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Three years after its launch, Perplexity is still struggling to break through. A major hardware deal could change that. On Sunday, Bloomberg reported that Samsung is in talks to integrate Perplexitys search technology into its devices. The deal would not only preload the Perplexity app onto Samsung phones, but also embed its search features directly into Samsungs web browser and virtual assistant, Bixby. Back in 2023, Perplexity looked like a frontrunner in AI searchbeating OpenAI and Google to the punch in crawling the live web. But the tech giants have since caught up, with ChatGPT and Gemini now offering similar capabilities. Could a high-profile partnership with Samsung be the boost Perplexity needs to reclaim its edge? Can Perplexity find a home? In its current form, Perplexity exists in a functional silo. The answer engine is primarily accessed through its stand-alone website or app, with no natural integration into users daily workflows. In other words, people have to seek it out. Now that its web-crawling technology is being replicated across competing chatbots, some users may no longer see a reason to choose Perplexity on its own. Its main value proposition under the Pro subscription is access to other companies LLMs, like GPT-4o and Claude 3.5. (Perplexity declined to comment for this story.) Integrating a chatbot into the users workflow is key to driving engagement. Google has embedded Gemini across nearly all of its products, from search to email. As a result, the Gemini app now boasts 400 million-plus monthly active users. Meta has taken an even more aggressive approach, integrating its AI into social apps and placing Meta AI above search. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta AI now has more than 1 billion monthly active users. Other AI companies are embedding their models more subtly. While Apples Siri can now access ChatGPT, OpenAIs greatest reach comes from LLM licensing. Users dont just interact with GPT through ChatGPT, theyre engaging with it across dozens of third-party apps built on its technology. The same is true for Anthropic, which also licenses its models. Perplexity, by contrast, has limited back-end integrations via its API, and for the average user, encounters with its tech are still rare. Thats why a deal with Samsung would be a major step forward. A hardware integration would give Perplexity a critical new point of access. Meanwhile, Samsung has invested heavily in its Galaxy AI suite. Gemini is currently the default AI assistant for Samsung’s 1 billion-plus smartphone usersraising questions of whether Perplexity will displace or work alongside Google’s chatbot. (Samsung did not respond to Fast Companys request for comment.) Perplexitys position in the AI race Perplexity is still growing. While the company doesnt disclose revenue or user numbers, it claims users now generate more than 650 million queries per monthup from 400 million less than a year ago. Although some reports suggest that Perplexitys growth has come at a high cost, the company disputes those figures. Still, Perplexity has a lot to prove. It reached unicorn status in 2024 after raising $62.7 million at a $1.04 billion valuation. That valuation has reportedly ballooned to $14 billion in its current fundraising round. Meanwhile, the company is said to be generating less than $100 million in annual recurring revenue, according to CNBC. To stay competitive against imitators, Perplexity needs a more direct path to users. A deal with Samsung could provide exactly that.
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If you are frequently getting the ick from potential romantic partners, it might not be them. The problem might be you. A new study has found that if you possess certain personality traits, you might be more susceptible to the dreaded ick than others. Researchers Brian Collisson, Eliana Saunders, and Chloe Yin from Azusa Pacific University in Southern California found that those who are prone to disgust, hold others to high standards, or score higher in narcissism are most at risk. Even if youre unsure what were talking about, youve likely experienced it. A now ubiquitous term in dating, the ick is used to describe the feeling of disgust that arises toward a love interest. They stumble on the side of the curb? Ick. There are remnants of red sauce around their mouth? Instant ick. Although the concept itself is not new (the ick was first coined in the 1990s TV show Ally McBeal), the term has more recently found a new lease on life online, with more than 120 million related posts on TikTok. Personally, I became interested in learning more about the ick when I heard that a friend of mine kept a running list on her phone notes app of every ick shed ever experienced from a guy (it was several pages long), Saunders, a graduate student at Azusa Pacific and the studys lead author, told Psypost. For the study, researchers asked 74 men and 51 women, ranging in age from 24 to 72, if they knew what getting the ick meant and whether they had ever experienced it. The study then measured the likelihood of participants experiencing the ick in response to specific behaviors. Participants