Five Kenyan girls aged 15 to 17, calling themselves The Restorers, have created a mobile app to fight female genital mutilation. Known as “I-Cut”, this interface aims to support girls in danger by putting them in touch with rescue centres. The app also offers medical and legal help to those who have already suffered mutilation. The interface has five functions: ask for help, call the police to rescue someone else, testify, get information and make a donation.

Sources:

https://mashable.com/2017/08/03/kenya-teen-girls-app-fgm-i-cut/?europe=true#6vuvCbClKkqX

https://information.tv5monde.com/terriennes/i-cut-au-kenya-des-lyceennes-inventent-une-application-anti-excision-185370

Spatial is a mixed reality co-working tool that uses the environment to create an immersive and shareable augmented workplace. The goal? To create the conditions for all-pervasive collaboration through augmented and virtual realities. Remote users can collaborate, discuss, create ideas, and share content as if they were in the same room. Spatial was designed for Hololens and Magic Leap One headsets but can be used with any virtual reality device. The start-up announced that it had raised $8m in October 2018.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2018/10/24/spatial-bursts-out-of-stealth-with-cash-and-xr-telepresence/#12494ddd5fa9

https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/la-start-up-spatial-leve-8-millions-de-dollars-pour-sa-plateforme-de-travail-collaboratif-en-realite-augmentee.N760214

Based on research and interviews with victims, rAInbow is a chatbot available as an app and through Facebook Messenger, created by Kriti Sharma, the CEO of AI for Good. rAInbow helps identify abusive or abnormal situations between couples, which is not always easy when immersed in a toxic relationship. The chatbot informs victims of domestic violence about their rights, encourages them to seek help or simply helps them survive on a daily basis.

Sources:

https://www.itnewsafrica.com/2018/11/ai-digital-solution-aims-to-support-domestic-violence-victims-in-south-africa/

http://www.techsmart.co.za/news/AI-powered-rAInbow-offers-ray-of-light-to-domestic-violence-sufferers

This project, developed by CuteCircuit in partnership with the classical orchestra Junge Symphoniker Hamburg, allows the deaf and hard of hearing to feel music in an immersive way. The Sound Shirt is a connected t-shirt that translates the sounds and intensity of the orchestral instruments into vibrations. The instruments are mapped to different parts of the shirt and vibrations are felt at different places on the body depending on the music (the double bass in the stomach, the violins on the shoulders, etc.).

Sources:

http://sign-events.net/le-sound-shirt-vetement-permettant-aux-sourds-de-ressentir-la-musique/

http://fortune.com/2016/05/18/cutecircuit-sound-shirt/

To guarantee the right to privacy and to allow individuals to protect themselves from identification by facial recognition, this start-up offers a technology that modifies the faces in photos and videos, invisibly to the human eye but making them indecipherable by facial recognition algorithms. After considering a consumer app, D-ID is now focusing on a B-to-B market. For example, allowing companies to offer their customers the use of facial recognition features (e.g. Apple Face ID) while protecting their identity and their “real” face.

Sources: 

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israeli-start-up-ensures-privacy-in-growing-world-of-facial-recognition-567087

https://www.biometricupdate.com/201809/facial-recognition-blocking-company-d-id-launches-product-and-announces-initial-customers

Researchers at Imperial College (London) have created a self-contained and inexpensive device to monitor biodiversity in a tropical environment. Tested in Borneo, the open-source device powered by solar energy consists of a Raspberry Pi, atmospheric sensors, a microphone and a camera. The data captured by the device will serve two goals: creating a “Shazam” for species, to measure and monitor biodiversity through machine learning; and mapping the forest to monitor its evolution.

Source :
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24031983-600-ai-eavesdrops-on-borneos-rainforests-to-check-on-biodiversity

Factmata is a British start-up trying to tackle fake news, plague of the Web and threat for the democracy, by artificial intelligence. With a launch planned at the beginning of 2018, Factmata aims to associate a community of fact-checkers with artificial intelligence. Initially, the start-up will offer a set of digital intelligence tools to voluntary fact-checkers to evaluate contents by a score and contextualize them. In the long term, the objective is to delegate the whole process to algorithms. From this scoring, Factmata plans to propose a browser extension certifying contents and notifying the users when they are in the presence of potential fake news. 

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2017/09/21/seeing-is-believing-can-a-london-startup-solve-the-fake-news-problem/#4287fcb3680a
http://uk.businessinsider.com/factmata-raised-seed-funding-mark-cuban-2017-9

By creating muscles from rat stem cells and implanting them on a robotic skeleton, Japanese scientists have created a small biohybrid robot capable of moving light objects. Researchers at Tokyo University have created a robotic skeleton with a size of a few millimetres, equipped with a pair of working muscles that mimic the actions of a human finger. These muscles were created from scratch: in the laboratory, the scientists cultivated the stem cells responsible for muscle formation in rats.

Sources :

https://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/3/18/eaat4440

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/video-des-chercheurs-creent-un-robot-dote-de-muscles-de-chair.N702769

What if tomorrow’s robots were able to get into an emotional relationship? Furhat is a customisable social robot capable of imitating human expressiveness. The humanoid gives the impression of listening to conversation partners, maintaining eye contact, and reacting to their remarks. The expressiveness of the character ultimately makes interaction more natural than with a robot that has a closer physical resemblance to a human. For developers, Furhat offers a software development kit to customise Furhat’s appearance, reactions and gestures.

Sources:

https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/06/furhat-robotics-furhat-social-robot/

https://www.leprogres.fr/lifestyle/2018/11/09/furhat-robotics-lance-un-robot-humanoide-au-visage-personnalisable

Been Kim, a researcher at Google Brain, wants to fight opaque decisions by machine learning and make AI more responsible. To do this, she created TCAV (Testing with Concept Activation Vectors), a “translator for humans” that opens the black box of decision-making algorithms and makes them intelligible to humans. Her solution lets us know the weight given to each concept in the AI decision-making process. For example, if a machine learning system has been trained to identify zebras in pictures, TCAV can be used to determine the weight the system places on the concept of “stripes” when making decisions.

