It takes a lot of effort to create a solid virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) experience. The hardware, including the headset and system hosting the experiences, have to be capable of delivering a natural, smooth experience.

See also: Ultrahaptics finds deep pockets for its AR/VR tech

The Varjo team, which has been operating in stealth mode until now, believes that its 20|20 display will change the game in this emerging space.

This new generation of headsets is taking off in a big way. Brands like Sony, HTC, Microsoft, and Oculus are putting a lot of effort into creating immersive virtual/augmented/mixed reality experiences. While these products are certainly a giant leap forward from the “VR” headsets of yesteryear, the visual experience provided by these products isn’t quite good enough to trick the eye.

Beats current VR/AR resolutions

Products such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are offering users a 1.2 megapixel (per eye) VR experience with an up to 110-degree field of view. For over a year, this has been the cutting edge of VR/AR headset displays. Even the PlayStation VR, a headset designed specifically for gaming, is limited to a 1080p resolution.

Meta II, a headset currently available for preorders at $949 USD, has an exceptional 2.5k resolution of 2550×1440.

In the augmented reality space, we have options like Microsoft’s Hololens, which has a significantly lower field of view (around 32 degrees). The effective resolution for the Hololens is around 1 megapixel.

“Varjo’s patented display innovation pushes VR technology 10 years ahead of the current state-of-the-art, where people can experience unprecedented resolution of VR and AR content limited only by the perception of the human eye itself,” said Urho Konttori, CEO and founder of Varjo Technologies. “This technology, along with Varjo VST, jump-starts the immersive computing age overnight – VR is no longer a curiosity, but now can be a professional tool for all industries.”

Varjo’s solution up close

With Varjo 20|20, the company believes it has found a way to create a VR/AR display with an effective resolution of 70 megapixels. That’s a pretty stunning claim.

This is huge leap in effective resolution is made possible by some technological magic that takes advantage of the way the human eye perceives visual input. By creating a super-high resolution image to the user’s gaze direction, it’s able to increase the effective resolution of the display.

This isn’t just for virtual reality, either. Video-see-through (VST) technology enables the display to be used in AR/MR, as well.

The technology behind Varjo’s prototype was developed by a team of optical scientists, creatives and developers who formerly occupied top positions at Microsoft, Nokia, Intel, Nvidia and Rovio.

Varjo’s new technology will be shipping in Varjo-branded products specifically for professional users and applications starting in late Q4, 2017.

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Believe it or not, the parking industry is getting smarter. For cities hoping to integrate more smart technologies into their infrastructure, smart parking is a brilliant way to monitor, manage, and monetize parking. As automated vehicles go from vision to reality, smart parking will become increasingly more necessary.

One firm, IPS Group, has a solution.

See also: California parking garage operator prepares from driverless cars

This smart parking firm has an all-in-one package solution for Smart Parking that tackles deployment from stem to stern. A comprehensive, fully-integrated Smart Parking platform that covers in-vehicle payment, parking enforcement management, permit management, mobile apps, metering, and data management to help cities better manage and understand its parking infrastructure.

Works for drivers

Imagine being able to navigate not only to your destination, but directly to an open parking space, pay the parking fee with a tap, and know exactly where your car is when you are ready to leave. They will also be able to see special offers from local merchants they can take advantage of while they’re in the area. This is a win for local business.

No more waiting in line at the kiosk behind another driver that doesn’t understand how to pay the meter. No more endless searching for an empty parking spot. Better traffic flow because less cars are clogging up lanes slowly trudging along looking for an open space.

On the other side, drivers will face improved parking enforcement. So, if you grab a spot and don’t intend to pay for the duration of your vehicle’s stay, you can expect swift ticketing and/or towing. Code enforcement officers will have the ability to see exactly how long your car has been in that spot.

Looking forward, automated vehicles will certainly need a smarter way to determine not only where an open spot is, but to have the ability to park without being at risk of being out of code. No one wants their automated vehicle to pick them up with parking tickets all over its windshield. A smart parking system could one day be able to communicate with these vehicles and let them know where the nearest open spot is to that they can park, and give the driver the ability to feed the meter remotely using a mobile app.

Works for cities

Cities benefit greatly from smart parking technologies. Not only do they have improved code enforcement, but they can see, in real time, how parking habits are affecting the flow of traffic.

Cities would benefit from access to IPS’ product suite, including:

• Smart single-space meters
• Multi-space pay stations
• Pay-station upgrade kits
• Vehicle detection sensors
• Smart cash collection systems
• Mobile applications
• Enforcement and permitting solutions
• Hosted data management software with advanced data analytics

Cities that opt for IPS Group’s system will benefit from it being an all-in-one package solution. Its data management system is also set to get a major upgrade this summer. Not only does it connect with all of IPS’ solutions, but it adds modules, data intelligence, and a modern user interface to boot.

Having all of this under one umbrella makes it easier for cities to adopt and integrate these platforms into their overall smart city strategy. However, it also means that once everything is in place, it is more closely tied to that system, for better or for worse.

On the surface, it would appear that IPS Group is on the right track. Smart city technologies are supposed to make life easier for the citizens and the government, alike. Its integrated, cloud-based Smart Parking system is built to do just that.

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Canada is getting a new nationwide wireless network, and this one is specially suited for the Internet of Things (IoT). eleven-x, a member of the LoRa Alliance, is rolling out a cross-Canada expansion of its Low Power Wide Area Network [LPWAN] to include densely populated areas across Canada.

Cities that will be covered by the expanded network include: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, and Toronto. In fact, the Greater Toronto area cities, including Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington are also set to be covered in order to make way for the Smart City programs in the region.

