This week’s roundup of data news highlights from May 16, 2026, to May 22, 2026, featuring researchers using an AI system to map disappearing hedgehog habitats across the U.K. and a new 3D-sensing system designed to improve self-driving cars and robotic surgery.
1. Navigating Regulations
Texas’ Regulatory Efficiency Office has created an AI-powered chatbot called SAM to help residents quickly find the licenses, permits, and regulatory requirements needed across dozens of professions. The tool responds in English and Spanish with guidance based on Texas laws and regulations tailored to each query. It pulls information directly from state regulatory databases and supplements missing details with reviewed AI-generated responses to create a single answer.
2. Talking to Smart Glasses
Google has announced a new pair of audio-powered smart glasses that combine hands-free AI assistance with a lightweight, everyday design. The glasses use built-in microphones and speakers to let wearers ask questions, get directions, translate speech, and receive updates based on their location or surroundings without looking at a screen. Google’s on-device AI model, Gemini, processes commands locally, enabling faster responses and smoother interactions.
3. Accelerating Space Exploration
NASA has built its new Maryland-based Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to use AI systems throughout its operations to process massive amounts of telescope data. NASA teams use AI to analyze incoming images in real time, flag unusual activity, and prioritize which cosmic events deserve additional observation. Researchers also use machine learning to simulate galaxies and improve instrument performance ahead of the telescope’s launch.
4. Helping Migratory Fish
U.S.-based energy company FirstLight has built an AI-driven system to help migratory fish navigate dams more safely and efficiently. A hydropower station in Preston, Connecticut is deploying the technology to analyze real-time video to identify species, track movement, and predict how fish will approach structures that can block migration routes. These insights help operators adjust water flows and passage routes to improve fish survival rates.
5. Saving Monkey Species
Researchers in China’s Guangxi province have created a multi-animal-tracking AI model called PriMAT to turn low-quality jungle footage into clearer wildlife-tracking data. The system combines image-restoration algorithms with deep-learning detection models to enhance blurry videos, identify multiple species, and track their movements across frames, enabling researchers to reconstruct missing details and track monkeys when partially obscured or moving quickly.
6. Improving Airbnb Stays
Airbnb has partnered with Instacart to let travelers stock rental properties with groceries and household essentials before arrival. The feature allows guests to order items directly through the Airbnb app, selecting everything from snacks to cleaning supplies for delivery timed to check-in. Instacart’s fulfillment system routes each order to local shoppers who pick and deliver the items, helping hosts create a smoother arrival experience.
7. Discovering Gas Leaks
Switzerland-based tech firm ANYbotics has built a four-legged robot called Roberta that autonomously inspects a carbon-storage facility for safety and structural issues. The robot patrols the Northern Lights CO₂ storage site in Norway, navigating uneven terrain and tight industrial spaces without human guidance. Roberta uses onboard sensors, thermal imaging, and AI-driven anomaly detection to identify leaks, equipment faults, and environmental changes in real-time.
8. Tracking Hedgehogs
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. have used an AI tool called Tessera to analyze satellite images and map where hedgehog habitats exist and are disappearing across the U.K. The system removes distortions such as cloud cover and identifies features such as hedgerows, farmland, and urban development with high precision. Researchers aim to use the findings to reveal barriers limiting hedgehogs’ movement, feeding, and mating.
9. Enhancing 3D Sensing
Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a 3D-sensing technology that could improve the precision of self-driving cars and robotic surgery. The system captures depth information at extremely high speeds, even when objects move or lighting conditions are poor. It projects light patterns onto surfaces and uses AI-driven reconstruction models to build accurate 3D maps in real time for safer navigation and more delicate surgical control.
10. Reducing Teachers’ Workload
San Francisco-based educator Mary Acebu has used an AI system to help draft and refine individualized education programs, or learning-support plans for students with disabilities. The tool analyzes student data, past learning plans, and teacher input to generate clearer goals and more consistent documentation. It identifies patterns in a student’s needs and suggests evidence-based support, giving teachers more time to focus on instruction.
