2019 – Page 84 – Impact Lab

Automation, Drone, Home Technology, Robotics, Science & Technology News

iRobot unveils Terra, a Roomba lawn mower

February 6, 2019

iRobot is best known for making vacuum cleaner robots: the infamous Roomba lineup. But the company also makes mopping robots (Braava lineup), pool cleaning robots (Mirra lineup), a bot to help clean gutters, and even programmable robots (Create lineup). So, what’s next for your home? A lawn mower robot.

Queue the “get off my lawn” jokes.

iRobot today introduced the Terra robot lawn mower, which features “state-of-the-art mapping and navigation technologies, high-performance, high-quality mowing, and easy installation.” It is arguably easier for a robot to mow a lawn than clean a house, but the company is still starting off cautiously — the iRobot Terra robot mower will be available for sale in Germany and as part of a beta program in the U.S. sometime later this year. iRobot said it would share more specific availability and pricing at a later date.

Continue reading… “iRobot unveils Terra, a Roomba lawn mower”

Analysis, Hot Issues, Internet, security, Social Media

Your digital identity has three layers, and you can only protect one of them

February 5, 2019

Your online profile is less a reflection of you than a caricature.

Whether you like it or not, commercial and public actors tend to trust the string of 1s and 0s that represent you more than the story you tell them. When filing a credit application at a bank or being recruited for a job, your social network, credit-card history, and postal address can be viewed as immutable facts more credible than your opinion.

But your online profile is not always built on facts. It is shaped by technology companies and advertisers who make key decisions based on their interpretation of seemingly benign data points: what movies you choose to watch, the time of day you tweet, or how long you take to click on a cat video.

Continue reading… “Your digital identity has three layers, and you can only protect one of them”

Alternative Transportation, Aviation, Boeing, Transportation

Boeing shows off their futuristic autonomous flying taxi!

February 5, 2019

Uber has been a boon for us (especially on Saturday nights in Mumbai), helping us reach places quickly, conveniently and economically. But, they created a problem, sort of. More cars on the roads mean increased traffic in major cities.

Well, Boeing is kind of working on this matter, to find a solution. Flying taxis! Not really innovational, we know. But, we may be closer to this becoming a reality than one would think, as they successfully completed their first test flight.

Continue reading… “Boeing shows off their futuristic autonomous flying taxi!”

Business, China, Startup

China created a new tech unicorn every 3.8 days last year

February 4, 2019

The pace of billion-dollar startup creation slowed markedly in China in 2018’s final quarter as the country’s largest tech startups shored up their dominance and the economy decelerated.

China spawned 97 unicorns last year with a combined valuation of 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion) across sectors from consumer internet to online shopping and electric vehicles, according to a report published by consultancy Hurun. That’s about one unicorn born every 3.8 days. But of those, 11 were created in the December quarter, down from more than 30 in the previous three months.

Tech startup investment is slowing as stretched valuations and the economy takes a toll. Beijing, wary of financial risk, is cracking down on internet loan providers and the crypto-currency market is sputtering as prices deflate. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai warned last week that valuations were “distorted” and may decline over the coming six to nine months, particularly in over-heated arenas such as bike-sharing.

Continue reading… “China created a new tech unicorn every 3.8 days last year”

Business, Employment, Latest Trend

Dread selling yourself? This hot new freelance trend may be your answer

February 4, 2019

Jody Greenstone Miller, co-founder and CEO of Business Talent Group, has teamed up with global search firm Heidrick & Struggles to bring indie talent to big companies.

One of the biggest challenges for freelancers is winning new business. Even the most experienced pros often dread pitching new clients to win projects—a job that was often done by the sales or business development team in previous corporate careers.

Some of the most sought-after free agents may not have to hustle up work in the same way in the future. More big companies are looking for high-level freelancers the same way they find other talent: through headhunters.

In a new partnership that reflects the trend, Heidrick & Struggles, a Nasdaq-traded, global executive search firm, announced it is collaborating on an exclusive basis with Business Talent Group (BTG), a high-end marketplace for on-demand independent talent. Heidrick & Struggles will give its clients access to professionals in BTG’s network for project-based assignments.

Continue reading… “Dread selling yourself? This hot new freelance trend may be your answer”

Employment, Google, IBM, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

8 companies offering work-from-home jobs that don’t require a college degree

February 4, 2019

In an effort to secure the best talent on the market, more and more companies are expanding their applicant pool to include professionals without a traditional college degree.