What it means to Canada’s IoT infrastructure

Reliable connectivity is essential to for IoT devices that governments, corporations, and individuals depend on. Where many consumer-grade IoT devices exist just fine in the home on the owner’s Wi-Fi signal, having a constant connection outside of the home, or indeed throughout a region, is another story.

Existing wireless carrier signals make a lot of bandwidth available, but also require a lot of energy to maintain a connection to. IoT devices don’t need a lot of bandwidth. They just need enough to send data and receive commands.

eleven-x‘s LPWAN offers a low-powered solution that, while having far less bandwidth than a conventional carrier signal, can be constantly connected to by battery-powered sensors with minimal energy overhead.

This makes it a compelling choice for IoT developers working on smart city projects where sensors are spread throughout a city, many of them operating on battery power. LPWAN makes it possible for these IoT devices to extend their battery life as much as 20 years over those operating on conventional carrier signals.

Expanding on existing footprint

This won’t be eleven-x’s first presence in Canada. The company’s LPWAN network currently exists in 22 markets representing over 60% of the country’s population. Initial deployments were launched in December 2016, with a central focus on the Southern Ontario region.

This expansion makes way for more smart city programs and less-expensive carrier-grade connectivity throughout the coverage area. eleven-x’s network is already being used to host several Smart City initiatives and enterprise IoT pilot programs. These include projects like smart parking, water monitoring, health and assisted living, and smart metering for utilities like electricity.

Canada’s first smart metering program for water was a combined effort between the region of Waterloo and eleven-x.

“The timing of this expansion couldn’t be better, enabling the rapidly growing Canadian IoT market.” said Nigel Wallis, Vice President of IoT and Industry Research at IDC.

The LoRa Alliance is a global organization that is bringing forward what it hopes will be a consistent, open standard for secure, carrier-grade low-power IoT connectivity. It is comprised of 400 companies globally.

Along with this project to expand its LPWAN network, eleven-x has upgraded its membership with the LoRa Alliance to the Contributor level. This upgrade gives eleven-x the ability to initiate, chair, and vote in work groups. These work groups enable members to come up with new draft specifications and other ways to take the technology further.

This upgraded role allows eleven-x to take a more active role in the open standard the LoRa Alliance is creating.

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Tim Cook recently opened up on one of Apple’s most highly anticipated projects: autonomous cars. For the first time, during an interview with Bloomberg Television, Tim Cook revealed that Apple has been working on autonomous systems. This includes the type of autonomous technology powering self-driving cars and other autonomous vehicles.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple is anywhere close to announcing a product. Furthermore, working on autonomy systems does not mean there will be Apple branded cars rolling down the highway in the foreseeable future, either. The word “systems” is very important.

See also: Apple receives permit to test self-driving cars in California

Apple could realistically license its autonomous system to existing manufacturers like Ford, Kia, GM, and others that they could use to add the technology to their vehicles. Apple already does something similar with its CarPlay system, adding Siri and making available additional app functionality from the driver’s iPhone.

Hardware, software…or both?

Then again, Apple has long been known for creating closed, all-inclusive systems that include hardware and software in one package. An actual Apple-branded vehicle designed from the ground up by Apple’s team is not totally out of the question, but reports nearly a year ago indicated that Apple was focusing more on software than hardware.

Apple has been rumored to be working on this technology for quite some time. In April, it received a permit to test self-driving vehicles in California. The vehicle Apple was using to test its technology? A Lexus RX450h SUV. This puts Apple in good company, as both Alphabet’s Waymo and Zoox are using the same model in their road tests.

It’s hard to say exactly when Apple will have something worth announcing to the public. Autonomous vehicles are hard, and companies like Google (now Waymo) have been working on them for nearly a decade.

In the Bloomberg interview, Tim Cook referred to autonomous systems as “the mother of all AI projects,” saying it’s “probably one of the most difficult AI projects to work on.”

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Indonesian is known for its world-renowned coffee, spices, and wildlife. It’s a vast island nation with beautiful landscapes and Bali is among the top tourist destinations in the world. Surfers around the globe know Bunaken as the premier surfing destination.

Despite all its natural beauty and rich history, technology isn’t the first thing outsiders link to the nation, but perhaps it soon will be. Smart cities are popping up in Indonesia, making it a more appealing choice for startups and other businesses in the technology sector.

Smart cities are a concept where cities or regional territories adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) and other Internet communications technology to assist in the management of infrastructure. Some examples of smart city technologies would be advanced transportation systems that can be centrally managed, adapting to changing conditions on the fly. Smart parking, contaminant detection systems in city water pipes, and even the way data is collected and analyzed are parts of a larger smart city project.

Where are Indonesia’s smart cities?

Jakarta is Indonesia’s capital, and thanks to the Jakarta Smart City project, it’s quickly becoming a popular home for startups and technology-based companies looking to plant their flag in the Smart City space.

For the city, it has gained a better understanding of its citizenry’s needs through IoT technologies that deliver improved public services such as waste management and policing. The public even has a modern way of contacting the city, through apps like Qlue which enable people to report issues and offer feedback.

Makassar is making big changes for Indonesia’s eastern region. Its integrated smart CCTV system has improved safety for its citizens, and during this year projects are underway to overhaul the city’s highways and transportation systems.

Bandung is another big player in the smart city space. With an arsenal of over 300 local apps, its residents have quick access to the city’s government, residential, and business assets. Plans are in place to bring reliable Wi-Fi to every neighborhood, and if something ever goes awry, citizens need but to use an app to take a photo of the problem and send it directly to the city where a resolution is assigned.

