I love my robot vacuum, and hey, I'm a nerd from way back so I also love my robot lawnmower.

I'm also a realist – I know that I'm an early adopter who sees the simplest form of most products before they mature to the point that they become truly mainstream.

The annual IFA Berlin Trade Fair this week has shown me that not only are we ready, but the choice of robots is endless.

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In Australia, Ecovacs Robotics has cornered the market on robot vacuums.

This week at IFA they held the global reveal of their latest creation.

The X2 OMNI is a new-look square robot vacuum with higher level suction capabilities, mops that lift when the machine detects carpet, a hot wash for the mops when done and an auto empty station that cleans the robot out ready for its next clean so you don't need to touch it for weeks on end.

The level of advanced robotics is probably lost on most owners, with robots like the X2 Omni able to not just navigate your home but create an advanced map for you in 3D as well as seeing things on the floors to avoid like the kids' socks, toys or cables.

With a price tag likely over $2000, that's certainly not for everyone.

In fact, it's more likely the X2 Omni will appeal to people who have had and used a robot for some time and know the value of the product and want to get more from it.

But at the lower price point, there are many, many options.

I believe I saw 15 to 20 different robot vacuum displays across the 27 halls that make up the Messe Berlin Showgrounds, and while some of them were recognisable brands, others were just start-ups or new brands trying to capture their portion of the market.

In Australia, we'll have a huge new range of products from the big names like Eufy, iRobot, Roborock and of course Ecovacs, but I even saw robot vacuums from Kärcher – a brand I'd only ever associated with outdoor pressure washers!

But it's not just the floors getting the complete robot attention.

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Your pool has for a long time had the creepy crawly vacuum cleaner which you could argue is a robot, but now the Surfer from Aiper could be floating across the top of your pool skimming up the leaves and debris that's floating around waiting to maybe get to the pool skimmer.

This solar-powered robot will ensure less makes it into the pool filter, making maintenance a simpler thing for pool owners.

Then in the backyard, the robot lawnmower has really come of age.

Three years ago, I installed a long wire around the edge of my backyard lawn, carefully measuring it out from the fence line or edge of the grass so that my robot lawnmower could know where the boundary is and just randomly go out and clip my lawns on a regular basis.

It was a lot to set up, but has been amazing.

Now, I see new products have launched in Europe like the Goat from Ecovacs which does not require that same installation.

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Instead, you place a beacon in the ground in a couple of areas of your yard and remotely control the Goat robot mower around the edge of your lawn, which teaches it your boundaries so it can cut and trim your lawn all week.

Also, it's not random.

Instead, the Goat mows in rows – kind of like you would do with a push mower.

Robots in the pool, robots doing the lawn, robots cleaning the house.

All we're waiting for are the robots to serve us food and drinks – but it does seem that's a long way off.

Alan Joyce has (almost) left the building.

Following today's shock resignation, and after 15 years as Qantas chief executive, it's estimated Joyce will walk away with up to $24 million in a final cash and share payout.

That eight-figure deal includes a tranche of 1.7 million Qantas shares worth close to $11 million for his stewardship of the airline over the coronavirus pandemic.

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And then there's an expected $12 million in pay and bonuses for 2023, but the precise dollar value won't be known until Qantas publishes its annual report later this year.

But given the storm that has engulfed the airline, particularly the past week, it's possible there may be some eleventh hour revisions to those numbers as pressure mounts on Qantas to hold back bonus payments to its top executives, including Joyce.

Despite Qantas's recent public image issues, to shareholders and the board, the 57-year-old was often worth his weight in gold.

Under Joyce's leadership, Qantas last week delivered a $2.5 billion record profit before tax, and over his years at the helm he oversaw an aggressive restructure of the airline in a manner that boosted profits but made him public enemy number one with unions.

Now, Joyce will hand over controls to incoming chief executive Vanessa Hudson.

Hudson will have to navigate a long-running court battle with the Transport Workers' Union over the illegal sacking of 1700 ground staff at the height of the pandemic, a case it has lost twice in the Federal Court.

But an ever bigger problem is the alleged selling of tickets on ghost flights, investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and now headed for court.

The ACCC said Qantas should be fined hundreds of millions of dollars if a court finds it breached consumer laws for allegedly selling thousands of tickets on 8000 flights it knew were never going to take off.

Humming away in the background is a class action over flights cancelled during the pandemic and intensifying political speculation over an Albanese-government decision to block Qatar Airways from being awarded more routes into Australia.

Joyce never shirked controversy and could be ruthless when it came to tough decisions.

READ MORE: Inside the movement slashing tyres of 'gas guzzling' SUVs

In 2011, after Joyce announced major restructuring plans, Qantas grounded its entire fleet and locked out staff following arguments with pilots, ground staff and engineers over pay, conditions and the outsourcing of jobs overseas.

Joyce leaves as one of the longest-ever serving chief executives of a major Australia company and perhaps closes the book on 35 years in the aviation sector.

In 1988 he joined Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of the Republic of Ireland, where he worked for eight years before his ambition and reputation pinged Australia's radar.