Job search site Glassdoor compiled a list of who some of these companies are, with top employers like Apple, Google and IBM making the cut. Recently, FlexJobs examined that list to see which companies are also in their database with open positions that allow employees to work from anywhere. (FlexJobs notes that while some of the available work-from-home positions at these companies do require a college degree, there are many open positions that don’t.)

Take a look at the list below to see which flexible companies you should consider working for if you don’t have a four-year college education:

Continue reading… “8 companies offering work-from-home jobs that don’t require a college degree”

2019 Predictions, Analysis, Big Problems, Computer Security

Too few cybersecurity professionals is a gigantic problem for 2019

February 4, 2019

As the new year begins gaining steam, there is ostensibly a piece of good news on the cyber front. Major cyberattacks have been in a lull in recent months, and still are.

The good tidings are fleeting, however. Attacks typically come in waves. The next one is due, and 2019 will be the worst year yet — a sad reality as companies increasingly pursue digitization to drive efficiency and simultaneously move into the “target zone” of cyberattacks.

This bad news is compounded by the harsh reality that there are not nearly enough cybersecurity pros to properly respond to all the threats.

Continue reading… “Too few cybersecurity professionals is a gigantic problem for 2019”

Artificial Intelligence, Aviation

Airbus mulls single-pilot flights as Artificial Intelligence could enable autonomous planes

February 4, 2019

Skift Take Airbus acknowledges that the “explainability” of artificial intelligence is an impediment to getting regulators to sign off on certain products. Passengers will definitely need some very good explainers, too.

Though autopilot is not a new technology, Airbus’s Chief Technology Office Grazia Vittadini said the company is hoping current advances in artificial intelligence will help complete the step to completely autonomous planes.

Continue reading… “Airbus mulls single-pilot flights as Artificial Intelligence could enable autonomous planes”

Amazon.com, Automation, Robotics, Wearables

Amazon built an electronic vest to improve worker/robot interactions

February 3, 2019

Over the course of the last year, Amazon began rolling out a new worker safety wearable to 25+ sites. From the looks of it, the Robotic Tech Vest is really more like a pair of suspenders attached to an electronic utility belt. The Amazon Robotics-designed product was created to keep workers safe when they need to enter a space in order to fix a robotic system or retrieve fallen items. Built-in sensors alert Amazon’s robotic systems to the wearer’s presence, and they slow down to avoid collision.

The vest is designed to work in tandem with the robots’ existing obstacle avoidance detection.

Continue reading… “Amazon built an electronic vest to improve worker/robot interactions”

Biotech, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough

Molecular machinery that makes potent antibiotic revealed after decades of research

February 3, 2019

Discovery by Rutgers and other scientists could lead to new antibiotics and anticancer drugs

The 3D structure of McbBCD, an enzyme (protein) that makes the potent antibiotic microcin B17 from a smaller protein known as a peptide, as revealed by X-ray crystallography. The red spheres show chemical “cycles” formed by the enzyme that are required for antibacterial activity.

Scientists at Rutgers and universities in Russia, Poland and England have solved a nearly 30-year mystery – how the molecular machinery works in an enzyme that makes a potent antibiotic.

Continue reading… “Molecular machinery that makes potent antibiotic revealed after decades of research”

Alzheimer's Disease, Biotech, Breakthrough Thinking, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine

We can now grow perfect human blood vessels in a lab

February 3, 2019

The latest game changer in diabetes research might not be a new drug or a therapy. Instead, it could be a system of human blood vessels virtually identical to the ones currently transporting blood throughout your body.

What makes these blood vessels special is that they are the first ones grown in a lab — and they’ve already generated a new lead in diabetes treatment.

Continue reading… “We can now grow perfect human blood vessels in a lab”

Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine

Giving poop is the new giving blood

February 2, 2019

A side effect of donating blood is the self-satisfaction in knowing that you’ve done your duty to help save a life. The whole process only takes about 15 minutes and you’re rewarded with a juice box and free cookies. While giving blood is super important—and always will be—if you really want to go the extra mile, you should consider donating your poop for use in fecal transplants, too.

According to a new report published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, “super-donors” are those whose microbiomes are swarming with good bacteria—ideal candidates to provide material for fecal transplants. With the help of these super poopers, doctors are working to eradicate irritable bowel syndrome, allergies, type 2 diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, and certain cancers.

Continue reading… “Giving poop is the new giving blood”