Autonomous trash collection

Abrin Vasquez remotely pilots a Caterpillar dozer spreading trash across the Marana Regional Landfill near Tucson, Ariz. He used to be out in the heat running the machine from the cab, a potentially dangerous job in the landfill’s rough, trash-filled terrain. Now, he is safely away from that in the control trailer, doing the same job from a virtual cab. What Vasquez and others are doing at the Marana landfill is likely a preview of the future of operating machinery in dusty and hazardous conditions. Remote-controlled and automated equipment could help ease a shortage of equipment operators at construction sites, landfills and other job sites struggling to fill positions. The government predicts about 42,500 new operators will be needed annually to backfill those leaving the job and to meet the projected 4pc growth in that workforce forecast by 2035.

(Adapted from “The Next Frontier for Autonomous Vehicles Is Burying Your Garbage,” by Bob Tita, published on September 19, 2026, by the Wall Street Journal)

One-person AI startups

Wu Songyun, 35, was chronically stressed from long work hours and demands from a tough boss. In 2024, she quit to launch TideFlow, but her app has yet to take off. Wu is part of a wave of young people in China starting companies with only one employee. Last year, more than 7m new one-person companies — including businesses beyond AI startups — were established in China, up around 42pc from 2024, according to state media. So far, these tiny enterprises haven’t become a major economic force—they face fierce competition across China’s high-tech sectors, and many aren’t making much money. But for China’s government, solo entrepreneurship has the potential to tackle two urgent priorities: accelerating AI adoption in a race against the US for tech dominance, and absorbing young people who are struggling to find the right jobs.

(Adapted from “Burned Out and Unemployed, Young People in China Are Launching AI Startups,” by Katrina Northrop and Hannah Miao, published on September 19, 2026, by the Wall Street Journal)

Space mirrors

In the normal course of things, night follows day. But if a Californian startup called Reflect Orbital gets its way, that might become optional. The firm, which has raised over $28m in funding since it was founded in 2021, hopes to fly tens of thousands of highly reflective mirrors into space, and then use them to illuminate dark parts of Earth on demand. The idea is to provide solar power after sunset, help with disaster relief and perhaps even replace streetlights in cities. Sunlight-as-a-service is not a new idea. It was first proposed by Hermann Oberth, a rocketry pioneer, in 1923. NASA gave the idea a more thorough going-over in a study published in 1977. Russia got as far as testing the idea in the real world: in 1993, a satellite called Znamya-2 unfurled a 20-metre-diameter mirror which produced a (very dim) spotlight 5km across on Earth’s surface for a few hours before burning up in the atmosphere.

(Adapted from “Space-Going Mirrors Could Offer Daylight On Demand,” by The Economist, published on September 23, 2026)

Dubai’s real estate

As the builder of the world’s tallest skyscraper and one of its biggest shopping malls, Emaar Properties embodies Dubai’s ambitions — and its resilience. Almost 20 years ago, the global financial crisis struck just as the 828-metre Burj Khalifa was about to open its doors. Emaar’s American unit filed for bankruptcy, the group’s profits sank, and debt ballooned. Five years ago, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Emaar came to the aid of its mall unit, buying out minority shareholders. This February, the Gulf war broke out, just as Emaar was enjoying record profits. The firm — regarded as a bet not only on Dubai’s property market but on its whole economy — was the biggest loser on the local stock market. Its share price dropped by about a quarter in the month after hostilities began, while the market index fell by a sixth. Although daily life in Dubai is largely back to normal, business in the Gulf is making a slow recovery, with companies that can looking for profits elsewhere.

(Adapted from “Business In The Gulf Is Making A Slow Recovery,” by The Economist, published on September 24, 2026, by The Economist)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 5th, 2026