Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee approved the use of the automated ball/strike system (ABS) on Tuesday. Robot umpires will be used for the entire 2026 season. An umpire still will call balls and strikes from behind home plate, but teams can appeal, and the automated system will determine the call.

Getting calls right is part of that consideration, and MLB has the technology to help umpires with the strike zone just as they can use instant replay to review calls on the field. But “robot umps,” as the ABS system is called in passing, won’t apply to every pitch. Just contested pitches.

Human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams can challenge two calls per game and get additional appeals in extra innings.

Tesla is facing a significant lawsuit after one of its factory technicians in California was knocked unconscious by an assembly line robot. According to the Independent, a 50-year-old employee is seeking $51 million from the automaker after being struck “without warning” by the bot, resulting in serious injuries and costly medical bills.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is still an amazing robot vacuum and mop in 2025, and you can get it at an impressively low price.