Monthly Archives: January 2022

For healthcare, blockchain can be used for payment processing, but it can also improve interoperability, track claims processing, or develop and maintain provider directories.

Blockchain -- the same technology powering Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies -- is finding revolutionary new applications in the healthcare sector. Recently, Aetna, Anthem, and the Cleveland Clinic partnered to announce a new blockchain-based healthcare initiative, marking the latest indication of the potential impact blockchain could have on the healthcare sector as a whole.

Blockchain is best known for its security, distributed nature, and immutability. The technology is most often associated with cryptocurrencies; it allows for a record of all transactions that cannot be altered or changed -- necessary for any kind of currency that is not backed by reference to a national government or central bank. For healthcare, blockchain can be used for payment processing, but it can also improve interoperability, track claims processing, or develop and maintain provider directories.

In 2020, Gartner listed blockchain as one of its top 10 strategic trends, following the institution of blockchain as part of the nationwide healthcare system in Estonia in 2016. Such a system is far from reaching full implementation in the U.S., but strides are being made to generate innovation and creativity for the industrys future.

Blockchain also helps to bring new thoughts to long-lasting questions of how to improve outdated technology in healthcare. Many medical offices continue to rely on pagers and fax machines. In contrast, many internet-connected medical imaging devices remain based on insecure operating systems that open them to potential attackers.

Blockchain could provide new solutions to augment the security and protection of personal health data, one of the most important aspects of building trust in the industry. Patient data is sometimes difficult to access because it is stored in one physical location or another, remote from the provider who needs it at a particular time. With the blockchain, encrypted patient data could be stored securely and effectively, with fewer opportunities for lost files or miscommunication. With a secure cryptographic database combined with the potential of a shared ledger, blockchain could provide significant advantages for medical record storage, especially for patients who see multiple providers; this could help to prevent misdiagnosis or unwanted drug interactions while preserving patient confidentiality and security.

Blockchain models include five major elements:

While some healthcare blockchain implementations may use the full blockchain model, others may focus on particular aspects of the technology's potential utility.

Some companies are already working on implementing blockchain technologies in healthcare. One such project used the blockchain to create a community for medical professionals to communicate and make partnerships and agreements. Other companies are creating blockchain solutions for information storage -- both for patient files and practice information.

The new initiative from Aetna, Anthem, and the Cleveland Clinic is drawing even more attention because it involves such significant leaders in the field, evidencing a higher level of commitment to blockchain technologies. Other major companies like IBM and PNC Financial Services are also involved in the consortium Avaneer Health. Several insurance companies have become interested in how blockchain could be used to efficiently handle claims processing and payments between insurance companies and medical providers. It could also be used for these insurers to keep track of and communicate with their in-network providers.

The consortium aims to eliminate inefficiencies and duplications in the healthcare system -- especially those involving multiple copies of files that may be outdated or otherwise incomplete. This may allow insurers, providers, and even patients to communicate quickly and securely about key issues without adding more paper to the process.

Avaneer is not alone; several of the largest insurers and lab companies have also launched the Synaptic Health Alliance to focus on using blockchain-based distributed ledger technology to improve insurers' provider directories. Meanwhile, IBM launched a blockchain network to help healthcare institutions and government agencies identify companies that could supply in-demand health equipment, aiming to address some of the supply chain problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Gartner named blockchain one of its top 10 strategic technology trends, it was not only concerned with billing, claims, and directories -- it was also interested in how blockchain could be used in the provision of medical care. For example, blockchain technologies could provide mechanisms for tracing the origin and spread of food-borne or water-borne illnesses. It could help to find potential contaminants and warn those who may be exposed.

Gartner combined its analysis of potential blockchain uses with other major technologies like distributed cloud computing, artificial intelligence, traceability, and automated democratization. The latter two points, while not necessarily central to many of the enterprise blockchain projects focusing on immutable distributed ledgers, are key contributors to the appeal of cryptocurrencies powered by the blockchain. Doctors, patients, and other companies in the sector could monitor and trace their information through the system with the use of blockchain technology, promoting a greater level of confidence and trust as well as improved efficiency and accuracy.

There may be important lessons to learn from the Estonian blockchain experience. Estonia's national health care system is highly digitized, which includes the use of the blockchain. The blockchain implementation, put into effect in 2016, was first launched in 2011 to develop a highly secure and encrypted system to store medical records, given the sensitivity of the data involved.

Estonian residents can use their electronic ID cards to sign in and view their health records. Blockchain is used to ensure that the data kept there remains immutable, guarded against potential attacks by hackers targeting the system. Several major pharmaceutical companies, including Roche, are working with the Estonian government to determine future applications for blockchain in healthcare -- and the success of blockchain in the healthcare sector in Estonia has also sparked interest in blockchain development for the country's digital court system, business registry, succession registry, and property registry.

There are many more developments to come and technological innovations that can spur further blockchain development in the healthcare industry. Beyond its utility for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, blockchain could provide security and transparency that could help to revolutionize how the healthcare industry handles data while protecting patient confidentiality.

Mary Tolan (Website,Twitter,Medium) is co-founder and managing partner of CPF.

See the original post here:

Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize healthcare - Medical Economics

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scope Computer Vision Technologies, an inspection automation company that builds deep learning vision systems, today announced it has raised substantial funding from private investors across the state of Texas. The investment will help drive product development and market education around automated inspection in the utility industry.