Why smart cities are good for Indonesia

Smart cities are an asset for the government and citizens alike. This new wave of technology makes it easier for city management to identify and resolve issues, as well as to better plan improvements and additions. Police can respond to crime more efficiently, fire departments and other first responders will be better able to identify and respond to incidents in real-time.

Smart cities reduce overhead, which is a win for the citizenry. Less cost means either lower taxes or more money for projects that drive the city ahead. It makes cities a more appealing place for business as it becomes a magnet for a more qualified workforce.

In the end, a modern infrastructure for Indonesia’s cities is a great thing for Indonesia, its citizens, and its businesses.

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Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) sound like great novelties on the surface, but what can these technologies do to help your brand? The answer might surprise you. According to this infographic, these experiences can do quite a lot to boost your brand, especially if you are in the business of selling products or experiences.

See also: What we’ve learned about VR ads after hundreds of millions of impressions

Product manufacturers and venues are already taking advantage of VR and AR technologies as part of their marketing strategy, and even retail stores are using AR to help customers find what they’re looking for.

This infographic, created by MDG Advertising, outlines some of the reasons brands should start paying attention to this emerging trend.

Virtual reality is finally coming into its own

After years of wait-and-see with VR and AR, tech companies are finally starting to make headway into creating experiences that consumers are responding to. Products like Google’s Daydream and Samsung’s Gear VR have opened the door to enable virtually anyone with a smartphone the chance to experience virtual reality from their smartphones.

Gaming consoles like Sony’s PlayStation even has a VR experience through Sony’s PlayStation VR. Oculus, which is now part of the Facebook family, is driving Facebook’s new Spaces experience where people can meet in a virtual environment.

Linden Lab, the creators of the still-popular virtual world Second Life are hard at work creating a whole new virtual world experience with VR at the forefront.

As for brands, hotels like Marriott are offering potential customers virtual tours of their hotels around the world, enabling them to preview their experience before booking their rooms.

Even product-oriented brands like Coca-Cola are using VR to raise brand awareness through providing fun experiences. Just last year, Coca-Cola showed off packaging that converts into a cardboard VR headset for smartphones.

Augmented reality is helping brands help their customers

Have you ever been lost looking for items in a retail store? We all have, but this is where augmented reality can change the game.

Aisle411 is already being tested with retailers like Walgreens and Toys”R”Us. It creates an augmented reality of sorts that shoppers can use like GPS navigation to get them to the product they’re searching for. A tablet mounted to the shopping cart, or the shopper’s own smartphone, this augmented reality experience makes life easier for the shopper, and that is always best for business.

In addition to announcing better support for Virtual Reality at WWDC this week, Apple unveiled a ARKit, a new development platform for creating augmented reality experiences in iOS. This is a big step as Apple has long been considered the tipping point for augmented reality to really take a leap forward.

The success of Niantic’s Pokemon Go last year introduced a lot of new people to the concept of augmented reality. It remains a fun, and addicting game, but the implications of its success were that brands everywhere became aware that augmented reality is well within reach.

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Fitbit has sponsored a study that it says validates the ability of several of its fitness wearables to accurately track different stages of sleep. This study, which involved the Fitbit Alta HR, Blaze, and Charge 2 devices, was independently scored by polysomnography technicians.

“With our sleep tracking tools, Fitbit has transformed what people can learn about their sleep habits by taking the ability to track sleep stages out of a lab and putting it on the wrist,” Conor Heneghan, lead sleep research scientist at Fitbit, said in a statement.

Understanding the stages of sleep

The study focused on these devices’ ability to accurately track the three main stages of sleep: light, deep, and REM (rapid eye movement). Understanding how much of each stage someone is receiving is an important part of understanding the quality of sleep they are receiving.

Sleep Stages, a new feature introduced this April, is available with Alta HR, Blaze, and Charge 2. It uses heart rate variability to estimate the amount of time spent in light, deep and REM sleep. It also detects when someone is awake in order to accurately log sleep patterns and duration.

It does this by measuring changes in your heart rate, pairing variations to the different levels of sleep and awake states in order to determine how much of what type of sleep you’re getting. Early Fitbit sleep detection relied on your body’s movements to determine how restful or restless your sleep was.

Fitbit’s growing sleep database

When you look at a company with such a large, diverse user base, it’s hard to ignore the sheer volume of data these wearables generate. Since 2010, Fitbit has logged over 4 billion nights of sleep from its users. This gives it a data pool of over 23 million hours of slumber in order to better understand and improve on its tracker’s ability to accurately log sleep patterns.

Among the the findings of this study, Fitbit determined that Gen Z (age 13-22) sleeps the most, averaging 6 hours and 57 minutes of sleep a night. Baby Boomers (age 52-71) sleep the least, with 6 hours and 33 minutes per night.

Dr. Conor Heneghan, lead sleep research scientist at Fitbit, will present the findings of the study, “Estimation of Sleep Stages Using Cardiac and Accelerometer Data from a Wrist-Worn Device,” at SLEEP 2017, the joint conference of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, in Boston from June 3-6.

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This June, Audi will become the first car company to test automated vehicles on the streets of New York, including automated cars that have achieved an automation level of 3. Testing will take place in the city of Albany starting in the middle of June.

This makes Audi the first company to legally test automated vehicles on open roads in the state of New York.

This isn’t the first time Audi has been at the head of the line among autonomous vehicle manufacturers. Audi is the first company to receive an autonomous vehicle license plate in the state of Nevada, and to be allowed to test its automated vehicles in California. Audi has also set numerous track records for autonomous vehicles at numerous tracks worldwide.

What does level 3 automation mean?

