SAN FRANCISCO--Ken Goldberg, a professor at UC Berkeley, and one of his graduate students, Jeff Mahler, recently demonstrated the latest version of a dexterous collaborative robot at EmTech Digital, an event held here this week organized by MIT Technology Review (MTR) and dedicated to artificial intelligence. The key to the robot's dexterity is not in its mechanical grippers but in its brain, reports the MTR website. The robot uses software called Dex-Net to determine how to pick up even odd-looking objects with incredible efficiency.

CANTON, MA--According to SportTechie.com, Reebok has unveiled a limited-edition 3D-printed running shoe, the Floatride, that replaces traditional shoelaces with a liquid lace system, in which printed materials are wrapped around the outsole like a vine.

MUNICH—BMW could spend as much as $8.6 billion on R&D this year to develop and produce electric and autonomous vehicles.

NEWBERRY, SC—Samsung will expand the production footprint of its assembly plant here, making progress on a plan to create nearly 1,000 jobs in the state by 2020.

BERLIN--Volkswagen is about to end production of the Beetle—better known to many drivers as "the Bug." VW initially ended production in 2003, but brought the car back in 2011. Volkswagen officials say production won’t be restarted anytime soon.

SWINDON, UK--Honda’s car assembly plant here produces the Civic Type-R and every Honda Civic Hatchback imported to the U.S. Watch the Honda Civic Type-R be assembled in this real-time video.

WARREN, MI--Equipment supplier and systems integrator Eckhart Inc. is opening a 47,000-square-foot tech center here with an expansion plan that includes employing 170 or more workers in the next two years. The company plans to use the new facility to engineer and assemble the next generation of Autocraft autonomous guided carts, as well as operate a 3-D printing lab there.

WASHINGTON--According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. manufacturers added 31,000 workers in February, and the manufacturing sector has increased employment by 264,264 workers since the end of 2016. Current manufacturing employment is 12.61 million employees, which is the highest level since December 2008.