This investment fuels our ongoing commitment to revolutionizing the way people inspect critical product applications in zero-fail situations," CEO Justin McCoy said. "In circumstances where people's lives rely on a product's ability to perform, we must be able to accurately assess that product's health every time it is used."

Launched in the summer of 2019, Scope is developing automated inspection technology that assesses high performance synthetic rope for manufacturers and operators of utility stringing equipment and users in the maritime industry such as tugboats and mooring systems. This is the first outside investment that the company has taken on.

"Prior to Scope, standard best practice was to inspect miles of synthetic rope by hand, visually looking for damaged areas and making a judgement call on whether the line was safe to use," explains COO Mike Poroo. "Our technology automates this labor intensive task in real-time, in line with operations, with higher accuracy."

Scope's first product, Scope Control, is due to release in the Spring of 2022. The product will be a standalone unit that is positioned between pullers to inspect long distances of stringing lines. "With this product we aim to prove that the technology can be relied on as a form of measurement for the quality of a line," Justin McCoy continued. "The industry is in dire need of a tool to standardize inspection practices."

The Scope Control device uses the latest in sensor and camera technology paired with deep learning neural networks in order to recognize and grade the severity of damage modes that it detects on a stringing line. This is a significant shift from manual visual inspection where an operator is expected to accurately inspect miles of rope at a time. With manual visual inspection, results can vary as much as 45% from person to person, whereas the Scope Control technology is as consistent as only automation can be. Operators can continuously monitor line health in real time with high precision.

The products neural networks were trained to a very high level of accuracy through another Scope product, Scope Capture, which Scope developed for manufacturers of rope. Scope Capture enables manufacturers to build accurate recognition models that are specific to their own rope products.

Scope founders believe that users of rope will demand highly accurate models from manufacturers of rope products, and Scope can serve both ends of the technology spectrum.

"We can equip both the manufacturer and the user of rope products in a way that establishes a common reference for the quality of a rope that is consistent across the industry, resulting in compliance that is realizable and maintainable."

About Scope

Scope is an automated inspection company founded in 2019 to improve safety and compliance in industries that utilize synthetic rope. The companys products Scope Capture and Scope Control leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify defects and damage in high performance rope, assess the severity of the damaged areas and how they relate to one another, grade them, and communicate what actions are required to resolve those conditions. This is accomplished in real time, in line with operations, at a higher-than-human accuracy, with software that is self-improving. Learn more at visionbyscope.com.

See the rest here:

Scope Inspection & Safety Technology Secures Angel Investment - Business Wire

New product features come as company sees 400% Microsoft Teams growth per month by frontline workers during the pandemic

REDMOND, Wash. Jan. 12, 2022 On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. released a Work Trend Index Special Report, Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers, and announced new features in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva designed to serve millions of frontline workers.

The 2 billion frontline workers worldwide represent 80% of the global workforce, with 88% of organizations employing people in frontline roles. Increasingly, companies are investing in digital tools for frontline workers to modernize workflows, enhance job performance, and improve workplace culture and communication. Microsoft has seen 400% growth in monthly active usage of its Teams collaboration platform among frontline workers since March 2020.

The Work Trend Index report reveals key insights that impact nearly every segment of the workforce:

Today, the company is introducing new joint offerings with industry partners as well as capabilities specifically designed to support frontline workers in Teams and Viva, Microsofts employee experience platform introduced in early 2021.

Its no secret that the pandemic is reshaping work for all workers, and at a faster pace than we have ever seen, said Emma Williams, corporate vice president, Microsoft. Empowering frontline workers remains essential for digital transformation. Together with our partners, were equipping frontline workers with tools that allow them to stay connected with their team and company leadership while concentrating on the customer or job at hand. If done well, we believe technology can modernize workflows and enhance job performance while also improving workplace culture and communication.

In addition, on Feb. 1, Microsoft Cloud for Retail will be generally available. Microsoft Cloud for Retail accelerates business growth by providing trusted retail industry solutions that integrate with retailers existing systems. It starts by unifying disparate data sources across the end-to-end shopper journey, allowing retailers to maximize the value of their data, resulting in one holistic view of the consumer. Once connected, data and AI help retailers better understand and elevate the consumer shopping experience. In providing more relevant and streamlined experiences throughout the retail value chain, retailers can build a real-time sustainable supply chain. The solution also includes the Teams and Viva capabilities announced today, all working toward empowering store associates.

To learn more, visit the Official Microsoft Blog, Microsoft 365 Blog and the new Work Trend Index report.

Microsoft (Nasdaq MSFT @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

For more information, press only:

Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications, (425) 638-7777,[emailprotected]

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center athttp://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsofts Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed athttps://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

Link:

Microsoft announces new research and technology to empower millions of frontline workers - Stories - Microsoft

Shanghai, China--(Newsfile Corp. - January 12, 2022) - On 12th January, 2022, TECNO, a premium international smartphone brand operating in over 70 countries, announced it will be debuting globally its latest polychromatic photoisomer technology, coupled with mobile phone design elements.

