2020 – Page 66 – Impact Lab

Analysis, App, Healthcare, Home Technology, Science & Technology News

Smart toilet checks you’re healthy by analyzing you wees and poos

April 26, 2020

The new ‘smart toilet’ technology can look for signs of disease, scientists claim, from cancer to kidney failure.

Going to the loo may never be the same again thanks to scientists who claim to have invented a device that can be fitted on toilets to detect signs of various diseases in stool and urine.

The gadget, which fits inside the bowl, uses cameras, test strips and motion sensing technology to analyse the deposits and sends the data to a secure cloud server.

The researchers said their so-called “smart toilet” technology could be useful to individuals who are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, prostate cancer or kidney failure.

Continue reading… “Smart toilet checks you’re healthy by analyzing you wees and poos”

Banking, Coronavirus, Finance, Money Talk, Science & Technology News

Chime is piloting instant stimulus check disbursals

April 25, 2020

US neobank Chime is running a pilot in which it gives customers their $1,200 federal stimulus checks before the government begins disbursing the payments, CNBC reports.

The neobank selected 1,000 customers who received their payments instantly on Thursday through Chime’s SpotMe feature, which usually acts as an overdraft protection feature, allowing customers to go negative in their accounts without having to pay an overdraft fee.

Chime is using its own capital to front the money to customers until the government pays out the checks, and CEO Chris Britt told CNBC that he is waiting for reassurance from the government that Chime users can’t redirect stimulus payments to other bank accounts before expanding the pilot to other users. Eligible users will largely be those who direct deposit paychecks into their Chime accounts and have previously had their tax refunds deposited into their Chime accounts as well.

Continue reading… “Chime is piloting instant stimulus check disbursals”

Automation, Coronavirus, Driverless vehicles, Healthcare, Science & Technology News

Self-driving startups Beep and Navya explore driverless transport for coronavirus lab specimens

April 25, 2020

Most Consumers Believe They’ll Prefer Riding In Self Driving Cars In Ten Years

Autonomous vehicle startups Beep and Navya are using four driverless shuttles to transport coronavirus tests around the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Florida.

Because the routes are isolated from public traffic, the shuttles can be operated without a human safety driver, which limits human exposure to the lab samples. Though even the most advanced self-driving companies require much more testing before the technology can be scaled, this example from Beep and Navya highlights a near-term upside of autonomous vehicles: minimizing human-to-human contact.

Continue reading… “Self-driving startups Beep and Navya explore driverless transport for coronavirus lab specimens”

Coronavirus, Finance, Higher Education, Science & Technology News

Financial hits pile up for colleges as some fight to survive

April 25, 2020

Colleges across the nation are scrambling to close deep budget holes and some have been pushed to the brink of collapse after the coronavirus outbreak triggered financial losses that could total more than $100 million at some institutions.

Scores of colleges say they’re taking heavy hits as they refund money to students for housing, dining and parking after campuses closed last month. Many schools are losing millions more in ticket sales after athletic seasons were cut short, and some say huge shares of their reserves have been wiped out amid wild swings in the stock market.

Yet college leaders say that’s only the start of their troubles: Even if campuses reopen this fall, many worry large numbers of students won’t return. There’s widespread fear that an economic downturn will leave many Americans unable to afford tuition, and universities are forecasting steep drop-offs among international students who may think twice about studying abroad so soon after a pandemic.

Continue reading… “Financial hits pile up for colleges as some fight to survive”

Analysis, communication, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News

8 charts on internet use around the world as countries grapple with COVID-19

April 24, 2020

A man in Bologna, Italy, chats online with his grandparents on March 19. A nationwide lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19 has been extended to at least Easter.

People in the United States and around the world are turning to the internet to do their work and stay connected with others as the COVID-19 outbreak forces people to stay home and away from the office and crowds. A median of 77% across 34 countries use the internet at least occasionally or own an internet-enabled smartphone, according to a spring 2019 Pew Research Center survey. But there are stark digital divides. Younger people, those with higher incomes and those in wealthier countries are more likely to be digital technology users. Many people surveyed also use social media, but social media usage is not ubiquitous, even in economically advanced nations like Germany and Japan.

Here are eight charts on digital connectivity worldwide.

Continue reading… “8 charts on internet use around the world as countries grapple with COVID-19”

Engineering, Inventions, new technology, Science & Technology News

Simple new method makes graphene “paint” possible

April 24, 2020

Researchers have found a simple way to make graphene disperse in water, paving the way for graphene-based inks or paints

Graphene may be versatile, but there’s one thing it’s not all that good at – dispersing in water. Now, researchers at Umeå University have found a relatively simple way to do it. Graphene oxide is a different form of the material that can make for stable water dispersion, which can then be used as a kind of graphene paint.

Graphene is essentially a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms, arranged in a hexagonal pattern. This deceptively simple material has a range of useful properties – it’s incredibly lightweight, thin and flexible, but still strong. It’s also an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, so it’s turning up in everything from electronics to water filters to clothing.

Ideally, one useful way to get graphene into the right configurations could involve dispersing it in water. This solution could then be painted or sprayed onto a surface to make, for example, supercapacitor electrodes or conductive coatings.

The problem is that graphene and similar forms of carbon, like graphite and carbon nanotubes, are hydrophobic, meaning they repel water. They can be made to disperse using harsh organic solvents or mechanical treatments, but the former is toxic and the latter can introduce defects.

Continue reading… “Simple new method makes graphene “paint” possible”

Coronavirus, Entertainment, Science & Technology News, sports

eSports surge as professional sports get canceled

April 24, 2020

Major sports broadcasters are leaning into eSports to fill the programming gaps left from leagues canceling professional sports games because of coronavirus.