READ MORE: 'Let's end the turbulence': Reaction to Alan Joyce's early exit from Qantas

Joyce moved to the now-defunct Ansett Australia in 1996 before jumping to Qantas Group in 2000.

Within three years, he made chief executive of Qantas subsidiary Jetstar Airways.

And in November 2008 Joyce was crowned Qantas chief executive.

The next few months were meant to be a smooth-flying swansong for Joyce, who had planned to retire in November, neatly marking 15 years in charge of the flying kangaroo.

But as all passengers know, the seat belt sign can ding at anytime, along with a warning from the captain about turbulence not forecast.

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Two people have been detained in China after allegedly damaging a section of the Great Wall with an excavator to create a shortcut.

Authorities in Youyu County said they received a report on August 24 that a gap in the wall was created in Yangqianhe Township, in the northern Shanxi province.

After an investigation, police found a 38-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman had used an excavator to breach the wall in order to create a shortcut to pass through.

Explained: Who are the Tyre Extinguishers and what do they want?

The act caused "irreversible" damage to the integrity and safety of that portion of the wall, according to local media.

Police said the investigation was ongoing.

The area, known as the 32nd Great Wall, is one of the surviving complete walls and watch towers dated back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and is listed as a provincial cultural relic site.

The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

An image of a peregrine falcon tackling a brown pelican has taken the grand prize in the world's largest bird photography competition.

An Australian scientist is heading home for specialist medical care after an urgent rescue mission to Antarctica.

The expeditioner at Casey research station has a developing medical condition and needs care in Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division said in a statement.

Icebreaker ship RSV Nuyina left Hobart last week and travelled more than 3000km, breaking through sea ice to reach a location 144km from Casey on Sunday.

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Two helicopters took off from the deck, reaching Casey in just under an hour.

They collected the expeditioner and returned to the ship.

The RSV Nuyina is expected to arrive in Hobart next week, depending on weather conditions in the Southern Ocean.

All other personnel at the AAD's four stations are safe, and the expeditioner's family has been kept updated on the situation.

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"Getting this expeditioner back to Tasmania for the specialist medical care required is our priority," AAD acting general manager of operations and logistics Robb Clifton said.

"The first phase of the evacuation was performed safely and successfully and the ship is now on the return voyage to Hobart.

"The expeditioner will be looked after in the Nuyina's specially equipped and designed medical facility by our polar medicine doctors and Royal Hobart Hospital medical staff."

Up to 20 SUVs parked in one of Melbourne's wealthiest suburbs were attacked in the night last week, with owners waking to find the cars' tyres let down.

Climate activist group Tyre Extinguishers claimed responsibility for the sabotage in Toorak, signalling a local offshoot has emerged in Australia following the group's liftoff in the US and various European countries.

A spate of attacks internationally suggests the group is not going away anytime soon – and one expert claims their actions could be a "gateway to violence".

READ MORE: Vandals chop down and kill 265 trees near affluent Sydney street

And with SUVs making up more than 50 per cent of new vehicles sold in Australia last year, it's worthwhile to look at who the Tyre Extinguishers are, what are their goals and how attacks could escalate here.

Who are Tyre Extinguishers?

Tyre Extinguishers, or TX, have one aim, according to the group's website: "To make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4×4 in the world's urban areas."

Although TX now has affiliates in more than 20 countries – including the US, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK – it claims to be a "leaderless, autonomous movement" of groups, who act independently.

When did TX start?

While the nighttime ambush on SUVs in Toorak was new for Australia, TX has been active in international cities for some time.

The group registered a website and started a Twitter account in July 2021, and TX has claimed responsibility for many attacks around the world since.

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The Otago orchard was fined $225,000 after the teen was injured while cleaning machinery.

More than 2000 people have reported feeling the shaking.

Addicted to synthetic cannabis, he was sent to a care home near a ‘tinny house’.

Ballooning overseas student numbers are behind skyrocketing rental increases of up to $1000 in a year and adding to the scarcity of housing stock, a think tank has claimed.

According to the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), the federal government's move to cash in on the $40 billion international student industry has led to a hike in average rental prices.

In the past financial year, rents increased by 4.4 per cent on average – the equivalent of about $24 per week.

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IPA analysis showed demand pressures from the international student intake accounted for about 80 per cent of the increase to rents, on average, across Australia.

In the absence of international students, the research suggested, rents would have increased by only 0.88 per cent.

"Australians already facing a cost-of-living crisis are set to suffer further as the federal government's unplanned, record increase in the international student intake drives rents even higher making housing less affordable," Daniel Wild, deputy executive director of the IPA, said.

"While universities do provide some accommodation for students, the majority of students are in the private rental market, which is driving up costs for Australians.

"Universities must do significantly more to house those they entice here."

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In July, IPA research found the rise in net international student arrivals was the largest on record.

"Australia's intake of international students is well above comparable countries, and on a per capita basis, it is well over double the United Kingdom and approximately eight times that of the United States," Wild said.

"While international students may provide benefits to the bottom line of universities, the question needs to be asked as to how this is improving the experience of Australian students and the wider community."