The debut reflects the TECNO's commitment to "Stop at Nothing" to bring breakthroughs on smartphones, including design, camera, and system. They envision "Technology to amplify the value of art, and Art to express the value of technology". This breakthrough would be the first time this technology would be applied to mobile phones. A wave of classic art can be expected in the mobile phone industry, bringing users an immersive experience of "light chasing". TECNO has successfully refined the technology of polychromatic photoisomer on the monochromatic back cover of a mobile phone, so allowing display of masters of classic art, a move ahead of the industry.

TECNO

Through Technological Innovation, TECNO Lets Technology Become Art

TECNO data insights indicate that today's young generation of consumers' aesthetic expectations toward technological products are becoming a trend around the world. TECNO is committed to the expansion of mobile phone design and strives to bring artistic beauty to users in the new era, giving technology an artistic touch with innovative technology breakthroughs in the shape, material and appearance design of mobile phone manufacturing process.

This technology consists of 22 steps and underwent 500 iterations of testing, with accuracy reaching nanometer-level. This ensures that it is carefully crafted and rigorously tested to reach exact specifications.

Polychromatic photoisomer technology is an innovation which uses the breakage and recovery effect of the chain of photosensitive molecular bonds under ultraviolet light, making colorless molecular groups become chromogenic and then revert to colorless.

Story continues

The process breaks through the technical limitations of single-color or dual-color discoloration, and realizes for the first time the industry ideal of "making mobile phones not only a technology product, but also a work of art".

Paying Tribute to the Art Masters, TECNO Makes Users Light Chasers

TECNO's debut of the polychromatic photoisomer technology is not only an innovation of mobile phones as technology, but also as a successful exploration of artistic expression. Through TECNO's polychromatic photoisomer technology, users can enjoy multi-color discoloration of mobile phones in different life scenarios. Transforming from an indoor single-color back cover to an outdoor multi-color experience, TECNO makes full use of the dazzling colors brought by the changes of light and shadow, giving the mobile phone an artistic attribute. TECNO is able to elevate the appearance and design of mobile phones to a new level by this integration of technology and art.

It was the French painter douard Manet who brought "light" into painting and created impressionism in the 19th-century. And today, TECNO is paying tribute to Manet by embedding mobile phone design with the elements of "light" to create the collision of colors under the sunlight.

TECNO's creative use of "light" brings the beauty of "change" to the mobile phone, and gives users a personalized, immersive artistic experience. Just like Monet, "an eternal light chaser", TECNO allows users to experience the joy of "chasing light".

The use of light enables dazzling colors, as in the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's effects when depicting the geometric elements comprised of "primary colors" and straight lines, to reflect an equal and harmonious order. TECNO pays tribute to Piet Mondrian by presenting polychromatic photoisomer technology in a classic and minimalist mobile phone design to inherit perfectly his pure artistic spirit. The mobile phone is no longer a mere technology product but a philosophical artwork in the tradition of Mondrian, with the light and shadow transformation from indoor to outdoors. TECNO's brand, expressed by the debut of polychromatic photoisomer technology, is similar to Mondrian's perfect combination of colors and lines to illustrate the power of nature and the essence of life.

TECNO's global debut of the polychromatic photoisomer technology not only leads the industry for mobile phone design, but also practices its "Stop at Nothing" brand essence. As an innovative leader in mobile phone technology, adhering to the concept of "Technology to amplify the value of art, Art to express the value of technology", TECNO continues to inspire and empower consumers in emerging markets and globally for bringing a unique "chasing light" experience to consumers everywhere.

About TECNO

TECNO is a premium smartphone and AIoT devices brand from TRANSSION Holdings. With "Stop At Nothing" as its brand essence, TECNO is committed to unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals across global emerging markets, giving them elegantly designed intelligent products that inspires consumers to uncover a world of possibilities. TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations and design breakthroughs demonstrated through their mastery of serving consumers who are "young at heart" and never stops pursuing excellence. TECNO's portfolio spans across smartphones, tablets, smart wearables and AIoT devices made for consumers in over 70 emerging markets world-wide. TECNO is also the Official Partner of Manchester City, Premier League Champions 2020-21. For more information, please visit: http://www.tecno-mobile.com.

Contact:TECNOJoyce Li+8610 85910986https://www.tecno-mobile.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/109884

Excerpt from:

TECNO Debuts the Polychromatic Photoisomer - Breaking Through the Boundaries Between Technology and Art - Yahoo Finance

Catastrophe was averted, but it wasn't pretty.

When the I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas was abruptly closed in May after a crack that had gone undetected for decades was discovered, 40,000 rerouted commuters and truckers traveling between Memphis and West Memphis endured more than two months of hours-long delays. The transportation industry and impacted businesses lost millions of dollars.

The crack in an interior weld on the 48-year-old span likely started shortly after the weld was made in the 1970s but couldnt be seen during conventional inspection until it grew into a fracture, which drone video captured in 2019.

That fracture grew along the bridge's top flange as the result of "a unique combination of low temperatures, increasing tie girder stress and the effect of live loads to which the bridge had not been subjected," according to an investigation by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates.

But the Arkansas DOT employee who inspected it in 2019 and 2020 missed it. After he was fired, he claimed it wasn't safe to get within arm's length of the crack to observe it.

