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Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup

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Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota’s early-stage venture capital fund, has decided to invest in YPC Technologies, a robotic kitchen startup based in Montreal, Canada.

The funding follows YPC Technologies’ participation in the 2020 Toyota AI Ventures “call for innovation” focused on smart, connected cities that launched earlier this year in partnership with Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD) and Toyota Research Institute (TRI).

Toyota AI Ventures views cities as a platform for innovation, and this year’s global call for innovation focused on attracting and investing in early-stage startups that are building solutions for smart and connected cities in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomy, mobility, cloud, or data. [Read more…] about Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup

The Self-Driving Future

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As we put more and more emphasis on AI and automation, in the near future we can expect to see the growth in self-driving cars to incline exponentially.

While there is a lot of skepticism as well as the general questioning of this growing trend of being a healthy one for society as a whole, self-driving automated vehicles do have a variety of advantages that they can offer to the world.

Unfortunately, not many people realize this and choose to overlook these benefits in favor of a more dour and depressing outlook on the future. However, these benefits do exist and they can help us in many ways. [Read more…] about The Self-Driving Future

San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner

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The original Blade Runner film was regarded as a cinematic classic partly because of its depiction of an eery, dystopic world where the sky is permanently a dark, dusty orangey colour, possibly suggesting acid rain or something slightly toxic in the air because of the dirty and polluting machines and factories down on the ground. 

It was a ground-breaking, startling view of the future and was in complete contrast to the vast majority of science fiction films that came and went before it as they mostly showed the future as relatively bright and pollution-free, or at least the colour of the sky wasn’t a consideration as such.

Now, in the real world, modern San Francisco is shrouded in a blanket of cloud that looks quite similar to the world of Blade Runner. The dramatic change has been caused by the “worst wildfires in the history of the state of California”, according to those who are tasked to deal with them. [Read more…] about San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner

Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

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There has been a sudden increase in air pollution which is threatening economic recovery in many countries, according to a new report by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The environmental research organization estimates that “health damage from air pollution” has cost between 0.4 percent and 6 percent of annual GDP in the world’s leading cities in the first half of 2020.

By “health damage” CREA means such things as absence from work as a result of respiratory problems such as asthma, a particularly pertinent point at a time when a respiratory disease called coronavirus has ravaged the entire world’s population and caused untold economic damage. [Read more…] about Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

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Driverless car startup AutoX has launched its RoboTaxi ride-hailing service in Shanghai, China to the general public for the first time, marking a transit milestone for China’s largest city.

AutoX RoboTaxis can be booked through Alibaba’s AutoNavi smartphone app, similar to other ride-hailing services.

AutoX, which has raised at least $160 million to date, according to Crunchbase, has also struck up a strategic partnership with Letzgo, a major taxi fleet operations company headquartered in Shanghai. [Read more…] about AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

Peachtree Corners launches ‘world’s first fleet of self-driving e-scooters’ as part of styling itself as a smart city

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Peachtree Corners, a tiny city in the state of Georgia, USA, is launching what it believes is the “world’s first fleet of self-driving e-scooters” as part of styling itself out as a smart city.

Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners is on a mission to solve many of the technology issues facing cities and municipalities around the country. For many, the term “smart city” is an unclear concept.

For Peachtree Corners, Georgia, it’s about empowering the latest in emerging technologies to solve real-world problems. [Read more…] about Peachtree Corners launches ‘world’s first fleet of self-driving e-scooters’ as part of styling itself as a smart city

Via raises $200 million to develop and expand its mobility services

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Mobility services startup Via has raised a further $200 million in its latest funding round.

Money raised in Via’s Series E fuding round will be used to “expand access to efficient, sustainable, and equitable public mobility across the globe”, says the company.

John Elkann, chairman and CEO of Exor, lead investor in the financing, says: “More important than ever to work for an innovative and sustainable future.” [Read more…] about Via raises $200 million to develop and expand its mobility services

Smart building automation and the future of property development in cities

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As cities continue to grow and evolve, with more people than ever wanting to live and work from within them, so to do the tactics used to house and control this city growth, without being detrimental to the quality of life or the environment.

Here are some of the ways that buildings are modernising and evolving in 2020 and beyond into the new decade, followed by some general information on the property companies involved in these sorts of developments, and then a deeper dive on home automation from a consumer level.

  • Smarter build techniques – Perhaps one of the immediately noticeable differences in modern property developments is that they have new materials, strategies and techniques, allowing them to be as efficient, sleek and affordable as possible, with technology interweaved for the future.
  • Automation in the “smart building” – The smart building is one that, again, is interweaved with overall technology from the beginning, that can be remotely controlled and accessed, perhaps even in tandem with multiple different apartment clusters or even buildings of the same type.

This is incredible for energy efficiency, like heating, lighting, and more can all be controlled by a remote operator, as and when required. [Read more…] about Smart building automation and the future of property development in cities

Autonomous buses and shuttles reflect ‘strong societal trends’, says report

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Autonomous buses and robotic shuttles reflect “strong societal trends”, such as ageing populations who are less mobile and the record numbers of people moving to cities, according to a new report.

These are among the findings of a study by IDTechEx, Robot Shuttles and Autonomous Buses 2020-2040, said to be the first in-depth report on the subject.

Robot shuttles are an important new, reconfigurable form of transportation for goods and people that may even function as mobile offices, workshops, restaurants and more. [Read more…] about Autonomous buses and shuttles reflect ‘strong societal trends’, says report

New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

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The City of Pully, Switzerland, reports experience with ‘Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities’

A new ITU case study offers an evaluation of the Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities developed by the United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative (U4SSC), an initiative supported 16 United Nations bodies.

U4SSC develops practical tools to support cities’ application of digital technologies to become smarter and more sustainable, with the aim of achieving SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.

Pully, a Swiss municipality home to some 18,000 residents, has reported its experience applying the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators to help meet the objectives of its “smart city” strategy. [Read more…] about New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

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