TREND REPORTS
This Utilitarian Electric Scooter is Economical Way To Move Cargo In Urban Locales
[Design]
2024/01/24 09:03
As businesses are shifting focus from more polluting and space-consuming cargo vans and cars to cargo-hauling bikes for the last-mile approach, there is a huge demand for better options.Tapping on the opportunity, a Vancouver-based startup is designing what it calls the Scootility – precisely a portmanteau of scooter and utility. A reasonable and compact alternative for last-mile delivery; the...
(PDF) Mckinsey - The Trends Defining The $1.8 Trillion Global Wellness Market in 2024
[Business]
2024/01/23 09:10
Our latest Future of Wellness survey finds that consumers are taking greater control over their health—and expect companies to provide effective, science-backed solutions.From cold plunges to collagen to celery juice, the $1.8 trillion global consumer wellness market is no stranger to fads, which can sometimes surface with limited clinical research or credibility. Today, consumers are no longe...
(Patent) Amazon Charges Up - Amazon is Making Sure Its Warehouse Robots have Enough Juice
[Tech]
2024/01/23 09:09
The e-commerce giant filed a patent application for mission assignment based on “battery charge state” for autonomous mobile robots. Amazon’s system aims to optimize use of self-piloted robots in logistics and warehouse spaces by taking into account a number of different factors, both looking at environmental data and the robot’s internal data. Because tasks given to autonomous machines can...
(Paper) MIT Engineers Develop a Vibrating, Ingestible Capsule That Might Help Treat Obesity
[Tech]
2024/01/23 09:08
Swallowing the device before a meal could create a sense of fullness, tricking the brain into thinking it’s time to stop eating. The pill could offer a minimally invasive, cost-effective way to treat obesity.When you eat a large meal, your stomach sends signals to your brain that create a feeling of fullness, which helps you realize it’s time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also...
(Video) Snapchat’s New AR Art Activation With Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
[Business]
2024/01/23 09:07
Snapchat’s once again looking to highlight the potential of integrating AR and classic art, via a new partnership with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which will see an augmented reality try-on element included within its latest exhibition of 20th- and 21st-century women’s clothing in the United States.“Have you ever wished you could try on the fashions you see in museum exhi...
(PDF) Global Consumer Trends : The New Experience Economy
[Consumer]
2024/01/23 09:06
Nearly everyone’s lives have been changed by the pandemic, and for almost half of the global population, the change was profound. The pandemic also led to widespread digital adoption as people were empowered to work, shop, and connect with others from the comfort of their own homes. Are these new values and digital behaviors here to stay?Advances in technology could further augment how we expe...
Kashable Banks $25.6M to Offer Employment-based Lending
[Investing]
2024/01/23 09:06
More and more employers are adding financial products to their employee benefits and perks, and many startups have jumped into this sector to help.Fintech company Kashable is the latest to also grab some venture capital attention for its approach to offering credit and financial wellness products as an employer-sponsored voluntary benefit.The company raised $25.6 million in Series B funding. Re...
(Video) Watch NASA’s One-of-a-Kind Snake Robot Training to Go to Space
[Tech]
2024/01/23 09:04
JPL hopes this weird robot could be the key to finding alien life one day.NASA is designing a one-of-a-kind snake robot to hunt for life on a distant moon — and now you can watch it slither across challenging terrain on Earth, as it trains for a harsh mission in deep space.The challenge: Theoretically, Saturn’s moon Enceladus has all the ingredients needed for life as we know it — liquid wat...
(Video) World's Largest Kinetic Sculpture - The Pearl by BREAKFAST
[Design]
2024/01/23 09:03
BREAKFAST, a Brooklyn-based new media artist studio, introduces its latest kinetic art sculpture on the Royal Caribbean’s new ship, Icon of the Seas, the biggest of its kind to date.Titled The Pearl, this piece is recognized as the largest kinetic artwork in the world, showcasing an unprecedented fusion of art and technology. Spanning over 13.7 meters in height and with a diameter of 16 meters...
(PDF) Deloitte - 2024 Global Automotive Consumer Study
[Consumer]
2024/01/22 09:10
What consumer trends and disruptive technologies will have the most impact on the automotive industry in the coming year? Explore key findings from our 2024 Global Automotive Consumer Study, including the evolution of mobility, connectivity, car buying trends, and more.From September through October 2023, we surveyed more than 27,000 consumers in 26 countries to explore opinions regarding a var...
Saudi Arabia Invests $590M in Magic Leap
[Investing]
2024/01/22 09:09
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has invested over $500M in Magic Leap, a U.S. tech company specializing in VR headsets. This investment is aimed at competing with Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro goggles, with Magic Leap's total capital raised now exceeding $4.5B.Magic Leap received $590M from PIF in 2023 through convertible debt.The PIF has become the majority owner of Magic Leap, a compa...
BMW Taps Humanoid Startup Figure to Take on Tesla's Robot
[Tech]
2024/01/22 09:08
The ‘general purpose’ robots from robotics startup Figure are intended to automate dangerous or repetitive manufacturing tasks.[Figure unveiled its first prototype humanoid robot (pictured) in October 2023, just one year after the company was founded. Image: Figure]Robotics startup Figure has signed a “commercial agreement” with BMW to introduce its “general purpose” humanoid robots to BM...
