The global smartwatch market posted a healthy 20% revenue growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic and shipments remaining flat in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT service.The top three brands contributed more than 69% of the total market revenue in H1 2020.Counterpoint Research Global Smartwatch Shipment Revenue...

Flat-pack furniture company IKEA has given its own catalog the Animal Crossing treatment.IKEA Taiwan replicated its 2021 furniture catalog using pieces and characters available in the highly popular game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.Each page in the catolog embodies New Horizons’ style, with adorable human avatars and animal villagers replacing the models found in IKEA’s standard catalog. T...

Could the next big coronavirus treatment breakthrough come in the form of an inhaler or a nasal spray instead of a shot or a pill?[AeroNabs SARS-CoV-2 antiviral nanobodies in a nebulizer.]Researchers have developed an inhalable artificial coronavirus antibody that they say “straitjackets” the SARS-CoV-2 virus and appears (in laboratory, albeit still non-clinical, tests) to impede its ability...

Described by its inventors as a ‘horizontal elevator’, the crosswater taxi is a self-driving capsule with the primary purpose of making point to point cross-water travel cheaper, faster, safer, and more convenient. Carrying up to 15 users at a time, the simple watercraft moves people across stretches of water from one platform to the next. with the aim of reducing congestion on roads and brid...

The Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2020 highlights 30 technology profiles that will significantly change society and business over the next five to ten years.In most cities in China, citizens and visitors must download Health Code — an app that indicates COVID-19 status — to access many public and private spaces and services. A green screen means the person is free to travel, y...

MIT's shared ebike transforms into a self-driving trike.Biking is an essential experience in many cities. Globally, cities are increasing bike infrastructure and in addition to more bike paths, protected lanes and bicycle advocacy, we are also seeing a rise in the number of bike sharing systems and other lightweight mobility solutions. Current bike sharing systems offer users the ease of mobili...

The COVID-19 crisis has transformed how people shop and how retailers sell. In response, consumer-goods manufacturers and retailers must build new capabilities and change how they operate.Coming into 2020, the relationship between consumer-goods manufacturers and retailers showed signs of strain, with each battling to stay ahead of new challenges. For consumer-goods companies, there were threat...

Robotic supply chain startup Attabotics today raised $50 million in venture equity financing. The funds will be put toward accelerating current projects, investing in new technologies, and scaling manufacturing operations.Worker shortages caused by the pandemic have prompted retail, fulfillment, and logistics companies to accelerate the rollout of robots. According to ABI Research, more than 4...

Israel’s PillCam revolutionized GI imaging, and now others are following that success with other noninvasive solutions that journey through the body.PillCam is a video camera swallowed like a vitamin pill. It travels through the gastrointestinal tract, sending clear images to the physician on its way out of the body.Invented by an Israeli electro-optical engineer and his neighbor, a gastroente...