Automation levels have been established by the Society of Engineers and measure how autonomous a vehicle actually is. Here is a quick breakdown of the different levels of automation:

Level 0 vehicles would give the driver warnings when they are drifting over the line or about to collide with something, but won’t actually take over the vehicle.

Level 1 vehicles include features like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and automated parking. In these vehicles, the driver still maintains majority control of the vehicle in almost all cases. This is a common add-on feature set in modern luxury vehicles.

Level 2 vehicles are where things get a bit more interesting. The car pretty much drives itself at highway speeds, but the driver still has to maintain the ability to take control at any point. In many cases, cars with Level 2 autonomous functionality still requires drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.

Level 3 gives drivers a bit more freedom to take their hands off the wheel and turn their attention elsewhere, momentarily. Drivers are still required to be behind the wheel, and may be called upon to take control immediately, but in the majority of driving scenarios they can trust the vehicle to get them from point A to point B with minimal intervention.

Level 4 is what we know commonly as fully autonomous. There is still a steering wheel in the car, but the driver can turn their attention away from the road for extended periods. Cars that meet this requirement are expected to respond as well or better than their human counterparts within its designated parameters. This functionality is generally only available in limited areas, and/or specific scenarios.

Level 5 describes the ultimate self-driving vehicle. It maps routes, takes control from the beginning to the end of the journey, and doesn’t require a human driver at all. Automated taxis without steering wheels would fall into this category.

This means that the vehicles Audi will be testing in New York will be a step above any level of automation most drivers have ever experienced. These cars will have human drivers behind the wheel, but there is a good chance that they won’t be the ones doing the driving.

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Researchers out of the University of Michigan believe they have developed a process by which autonomous cars can be tested thoroughly in a fraction of the time. In fact, their proposal would reduce autonomous car testing time by as much as 99%.

Autonomous cars are coming, but how soon depends on factors like regulation, development, and testing. Testing is one of the most time-consuming steps in the process of innovation and going to market with an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle.

See also: New study shows even just a few driverless cars really helps

Regulatory red tape aside, it takes a long time to test autonomous vehicles. Google, one of the early innovators in self-driving car technology has logged over 3 million miles during its extensive testing period has been going on for years. Last year, Google’s self-driving car project received a new name, Waymo.

This 3 million miles of testing doesn’t include the over 1 billion miles that have been logged on Waymo’s virtual testing simulator during 2016 alone.

For anyone keeping count, that’s a lot of testing. In an industry where sub-par testing can have catastrophic consequence, cutting corners is not an option.

A new testing process

In an Mcity white paper published by the University of Michigan, a team of researchers have developed what they believe is a far more efficient way to test autonomous vehicles.

The proposed approach to testing would reduce the amount of testing needed by a factor of 300 to 100,000 so that an automated vehicle driven for 1,000 test miles can yield the equivalent of 300,000 to 100 million miles of real-world driving.

Where current autonomous vehicle testing occurs during real-world driving which is largely uneventful, the car’s ability to respond to critical scenarios only come around once every 100,000 miles of driving. That’s a lot of wasted miles from a data standpoint.

Instead, this process would subject vehicles to worst-case scenarios more rapidly and in a controlled environment. By breaking down difficult real-world driving situations into components that can be tested or simulated repeatedly, researchers can better uncover any problem areas that need to be addressed.

By creating repeatable modules, the team believes they can yield as much actionable data as would be collected in 100,000 miles of driving in just 1,000 miles.

They need to be nearly human

The paper’s authors state that an autonomous vehicle needs to be at least 90% safer than the typical human driver for us to accept them on our roadways in mass. That takes a lot of research and testing. At the current pace, that level of confidence would be achieved after 11 billion miles of testing. That would take over a decade to complete.

By evaluating the data already collected from 25 million miles of real-world testing, the researchers have compiled a series of modular tests which they believe will cut the required testing time down by as much as 99%.

For folks eagerly anticipating the day when they can kick back and watch Netflix while their car drives them to work, this is good news.

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A new study out of Stanford measured the accuracy of seven wristband activity monitors and found that while six out of seven wearables measured heart rate accurately, none of them were able to accurately measure calories burned.

The study involved 60 volunteers from a larger pool, selected specifically to represent a diverse set of subjects. These participants included 31 women and 29 men of various skin color, body type, etc.

Participants were asked to wear these various wrist-mounted devices while undergoing tasks such as walking, running, cycling, and sitting.

How fitness trackers are good…

The fitness trackers examined in the study include:

• Apple Watch
• Basis Peak
• Fitbit Surge
• Microsoft Band
• Mio Alpha 2
• PulseOn
• Samsung Gear S2

The devices in this study did a fairly good job of monitoring the participant’s heart rate. In fact, six of the devices measured heart rates to under a 5% median error rate during walking and cycling while the Samsung Gear S2 scored a slightly less stunning 5.1%.

A 5% variance is something medical professionals can work with. “For a lay user, in a non-medical setting, we want to keep that error under 10 percent,” Anna Shcherbina, one of the authors of the paper, said.

…and how fitness trackers are bad

While the seven fitness trackers featured in the study did a pretty good job at keeping up with participant’s heart rate, the error rate in calculating caloric expenditure was a different story.

Out of the seven devices tested, the most accurate one was off by 27.4%. That honor went to the Fitbit Surge.

The least accurate device of the bunch was the PulseOn which with a stunning error rate of 92.6%.

This study shows that fitness trackers, as much as we rely on them to give us at least mostly accurate data, may not be giving us a true account of our activity at all. Users rely on these devices to let them know when they have hit their goals on steps, heart rate, and caloric burn.

