As a business owner, you likely have artificial intelligence (AI) on your radar as something you could use to increase operational efficiency and improve customer satisfaction. However, it is not always clear where to start to generate the best return on investment (ROI) when it comes to AI implementation. It's also easy to be lured in by the boldest and flashiest AI initiatives, which are both costly and challenging to pull off.
In most cases, dreaming big is great. But for many businesses, starting out with AI requires you to focus on manageable and targeted initiatives and then build from that point. AI can be a powerful and beneficial tool. However, in my opinion, you need to take things slow to make the most of what it offers.
Here are three ways you can implement AI in your business processes.
Business Process Automation
Think about what jobs or tasks you would have a robot handle if there was one available. Chances are, the most monotonous and tedious items on your to-do list would be included. This is a great place to begin with AI.
Continue reading: https://www.inc.com/peter-roesler/2-easy-ways-to-use-artificial-intelligence-at-your-small-business.html

Google Wing drones have resumed delivering packages in the Canberra suburb of Harrison after the devices were attacked by a pair of ravens.
The business commissioned a local ornithologist, Neil Hermes, to study the birds and discovered they were protecting three chicks nesting in a tree. Now they’ve fledged, operations in the area have resumed.
This incredible video, below, shows the moment the ravens swooped towards the drone, pecking it in mid-air.
Hermes, however, told the ABC the ravens’ behaviour was entirely normal, “They were approaching the drones from behind, like they would if it were a wedge-tailed eagle or another predator, and trying to grab it from the back — the tail of the bird — and trying to just encourage it to leave.
“The birds were defending their young in their nest, during that time when their defensive reactions are at their peak, and it lasted about four or five weeks.”
Wing said it was committed to being strong stewards of the environment and would continue to take advice from ornithological experts.
The devices first launched commercially in Canberra and Logan in 2019 and currently allow for the delivery of packages that weigh less than 1.5 kilograms, including coffees and sandwiches. Wing now conducts more deliveries in Australia than in any other country worldwide.
The drones started life in 2012 as one of the first projects at the tech giant’s super-secretive research lab, Google X, alongside its augmented reality eyeglasses and self-driving cars. It launched its first trials in 2018 before starting more commercial flights the following year in both Canberra and Logan.
Once a customer submits an order via the app, the drone flies to pick up the package at the designated delivery centre, before climbing to a cruise height of 45 metres and flying to the destination.
Continue reading: https://australianaviation.com.au/2021/12/google-delivery-drones-return-after-raven-attack/

Starting a drone program is a significant undertaking and may be intimidating if you have no experience launching a new technological program. There are many considerations at every step of the journey, but one of the most fundamental steps is to acquire funding and support.
Agencies are often strapped for cash when it comes to routine purchases, so it can be difficult to get funding for a new technology without a proven track record. 
Over 60% of public safety agencies are operating on less than $10,000 per year, and about 23% are operating a drone program on less than $1,000. These budget constraints are a big reason why we see aircraft like the ANAFI or the Mavic Air getting a lot of use by public safety agencies. While they weren’t originally designed for enterprise or agency use, they’re reliable and less expensive than larger commercial-grade systems, making them more accessible. 
Here I’ll walk through some ideas and strategies for building, launching and receiving support for a new public sector drone program.  
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY 
Public sector agencies with experience successfully launching these programs have demonstrated that approaching the community, whether private citizens or local businesses, is beneficial to the sustainability of a drone program. It’s necessary to help the public understand what the program will offer and what it will be used for – which can even lead to funding opportunities.  
Initially skeptical, the public may ask:  

• Will they be weaponized?  
• Will you spy on me? 
• Will you violate my rights?  

