Blockchain system makes property rights manageable
Spotted: Jaak’s blockchain system Kord is at the heart of the company’s system for global intellectual property rights management. As a decentralised network, the data held in Kord creates a public, industry-wide view of rights that Jaak calls Smart Content. Working initially with leaders in the music industry, Jaak believes the system will work across…
An influencer campaign with ‘authentic co-creation’
Spotted: Shoe giant Nike collaborated with Amsterdam-based creative agency HarrimanSteel on a unique influencer campaign. Through social media posts, a select number of runners documented their experience testing out Nike’s Pegasus Turbo line of sneakers. The campaign featured marathon runner Lee Grantham, who has built an Instagram following of over 100,000 since he began posting…
New device may make space rescue missions possible
Spotted: The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA are testing a device that can assist astronauts in a rescue on the surface of the Moon. The device, dubbed the Lunar Evacuation System Assembly (LESA), is the first system designed to allow rescue in space. The Extravehicular activity (EVA) suits worn by astronauts are intended to…
If a Recession is Coming Soon, We Have to Prepare
The data is piling up. Nobody says we’re headed for a recession definitively because no one really wants to be wrong. But look at this from Brookings. Peek at these points in Newsweek. Some experts have a guess on timing, but that one reads a bit too political for me (economies aren’t exactly subject to…
Smart benches charge phones and provide security
Spotted: Croatian startup Include has turned simple street benches and bike stands into Internet of Things (IoT) hot points. The solar-powered smart benches are more than “a bench with a mobile phone charger,” notes founder Ivan Mrvoš. Include’s smart benches, known as Steora Urban +, combine IoT solutions and green technology. The benches are powered…
Retail platform matches second-hand shops with customers
Spotted: UK startup Upright Labs helps second-hand shops market their products to potential customers on a variety of online marketplaces. The company’s software products include a web-based app that allows stores to easily upload images, prices and descriptions of items, and analyses how many views each item is receiving. The firm uses the data to…
Travel startup matches language students with teachers
Spotted: Klazz, a language travel startup from Zurich that teaches English, matches international students with domestic teachers as it aims to make the traditionally offline language travel more accessible. Its website allows the students to tailor their destination, starting date and duration of the course and matches them with the right tutors by displaying the…
Schneider Electric: First industrial smart factory in the US opens in Lexington, KY
TechRepublic visited Schneider Electric to learn how the first US smart factory is using automation to improve operational efficiencies. Schneider Electric: First industrial smart factory in the US opens in Lexington, KY TechRepublic visited Schneider Electric to learn how the first US smart factory is using automation to improve operational efficiencies. Operating for more than…
An AI chatbot stylist can ‘complete the look’
Spotted: “Styled by AI” isn’t yet a commonly used term, although that may be about to change. London-based Intelistyle’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot stylist works with both retailers and customers. For retailers, the algorithm can “complete the look” by generating multiple outfits based around a single product and can recommend appropriate alternatives for out-of-stock items.…
Abandoned airport terminal becomes luxury NYC hotel
Spotted: Overlooking one of JFK International Airport’s busiest runways, the new TWA Hotel’s 512 rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass windows. They are the second thickest glass panels in the world and are designed specifically to cancel noise. The hotel provides a heated rooftop pool, observation deck, six restaurants and luxury shopping, including a vintage-style TWA lifestyle…