Sources:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/been-kim-is-building-a-translator-for-artificial-intelligence-20190110/

http://paris-singularity.fr/google-brain-a-concu-1-traducteur-des-resultats-de-lia/

MIT researchers have developed an automatic learning model capable of identifying objects within an image based only on a spoken description of the image. The advantage of this research is that the model does not require manual descriptions and annotations of the data used for training its algorithm. The system learns words from recorded speech clips and objects in raw images, associating them together. This training is based on two neural networks. One processes decomposed images, the other processes spectrograms which are a visual representation of audio signals. The database thus consists of 400,000 pairs of images and audio captions. A promising progress for voice recognition and real-time translation.

Sources:

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/intelligence-artificielle-cette-ia-reconnait-objets-partir-description-vocale-72877/

http://news.mit.edu/machine-learning-image-object-recognition-0918

The site ThisPersonDoesnotExist.com offers a new face with each visit. Except that none of these faces exist; they are generated by an AI. This site was created by Philip Wang, a software engineer at Uber, using a GAN (Generative Adverse Network) developed by Nvidia, called StyleGAN. The AI uses two competing neural networks: One to create the image from a database of existing faces, the other to decide whether the image meets expectations or not, that is whether the generated face is realistic enough. By developing this site, Philip Wang wants to educate people about the potential dangers of AI and warn them about deep fakes.

Sources: 

https://www.dpreview.com/news/9597199609/this-website-uses-ai-to-generate-portraits-of-people-who-don-t-actually-exist

https://siecledigital.fr/2019/02/16/thispersondoesnotexist-ia-faux-visages/

Plankton is a natural biological indicator of aquatic health. IBM researchers came up with the idea of installing tiny microscopes, networked in the cloud and deployed around the world, to create 3D models of plankton and observe its behaviour continuously. These microscopes work without a lens, giving clear images without the need to focus. The researchers are currently working to provide these robots with autonomous AI able to analyse these variations in real time, so that they can act quickly and effectively in the event of pollution.

Sources: 

https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/04/ibm-predicts-5-life-changing-innovations-in-the-next-5-years/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/03/19/5-big-technology-innovations-of-2018-ibm-reveals-amazing-developments-that-will-impact-all-of-us/#1b70402a596c

Despite the many criteria that the music streaming platform offers to select or discover our favourite music, our habits remain very conformist, and the preferred filters are the expected ones. The risk? Probably apathy. To fuel your curiosity, Spotify has partnered with Ancestry, the world’s largest genealogical analysis site. The idea: to make a new filter based on your history and your origins, which will influence the music offered on the platform... promising to resonate with memories engraved in your genetic make-up. The process is simple: once you have the DNA test results on Ancestry, giving you your ethnic and regional origins, you can manually enter this information on Spotify and a generator selects a playlist reflecting your ancestors. A new sensitive way to experience your original culture.

Sources:

https://usbeketrica.com/article/spotify-peut-creer-une-playlist-a-partir-de-votre-adn

http://fortune.com/2018/09/28/spotify-to-use-your-dna-for-playlists/

Until now, the results of your DNA test carried out by a laboratory could be reused and possibly sold to research centres without your consent. This platform, designed by David Koepsell and Vanessa Gonzalez, offers to connect the owners of this DNA data, i.e. you, and potential buyers, i.e. laboratories and research centres specialising in genome studies. By using the blockchain, this platform secures this data, making it anonymous to protect your identity while ensuring payment in a specific cryptocurrency. You benefit from the information about your own DNA while helping researchers find better treatments. And if you are a buyer, you will have access to a large database of sample profiles that you can filter according to your needs.

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2161707-why-big-pharma-might-pay-cryptocurrency-for-your-dna/

https://globalcoinreport.com/encrypgen-dna-blockchain/

SkinBot is a fist-sized robot equipped with a microscope; it can run all over the skin of the body to monitor your health. Its two suction feet are inspired by leeches and the suction cups of cephalopods. SkinBot was created by the creators of Rovables robots, researchers at the MIT who are particularly interested in the development of small assistance robots living on our bodies. SkinBot could be particularly useful in emergency situations to perform a medical check-up when a doctor cannot reach the patient. It could also be used to detect signs of cancer and other skin problems.

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2180981-this-robot-crawls-over-your-body-and-scans-your-skin-with-a-microscope/

https://www.slashgear.com/mits-skinbot-crawls-over-your-body-to-monitor-health-03548557/

Injectable Alcohol Censor is a miniature microchip that can be injected under the skin to monitor blood alcohol levels. A wireless biosensor is coated with alcohol oxidase, an enzyme that selectively interacts with alcohol and generates an electrochemically detectable by-product. The signals are then transmitted to a nearby portable device (smartphone or bracelet), which also powers the chip. The device could be particularly suitable for the routine and continuous monitoring of patients following an alcohol treatment programme.

Sources:

https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/2018/04/16.htm

https://int.ert.gr/des-scientifiques-developpent-un-capteur-injectable-pour-surveiller-la-consommation-de-lalcool/

Co-produced by Glasgow University and Amrita University in India, Husky is a four-wheeled robot designed to help people in remote villages transport water. Tested in a village of 200 inhabitants in southern India, Husky communicates with volunteers to encourage them to place water cans on its back, shows them how to do it, then thanks them and even advises them to wash their hands before the next meal! With its ability to use the local language, Husky brings the introduction of robotic technology, usually tested in the laboratory or in urban areas, into a rural and disadvantaged setting. One way to observe how people react to them, in order to adapt them and make them more efficient in developing countries.

Sources:

http://www.irishnews.com/magazine/technology/2018/03/22/news/robot-helping-with-daily-burden-of-carrying-water-in-remote-indian-village-1285523/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p065b9wv

Smuggling is a scourge for already endangered sea turtles. In Central America, 90% of the nests are plundered to take and resell eggs reputed to be a refined dish, not to mention their aphrodisiac qualities! To combat smuggling, which endangers the species, the NGO Paso Pacifico hopes to have found a deterrent tool: Dummy eggs, printed in 3D and equipped with GPS tracking devices to monitor the itinerary of the poachers. We can only hope that the authorities will cooperate to put an end to this trafficking.

Sources:

https://www.france24.com/fr/20160719-oeufs-tortues-imprimes-3d-remonter-filiere-braconniers-amerique-centrale

https://mashable.com/2017/12/23/social-good-innovations-2017/?europe=true#Eh8Wb57kUmqA

London-based start-up Pigzbe designed an interactive portfolio for young children, that parents can monitor and can pay money into. This small connected pink box comes with an app that allows children to manage their money in Wollo (WLO), a cryptocurrency that helps them save, spend and understand their expenses in a fun way. The idea of the founders? In addition to learning how to manage money, children are also trained to resist market panics, naturally learning the notion of volatility. Indeed, the value of Wollo tokens, like that of any cryptocurrency, fluctuates constantly... Pigzbe made an impressive start on Kickstarter by raising over €60,000 in 24 hours.