If this research is accurate, at least one of these three measurements should be taken with a grain of salt.

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Your IoT devices may soon have a new network to connect to in order to transmit data directly to the cloud. AT&T has completed its nationwide rollout of its LTE-M Internet of Things (IoT) network.

This rollout, which involved a software update to AT&T’s existing LTE network, enables IoT devices to connect from more places, and with better reliability than before.

See also: How to feed and care for your wireless sensor networks

The LTE-M IoT network incorporates globally standardized 3GPP technology that makes use of licensed spectrum that affords carrier-grade security and reliability.

The network is designed for large-scale rollouts, and plans are set to bring the network to nearby regions including Mexico and Canada.

LTE-M Vs. LTE

There are some significant differences between the LTE network your smartphone uses and the one your IoT device(s) connect to.

For one, the price AT&T is charging per connection is significantly smaller. Current pricing plans show a $1.50 annual charge per month per device. Additional discounts and bulk pricing plans will be available.

LTE-M also does a better job at holding a strong signal through barriers such as walls and floors. It boasts a greater range and longer battery life for connected devices. This improved connectivity comes at the cost of bandwidth.

LTE-M supports bandwidth of up to 384 kbps or 1 Mbps, depending on whether it is used in full-duplex or half-duplex mode. That’s quite a bit less than your smartphone, but IoT devices themselves don’t consume a lot of bandwidth at all. Generally, they are transmitting data to the cloud and receiving simple commands. Both of which are accomplished with very little bandwidth overhead.

What are the advantages?

In the world of IoT, size matters. The smaller the modules, the more versatile their uses can be. LTE-M enables manufacturers to work with modules that are 1/6 the size of the ones currently being used to connect to wireless networks.

Battery life is better on LTE-M. LTE-M devices can enjoy a battery life of up to ten years.

Connectivity is maintained through dense buildings and even underground. Maintaining a constant connection is imperative for many IoT applications. LTE-M especially useful for devices that travel in areas where maintaining a connection is an issue.

“Our nationwide LTE-M deployment is another example of AT&T’s continued investment and leadership in IoT,” said Chris Penrose, President, IoT Solutions, AT&T. “We can now reach new places and connect new things at a price that’s more affordable than ever before. Our LTE-M starter kit will also spur developers to open the doors to IoT innovation.”

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Volvo is working on a project that it hopes will make the job of garbage pickup safer and easier for sanitation workers. If successful, it will also reduce the number of workers required to complete each route.

By automating the truck’s bin-to-bin travel, the worker doesn’t have to continually get in and out of the cab to arrange bins or manually load them into the back of the truck. The truck essentially drives itself, freeing the driver up to handle other important tasks safely.

See also: Columbus’ smart city win may lead to smart trucks

Today in the United States, many sanitation trucks are fitted with an arm that picks up specially-designed cans and dumps them into the back before placing them back in position. A human driver is required to steer the truck into place and deploy the arm. Another human occupant is required to correct any bins that are improperly aligned for the mechanical arm.

Many departments still have manual trucks that require sanitation workers to lift trash bags/bins and empty them by hand. This means getting in and out of the cab or riding on the back with only a handle to keep them on board.

An automated, self-navigating truck means less manpower required to complete a route. It also puts less strain on the arms and knees of workers as they won’t have to continually enter and exit the cab or cling to the back of a moving truck.

How it Works

The Volvo Trucks include similar self-driving sensors and to the ones you will find in autonomous cars being developed. Using GPS and sensors, it maps out a new route the first time it is taken through a neighborhood. After the first initial introductory route, the truck is able to learn the route, including any obstacles or stops it needs to make.

The driver then can step out of the cab and, with the push of a button, direct the truck to drive to the next house. The truck will then drive itself to the destination without any need of human intervention. If a new obstacle appears, it will identify it and navigate around it.

The driver can essentially follow the truck through the neighborhood on foot, emptying bins or arranging them as needed. No more endless climbing in and out of the cab at every stop.

Unless you live in Sweden, you probably won’t see Volvo’s autonomous refuse truck driving down your street any time soon. For now, it remains a pilot program in coordination with Renova, a Swedish waste management company. This pilot is expected to run throughout 2017. Additional research and development is expected for the next several years.

After that, you might just start seeing a garbage truck without a driver in the cab stop in front of your home.

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LiDAR — yes, it sounds like a tool that any professional journalist covering politicians should carry with them. Unfortunately for political reporters everywhere, LiDAR doesn’t detect fibs. Instead, it stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and it’s a critical technology for self-driving cars.

That makes it a particularly appealing product category for startups looking to make their mark in the emerging market of autonomous technologies.

A new crop of startups, complete with plenty of venture capital and each boasting to have an excellent solution for any autonomous vehicle manufacturer looking to add LiDAR to their offerings.

Among these businesses is Quanergy, a startup founded in 2012 that has spent much of this time developing what it hopes will be a value-based solution. While some LiDAR systems run thousands of dollars, Quanergy plans to eventually make its mass-market solution available for around $100.

One of the ways Quanergy is able to bring its system price down so far is its use of a solid state design. With no moving parts, these systems can be manufactured more easily. This means a smaller field of view for each sensor, however.

Some unique tech out there

Another company working on solid state LiDAR is Velodyne. This company, which also produces 360-degree LiDAR systems, is working on a solid-state option to complement them. With a 35-degree vertical and 120-degree horizontal field of view, these smaller, less pricey systems still offer plenty of range to work with.

Oryx Vision out of Israel has a unique take on LiDAR. Using special lasers that have a longer-wave infrared laser that enables the system to “see” through fog. It can also work in the face of direct sunlight. This answers some of the more common issues current LiDAR technology faces.

