Palantir moves AI computing from distant clouds directly into combat zones
Containerized data centers process battlefield intelligence without permanent cloud connectivity
Nvidia B300 accelerators power deployable AI systems for frontline operations
Palantir Technologies and its infrastructure partner Armada have begun deploying mobile data centers built inside standard shipping containers for combat zones.
Each unit carries its own computing hardware, storage arrays, networking gear, and cooling systems needed to run advanced artificial intelligence models.
The servers run on Nvidia's B300 AI accelerators, while Palantir's modular AIP platform links the models directly into operational workflows and other company tools.
Processing power without a constant cloud link
Chad Wahlquist, a Forward Deployed Architect at Palantir Technologies, appeared inside one containerised data center during the July 2026 announcement introducing the mobile computing platform.
Unlike conventional cloud-based systems, these containerized units can process information without maintaining any constant connection to public cloud infrastructure.
They can also be fully isolated from external networks whenever operational security requirements demand a stricter level of separation at all times.
The outcome is a self-contained computing node able to analyze intelligence and sensor data right at the point where it is collected.
Distributed computing also offers stronger resilience than depending entirely on one single, centralized data center to run every operation across a wide area.
Losing contact with the cloud, or even losing one mobile node entirely, would not necessarily shut down the whole system.
Other units could keep processing information locally, since the entire network does not depend on one central point of failure.
Bringing AI closer to the battlefield
For military users, the concept brings advanced artificial intelligence much closer to sensors, field commanders, and units already deployed on the ground.
This reduces dependence on communications links that remain vulnerable to jamming, interception, or outright physical destruction during active combat operations.
Instead of sending every piece of battlefield data back to a distant cloud, analysis can occur inside a deployable container placed close to the action.
Alex Karp, the billionaire co-founder and chief executive of Palantir, has praised Ukraine's wartime innovation cycle as instructive for allies.
He has argued that the war is exposing a widening gap between military theory and the reality of modern combat.
Karp credited Ukrainian engineers and soldiers with adapting battlefield technology at a pace unmatched by most peacetime institutions worldwide.
He suggested that this rapid development cycle is teaching the United States and Europe lessons unavailable in traditional laboratories or think tanks.
Whether these containerized AI systems truly perform as promised under sustained combat stress remains an open question.
As of the time of writing, there is no public independent verification of the technology's actual battlefield performance by Palantir, Armada, or any military partner.
During my years as a TechRadar Homes Editor, I tested an awful lot of vacuums. But the one that's been my constant companion throughout has been the Dyson V15 Detect. It's not a review sample — my partner bought it, and it's the vacuum we've been using at home for the past 21-plus months. It's been used to clean hard tile floors, carpets, lots of stairs, and a whole heap of dog hair.
The V15 is not the newest Dyson vacuum. It came out in 2021 and there are now two newer flagship models: the Gen5detect (launched 2022) and the V16 Piston Animal (2025). However, despite not being the latest-and-greatest, it's still the model that sits atop our best Dyson vacuum guide.
So after nearly two years of regular cleaning with the V15, would I still recommend it? How does it match up against the rest of the best cordless vacuums on the market — and specifically, the newest models from Dyson's great competitor, Shark? Here's my long-term review.
Smooth mover
Let's start with what I love about our Dyson dust-sucker. The suction is excellent, and the Auto mode (where the suction will increase or decrease depending on how much dirt is detected on the floor) is a very welcome addition. I use this mode almost exclusively, and it can be relied upon to do a thorough job of clearing whatever debris has gathered on the floor. I haven't noticed a drop in cleaning performance over our two years of use.
The V15 is also extremely easy to maneuver. Our home has lots of stairs, and plenty of nooks and crannies where dust and hair like to collect and lurk, and the V15 Detect does a great job of getting into all of them. I love how easily and smoothly the head pivots, and the fact it can lie completely flat to the ground for cleaning under beds.
Many of the newest Shark vacuums have a hinge on the vacuum wand, which enables it to bend forwards for cleaning under furniture. It works well, but adds bulk to the wand, and the whole thing is slightly unwieldy in its folded state. For my home, the Dyson setup works perfectly well, but if you're lacking in maneuvering room, perhaps Shark's 'MultiFlex' / 'Flexology' solution would be a better fit.
The hidden crevice tool is a lifesaver in my tall home (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)
I'm also a huge fan of the Dyson V15's secret crevice tool. It's hidden in the wand, so I'm never without it. Our house is tall and thin, with four floors, and this built-in tool means that if I spot a dusty corner at the top of the house, I don't have to traipse all the way down to the utility room to fetch a detail tool to deal with it. As far as I'm aware, this feature is exclusive to Dyson at the moment.
Having tested a number of vacuums from Dyson and various other brands, I'm always struck by how consistently high quality and well-built the Dyson vacs feel. There's a strong attention to detail in the design, and they feel sturdy and reliable. That's still true of the V15 after nearly two years of use.
Lasers and data
Now on to a couple of features that have divided opinion within my household. The V15 comes with a couple of different floorheads: the Digital motorbar head, which has bristles and is designed for use on any floor type, and the Fluffy optic head, which is entirely soft and built for use on hard flooring. The latter is equipped with a green light to illuminate dust.
I love using the light on the soft floorhead to chase down dust bunnies (Image credit: Future)
I'm very on board with the Fluffy floorhead. I love that it feels gentle on our tiled kitchen floor (and doesn't clatter over it as most vacuum cleaner heads will), and I appreciate the way the light draws attention to dust and hair lurking in dingy corners. I find it very satisfying to then whisk that dust away, and always feel I'm getting a far more thorough clean than I would without this feature.
However, my partner is not so enamored with the Fluffy floorhead. He feels the Digital motorbar floorhead works perfectly well on hard floors, and it's not worth the hassle of swapping the heads over.