Sources:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/567126/pigzbe-wallet-teaches-kids-how-budget-and-save-money

https://geeko.lesoir.be/2018/12/07/pigzbe-une-tirelire-numerique-pour-eduquer-les-enfants-a-lepargne/

Originating from the Samsung innovation laboratory, this connected bracelet turns your hand into a phone. The primary function of the bracelet is to transfer sounds through bone conduction to your hand. All you need to do is put your finger on your ear to hear exactly what your smartphone is transmitting: Phone call, music... By bone and tissue conduction, you can also transmit to and be heard by your interlocutor. You can programme five numbers for which it will no longer be necessary to take your phone out to make a call. At last, a real hands-free concept! The bracelet, adaptable to different models of connected watches, provides the opportunity to embed a pedometer, and offers four days of standby time and four hours of calling time.

Sources:

https://www.cnet.com/news/sgnl-smart-strap-ces-2018-samsung-innomdle-lab/

https://www.01net.com/actualites/ces-2018-sgnl-le-bracelet-qui-transforme-votre-main-en-telephone-arrive-en-mars-1344218.html

OpenAI, a non-profit research association in Artificial Intelligence, initially supported by Elon Musk, created a text generator so intelligent that it became dangerous! GPT-2 is an algorithm capable of generating sentences, and even entire texts, that have meaning, tone and style appropriate to the subject matter, and a chain of thought that follows true logic. The key to success? The AI was fed with 40 GB of texts found on the Internet, i.e. 8 million web pages. Contrary to its initial purpose of sharing in open source, OpenAI decided not to publish all the results of the research, out of fear that malicious users would misuse the text generator for malevolent purposes. The non-profit organisation has since announced that it is creating a private company: OpenAI LP. Is the timing a coincidence?

Sources:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612975/ai-natural-language-processing-explained/

https://www.numerama.com/tech/464605-openai-a-cree-un-generateur-de-texte-tellement-intelligent-quil-en-devient-dangereux.html

Researchers at Cardiff University and Carlos III University in Madrid have developed an algorithm that can detect fake crime reports. The AI database was fed with more than 1000 theft complaints received by the Spanish police, 588 of which were fakes. The algorithm has learnt to analyse the text of the complaints and to distinguish between the real and the fake. When used in Murcia and Malaga, 83% of the complaints that VeriPol considered likely to be fakes were ruled inadmissible after re-examination by the police.

Sources:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/text-lie-detector-statements-police-robbery/

https://www.europe1.fr/emissions/L-innovation-du-jour/veripol-un-detecteur-de-mensonge-a-lecrit-capable-de-detecter-les-fausses-declarations-de-vols-3789929

Anxious about the future of your children? Toddlers have already replaced traditional toys with tablets and smartphones, allowing them to access learning programmes at an early age. The Japanese group Icon Corp takes advantage of this reality by proposing Kumiita, a small playful robot whose mission is to teach toddlers the basics of programming. Before they even know how to speak, Kumiita stimulates the creative and logical areas of their brains. Using visual elements as clues and modular control panels that function as sequential instructions (direction, rotation, sound actions, etc.), Kumiita trains them to create mini-programmes based on movement, sound and light instructions.

Sources:

https://hellobiz.fr/2017/06/14/robot-japonais-enseigne-petits-a-faire-codage/

https://techstartups.com/2017/04/26/kumiita-fun-programming-toy-toddlers/

Looxid Labs developed Looxid VR, a virtual reality headset that allows improved understanding of certain psycho-neurological disorders and also makes it possible to consider treatment. The virtual reality headset integrates eye-tracking and EEG technologies. In other words, the headset can capture and analyse the reactions of the brain for a better understanding of emotional signals, by varying the virtual scenarios projected by the headset. Brain waves and VR combine to create a great analysis device. An important innovation for research that has been identified as an alternative treatment for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders).

Sources:

https://arvrjourney.com/vr-neurofeedback-a-new-drug-free-treatment-for-mental-disorders-f721f652f159

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/18/looxid-labs-is-combining-brain-waves-and-vr-to-build-an-analytics-super-engine/

Loop wants to sign up 25 multinationals in the fight against disposable packaging. Launched in spring 2019 in Paris and New York, the e-commerce site was devised by recycling specialist TerraCycle, which convinced consumer giants to give it a try. Among them: Procter & Gamble, Nestle, Unilever and also Carrefour and Danone. The idea? Consumers order their big-brand products online, all packaged and delivered in reusable containers. Once a cereal box is empty or a deodorant finished, a transporter will pick up the containers which will then be cleaned, refilled and shipped again.

Sources:

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/business/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead/index.html

http://www.leparisien.fr/environnement/loop-le-site-de-e-commerce-qui-veut-vous-faire-dire-adieu-aux-emballages-jetables-26-01-2019-7997256.php

The Arctic region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. The impact on Inuit populations is becoming critical. These changes in climatic conditions mean that the ice can be fatally fragile. Thinner ice makes it difficult and dangerous for people living in the north to travel, preventing them from planning and organising harvest of traditional foods or supply of firewood. To reduce this risk, a team of scientists from Memorial University of Newfoundland, led by Trevor Bell, has developed a method for monitoring and reporting changes in the ice pack. Smartice is based on a combination of sensors that transmit ice data, and information provided by local populations. Combined with complementary satellite data, it becomes possible to create hazard maps. These maps, updated in real time, are then made available online for all.

Sources:

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/environment/impacts-adaptation/21272

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jan/02/how-smart-ice-is-helping-to-save-lives-on-canada-thinning-sea-ice

A “cyborg-rat” remotely controlled through a complex labyrinth by a human brain is the successful achievement of Chinese researchers at Zhejiang University. To be able to guide the animal from a distance, the team of scientists created a connection between the human brain and that of the rat, using the machine as a transmission interface.