also completed personality tests and answered questions about their dating lives. The findings are clear: Certain personality traits make participants more vulnerable to the ick. These include higher disgust sensitivity, which increases the intensity of reactions to triggers rather than the frequency of the ick occurring. Narcissism is also linked to the likelihood, though not the frequency, of experiencing the ick. Those who tend to place high expectations on others are triggered by a wider range of behaviors. Women are more likely than men to recognize the ick, though both men and women experience a similar average number of ick moments. For women, misogynistic behavior or annoying speech are immediate turnoffs. For men, its vanity or overly trendy behavior. While the ick often acts as a bucket of ice-cold water on a blossoming romance (about a quarter of participants reported ending a relationship immediately upon experiencing the ick), Saunders said people should look inward before making any hasty decisions. Before dumping a partner because their feet dangle when they sit in a chair, we should think critically about why were feeling icked out, Saunders told Psypost. Ask yourself: Is this something I truly cant deal with, or am I being overly critical? Is this ick their fault, or is it mine?
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We often think of serendipity as lucka fortunate coincidence or a happy accident. But what if its something more intentional? What if serendipity is less about chance and more about conditions? Whether its a hallway conversation that sparks a billion-dollar idea or a side project that becomes your next calling, many of the most transformational moments in life and work are unplanned, but not uninvited. These moments happen when we build environments, both mental and physical, that are open to the unexpected. The question isnt whether serendipity exists. Its whether youre making space for it. The Case for Intentional Serendipity Take Steve Jobs. He famously credited a college calligraphy classan elective he took purely out of curiositywith inspiring the design of Apples iconic typography. At the time, the class had nothing to do with his career. But it ended up shaping the aesthetic identity of one of the most influential companies in history. Or consider the origin story of CRISPR. The revolutionary gene-editing tool began with a casual conference conversation between two scientists from different disciplines. Their impromptu exchange sparked a collaboration that led to one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century. These werent just lucky accidents. They were the result of environments primed for discoveryspaces where curiosity, diversity, and ambiguity could coexist. Serendipity isnt magic; it is emergence, and you can design for it. In my work with senior leadership teams, Ive seen this firsthand. I once hosted an off-site where a brief side conversation during a break, completely off-agenda, led two leaders to uncover a shared experience that reshaped how they collaborated. What followed was a strategic pivot that the team had been struggling to make for months. It reminded me that the real breakthroughs often dont happen during scheduled agenda items; they happen between them. The key is creating the conditions where these moments can arise. A Framework for Creating Serendipity Orchestrating serendipity means increasing your exposure to diverse inputs, unexpected ideas, and interdisciplinary collisions. Heres how to make it happen: 1. Create Surface Area You cant bump into new ideas if youre stuck in the same lanes. Professionally, that might mean attending events outside your industry, joining cross-functional projects, or working from a new space, whether a coworking hub, a public library, or your favorite off-route coffee shop. Personally, try picking up a new hobby, joining a different kind of community, or reaching out to someone who sees the world differently than you do. Try this: Connect with someone whose work is completely unrelated to yours. Ask what theyre obsessed with and why. 2. Lead with Curiosity Serendipity doesnt reward certainty; it rewards openness. In organizations, that means creating cultures where good questions matter more than fast answers. Replace Why are we doing this? with What else might be possible? Encourage exploration, tangents, and thoughtful wandering. Individually, follow your fascinations. Read outside your domain. Ask better questions at dinner parties. Let your interests lead you, even if you dont yet know where theyre going. Start a curiosity stack, a running list of topics, people, and ideas that fascinate you. Just follow the breadcrumbs and see where they lead you. 3. Engineer Cross-Pollination Innovation loves unlikely collisions. Inside companies, dont wait for an annual retreat to mix disciplines. Create micro-moments of exchange like shared meals, rotating pair sessions, or jam sessions across departments. Outside of work, host a gathering where not everyone knows each other. Invite people across industries, cultures, and generations. Try organizing a 5-5-5 Dinner: five people, five perspectives, and five curated prompts. See