Robots and AI technology just solved two problems you didn't know had the same answer. After an ice storm in China, a quadricopter drone flies out, finds the loaded power lines, and repels down a tiny robot that latches on and rides the line like a zip line, spinning blades chopping ice the whole way, operating in fog, low visibility, and active snowstorms without sending a single person up in a helicopter.

The robot restaurant in China was built for a community of senior citizens. Bowls come with printed instructions. Tables have handholds. A robot at the entrance scans your face and your tongue, assesses your health conditions, factors in your horoscope, and recommends your meal. The tech expert covering this story was born a super taster, meaning coffee tastes like body odor to him, and he's the first to admit he's not sure about the science of tongue scanning while being his own best argument for it.

Pokemon turns 30 this Friday in Japan, where 10 hotels are running full Pokemon room immersions and piloting a rental clothing concept: arrive with one bag, wear rented clothes the whole trip, leave the same way. It's either the future of travel packing or a bowling shoe situation. Kris Abel has thoughts.

Topics: robots and AI technology, power line ice clearing drone, robot restaurant China, Pokemon 30th anniversary, rental clothing Japan

GUEST: Kris Abel | realkrisabel.com | @realkrisabel

Originally aired on 2026-02-24