In practice, electroencephalography detects in humans the intention to move the left or right arm and the blinking of the eyes, to instruct the rat to turn left or right and move forward. The cyborg-rat is equipped with chips implanted in the brain and controlled by Bluetooth. Two pairs of electrodes stimulate the whiskers to encourage turning and two others stimulate the telencephalon (also called “reward circuit”) to command forward movement and provide a virtual reward.

Sources: 

https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/cerveau-et-psy/video-un-rat-cyborg-pilote-par-un-cerveau-humain_131500

https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-connect-a-human-brain-and-rat-cyborg-brain-together/

In this Japanese café, you will be served by OriHime-D, a nicely designed 1.2 m robot. Its particularity is that it is remotely controlled and guided by a disabled person. Even a paralysed person who can only use eye movements can control the robot by using an interface screen. On the screen, the person sees the same thing as the robot and follows conversations. In total, ten disabled people work from home for this “avatar café”, which is inspired by the universe of Time of Eve, a 2008 cartoon featuring a café where no distinction is made between humans and robots.

Sources:

https://soranews24.com/2018/11/29/cafe-opens-in-tokyo-staffed-by-robots-controlled-by-paralyzed-people/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUuzfplbwwg

What if the chemistry of love were limited to genetic compatibility? Would the romance be gone? Probably, but this is also a new selection filter that you cannot find on Tinder. Pheramor proposes to supplement the analysis of your social network profiles that decodes your personality and interests, with a biological compatibility analysis. You give a sample of your DNA and Pheramor sequences eleven “attraction” genes that the start-up has identified. In short, Pheramor provides your dating application with a carousel of potential partners who are genetically optimised. The issue of the objective science of the laws of genetic attraction as a criterion for the success of romantic encounters is still being debated!

Sources:

https://www.wired.com/story/with-this-dna-dating-app-you-swab-then-swipe-for-love/

https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/sex/a19618546/dna-dating-app-pheramor/

CRISPR-Cas9 “genetic scissors” is a new genome editing method originating from California in 2012. It makes it possible to modify the genetic heritage of living beings. To make the CRISPR/Cas9 method accessible to all scientists worldwide, Synthego, a start-up company, designed a genome editing kit called "CRISPRevolution". This kit provides inexpensive access to the creation of synthetic RNAs, for ever greater precision in genome engineering. It was by using this kit (although not complying with the conditions of use defined by Synthego) that a Chinese researcher succeeded in bringing the first genetically modified HIV-resistant babies into the world, in 2018.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/23/synthego-raises-110-million-to-make-gene-editing-technologies-more-accessible/

https://www.wired.com/story/us-biotech-firms-made-chinese-crispr-babies-possible/

To address the lack of organisation regarding waste collection in Senegal and to raise public awareness, two young students designed M Bal-it, an intelligent collective waste container. Both a physical refuse bin and an electronic device, equipped with a video screen, the container talks to users to explain and guide them in sorting waste. As an educational step, the system also makes it possible to collect data for an improved overall vision of the environment. Collection will be more efficient, and recycling will be facilitated. A smart waste container playing a role in protection of the environment!

Sources:

https://2017.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/our-ecological-neighborhood/our-planet-our-home/teams/mbal-it/project

https://www.afrik21.africa/senegal-la-start-up-mbal-it-innove-dans-la-collecte-les-dechets/

The health of marine ecosystems and therefore of humanity is directly related to the health of whales. Up to now, to understand and document our impact on whales, we have used protocols that are invasive and stressful for the animals. Océan Alliance and Ollin College have teamed up to develop Snotbot, a drone that flies over surfacing whales and is able to collect a sample of their exhaled breath. This sample provides a great deal of information: viral and bacteriological loads, a DNA sample, environmental toxins, reproductive hormone levels... The drone can send this sample directly to researchers located far away. This innovation is not only more respectful of cetaceans, it also makes it possible, by remaining at a distance, to avoid disturbing them and correct the probable bias in the information collected through invasive protocols that induce stress.

Sources:

https://www.recode.net/2017/6/9/15765302/drones-scientists-collect-whale-snot-health-pollution-oceans-snotbot

https://www.industrie-techno.com/article/quand-l-intelligence-artificielle-d-intel-vient-au-secours-des-baleines.50407

This new device proposed by Korean researchers will improve the daily lives of people with type A diabetes. Until now, they had to regularly check their blood sugar levels by pricking a finger to test a drop of blood. Even though this procedure is simple and the device light and mobile, it is nevertheless demanding and above all intrusive. Researchers have just developed an extensible contact lens that can monitor the blood sugar level of the wearer. The key is a material flexible enough to be tolerated without irritating the eye. This lens, which does not distort vision, contains all the electronic components necessary to be used without external power supply. Once the sugar level has been measured, the person is informed by means of a LED display that can be turned off.

Sources:

https://siecledigital.fr/2018/01/29/lentilles-connectees-glycemie/

https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/smart-contact-lenses-get-practical

Is my baby fed enough? Coroflo, an Internet of Things player, has developed a breastfeeding monitor. It allows mothers to know exactly how much milk their babies are receiving. Using a sensor and an associated app, the volume of milk is measured in real time and the feeding habits of the infant can continuously be analysed. Riding on eternal maternal anxiety, this innovation simplifies the previous practice of measurement by weighing. A more effective tool in sensitive medical situations, Coroflo also raises the issue of permanent assistance, casting doubt on our intuitions and natural skills.

Sources:

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/coroflo

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/dublin-based-coroflo-gets-richard-branson-s-approval-raises-650-000-1.3260509

AI Guardman is a surveillance camera system combined with an AI that analyses body language to identify shoplifters. The AI built into this surveillance camera can detect suspicious behaviour. The system is based on a database containing a classification of suspicious attitudes, supposed to be typical of a shoplifter. An alert is sent to the shopkeeper with a photo of the location and of the suspect. It is then up to the shopkeeper to take over! Tested for a few weeks in several department stores in Japan, the system is thought to have reduced thefts by 40% in some cases. But the duo, NTT, a telecommunications giant, and the start-up Earth Eyes Corp, that is jointly developing the project, acknowledges some errors, particularly concerning undecided buyers. The story does not tell us who designed and trained the AI, who chose the behavioural observation grid, or how confidentiality and discrimination issues are solved.

Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/26/17479068/ai-guardman-security-camera-shoplifter-japan-automated-surveillance

https://siecledigital.fr/2018/06/27/japon-une-camera-capable-de-detecter-des-comportements-suspects-grace-a-lia/

IRL Glasses are here to help you stay in real life. These sunglasses allow you to escape the omnipresence of surrounding screens and the permanent intrusion of their broadcasts. You can consciously choose to put your phone away, but how can you escape the flood of information on the screens in a hotel lobby or even in the street? The device is simple. The glasses integrate the Casper film developed to block the light emitted by the screens and intended, for example, to be put on the glass walls of a meeting room. The glasses thus block the wavelengths of light emitted by LCD and LED screens. Prototypes fitted with Casper film have already evolved into polarised lens technology that achieves the same effect. An object that deals with the obsession with technology and that could help develop more balance in our lives.

Sources:

https://www.wired.com/story/irl-glasses-screen-blocking/

https://www.numerama.com/tech/433687-ces-lunettes-fonctionnent-comme-un-adblocker-irl.html

Founded by two MIT engineers, Nectome seeks to save a copy of the human brain in cyberspace, while waiting for the opportunity to download its mind in the future (a technology that the start-up is also trying to develop). Nectome uses “vitrifixation”, a process that has already been successfully used on a pig. The disadvantage of the process is that it is lethal, so it is reserved for the terminally ill, as the brain must be fresh. 25 people have already paid $10,000 to join the waiting list. The ethics of the project and its feasibility are strongly disputed and MIT, which collaborated with the start-up, has disassociated itself from Nectome.

Sources:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610456/a-startup-is-pitching-a-mind-uploading-service-that-is-100-percent-fatal/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/14/nectome-startup-upload-brain-the-cloud-kill-you

JX Press Corp is a press agency, without journalists, specialising in general news and disasters. AI analyses social networks, detects a subject in real time and produces a dispatch for traditional media. Human journalists can then confirm the story and collect quotes from witnesses. The media can hence react more quickly. The company made a name for itself by announcing the death of Kim Jong-Nam, half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, half an hour before the mainstream Japanese media.

Sources:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/03/04/national/media-national/automation-comes-news-gathering-japan/#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=68&v=AH2XIVq4fw4

Hoobox Robotics and Intel have come up with a wheelchair that moves thanks to AI that can recognise the user’s facial expressions. The Wheelie 7 project allows people with reduced mobility to move by miming a raised eyebrow or a smile. The software can recognise other facial movements such as a half-smile, a wrinkled nose, an embarrassed face, a poked-out tongue or swollen cheeks, then interpret them to move forward, turn or reverse the wheelchair, or to stop it

Sources:

https://www.dezeen.com/2019/01/15/hoobox-wheelie-7-wheelchair-facial-expressions-design/

https://siecledigital.fr/2018/12/05/intel-en-collaboration-avec-une-entreprise-bresilienne-pour-construire-des-fauteuils-roulants-qui-se-deplacent-grace-a-lia/

Relations between a customer and a company or brand often go through an impersonal call centre. To soften this often unpleasant experience, Cogito offers to improve the empathy of front-line staff. Not all human beings are prodigies when it comes to communicating, but it is crucial to persuading, convincing or making people listen. Cogito detects all the non-verbal signs, assesses the customer’s thoughts and feelings to analyse their emotional state and potential reactions. This analysis is sent to a corner of the call-centre agent’s screen using a simple colour counter, and AI then guides the conversation so that it stays in sync with the caller. Cogito wants to make us “more human”. Finally, it promises to become emotionally smarter in real time and, why not, applicable to all kinds of important conversation.

Sources:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/08/23/ai-training-human-employees-to-have-more-empathy-work/2070002001/

https://www.brinknews.com/when-artificial-intelligence-disrupts-call-center/

Should robots be taught politeness? In the age of cobotics, or collaborative robotics, heralding the future when robots will be part of our personal and professional lives, a team at Yale University has developed software that allows a robot to learn to recognise and respect the property of others. By combining two automatic learning algorithms, one using explicit rules and the other using the Bayesian inference principle to infer property, the programme allows robots to replicate the way humans learn to know and respect the property of others.

Sources:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/software-teaches-robots-to-respect-ownership/

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/robotique-ces-robots-ont-acquis-sens-propriete-74494/

Researchers at Cardiff University and Carlos III University in Madrid have developed an algorithm that can detect fake crime reports. The AI database was fed with more than 1000 theft complaints received by the Spanish police, 588 of which were fakes. The algorithm has learnt to analyse the text of the complaints and to distinguish between the real and the fake. When used in Murcia and Malaga, 83% of the complaints that VeriPol considered likely to be fakes were ruled inadmissible after re-examination by the police.

Sources:

https://medium.com/wgreenpay/behind-w-green-pay-w-foundation-and-hooxi-campaign-efforts-869a71ee3441

https://www.enterpriseinnovation.net/article/first-blockchain-enabled-reward-system-individual-greenhouse-gas-reduction-launched-korea

There is a new Artificial Intelligence in E-Health: An algorithm that can predict more accurately than doctors whether a patient will wake up from a coma. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Hospital, this algorithm analyses information from the fMRI scans of the patient to gauge how blood flows to different areas of the brain. Neural activities are too numerous and sophisticated to be directly understood by doctors, while this automatic learning algorithm can do so. Although this AI is not intended to replace doctors and their opinions, it does track brain activity invisible to the human eye and allow better assessment of the prognosis. The eventual prediction will directly affect the choice of medical strategies and of course, the decisions of the family.

Sources:

https://qz.com/1384725/an-ai-algorithm-in-china-is-learning-to-detect-whether-patients-will-wake-from-a-coma/

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2163298/doctors-said-coma-patients-would-never-wake-ai-said-they-would

Researchers from Cambridge University and Dutch anti-fake news collective Drog have created an online game about raising awareness and providing education on disinformation techniques and fake news. The player slips into the shoes of a disinformation tycoon (it might be Donald Trump, for example) and has to recruit a community of subscribers on social networks. As the game progresses, the player learns various disinformation strategies: raising an army of trolls, playing on emotions or hostilities, or discrediting an opponent.

