Making Headway in Healthcare and Advances in AI
Emerging Tech Roundup — June 23
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: Robots Develop the Skill to Learn by Watching Videos, Vaxxas Creates Needle-Free Vaccine Patches, Diabetes Management Startup Clivi Aims to be ‘Livongo of Latin America’, AI-Powered Transcription Platform Raises $11M Series A, Spotify Considers a Premium HiFi Audio Tier, Dropbox Introduces AI Tools, and AT&T Develops a ChatGPT-Based Tool with Help From Microsoft.
Robots Have Developed the Skill to Learn by Watching Videos, Study Reveals
(Interesting Engineering, June 20)
Scientists have developed a new model called Visual-Robotics Bridge (VRB) that enables robots to learn household tasks by watching videos of people performing those activities. This approach eliminates the need for physically demonstrating tasks or lengthy training in simulated environments, saving time and resources. The proposed model allows robots to learn tasks in just 25 minutes without human involvement, potentially revolutionizing the way robots are trained and leveraging the vast amount of online videos available for learning.
Needle-Free Vaccine Patches Deliver Jabs Through the Skin in Seconds
(Interesting Engineering, June 20)
After a decade of research, Australian company Vaxxas has successfully developed needle-free and painless vaccines. This breakthrough in technology is expected to simplify the distribution of vaccines and improve vaccine development and delivery, with an emphasis on the potential of this new technology for pandemic preparedness. Vaxxas aims to manufacture and distribute the first commercially available needle-free vaccine patches within the next three to five years.
Diabetes Management Startup Clivi Wants to be ‘Livongo of Latin America’
(Tech Crunch, June 20)
Mexican diabetes management startup Clivi aims to address the diabetes epidemic in Latin America, where there are over 40 million adults with the disease. With the global digital health market on the rise, Clivi offers a comprehensive and personalized approach to diabetes care by connecting patients with healthcare professionals and providing monitoring, treatment plans, and necessary supplies. By leveraging technology and offering affordable health plans, Clivi aims to help patients achieve their treatment goals and make daily decisions about managing their chronic condition.
Parrot, an AI-Powered Transcription Platform that Turns Speech into Text, Raises $11M Series A
(Tech Crunch, June 20)
Parrot, a transcription platform specializing in speech-to-text depositions for the legal and insurance sectors, has successfully raised $11 million in a Series A funding round, led by Amplify Partners and XYZ Venture Capital. This brings the total amount of financing raised by Parrot to $14 million since its establishment. The company has introduced a new feature that provides instant summaries of depositions for legal professionals, aiming to address the growing demand for court reporting services.
Spotify May Finally Be Ready to Debut a Premium HiFi Audio Tier
(Engadget, June 20)
Spotify is reportedly planning to launch a high-fidelity plan, internally called “Supremium,” which would be its most expensive tier, aiming to increase revenue and address investor demands for price increases. The plan was initially delayed in 2021 due to rivals Apple Music and Amazon Music offering similar features at no extra cost. Additionally, Spotify may also expand its regular Premium offering to include access to audiobooks, potentially through free monthly hours or a specific number of books, with the option to purchase more.
Dropbox’s AI Tools Can Help You Find Your Stuff — From Everywhere on The Internet
(The Verge, June 21)
Dropbox is introducing two AI-powered services to its platform: a document summarization and querying tool, and universal search engine Dash. Dash, developed from Dropbox’s acquisition of Command E, aims to be the “Google for your personal stuff,” providing access to files not only in Dropbox but also across the web. The Dash app includes a desktop version for universal search and a browser extension that curates your files and offers suggestions based on your activity.
AT&T Says It’s Developed a ChatGPT-Based Tool with Help From Microsoft so that its Employees Can Safely Use It
(Yahoo Finance, June 21)
AT&T has partnered with Microsoft to deploy an OpenAI-based tool, dubbed ‘Ask AT&T’, internally. It’s aimed at assisting coders, software developers, and streamlining customer services. The tool, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, utilizes generative AI and is designed to enhance employee productivity, improve customer service, and upgrade legacy software code. AT&T has taken precautions to ensure the security of corporate data, addressing concerns associated with AI-powered tools like ChatGPT.
