MySpace Co-Founder Wants To Make You An AI Master

Launching and growing a tech startup company takes a lot of time and sweat equity, and eventually, it nearly always requires outside investment.

Market research, development and iteration, testing, and marketing are all costly steps, and in a tech company, they happen on a “rinse and repeat” cycle.

Fortunately, in a tech-driven marketplace and economy, there are investment dollars to be found—venture capitalists are always looking to get in on the ground floor of a promising technology company.

However, to gain the confidence of VCs, tech entrepreneurs have to know what they’re looking for and learn to speak their language.

Among the members of are successful startup founders (some several times over).

Below, 20 of them share their advice for new tech entrepreneurs who are testing the VC waters for the first time.

1. Pitch Your Strong Fundamentals And Long-Term Potential In today’s economy, investors have a more critical eye than ever for strong business fundamentals and long-term market potential.

Businesses looking for investors should emphasize these aspects in their pitches and continue to find ways to sharpen them over time to showcase the potential ROI. – , 2.

Pilot With Customers Early And Often Focus on building a viable business by piloting with customers early and often.

The presence of engaged, paying customers will be your largest asset.

Avoid diverting all of your time and attention to fundraising alone; ensure fundraising is a vehicle and catalyst for growth rather than the destination.

– , is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.

3. Be Wary Of Diluting Your Ownership Stake Don’t raise more capital than you need.

It can dilute your ownership stake because the more money you raise, the more you’ll have to give away.

Also, it can create unrealistic expectations—investors will be expecting big returns on their investments.

Further, it can make it harder to raise follow-on funding, as investors may be concerned that you’re not using your capital wisely.

– , 4. Focus On The Basics Through founding three startups, I’ve learned that the best approach focuses on the basics.

Tell venture capitalists how you’re uniquely solving a big problem for businesses today (not tomorrow).

Speak to how large your market is, and demonstrate that you have a credible team with the confidence to execute your vision.

– , 5.

Brace For Numerous Rejections Navigate VC funding as a mix of numbers, optimism and discipline.

Brace for numerous rejections, and understand that those rejections are often about investor fit, not your shortcomings.

Meticulously refine your pitch, conduct in-depth research and use Crunchbase for precise targeting.

Embrace the process: Present, learn, refine and repeat.

Resilience and discipline are key; the right funding match will emerge through persistence.

– ,

6. Favor A Sound Foundation Over Rapid Expansion Maintain a clear focus on long-term growth when pursuing VC financing.

While financing is necessary, don’t favor rapid expansion over a sound business foundation.

Seek investors who value consistent, scalable growth and share your goal for long-term success.

Balancing expansion and stability is critical for navigating the competitive landscape and making a long-term impact.

– , 7. Think Through And Document Critical Processes Having structure and organization in how you operate is as important as the value of your product or service.

Being able to showcase that you have thought through the legal, ethical and operational processes that are a part of your organization will be necessary and will help your case when you’re seeking investment.

In addition, be sure to write things down.

Documentation is always critical to share.

– , 8.

Craft A Compelling Story

The key to impressing investors is a good story that amplifies your unique value proposition.

Focus on tangible, relatable real-world problems that will be solved faster, better and in a more sophisticated way with your technology solution.

While telling the story, don’t glorify the problem; focus on the solution, and keep corporate BS at bay—this isn’t a “fake it until you make it” situation.

Money sits tight, and due diligence seeks out the best!

– , 9.

Ensure You Have A Solid GTM Strategy Focusing solely on technology without a solid go-to-market strategy leads many startups to fail.

Successful companies identify target customers, understand customer reach strategies, engage partners for market delivery, generate revenue and build resources for the entire value chain.

– , 10.

Prioritize Operational Excellence

My advice to tech startups is to prioritize operational excellence.

Investors are not just backing your product; they are investing in your ability to execute flawlessly.

A well-oiled operation not only attracts funding, but also ensures sustained growth and long-term success.

Make your operations a star player in your funding pitch, and you’ll be on the fast track to capture investments.

– , 11.

Consult With Outside Experts Far too often, tech startup leaders believe they have the next killer product or service, but that’s rarely the case.

