Innovation & Future Trends

San Francisco – October 29, 2026 -- Wabi, a personal AI assistant designed for couples, families and friends to use together, has raised $55 million at a $1.25 billion valuation, with apps available now on iOS, Android and Mac.

IVP led the round. Andreessen (a16z), Forerunner and Amazon Alexa Fund also took part, along with angels and founders including Tobi Lütke, Marc Benioff, Marissa Mayer, Dick Costolo and Alex Pall. The company says the money will go toward product development and expansion.

Wabi targets groups instead of one person in one chat

Wabi comes from Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded the AI companion platform Replika. Most AI assistants are built for a single person typing into a single chat. Wabi is built around people doing things together: a book club planning a themed night, a running group choosing a weekend route, or a family sharing the load of running a household.

Sunnyvale – October 29, 2026 -- XREAL's AURA glasses, which XREAL calls the first wired XR glasses powered by Android XR, are available to order now in the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea. A limited-time offer sets the 12GB + 256GB model at $1,099 and the 16GB + 512GB model at $1,299. Shipping is expected to begin in mid-November.

Transparent lenses and a puck keep the weight under 95 grams

XREAL announced AURA on stage at Google's Android Developer Summit. It was developed with Google and Qualcomm Technologies and is the first wired XR glasses to launch on the Snapdragon Reality Elite Platform, according to the company.

Unlike fully enclosed headsets, AURA uses optical see-through lenses, so wearers still see the room and the people around them. The main compute and battery sit in a compact puck, which keeps the glasses under 95 grams.

Jena – October 28, 2026 -- ESET has updated its ESET HOME Security and ESET Small Business Security packages to protect users against AI-driven scams, and the new features are available now. The update also brings ESET Mobile Security to iOS devices for the first time.

The security vendor cites a concrete threat: since March 2026, its researchers have found 3,000 malicious AI skills, the add-ons that extend what AI tools can do. Stefan Heitkamp, Director of Retail, Etail and OEM Partnerships at ESET, says many users now trust AI answers about as much as search results, and attackers are trying to exploit that trust.

AMSTERDAM – October 28, 2026 -- The Philips Lumea 9900 Pro, which Philips describes as the first at-home IPL device with audio feedback and motion guidance that talks to you, is now on sale at a recommended retail price of EUR 799.99. The launch arrives alongside three beauty technology trends outlined by a dermatologist, a foresight analyst and a wellness founder.

Shoppers expect guidance, not just information

Mintel research cited by Philips shows that 62% of U.S. beauty and personal care buyers are interested in hyper-personalized products. Alice Crossley, Principal Strategic Foresight Analyst at The Future Laboratory, says consumers now expect beauty technology to respond in real time and explain why it recommends a given step. Brands that turn complex science into practical, personal advice will shape the next wave of innovation, she says.

EPCOT – October 25, 2026 -- Spaceship Earth, the geodesic sphere that has greeted EPCOT guests since opening day, is getting its first update in nearly 20 years. Disney Imagineer Ali Rubinstein revealed the news at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa.

A re-imagineered ride shifts its theme to human connection

Rubinstein said the re-imagineered attraction will bring Spaceship Earth into the internet age and beyond. The ride currently tells the story of human communication. The team is now widening that focus to human connection, a theme the source describes as classically EPCOT.

The announcement came during a Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage conversation hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. YouTuber Mark Rober joined Rubinstein onstage.

Berthoud – October 23, 2026 -- Aerospace company Ursa Major put its Summer 2026 interns on hypersonic engine testing, manufacturing and event planning, and internships for 2027 will open later this year.

Interns worked across the company's Berthoud, Youngstown and Washington, D.C. locations alongside experienced professionals.

A physics graduate turned an internship into a full-time job

Trey Lustenberger joined as a Configuration Intern after earning a physics bachelor's degree at the University of Colorado Boulder. He now works as a Configuration Engineer. His favorite project was the drawing for the Draper Block 1 As-Tested Tooling Kit. “It excites me knowing I had the opportunity to work on a product that could potentially see the testbed and fly,” he said.

Melville, N.Y. – October 22, 2026 -- A student in Cologne, Germany, has won the 52nd annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition with a photo of ink droplets suspended in midair inside a printer as it prints. Nikon Instruments announced the winners, with first place going to Ole Bielfeldt.

Bielfeldt rebuilt a printer so the paper moves instead of the printhead

Bielfeldt wanted to know how a printer places ink onto paper so precisely. His first attempts failed. The printhead moved too fast to keep a small area in focus, and the droplets were too fast for his camera's shutter speed.

Taipei – October 19, 2026 -- JUBILEE Biomedical's JUBI Plasma cold plasma skincare device has won the Brands & Retail category at the 2026 COSMETIC 360 Awards in Paris. The Taiwanese company says one mode, running below 40°C, targets nine skincare areas.

Six main-category winners emerged from about 260 exhibitors

COSMETIC VALLEY, a French government-recognized competitiveness cluster, organizes COSMETIC 360 each year at the Carrousel du Louvre. The event connects startups with groups such as L'Oréal, LVMH Research and Estée Lauder. This year's edition drew about 260 exhibitors from more than 20 countries. Only six main-category winners were chosen, roughly 2% of the total.

United States – October 19, 2026 -- Pet owners who dread saying goodbye can now choose from longevity drugs in testing, $50,000 clones, and cryonic storage, and each option comes with caveats.

Loyal is testing a dog drug in about 1,300 pets

Loyal is working on three potential longevity drugs for dogs. It is trialing one, designed to improve metabolic health, in around 1,300 pet dogs across the US. Other companies are testing dog drugs aimed at age-related conditions such as obesity and osteoarthritis, and at aging itself. One company focuses on longevity medicines for domesticated cats.

California – October 19, 2026 -- A retinal implant paired with camera-equipped glasses has helped more than 80% of recipients with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) read, do crosswords, and use their phones after training. The PRIMA system was approved in Europe in July and is awaiting FDA clearance in the US.

PRIMA targets geographic atrophy, which affects more than 5 million people

Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of AMD in which retinal cells die off and leave a blind spot in the center of vision. Until now, no treatment could restore that lost sight. Science Corporation, based in California, developed PRIMA for these patients.