Both the V15 and the Gen5detect (pictured) have real-time dust reports (Image credit: Future)
Then there are the real-time dust reports on the screen. I find these endlessly fascinating, and I enjoy seeing the dust hotspots causing the bar graphs to spike. However, when I asked my partner for his thoughts, it became clear that not only was he not paying them any attention, but he didn't really know what they were. Is is possible the general public is just not as invested in the intricacies of vacuum cleaning as I am? Maybe.
Bulking up
Moving on to the down-sides of the V15. The most significant complaint I have with it is that V15 Detect is that it's pretty heavy. Further to that, the weight is concentrated in the main motor section, which itself is rather elongated in shape. That makes it rather unwieldy, and especially when used in handheld mode.
The V15 (background) and newer Dyson vacuums have a rather heavy, elongated motor section, which can make them a little awkward to use (Image credit: Future)
All of Dyson's newer vacuums (I'd say from this model onwards — so the V15, the Gen5detect and the V16 Piston Animal) suffer from this weight distribution issue.
Looking to Shark's range, the fancier models, such as the PowerDetect Cordless, are actually heavier overall. However, the motor/handle section is more squat in shape, and there's more weight through the wand and into the floorhead. That means more even weight distribution, which can make for a more comfortable vacuuming experience.
A triggering issue
Another big complaint I have with the V15 is that it's trigger-operated, with no option to lock it for continual running. I find that irritating when I'm using the vacuum for long periods, or trying to get into awkward corners while keeping the trigger compressed.
I prefer the setup on Dyson's newer models, where there's a one-press power button. However, that's still not perfect — it requires you to have a hand free to turn the machine on and off, because the power button is not reachable from your holding hand.
Most modern Shark models use button operation, and just like the Dyson designs, you can't reach the button from your holding hand. My ideal design is one where the vacuum is trigger-operated but with a lock for continual running. No Dyson vacuum has this setup, and neither do any of Shark's newest stick vacs, although that brand's range is so sprawling you might find a trigger-plus-lock design somewhere.
The V15 (foreground) switches on and off with a trigger on the handle — which can be frustrating when using it for longer cleaning sessions (Image credit: Future)
One comment that I hear sometimes about Dyson stick vacuums is that they don't always last as long as customers expect. Our V15 is still going strong after just under two years (which is actually at the lower end of how long cordless vacuums are meant to last, although most people would probably hope for longer).
Prior to that, my partner had a Dyson Cyclone V10, which lasted over five years. At that point the battery conked out, and replacing it only fixed the issue for a few months. I think that's a decent lifespan for a vacuum, but your mileage may vary.
Is it worth it?
After two years using my Dyson V15, I'd still recommend it. Its cleaning powers are excellent with no signs of fading, its special features genuinely useful, and I love how maneuverable it is.
I personally also prefer it to Shark's newest models. I cover my main thoughts on this in my Shark vs Dyson article, but as a short overview, it's special features feel superior — Dyson's laser lights are far more effective than Shark's headlamps, and its Auto mode feels more precise. The Dyson also pivots more smoothly and the overall design feels sleeker and more high-end.
However, it's not a clear-cut decision. The Shark PowerDetect Cordless offers the best outright cleaning performance of any vacuum I've used, including all the Dyson models. Shark's models also arguably deliver better value for money — although its higher-spec models still sit in the premium price tier.
The bottom line? After using the V15 for a couple of years, and testing multiple other vacs from different brands including Shark, I'm still something of a Dyson fan-girl. When our at-home vac finally bites the dust, we'll probably end up buying another Dyson, although I will still be checking out what Shark has to offer...
Instructions hidden as white text in a Word document can make Microsoft 365 Copilot silently alter the file it is drafting and copy the instructions into the output
Each poisoned document becomes a carrier, so the attack spreads through ordinary internal workflows without the original malicious file and needs no macros, malware, or code execution
Microsoft has shipped two mitigations across a 144-day disclosure, including a model upgrade, and the attack was still reproducible by the researcher
A security researcher has published a proof of concept showing that instructions hidden inside a Word document can cause Microsoft 365 Copilot to silently alter the file it is drafting, then copy those same instructions into the finished document, so the next person to use it becomes a carrier too.
Håkon Måløy, a data scientist with a doctorate in applied machine learning, disclosed the technique as the third installment of his Context Collapse series, after a 144-day coordinated disclosure with the Microsoft Security Response Center.
The reason this is being reported ahead of a fix is that it still works despite multiple attempts by Microsoft, as he notes that no robust mitigation for the broader vulnerability class is currently available.
A clever attack designed around Copilot's approach to text
The underlying attack belongs to a family known as cross-domain prompt injection, or XPIA. An attacker writes instructions in a natural-language document, formats them as white text on a white background at a small point size, and shares the file.
Because Copilot for Word strips formatting before passing text to the underlying language model, the model reads text the human never sees. This is true even for documents that are not opened by the user on purpose: The attack can trigger either when a user manually attaches a document to Copilot or when Copilot, working in Work IQ mode, searches the user's OneDrive for relevant files and finds the malicious one on its own.
It is also more dangerous than other exploits because of one key element: propagation. The hidden prompt in Måløy's proof of concept had two parts. One instructed Copilot to alter the document being drafted, in his demonstration halving every financial figure in a quarterly report.
The other instructed Copilot to copy the prompt into the new document and conceal it, framed innocuously as source tracking and readability formatting. Copilot did both, appending the instructions in white text and mentioning neither action to the user.
The disclosure timeline is the most uncomfortable part of the report. Måløy reported to MSRC on March 6 2026. Microsoft confirmed the behavior on March 31 and shipped a first mitigation in early April via a reworked Edit with Copilot experience, which successfully blocked his original prompt wording. He reproduced the attack with different wording the same week, and a second case was opened.