Luminar Technologies is also worth mention because not only does it produce LiDAR systems, but it does so entirely from scratch. Some companies get by combining multiple third-party components into their hardware, but not Luminar. This startup builds everything in-house.

These companies are each approaching the same problem in a different way. This is a very good thing for the autonomous vehicle industry as it applies pressure in the direction of innovation. Whether the system is solid state or 360-degree, 3D modeling or low power, the real victor in this competitive market is the consumer.

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Public transportation systems around the world are very different. Ticketing systems and route information are often confusing and rarely convenient for the user. But what if your credit card could act as a Fifth Element-style multipass enabling you to board that commuter train or bus with a wave of your hand?

This is the idea behind Mastercard’s initiative to make its contactless payment system to work getting people around town, or cross-country, with ease.

Embracing contactless payments

More than 80 cities around the globe are enabling commuters to pay for their train or bus pass by tapping their card on an onboard terminal. For users that prefer to use their smartphones as a contactless payment medium, this feature will work for them, as well.

This allows holders of a Mastercard to skip the ticket lines and hop on board with a tap or a swipe. London, a city with one of the largest public transportation systems in the world, introduced contactless payments in 2014. Since then, an incredible 40% of daily pay-as-you-go trips are taken by passengers using this system.

See also: How contactless payments can help disaster-proof smart cities

Commuter rail lines in New York are set up so travelers can “Masterpass” their ticket. Singapore is following suit, becoming the first city to offer contactless ticketing in the Asian market.

“While every city has its own characteristics, virtually all of them are dealing with congestion and pollution, hence they are eager to shift passengers from cars to public transport,” said Pablo Tomasi, senior analyst, smart cities and IoT, IHS Markit. “With constraints on their budgets, cities are looking for smart, cost efficient ticketing and demand management solutions that enhance urban life.”

Mastercard showcased this technology during the Global Public Transportation Summit in Montreal this week. Mobile ticketing and contactless payments are a key part of Mastercard’s strategy to extend its reach and provide a value-add for its customers.

What are long-term implications?

Mobile ticketing and contactless payments are an appealing addition to any public transportation system. These systems have long been struggling with a ticketing bottleneck. Having a simple, one-step solution for passengers to board and pay their fare makes life easier not only for Mastercard’s customers but countless other passengers in the transportation system.

This isn’t an exclusive system for Mastercard customers. Visa, American Express, and other payment system providers have long been pushing to make it easier for their customers to use their services. Time will tell whether or not this system will make public transportation more appealing to the larger market.

The post How Mastercard wants to become your new travel ticket appeared first on ReadWrite.

There is no question that the automotive industry is evolving at a rapid pace. Electric cars are on the rise, and a whole new world of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are starting to appear on roadways around the world.

A recent Cars Online report released by Capgemini sheds light on where consumers see the industry going in the near future, with over 8,000 consumers across eight countries were surveyed for the report.

See also: New study shows just a few driverless cars helps ease traffic

With the boon of ridesharing services giving riders an alternative to purchasing their own vehicle, a surprising 34% of those surveyed stated that they saw these services as a genuine alternative to car ownership. After all, if your car payment would cost you more monthly than you would spend on ridesharing services, these services would become a more appealing choice to budget-conscious consumers.

Autonomous vehicles adding value

This result adds credibility to another report released recently by RethinkX that predicts that by 2030 as much as 95% of the passenger vehicles on United States roadways would be autonomous and owned by a fleet rather than a private consumer. Uber, most notably, is already working on a plan to replace at least some of its human drivers with autonomous vehicles.

This means, of course, less consumer-purchased cars. If fifteen people are getting around just fine on a shared vehicle, then that’s fourteen fewer cars being sold.

Kai Grambow, Global Head of Automotive at Capgemini, said: “We are currently experiencing a golden age of car sales, however, it’s clear that this won’t last forever in its current form. Car brands are realizing they need to react to changing consumer habits to sustain growth.”

There is some hope, however. In the Cars Online report, a promising 56% of those polled said that car-hailing and ride-sharing services were complementary to buying a new car, rather than an outright replacement.

Some interesting strategies come to light for car manufacturers looking to maintain their competitive edge in an evolving market. For one, ride-sharing services could be an excellent marketing tool for these companies. Consumers that enjoy a ride they received in a particular make/model vehicle are more likely to consider it when it comes time to buy their own new car.

An incredible 81% of people polled stated they are willing to pay more for autonomous-driving features. Brands like Tesla and Mercedes are wowing consumers with their intelligent driving assistance features, often paying a significant markup for the high-end vehicles these technologies are included with.

Brands like Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Infinity, Volvo, and Subaru are also starting to roll out vehicles with driver-assist capabilities for anyone willing to pay a little more for its convenience. As the price of this feature goes down, more consumers will be tempted to hop on board.

A cautious consumer market?

Tech brands like Apple sound like natural fits for autonomous vehicles. It’s the role of these brands to extend their reach into new markets. Apple did this when it entered the phone market in 2007, and the consumer market was no less hesitant to trust their communication to a brand that had never before produced a mobile phone… until they saw it in action.

Among the people polled, 51% said they would trust an established automotive manufacturer’s autonomous car over a brand that had never before produced a vehicle before.

The automotive industry is changing in a big way right now. Consumers have more choice in how their vehicle works and what features they want it to have than ever before. Decades ago automatic windows and air conditioning were the big selling points that set vehicles apart. Today, it’s how autonomous you want your driving experience to be, and whether or not you want to fuel up at a gas station or an electric outlet.