what emerges when diverse minds meet around a shared table. In an era of accelerating complexity, innovation doesnt come from working harder; it comes from thinking differently, which requires exposure to new perspectives. A Harvard Business School study found that teams with greater cognitive diversity solve problems faster than more homogeneous ones. Similarly, the World Economic Forum identifies curiosity, creativity, and cross-domain collaboration as top future-of-work skills. Put simply, the ability to generate new value depends on your ability to connect unexpected dots, and serendipity is the connector. Build Your Serendipity Habit The most extraordinary breakthroughs often begin in ordinary momentsbut only if youve built a system that invites those moments in. This week, try one of these: Reconnect with someone in a different field youve been meaning to reach out to. Sign up for a class or event that has nothing to do with your job. Start a conversation with a colleague about something unrelated to work and follow where it leads. Serendipity isnt a fluke; its something you can design. When you embrace curiosity, invite collisions, and stay open to the unknown, you increase the odds that something meaningful and unexpected will find its way to you. The next big thing in your work or life may already be comingyou just need to be ready to meet it.
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One of the most striking patterns in the aftermath of many urban fires is how much unburned green vegetation remains amid the wreckage of burned neighborhoods. In some cases, a row of shrubs may be all that separates a surviving house from one that burned just a few feet away. As scientists who study how vegetation ignites and burns, we recognize that well-maintained plants and trees can actually help protect homes from wind-blown embers and slow the spread of fire in some cases. So, we are concerned about new wildfire protection regulations being developed by the state of California that would prohibit almost all plants and other combustible material within 5 feet of homes, an area known as Zone 0. Photos before and after the 2025 Palisades Fire show thick green vegetation between two closely spaced homes. The arrow shows the direction of the fires spread. [Image: Max Moritz; CAL FIRE Damage Inspection photos, CC BY] Wildfire safety guidelines have long encouraged homeowners to avoid having flammable materials next to their homes. But the states plan for an ember-resistant zone, being expedited under an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, goes further by also prohibiting grass, shrubs, and many trees in that area. If that prohibition remains in the final regulation, its likely to be met with public resistance. Getting these rules right also matters beyond California, because regulations that originate in California often ripple outward to other fire-prone regions. Lessons from the devastation Research into how vegetation can reduce fire risk is a relatively new area of study. However, the findings from plant flammability studies and examination of patterns of where vegetation and homes survive large urban fires highlight its importance. When surviving plants do appear scorched after these fires, it is often on the side of the plant facing a nearby structure that burned. That suggests that wind-blown embers ignited houses first: The houses were then the fuel as the fire spread through the neighborhood. We saw this repeatedly in the Los Angeles area after wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in January 2025. The pattern suggests a need to focus on the many factors that can influence home losses. Shrubs in Zone 0 of a home did not ignite during the Eaton Fire, despite the home burning. [Photo: Max Moritz] Several guides are available that explain steps homeowners can take to help protect houses, particularly from wind-blown embers, known as home hardening. For example, installing rain gutter covers to keep dead leaves from accumulating, avoiding flammable siding, and ensuring that vents have screens to prevent embers from getting into the attic or crawl space can lower the risk of the home catching fire. However, guidance related to landscaping plants varies greatly and can even be incorrect. For example, some fire-safe plant lists contain species that are drought tolerant but not necessarily fire resistant. What matters more for keeping plants from becoming fuel for fires is how well theyre maintained and whether theyre properly watered. How a plant bursts into flames When living plant material is heated by a nearby energy source, such as a fire, the moisture inside it must be driven off before it can ignite. That evaporation cools the surrounding area and lowers the plants flammability. In many cases, high moisture can actually keep a plant from igniting. Weve seen this in some of our experimental work and in other studies that test the flammability of ornamental landscaping. With enough heat, dried leaves and stems can break down and volatilize into gases. And, at that point, a nearby spark or flame can ignite these gases and set the plant on fire. Plant flammability testing shows how quickly