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News of Note for the Internet-Minded – 12/23/15

Stories of interest this week include Toyota’s high-precision mapping system, a European ToS fight, 3D printing with glass, a recap of VR breakthroughs in 2015, and more.

• Google and Ford reported to team up for self-driving cars. (Sneha Teresa Johny, Reuters)

• Researchers use a robotic arm to bring the heat as they 3D print with glass. (John Biggs, TechCrunch)

• The popularity of digital downloads represents an industry tipping point for video game makers. (Nick Wingfield, The New York Times)

• The six most important VR breakthroughs of 2015. (Rachel Metz, MIT Technology Review)

• A French consumer group bring suit against Valve, claiming its ToS infringe on European legal rights. (Kyle Orland, Ars Technica)

Using an algorithm to teach robots to teach themselves sophisticated behaviors. (Will Knight, MIT Technology Review)

• Making the case for the role of startups in the future of AI-powered apps. (Michael Yamnitsky, TechCrunch)

• With its eye on an increased mobile shopping presence, Pinterest acquires two image indexing startups. (Kathleen Chaykowski, Forbes)

• Toyota unveils a “high-precision” mapping system. (Nick Jaynes, Mashable)

• Augmented reality, robots and the Internet of Things come together … to clean your floor. (Ry Crist, c|net)