Continue reading: https://www.police1.com/police-grants/articles/how-public-safety-agencies-can-fund-a-drone-program-4NYay82dzuWHno4Z/

The rising adoption of LiDAR systems in UAVs, increasing adoption of LiDAR in engineering and construction applications, use of LiDAR in geographical information systems (GIS) applications, the emergence of 4D LiDAR, and easing of regulations related to the use of commercial drones in different applications are among the factors driving the growth of the LiDAR market.
However, safety threats related to UAVs and autonomous cars and the easy availability of low-cost and lightweight photogrammetry systems are restraining the growth of the market. Increasing investments in LiDAR startups by automotive giants, opportunities for SWIR-based design in the long term, technological shifts with the adoption of solid-state, MEMS, flash LiDAR, and other LiDAR technologies, development of better geospatial solutions using sensor fusion, and initiatives undertaken by governments of different countries to encourage the use of LiDAR drones for large-scale surveys are expected to provide growth opportunities to the LiDAR market players during the forecast period. Moreover, the high cost of LiDAR services and the limited availability of geospatial data pose challenges to the LiDAR market.
3D LiDAR technology is estimated to hold a major share of the market.
Based on technology, the LIDAR market is segmented into 2D, 3D, and 4D LiDAR. In 2020, the 3D LiDAR segment accounted for the largest market share among other segments of the LiDAR market. The major factor contributing to the dominance of 3D LiDAR is the widespread adoption of 3D LiDAR in applications such as corridor mapping, engineering, environment, meteorology, and cartography. However, the market for 4D LiDAR is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026. This growth is attributed to the high adoption of 4D LiDAR in applications such as ADAS, driverless cars, and robotics.
ADAS and driverless cars end-use application is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026.
The LiDAR market is segmented, by application, into corridor mapping, engineering, environment, ADAS & driverless cars, exploration, urban planning, cartography, metrology, and other applications. ADAS and driverless cars have provided attractive growth opportunities to the LiDAR market, as automotive giants and other business leaders are increasingly investing in ADAS and driverless cars. Owing to this, the market for ADAS & driverless cars application is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rising adoption of solid-state LiDAR in ADAS and driverless cars for assuring safety is expected to boost the market in the coming years. Automotive giants are adopting LiDAR systems for their Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles, which is expected to have a positive impact on the sales of these vehicle types, and subsequently, on the LiDAR market.
Continue reading: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211213005515/en/The-LiDAR-Market-is-Projected-to-Reach-USD-3.4-Billion-by-2026-from-an-Estimated-USD-1.3-Billion-in-2021-at-a-CAGR-of-21.6---ResearchAndMarkets.com

Demand for edge computing is growing rapidly. Deloitte, for example, predicts the market for edge technology will reach $12bn (£9bn) this year. Other surveys suggest it could be worth more than $60b by 2028.
That growth is being driven by the internet of things (IoT), 5G connectivity and distributed systems in fields as diverse as manufacturing and healthcare, remote surveillance and even by developments such as autonomous vehicles.
Forrester, for example, talks about the “four edges of edge computing”. These comprise: the engagement edge, where consumers or the environment interact with the device; the operations edge; the enterprise edge; and the provider edge. This is a long way from the situation even a decade ago, when edge computing meant small or branch office IT and perhaps a small number of enterprise-owned mobile devices.
Edge systems are helping organisations respond to growing data volumes, and the need to process and analyse that data, without the cost and latency that comes with transferring information streams to a central datacentre.
Edge systems, however, need edge storage. And that storage needs to be adapted to the workload, location and environment.

Where is edge storage deployed?
Edge infrastructure and edge storage is by no means new. Organisations ran IT in remote and branch offices (ROBO) even before the advent of the desktop PC. The move to desktop PCs was quickly followed by local servers or network-attached storage (NAS) devices to provide file sharing and backup. More technically mature organisations used local storage to stage backups for uploading to a datacentre or to offload to tape.
User devices can also be viewed as edge computing, and in some ways pose an even greater challenge than a ROBO setup. The increasingly mobile nature of personal computing makes managing storage, including backups, even harder than backing up branch office hardware. The cloud has at least eased some of the pressure, allowing automated backups directly from a personal device. But organisations still need to manage local device storage, especially when it comes to security.
Continue reading: https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Edge-storage-Four-key-points

