Courtesy Boston Dynamics

The Waltham, Mass.–based robotics manufacturer Boston Dynamics has expanded the product line for its mobile robot Spot, adding on a self-charging Enterprise Spot, web-based remote operations software, Scout, and the Spot Arm, an extendable extra arm for the agile robot.

Courtesy Boston Dynamics

Now that there are more than 400 Spot robots out in the world, Boston Dynamics hopes that these new products will increase Spot's autonomy, enabling "customers to fully operationalize continuous, autonomous data collection on remote or hazardous worksites of any size, from anywhere they have access to their network." [Boston Dynamics]

Courtesy NBBJ

The Seattle, Wash.–based firm NBBJ has released its renderings for The Helix, Amazon's new headquarters in Arlington, Va. Merging green spaces with 2.8 million square feet of offices, public gathering areas, and street-front retail, the design spirals upward in a series of coils lined with pedestrian "hill climbs." These outdoor spaces will contain restorative water elements and native trees aimed at fostering a unique work environment that "restorative water elements and native trees," according to the firm's project description. "With a focus on sustainability, the new headquarters will be LEED Platinum certified and run on 100% renewable energy." The design world, however, has expressed mixed reactions, such as that by Blair Kamin, former architectural critic at the Chicago Tribune. [ARCHITECT]

Courtesy City University of Hong Kong

Researchers from the City University of Hong Kong have developed a new photocatalyst (light-absorbing material) that uses sunlight to produce methane fuel from carbon dioxide. Leading a team that included researchers from Australia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, the CityU researchers developed the photocatalyst by wrapping copper-based metal-organic frameworks, allowing them to stably "manipulate the transfer of electrons" from the carbon dioxide and "selectively produce pure methane gas." Using these findings, the researchers plan to increase the methane production rate, making possible a future where carbon dioxide emissions are recycled into a green fuel source. [CityU]

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, the environmental artist better known as Christo, died last May, more than a decade after his wife and artistic partner, Jeanne-Claude, died in 2009. Now, thanks to Sotheby’s, the outside world gets a unique glimpse into the world and process of the two artists. The fine art and real estate brokerage will be auctioning works from the couple's New York studio and residence. The two-part auction, which includes nearly 400 lots illuminating Christo and Jeanne-Claude's artistic inspirations and friendships, include works featuring the couple's iconic public pieces, such as The Pont Neuf Wrapped in Paris (1975–85). The auction comprises a live event dubbed Unwrapped, Part I: The Hidden World of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which begins on Feb. 17 at 9 a.m. EST. Bidding for items in the second part of the auction, Unwrapped, Part II,begins on Feb. 8 at 5 a.m. EST and runs through Feb. 16. [Sotheby's]

After a four-year-long review process, federal agencies have finally approved plans for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's South Side by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. With the process completed, Obama Foundation officials have announced plans to break ground on the project this year, perhaps as early as August. Once the project breaks ground, officials predict a four-year-long construction process. "Our hope is that the center will breathe new life into historic Jackson Park while delivering jobs, growth, and much more to the South Side," said President Obama in a tweet. "Let’s get to work." [Chicago Tribune]

A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals that global attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are suffering because cities tend to underestimate their levels of emissions. The New York Times dives into the study, unpacking the flawed measurements and their consequences, and explores future mitigation strategies. [NYT]

Ocean Prime restaurant, in Chicago; lighting design by Gwen Grossman Lighting Design
Chris Casella Ocean Prime restaurant, in Chicago; lighting design by Gwen Grossman Lighting Design

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly transformed our relationship with space and our relationship with everyday lighting. So what architectural lighting innovations does 2021 hold? ARCHITECT contributing writer Murrye Bernard, AIA, dives into the matter, asking six lighting designers from across the U.S. what technologies and movements they foresee for the coming year. [ARCHITECT]

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has set a new baseline for the energy required—and the greenhouse gases emitted—in the production of plastics in the U.S. It hopes to provide manufacturers working with renewable plastics a better understanding of whether their research will actually save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [NREL]

An IdentiFlight-equipped wind turbine
Courtesy IdentiFlight An IdentiFlight-equipped wind turbine

Aiming to promote the use of renewable wind power while decreasing the number of bird fatalities resulting from contact with wind turbines, the Louisville, Colo.–based startup IdentiFlight has integrated optical technology with an artificial-intelligence system. Together, the technology detects protected bird species, such as eagles, approaching a wind turbine and stops the spinning blades, avoiding avian collisions while minimizing energy loss. A recent study from the Journal of Applied Ecology found that the system reduced eagle fatalities by 82%. [IdentiFlight]

Toyota Sunnyvale, a pre-owned dealership operated by Price Simms Auto Group in California, has decided that, due to the area's astronomical property values, transforming its asphalt car lot into a mixed-use development makes good business sense. The dealership is planning to top a ground-level car showroom with an 88-unit apartment building, giving Price Simms Auto Group the best of both worlds. [Fast Company]