I spent my childhood longing for him to bring me fun drinks on his little tray while I reclined on the sofa, glued to back-to-back Animaniacs episodes. Looking back, my desire for Emiglio may well have been the reason I committed myself to a career in writing about technology.

A dance crew of four-legged robots from Boston Dynamics appeared on “America’s Got Talent” to perform a synchronized routine to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Their performance was impressive enough to earn four “yes” votes from the judges ...