Along with the internet’s benefits, a mess of consumer privacy concerns were introduced with it, as entrepreneurs powered their marketing and advertising with previously private consumer data and very little security surrounding that data. While the internet helped entrepreneurs better understand their prospects, data mining and exploitation weren’t always good for brand perception. In a McKinsey report, all industries, including financial and healthcare, received a lower than 50 percent trust rate. The absence of trust comes from the scale of some very recent data breaches. 
Corporations and smaller companies are often getting hacked, with billions of records exposed. However, the new generation of the Web, or so-called Web 3.0 (also referred to as the Spatial Web or the Metaverse), could solve some of those privacy concerns and determine who owns the data and profits from it.
Returning data ownership to consumers
Web 3.0 promises a fundamental change to the internet, strongly emphasizing consumer privacy — an issue that has been thrown around for a while but not adequately addressed. 
Whereas Web 2.0 featured the internet as a platform for building applications, Web 3.0 features the internet on blockchain technology. Storing consumer data on blockchain decentralizes that data, and makes data use by companies transparent, reportedly protecting it from breaches. Returning data ownership back to consumers can potentially disrupt the tech industry since many tech giants would presumably lose access to the data that gave them a leg up on the competition. 
Continue reading: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/397262

Federal agencies are increasingly looking towards artificial intelligence and complex data analytics to power the next phase of their modernization programs. During this fireside chat, hear how evolving work in data management is being used to further build out on critical services and refine the focus of agency missions.

• Eileen Vidrine, CDO, U.S. Air Force
• Moderator: Kate Macri, Staff Writer/Researcher, GovernmentCIO Media & Research

Original post: https://governmentciomedia.com/fireside-chat-data-analytics-and-future-modernization

The changes brought by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are shaping our social, economic, and political reality, transforming the human world as we know it. These changes are alleged to be radically different from those experienced in the past. Žilvinas Svigaris, a researcher at the Department of the History of Philosophy and Analytic Philosophy, Vilnius University, Lithuania, challenges this notion as he rethinks the reverse side of AI. While AI is driving the fourth industrial revolution towards complete industrial automation, it also facilitates the new generation of specialists who work independently, making their living in the internet space. AI tools allow their skills to be extended to a wider range of users, establishing initiatives based on the principles of sharing within the community and a new economic model for a self-sustaining society.
Rapidly evolving technology brings with it the ostensibly limitless potential of artificial super-intelligence, a software-based instrument with intellectual capacities surpassing those of humans. The changes brought by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are shaping our social, economic, and political reality, transforming the human world as we know it. These changes are alleged to be radically different from those experienced in the past. Žilvinas Svigaris, a researcher with the Department of the History of Philosophy and Analytic Philosophy, Vilnius University, Lithuania, challenges this notion as he rethinks the reverse side of AI. He asks: are the changes brought by AI really radically different?
Moreover, what underpins AI? What can AI change, and what can it not change? Change means that things will be different. Past technological advancements have already shown us that change can evolve in ways that could not have been predicted at their instigation. We live in a technological civilisation that appears to offer unlimited opportunities, but Svigaris warns that it also ‘hides a spectre of the decline, if not a complete dismissal, of free, autonomous, and responsible human Self’.
Continue reading: https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/rethinking-the-reverse-side-of-artificial-intelligence/

OIn this video podcast, Elad Ziklik dives deep into the critical aspects of AI, and how organisations can leverage its full potential, the challenges involved, and Oracle’s key AI capabilities and strategies.
Elad is a Computer Science graduate from the University of Haifa and has over 21 years of experience. He has earlier worked with Intel as its Lead- software team and group, post which he spent 14 years in Microsoft where his last position was that of Partner Director of PM- Knowledge Mining. Elad joined Oracle in Seattle in September last year. He believes in integrating the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create unique experiences and products as an experienced and enthusiastic product leader.