Sources:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/fake-news-vaccine-online-game-may-inoculate-by-simulating-propaganda-tactics

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/20/bad-news-the-game-researchers-hope-will-vaccinate-public-against-fake-news

Meetic made it possible to meet many profiled potential partners. Not enough to convert the try? This online dating platform now offers to coach you. Lara Voice is an intelligent coach, or at least a coach based on Artificial Intelligence. First, if you are tired of having to select your suitors, it does it for you and offers you a profile per day; it is then capable of understanding the intentions of the users and initiating a complete conversational scenario. Lara also answers the most frequently asked questions: How to handle a first date, what to wear, and, assisted by Google Maps, advice on where to go for dinner... The more you talk, the better the bot knows you, and the more effective it becomes!

Sources:

https://www.ladn.eu/news-business/actualites-annonceurs/meetic-presente-son-coach-de-dating-sur-google-home/

http://www.larevuedudigital.com/meetic-lance-un-coach-vocal-sur-google-home-pour-preparer-une-rencontre/

Thanks to the blockchain that will secure exchange, I-Exec is developing a “marketplace” that puts the different players in direct contact. And more specifically, the market for computing resources. You have a powerful computer but you don’t use it all day? Through the platform, you can rent out your computer’s power to a company that wants to carry out computer calculations: big data, encoding, simulation... The price is determined between the parties, paid in RLC tokens, without I-Exec being involved in the transaction. A crowdsourcing cloud that ends up breaking down the barriers that hinder exchanges between individuals and businesses.

Sources:

https://medium.com/iex-ec/iexec-expliqu%C3%A9-%C3%A0-ma-grand-m%C3%A8re-aec05f6b23a5

https://www.rudebaguette.com/2019/03/iexec-blockchain-cloud-bpi/

We take our ability to communicate verbally for granted. But can you imagine waking up one morning having lost the ability to verbally express your needs or feelings? 100 million people worldwide are facing this challenge. Voiceitt is a project aimed at promoting inclusion and independence for people suffering from dysarthria, regardless of its origin (congenital, stroke, cancer...). Voiceitt is a speech recognition technology designed to understand and translate non-standard speech patterns. The disabled person speaks and VoiceItt translates in real time and in clear language directly to the interlocutor. As it can be integrated into smart homes, the assistance device positions this technology as a tool to physically and socially “repair” humans.

Sources:

https://www.israel21c.org/voiceitt-speaks-for-those-who-cant/

https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/01/voiceitt-lets-people-with-speech-impairments-use-voice-controlled-technology/

Despite the restrictions, green spaces in our cities remain covered with thousands of cigarette butts. Rather than invading them with robot cleaners, the technology here is based on nature itself. The Crowded Cities start-up is developing Crowbar, an intelligent machine that trains crows: a first crow brings a butt and is rewarded by the automatic feed distributor. The bird informs its fellows of the windfall and a whole army of cleaners rises up! An innovation that relies on collective intelligence in the organisation of nature.

Sources:

https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2017/10/06/1082787/

https://sciencepost.fr/2019/03/irma-harvey-maria-une-etude-explique-pourquoi-la-saison-des-ouragans-de-2017-a-ete-aussi-active/

Zozo and its platform Zozotown, a Japanese commercial site selling apparel, sees the future of e-commerce in personalisation and even custom-fit clothing. To prevent the disappointment of receiving a garment ordered online that is too big, too small or ill fitting, the company has developed the Zozo Suit: A garment covered with visual markers that helps customers download their measurements. By putting on this new age bodysuit, then connecting to the ZozoApp and to the camera of their smartphones, consumer measurements are captured, recorded and then assembled to make a perfect 3D model. Zozo has announced shipment of one million Zozosuits to customers.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-retail-zozotown/japans-zozo-using-measurement-taking-bodysuit-expands-bespoke-service-idUSKBN1JT0ED

https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/Zozo-la-marque-japonaise-qui-scanne-les-corps-part-a-l-assaut-du-monde,1008077.html

Researchers at the University of Minnesota in the United States have succeeded in printing a fully functional bionic eye in 3D. It comes in the form of a series of light receivers printed on a glass dome. It only takes one hour for the 3D printer to complete the task. The ink used consists of silver particles that dry instantly on glass surfaces. For the experiment to succeed, researchers use semiconducting polymer materials making it possible to print photodiodes that convert light into electrical signals. The bionic eye then becomes efficient and autonomous. This prototype opens the prospect of a bionic eye that can be implanted on the human face.

Sources:

https://www.industrie-techno.com/article/video-un-oeil-bionique-entierement-imprime-en-3d.53614

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/university-of-minnesota-researchers-create-3d-printed-bionic-eye-prototype-138946/

If you are a big company trying to develop a new drug, there is a great temptation to hide bad results from clinical trials, or those that are disputed. Alltrials has created Trials Tracker to fight this temptation. The tracker retrieves data from Clinical Trials.gov, where all clinical trial data is publicly available. The list of bad performers is made public and subject to legal review, prompting the FDA to apply the relevant penalties. Today, not only is much of the data lost due it going unpublished, but also the people in charge of medical decisions do not have access to all the information on the risks and benefits of treatments. This fight for more transparency should also move the lines for greater trust between laboratories, caregivers and patients.

Sources :

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/drug-trials-clinical-trials-us-publish-results

http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/alltrials_tracker_site_names_clinical_trial_non-reporters_1223365

Designed by Norwegian start-up No Isolation, AV1 is a small telepresence robot that allows sick or hospitalised children to keep in touch with their school and classmates. The robot stands on a pupil’s or teacher’s desk and, most importantly, can be taken anywhere, from the classroom to the playground. Equipped with a speaker, a microphone and a camera, the robot is remotely controlled by the child, who can take part in class by making the robot flash, as if raising the hand, or chat with a classmate using the “whisper” mode!

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45332710

https://www.neozone.org/innovation/av1-le-petit-robot-qui-aide-les-enfants-malades/

The treatment of depression until recovery is still difficult with a high rate of failure due to the discontinuation in the treatment, the patient stops as soon as he gets better, as well as the brutality and the unpredictability of symptoms reappearance, occurring remotely from consultations and causing 50% of relapse. MyndBlue, thanks to its artificial intelligence, provides doctors with digital-biomarkers to anticipate and determine therapeutic options depending on the patient's clinical conditions : emergency visit, hospitalization, modification of drug and psychotherapeutic treatment. By alerting physicians of critical situations and also of the recovery of patients, MyndBlue helps to get better results to cure depression, freeing available time for new patients.

