Top US CEOs Join President Trump for China Trade Discussions

President Donald Trump is visiting China, accompanied by a delegation of prominent US business leaders, a White House official stated. The visit aims to facilitate mutual trade and investment between the two nations.

Credit: THE WHITE HOUSE

Executives joining President Trump include Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, GE Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp, and Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg.

Other notable attendees are Meta's Dina Powell McCormick, BlackRock's Larry Fink, Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman, Micron's Sanjay Mehrotra, Mastercard's Michael Miebach, Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon, and Visa's Ryan McInerney.

Additional participants consist of Cargill's Brian Sikes, Coherent's Jim Anderson, and Illumina's Jacob Thaysen.

China is anticipated to announce significant purchases related to Boeing airplanes, American agriculture, and energy. Such major business deals are often unveiled during summit meetings between China and the United States.

Boeing has been in prolonged discussions with China for an order that could include 500 737 MAX jets, alongside dozens of widebody jets powered by GE engines. This would represent China's first major Boeing order since 2017.

Ortberg told Reuters that Boeing was counting on the Trump administration to help unlock this long-awaited order. An announcement could be a significant win for the leaders' summit and potentially the single largest airplane order in history.

The two countries will also discuss lengthening a truce in their trade war. This truce currently allows rare earth minerals to flow from China to the US, though extension details remain unclear.

Cisco Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins was invited by the White House but could not attend due to the company's earnings release, a company spokesperson said.

Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is not accompanying President Trump to Beijing. A person familiar with the matter indicated that Huang was not invited, with the White House focusing on agriculture and commercial aviation.

President Trump has developed a strong relationship with Huang since taking office. He agreed to allow Nvidia's H200 AI chips to be exported to China.

However, these chips have not yet been sold, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. This is due to difficulties Chinese companies face in getting permission from the Chinese government to complete purchases.

The last meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was in South Korea. They agreed to pause a bruising trade war, which had seen the US impose triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods.

Beijing had previously threatened to restrict the global supply of rare earths during that period.

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• President Donald Trump is visiting China with a delegation of prominent US business leaders, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook.

• The visit aims to foster mutual trade and investment, with China expected to announce major purchases of Boeing aircraft, agriculture, and energy products.

• Discussions will include potentially extending a trade war truce concerning rare earth minerals.

Source: REUTERS

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: A Premium Cameraphone Experience

Xiaomi has once again aimed for the top of the flagship mountain with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, establishing it as one of the premier cameraphones of the year. The phone is an absolute powerhouse, packed with the cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a stunning 6.9-inch 120Hz display that can reach an eye-searing 3,500 nits of peak brightness. But if you are buying the 17 Ultra, you are primarily buying it for the camera system.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra

The star of the show is the 50-megapixel main camera, which utilises a massive 1-inch type sensor with an f/1.67 aperture with Optical Image Stabiliser. While this is excellent, I would love to have a lower aperture like an f/1.5 to create a more natural bokeh in my shots. Interestingly, Xiaomi has moved away from Sony this year in favour of the new "Light Fusion 1050L," a sensor co-developed by Xiaomi, OmniVision, and Leica. It introduces "LOFIC" technology, which claims to offer massive improvements to dynamic range by using individual pixel capacitors to store more light information. While the technology sounds fancy, it isn't drastically different from a top-tier Sony sensor in day-to-day use, though it does help to keeps highlights from blowing out slightly. The main camera is complemented by a 200MP telephoto lens featuring a custom module that physically shifts to provide continuous, true optical zoom anywhere between 3.2x (75mm) and 4.3x (100mm).

With ample lighting, the camera delivers sharp, detailed photos even when zoomed in.

The software plays just as big a role as the hardware. You get access to a dedicated "fast shot" street photography mode and a variety of Leica colour tuning options. In my experience, Leica profiles are not really just filters; you can see the difference in the gorgeous contrast, tones, and vintage camera vibes they produce, especially the striking negative film profile. Overall, it's a very good smartphone camera and it's up there with other top smartphone cameras on the market right now.

Darker tone & fast‑moving subjects challenge the camera struggles to keep focus.

However, don't expect it to replace your dedicated camera anytime soon. It still has a few smartphone-specific quirks, such as slightly soft 4K video recording that leaves a little to be desired regarding sharpness.

Beyond its imaging capabilities, the phone introduces several standout features. One of these feature is the new “Super Island” on HyperOS 3, built around the camera cutout. Functioning much like Apple’s Dynamic Island, it supports selected apps, allowing you to navigate and control them quickly without cluttering your screen.