CGTN's Elaine Reyes talks to Nina Xiang - the founder of China Money Network, and author of "Red AI:Victories and warnings from China's Rise in Artificial Intelligence" - about the future of artificial intelligence. #WorldToday

As the people charged with designing, building, and deploying artificial intelligence -- from data engineers to developers -- recognize, AI is a powerful mechanism for amplifying human knowledge, skills, and efficiency. But how can AI proponents employ AI to fix a moribund or toxic corporate culture? That's probably the most vexing challenge with AI rollouts.
Entrepreneurs and experts at the front lines of the AI revolution recognize this is a hurdle technology alone can't solve, "AI cannot solve issues where there are already underlying problems, like a company's culture or lack of trust from a customer base," says Stephan Baldwin, founder of Assisted Living Center.  "These are fostered by principles that shape the everyday inner and outer workings of a company." 
One of the challenges, Baldwin points out, us "artificial Intelligence models act based on historical data, meaning they're prone to biases that we humans had when gathering information. Sometimes, an automated process doesn't take into account the people it governs."
The challenge, then, is to put people first in any and all AI projects. AI practitioners make the following recommendations for building a people-centric, yet AI-driven culture: 
Extend ownership and responsibility for AI beyond the IT department. AI needs to be an enterprise-wide initiative, with all parties involved. "Successful and productive deployment of AI is a cross-functional effort far beyond just data science," says Dr. Michael Wu, chief AI strategist at PROS.  "Extended teams need to range from the technical side, involving IT and cloud operations for security and data governance, to the business side, involving change management, training for education, adoption, best practice."
Recognize that AI is simply code. It is not some mysterious dark art capable of outsmarting humans. "AI is no longer magic, and enterprises now seem to understand this," says Beerud Sheth, co-founder and CEO of Gupshup. "AI is not trying to replace humans but enable a more human-like conversation that has the power of automation and intelligence a machine could have."
Target AI to areas where it is most impactful. The best parts of the enterprise to promote and launch AI varies greatly across industries, Wu points out. "But the common theme is that organizations must have a reliable source of clean and rich data as a by-product of normal business operations," he says, "For example, companies with large support centers often keep a good operational record of the incidences and resolutions. Transaction data in sales organizations tends to be fairly clean as it's required for good accounting practices. This data will continue to fuel their AI/ML as it learns. On the other hand, although marketing organizations also have a lot of data, they are often noisier and often require cleaning before they can be used in production AI and ML."
Continue reading: https://www.zdnet.com/article/7-ways-to-make-the-wider-enterprise-comfortable-with-artificial-intelligence/

In the next era of the internet, you won't have a social account for each platform.
Instead, you'll have a single social account, able to move with it from Facebook and Twitter, to Google, shopping websites, and more.
Your moves may be cataloged on the same digital backbone that supports cryptocurrencies like bitcoin — blockchain — instead of massive corporate servers like Amazon Web Services. And this new iteration of the internet won't be controlled by a central power, meaning no single entity will govern it as Facebook, Google, and others govern their own empires. 
Welcome to Web3, the successor to Web2 — which is what we're in now, where tech giants hold the majority control of the market. Web1 spawned Web2 when we went from merely reading information on web pages to a more social internet.
Like so many other ponderings about the internet's evolution, Web3 is still merely a thought, or perhaps even vaporware, a name for ultra-hyped tech that has yet to materialize. It also may not prove to be as benevolent as is hoped (look at how social media turned out.)
But proponents say it, like cryptocurrencies and the metaverse, is the future.
Continue reading: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-web3-internet-blockchain-cryptocurrency-web1-web2-future-2021-12