The Cars Online survey was conducted in January of 2017 and included representation from Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The post Are a third of car owners really ready to give up their rides? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Samsung has unveiled its new Samsung Artik Smart IoT platform products with the goal in mind of giving IoT-innovating companies the tools they need to jump into the IoT market. Not only does Samsung boast this product line’s ability to give IoT solutions better communication between one-another, but it features end-to-end security enhancements.

Unveiled at the IoT World 2017 conference, this end-to-end IoT platform includes everything a company needs to develop its technology, collect and manage data, and to go to market with their products.

Chillin’ in the Artik

On the hardware end of Samsung’s Artik platform are the Artik modules. Wi-Fi based IoT modules with built-in hardware security enable product developers to rapidly prototype their ideas and connect their products directly to Samsung’s Artik Cloud.

See also: Samsung sunny toward the cloud with new Artik

These modules include the brand new Artik 053, a tiny module a little larger than a quarter and shaped like a stick of gum. It features a 32-bit ARM Cortex R4 running at 320MHz for applications, 29 dedicated GPIO ports, and a robust on-board security subsystem.

It is fully Wi-Fi compatible and small enough to fit in even the smallest single-function IoT device. Also available are the even smaller Artik 020 and 030 modules, as well as the series 5, 7, and 10 module family for larger and more robust IoT applications.

These modules are useful, but for any good IoT solution to really integrate with the larger web, a solid cloud solution is required. Enter Samsung’s Artik Cloud, an open data exchange platform for the Internet of Things.

With Artik Cloud, you can connect your IoT devices with other devices linked to the Artik Cloud. For example, your new prototype widget can work with Amazon Echo or Philips Hue lights.

Artik Cloud has recently been updated to add fast device onboarding, edge node management, secure over the air (OTA) updates, integration with Amazon AWS Kinesis Stream, new cloud connectors including Google Assistant on Google Home and Amazon Alexa Smart Home Skill.

A better platform

ummarySamsung wants to have a big influence on the growing IoT market. By encouraging new product developers to build their products in Samsung’s platform, it will be able to better position not only itself in the growing IoT market but to create a diverse and wide-reaching IoT network its own products can work more easily with.

By concentrating its efforts on creating a more secure all-in-one platform for rapid development, prototyping, and even finding the right partners for prototyping and manufacturing, this offering by Samsung is becoming an increasingly appealing option for these businesses.

“We believe security and interoperability are critical to enabling next-gen IoT products that can connect to, and work with, many different devices and services,” said James Stansberry, senior vice president and head of the platform in the US for Samsung Electronics.

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When you think about global leaders Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) manufacturing, a few regions come to mind. China, Europe, and the United States are certainly among them. But, government leaders from South Africa want to add a new region to the global conversation: Africa.

South African Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele recently attended a Smart Africa Alliance board meeting Kigali, Rwanda. This meeting, which was part of the Transform Africa Summit is part of a larger effort to bring African nations forward technologically.

“The Smart Africa Alliance will help African countries to digitise the continent and use ICTs to quickly catch up and be competitive with developed nations. The South Africa Government has decided that we should join the Smart Africa Alliance to contribute in the growth and integration of the continent,” said Minister Cwele in a statement on Friday.

Minister Cwele’s is one of the first South African leaders to speak to the alliance since its Cabinet’s approval of South Africa’s joining the Smart Africa Alliance. The alliance, which is made up of several African governments, has the goal of developing solutions through technology that target the needs of Africa.

Smart cities, smart strategy for growth

Part of the plan behind the Transform Africa Summit is the establishment of a Smart Cities master plan which is a blueprint for the development of smart cities throughout Africa. Smart cities, which are already in planning and development stages throughout the modern world, take advantage of emerging technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT) as part of their core infrastructure.

Virtually every aspect of city management can be improved on through the use of smart sensors which collect and transmit information to central management systems. Cities can use these technologies to reduce traffic congestion, improve crime response times, and facilitate a better living condition for its citizenry.

These smart technologies require a great deal of planning, funding, and manpower to set up. This means not only the potential for skilled employment in the region, but for opportunities for economic growth.

Minister Cwele believes that by manufacturing the devices and gadgets required to bring Africa to the next stage, it will be able to do so with less financial overhead. These manufacturing facilities also pave the way for continued economic growth as South Africa and its neighboring countries look toward the future.

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Mario Andretti is one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. He has scored victories in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship (WSC), NASCAR, and more. At the age of 77, it would appear his competitive racing days are behind him. That is, until this past Saturday.

Mario Andretti took part in a one-on-one race against Sam Schmidt in Indianapolis this past weekend. Schmidt is a successful IndyCar driver that had his own career cut short in 2000 after an accident rendered him a quadriplegic.

Schmidt’s driverless comeback

Sam Schmidt made headlines when he received the first autonomous vehicle restricted driver’s license to be issued in the United States. His semi-autonomous car has also broken speed records on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All after his unfortunate accident.

See also: Could this be the first smart car for quadriplegics?

Schmidt’s accident would have ended the career of any driver, but not him. He now owns a team and drives at breakneck speeds in a modified Corvette Z06 that enables him to control the vehicle without his arms or legs. He’s still in full control, but the semi-autonomous vehicle sports some impressive technology that enables him to control his semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) using subtle movements of his head.

After achieving success on paper, Schmidt wanted to get back into racing. What better opponent to take on the first semi-autonomous racer than a legend of the track in Andretti.

The battle versus Andretti

Two semi-autonomous cars traveling at speeds that exceeded 130 mph. wowed fans in Indianapolis. This friendly exhibition gave viewers the opportunity to donate to Schmidt’s nonprofit, Conquer Paralysis Now.

