COVID-19 pandemic brings digital transformation to the forefront
Necessity is the mother of invention and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the world’s digital transformation. Retailers shuttering their brick-and-mortar doors lead to better e-commerce applications that could remake online shopping. Meeting software enables sales professionals to meet with customers remotely. SiliconANGLE, a data driven digital media platform, says Forrester Research Inc. is reporting on hot technology areas that have emerged during the COVID-19 crisis, including four key categories that will receive significant investment:
- Risk/crisis management related to managing businesses, employees, suppliers and partners;
- Customer experience technologies such as chatbots, customer feedback systems and contact centers;
- Health and safety technologies such as contact tracing and surveillance; and
- Employee experience and human capital management tools such as content platforms, contract lifestyle management video conferencing and human capital management.
Kindle, Echo creators work on COVID-19 testing technology
Lab126 hardware group, best known for creating its Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets and Echo smart speakers, has been enlisted by Amazon to build out its own COVID-19 testing capabilities. GeekWire says Amazon is seeking new Lab126 mechanical design engineers to investigate and introduce new technology and methodology to enhance quality and efficiency of COVID-19 testing. Lab126 is tasked with helping to keep Amazon’s fulfillment centers safe for employees. This is part of a larger effort by Amazon to expand its COVID-19 testing capabilities. Amazon will spend an estimated $300 million on testing initiatives this quarter.
“Next Generation” TV technology launches in Las Vegas
Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and E.W. Scripps have debuted “next-generation” broadcast technology on Las Vegas television stations, according to Deadline. The stations are fully equipped with ATSC 3.0 tools, which emulate the way internet and digital services are delivered. This opens up possibilities for a range of audio and video enhancements, including personalization and 5G applications. Previously, next-gen setups have been demonstrated and tested in the U.S. but rolled out permanently only in international markets. The Las Vegas launch followed more than a year of efforts involving the station groups, local staffers and BitPath (formerly Spectrum Co.), the firm pushing the development of new data broadcasting services. BitPath and Pearl TV, an industry consortium, are accelerating the rollout of “Next Gen” TV across the U.S.
Daimler, Platform Science building app-driven tech directly into new big rigs
Daimler Trucks North America plans to install a single platform application into its new big rigs on the factory floor, according to The Wall Street Journal. This will take the technology clutter out of truck cabs, which have seen more and more technology ever since the first cab computer in 1988. Some trucks can have as many as 10 separate devices, tracking everything from location to the time drivers spend behind the wheel and how often they pump the brakes. The new, single platform software operates the truck maker’s touch screen, streaming data back to fleet managers and helping drivers manage the technology inside their big rigs. Platform Science is the transport startup behind the technology. The open platform allows trucking operators to add a customized mix of third-party software and connectivity services without having to install aftermarket hardware. It also enables the apps to talk to one another, pulling data from the back end.
Companies lean on freight tech to streamline supply chains during pandemic
Do it Best Corp. (Fort Wayne, IN), a hardware supplier cooperative, sold over a 40-year supply of hand sanitizer in 10 weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic crushed the U.S. Do it Best Corp. supplies more than 3,800 member-owned stores, lumber yards and industrial distributors from eight U.S. warehouses. Its sales in the first two weeks of May jumped by 36% to 68%, depending on location, from the same period in 2019. It set up hundreds of new delivery routes, secured additional trucks, split up loads and rerouted vehicles with the help of a logistics platform developed by Ryder System Inc., its dedicated trucking provider. The system connects freight shippers, carriers and receivers, and automatically updates delivery times for Do It Best’s member stores. The market for such tools is taking off as companies scramble to adjust their logistics operations for strained supply chains, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Citadel Defense combats adversarial spoofing tactics that seek to confuse security intelligence
Citadel Defense (San Diego, CA), a counter-drone (C-UAS) technology company, has released new software incorporating deep-fake neural networks to defend against adversarial spoofing tactics. According to sUAS News – the business of drones, this capability helps U.S. and allied forces combat enemy tactics that attempt to confuse existing and security intelligence equipment. Using proprietary image generation algorithms through its Titan C-UAS solution, Citadel has developed discrimination classification models that help determine whether the signal detected is a real drone or a generated signal by the adversary trying to trick existing signal intelligence equipment. Citadel has trained more than 500 military and law enforcement operators on emerging adversarial threat tactics as the use of drones and surface-based robotic platforms proliferate on the battlefield.