Bitcoin (BTC) is often used to criticize all blockchain-based projects. This is understandable since Bitcoin was the first project to use a blockchain, is arguably the most recognizable and is the largest cryptocurrency by market cap.
In the first half of this article, I will use Bitcoin as a proxy for all blockchain-based projects because most people associate blockchain with Bitcoin. Anything environmentally positive that can be said about Bitcoin will be doubly true for the vast majority of newer blockchain-based projects since Bitcoin uses the oldest version of blockchain technology.
Blockchain energy consumption
Bitcoin has been attacked for high energy consumption. Headlines pointing out that Bitcoin’s electricity usage is comparable to a country's total consumption is a popular critique. Comparisons are useful, but they can have a deceptive framing effect. For example, the statistics most often cited in these attention-grabbing headlines are taken from the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF). The same organization also points out that transmission and distribution electricity losses in the United States could power the entire Bitcoin network 2.2 times. Always-on electrical devices in America consume 12.1x more energy than the Bitcoin network.
So, the Bitcoin network uses as much electricity as a small country or far less than one sliver of America’s energy budget. Is that a lot? It depends on how you look at it.
Another often used critique is that Bitcoin’s electricity consumption is growing so rapidly that Bitcoin emissions alone could push global warming above 2°C, or consume all of the world’s energy by 2020. The latter didn’t happen. Why? First, like most network-based technologies, Bitcoin is following an adoption curve defined by the theory of diffusion of innovations — an “S curve.”
Continue reading: https://cointelegraph.com/news/enterprise-blockchain-to-play-a-pivotal-role-in-creating-a-sustainable-future

The recent applications of robotics in agriculture are paving a way for a bright future for the farmers.
The global population is predicted to reach 9 billion by 2025. With a dramatic rise on the way, it is time for the countries to think of new ways to feed their people. However, it is not simple. As the population moves from rural to urban grounds and no one is coming forward to take care of next-generation farming, now is the right time to infuse disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. Already robotics has invaded many commercial spaces like customer service, manufacturing, shipping, and transportation. Fortunately, the agriculture sector is next in line to adopt technology for a major transition. But why robotics out of all the technologies? Because it can fill the gap between manpower needs and production needs. The agriculture sector is undergoing a high-tech revolution as primary producers increasingly turn to robotics to meet multiple challenges. Already the United States, Australia, Japan, and European nations are embracing robotics to weed out production challenges. The future of robotics in agriculture is anticipated to rise drastically in the coming years. 
Top 10 Applications of Robotics in Agriculture
• Autonomous precision seeding
Sowing seeds is the basic process to begin farming. Traditionally, farmers have been sprinkling seeds using their hands. When modern machinery came to effect, farmers used ‘broadcast spreader’ attacked to a tracker to sprinkle them. Although the process got simple, these attached features threw a large proportion of seeds around the field, making a complete waste of it. Thankfully, autonomous precision seeding is here to help. With a combination of robotics and geomapping, the mechanism can place the seeds exactly where it needs to be for good growth. 
• Multi-talented robots for harvesting
Robots are well known for replacing humans with repetitive tasks. That is what they do at harvesting and picking. Harvesting is monotonous work that has to be done in order to reap useful food products. To relieve humans from these tedious tasks, robots are taking over the process. While planting and reaping basic food grains like wheat and barley can be done easily by robots, others like fruit and vegetable harvesting need multi-talented robots. 
• Micro-spraying robots
While spraying pesticide repellent on the plants, most of the content ends up ruining the soil. Although the ground is constantly ploughed to change its texture, there is less chance for the future plantation to escape the chemicals. It is also harmful to the environment. Therefore, farmers are using micro-spraying robots to narrow down the impacts. With futuristic computer vision technology, micro-spraying robots can detect weeds and then spray a targeted drop of herbicide onto them. 
• Robotic automation process (RPA)
Nursery planting is a go-to option for plan lovers. By planting the needed crops at home, we can get vegetables and fruits for our day-to-day usage. However, it is quite hectic to groom and water them on regular basis. This is where the robotic automation process gives its best. Robotic process automation takes care of all the nursery planting works including watering at regular intervals and plucking the vegetables or fruits when it is ripe. 
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/top-10-applications-of-robotics-in-agriculture-and-farming/