The second fix, on July 14, consisted of upgrading the underlying model to GPT-5.5. Måløy broke it the following day using GPT-5.6, then voluntarily offered Microsoft a further two-week delay to attempt another mitigation. The class still reproduced on the disclosure date, indicating that although a fix is in the works, the exploit is still possible to run.
A complicated issue that lacks a proper resolution
The issue goes far beyond Microsoft Word: an AI assistant must ingest untrusted content to determine whether it is relevant or hostile. But the content enters the same context window as the system prompt and the user's actual request, so by the time the model evaluates whether the text is an attack, the attacker's tokens have already shaped that evaluation.
As Måløy puts it, "the content being inspected participates in the act of inspection."
Microsoft confirmed it had reviewed the findings in a statement to The Register but stopped short of indicating a timeline for a complete fix:
“We have addressed the findings reported by the researcher and thank them for working with us through coordinated vulnerability disclosure," the company said.
"To address this class of risk, we use a defense-in-depth strategy with safeguards that block malicious instructions at multiple points and help keep tasks aligned with users’ requests. We are continuously strengthening these safeguards as the technology and threat landscape evolve. We encourage customers to install the latest updates, use multiple layers of security protection, treat content from unknown sources with caution, and review AI-generated content before using or sharing it.”
Måløy's recommendations are to treat externally sourced documents as untrusted when using them with Copilot, review attachments before starting an AI-assisted draft, and review Copilot's output carefully before sharing or reusing it.
He also suggested that generated documents should carry provenance metadata that records source material and model edits, which would not prevent injection but would make an infection traceable after the fact.
With Copilot extending further into agentic products that create and manipulate documents with less human oversight, the scope of how exploits like this could affect workflows (and users) will widen rather than narrow, and a complete solution is not yet in sight.
Kaspersky says empty web pages are watching you, and the research backs up the warning
Over 90% of parked domains now send visitors somewhere malicious, and clearing your cookies will not help
Blank pages are also a problem: many 'Coming Soon' placeholders are quietly fingerprinting your device
Kaspersky has unveiled a rather underreported attack vector which is increasingly being used by threat actors to harvest private data from unsuspecting victims: registered websites that are yet to be developed.
Its warning focuses on parked domains, the registered web addresses that have no real website behind them yet, arguing that the blank screens and "Coming Soon" placeholders users dismiss as harmless are frequently doing work in the background.
The company says simply loading one of these pages can trigger silent collection of a visitor's IP address, approximate location, User-Agent string and cookie identifiers, and that operators go further by building browser fingerprints through other techniques, then feeding the result into advertising networks to assemble targeted profiles without consent from users.
Browser fingerprinting sans the permissions
The mechanics Kaspersky describes are worth understanding, because fingerprinting is the part most readers will not have encountered, and the part that conventional privacy habits do not touch.
For context, a cookie is a file placed on your machine that you can delete, thereby limiting tracking. A fingerprint is not stored on your machine at all. It is derived from how your specific hardware and software combination renders a test image, draws 3D graphics, or processes an audio signal, producing a value distinctive enough to identify the same device across unrelated sites.
Browser fingerprinting, the method used to capture such data within a browser session, is attractive to trackers because it is considerably harder to shake off. A private browsing window prevents your machine from keeping a local record of the visit, but it does not change how your hardware renders the test image, so the fingerprint it produces remains largely the same.
Such domains can also cause more direct damage than selling one's information to advertisers. Kaspersky says threat actors embed scripts that bounce visitors onward to fraudulent platforms, adult content, or online casinos. It flags typosquatting as a particularly acute risk, in which a domain differing from a well-known brand by a letter or two can capture mistyped traffic, landing the user on a phishing page or triggering a drive-by download.
This isn't the first time the problem has been reported, either, as recent research from Infoblox finding that in large-scale experiments, over 90% of the time, a visitor to a parked domain was routed to illegal content, scams, scareware, antivirus subscription traps, or malware.
Kaspersky recommends several ways to mitigate the risk, including avoiding suspicious links, clearing cache and cookies after an unintended visit, and using software that blocks web tracking.
Clearing cookies is worth noting, though: it addresses the cookie identifiers Kaspersky mentions, but by the company's own explanation it does nothing about fingerprinting, because there is nothing stored locally to clear.
Parked domains, including blank pages that appear inert, are now a routine part of criminal infrastructure rather than digital litter and should be treated with caution. At best, you give away more information than you meant to. At worst, you become the victim of an attack you never saw coming.
Growing up music-obsessed, my household CD collection was substantial. Along with my own music, it was largely made up of albums my parents had accumulated separately. Like a library filled with books, it unlocked an educational portal on all things music and ignited my respect for the album.
And yes, I use the best music streaming services to satisfy my daily music needs, but I’m still an album-listener, and I haven’t left physical music out of my consumption habits. That said, I’ve always imagined what it would be like to bring the nostalgia of CD-browsing into the digital era. Thankfully, Ricardo Amorim is doing just that with his start-up company Spine Music.
Launching on Kickstarter this fall, Amorim’s inaugural product is the Spine display, a digital music display you can connect to your Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal account. But what’s impressive about Spine is that it displays all of your saved albums as if they were a CD collection, which you can browse and play through headphones and speakers.
For a company that’s so new, Amorim’s mission is tunnel vision: to reconnect people with music. As he awaits the launch of Spine, Amorim sat down with me to talk about his product in detail and why he thinks it will never replace physical music.
A display that's been years in the making
Images of the Spine Music display are CGI renders, and are subject to change by the time the Kickstarter campaign launches (Image credit: Spine Music)
Spine was unveiled to the world just this year, but for Amorim, it’s something he’s been thinking about for a lot longer. “The idea itself is something I've been kicking about in my head for years," he tells me. "It started off with me wanting to buy something like it, so it wasn’t like ‘this is a company I should start’; it was more ‘this is a product I need because I love streaming’."