twigs, grasses, plants, and leaves will burn at different moisture levels. The images on the right are from an experiment at the University of Californias South Coast Research and Extension Center to test flammability of a living but overly dry plant. [Image: Max Moritz (left); Luca Carmignani (right)] Even when the plant does burn, however, its moisture content can limit other aspects of flammability, such as how hot it burns. Up to the point that they actually burn, green, well-maintained plants can slow the spread of a fire by serving as heat sinks, absorbing energy and even blocking embers. This apparent protective role has been observed in both Australia and California studies of home losses. How often vegetation buffers homes from igniting during urban conflagrations is still unclear, but this capability has implications for regulations. Californias “Zone 0” regulations The Zone 0 regulations Californias State Board of Forestry is developing are part of broader efforts to reduce fire risk around homes and communities. They would apply in regions considered at high risk of wildfires or defended by Cal Fire, the states firefighting agency. Many of the latest Zone 0 recommendations, such as prohibiting mulch and attached fences made of materials that can burn, stem from large-scale tests conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. These features can be systematically analyzed. But vegetation is far harder to model. The states proposed Zone 0 regulations oversimplify complex conditions in real neighborhoods and go beyond what is currently known from scientific research regarding plant flammability. A mature, well-pruned shrub or tree with a high crown may pose little risk of burning and can even reduce exposure to fires by blocking wind and heat and intercepting embers. Aspen trees, for example, have been recommended to reduce fire risk near structures or other high-value assets. In contrast, dry, unmanaged plants under windows or near fences may ignite rapidly and make it more likely that the house itself will catch fire. As California and other states develop new wildfire regulations, they need to recognize the protective role that well-managed plants can play, along with many other benefits of urban vegetation. We believe the California proposals current emphasis on highly prescriptive vegetation removal, instead of on maintenance, is overly simplistic. Without complementary requirements for hardening the homes themselves, widespread clearing of landscaping immediately around homes could do little to reduce risk and have unintended consequences. Max Moritz is a wildfire specialist at the University of California Cooperative Extension and an adjunct professor at the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Luca Carmignani is an assistant professor of engineering at San Diego State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Earlier this year, a robot completed a half-marathon in Beijing in just under 2 hours and 40 minutes. Thats slower than the human winner, who clocked in at just over an hourbut its still a remarkable feat. Many recreational runners would be proud of that time. The robot kept its pace for more than 13 miles (21 kilometers). But it didnt do so on a single charge. Along the way, the robot had to stop and have its batteries swapped three times. That detail, while easy to overlook, speaks volumes about a deeper challenge in robotics: energy. Modern robots can move with incredible agility, mimicking animal locomotion and executing complex tasks with mechanical precision. In many ways, they rival biology in coordination and efficiency. But when it comes to endurance, robots still fall short. They dont tire from exertionthey simply run out of power. As a robotics researcher focused on energy systems, I study this challenge closely. How can researchers give robots the staying power of living creaturesand why are we still so far from that goal? Though most robotics research into the energy problem has focused on better batteries, there is another possibility: Build robots that eat. Robots move well but run out of steam Modern robots are remarkably good at moving. Thanks to decades of research in biomechanics, motor control, and actuation, machines such as Boston Dynamics Spot and Atlas can walk, run, and climb with an agility that once seemed out of reach. In some cases, their motors are even more efficient than animal muscles. But endurance is another matter. Spot, for example, can operate for just 90 minutes on a full charge. After that, it needs nearly an hour to recharge. These runtimes are a far cry from the eight- to 12-hour shifts expected of human workersor the multiday endurance of sled dogs. The issue isnt how robots moveits how they store energy. Most mobile robots today use lithium-ion batteries, the same type found in smartphones and electric cars. These batteries are reliable and widely available, but their performance improves at a slow pace: Each year new lithium-ion batteries are about 7% better than the previous generation. At that rate, it would take a full decade to merely double a robots runtime. Animals store energy in fat, which is extraordinarily energy dense: nearly 9 kilowatt-hours