SpiceJet's freight movement arm SpiceXpress will focus on delivering vaccines, life-saving drugs and essential goods among others to the remotest and farthest corners of the country
SpiceJet said that it is planning to introduce a drone delivery service to strategically expand its logistics platform. The said it will first target mid-mile drone deliveries while preparing for last-mile deliveries in the future.
SpiceJet plans to introduce customised drones of different payloads including 0-5 kg, 5-10 kg, and 10-25 kg which have the potential to change India's supply chain capabilities thereby making it more resilient and sustainable.
“SpiceJet continues to innovate and experiment with new technologies and we hope to introduce our drone delivery services soon. By inducting drones in the supply chain, SpiceJet's logistics arm, SpiceXpress, will take a massive technological leap which will change the game for fast and cost-effective logistics in India," said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet.
Continue reading: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/spicejet-explores-drone-delivery-service-to-expand-logistics-platform-11639240071169.html

Section 25005 of the recently passed $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (the Act) authorizes a $500 million program known as the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program, under which a newly created Department of Transportation (DOT) “Office of Multimodal Infrastructure and Freight” will provide grants for demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety. This program envisions the use of connected networks of devices and sensor data—the Internet of Things—to improve governance and quality of life in urban areas and other communities, as well as to reduce costs to governments. Importantly, funds under the program will be available for projects using uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones).[1]
SMART program grants may be awarded to projects that leverage the use of innovative aviation technology, such as UAS, to support transportation safety and efficiencies, including traffic monitoring and infrastructure inspection. To be eligible for SMART grant funds, an applicant must be a state, a political subdivision of a state, a Tribal government, a public transit agency or authority, a public toll authority, a metropolitan planning organization, or a group of two or more of the preceding entities applying through a single lead applicant.
Continue reading: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-2239715/

The UAV Leasing Company is happy to announce a general representation agreement with MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI). The agreement will allow The UAV Leasing Company to sell and lease new MD Helicopters.
The UAV Leasing Company’s core product is an unmanned long-endurance CS23 platform for border patrol or maritime surveillance. The contract signed with MDHI paves the way to selling manned helicopters for short law enforcement missions thus proposing a full turn-key solution to governmental agencies. The agreement includes Ethiopia, France, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine, India, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland. The UAV Leasing Company is the first UAV-focused company to represent a historic manned aircraft OEM.
While MD-530Fs, MDHI’s flagship machine, are mostly used for law enforcement and aerial works, The UAV Leasing Company also wishes to develop aerial taxi services with this type of helicopter on very short flights due to the competitiveness of the platform in terms of maintenance and operating costs.
Continue reading: https://www.suasnews.com/2021/12/uav-company-adds-manned-helicopter-capabilities/

Imagine a special type of drone, not a drone that’s rigged for courier services or adventure photography, but one that’s a vehicle for real-world, in-person exploration. One made to fit, well, you.
Thanks to the minds at Jetson Aerospace, such a drone is real. According to its founders, the Jetson ONE is designed to make flight accessible to everyone. And the production of the single-passenger drone begins in 2022.
“This will simply be the first aircraft that you can buy and fly without a pilot license — the first introduction to flight,” said Jetson co-founder Peter Ternström.
The Jetson ONE passenger drone
The Jetson One resembles a miniature quadcopter or a flying dune buggy and falls under the personal eVOTL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft classification — industry-speak for what equates to a giant, human-carrying drone.
While it’s too early to tell just how great the drone’s potential for human-driven discoveries will be, we do know a bit about its parts and potential.
Continue reading: https://explorersweb.com/jetson-one-giant-passenger-drone/