Just two minutes into our conversation, I realized Amorim and I are quite similar. We both appreciate the accessibility and convenience of music streaming, but our attachment to physical music is in our DNA. It’s what keeps us grounded. “I love everything that (streaming) brings me. I love having access to every album under the sun, but I grew up with physical music, and I missed that,” he says, and I get it.
With this in the back of his mind, it all became clear to him, as he tells me, “Surely there's something out there that can bridge that gap.
"I left my job and said ‘you know what, if nobody's making it, then I'll go ahead and make it’. I went on a sabbatical starting last year and took time off to recharge and rethink what I want to do. Then Spine came up again as an idea, and I thought it was the perfect time”.
While Spine is a handy digital music shelf that gives you immediate access to your streaming library, it’s so much more than that for Amorim. “The emotional reconnection with music is what I would like Spine to be able to achieve, but not leaving behind all the benefits that streaming and technology have brought us," he adds.
"I love streaming, but I do feel like if you truly love music and you talk about music and want to move your relationship with it beyond your phone, there are few ways of doing so."
Album-centric with minimal features
With the Spine Music mobile app, you can add and remove albums. You can also curate the order in which your albums appear on the display (Image credit: Spine Music)
Unlike streaming platforms where the user interface is central to the experience, this isn’t a priority for Spine. Instead, Amorim argues that the device’s minimal display encourages higher levels of browsing.
“One core concept of the product is to have no UI. So we designed the whole experience to be about swiping to browse, tap to open, and tap to play," Amorim details, adding "and there are no buttons once you've loaded your library in, it’s just gestures to protect themusic”.
The other core concept is to spotlight albums in all their glory, which I raise my glass to. “You can import your playlists, but Spine will behave like a music shelf that displays albums. So, say you import your late-night jazz playlist, it'll pull up all the relevant tracks that are part of that playlist and display that," he tells me.
"There's something different about listening to an album end-to-end that an artist puts so much effort into thinking about. That’s what I wanted to project, hence why there's a deliberate decision in trying to maintain that conceptual connection with a music shelf”. It’s music to my ears.
(Image credit: Spine Music)
But there’s one thing Amorim wants to be clear about: Spine is a display, not a player. When you select an album from your collection on Spine, the rest is done through your streaming service of choice, meaning it doesn’t render audio files.
“Spine will trigger the beginning of an album or play something through your streaming service, and then the streaming service will own the relationship with where it goes to play and so on. Once you have that concept in mind, then it's not about queuing, it's about browsing and starting the listening journey,” Amorim tells me, and there’s one particular reason for this.
“People have invested a reasonable amount of money in their own audio gear and hi-fi gear, so it doesn't make sense to me to try to replace that. I feel like we have a different job to do”.
Physical music is never out of the question
(Image credit: Spine Music )
Just looking at the images of Spine brings back so many memories of seeing my home CD collection lined up in the cabinet — not to mention it looks great in a home audio setup. There’s just one question going through my head, however: will the convenience of Spine prompt users to stop collecting physical music? Amorim doesn’t think so.
“I don't think it tries to compete with physical media in that sense. What I notice is every time someone connects their library to Spine, there's an emotional wave that hits you when you see your music back on the wall again. You can't explain it; you just feel it,” he elaborates, recalling one of his favorite parts about CD collecting.
He goes on. “My nostalgia comes from browsing the liners of the albums. I remember to this day there's a Pearl Jam album that came with a bunch of little Polaroids, I think it was No Code, and I still love that. I miss it. Spine is not going to go there, and I would love for people to still go and buy those albums and experience that themselves”. At the same time, he reemphasizes Spine’s singular goal.
“It's really about reconnecting people with music. I truly believe that the feeling of connection we have with music goes beyond just the pure sound coming off of it. It's the relationships it can start, it’s the conversations it sparks."
Casual discovery and conversations around music have dipped in the streaming era. For most people, listening to an album is enough, but for those who really appreciate music, discourse is vital. This is something Amorim wants to revive.
“I've recently written about bringing back serendipity and casual discovery. You know, it's having friends over, and they start browsing through your collection and saying ‘oh, I remember this album’, or ‘oh I never heard of this one’," he shares.
But as it stands, Amorim’s focus is introducing Spine to the world and developing a new kind of music player, but he believes there’s already room for growth.
“Right now the core focus is music doing one job really well, but I can see potential in browsing books in a similar manner, and potentially even films and TV to an extent," he believes. "It's that sense of curation that comes with a limited amount of space, even though of course you can swipe and keep going.
"But if you're going to put something up on your wall in your home, you're probably going to have a different level of curation than you would if it's something hidden in your phone that nobody can see. So, I feel like that can apply to other types of media at some point,” he says.
There's still a bit of time before users can get their hands on the Spine display. While pre-orders open on Kickstarter this fall, shipping doesn't start until early 2027, so there's still a bit of a wait. So far, Spine looks like a promising device, and I'm fascinated to see how music lovers take to it.
Amazon plans to launch 5,105 satellites to support new mobile networks
The filing with the FCC highlights voice, data, emergency services, and Internet of Things support
Amazon Leo already has over 390 satellites in orbit, enough to launch the plans ahead of the full deployment
Amazon has confirmed its “low Earth orbit” (LEO) satellite network has submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy a constellation of 5,105 satellites which will provide voice, data, messaging, emergency services access, and Internet of Things support for under the Amazon Leo Direct-to-Device (D2D) project.
The application follows Amazon’s merger with Globalstar, acquiring the US satellite telecommunications company’s operations, infrastructure, and global licenses and authorizations.
