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Tewke announces TewkeAI Voice Controlled Home Assistant Alongside Google at Slush

Smart tech company, Tewke, has today announced TewkeAI, their first foray into voice-controlled home assistance.

Tewke was invited by Google to present this week at Slush in Helsinki as the accelerator programme they were part is coming to a close.

Tewke has been part of the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI For Energy, since September 2025, being advised by Google’s experts in AI to bring the next stage in Tewke’s vision of making smart simple to every home.

TewkeAI is a new ‘view’ within their flagship home automation device, Tap, coming in the first half of 2026. Tap’s beautiful and easy to install drop-in replacement for existing light switches, enables people to very easily have a home automation system without the need to rewire. Existing features include real-time energy information and home health reports. 

Thanks to TewkeAI, Tap will now enable everyone in the house to ask anything and receive an on screen text response.

TewkeAI is powered by Google Gemini and provides an elegant and intuitive interface that everyone in the home can interact with to assist in their everyday tasks. Request a weather update, read the headlines or get the answer to a nagging question, all on the vibrant OLED display. The user interface for TewkeAI has been designed to continue the premium design approach that users have come to expect from Tewke devices. This follows on from the initial preview launch of Tap, and it being awarded the Red Dot for design in 2024.

As with everything Tewke does, privacy is front and centre, so with its new AI chat bot. instead of having a microphone that is always listening for a command word, the microphone only listens for speech when the user swipes to the TewkeAI view and holds the onscreen button. Having a voice chatbot on Tap helps democratise the accessibility of home assistants to all users within the household, rather than having to interface via a mobile app, whilst simultaneously providing more peace of mind than ‘always listening’ home speakers.

Rowan Dixon, Tewke’s Co-founder and COO, told That's Technology: “As Tap is a device created for everyone in the home, we have designed our first version of TewkeAI to be as intuitive to use as possible. We are incredibly proud to be announcing this ahead of its 2026 release as guests of Google, here at Slush.”

Piers Daniell, Tewke’s Founder and CEO added: “Tap is making a real difference to how people live within their homes, from changing the way people interact with lighting, to saving energy in houses across the UK. TewkeAI is the next step in us bringing the future of home automation and energy saving to homes, to enable our vision of creating the future of a smart grid”.

The Tewke Tap was recently seen on British national TV as part of the largest ever construction project shown on the hit TV show, Grand Designs. Within the property, Tap is used to control all the home’s lighting whilst monitoring the property’s home health via its inbuilt air quality sensors and helps save energy via Tewke Tap’s energy ‘view’.

The first generation of TewkeAI is set to be available on customers’ devices in 2026 via Tewke’s weekly OTA software updates. Tewke are constantly innovating to create a smarter future and continuously working to bring even more advanced AI enabled automations to homes utilising their own inhouse AI system.

For more information on Tap and Tewke, visit: www.tewke.com

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Government’s science minister backs Aston University-led neuromorphic computing research

The UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing is headed by the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT).

The consortium of seven universities and 22 non-academic partners was officially launched at the House of Lords

“Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the brain's really remarkable energy efficiency, could fundamentally transform how AI operate” said Lord Patrick Vallance.

A new research centre led by Aston University could be key to tackling the huge consumption of energy by data centres in the UK.

The UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing is headed by the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) and was officially launched at the House of Lords on 21 October.

Neuromorphic computing seeks to replicate how 

the brain functions and its structure and apply that knowledge to develop future computing systems. Currently scientists lack a deep, system-level understanding of how the human organ computes at cellular and network scales.

The researchers within the consortium of seven universities, alongside 22 non-academic partners, will aim to tackle that challenge directly, blending stem-cell-derived human neuron experiments with advanced computational models, development of new materials, low-power algorithms and novel photonic - or light-based - hardware.

As well as speakers from politics and science, a message from the Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, Lord Patrick Vallance was delivered to the guests at the Houses of Parliament reception. Speaking via video he said that he believed the initiative could be key to tackling the issue of massive energy use by data centres. Current government figures show that they use about 2.5% of the UK's electricity, a figure projected to rise significantly with the further advances in AI.

Lord Vallance said: “Data centres demand enormous energy and water resources and left unchecked. Without thinking about how we can manage this and innovate we would threaten clean energy and net zero ambitions.