Before you bank on VC money to take your business to the next level, make sure you put your concept through the gauntlet of skeptics and battle-test your path to sustainable profit.

If you survive this step, you might just have something.

– , 12.

Develop A Diverse Team

My advice is to build a team with diverse skills and experiences.

Such a team can enhance your ability to execute your vision and show investors that your company has the depth and resilience to overcome challenges.

Remember, investors invest in ideas and the people behind them.

Hence, a well-rounded team can play a significant role in securing funding for your startup.

– , 13.

First, Sign A Paying Customer Validation and a track record of progress are everything, even if the track record is short.

Product-market fit and validation by paying customer is by far the most interesting detail for investors.

Solid knowledge of the “why,” “what,” and “how” communicates confidence and competence, and design customers will usually pay a small amount for guaranteed access for a year.

Use that truth to sign as many of them as possible.

Then go in.

– , 14.

Avoid Reliance On Trends And Buzzwords When seeking venture capital, tech startups should avoid overrelying on tech trends or buzzwords.

Genuine, value-driven applications of technology are key, as investors can differentiate between real innovation and trend-based pitches.

Overemphasis on trends without a solid business foundation can lead to investor skepticism and undermine long-term success.

– , 15.

Back Up Your Claims With Data User testing, both quantitative and qualitative, will get you hard numbers to show to potential investors—data that shows the interest, market size and even potential monetization techniques that you will use to be successful.

If the testing indicates problems, you can catch them and adjust before you’re beholden to new investors.

– , 16.

Choose Investors By Expertise And Network Access Joining an accelerator can help you prepare, but make sure you’re a good match for both its program and investor relationships.

Choose your VCs by expertise and network access, not just capital, and engage frequently to build strong relationships.

Understand term sheets and their impact on control.

Know that your investors’ involvement can significantly shape the company’s direction and governance.

– , 17.

Time The Market In the stock market, experts advise that “time in the market beats timing the market.”

When raising venture capital, that advice doesn’t hold.

You should time the market.

Start your raise when you have achieved significant milestones, such as a prototype and initial adoption.

Raise with a purpose (for example, to build or scale your product).

Raising too early will unnecessarily dilute your equity interest.

– , 18.

Show Your Passion For The Project One meeting can change everything.

Your passion and belief in your project are more important and visible than you might imagine.

Keep a positive attitude, as investors notice defeatism.

Make as many pitches as possible.

It’s all about the math; the more pitches you make, the better you become at pitching, and the greater your chances of finding that one meeting that changes everything.

– , 19. Consider The Terms And Conditions Carefully When seeking VC funding, carefully consider the terms and conditions.

It’s crucial to look beyond the immediate financial gain and evaluate how investor involvement might influence your company’s direction, culture and autonomy.

Remember, the goal is to find a partnership that supports your vision and growth, not just a cash injection.

– , 20.

Build A Robust Independent Revenue Model Before seeking venture capital, a tech company should focus on building a robust independent revenue model.

Rely less on investor funding and more on customer revenue to demonstrate real market demand.

This approach can increase company valuation and give you more leverage in VC negotiations.

– ,

One of the world’s most widely used cargo planes completed an entire flight with no one on board for the first time.

Lasting approximately 12 minutes in total, the flight departed from Hollister Airport, in Northern California, and was operated by Reliable Robotics, which has been working since 2019 on a semi-automated flying system in which the aircraft is controlled remotely by a pilot.

The company recently announced that the 50-mile flight took place in November.

The plane was a Cessna Caravan, a robust single-engine aircraft that is a popular choice for flight training, tourism, humanitarian missions and regional cargo.

“Cessna has made 3,000 Caravans — it’s the most popular cargo plane you’ve never heard of,” says Robert Rose, CEO of Reliable Robotics.

“Pilots will tell you it’s the workhorse of the industry.

“But the challenge with this aircraft is that it flies at lower altitudes and more adverse weather conditions than many large aircraft do today.

So operating it is much more dangerous, and automation is going to go a long way to improve the safety of these operations.”

Consultancy firm AviationValues told CNN there are currently 900 Caravans in active service, and FedEx — which has been using the type since 1985 — is the largest operator with about 200 of them.

Reliable Robotics is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration to certify its technology for commercial operations, and expects that process to be complete in as little as two years.