This step into orbit will see Amazon Leo’s existing satellites work alongside the Globalstar HIBLEO and C-3 satellite constellations, kicking off early D2D project support ahead of approval for the full network of comsats.
High-speed, low-latency
Much like Starlink, the Amazon Leo network is intended to bridge the connectivity gap between cities and remote communities. It aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband for domestic and enterprise markets, as well as governments, with consumers gaining connectivity via the Leo Nano, Leo Pro, and Leo Ultra high-performance antennae. Meanwhile, mobile devices with satellite-capable chipsets can connect to the satellites without an additional antenna.
Apple iPhones and Apple Watch models are also supported, under a previous agreement to collaborate with Apple. Amazon Leo already delivers data for Emergency SOS, Messages, Find My, and Roadside Assistant to iPhones.
Other partnerships have also been announced that feed into the D2D project. “Telecom operators like Vodafone, DirecTV, Herotel, and Australia’s National Broadband Network [...] it plans to continue working with mobile network operators and other partners to deliver on its long-term vision for space-based connectivity.”
Beyond offering connectivity to remote locations, D2D can enable data support for global fleet management, remote operations for supply chains, and IoT connectivity.
Amazon Leo’s satellites
Following initial deployment in 2025 with 80+ launches with Arianespace, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance, Amazon Leo is aiming at 5,105 low Earth orbit satellites. These units are connected using optical links, capable of high-speed data transfer, with secure gateways networked across the planet, with fiber connectivity.
The D2D satellites are intended to operate across five orbital “shells” – essentially five groups that share the same altitude and inclination. Three shells will cover the mid-latitude, one shell will cover the high-latitude, and the fifth providing coverage for “near-polar” zones. Mid-latitude zones are the world's most heavily populated regions (North America, Europe, parts of Asia, and southern/central Africa) while the high-latitude coverage aims to deliver high speed internet to the Arctic and sub-Arctic circles.
With increasing demands for mobile data, not just for remote working but also Internet of Things applications, Amazon Leo could prove to be the solution that facilitates home and workplace automation around the world – assuming, of course, that it gets that FCC approval.
Normally, when my TikTok FYP causes me to experience an extreme case of FOMO, I do something I regret. That's ranged from buying something cheap and tacky on TikTok Shop to queueing for hours to get sub-par food at a restaurant that influencers say is my area's "best-kept secret".
But that losing streak has ended with The Odyssey in 4DX.
If you've been active on social media in the last two weeks, you might have come across the many viral videos of cinema-goers having popcorn knocked out of their hands while their chair moves at a million miles a minute in Troy, and being sprayed in the face during one of the many seen featuring Odysseus (Matt Damon) at sea.
At first, I thought these clips were performative. I hate the idea that filming in theaters has become as commonplace as it has (which is why I won't be sharing any of those clips here), but surely watching The Odyssey in 4DX isn't like a very dark log flume at Six Flags... is it?
After giving into curiosity and getting myself a ticket, I can happily confirm that the TikToks don't lie. Not only do I think that my 4DX-perience was my favorite cinema visit of 2026 so far, but having seen The Odyssey in three different formats — standard DCP, IMAX 70mm, and now 4DX — I can confirm that 4DX wins out by a long shot.
Before you think I've taken too many Greek beatings to the head — surely Christopher Nolan's original IMAX format is superior? — let me explain my thinking. Here's what you need to know about 4DX, my review of the movie in this format, and the five most brutal scenes, which on their own are, I think, worth the price of your ticket.
The Odyssey in 4DX: the basics
4DX screenings feel almost as few and far between as IMAX 70mm. There are a relatively few 790 screens worldwide, meaning that if you don't live in a big city that has one, you'll have to add the cost of a trip to the admission price.
That price is also the most premium of the three formats. I'm based in the UK, and the cost of my three options for watching the The Odyssey is as follows:
Standard screening: £16.99
IMAX 70mm screening: £26
4DX screening: £28
In the US, the prices will look something like this:
Standard screening: $12–$20
IMAX 70mm screening: $25-$35
4DX screening: approx $35
I've left out a few other formats that I haven't seen The Odyssey in, including 70mm, IMAX and Superscreen. It's also worth pointing out that thanks to my beloved Cineworld membership, I only had to pay out an additional £6 for my 4DX screening on top of the monthly direct debit.
Do I think the full price is worth the experience? Yes and no. The cost of 4DX is extortionate, and I don't think the experience would work for a first-time viewing — you'd be too busy worrying where your nachos have gone to keep up with whether Robert Pattinson is Antinous or Agamemnon.
Having said that, I think it has to be done once. As I'll explain below, I think 4DX makes for an ideal second or third viewing of The Odyssey, and I feel quite smug that I've had the chance to experience being enlightened by the Gods (of cinema tech).
What social media has got wrong, though, is the idea that The Odyssey in 4DX is a "three-hour rollercoaster." While you're getting a lot of bang for your buck in terms of movement and effects, a lot of the movie's scenes allow for the stillness you'll feel in desperate need of.
As someone who got battered relentlessly from beginning to end while watching Top Gun: Maverickin 4DX, and was worried because she'd forgotten her travel sickness tablets before heading to Ithaca, this was a welcome surprise.
However, ladies — please don't make my mistake and wear a dress or skirt. I'd recommend long pants, a supportive sports bra. I'd also recommend a minimal amount of snacks, and a maximum amount of drinks; there's ample time and space to go to the bathroom, I promise.
Don't forget: you'll be in control of some of the effects yourself. You can choose to turn water on or off at any time, and you can lean forward to avoid any unwanted back damage during fight scenes.
Review: 4DX allows The Odyssey to compensate for its lack of heart and emotion
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
My biggest problem with The Odyssey isn't just that it's clearly not Nolan's best movie, but that there's next to no heart or emotion in it.