Adel Abdelnaby

Permission granted by University of Memphis

"I feel bad for him. I'm not saying he's not responsible, but I did bridge inspections in the past, and I know a large bridge like that moves a lot. There are safety concerns,"said Adel Abdelnaby, a University of Memphis engineering professor who said he felt like he was having a heart attack (he even got down on his hands and knees and prayed) when he installed seismic sensors on the Hernando de Soto Bridge in a 2017 project with the Tennessee DOT.

That's why it doesnt make sense to rely on one person, who likely shares Abdelnaby's fears of falling into the river, for an inspection of that magnitude, the professor added.

"This could have been prevented if computer modeling and more analysis were being done rigorously by several different people," Abdelnaby said. "You want more redundancy in the system. If an inspector makes an error, but an engineer is doing a computer model, it's hard for all these people to make errors at the same time."

Federal law requires bridges to be inspected every two years and more frequently when potential problems need to be monitored. But some experts say that's not enough.

"Right now, the inspector goes out and looks at a bridge and gives it a rating. There's too much time between inspections, and the inspector might not see everything that's going on," said Kaan Ozbay, professor and director of the C2SMART Center at New York Universitys Tandon School of Engineering.

Fortunately, experts say, advances in sensors and computer modeling technology and a cash infusion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) mean a situation due to human error like I-40 is increasingly unlikely to happen again.

Tony Hunley

Permission granted by Stantec

"Generally, these types of incidents have been very isolated,"said veteran bridge engineer Tony Hunley, bridge sector leader for global engineering and design firm Stantec and program manager for the preservation and replacement initiative Bridging Kentucky. "However, state DOTs struggle to have the funding levels available to stay ahead of the deterioration of our bridge infrastructure."

That the nation's 617,000 bridges are aging is no secret. The 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card found that 42% are more than 50 years old, and more than 46,000 are considered structurally deficient. It would cost $41.8 billion and take 40 years to repair every bridge in the backlog, ASCE reported.

Though chronically underfunded, state DOTs, with guidance from the Federal Highway Administration, have maintained robust inspection programs that have kept bridges relatively safe. (Over the past 30 years, three have collapsed, one of them hit by a barge.) Technology is making that exponentially easier, and the promise of billions in new funding from the infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in November brings new hope to the sector.

"We've been waiting for this infrastructure bill for years and years and years,"said Andrew Herrmann, who was ASCEs president in 2012, and is now principal emeritus at engineering firm Hardesty & Hanover. "It's going to pump money where it needs to be."

Bridges are entering "a new age,"said Greg Nadeau, chairman of infrastructure ventures for composite bridge provider AIT Bridges and a former FHWA administrator under President Barack Obama.

Greg Nadeau

Permission granted by AIT Bridges

"We have to do two things,"he said. "We need more money to address bridge needs and the infrastructure bill has done that in a historic way and we have to start building bridges faster, better, smarter. With a bigger infusion of funds, states are going to be in a better position to really start taking advantage of that to utilize new age approaches and materials."

To help beef up safety monitoring of aging bridges,engineers are increasingly looking to technology.Ozbay said most problems could be averted with simple innovations such as sensors that measure stress and weight levels in bridge roadways' asphalt for predictive modeling and sensors that alert DOTs about problems (much like a Fitbit warns its wearer when their heart rate spikes).

Using well-known structural engineering models, bridge authorities can leverage all the data theyre collecting to make smarter, more informed decisions.

"Sensors are relatively cheap they can have many of them and now it's easy with wireless technology to get data from the field," Ozbay said.

New York-based startup Dynamic Infrastructure, for example, offers an AI-based cloud platform that broadcasts live 3D images and alerts authorities when dramatic changes in bridge conditions occur. The system also analyzes past and current inspection-report photographs to create what the firm calls "visual medical records"that can identify defects and future maintenance risks.

State DOTs are also leveraging data to make systemwide decisions about scheduling repairs and preventive maintenance using Bridge Asset Management which Hunley admits is a big, all-encompassing term.

"At its core, it's leveraging the data that our states are getting through bridge inspections with cost data and deterioration data to plan ahead for what our needs will be,"he said. "When you look at bridges in this more programmatic way, it requires more formal technological tools to manage."

Excerpt from:

I-40 bridge shutdown 'could have been prevented' with the right technology - Construction Dive

Todays major technology firms wield huge social and political influence across the world to the point that their actions, and the content they host, is often seen as a direct challenge to national sovereignty and the norms and power structures that support states. In regions and countries as varied as Europe, China, the United States, Australia and Russia, governments are proposing andin the case of China, Russia, and Australiaimplementing regulations that purport to protect the national interest by imposing new duties on the largest online players. Their effectiveness in economic or social terms is uncertain, and their impact on rights has been heavily criticized by civil society.

Industrial revolutions of any kind have real and severe implications for economic development, national security, social cohesion, and human rights, and the one we are experiencing nowdubbed the the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the World Economic Forumposes even greater risks along these lines, given the speed and scale at which digital applications and systems can be deployed across traditional borders. The dominance of digital firms, and the uses to which their services are being put, is also creating risks that range from fomenting extremism in Syria, to shifting democratic participation in Kenya, inciting genocidal violence in Myanmar, and the global spread of misinformation around health.

As we point out in our recent report, Interoperable, agile and balanced: rethinking technology policy and governance for the 21st Century, structural shifts in the sources and wielders of economic, social and political powerand the urgent threats that accompany such changessuggests a need for new forms of regulation and governance that ensure common social values survive and thrive. Most importantly, values such as fairness, inclusiveness, and accountability need to be consciously and carefully built into both our governance systems and the technologies themselves to ensure that their direct risks to users and negative externalities to others are well managed.