In the plains of central Spain, just about 90 minutes south of Madrid, a firefighting robot is taking flight. With two engines, a smooth underbelly, and a construction straight out of World War II’s Atlantic theater, the Singular Aircraft Flyox is a drone designed as an aerial workhorse on land and water. It is one of a growing number of drones that may be called to fight forest fires as aerial tankers, augmenting or replacing crewed aircraft in the process.
The Flyox first flew in 2015, and is undergoing further test flights this fall and winter. The firefighting mission is one of its flashiest, and gets central placement in the company’s materials about the plane. Citing the death rates of human firefighters–specifically the risk from smoke inhalation–Singular Aircraft owner and founder Luis Carrillo says the main goal of the drone is to “stop killing agricultural and firefighting pilots.”
The risk fumes pose to a drone is just mechanical failure, rather than loss of life when human pilots are involved. For the firefighting role specifically, Singular Aircraft is exploring two sizes of Flyox drone. The smaller version will have an internal capacity of 3,400 pounds, with a two-hour flight time and a range of 260 miles. The larger drone, owing to its greater fuel capacity, will only carry 3,000 pounds internally, but can operate for four-and-a-half hours, and reach distances of over 500 miles.
Carrillo says the Flyox operates autonomously with a human monitoring the flight. In demonstrations it has been assembled from a crate in a few hours, and then launched from a runway or from a calm river or lake. In addition to testing the Flyox in Spain, Singular Aircraft has conducted test flights at an experimental test airfield in Mexico and other locations around the world. Carrillo also hopes to test from a site that will allow three drones to operate simultaneously. 
Continue reading: https://www.popsci.com/technology/firefighting-drones-help-fight-wildfires/

DJI (Da-Jiang Innovation), one of the global leaders in drone and camera technology innovation, has introduced its latest agriculture drone in its crop protection series, the DJI AGRAS T20
AGRAS T20’s modular design makes it accessible for farmers who are ready to apply digital insights and automated spray technology into their operations. (Image source: DJI)
Upgraded spraying system for accuracy and efficiency
The DJI AGRAS T20 can carry a maximum payload of 20kg and the layout of the nozzles have been optimised to achieve a 20% improvement on the uniformity of spray droplets and the effective spray width of seven meters. The DJI AGRAS T20 is equipped with eight nozzles and high-volume pumps that can spray at a rate of up to six l/min. A highly optimised wind field produces droplets ideal in size and consistency. The new four-channel electromagnetic flow meter design can monitor and control the four hoses individually, ensuring an efficient flow rate for each nozzle.
The DJI AGRAS T20 is equipped with an Omnidirectional Digital Radar system, which is able to detect obstacles from all horizontal directions. It can also automatically circumvent obstacles while flying over various terrains, ensuring a high level of operational safety. With this radar system, the AGRAS T20 can adapt to some of the most challenging environments thanks to its strong resistance to dust and water thanks to an IP67 rating.
In addition, the DJI AGRAS T20 enables users to set flight and operation parameters. With a built-in RTK centimetre-level positioning system and RTK dongles, centimetre-level waypoint recording is enabled, strengthening operations greatly and ensuring precision spraying. It also comes with a real-time FPV camera and two searchlights, providing users with comprehensive live views even during low-light operations.
According to DJI, the modular design of the DJI AGRAS T20 folds and unfolds in seconds, making it more portable than other agriculture drones. The spray tank and battery are both swappable, reducing downtime and increasing workflow significantly. The drone comes equipped with a new programmable DJI AGRAS Smart Controller 2.0 and the DJI AGRAS mobile application. In addition, the smart controller comes with an ultra-bright 5.5-inch display, which remains readable even under direct sunlight and bright operation conditions. It also supports external battery packs for lengthy or heavy workloads.
Continue reading: https://www.fareasternagriculture.com/technology/machinery-a-equipment/dji-unveils-its-latest-drone-for-agriculture