The remote operator — a real pilot who must be certified to fly the aircraft exactly as if they were sitting in the cockpit — sends commands to the plane via encrypted satellite signals, but does not pilot the aircraft in real time nor gets any visual feed from the plane itself.

The interface they use is closer to those used by air traffic controllers than drone pilots.

“This is not a video game,” says Rose.

“There’s no joystick and you don’t have the ability to hand-fly the plane remotely.

There’s no video feed that gives you real-time feedback.

The way they control the aircraft is essentially a menu of options: you can think of it like a ‘choose your own adventure’ based on where the aircraft is, and there’s a set of buttons to allow the pilot to redirect the plane somewhere else.”

Each command sent to the plane includes all instructions required to land, so the aircraft always knows what to do even if communications are lost.

“You could say that the aircraft is autonomous,” Rose explains.

“If you tell it to do nothing else, or if you lose communications with it, it’s going to do the last thing you told it to do, which is the definition of autonomy.

It has no direct human control.”

Compared to a traditional autopilot, the Reliable Robotics system is able to perform all phases of a flight, including moving out of the gate and towards the runway, as well as taking off and landing.

But as far as other aircraft or air traffic controllers are concerned, this is just like any other plane, Rose says, because the remote operator will respond to radio calls and handle voice communications in such a way that it’s impossible to tell they’re not aboard.

What if something goes wrong?

According to Rose, there’s at least one advantage in handling emergencies remotely: if a pilot loses control of the plane, they can immediately inform air traffic control of its position and last command.

“In many ways this is better than the way aircraft operate today, because if you’re flying around in the sky and you lose radio communications, or something goes wrong with the plane, you have to do something and air traffic control has no idea what you’re going to do.

So they have to clear the airspace all around you because nobody knows what your intentions are.”

Once the system becomes commercially available, other security measures will come into effect, including a smart card that will be required to operate any aircraft.

In addition, pilots will work from a control center where other people will be watching over them.

For now, Reliable Robotics is looking to certify the system for the Caravan, but is already testing it on a larger aircraft with the US Air Force — the KC-135 Stratotanker, a military refueling plane based on the old Boeing 707 — and hopes to start testing on jet cargo aircraft within five to 10 years.

According to Rose, remotely controlled regional cargo planes would have positive effects on both safety and the ongoing pilot shortage.

“The pilot shortage is putting pressure on smaller aircraft operations, because the larger planes are sucking up all the pilots, and it’s becoming much more difficult to sustain operations with smaller aircraft fleets.

“We see remote piloting as a way to solve that problem in the near future.”

He adds that airlines will be able to streamline their operations because layovers will no longer be required, as pilots will be able to work from a single location.

As for safety, Rose says that the system will prevent common types of accidents that are linked to human error, such as “ ” and loss of control in flight, which account for the majority of fatal crashes.

Rose explains that the Reliable Robotics system has been designed to prevent them, for example by cross-checking against a terrain and obstacle database in case the plane is erroneously programmed to fly into something.

The history of pilotless aircraft goes back to the early years of aviation, with the first examples of unmanned planes in the US and Britain during World War I. Most unmanned aerial vehicles today are categorized as drones, performing a range of functions from military action to search and rescue and photography.

and , both in the US, and in the UK, are among the companies developing similar systems to Reliable Robotics, with a similar attention to the cargo sector.

In recent years, the concept of pilotless air taxis has also gained interest, with a first performed by German company Volocopter in Dubai in 2017; the Emirate is now planning to inaugurate its first “vertiport” for flying taxis within three years, albeit using vehicles manned by human pilots.

In China, urban air mobility company EHang was the first to obtain, in October, full from the local authorities to fly a pilotless passenger-carrying UAV — the result of over 40,000 test flights.

According to Jack W. Langelaan, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Penn State University, who’s not involved with Reliable Robotics, the company has achieved a significant milestone by completing a flight from hangar to hangar without an on-board pilot.

“There are lots of hard things in robotic aircraft,” he told CNN.

“Two of them are dealing with the unexpected and fitting into the existing air traffic control system.

The unexpected includes things like mechanical and sensor failures.

