Bloomberg Hate doing laundry? Shin Sakane has a solution. The Japanese inventor received 6 billion yen ($53 million) from partners, including Panasonic Corp., last month to advance “the Laundroid” — a robot Sakane is developing to not only wash and dry garments, but also sort, fold and neatly arrange them. The refrigerator-size device could eventually fill the roles of …

  Bloomberg One of the main hurdles to drones’ ability to zip around the country delivering packages is a requirement that they stay within their operator’s line of sight during daylight hours. Qualcomm Inc. is working on a solution that’s been right before our eyes: cellphone networks. The rules from the US Federal Aviation Administration exist to help prevent accidents …

  Relaxnews Fitbit is close to buying the smartwatch-maker Pebble, known for its string of successful crowdfunding campaigns. Due to financial difficulties, Pebble is under pressure to find a buyer, although the brand itself risks being phased out after a potential takeover. Despite its original products, the American startup hasn’t managed to withstand growth in the smartwatch market, which has …