The Xiaomi Notes app is another pleasant surprise. Pre-installed and free, it’s a robust note-taking tool with rich text editing, checklists, sketching, and voice recording. Though not new, the recent updates add AI-powered features for research, summarising, expanding, and polishing text - making it a simple yet powerful choice for everyday organisation.

For photography enthusiasts, Xiaomi offers the optional Photography Kit Pro at SGD$199. This accessory adds a camera grip, extra buttons, a lanyard, and a filter adapter ring, transforming the phone into a point-and-shoot–style device. The grip doubles as a 2000mAh power bank, ensuring you have enough power for a full day of shooting.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra - Standard Edition

There’s also a clear distinction between the Global release and the exclusive Leica Edition. The Leica Edition enhances the shooting experience with an adjustable ring around the camera module, enabling physical control of zoom and aperture, much like a real DSLR. This means photographers can concurrently adjust zoom and aperture on the fly, giving them quick access to critical features and reducing the chance of missing a shot. On top of that, the Leica edition boasts a larger 6,800mAh battery compared to the Global version’s 6,000mAh cap (probably due to EU regulations), offering noticeably longer endurance for all-day photography.

Finally, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra positions itself firmly in the premium segment, priced at SGD$1,799. While it sits alongside other flagship phones in cost, it’s worth remembering that even with its rich features, it won’t replace the versatility and picture quality of a dedicated camera anytime soon.

Fan Engineer Builds Interactive 'Project Hail Mary' Robot

A dedicated fan has created a working robot version of Rocky, the beloved alien character from Andy Weir’s science-fiction novel, "Project Hail Mary." Leviathan Engineering recently showcased the tabletop robot, which can talk and give fist bumps.

Credit: Leviathan engineering

The robot features moving limbs, speech recognition, and gestures that accurately reflect the character from the book. The builder spent months designing and assembling the interactive machine using modern artificial intelligence (AI) tools and custom engineering.

The project began with digital models bought from 3D Totems, a creator known for accurate printable character designs. The engineer adapted these files using Fusion 360 and Tinkercad, ensuring parts were robust enough for movement and frequent use.

After extensive printing and testing, the components were integrated into a compact, four-legged robot. It has moving arms and expressive body movements, closely resembling Rocky's distinctive posture and lively gestures from the novel.

Ten metal-geared servos control the robot’s various movements. Extra servos in the shoulders facilitate wide arm swings, while leg joints allow for crouching and shifting positions. The robot can perform actions such as offering a fist bump.

During conversations, the robot can also make dramatic hand gestures. Although it is about the size of a small tabletop display, its lifelike movements contribute to a surprisingly animated presence.

A Raspberry Pi 5 serves as the robot’s core, connected to a PCA9685 HAT that manages the servo motors and overall movement. The motors draw power from an external supply due to their significant energy requirements.

Software gives the robot its unique personality. Vosk provides local speech recognition, enabling the robot to understand voice commands without an internet connection. For spoken replies, the builder used Piper, which replicates Rocky’s sharp, rhythmic voice style from the novel.

Google’s Gemini AI model generates conversations, creating both the dialogue and corresponding gestures for each response. The robot reacts in real time based on context, rather than relying on preset animations. For instance, if asked for a fist bump, Rocky extends its arm and says, "fist bump yes much happy."

The engineer developed the software with assistance from Claude, using a command-line interface. This language model aided in creating and organising the code for movement, speech, and interaction.

A key feature is the absence of fixed animation scripts; instead, the robot chooses gestures in real time based on context and special tools. This contextual approach makes its movements feel more natural and less repetitive during dialogue.

This project combines several modern technologies, including open-source voice recognition, AI-generated dialogue, motion control, and 3D-printed parts, into a single homemade robot. This integration results in a machine that acts more like a character than a typical hobby robot.

Building the robot involved significant trial and error. Early designs using pulleys and linear actuators were replaced with servos for improved precision and control. Durability also presented a challenge, as printed joints frequently broke under stress.

The builder repeatedly redesigned and strengthened weak points through extensive testing. Assembling the robot required careful wiring and hands-on adjustments, utilising extension cables for tidy wire management and adhesives for securing delicate parts during the final construction.

The end result is a small yet expressive robot version of Rocky, capturing much of the personality beloved by "Project Hail Mary" fans. For readers of the novel, this project offers a rare opportunity to witness the alien character move, talk, and interact in real life.

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• A fan engineer built a working robot named Rocky, inspired by Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" novel.

• The tabletop robot can talk, understand voice commands, and perform gestures, including fist bumps.

• It is powered by a Raspberry Pi 5 and utilises AI tools such as Vosk, Piper, and Google’s Gemini for speech and conversation generation.

Source: INTERESTING ENGINEERING