Jens Kastner

1 week ago | wardsauto.com | Jens Kastner

Chinese battery-electric-vehicle makers, including major players such as GAC, BYD, XPeng and Xiaomi, are aggressively entering the market for the development of humanoid robots. Their goal is improving automaking efficiency and finding new non-auto markets for the technology, and they may have the jump on much of the global competition. Indeed, the Chinese seem to be outpacing Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has said his company would begin deploying humanoid robots at some of its facilities by 2025.

1 week ago | asiasentinel.com | Jens Kastner

By: Jens KastnerWhile the Chinese military has since 2022 frequently simulated blockades, joint precision strikes and cyber warfare against Taiwan, the mainland government has also been preparing recruitment of Taiwan’s hundreds of thousands of gangsters by compiling a "Taiwan Armed Gang Distribution Map", according to a series of investigative reports produced by Taiwan’s Chinese-language Mirror Weekly and first reported on in English by the China in Arms substack blog.

2 weeks ago | asiasentinel.com | Jens Kastner

By: Jens KastnerAmid deep concerns in the west, particularly in the United States vis-à-vis a long-threatened invasion of Taiwan, military planners in Taipei appear remarkably blasé. The island’s military spending inched up by a meager 1.8 percent year-on-year in 2024, far outpaced by the rest of East Asia’s average 7.8 percent – China at 7 percent, Jap…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Asia Sentinel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

4 weeks ago | wardsauto.com | Jens Kastner |Andreia Nogueira |Keith Nuthall

Automakers are using artificial intelligence to identify consumer trends and desires, as they seek the sweet spot between sustainability, new technology and consumer acceptance. A forecast released by New York-based industrial-sourcing platform and marketing company Thomas concludes manufacturers also are increasingly using AI to aid design, streamline workflows and maximize efficiency.

1 month ago | asia.nikkei.com | Jens Kastner

VAREL, Germany -- Taps run dry and looters invade supermarkets, while unmilked dairy cows die of mastitis and pigs suffocate in their pens. This is a scenario that haunts Mayor Gerd-Christian Wagner when he thinks about preparing for a cyberattack on critical infrastructure in Germany's northwestern agricultural town of Varel.