A national effort backed financially by billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates to advance gender equity in the technology industry is coming to Miami.
Called the Gender Equality in Tech, Gates’ Pivotal Ventures said Thursday it plans to bring the initiative here as part of the company’s broader $50 million investment in gender equality in tech. Pivotal Ventures officials declined to disclose the amount that will be spent in Miami.
The goal of GET Miami is to place more women, particularly those of color, into education and internship programs to prepare them for careers and leadership roles in Miami’s burgeoning tech sector.
Miami is the third city to host the GET Cities initiative, which started in 2020. Similar efforts are underway in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
GET Cities will be partnering with Florida International University to identify female freshman and sophomore students in search of a major and direct them toward technology studies. Along the way, they will get a paid, short-term internship to cement their interest in the field. The goal is to increase the number of women graduating in Miami with tech-related degrees during the lifetime of the program, which is intended to last at least five years.
Continue reading: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article256422926.html

This interest group is member-led. We want to hear from you about what is most important to you and your business.
Survey: https://surveys.comptia.org/s3/iot-tig-interests

With the view of fostering gender equality at its workplace, Nagarro, a global leader in digital product engineering and technology solutions, recently highlighted that one of its key strategic initiatives is to inspire and build strong women leaders. This is essential for expanding to a 500+ strong diverse team of top-tier professionals in Sri Lanka.
The IT/Technology industry in Sri Lanka actively empowers many women to lead. Nagarro shares great pride in joining this moral and strategic effort. Nagarro will sponsor the ‘Emerging Women Technopreneur of the Year’ award at the annual SLASSCOM Ingenuity Awards from the coming year.
Nagarro works consciously towards the goal that each leadership group has at least one-third women representation through its Glass Window program. This well-designed initiative identifies and enables aspiring female leaders to participate in many activities with access to all information shared within the management group. This has brought a rich range of diverse ideas and perspectives and inspires everyone at Nagarro.
Continue reading: https://island.lk/nagarro-sri-lanka-pledges-to-accentuate-women-in-tech-and-uplift-gender-equality/

As the world looks for ways to get more women interested in studying STEM, India’s young women act as a shining example to follow. In India, a country now widely recognized as the new Silicon Valley for technology investments, research, and development, more than 45% of STEM graduates are female. But while there is a large pool of talent in India, the career pipeline is leakier than it should be—in fact, 50% of women fall out of the workforce within eight years of university graduation and never return.
This missed opportunity struck VMware’s Duncan Hewett after he spoke with 250 women at a technology session in 2018 It became the catalyst for VMinclusion Taara—a free, self-paced training program to get female tech graduates in India back into the IT sector. Two years and almost 13,000 women enrolled, VMware’s Taara upskilling program has helped more than 2,000 women rejoin the workforce. It has become one of the most effective return-to-work programs in the country and has put a spotlight on providing women with the skills, confidence, and support to return to the IT sector in India.
VMware’s 2030 Agenda sets specific diversity, equity, and inclusion goals that are embedded in the way we do business. Taara is just one way we live out these goals. Studying the career journeys of just some of the Taara graduates, we’re able to uncover the many reasons that take Indian women out of the IT workforce, the barriers to re-entry they face, and how those barriers can be overcome to add their valuable skills back into India’s vibrant tech sector.
Continue reading: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/732821-upskilling-answer-closing-techs-gender-gap

Following another corruption scandal, the government of Puerto Rico is reportedly seeking to improve its anti-corruption efforts by adopting blockchain technology.
Puerto Rican House Speaker Rafael “Tatito” Hernandez announced that lawmakers will hold meetings with local blockchain enthusiasts this month to discuss the potential adoption of blockchain technology to reduce corruption.
The implementation of blockchain and smart contracts could bring more transparency and accountability to the public sector, the official said at a Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association conference, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 6.
“We have a real credibility problem and this might be part of the solution,” Hernandez said, adding that there is also a broader effort to make Puerto Rico a hub for crypto and blockchain innovation. According to the official, the emerging industry could be a way for the bankrupt commonwealth to revive its economy.
Continue reading: https://cointelegraph.com/news/puerto-rico-wants-to-combat-corruption-with-blockchain-technology