Sources:

https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/myndblue-mise-sur-lia-pour-suivre-en-temps-reel-les-patients-depressifs-149138

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170111005830/en/MyndBlue-Medical-Device-Wins-Award-%E2%80%9CRESI-San

Kleros offers a fast, secure and cost-effective arbitration system for all online disputes. In case of dispute, the conflict between you and your customer is assessed by a jury drawn by lot, composed of judges (lay people) registered on the platform and selected for their expertise. Judges have no way of getting to know each other or getting in touch. They have three days to deliver their verdict. Money is then paid to one party or the other and the judges are rewarded with tokens.

Sources:

https://kleros.io/assets/Kleros_One_Pager.pdf

https://usbeketrica.com/article/5-projets-de-crypto-monnaies-made-in-france

After having been tested by the Chinese police for security in public places, facial recognition is now being used in a high school to check if children are in class. Three cameras have been installed in a classroom at Hangzhou No. 11 High School in eastern China. The system is able to identify seven different facial expressions – joy, sadness, disappointment, anger, fear, surprise and lack of expression – to determine if the children are focusing on the lesson, and notify the teacher if not. Well-meaning information to help the teacher improve lessons or invasive control further strengthening educational norms?

Source:

https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/17/chinese-school-facial-recognition-kids-attention/

Researchers at the University of Queensland designed a semi-autonomous underwater robot capable of disseminating coral larvae to allow threatened reefs to regenerate. Originally RangerBot was a robot capable of navigating safely and monitoring corals to destroy invasive fauna. Currently, Ranger Bot has been upgraded (and renamed LarvalBot), to provide more direct assistance to these endangered ecosystems. After rearing “coral babies” in large quantities, researchers at Southern Cross University harvest them before carefully transplanting them onto the threatened reefs. This is where LarvalBot comes in! The robots follow preselected paths at constant altitude across the reef and an operator remotely triggers the release of the larvae to maximize the efficiency of the dispersal. A diver could do it, but this robot acts as a force multiplier, replacing dozens of volunteer rangers.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/01/reef-rejuvenating-larvalbot-spreads-coral-babies-by-the-millions/

http://www.leparisien.fr/societe/des-robots-pour-repeupler-les-recifs-coralliens-15-01-2019-7984362.php

Psychiatric diagnosis is always complex, since it involves both body and psyche. How can we observe symptoms that are often intermittent and sometimes imperceptible? By simulating situations, environments and emotions in virtual reality to make the patient react for evaluation purposes! To this end, virtual reality is becoming a tool for both treatment and diagnosis of mental pathologies, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Early diagnosis is, however, essential. The first results of a specific study where it was used to detect Alzheimer’s disease are promising. The tests performed gave more accurate results than conventional cognitive tests.

Sources:

https://www.wired.com/story/virtual-realitys-latest-use-diagnosing-mental-illness/?BottomRelatedStories_Sections_5

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/16/alzheimers-dementia-cure-virtual-reality-navigation-skills

The Nima Mesgarini team at Columbia University (Netexplo winner for a Cognitive Hearing Aid), used a vocoder, the technology behind the Siri or Alexa voice assistant, to translate brain waves into understandable spoken language. By recording and decoding the brain activity of five patients, they trained and fed a specific vocoder. They then played the sounds produced by the vocoder to eleven other patients, who managed to understand what it said 75% of the time. This Man-Machine system could eventually give patients who have lost the use of their voices the opportunity to use their thoughts to express themselves through a synthesised robotic voice.

Sources:

https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/columbia-engineers-translate-brain-signals-directly-speech

https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-train-ai-to-turn-brain-signals-into-speech/

Farmizen is an application that connects consumers and producers. After downloading the app, you choose a nearby community farm for a monthly subscription. Farmizen allocates to you “600 square feet” of the farm. You just have to choose what you want to grow there, manage your mini-farm via your app and are guaranteed organic and responsible farming. You can then plan a visit to the farm to harvest your own produce. Running out of time? A farmer will do it for you and deliver to your home. A win-win model that increases the income of local farmers and allows you to regain control of your food by knowing what you are eating.

Sources:

https://yourstory.com/2018/01/farmizen-farming-app/

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/farmizen

For those using egg donation, facial recognition helps to ensure the closest possible resemblance to the future baby. Ovobank, one of the largest egg banks in Europe, offers the Ovomatch facial recognition system in its clinics in Barcelona and Marbella. Connected to its vast database, it allows recipients to search through simple selfies to find the donor who most resembles them.  In addition to the usual phenotype selection (blood group, eye colour, height, etc.), Ovomatch identifies facial features determined by genetic heritage (chin, nose) to choose the “best” donor.

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2175070-face-recognition-screens-egg-donors-so-your-child-will-look-like-you/

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/facial-recognition-egg-donor/

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a “psychopath” Artificial Intelligence. Norman was initially an AI trained to describe images. But to learn how to describe them, Norman was fed with captions and descriptions linked to the images of a Reddit discussion group dedicated to death, whether due to violence or otherwise. Once this learning was completed, MIT researchers gave the Rorschach test to Norman and compared the results with those of an AI trained with neutral images. The observation was irrefutable: The AI had become a psychopath! Named Norman after the Norman Bates character in the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, this AI revealed the bias of the data that was used to feed the algorithms. What happens if the AI is trained using a “bad” data set?

Sources:

https://usbeketrica.com/article/norman-premiere-intelligence-artificielle-psychopathe

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/norman-psychopath-ai-bias-mit-artificial-intelligence-reddit-a8389011.html

A Korean artistic duo has invited various artists to create a portrait. The challenge: the work has to be perceived as a portrait by a human, but evade artificial intelligence. The artists create their portraits in real time, filmed by three cameras equipped with facial recognition software, and have to adapt their work each time the algorithm detects part of the face. The goal? Show that some human abilities can still evade digital intelligence.

Source:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032040-900-nonfacial-portrait-review-art-fights-to-save-faces-and-paint-over-ai/

MIT researchers have developed Dormio, a glove that helps control how deeply you sleep. The goal? To remember dreams, which are the key to creativity.  You put on the glove and grip it. When you enter deep sleep, you naturally relax your grip: this signals the end of the hypnagogic state. Which the glove will then interrupt, to keep you in this semi-conscious state that is the source of creativity. This device, which is based on psychology and neuroscience, aims to improve our cognitive skills by giving us greater access to our emotions, our dreams and their associations during this subconscious phase. The possibility of going into, coming out of, or staying in a semi-conscious state, of better remembering dreams, of perceiving a world of seemingly real dreamlike sensations, continues to fascinate the scientific and artistic worlds.