From a technical perspective, the new film is a genuine masterpiece. Cinematography, score, performances, production design… everything, and everyone, is firing on all cylinders.
But even with all of those things in place, nothing comes through the screen enough to touch your heart. You'll absolutely be impressed… but moved? It's not like you're really rooting for anybody to reunite (and if you are, chances are they'll end up dead).
By seeing The Odyssey in 4DX, you become the character that brings the missing emotion. I defy you not to giggle your way through being slammed about on a Bronze Age boat, weep because you can literally feel the pain of Odysseus being shot by arrows, and gleefully lean into every witch-like stroke as Circe (a magnificent performance from Samantha Morton) turns soldiers into pigs.
Frankly, it's all a riot that neither Homer nor Nolan likely expected when they decided to tell this story. As I said earlier, you'll need to see the film while stationary first to fully grasp the nuances and gravitas of the story, but in 4DX you'll feel as bruised and confused as Odysseus did throughout his 10-year journey home. Bottom line: it's so much fun.
The Odyssey's most brutal scenes in 4DX
Any time Odysseus is on a boat
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Let's start with the elephant in the room. With Odysseus and his crew taking 10 years to get home to Ithaca from Troy, we spent a lot of time at sea.
For the most part, this involves of some gentle chair-rocking, not the chaotic assault on the senses you've seen on TikTok. With the effects slowed down and used minimally in these instances, you really understand how impactful the slightest spritz of water or well thought-out vibration can be.
Depending on where you're sitting in the theater, the in-seat water effects will perform differently. As I was sitting in the center of the second row of my section, I mostly got soaked on the lower half of my body. If you sit down and there's a black barrier directly in front of you; I'm sorry to say that you'll be taking some direct hits to the face.
Regardless of where you're sitting, a separate effects system in the ceiling rig of the theater, which takes care of rain, snow, smoke and light effects, will make sure that the rest of you is drenched. And even when the waters aren't choppy, for much of Odysseus' journey home he's pelted by rain storms, so maybe save hair-wash day until the day after your screening.
The cyclops
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Our first big action sequence in The Odyssey, the cyclops scenes, are the perfect 4DX starter, getting us ready for bigger and better things to come.
Lots of sudden, juddering movements within the seat are used each time the cyclops decides to have some dinner, with additional smoke effects being used depending on how high the fire in his cave is burning. In an ideal world, I'd have liked a bit of cheese smell-o-vision at this point... but we can't have it all.
Things ramps up a level when Odysseus decides that blinding our cyclops with a hot stick is a good means of escaping. Somehow, the cyclops' painful cries — which made me think that my ear drums were going to burst during my first screening — were more palatable to listen to, perhaps because I was being distracted by the sudden whiplash I'd suffered thanks to the stick's movement.
As Odysseus disguises his men as sheep and successfully gets them out of the cave, you can almost imagine the cyclops' gigantic fingers running down your spine. Things take a more violent 4DX turn when Odysseus decides to provoke the creature with a final arrow to the face (I mean... what was the point of that?), leaving the crew to charge towards the boats on the island's coast.
We feel every tumble, misplaced step and unexpected branch-to-head contact that the boys get — but the real fun begins when the cyclops himself enters the water. Performing a belly flop that could have won him a gold medal at the Jackass Olympics, the cyclops' demise is our first real test of the in-seat water system, combined with some severe shaking as his colossal frame hits the sea.
The 7ft soldiers in silver
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
The action sequence I was the most impressed by (in terms of both production design and 4DX) is Odysseus' next stop on his ill-fated journey. The gang arrives on another island, only to be met by giant soldiers in silver armor, who remarkably were real 7ft-tall actors.
Given that they fight with machetes instead of Greek bows and arrows and swords, expect some serious upper back damage here. Out of every scene in the movie, this one inflicted the longest sustained impact between my shoulder blades, which I could still feel the next day.
What's also really fun here is the use of air bursts. Two 'air jets' are mounted on either side of your seat's headrest, and are used almost every time a Greek soldier shoots an arrow at his target. It feels exactly like the arrow is zooming past you, just without the pain.
4DX also manages to briefly incorporate the use of the snow machine during this scene, as Odysseus and co come across a woodland shrouded in dense mist.
There's a surprising lack of water effects, despite the soldiers clambering back into their boats mere minutes after they first disembarked. Only one of those boats makes it to freedom, but at least you won't be drowned, like the poor souls who didn't make it.
The final storm
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
The big kahuna, and the moment you've seen plastered all over TikTok, is the final storm. By this, I mean the scene directly after Odysseus has chastised his men for eating Apollo's cattle when Tiresias (James Remar)specifically warned them not to, and their repaired ship heads out to sea once more when the volatile winds clear.
As we know, this was a trap by Poseidon and Zeus, who mean to kill all the men responsible through a fatal storm. Incredibly, the 4DX experience is exactly as brutal as it looks in all of the social media clips.
The special effects go into overdrive, with the audience bombarded by everything bar the snow machine, and the kitchen sink, at the same time. I was holding onto my seat trying to steady myself through severe turbulence, wondering whether I was the first person in history to consume the story of The Odyssey and almost die laughing in the process.
There are shots to your back and sides, water and winds to the face, rain falling onto your head, constant strobe lighting to replicate the weather (definitely not suitable for those with epilepsy) and enough jostling to give you a mild concussion.
A special shoutout must go to the in-seat air jets by your legs, which begin to be utilized shortly before, when Odysseus must steer his vessel between the whirlpool that is Charybdis, and the six-headed monster, Scylla. If you don't have anything covering your legs, they're about to be whipped so hard that they sting.
