The sodium-ion battery inside Elecom’s power bank offers up to 5,000 charge cycles, far outlasting typical lithium-ion batteries. This power bank operates in temperatures as low as -30°F.Japanese hardware company Elecom has introduced what it claims is the world’s first power bank powered by a sodium-ion battery.Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, this new battery type promises a signi...

Despite strong wage growth, high cost of living is weighing on Gen Z, prompting them to spend twice as much as they are saving.Key takeawaysBetween significant wealth and increased spending levels over the next 10 years, the consumption patterns of Gen Z will have a strong influence on the global economy. In roughly the next five years, they will have globally amassed $36 trillion in income and...

Prezent, a startup empowering customers to build slide decks using generative AI, has raised $20 million as it further develops and refines its AI models for different use cases and expands into new markets.AI has many different applications — one of which is generating decks for business presentations, as it turns out. Off-the-shelf models tend to be not very good at this because they don’t...

Should cargo carriers wait for regulatory clarity before taking proactive steps toward achieving zero-carbon shipping? The short answer is no.BCG’s fourth annual Shipping Decarbonization Survey, a study aimed at assessing the readiness of shipping customers to pay a premium for green transportation solutions, found that cargo owners now fall into three distinct segments: laggards, followers, a...

Postdoctoral scholar Jia-Xin "Jay" Zhong prepares to test the "audible enclave" technology on a mannequin.Imagine being able to listen to music or other audio that no one else can hear, without having to wear headphones. Doing so is now possible via so-called "audible enclaves," which already exist in functional prototype form.The technology is being developed at The Pennsylvania State Universi...

From increasing specialization to rising infrastructure markets, here’s where the opportunities lie across the AI agent landscape.AI agents are dominating the conversation. Mentions on corporate earnings calls grew 4x quarter-over-quarter in Q4’24. And they’re on pace to double again this quarter.These LLM-based systems mark an evolution beyond copilots: AI agents can accomplish complex task...

There’s no doubt that traffic congestion is becoming a nemesis in urban settings. This is reason enough for every major automotive manufacturer to go the electric way with the accompanying compact form factor. A countless number of personal commuters and two-seater versions have given us reason enough to make a radical change in the perception of future commuting.The FT-Me compact two-seater c...

The influence of influencers when it comes to commerce may be a bit overstated.In fact, as PYMNTS Intelligence found in a report on the ways social media impacts commerce, though a significant percentage of consumers make some purchasing decisions based on the recommendations, remarks or links provided by influencers, the profile drops markedly when it comes to regularity. Only 1 in 8 consumers...

Working professionals have long struggled with the ergonomic challenges of laptop use. Hours hunched over a screen positioned too low leads to neck strain, poor posture, and decreased productivity. Until now, the solution required carrying bulky laptop stands or permanently attaching foldable props to device bottoms, and neither option was particularly elegant for professionals on the move who...