“We can’t anticipate everything and we need to prove that the robotic ‘pilot’ is at least as competent as a good human pilot.

Fitting into the air traffic control system is also tricky: at the moment it’s managed by humans talking to each other by radio, so Reliable used a remote pilot to manage this aspect of the flight.

And of course, the human remote pilot was also ready to step in to deal with the unexpected.”

Gary Crichlow, head of commercial analysts at consultancy firm AviationValues, agrees that the technology to enable uncrewed operations is impressive.

“That being said, the jump between crewed operations and uncrewed operations on a global scale is an extremely large one,” he cautioned.

“It’s not just about the technology, it’s also about the economics and politics of replacing a highly skilled group of people with that technology.

If anything, I’d expect those barriers to be even more difficult to overcome than the technological hurdles.”

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All rights reserved.

In brief: Singapore already enforces strict government oversight on critical technology infrastructures.

City authorities now aim to extend this oversight to other “important” information technology providers as well.

Singapore is working to amend the state’s Cybersecurity Bill, which was approved in 2018, to enforce new obligations for third-party companies providing crucial technology services.

The Asian country has initiated a public consultation on the amendment, soliciting feedback over a one-month period that will last until January 15, 2024.

The original Cybersecurity Act grants the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) oversight powers over national cybersecurity in Singapore.

According to the proposed amendment, since the Act’s enactment, the cyber-threat landscape and business environment have been constantly evolving.

Singapore has emerged as one of the most digitally connected countries globally, leading to increased demands for connectivity, computing, and data storage.

These evolving needs have prompted new considerations regarding cybersecurity and government oversight.

While the CSA has previously regulated Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) platforms, it now intends to extend cybersecurity guidance to “other important systems and infrastructure” as well.

The Cybersecurity Act specifically identifies energy, water, banking and finance, healthcare, land transport, maritime, aviation, government, infocomm, media, and security and emergency services as providers of CII services.

The proposed amendment to the Cybersecurity Bill will introduce the new category of “foundational digital infrastructure” alongside CII services.

This new category is expected to encompass data centers and cloud computing services operating within Singapore’s borders.

Operators of foundational infrastructure would be obligated to provide additional assurances to Singapore authorities, including the continuous delivery of services and effective prevention of cyber incidents.

The CSA also anticipates that providers of foundational infrastructure report cyber-attacks within hours and promptly comply with requests from Commissioner David Koh, including audits and requests for information on data center designs.

The amendment grants the CSA the authority to conduct on-site inspections to verify compliance with the new rules.

Organizations that fail to comply would be subject to fines or other penalties, as outlined in the amendment.

Temporary systems, such as those deployed for high-profile events, would need to adhere to similar rules for one year.

The CSA is inviting members of the public and stakeholders to provide their feedback online via the Feedback on the Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill form.

Red Cell CEO Grant Verstandig n October of 2022, Peter Emigh, who’d recently transitioned out of his role leading geriatric care for an in-home services provider, had dinner with some folks at venture capital firm Red Cell Partners where he talked about the challenges in that space.

Less than a year later, he’d launched his current company Savoy Life with its backing, a software company for long-term care he’d developed as there as an entrepreneur-in-residence.

Grant Verstandig, CEO and cofounder Red Cell, hopes that this isn’t an unusual story for his firm.

He says that Red Cell much prefers to support and incubate ideas for startups of its own, rather than seeking outside ventures to fund.

“We’re gonna build companies,” he told .

“If you’re an amazing engineer, why don’t we help you with finance, marketing, legal?

Whatever it is that you have, we want to surround you with the things that can help build value as you try to change the world.”

On Thursday, Red Cell announced the raise of its $91.2 million “RCIF I” fund, bringing its total dollars raised to over $200 million.

The new capital is aimed at pre-seed investments of up to $5 million for companies it is incubating as well as follow-on investments in later rounds.

The firm is focusing its investments in two primary areas; healthcare and defensetech, with an eye towards opportunities in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Its ambitious goal is to have those companies emerge from stealth in less than two years with contracts in already in hand to start generating revenue quickly.

Healthcare is an area that Verstandig, 34, knows well.

He founded Rally Health, a digital tool that helps users navigate their healthcare, in 2010.

