Hesyina New Technology, Innovation and Gadgets

  Byju's, the edtech giant in India, has introduced three transformer models as part of its "Wiz" suite to enhance its educational services and personalize the learning experience for students. The models leverage AI to support learning and address knowledge gaps. The first model, Badri, predicts when learners might struggle with specific concepts and offers recommendations to address the gaps. MathGPT helps students solve math problems using analogies and visual aids, while TeacherGPT serves as an AI-powered assistant, providing personalized guidance and grading responses. Byju's AI model incorporates students' interests to make learning more engaging. For example, it can use cricket analogies to explain complex concepts to a cricket enthusiast. The transformer models have been trained on the vast amount of data generated by Byju's student base and have an accuracy rate of around 87%. They are designed to align with the respective curriculum and operate withi...

  TuSimple, a publicly traded company specializing in self-driving trucks, has announced its entrance into the Japanese market with regular test runs on the Tomei Expressway. This move indicates TuSimple's focus on expanding its Asia-focused business. Japan has recently amended its laws to allow Level 4 autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads, presenting a ripe marketplace for TuSimple. The country is facing a labor shortage due to its aging population, and autonomous vehicles can offer a solution to this issue. Japan plans to launch a self-driving lane on sections of the New Tomei Expressway by 2024, equipped with sensors, cameras, and 5G networks. Commercial operation of Level 4 autonomous trucks is expected to begin in 2026. TuSimple sees self-driving technology as a promising solution for the driver shortage in Japan's logistics industry and aims to build partnerships with local companies and meet customer demand in the region. While TuSimple positions itself as a U....

  The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted various aspects of business, including the way software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies sell their products. With social distancing measures in place, in-person meetings were replaced by virtual platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Surprisingly, both vendors and buyers found that virtual meetings could be productive, leading to the adoption of remote practices even as COVID restrictions ease. Recognizing the gap in existing sales tools for online meetings, Richard Einhorn and Max Elster founded Minoa in 2022 to cater to the growing trend of remote B2B sales. Minoa is a sales platform designed to help SaaS vendors and their customers track the lifecycle of a deal asynchronously. It offers tools for value management, quoting, pricing, and more. What sets Minoa apart from other tools is its focus on including customers in the sales platform, unlike many incumbents that primarily serve vendors. As companies incorporate more specialized SaaS servi...

  Enterprises and marketplaces operating across multiple geographies and products have long relied on a hodgepodge of third-party services cobbled together by teams of engineers. These makeshift solutions, akin to Dr. Frankenstein's creations, often suffer from bugs and missing functionality. At worst, their complexity can even conceal malicious activities. Recognizing this disparity, three payments engineers came together to establish Payrails, a startup that has developed a framework for building and operating stable enterprise payment services. Today, the company announces a funding round of $14.4 million, driven by leading investor EQT Ventures, along with participation from General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, and HV Capital. This "seed extension" follows the original seed round of $6.4 million, led by A16Z and HV Capital, which we covered last year when Payrails emerged from stealth mode. Although the startup does not disclose its valuation, CEO Orkhan Abdullayev ...

  Apple has acquired Mira, a startup specializing in augmented reality (AR) headsets. The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, was confirmed by The Verge. Mira, founded in 2016 by Ben Taft, has been developing AR headsets and software for various applications, including attractions at Universal Studios' Nintendo World theme parks. Prior to the acquisition, Mira had raised $17 million from investors such as Blue Bear Capital, Happiness Ventures, and Sequoia. Initially focused on consumer AR experiences, Mira later shifted its focus to industrial applications, which is considered a more lucrative market. The startup had previously secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Navy, among others. It is unclear whether these contracts will continue under Apple's ownership. While the extent of Mira's involvement in Apple's AR roadmap is not specified, The Verge reports that Jony Ive, Apple's former product designer, was an advisor to Mira at one point. The acquisition...

  At Apple's annual WWDC 2023 conference, the company unveiled its long-rumored augmented reality (AR) headset called the Vision Pro. The headset features a ski goggle-like design with a continuous front panel acting as a lens and concealing a fan for cooling. The chassis includes a swappable band and a dial for adjusting the tightness. Zeiss collaborated with Apple to create magnetic lenses for prescription wearers. The Vision Pro has a separate battery pack connected by a wire, providing up to two hours of use. The device features two displays, one for each eye, with a total of 23 million pixels. The UI remains in view thanks to a custom 3D lens, and features like HDR and wide color enhance the image quality. The headset includes IR cameras for eye tracking, downward-facing cameras for hand tracking, and lidar sensors for real-time object tracking. The R1, a new Apple chip, powers the Vision Pro and processes data from the device's 23 sensors. It is designed to eliminate lag ...