In the past, it has taken governments decades after the popular adoption of new technologies to appreciate associated externalities and develop and enforce appropriate policies to mitigate them. The automobile was almost 100 years old and responsible for killing over 50,000 Americans a year before road safety was taken seriously at the federal level in the United States in 1970. Yet policymakers today face bigger challenges than their predecessors, as they seek to manage the impacts of complex, rapidly evolving technologies that tend to be developed and jealously guarded by entrepreneurs. As former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright puts it, citizens are speaking to their governments using 21st century technologies, governments are listening on 20th century technology and providing 19th century solutions.

This generational gap is hard to overcome because three critical challenges stymie those seeking to make policy today. A plethora of jurisdictions and approaches has led to regulatory fragmentation among cities, regions, and countries that dramatically reduces the utility of action while creating burden for would-be competitors of digital platforms. The data required to fully understand the extent of social problems is controlled by the very firms suspected of creating them, leaving policymakers with a lack of data to inform their actions. And the reliance of countries and their citizens on the services of the same technology firms that they would like to influence has led to fewer degrees of freedom.

What, then, does 21st century tech policy and governance look like? Essentially, policymakers need to be equipped with a new set of tools that help address these challenges.

First, we need more transparent and holistic policymaking approaches that clearly communicate technology policy goals and identify trade-offs at the national, international, and subnational levels as well as across stakeholder groups. The pervasiveness of digital systems in our lives means that technology policy is rapidly becoming everything policy, with critical and different implications for areas as diverse as infrastructure resilience, national security, the competitiveness of markets, social cohesion, the relationship between citizens and the state, and evenas we have seen recentlyhow well health systems function. Faced with this, policymakers need reasoned, structured approaches that avoid the twin traps of hasty, opportunistic policymaking that only addresses symptoms at one end of the spectrum and paralyzed policymaking that never approaches implementation at the other extreme.

Given its reasonable timeframes for consultation and its interaction with a broad set of stakeholder groups, the European Commissions considered, comprehensive approach to the construction of the Digital Services Act (DSA) is a step in the right direction. But more work needs to be done in identifying and resolving critical conflicts and trade-offs that are emerging in proposals and amendments. For example, the EUs General Data Protection Regulation asserts the right not to be subject to automated decisionmaking, yet current DSA proposals around the removal of objectionable content will create strong incentives for digital platforms to continuously monitor and assess material in ways that will very likely infringe on freedom speech.

Second, even though working with others is hard, effective technology policy requires close collaboration across jurisdictions. Countries need to be systematically gathering and sharing the evidence of effectiveness or failure of diverse technology policy approaches across jurisdictions. To overcome the challenge of a lack of evidence, countries may need to support new processes around sharing insights into the algorithms and datasets of structurally important digital firms. Investing heavily in open, international technology standards focused on current issues will pay capitals back many times over.

Finally, managing the impact of technologies produced with agile development processes requires a shift toward agile governance. We believe that a wider representation of stakeholder interests, combined with a congenial dance between exploration and evidence-based decisions, can lead to more proactive and entrepreneurial governance fit for the 21st Century.

Agile governance processes have been emerging for a while in forward-leaning government departments, creating spaces for policy experimentation and learning. For example, regulatory sandboxes have been used to test rules around drones and innovative financial services. Meanwhile, risk-based regulatory approacheswhich allow for considerable nuance in the application of laws as well as encouraging contextually sensitive assessmentsare at the heart of the EUs recent proposed regulation laying down harmonized rules on artificial intelligence.

All of this represents an opportunity, rather than a burden. The opportunity is to reform governance in a way that enables us to embed fairness, inclusion, and accountability within the technological systems that increasingly shape our economies and societies. Investing and succeeding in this area could mean that the coming decade of policy governance integrates diverse values in interoperable systems, with regulators and citizens working alongside one another as reciprocal partners, rather than antagonists.

Nicholas Davis is a professor of practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and the former head of society and innovation at the World Economic Forum.Landry Sign is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program and the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, and professor and managing directorat the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a distinguished fellow at Stanford University.Mark Esposito is a clinical professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a policy fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.

The rest is here:

Rethinking technology policy and governance for the 21st Century - Brookings Institution

YPSILANTI To expose students and faculty to industry leaders, Eastern Michigan University GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology will host TechTalk featuring Reuben Sarkar, president and CEO for the American Center for Mobility at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26.

EMU TechTalk, a series that launched last fall, offers students and faculty an opportunity to hear from established and up-and-coming leaders in the engineering and technology fields. Additionally, this event offers a networking environment to explore internships, careers, and research opportunities at the College.

This initiative spotlights industry leaders who are making a difference in their chosen fields, said Mohamad Qatu, dean of GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. EMU students learn from these leaders, who give them the willpower to want to advance in their studies and ultimately achieve their career goals.

Sarkars talk will focus on the importance of shared-use smart mobility test centers as a key enabler for the cost-effective validation of new mobility technologies as well as the state of technology readiness and trends in mobility technologies.