The company was subsequently acquired by UnitedHealth in 2014, and Verstandig has cofounded several healthcare companies since, including ZephyrAI.

Despite the growth in digital health tools over the past few years, he still sees a lot of opportunity for better software in the marketplace.

‘We think we can bring a lot to the table in terms of democratizing data,” he said.

“Let’s create this system infrastructure and start to be more predictive for value-based outcomes.”

When it comes to military tech, one of the firm’s partners is former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, 59, who has years of experience at both the Pentagon and at defense contractor Raytheon.

From his perspective, there are major opportunities for innovation in defense technology, as major defense contractors tend to be focused on “incremental improvements and gains.”

His goal, on the other hand, is to incubate companies that “come up with completely new ideas that are outside the box.”

One company that Red Cell has incubated in the defense space is DefConAI, which uses machine learning algorithms to optimize logistics for military operations, including combat.

Red Cell launched the company and one of its partners, Yisroel Brumer, serves as CEO; It recently secured a new contract with the Air Force to advance the development of its models.

Red Cell’s investments are overseen by chief investment officer Roger Ferguson, a former Vice-Chairman of the Federal Reserve, veteran of major financial institutions like Swiss Re and currently sits on the board of Alphabet.

This role is the 72 year-old’s first foray into venture capital, but he told he’s enjoying the challenge so far.

“This is a time when it’s a challenging time to raise money,” he said.

“So I thought it would be a great chance for me to contribute.”

For his part, Verstandig also recognizes the challenges of both his firm’s model and the sectors in which it’s focused on investing.

“But I think the only thing I’d say at the end is that the mission matters,” Verstandig said.

“And in these two spaces: healthcare and national security, if we don’t innovate, the consequences are really profound.”

More At Forbes

After a surprising announcement that due to a legal battle, the Cupertino firm has removed these smartwatches from its online store.

At the moment of this writing, the only Apple Watch available in the Apple Store Online is the Apple Watch SE 2.

The reason behind this is that the SE , which, according to the US International Trade Commission, is why these watches have halted sales.

ITC agreed that infringed two of Masimo’s blood oxygen patents in October.

This decision was sent to Biden’s Administration for the Presidential Review Period, which expires December 25.

Biden could revoke ITC’s decision or comply – but we don’t have an answer just yet.

For that, Apple is now removing the and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from its online stores before it does the same in physical stores.

If the Biden Administration complies with the ITC decision, on December 24, Apple will no longer officially sell its latest smartwatches.

Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there.

By signing up, I agree to the and have reviewed the At the moment, it’s unclear if Apple plans for a settlement, licensing agreement, development of new technology, turning off this feature, or just complying with the ban and shocking everyone with this unprecedented Apple Watch ban.

That being said, if you’re planning to buy an Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 but haven’t done that, there’s still time, as third-party sellers can continue to sell these devices until their stock ends.

Amazon, for example, continues to sell both the and , while the same is worth it for BestBuy, which sells these devices and , respectively.

Below, you can see the statement shared with 9to5Mac about this decision: A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature.

While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand.

This includes pausing sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.

Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features.

Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.

Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible.

December 21, 2023 This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies .

Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Kiel University Every search engine query, every AI-generated text and developments such as autonomous driving

In the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, computers and data centers consume a lot of energy.

By contrast, the human brain is far more energy-efficient.

In order to develop more powerful and energy-saving computers inspired by the brain, a research team from Materials Science and Electrical Engineering at Kiel University (CAU) has now identified fundamental requirements for suitable hardware.

The scientists have developed materials that behave dynamically in a similar way to biological nervous systems.

Their results have been published in the journal Materials Today and could lead to a new type of information processing in electronic systems.

“Computers process information serially, whereas our brain processes information in parallel and dynamically.

This is much faster and uses less energy, for example in pattern recognition ,” says Prof Dr. Hermann Kohlstedt, Professor of Nanoelectronics and spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Center 1461 Neurotronics at Kiel University.

The researchers want to use nature as a source of inspiration for new electronic components and computer architectures.

Unlike conventional computer chips, transistors and processors, they are designed to process signals in a similar way to the constantly changing network of neurons and synapses in our brain.

“But computers are still based on silicon technology.