per kilogram. Thats about 68 kWh total in a sled dog, similar to the energy in a fully charged Tesla Model 3. Lithium-ion batteries, by contrast, store just a fraction of that, about 0.25 kilowatt-hours per kilogram. Even with highly efficient motors, a robot like Spot would need a battery dozens of times more powerful than todays to match the endurance of a sled dog. And recharging isnt always an option. In disaster zones or remote fields, or on long-duration missions, a wall outlet or a spare battery might be nowhere in sight. In some cases, robot designers can add more batteries. But more batteries mean more weight, which increases the energy required to move. In highly mobile robots, theres a careful balance between payload, performance, and endurance. For Spot, for example, the battery already makes up 16% of its weight. Some robots have used solar panels, and in theory these could extend runtime, especially for low-power tasks or in bright, sunny environments. But in practice, solar power delivers very little power relative to what mobile robots need to walk, run, or fly at practical speeds. Thats why energy harvesting like solar panels remains a niche solution today, better suited for stationary or ultra-low-power robots. Why it matters These arent just technical limitations. They define what robots can do. A rescue robot with a 45-minute battery might not last long enough to complete a search. A farm robot that pauses to recharge every hour cant harvest crops in time. Even in warehouses or hospitals, short runtimes add complexity and cost. If robots are to play meaningful roles in society assisting the elderly, exploring hazardous environments, and working alongside humans, they need the endurance to stay active for hours, not minutes. New battery chemistries such as lithium-sulfur and metal-air offer a more promising path forward. These systems have much higher theoretical energy densities than todays lithium-ion cells. Some approach levels seen in animal fat. When paired with actuators that efficiently convert electrical energy from the battery to mechanical work, they could enable robots to match or even exceed the endurance of animals with low body fat. But even these next-generation batteries have limitations. Many are difficult to recharge, degrade over time, or face engineering hurdles in real-world systems. Fast charging can help reduce downtime. Some emerging batteries can recharge in minutes rather than hours. But there are trade-offs. Fast charging strains battery life, increases heat, and often requires heavy, high-power charging infrastructure. Even with improvements, a fast-charging robot still needs to stop frequently. In environments without access to grid power, this doesnt solve the core problem of limited onboard energy. Thats why researchers are exploring alternatives such as refueling robots with metal or chemical fuelsmuch like animals eatto bypass the limits of electrical charging altogether. An alternative: Robotic metabolism In nature, animals dont recharge; they eat. Food is converted into energy through digestion, circulation, and respiration. Fat stores that energy, blood moves it, and muscles use it. Future robots could follow a similar blueprint with synthetic metabolisms. Some researchers are building systems that let robots digest metal or chemical fuels and breathe oxygen. For example, synthetic stomach-like chemical reactors could convert high-energy materials such as aluminum into electricity. This builds on the many advances in robot autonomy, where robots can sense objects in a room and navigate to pick them up, but here they would be picking up energy sources. Other researchers are developing fluid-based energy systems that circulate like blood. One early example, a robotic fish, tripled its energy density by using a multifunctional fluid instead of a standard lithium-ion battery. That single design shift delivered the equivalent of 16 years of battery improvements, not through newchemistry but through a more bioinspired approach. These systems could allow robots to operate for much longer stretches of time, drawing energy from materials that store far more energy than todays batteries. In animals, the energy system does more than just provide energy. Blood helps regulate temperature, deliver hormones, fight infections, and repair wounds. Synthetic metabolisms could do the same. Future robots might manage heat using circulating fluids or might heal themselves using stored or digested materials. Instead of a central battery pack, energy could be stored throughout the body in limbs, joints and soft, tissue-like components. This approach could lead to machines that arent just longer-lasting but are more adaptable, resilient, and lifelike. The bottom line Todays robots can leap and sprint like animals, but they cant go the distance. Their bodies are fast and their minds are improving, but their energy systems havent caught up. If robots are going to work alongside humans in meaningful ways, well need to give them more than intelligence and agility. Well need to give them endurance. James Pikul is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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