He added: “Future computing paradigms offer a potential path to not only more ways of thinking about how to compute but also overcoming some of the traditional limitations of traditional computing, particularly in scenarios where energy efficiency or new capabilities are important. It seems to me the centre embodies that ambition; neuromorphic computing, inspired by the brain's really remarkable energy efficiency, could fundamentally transform how AI operates.”

The centre received £5.6 million funding over four years from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. However, its director, Professor Sergei Turitsyn of AIPT told launch guests that it is his ambition for the centre to be financially sustainable beyond its initial EPSRC funding period. He also stated that he believes that the centre will be instrumental in putting the UK at the forefront of the neuromorphic computing research.

He said: “The ultimate goal is to build a new UK brand in neuromorphic computing, working closely with the recently funded UK network project NeuMat and the Innovation and Knowledge Centre Neuroware.

“Some people ask ‘what exactly is neuromorphic computing? Arguably, there no universal answer, and this is exactly the point about our centre. Some people tell you it is nature-or brain-inspired, others stress non digital features and some focus on energy saving or analogue signal processing.

"That's why we need researchers from different disciplines to work together and that is why this group of universities and industrial partners will start this broad approach, with neuroscientists, working with experts in material science, algorithms, electronics and photonics.”

The centre will be led by the AIPT and will include world-leading researchers from Aston University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Southampton, Queen Mary University of London, Loughborough University and the University of Strathclyde. The centre will be supported by a broad network of industry partners to enhance the centre’s impact on society. These include Microsoft Research, Thales, BT, QinetiQ, Nokia Bell Labs, Hewlett Packard Labs, Leonardo, Northrop Grumman and a number of small to medium enterprises.

Water use in data centres: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688cb407dc6688ed50878367/Water_use_in_data_centre_and_AI_report.pdf

https://www.aston.ac.uk/research/eps/aipt

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Celebrating Ada Lovelace Day – Honouring the World’s First Computer Programmer

Every 14th October, Ada Lovelace Day shines a light on the often-overlooked achievements of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Named in honour of Ada Lovelace, the visionary mathematician widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, this day is an inspiring reminder of how far we’ve come and how much further we can go when equality and curiosity meet innovation.

Who Was Ada Lovelace?

Born Augusta Ada Byron in 1815, Ada Lovelace was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Annabella Milbanke. 

While her father’s fame stemmed from poetry, it was her mother’s passion for mathematics that truly shaped Ada’s destiny.

As a young woman, Ada developed a fascination with machines and mathematics, which led to her collaboration with Charles Babbage on his design for the Analytical Engine, an early mechanical general-purpose computer. In her notes on Babbage’s machine, Ada described how it could be programmed to perform complex calculations, and even generate music and art if given the right data.

These insights, written in the 1840s, predated the first working computers by over a century. Her vision was so far ahead of its time that she’s now celebrated as a pioneer of computing and the first to truly grasp the potential of software.

What Is Ada Lovelace Day?

Founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson, Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday of October each year. It’s a global event that highlights the achievements of women in STEM and aims to encourage more young women and girls to pursue careers in these fields.

The day is marked with talks, workshops, educational programmes, and online celebrations that showcase the vital role women play in advancing science and technology. From physicists and programmers to engineers and innovators, Ada Lovelace Day is about giving recognition and visibility to women who are shaping our future.

Why Ada Lovelace Day Matters

Despite progress in gender equality, women remain underrepresented in STEM industries. Ada Lovelace Day helps to challenge stereotypes, promote role models, and inspire the next generation to dream big. It reminds us that innovation thrives on diversity—and that women have always been part of the story, even when history forgot to write them in.

How You Can Celebrate

Learn About Ada Lovelace – Read about her life, her groundbreaking ideas, and how they continue to influence computing today.

Support Women in STEM – Share stories of female scientists, engineers, and technologists who inspire you.

Attend Events – Look out for Ada Lovelace Day Live events, online talks, and workshops celebrating women in STEM.

Encourage the Next Generation – Support girls’ STEM education initiatives, or simply inspire curiosity through conversation and example.

A Legacy of Imagination and Intelligence

Ada once described her approach to mathematics as “poetical science”, a beautiful blend of logic and creativity. It’s a phrase that perfectly captures why her story still resonates today. She saw machines not as cold mechanisms, but as tools for imagination and human potential.

On Ada Lovelace Day, we celebrate her genius and the countless women who’ve followed in her footsteps, proving that innovation knows no gender, only passion, vision, and perseverance.