According to Qatu, the TechTalk series also presents an opportunity to introduce EMU faculty to these companies and bridge connections towards possible research opportunities. It's a great benefit for everyone," he added.

Visit EMU Today for more information on how to participate. If you have any questions, contact Rebekah McDow at rmcdow@emich.edu.

More about the speaker:

Reuben Sarkar serves as the President and CEO of the American Center for Mobility. He has more than two decades of experience in transportation innovation in corporate, government, and entrepreneurial roles. Formerly, he was deputy assistant secretary of Transportation for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), where he established EEREs focus on mobility systems. He has held leadership roles in multiple start-up companies including Forge Nano and Proterra. He was also the lead engineer on the 1st generation electric drive for the Chevy Volt. He holds both bachelor's and master of science degrees in chemical engineering, as well as an MBA with high distinction from U-M in Ann Arbor.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral, and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences, and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors, and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more

Original post:

GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology to host TechTalk event Jan. 26 - EMU Today

Adedolapo Adedokun has a lot to look forward to in 2023. After completing his degree in electrical engineering and computer science next spring, he will travel to Ireland to undertake an MS in intelligent systems at Trinity College Dublin asMITs fourth student to receive the prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship.But theres more to Adedokun, who goes by Dolapo, than just academic achievement. Besides being a talented computer scientist, the senior is an accomplished musician, an influential member of student government and an anime fan.

Q: What excites you the most about going to Ireland to study for a year?

A: One of the reasons I was interested in Ireland was when I learned aboutMusic Generation, a national music education initiative in Ireland, with the goal of giving every child in Ireland access to the arts through access to music tuition, performance opportunities, and music education in and outside of the classroom. It made me think, Wow, this is a country that recognizes the importance of arts and music education and has invested to make it accessible for people of all backgrounds. I am inspired by this initiative and wish it was something I could have had growing up.

I am also really inspired by the work of Louis Stewart, an amazing jazz guitarist who was born and raised in Dublin. I am excited to explore his musical influences and to dive into the rich musical community of Dublin. I hope to join a jazz band, maybe a trio or a quartet, and perform all around the city, immersing myself in the rich Irish musical scene, but also sharing my own styles and musical influences with the community there.

Q: Of course, while youre there, youll be working on your MS in intelligent systems. Im intrigued by your invention of a smart-home system that lets users layer different melodies as they enter and leave a building. Can you tell us a little more about that system: how it works, how you envision users interacting with it and experiencing it, and what you learned from developing it?

A: Funny enough, it actually started as a system I worked on in my freshman year in 6.08 (Introduction to Embedded Systems) with a few classmates. We called it Smart HOMiE, an IoT [internet-of-things] Arduino smart-home device that gathered basic information like location, weather, and interfaced with Amazon Alexa. I had forgotten about having worked on it until I took 21M.080 (Introduction to Music Technology) and 6.033 (Computer System Engineering) in my junior year, and began to learn about the creative applications of machine learning and computer science in areas like audio synthesis and digital instrument design. I learned about amazing projects likeGoogle Magentas Tone Transfer ML models that use machine learning models to transform sounds into legitimate musical instruments. Learning about this unique intersection combining music and technology, I began to think about bigger questions, like, What kind of creative future can technology create? How can technology enable anyone to be expressive?

When I had some downtime while being at home for a year, I wanted to play around with some of the audio synthesis tools I had learned about. I took Smart HOMiE and upgraded it a bit made it a bit more musical. It worked in three main steps. First, multiple people could sing and record melodies that the device would save and store. Then, using a few pitch correction and audio synthesis Python libraries, Smart HOMiE corrected the recorded melodies until they fit together, or generally fit inside the same key, in music terms. Lastly, it then would combine the melodies, add some harmony or layer the track over a backing track, and by the end, youve made something really unique and expressive. It was definitely a bit scrappy, but it was one of my first times messing around and exploring all the work that has already been done by amazing people in this space. Technology has this incredible potential to make anyone a creator Id like to build the tools to make it happen.

Q: Youre a jazz instrumentalist yourself. Tell us more!

A: Ive always had an affinity for music, but havent always felt like I could become a musician. I had played saxophone in middle school but it never really stuck. When I got to MIT, I was fortunate enough to take 21M.051 (Fundamentals of Music) and dive into proper music theory for the first time. It was in that class that I was exposed to jazz and completely fell in love. Ill never forget walking back to New House from Barker Library in my freshman year and stumbling uponUndercurrent, by Bill Evans and Jim Hall I think that was when I decided I wanted to learn jazz guitar.

Jazz, and in particular improvisation, has taught me so much about what it means to be creative: to be willing to experiment, take risks, build upon the work of others, and accept failure all skills that I wholeheartedly believe have made me a better technologist and leader. Most importantly, though, I think music and jazz have taught me patience and discipline, and that mastery of a skill takes a lifetime. Id be lying if I said I was satisfied with where I am currently at, but each day, Im eager to take one step forward towards my goals.

Q: Youve focused in on music and arts education, and the potential of technology to bolster both. Is there a particularly influential class, technology, or teacher in your past that you can point to as a change-maker in your life?

A: Wow, tough question! I think there are a few inflection points that have really been change-makers for me. The first was in high school when I firstlearned about Guitar Hero, the music rhythm video game that started as a project in the MIT Media Lab attempting to bring the joy of music-making to people of all backgrounds. It was then that I was able to see the multidisciplinary outreach of technology in service of others.