  Indian edtech giant Byju's has filed a complaint in the New York Supreme Court to challenge the acceleration of the $1.2 billion term loan B. Byju's accuses Redwood, a lender, of conducting predatory tactics and demands the disqualification of Redwood. Byju's claims that Redwood purchased a significant portfolio of the loan with the intention of making windfall gains, primarily trading in distressed debt. Byju's stated that it will not make any payments to the term loan B lenders until the dispute is resolved. Byju's decision to take legal action follows the lenders' alleged unlawful acceleration of the loan term based on certain non-monetary and technical defaults. Byju's further alleges that the lenders, through their agent GLAS Trust Company, took unwarranted enforcement measures, including seizing control of Byju's Alpha and appointing their own management. The lenders also initiated litigation in Delaware, which Byju's claims is an attempt to ...

  Escape, a beautiful French startup, has successfully raised a significant funding round of $3.9 million (€3.6 million) shortly after completing Y Combinator's winter 2023 cohort. The company specializes in providing a cybersecurity product that focuses on securing APIs before their public release. The funding round is led by French venture capital firm Iris, with participation from Frst. Existing investors such as Irregular Expressions, Tiny Supercomputers, and Kima Ventures are also participating. Notable angel investors include Philippe Langlois, Mehdi Medjaoui, and Roxanne Varza. Co-founder and CEO Tristan Kalos explained that Escape has developed a custom algorithm powered by artificial intelligence. This algorithm simulates cyber attacks to identify security flaws in APIs, offering remediation solutions. Tristan Kalos founded Escape with Antoine Carossio, and the team has grown to include 10 members. Escape's solution is agentless, seamlessly integrating into the develop...

  Evroc, a Nordic startup, has emerged from stealth mode with €15 million ($16 million) in funding to establish localized, hyperscale data centers across Europe. The company aims to create Europe's first secure, sovereign, and sustainable hyperscale cloud, challenging the dominance of Big Tech in the European cloud market. Evroc plans to build its inaugural pilot data center in the Stockholm region next year and expand to eight data centers and three software development hubs by 2028. The company intends to raise an additional €3 billion in equity, debt, and public funding to support the construction of its data centers. Evroc aims to address power consumption concerns by using next-generation energy-efficient technologies, such as eco load balancing, and leveraging renewable energy sources. The launch of Evroc coincides with increased scrutiny of the European cloud market and growing tensions between Europe and US Big Tech companies. The company highlights its focus on local devel...

  Based on the information you provided, it seems like you had a positive impression of the Apple Vision Pro, an XR (extended reality) headset, after a guided demo. You mentioned that Apple has made significant advancements in capability and execution of XR, but you acknowledged that you would need more time with the device to fully assess its potential. Some of the notable features and aspects you highlighted include: Hardware: The Apple Vision Pro boasts high-quality hardware with 24 million pixels across two panels, providing a superior visual experience compared to other VR and AR headsets. The optics and headband are designed for comfort, and Apple is working on different light seal options to accommodate various users. Mitigation of Barriers: Apple has addressed common issues in VR headsets, such as latency-driven nausea and isolation. The R1 chip alongside the M2 chip ensures a smooth experience with minimal judder or framedrops. The passthrough feature allows users to have ...

  Amazon has agreed to pay a $25 million penalty to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and make changes to its privacy practices to settle charges of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC accused Amazon of retaining children's voice recordings indefinitely and failing to delete the data even when requested by parents. The company also kept transcripts of children's speech in its databases and did not delete geolocation data, despite being aware of these practices since 2018. The FTC relaxed COPPA rules to accommodate reasonable usage of voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa by children. However, Amazon's retention of children's speech data for extended periods went beyond what was considered reasonably necessary. The company claimed that the data was crucial for training its machine learning models and justifying its retention practices. The settlement proposal and complaint from the FTC highlighted the issue of companies amassin...

  Web3, known as the internet built on decentralized blockchains powering applications like cryptocurrencies and NFTs, has taken on a different trajectory in China. The Chinese government's pursuit of Web3 has so far excluded crypto-related activities. The Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission and Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park recently released a white paper on Internet 3.0, providing insights into China's perspective on Web3. Although the white paper represents Zhongguancun and may not reflect the official stance of the Beijing municipal government or national policymakers, it has sparked discussions on terms like Internet 3.0 and Web3. According to the white paper, Internet 3.0 is defined as a three-dimensional space that combines virtual and real realms, providing a highly immersive interactive experience. It aims to enhance the interaction between people and information and improve the efficiency of economic activities. Internet 3.0 ...