and we won’t be able to see them. I do not even want to get into the many use cases in military conflicts around the world.
How One Startup Built a (Mostly) China-Free Robot
The startup was founded in 2017 to develop motors for self-driving cars. Years later, it zeroed in on making its own robots, including tuggers and pallet movers that cart tons of materials throughout big facilities. Ati developed its own hardware, believing that it would lead to better functionality, a bet that Chandra says many of his advisers cautioned against but one that wound up naturally limiting reliance on China.
It has begun to pay off. Ati has several hundred robots currently in operation at warehouses and factories and more than 50 customers in total, Chandra says. Ati’s first humanoid, which moves heavy bins around, will go into service later this year.
The geopolitical reality is that while out markets are globally intertwined, we need to untangle parts again. This is not a simple endeavor, but I am sure this will pay off in times where we shouldn’t blindy trust that all interests with other countries are always aligned.
Apple Vision Pro in Surgery
In my experience, the Apple Vision is criticized for two things: being too big/heavy and being too expensive.
The data above shows that within the context of the operating room, the Apple Vision Pro is notable for being very small and very cheap. It is less than 1% of the cost and smaller than almost any piece of equipment.
When the iPhone was new it was considered a very expensive phone. At $500 most people, including, famously, Steve Ballmer, considered it too premium for the mass market. It turned out to be the most popular phone in most markets even when twice the price. It all depends on what it does and how easy it is to use.
For a hospital the cost of the Vision Pro is not insignificant. The paper considered what it can do, and, for that, it’s a bargain.
This is the Gartner Hype Cycle in action. The tech is exciting, but the intended use cases made little sense, then everyone was disappointed and now they are figuring out how to actually use the Vision Pro.
wrapped in a photovoltaic skin, this student-designed EV creates more energy than it uses
Deep Orange 17 becomes more convincing once the numbers move beyond the solar skin. Luminetta weighs just 550 kilograms, or 1,212 pounds, roughly a quarter of the weight of many similarly sized production vehicles. That low mass reduces how much energy the car needs in the first place, allowing the relatively small amount of power gathered from sunlight to have a much larger effect on its range.
The chassis uses structural steel around passenger safety zones, while aluminum cuts weight through other sections. Carbon-fiber structural members connect through 3D-printed metal joints, giving the students another place to strip away unnecessary mass. Regenerative braking feeds energy back into the system, while intelligent torque distribution works with drivetrain controls to reduce losses as the car moves. Inside, a custom interface displays live vehicle data and energy information to the driver.
Sure, this car looks about as elegant as the Tesla Cybertruck, but this is a really cool and innovative idea. Now you can safely assume that in 5 to 10 years time our cars will just auto-charge. How amazing is that? We will see, or rather not see, solar panels on surfaces everywhere.
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading! If you missed last week’s Five Things Tech, you can find it here:
🤖
— Nico