Intelligent Tech Snapshots
APPLE GETS GREEN SIGNAL FROM DMV TO TEST SELF DRIVING CARS
In this world of technology and innovation, big automobile companies are trying their luck in the self driving technology. The latest company to join the autonomous car space is Apple. The company plans to test autonomous cars on the roads of California. They want to design and develop a self-driving technology.
According to reports, California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) granted Apple an official test permit to test autonomous driving technology. This is the first time that the company has received approval to begin testing. The self-driving technology will be tested in three vehicles, all of them 2015 Lexus RX 450h hybrid SUVs. The testing will have a human behind the wheels to ensure the testing.
Apple is the 30th company to be approved by the state for self driving car testing. Despite having clearance from the DMV, Apple will be facing a lot of competition as 29 other companies have already received a permit to test in California.
Apple submitted a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in which it said that the company is investing heavily in machine learning and automation. The company appeared excited to become one of the innovators making big changes to the transport space.
Many companies have said the first self-driving cars will launch in 2020, but some experts think that it may take much longer due to regulatory challenges. According to other reports, 12mn autonomous cars will be on the roads worldwide by 2025.
FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES ITS AR CAMERA EFFECTS PLATFORM
Facebook in its ongoing F8 developers conference plans to draw attention of outside developers to contribute AR image filters and interactive experiences its new AR Camera Effects Platform. According to reports, the first effects will now be available inside facebook’s camera feature on smartphones. But the company claims that the camera effects platform is designed to become compatible with future AR hardware.
Facebook was not mindlessly copying Snapchat with its recent update on its various platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. According to reports, the company was just laying the background for its Camera Effects Platform. Recently, the company has launched stories on its platform.
As the interest of people are changing from reading an article to watching videos or photos. The company is also shifting its focus to photos and videos. According to Techcrunch report, Zukerberg said that, “we kind of felt like we’re going to need cameras because video and photos are becoming more central but the unique thing that we’re going to do is we’re not just going to build basic cameras, we’re going to build the first mainstream augmented reality platform.”
Facebook is allowing developers to sign up for closed beta of the platform’s AR studio tool. It will allow the developers to create their effects. Facebook’s camera will soon be able to recognize objects like coffee mug and other objects. The company also plans to provide related effects to users.
With the launch of AR Camera Effect Platform, the company aims to go far beyong copying Snapchat.
NUOVO INTRODUCES SMART MIRROR
It’s time to turn your regular mirror into a smart mirror which reflects more than just a face. Nuovo is revolutionizing the way you live; with an introduction of their touch Screen ‘Smart Mirror’. Nuovo has developed an innovative touch screen smart mirror that can do anything and everything with Wi-Fi connectivity and android phone for app download.
It can keep you updated with notifications from social sites like Facebook and Twitter. You can get the latest news from the leading publications, can also access YouTube videos, and even book cab through Uber. In addition to this, the smart mirror will always keep you on top of your daily schedule with the help of Google Calendar, can keep you updated with the latest decor trends and lets you access the emails. A user can control which app to be displayed on the mirror for easy access by controlling them through the mirror as well as mobile application.
This ‘Smart mirror’ can be used by users through account creation, logins etc. It needs to get installed in the place of choice with a dedicated UPS connected, a wifi connection and (one-time creation) in a ‘Smart Mirror App’. Once the app is downloaded, register yourself by signing up and syncing all the apps by allowing them to access the information.
HTC ANNOUNCES VIVE PRODUCT LAUNCH IN INDIA
HTC Corporation (“HTC”), a pioneer in innovative, smart mobile and virtual reality technologies, announced the launch of their virtual reality system, HTC VIVE making it the first complete VR system available to customers in the India market. Vive will soon be available for an instore experience across select locations in India. These select locations will be equipped with an interactive Vive demonstration station, fully open to the public for individual sessions to experience a variety of virtual reality content supported by the platform.