Then just when we think it's all over, a brief pause in movement lulls the audience into a false sense of security. The boat splits in half as Odysseus' crew sinks into darkness, and we're back to being pummeled to within an inch of our lives. Make sure your snacks are firmly on the floor in the moments beforehand, or risk covering the person next to you in nacho cheese and guacamole as an unexpected additional effect.
This moment alone is worth the £28, in my opinion... what an experience.
Odysseus' homecoming fight
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
But we're not out of the woods just yet! Before attending my 4DX screening, I wondered if the effects would be limited to scenes with lots of travel in. I'd only seen Top Gun: Maverick andJurassic World: Dominion in the format before The Odyssey, so I didn't have a handle on what happens when you're not flying, driving, or a cretaceous monster.
Turns out, fight scenes are just as thoughtfully rendered to make your back ache for days, even if they're just in a palace hall. Once Odysseus re-fights for Penelope's (Anne Hathaway) hand in marriage at the palace trial, he turns his successfully strung bow on the group of suitors, including Antinous (Pattinson). It's a different kind of chaos, and we're once again immersed in it.
Our seats sway in whichever direction our victim is being attacked from, with our shoulders blades once again jabbed to oblivion as other weapons manage to find their way back into the great hall. The air jets are working 10 to the dozen here, but thankfully just the ones by your head.
There's a particular moment where Antinous breaks an entire chair over Odysessus' back, and it got me thinking that I should really try seeing a chiropractor for the first time. Nothing says 'final farewell' quite like a parting blow that could potentially cause permanent damage — and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Even without being directly tied to The Big Bang Theory, there's an incredibly satisfying reason for why fans should invest in new HBO Max spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: how returnable it is.
By that, I mean the comedy series could easily run for five, 10, or even a million more seasons and not dip in quality or have any continuity issues. Because there's an infinite number of universes to explore, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could be taken in any number of zany directions and still make complete sense.
In an age where high-quality TV shows are often being axed before they've been in streamable orbit for more than a month, the idea of this alone is refreshing. However, I do have an ulterior motive for wanting Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn's latest creation to last for as long as possible.
Given enough time, I think that Stuart Fails to Save the Universecould course-correct the biggest mistake that the overarching world it spins off from has ever made, affecting both TBBT and subsequent spinoff Young Sheldon before anybody realized it was a huge issue. Frankly, it's a grudge I've held onto tightly for the last two years (at best).
So when I had the chance to interview the creative trio for their new HBO Max comedy, I wasted no time pitching my story idea for future seasons. I knew it was solid, but I wasn't expecting them to genuinely consider it.
The pitch: bring George Cooper back to life
The biggest mistake TBBT ever made was killing off George Cooper before he was even a realized character in Young Sheldon. In fact, the decision was so poorly judged that Lorre publicly apologized for it after George's funeral in Young Sheldon season 7.
Let me explain. When we first meet adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) in TBBT, we learn that his father had died of a heart attack when he was a teenager, and was described as mean, absent, an adulterer and sometimes abusive alcoholic. The less said about him the better, put it that way.
But by the time Young Sheldon took off in 2017, we learned another version of Sheldon's (Iain Armitage) truth. For most of his childhood in Medford, Texas, George (Lance Barber) did everything he could to try and understand a child that seemed so alien to him. Even George's alleged affair was disproved, turning out to be Sheldon's mother Mary (Zoe Perry) in a wig.
George took Sheldon for his first-ever visit to his future academic home CalTech, drove him to NASA's headquarters just so Sheldon could prove their math was wrong, and let him talk about scientific methods beyond George's comprehension for hours on end simply because it made Sheldon happy. If you ask me, he was an incredible dad.
But the fact that George would have to die around the time Sheldon was 14 was hanging over our heads from the moment the prequel spinoff was realized. I don't think anybody expected Young Sheldon to become the gargantuan success that it was, and by the time we got to season 7, the inevitable happened.
Episodes 12-14 of season 7 were dedicated to unpacking George's death, which happened off-screen while he was coaching football at the local high school. It's something that destroyed the rest of the Cooper family for good, with follow-up spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage continuing to help explore how Mary, Missy (Raegan Revord) and Georgie (Montana Jordan) all ended up becoming the people we meet in TBBT years later.
To me, George's death never actually needed to happen in Young Sheldon. Enough distance had been created between the prequel and TBBT to ignore adult Sheldon's vision of his childhood altogether, even if it couldn't be officially rectified. Worst case, they could have waited until season 7 had finished before implying that the death might have happened at some point between Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.
But instead, I sobbed through Mary breaking down after learning her husband had died, and cried my way through his funeral the next week (watching live at 1am UK time, which was a bad decision). I was so distraught and frustrated by the team's choices that I even wrote George a fake obituary, which actually led to me interviewing Barber himself.
Now that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has come along, we've got a unique chance to change history for the better.
'The universe you're looking for is out there — whether it makes it to TV is another question'
So here's the idea: by the time we get many seasons into Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Stuart will likely know how to control multiverse travel a whole lot better than he does at the moment. Logically, he could then visit a universe where George was never killed and voilà... TBBT's costly mistake is put behind us indefinitely.
If Parsons eventually has a cameo in the show too, all the better. There's no such thing as the "right" version of reality here... any one of them we come across could be where the story anchors down for good. So why shouldn't a universe fans are actually happy with be chosen in that case? It's a no-brainer decision, if you ask me.
"Let's discuss this when we're doing those future seasons," Lorre tells me, like I've just stormed into the HBO Max head office and requested a legitimate pitch meeting. "One thing you need to know is that we're not really thinking that far ahead… we're just trying to solve whatever is right in front of us."
"We'll definitely keep your ideas in mind," Penn follows up with. "There are an infinite number of universes within this universe, so the universe that you're looking for is going to exist by definition. Whether it makes it to TV is another question."
"Actually, there's a mathematical issue with that," Prady adds. "The fact that there's an infinite number of universes doesn't guarantee the existence of a particular universe."