The state of play: ESPN on Sunday aired 12 hours of esports including Rocket League, NBA 2K, and Madden.

Fox Sports aired its first Madden esports tournament last week after agreeing on a broadcast deal with the NFL.

Be smart: Without live sports, the players themselves are looking to eSports to stay connected to fans.

Some athletes, like NBA star Kevin Durant, are using eSports tournaments to raise money for charity. A few tournaments will be used to fund coronavirus relief efforts.

Continue reading… “eSports surge as professional sports get canceled”

Business, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Calvin Klein owner: ‘Retail companies are not built to have their stores closed’

April 23, 2020

Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and other PVH stores in North America and Europe have been closed since mid-March.

The company has furloughed about 75% of its workforce in North America.

With stores closed, the retail industry is struggling with inventory piling up in warehouses and no place to sell it, the head of the company that owns such names as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger told CNBC on Wednesday.

“Retail companies are not built to have their stores closed for extended periods of time,” PVH CEO Manny Chirico said in an interview with Becky Quick on “Squawk Box.”

PVH’s stores in North America and Europe have been closed since mid-March, along with many other businesses. The closures as expected to drag on for weeks if not months as the world tries to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The company has furloughed about 75% of its workforce in North America, Chirico said, adding to the hundreds of thousands of furloughs taking place in an industry that employees more than 50 million people in the U.S. alone.

Continue reading… “Calvin Klein owner: ‘Retail companies are not built to have their stores closed’”

Analysis, Aviation, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News, Travel

Latest survey shows 1 in 5 Americans won’t travel again until 2021- Representing extreme concern for already struggling airline industry

April 23, 2020

Upgraded points is a trusted source for a wide variety of similar in-depth airline studies, as well as advice and pointers for travelers.

Upgraded Points recently released its newest targeted study featuring a survey based on questions given to airline travelers concerning the recent global pandemic. The study seeks to understand American travelers’ plans and concerns, helping to better illuminate the travel crisis as it unfolds; while also delivering important data about the American airline industry itself – which recently asked for and will receive a reported $50 billion bailout from the U.S. government. Upgraded points is a trusted source for a wide variety of similar in-depth airline studies, as well as advice and pointers for travelers.

“The airline industry is in a great deal of trouble again,” said Alex Miller, founder of Upgraded Points. “They’ve certainly seen their share of difficulty over the years: after 9/11, during the 2008 economic downturn, etc. But this is probably the worst crisis the industry has ever faced. Without millions of travelers on planes and in airports, the industry just can’t make the revenue it needs to survive. Whole countries are asking citizens to stay indoors, and that includes enforcing travel restrictions and closing borders. No one knows exactly when this global pandemic will peak and then begin to recede. So all we can do now is wait, and gather valuable data to help understand the situation as it happens. That is the goal of this particular study.”

Continue reading… “Latest survey shows 1 in 5 Americans won’t travel again until 2021- Representing extreme concern for already struggling airline industry”

Coronavirus, Food, Future, Robots, Science & Technology News

Five ways that coronavirus will change the way we eat

April 23, 2020

A self-driving food delivery robot might appear in a post-pandemic world in which consumers want to avoid human contact.

These are unprecedented times. One thing is for sure— with the widespread acceptance that coronavirus originated in an exotic meat market in China, there has been a massive consumer rethink around food.

This shift is impacting the type of food that is consumed, where it is obtained, how and where it is prepared and how it is produced and stored.

The overarching theme? Fear of contagion and oftentimes human contact.

Here are some predictions of how coronavirus will change the way we eat, based on recent surveys and forecasting.

Continue reading… “Five ways that coronavirus will change the way we eat”

Coronavirus, Housing, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

The one percent are fleeing for New Zealand to avoid COVID-19

April 22, 2020

“They have all said it looks like the safest place to be is New Zealand right now. That’s been a theory since before COVID-19.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens across the United States, some of the country’s richest citizens have fled for a remote oasis: New Zealand.

This is not a new phenomenon; New Zealand has long been a destination getaway for those with the time and money to fly there. In fact, so many people consider it ideal for an emergency home that New Zealand passed a law two years ago that bans foreigners from purchasing real estate in the country

The rapid spread of COVID-19 and subsequent economic fallout in the U.S. brought renewed interest to New Zealand as a place to run away from the troubles of the world. Though non-essential travel to and from the U.S. has now been locked down — and New Zealand closed its own borders in mid-March — plenty of people made it out in time.

Now they’re holed up in luxury bunkers waiting for the pandemic to blow over.

Continue reading… “The one percent are fleeing for New Zealand to avoid COVID-19”

Coronavirus, Education, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News

Quarantine survey: 3 in 5 adults plan on self-improving during coronavirus lockdown

April 22, 2020

LONDON — The sudden and mandatory lockdown we all find ourselves stuck in right now is frustrating, to say the least, but it also represents an opportunity to catch up on long abandoned goals, ideas or hobbies. A recent survey asked 2,000 British residents about their quarantine plans, and according to the results there may be a few superheroes across the pond by the time this is all over.

All in all, 60% of respondents say they are planning on, or already started, self-improving and becoming “super human” during lockdown. Some plan to master an instrument (12%), while others want to paint the next Mona Lisa or become a modern day Ernest Hemingway.

Additional goals cited by respondents included enrolling in online university courses, taking up yoga, learning how to garden, researching family history, and learning a new skill. A full third say they’re going to work out at home every single day, and 25% plan on being fluent in a new language by the time the lockdown is lifted. Another 32% are hoping to become master chefs.

Continue reading… “Quarantine survey: 3 in 5 adults plan on self-improving during coronavirus lockdown”