The race proved no less competitive than the ones that frequently take place in Indianapolis. There was drama, high-speed shenanigans, burnouts and donuts, and a final pull away on the home stretch.

Schmidt said in a statement: “I never had a chance to race against Mario during my driving career. He is a true legend that is world renowned and I appreciate his willingness to participate and showcase the next evolution of this technology.”

“This is awesome,” Andretti told IndyCar.com. “It’s a great opportunity to see what (the project) is all about. I feel like I’m really, really going to be struggling. I just asked for 70 more horsepower and they haven’t said anything.

As for the outcome of the race…

Andretti may have crossed the finish line first, but Schmidt leaves the experience no less victorious.

“It was the most normal I’ve felt in 17 years,” Schmidt said.

The post Mario Andretti and Sam Schmidt go head-to-head autonomously appeared first on ReadWrite.

Cleveland State University has partnered with Case Western Reserve University to promote research and educational opportunities around the Internet of Things (IoT). This partnership came about thanks to a $200,000 Cleveland Foundation grant awarded in January in order to create the Digital Excellence Initiative.

This partnership, which includes a joint foundation between the two institutions, establishes a regional research program that focuses on IoT systems and devices. These systems range from small consumer devices to larger, more complex industrial-grade systems.

See also: Cleveland Browns get ready to WHOOP it up

These technologies have an effect on virtually every aspect of our lives, from the convenience of an automated vacuum cleaner to the lifesaving medical devices that allow medical professionals to better monitor their patients.

“This partnership will further the regional effort to make Cleveland a leader in the Internet of Things revolution, expanding the development of new innovations, increasing technology transfer and enhancing economic investment,” Berkman said in a statement. “I am proud to join with President Snyder to announce this unique collaboration between our two institutions.”

New industries in an old industry town

Cleveland has a history of being a touchstone in American industry. From large automotive plants to electronics manufacturing, Cleveland has long been a symbol of economic growth through innovation. This initiative provides a regional benefit not only to the two universities but to the region as a whole by making it a more appealing place for IoT startups.

The partnership will provide a base on which course development, student exchanges, joint research programs, and economically beneficial partnerships with third-party businesses in the area can take place.

Students taking advantage of the new courses and resources made possible by the Digital Excellence Initiative will be better positioned to enter the workplace having a real-world knowledge of the latest IoT technologies. This makes Cleveland not only a better place to go to study and learn about the Internet of Things, but to find educated candidates to fill positions.

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Dell recently conducted a survey involving 2,608 global professionals working for companies in the enterprise sector with 250 or more employees. The results of this survey are no less than shocking and should be of interest to any business that deals with secure private or corporate information.

These days, we trust corporations with our most private information. We trust Google to keep our search queries safe, prevent unwanted individuals from reading our email, and in some cases even to protect data that is essential to the daily operation of our businesses. We share our health information with cloud-based services that track our food and heart rate, our financial data with e-commerce sites, and so much more.

Phishing employees for company information

This security of our data is only as strong as the security of the company information to whom we trust that data. Quite often, large data breaches and other leaks of private data comes about as the result of phishing exhibitions from the outside. Hackers and other malicious individuals conning employees to share company information that helps them to infiltrate their networks.

Verizon released a report last year detailing how big of a threat phishing attempts are to enterprise security. Phishing is a type of social engineering in which someone talks someone else into giving up information they shouldn’t.

See also: Will these Chinese satellites provide hackproof data security?

One way would be to call up a phone company and pretend to be a technician requesting data in the field. An unsuspecting employee might consider the request routine, handing over the information without much thought. That data, depending on its level of sensitivity, could then be used to gain access to even more sensitive information.

Another common practice is to send email to employees with links to spoof sites that fool them into filling out information that would normally be protected. As long as the site appears genuine, the employee may not even notice they’ve shared anything they shouldn’t have.

What Dell’s digging discovered

In Dell’s End-user Security Survey, 72% of employees stated they are willing to share sensitive, confidential or regulated company information under certain circumstances. These circumstances in which this information would be shared varied.

Among the 72% of employees that said they would share information, the reasons they gave for doing so included…

• being directed to do so by management (43%)
• sharing with a person authorized to receive it (37%)
• the risk is very low and the benefit high (23%)
• it will help them do their job more effectively (22%)
• it will help the recipient do their job more effectively (13%)

This survey uncovered a general lack of caution around sensitive corporate information. Acting as individuals, employees indicated they would take security shortcuts it if meant helping them do their job or if they felt the risk was worth the benefit of doing so.

This doesn’t mean that individuals are intentionally handing out corporate data for any malicious purpose. Rather, they are just trying to do their jobs more efficiently. Strict security procedures are often seen as a hindrance to efficiency.

A lot of unsafe practices

This data sharing isn’t just limited to direct sharing of corporate data. It also occurs in the form of unsafe practices. 45% of respondents admitted that they engage in practices most companies would forbid.

For example, 46% of these individuals indicated that they have connected to public Wi-Fi to access confidential information. Even with precautions like a VPN or secured remote access in place, connecting to publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks pose an increased risk.

Another 49% of these respondents shared that they use personal email accounts for work. This particular type of breach has made headlines in recent years as several high-profile United States government employees were discovered to have been conducting sensitive information on private email servers.

In January, security analysts were shocked to discover that the official Twitter account of the President of the United States was secured with a Gmail email account.

This survey shed light on how easy it is for well-meaning employees to play fast-and-loose with their company’s security policies. One can only hope that surveys like this one help IT professionals and business leaders research better ways of implementing these protocols – and of encouraging their employees to follow them.

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