I tell the trio that this isn't the positive mindset that I'm looking for, but even as they laugh at my unhinged fan plan delivered with so much gusto that it could have broken even Sheldon's brain, I'm convinced that I've planted an important seed.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe being renewed for more seasons feels like a given at this point, even if HBO Max hasn't officially confirmed anything as of writing. But the confidence with which the trio talk about the future suggests that we won't be done with the multiverse fun after 10 episodes.
So remember these words if you ever see George Cooper have a surprise cameo in the series, and remember who made the retcon magic happen. You're welcome, in advance.
I've spent the better part of a month filming everything from product close-ups to run-and-gun vlogs on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, and two accessories have completely changed how that footage looks and sounds: the DJI Osmo Mobile 8 gimbal and the DJI Mic Mini wireless microphone.
Individually, neither breaks new ground. But linked through DJI’s OsmoAudio ecosystem, they target the two quickest giveaways of amateur filmmaking at once: shaky movement and poor audio.
Why the Osmo Mobile 8 makes iPhone footage look intentional
(Image credit: Future)
The Osmo Mobile 8 is one of DJI's smartphone gimbals, and the headline upgrade over its predecessor is 360-degree pan rotation. That means you can track a subject through a full 360-degree spin without hitting a mechanical dead-end mid-take. It seems incremental on paper, but eliminating that rotational hard stop saves you from constantly having to pause and reset your framing during walk-and-talk shots.
For iOS shooters, the real highlight is direct Apple DockKit integration. It hands subject tracking over to Apple's own framework and works across more than 200 iOS apps rather than being locked to DJI's Mimo app. Point the camera at yourself, tap to lock on, and the gimbal keeps you centered while you move around a room. The magnetic phone clamp holds the iPhone 17 Pro Max securely despite its size, and the built-in tripod and extendable rod mean I've stopped carrying a separate stick for low, sweeping shots or basic selfie-stick framing.
The multifunctional module clips to the top of the gimbal and acts as the setup's central hub, handling three jobs at once: fill light, tracking sensor, wireless mic receiver. It can be mounted facing forward or reversed, depending on whether you're filming someone else or yourself.
The Mic Mini keeps a low profile
(Image credit: Future)
The DJI Mic Mini is a tiny wireless microphone system: the transmitter weighs about as much as a couple of paperclips and clips or magnet-mounts to a shirt collar without pulling the fabric down. It records 24-bit, 48kHz audio that punches well above its size class, and its two-level noise cancellation does a solid job of cutting background hum without making voices sound processed.
Setting it up is genuinely simple. The Mic Mini transmitter pairs directly with the multifunctional module on the Osmo Mobile 8 through OsmoAudio, so there's no separate receiver dongle hanging off your phone. Audio and video are captured together, in sync, from a single rig. Battery life is rated at roughly 11.5 hours on the transmitter, and the charging case extends that to about 48 hours total, so it's rarely the component that runs out first.
Take your video shooting to a new level
DJI
Osmo Mobile 8
The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 brings a genuinely useful upgrade to smartphone stabilization, headlined by a pan axis that now spins a full 360 degrees, giving sweeping panoramic shots and unbroken tracking motion that older Osmo models couldn't manage. Setup is effortless thanks to a magnetic phone clamp paired with a built-in sensor that automatically detects the phone and balances the gimbal, and tracking has been upgraded too: the new ActiveTrack system follows human or pet subjects automatically, keeping them in frame even with zooming and gimbal movement after they've left the shot.
The DJI Mic Mini packs a lot of pro capability into a tiny footprint, built for creators who want great audio without carrying extra gear. The transmitter weighs just 10 grams, offering a lighter and more discreet wearing experience than the DJI Mic 2, with both magnetic and clip-on styles so it won't weigh down a collar or flip outward on thin fabric. Battery life is a standout: the transmitter and receiver run for roughly 11.5 and 10.5 hours respectively, and a fully charged charging case adds about 3.6 more charges for a total of 48 hours of use — ideal for long interviews, travel, or all-day shoots.
Why they're better together, and still useful apart
Clipped onto the gimbal, the pair works as one cohesive system: the Mic Mini feeds audio straight into the recording alongside DockKit-tracked video, and small indicator lights on the module confirm the mic is connected without needing to check an app. That's the setup I use for anything scripted, since it means one rig, one battery to monitor, and zero trailing cables.
But the Mic Mini doesn't need the gimbal to be useful. Its separate mobile receiver plugs into the iPhone's USB-C port directly, so I can use it for a sit-down interview or a desk-based talking-head video with the gimbal left at home. It also pairs over Bluetooth straight to a phone, though that route caps out at a lower sample rate than the wired or OsmoAudio connection, so I only reach for it when convenience matters more than audio fidelity.
Real-world friction and useful tips
The Osmo Mobile 8 relies heavily on the DJI Mimo app to unlock its full feature set, and there's a learning curve before the gimbal feels natural rather than fiddly. It's also bulkier than a pocket-sized alternative like DJI's Osmo Pocket line, so it's not something you toss in a jacket pocket on the way out the door. That said, setup friction on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is minimal, as its USB-C port means charging and wired audio just work without requiring adapters.
A couple of practical tricks worth knowing: the gimbal features a hidden "Keep Composition" behavior. If you manually nudge a tracked subject off-center—say into the left third of the frame—it remembers that offset and holds that composition on future tracking shots rather than forcing the subject back to center. And if you ever need to unpair the gimbal from a phone without navigating Bluetooth menus, holding the shutter button, switch button, and trigger simultaneously for two seconds forces a hard reset of the connection.
A month in, this is the fastest upgrade I've made to my footage — faster than any editing trick. Fix the shake and the audio at the source, and the clip just looks like it came from a real camera.