Faisal Siddiqui, President-South Asia, HTC commented, “We are delighted to launch Vive in India. Vive has totally transformed the way we interact with the world, bringing ultimate mainstream experience to the consumer. Now consumers and developers can experience immersive virtual reality in a way that reshapes human imagination beyond boundaries.”
Priced at INR 92,990, Vive is the first complete VR solution, including wireless VR controllers, room scale movement, and Head Mounted Display featuring a built in camera. Indian consumers can enjoy two fully-fledged VR experiences:
Everest VR: Experience what it feels like to climb Mount Everest through a sequence of immersive first person locations as you strive to reach the top of the world. Incomparable visual fidelity combined with player agency in a VR journey that feels both real and emotionally stunning.
Richie’s Plank Experience: Are you afraid of heights? Take an elevator to our plank that sits 80 stories high above the ground, then dare to walk to the end! An experience made for first-time VR users. Plus, customize the settings to add a physical plank to your playing space.
TATA CAPITAL UNVEILS AI BASED ONLINE CHATBOT
Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group, unveiled its Artificial Intelligence (AI) based online Chatbot which, through its unique natural language and cognitive learning capabilities, understands and provides a response to individual online queries around its financial services products.
Powered by a virtual agent ( VA) engine, the online Chatbot represents a huge step forward by Tata Capital towards digitizing the customer journey, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The Chatbot is equipped to handle over
70% of the routine customer queries including product information, application tracking and sales & after-sales service. This will not only reduce the dependency on traditional customer servicing platforms, but also enable a better customer experience. The Chatbot’s evolving data insights will also help Tata Capital track and measure customer queries, sentiments, satisfaction and more and will help Tata Capital devise a more customer-centric strategy.
Since its launch in October 2016, the Tata Capital Chatbot has already responded to over 55,000 queries from website visitors across India. Currently, the Chatbot services Tata Capital’s retail products including Personal Loans, Home Loans, Car Loans, Business Loans and Two Wheeler Loans.
ABB AND IBM PARTNER IN INDUSTRIAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS
ABB and IBM announced a strategic collaboration that brings together ABB’s industry leading digital offering, ABB Ability, with IBM Watson Internet of Things cognitive capabilities to unlock new value for customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure.
Customers will benefit from ABB’s deep domain knowledge and extensive portfolio of digital solutions combined with IBM’s expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as different industry verticals. The first two joint industry solutions powered by ABB Ability and Watson will bring real-time cognitive insights to the factory floor and smart grids.
“This powerful combination marks truly the next level of industrial technology, moving beyond current connected systems that simply gather data, to industrial operations and machines that use data to sense, analyze, optimize and take actions that drive greater uptime, speed and yield for industrial customers,” said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “With an installed base of 70 million connected devices, 70,000 digital control systems and 6,000 enterprise software solutions, ABB is a trusted leader in the industrial space, and has a four decade long history of creating digital solutions for customers. IBM is a leader in artificial intelligence and cognitive computing. Together, IBM and ABB will create powerful solutions for customers to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
NEW SUITE OF BREAKTHROUGH SOLUTIONS
The new suite of breakthrough solutions developed by ABB and IBM will help companies address in a completely new way some of their biggest industrial challenges, such as improving quality control, reducing downtime and increasing speed and yield of industrial processes.
For example, ABB and IBM will leverage Watson’s artificial intelligence to help find defects via real-time production images that are captured through an ABB system, and then analyzed using IBM Watson IoT for Manufacturing. Previously, these inspections were done manually, which was often a slow and error-prone process. By bringing the power of Watson’s real time cognitive insights directly to the shop floor in combination with ABB’s industrial automation technology, companies will be better equipped to increase the volume flowing through their production lines while improving accuracy and consistency. As parts flow through the manufacturing process, the solution will alert the manufacturer to critical faults – not visible to the human eye – in the quality of assembly. This enables fast intervention from quality control experts. Easier identification of defects impacts all goods on the production line, and helps improve a company’s competitiveness while helping avoid costly recalls and reputational damage.