Although there has been impressive progress in hardware in terms of xy, networks of neurons and synapses remain unrivaled in terms of connectivity and robustness,” says Dr. Alexander Vahl, a materials scientist.

Research on new materials and processes is needed to be able to map the dynamics of biological information processing.

The research team therefore focused on developing materials that behave dynamically in a similar way to three-dimensional biological nervous systems.

“Dynamic” is created here by the fact that the arrangement of atoms and particles in the materials can change.

To this end, the researchers have identified seven basic principles that computer hardware must fulfill in order to function similarly to the brain.

These include, for example, a certain degree of changeability

The so-called plasticity of the brain is a requirement for learning or memory processes.

The materials the researchers developed in response to this fulfill several of these basic principles.

However, the “ultimate” material that fulfills everything does not yet exist.

“When we combine these materials with each other or with other materials, we open up possibilities for computers that go beyond traditional silicon technology,” says Prof. Dr. Rainer Adelung, Professor of Functional Nanomaterials.

“Industry and society need more and more computing power, but strategies such as the miniaturization of electronics are now reaching their technical limits in standard computers.

With our study, we want to open up new horizons.”

As an example, Maik-Ivo Terasa, a doctoral researcher in materials science and one of the study’s first authors, describes the unusual behavior of the special granular networks developed by the research team.

“If we produce silver-gold nanoparticles in a certain way and apply an electrical signal, they show special properties.

They are characterized by a balance between stability and a rapid change in their conductivity.”

In a similar way, the brain works best when there is a balance between plasticity and stability, known as criticality.

In three further experiments, the researchers showed that both zinc oxide nanoparticles and electrochemically formed metal filaments can be used to change the network paths via the electrical input of oscillators.

When the research team coupled these circuits, their electrical signal deflections synchronized over time.

Something similar happens during conscious sensory perception with the electrical impulses that exchange information between neurons.

More information: Maik-Ivo Terasa et al, Pathways towards truly brain-like computing primitives, Materials Today (2023).

DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2023.07.019 Journal information: Materials Today Provided by Kiel University

India’s Waaree Energies today announced that it will open its first US solar panel factory in the Houston area.

The large solar panel manufacturer, which already supplies panels to the US, will open its factory in Brookshire, just east of Houston.

It will have the initial capacity to manufacture 3 gigawatts (GW) of solar modules annually by the end of 2024.

plans to invest up to $1 billion over the next four years to scale its annual solar panel production to 5 GW by 2027, which would make it one of the largest solar panel factories in the US.

Waaree will also add an integrated US-made solar cell facility that’s expected to be operational by 2025.

The company expects its new factory to create over 1,500 jobs in the US at total capacity.

Sunil Rathi, Waaree’s head of US business operations, said: Most major components used in the manufacturing of these solar modules will be sourced domestically, enabled in part by the Inflation Reduction Act.

By setting up the new facility in the Houston area, Waaree brings critical technologies that will boost American solar production, reducing reliance on overseas sources while supporting strong US jobs.

Waaree has supplied more than 4 GW of made-in-India solar panels to US customers.

A five-year supply agreement with Redwood City-based SB Energy is bolstering Waaree’s US expansion plan.

SB Energy has more than 2 GW of solar in operation, 1 GW under construction, and another 15 GW of solar and storage in development in the US.

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Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, … Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google.

She lives in White River Junction, Vermont.

She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others.

Message Michelle on Twitter or at [email protected].

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CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Thursday stopped online sales of two popular models of its internet-connected watch in the U.S. after losing its latest attempt to untangle a patent dispute that’s blocking it from using some of the technology on the device.

Both the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 became unavailable to order online beginning at 3 p.m. ET, as the company followed through on its plan to suspend sales of them because of a legal battle over an intellectual property claim filed by medical technology company Masimo.

The International Trade Commission on rejected Apple’s bid to get around a late October order blocking the company from using some of technology underlying the Blood Oxygen measurement feature on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches.

Stymied by the decision, Apple decided to stop to stop selling the two watch models in the U.S. to comply with the ITC ruling that will now stand, unless the Biden administration overturns it by Christmas.

Although the online sales suspension went into effect Thursday afternoon, the devices are scheduled to remain on store shelves until Sunday.

