Next Level | The Verge

Are exoskeletons the future of physical labor?

2025-01-29T09:49:26-05:00

There are 3,500 people working in Ford's final assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, where a steady stream of car husks are transformed into drivable vehicles hundreds of times a day. It's what you might imagine a car factory would be like, if you've never been to one before: it's noisy, with lots of moving parts, Hi-Lo forklifts driving by, and various audible signals playing overhead that are programmed to grab the attention of workers.

Paul Collins sticks out along the final assembly line because of the vest he's wearing. Since May of this year, Collins - who goes by "Woody" and has worked in the plant since 1995 - has been beta-testing an …

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How Zero Mass is using solar panels to pull drinkable water directly from the air

2025-01-29T09:49:27-05:00

At some point while standing on the roof of an old car dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona, I noted that it was hot outside. Almost as if on cue, our cameras began to overheat and shut down.

The founder of Zero Mass Water told me that this kind of early November heat was actually mild for the Arizona desert - and that regardless of the dry climate, he and his team were still able to produce water.

There is tech for tech's sake, and then there's tech that alters or enhances the human experience. In the second season of the Verge video series Next Level, senior editor Lauren Goode takes you behind the scenes to show you the technology th …

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Tracking rogue drones with DJI’s new Aeroscope system

2025-01-29T09:49:27-05:00

I wasn't expecting that we'd spot any drones when I joined Nick Martino, an airport operations supervisor, on his daily patrol around Camarillo Airport. We climbed into a white Chevy Tahoe, its side emblazoned with a blue "7," and Martino used a two-way radio to clear the runway of any aircraft nearby. (The Tahoe was big, but an aircraft would win.) In my lap I held a 40-pound Pelican Case, the latest creation from Chinese drone-maker DJI. Two wand-sized antennae stuck out of the top lid of the case; inside was a touchscreen display, running mapping software.

There is tech for tech's sake, and then there's tech that alters or enhances …

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Are holograms the future of how we capture memories?

2025-01-29T09:49:28-05:00

When Los Angeles-based actress and interior designer Ashley Martin Scott responded to a casting call for "mom and baby" back in April 2015, details were scant.

"I pretty much came into it blindly, not knowing what to expect, aside from 'a mom and a baby,'" Scott said. "And that it was something about leaving a message for your child in the future and I thought, 'That sounds fun.'"

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Announcing Next Level season 2, The Verge’s video series on innovation

2025-01-29T09:49:29-05:00

Few people would argue with the statement that tech has pervaded almost every aspect of our modern lives, whether it's our jobs, relationships, health, methods of transportation, media consumption, food, or the places we call home. And while all of this tech can enable us to do so many things, it can also make us mere humans feel a lot more vulnerable.

That's the theme we're focused on in the second season of Next Level, a Verge video series on innovation. Over the past several weeks, we've been in production for the new season, taking a close look not only at the tech's impact on the human experience, but also at the humans who are impacte …

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Exclusive: Inside the new display tech that makes virtual objects seem totally real

2025-01-29T11:04:05-05:00

The thing about interactive head-mounted displays is that they hold great promise, but so far, have resulted in unnatural optics, awkward social interactions, and an overall sense of discomfort, whether it's about the products themselves or the future that we seem to be barreling toward. Or, you could cite an example like Microsoft's HoloLens, which, as a standalone PC on your face, is an impressive technical feat. But so far it has found a niche firmly in the enterprise market.

There is tech for tech's sake, and then there's tech that alters or enhances the human experience. In the second season of the Verge video series Next Level, s …

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Prescription video games may be the future of medicine

2025-01-29T11:04:06-05:00

"Brain-training" games have been a controversial topic in recent years, especially after a group of scientists and researchers published an open letter in 2014 saying there is "very little evidence" that training your brain in one area or on one task offers improvement in other areas of cognitive function. Shortly afterward, another group of scientists wrote a rebuttal to that, claiming that a "substantial and growing body of evidence shows that certain cognitive-training regimens can significantly improve cognitive function, including in ways that generalize to everyday life."

There is tech for tech's sake, and then there's tech that …

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Next Level: Inside Dolby’s experiment to watch people while they’re watching movies

2025-01-29T11:04:06-05:00

There are the smartphones and laptops we use every day, and then there's Next Level technology. In this new Verge video series, senior editor Lauren Goode takes you behind the scenes to show you the technology that's being worked on at some of the world's most innovative companies and research institutions. From modular airplanes to prescription video games to Hollywood's attempt to hack your emotions, Next Level will show you the technology that has the potential to radically change the way we interact with tech.

Dolby Laboratories has been around since 1965, and for most people, the company is synonymous to the white label you see at the …

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Exclusive: Inside Airbus’ modular plane concept, Transpose

2025-01-29T11:04:07-05:00

Commercial flying is, for most people, a mediocre experience at best. Unless you shell out for an upgraded seat, you're general …

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Announcing Next Level, a new Verge video series premiering next week

2025-01-29T11:04:07-05:00

There's the technology we use and see every day - the smartphones, laptops, apps, cameras, and cars that permeate our lives - and then there's the technology being developed behind the scenes, the technology that is yet to be seen. Or, it's out there, but it's so new that its impact is still unknown. This is the next-level stuff.

Which is why we're so excited to bring you our latest Verge video series, Next Level, hosted and produced by senior editor Lauren Goode and directed by Tyler Pina and Vjeran Pavic. In this new series, we're taking you into the labs and research institutions where some of the most innovative, most bizarre concepts a …

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