The next I would say was taking 6.033 at MIT. From the first day of class, Professor [Katrina] LaCurts emphasized understanding the people we design for. That we ought to see system design as inherently people-oriented before we think of designing a system, we must first consider the people that will be using them. We must consider their goals, their personas, their backgrounds, the barriers that they face, and most importantly, the consequences of our design and implementation choices. I envision a future where music, arts, and the creative process are accessible to everyone, and I believe 6.033 has given me the foundation to build the technology to reach that goal.

Q: Youve also developed a passion for broadband infrastructure, which at first glance, people might not connect with music and education, your other two focuses. Why is broadband such an important factor?

A: Before we can think about the potential of technology to democratize accessibility to music and the arts, we first have to take a step back and think about accessibility. What communities have more and less access to the proper technology that we often take for granted? I think broadband is just one factor in the realm of the bigger problem, which is accessibility, particularly in minority and low-income communities. I see technology as being the key to democratizing access to music and the arts for people of all background but that technology can only be the key if the foundational infrastructure is in place for all people to take advantage of it. Just like I learned in 6.033, that means understanding the barriers of the people and communities with the least access and investing in crucial, basic technological resources like equitable broadband internet access.

Q: Between your work on the Undergraduate Student Advisory Group in EECS, the Harvard/MIT Cooperative Society, the MIT Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, and of course all your research and many academic interests, many readers must wonder if youevereat or sleep! How have you balanced your busy MIT life and maintained a sense of self while accomplishing so much as an undergraduate?

A: Great question! Ill start by saying it took me a while to figure out. There were semesters where I had to drop classes and or drop extracurricular commitments to find some sense of balance. Its always difficult, being surrounded by the worlds brightest students who are all doing incredible and amazing things, to not feel like you should add one more class or an extra UROP.

I think the most important thing, though, is to stay true to you figuring out the things that bring you joy, that excite you, and how much of those commitments is reasonable to take on each semester. Im not a student who can take a million-and-one classes, research, internships, and clubs all at the same time but thats totally OK. It took me a while to find the things I enjoyed, and understand the academic load thats appropriate for me each semester, but once I did, I was happier than ever before. I realized things like playing tennis and basketball, jamming with friends, and even sneaking in a few episodes of anime here and there are really important to me. As long as I can look back each week, month, semester, and year and say Ive taken a step forward towards my academic, social, and music goals, even just the tiniest amount, then I think I am taking steps in the right direction.

See the rest here:

Q&A: Dolapo Adedokun on computer technology, Ireland, and all that jazz - MIT News

WATERTOWN, Mass., January 12, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Markforged Holding Corporation (or "the Company") (NYSE: MKFG), creator of the integrated metal and carbon fiber additive manufacturing platform, The Digital Forge, today announced a realignment of its technology teams as part of its ongoing evolution to accelerate its product roadmap and deliver on its mission to lead the future of distributed manufacturing. As part of a planned transition, David Benhaim, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, is stepping down from his role as Chief Technology Officer, effective today, and will remain with the Company in an advisory role through July 8, 2022.

As previously announced in August 2021, John Howard joined the Company as the Vice President, Engineering with more than 30 years of experience in engineering and product design with prior leadership roles, including at Amazon and Apple. Howard now leads a fully integrated engineering team, combining hardware, software and materials development efforts under one leader to scale operations and enhance collaboration and innovation.

"Its been my great honor, and a privilege, to be a part of the Markforged team since its founding in 2013. I will always look back fondly on helping to build this company and working alongside such a fantastic group of talented and motivated people," said Benhaim.

"Davids contributions helped set the stage for Markforgeds future success and we are grateful for all of his efforts. We continue to enhance our management team, and we have an incredibly strong and deep engineering team in place," said Shai Terem, President and CEO. "Markforged is in an exceptional position to execute on our growth strategy."

About Markforged

Markforged (NYSE: MKFG) is reimagining how humans build everything by leading a technology-driven transformation of manufacturing with solutions for enterprises and societies throughout the world. The Markforged Digital Forge brings the power and speed of agile software development to industrial manufacturing, combining hardware, software, and materials to solve supply chain problems right at the point-of-need. Engineers, designers, and manufacturing professionals all over the world rely on Markforged metal and composite printers for tooling, fixtures, functional prototyping, and high-value end-use production. Markforged is headquartered in Watertown, Mass., where it designs its products with over 350 employees worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.markforged.com.

Story continues

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding demand for Markforged product and services. Markforged cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this press release will prove to be accurate. These forward looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, among others, general economic, political and business conditions and other factors discussed under the header "Risk Factors" in the in Markforgeds most recent registration statement on Form S-1, Markforgeds most recent periodic report on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Markforged assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220112005979/en/

Contacts

MediaPaulina Bucko, Head of Communicationspaulina.bucko@markforged.com

Investorsinvestors@markforged.com

Read more from the original source:

Markforged Announces a Realignment of Its Technology Team - Yahoo Finance

Global Satellite Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology Market to Reach $8,817. 3 Million by 2031. Market Report Coverage - Satellite Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology

New York, Jan. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Satellite Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, End User, Component, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2031" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06219258/?utm_source=GNW

