(Patent) Google Wants to Deliver Packages From Self-Driving Trucks
[Tech]
2016/02/11 11:07
A new patent awarded to Google today suggests that the search giant is looking into developing self-driving delivery trucks, just as Amazon readies its autonomous delivery drone fleet.Google’s patent outlines what it calls an “autonomous delivery platform” for delivery trucks. The trucks would be fitted with a series of lockers that could potentially be unlocked with a PIN code sent to the p...
Gartner Says Worldwide Wearable Devices Sales to Grow 18.4% in 2016
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:07
Will wearables be the next big thing after smartphones? Not if Gartner's predictions are right.According to new research from the firm, as charted here by Statista, smartwatches are the fastest-growing category of wearable devices, with annual sales expected to double (or more) by 2017. Wristband wearables like the Fitbit are expected to grow about 50%. Every other category is predicted to have...
These Direct-to-Consumer Brands Are Disrupting the Beauty Industry
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:07
Considering its obsession with the new and innovative, the beauty industry has remained surprisingly stagnant over the past half century, with 70 percent of the $60 billion makeup market still under the control of just 10 conglomerates. Something that has changed drastically, however, is buyer behavior. Whereas older generations of consumers pledged loyalty to one or two department store beauty...
(Video) Shape-Shifting 'Superhero' Material Can Lift 1,000 Times Its Weight
[Tech]
2016/02/11 11:07
Call Wayne Industries! A stretchy new polymer can pack a punch, with a shoelace-size piece able to lift the weight of a liter of soda, its creators say.A new polymer boasts traits that seem pulled straight from the pages of a comic book.The material, developed by University of Rochester scientists, can be triggered to change shape when it comes in contact with body heat, and in the process it l...
WorldRemit Raises $45M to Grow Its Mobile-First Money-Transfer Service Globally
[Investing]
2016/02/11 11:05
U.K.-based fintech startup WorldRemit has raised $45 million from TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. and Silicon Valley Bank. This takes WorldRemit’s total funding to $192.7 million, after the company raised a whopping $100 million almost exactly a year ago.Founded out of London in 2010, WorldRemit is a money-transfer service aimed at helping migrants send money to their families back home....
The World’s First Farm with Robot Farmers to Open in Japan
[Business]
2016/02/11 11:05
Japanese firm to open world’s first robot-run farm. Spread says it will open the fully automated farm with robots handling almost every step of the processJapan has a workforce that is ageing and getting to do physically challenging tasks is getting increasingly harder. Japanese firm, Spread, plans to resolve this problem with technology. Primarily vegetable producers, the company plans to lau...
Life-sized replica of van Gogh’s The Bedroom to rent on Airbnb
[Design]
2016/02/11 11:04
Spend the night in van gogh’s bedroom, available on airbnb in celebration of its upcoming exhibition ‘van gogh’s bedrooms’, the art institute of chicago has created a human-scale replica of the most iconic bedroom in art. beginning today, interested guests can rent the simply furnished, brightly colored space in chicago for only $10/night through airbnb, listed by ‘van gogh’ himself. ‘I...
$100B Mobile Exits as Investments/valuations Peak in 2015
[Investing]
2016/02/10 16:37
It’s hard to call the top of an investment market, but the massive numbers around mobile internet in 2015 have a tale to tell. 102 mobile internet unicorns became worth $1 trillion after adding $130 billion value in Q4 2015, but 4 mobile unicorns died (i.e. dropped below $1 billion). [click to enlarge]There was over $100 billion of mobile internet exits, as consolidation kicked into overdrive...
The SVPER Concept Smartphone
[Design]
2016/02/10 16:37
The SVPER concept smartphone stands out with super aesthetics that are highly focused on minimalism without losing individualism. Most noticeably is the ultra-smooth screen that takes up the entire frontside real estate. In fact, it’s near-frameless. But what about fingerprint ID tech that we waited SO long for? It’s still there, but it works through the screen so the user doesn’t lose valua...