The less sophisticated Apple Watch will remain available in the U.S. after Christmas Eve.

Previously purchased Apple Watches equipped with the Blood Oxygen aren’t affected by the ITC order.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives estimates Apple’s holiday-season sales will be reduced by $300 million and $400 million if the patent dispute results in the two watch models being pulled from the U.S. market during the final week of the year.

A tactile perception system capable of providing human-like multimodal tactile information to objects like robots and wearable devices that require tactile data in real-time has been developed.

The researchers developed a real-time and multimodal tactile perception system capable of providing multi-tactile information in real-time inspired by human tactile perception, and announced the outcome of the research in Soft Robotics.

The research team developed a real-time and multimodal tactile detection system by mimicking the principle by which various types of tactile information are perceived by a variety of sensory receptors in the human skin and transmitted to the brain in real time.

This system consists of four three-dimensional stacked tactile sensors , a signal processing/transmission module, and an analysis module.

The system has successfully distinguished various types of tactile stimuli and surface textures and, furthermore, differentiated complex motion in real-time.

Four types of tactile sensors, each of which detects temperature, vibration, shear force, and vertical pressure, are laminated in a three-dimensional structure based on three-dimensional (3D) flexible electrode printing process technology.

At the same time, these sensors are connected to the FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) of the electronic module for signal processing and transmission, thereby easily transmitting signal-processed tactile information through the corresponding FPCB connection terminal.

In previous studies, complex external measuring devices and analysis equipment were needed in order to detect the signals generated from the corresponding device so that various forms of tactile stimuli could be detected.

Therefore, it was difficult to apply these devices to wearable devices or robots in the form of a simple stand-alone system.

On the other hand, in the newly developed multimodal tactile perception system, multiple types of tactile sensors are arranged vertically in a three-dimensional structure.

Additionally, a module capable of converting, transmitting, and analyzing the signals has also been developed, which allows for the system to be implemented in a compact and simple form and makes it applicable to actual robots and wearable devices.

The research team was led by Research Director Hyuneui Lim of the Nano-Convergence Manufacturing Systems Research Division and Principal Researcher Youngdo Jung of the Department of Nature-Inspired System and Application of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, an institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Lim said, “By mimicking the sensory system of humans, the real-time multimodal tactile perception system is capable of perceiving multiple senses simultaneously.

Moreover, it is a technology that has solved the problems that may be caused by complex and large signal processing and detection systems when using conventional sensors.”

“By applying this system to robots or wearable devices , we will be able to obtain a large volume of diverse and complex tactile signal information, which will hopefully contribute to the improvement of public welfare and security.”

More information: Bo-Yeon Lee et al, Human-Inspired Tactile Perception System for Real-Time and Multimodal Detection of Tactile Stimuli, Soft Robotics (2023).

DOI: 10.1089/soro.2022.0191

o back through every major pivot in consumer technology over the past two decades and there’s a good chance you’ll find Chris DeWolfe launching a business to capitalize on it.

In 2003, he co-founded and led MySpace (now “Myspace”), a social network that boasted more than 75 million active monthly users in the U.S. at its peak, and was sold to News Corp. in 2005 for $580 million.

With the launch of what’s now called Jam City in 2010, he became a leading player in mobile gaming.

And earlier this year, he co-founded Plai Labs to leverage AI and Web3 technologies in building the next generation of social platforms—with tools like a personalized text-to-video generator called PlaiDay.

“I’ve been in the middle of all the iterations of the web,” says DeWolfe.

“Basically, what we’re trying to do at Plai Labs is take all of this intense hardcore AI technology out of the research papers and put them in the hands of people and small businesses.”

“AI has not been very accessible to the masses …

It’s stuck in the tech department” “What most people know about AI is ChatGPT,” says DeWolfe.

“It was fun for a few hours but AI hasn’t been very accessible to the masses.

That’s what we’re trying to do.”

“It’s stuck in the tech department and the CTO’s department.

In order to really leverage AI, it has to be in the hands of the product people and with the business people.”

For more on how DeWolfe is doing that, lessons from MySpace and his thoughts on the “angst” in the entertainment community when it comes to all things AI, click on the interview above.