Market Segmentation

Application: Navigation, Positioning, Precision Timing, Geo-Location, GNSS Correction End User: Defense, Commercial, Government and Civil Component: Hardware, Software

Regional Segmentation

North America: U.S., and Canada Europe: Germany, U.K., France, Russia, and Rest of Europe Asia-Pacific: Japan, China, India, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World: Middle East and Africa, Latin America

Market Growth Drivers

Increasing Demand for Operational Efficiency of PNT Technology

Market Challenges

High Cost of Maintaining and Upgrading the Existing PNT Technology Country Regulations and Political Landscape

Market Opportunities

Emergence of Private Sector Offering PNT Technology

Key Companies Profiled

Garmin Ltd., Northrop Grumman Corporation, BAE Systems, Inc., Qualcomm Technologies Ltd., Hexagon AB, Novatel Inc., Raytheon Technologies, WR Systems, Saab Ab, Telespazio, Thales Group, Orolia Holding SAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, Safran

How This Report Can Add Value

This extensive report can help with: A dedicated section focusing on ongoing and upcoming PNT technology programs Qualitative analysis of PNT technology application and end user Analysis of regional and country-wise PNT technology growth scope

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product section will help the reader understand the different solutions for the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology.It will also help the readers understand the global potential of different hardware and software solution markets.

The players operating in this market are developing innovative offerings and are deeply engaged in long-term agreements and contracts with space and government agencies.

Recent Developments in Satellite PNT Technology Market

In September 2021, Northrop Grumman Corporation received a contract worth $13.3 million for Phase 2 development of an advanced, software-defined positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) payload, with options to build units destined for space flight. In June 2020, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. acquired CPI ASC Signal Division, Inc. (ASC) from Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) for $35 million in cash. In August 2021, Saab AB company received a contract to develop and produce radars for the U.S. Navy. The delivery is scheduled for August 2023. In February 2021, BAE Systems Inc. received a contract worth $247 million from the U.S. Space Forces Space and Missile Systems Center to design and manufacture an advanced military M-code GPS receiver. Under the contract, the company would also focus on the certification of an advanced application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and the development of an ultra-small, low-power GPS module.

Key Questions Answered in the Report

How satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market evolve in the coming years? Which end user in the satellite PNT technology market will occupy the highest share over the coming years? What components are required for commercial and defense satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market application? What is the scope in the market for new original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and other players that wish to enter the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market? What are the drivers and challenges attributing to the growth of the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology? Which application and end user segment are expected to lead the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology by 2031? What was the market value of the regions in global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology 2020, and how is the market estimated to grow during the forecast period 2021-2031? What are the R&D initiative and investment scenarios in the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market? What are the key developmental strategies that are implemented by the key players to sustain the competitive market?

Satellite Positions, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology

Satellite PNT technology determines precise geographical location or position, navigates the route, and accurately tracks exact time. The position, navigation, and timing is derived from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) onboard the communication satellite.

The primary function of PNT is to improve the performance of GNSS by providing information about the accuracy, integrity, continuity, and availability of its signals for geo-location and navigation applications.

Initially, the position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology was introduced to supplement military and defense operations. However, PNT technology has become crucial for commercial, government, and civil operations over the years.

Currently, government agencies and private companies operating in the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market are engaged in research and development initiatives to offer assured position, navigation, and timing technology (A-PNT).

Satellite PNT Technology Industry Overview

The global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market is valued at $961.7 million in 2020 and it is estimated to reach $8,817.3 million by 2031, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.45% during the forecast period 2021-2031. The major factor driving the market growth is the need for resilient navigation, positioning, and timing data for everyday applications in the commercial and defense sector.

Market Segmentation

Satellite PNT Technology Market by Application

The navigation application is expected to dominate the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market as receiving accurate navigation data has become the backbone of the automotive, e-commerce, and transport and logistics industries on air, land, and sea. The navigation application has also become crucial for military, government, and civil end user for national security, special operations, research, rescue missions, and more.

Satellite PNT Technology Market by End User

The commercial end user segment is anticipated to dominate the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market. For the automotive, commercial aviation, financial industries, e-commerce businesses, the PNT technology is critical for everyday operations.

Satellite PNT Technology Market by Component

The hardware solution segment is expected to lead the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market. The growth of this segment is attributed to the critical hardware components such as atomic clocks and oscillators.

Satellite PNT Technology Market by Region

During the forecast period, North America is expected to dominate the global satellite position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology market. The significant presence of key companies highly engaged in developing and providing global satellite position, navigation, and timing technology solutions is a major factor attributing to the regions growth.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

Some of the key players operating in the market include Garmin Ltd., Northrop Grumman Corporation, BAE Systems, Inc., Qualcomm Technologies Ltd., Hexagon AB, Novatel Inc., Raytheon Technologies, WR Systems, Saab Ab, Telespazio, Thales Group, Orolia Holding SAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Safran.

The companies profiled in the report have been selected following in-depth interviews with experts and understanding details around companies such as product portfolio, annual revenues, market penetration, research and development initiatives, and domestic and international presence in the space industry.

Countries Covered North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany France U.K. Russia Rest-of-Europe Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest-of-Asia-Pacific Rest-of-the-World Latin America Middle East and AfricaRead the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06219258/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________

Story continues

Original post:

Satellite Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, End User, Component, and...