Sources:

https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2018/04/23/mit-wants-to-control-your-dreams-with-a-glove/

https://usbeketrica.com/article/dormio-mit-dispositif-reves-creativite

In 2016, Google began experimenting with Project Soli, a highly sensitive radar-based gestural control system that aims to control objects with very fine finger movements. In 2019, researchers at the University of St Andrews explored new applications for Project Soli to show how the radar categorisation device could be used for a range of specific detection tasks. They made it capable, for example, of counting the number of playing cards in a pack of cards and identifying the specific configuration of a Lego assembly. In the long term, Soli radars could be integrated into tables to recognise board game elements or integrated into smart houses to monitor the presence (or absence) of certain elements.

Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/4/18168083/google-project-soli-radar-hardware-applications-radarcat-solinteraction-university-of-st-andrews

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/researchers-explore-tangible-applications-for-google-s-project-soli-radar

RapidMathematix aims to reduce food waste by using a deep-learning algorithm, an artificial vision system and electronic labels. The system provides automated pricing for fresh produce, particularly fruit and vegetables, adjusting the price of products in real time according to freshness, market conditions, level of demand and competition. This ensures that customers pay the right price for their products and allows stores to better manage stocks and thus reduce food waste by offering discounts.

Sources:

https://www.springwise.com/ai-algorithm-predicts-prices-produce-based-freshness/

https://www.cbinsights.com/company/rapidmathematix

Decentraland is a virtual reality platform based on the blockchain Ethereum, which aims to create a virtual world like a decentralised version of Second Life. Users can buy, develop and monetise their “plot” in the virtual world by creating content and applications. The aim is to provide a virtual world governed by open standards, in which users truly own their virtual domain. The platform, listed on cryptocurrency exchanges, also offers an open source multiplayer game “XOM-8: Scrapyard Escape!” in which users can bet and win cryptocurrency. But the launch of the game has suffered delays, casting doubt on its credibility.

Sources:

https://www.ethereum-france.com/decentraland-le-monde-de-demain/

https://venturebeat.com/2017/12/15/decentraland-shows-the-potential-of-blockchain-and-vr-combined/

Researchers at Columbia University created a robot and asked it to model what it looks like. The robot had no previous knowledge of physics or geometry and was not fed any data about its shape. Thanks to deep learning, after 35 hours of simulations, the robot managed to model an image of itself, consistent with reality to within 4 cm. This then allowed it to learn new tasks by itself, to detect damage to its own body and then self-repair. By giving a robot “human” abilities (self-awareness, imagination), this innovation is one step closer to truly universal AI.

Sources:

https://usbeketrica.com/article/robot-auto-modelise-conscience-de-soi

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2192433-self-taught-robot-figures-out-what-it-looks-like-and-what-it-can-do/

BrainNet is an interface between brains that lets three people play Tetris using their thoughts. Researchers at Washington University have created a brain-to-brain interface that allows people to collaborate using brainwaves. In an experiment, volunteers had to play Tetris while standing in separate rooms. Two people, wearing an EEG headset, watched the falling bricks on a screen and decided if they needed to rotate them to insert them correctly in the block below. Their decision was transmitted directly by a system of light flashes perceived by the brain of the third person, who could then interpret their instruction.

Sources:

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/technologie-brainnet-interface-cerveaux-jouer-tetris-pensee-55929/

https://interestingengineering.com/brainnet-is-the-worlds-first-non-invasive-brain-to-brain-interface

Designed by a Japanese artist, SEER is a humanoid robot with a very expressive look that is both minimalist (movement of the eyes and eyebrows only) and exaggerated (a bit like a manga character). SEER (Simulative Emotional Expression Robot) can imitate or interact with its conversation partner through its expression. Its expressiveness is very surprising while resemblance to a human is finally quite limited, which strangely seems to win more empathy from the public than humanoids with a more realistic appearance, like Sophia.

Sources:

https://www.designboom.com/technology/seer-simulative-emotional-expression-robot-08-15-2018/

https://siecledigital.fr/2018/08/16/robot-seer-echanges-avec-machines/

The Dutch start-up LegalThings has designed LegalFling, an app backed by blockchain technology to secure your sex life! Its operation is simple: someone sends a message to a future sexual partner to ask what they agree to, then this information is recorded on the blockchain. A way to obtain written consent from your future partner, to be used in case of dispute. A response to the #meToo movement, no doubt, but also an approach that leads to validating consent given at time “T” without the possibility of a subsequent change of mind.

Sources:

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/paqvn7/dont-fuck-anybody-who-wants-to-get-your-consent-uploaded-to-the-blockchain-legalfling-app

https://lesclesdedemain.lemonde.fr/societe/s-assurer-du-consentement-de-son-partenaire-avant-une-relation-sexuelle-grace-a-la-blockchain_a-91-6508.html

In Sao Paulo, the Proa Institute created Proacoins to encourage the inhabitants, and particularly young people, to visit the many cultural venues the city has to offer. This game in augmented reality offers missions of discovery of the capital. Thanks to an app, you walk with your smartphone and are regularly challenged as to your knowledge of the history of a monument, or to take a break to visit an exhibition. You participate in a quiz and get points, a kind of virtual money that you can exchange for movie tickets. If you are very rich in Proacoins, you can even apply to benefit from an exchange programme with another country!

Sources:

http://porvir.org/aplicativo-funciona-como-pokemon-go-da-cultura-para-jogador-explorar-a-cidade-de-sao-paulo/

https://medium.com/@GameReporter/proacoins-game-similar-ao-pok%C3%A9mon-go-permite-aos-jovens-de-sp-trocarem-pontua%C3%A7%C3%A3o-por-curso-de-101ddbfdcee9

Two researchers at the University of Illinois, Yao Li and Thenkurussi Kesavadas, devised a symbiotic interface for industrial use where a robot performs welds, driven by the brain waves of its human associate. The operator wears an EEG helmet that measures brain activity and can select the type of weld he wants to perform, just by looking at a screen where several types of pre-selected welds are displayed. By reading the EEG via a computer-brain interface, the robot can interpret the operation to be performed. The objective is to optimise productivity, working comfort and safety of industrial operators.

Source:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2192542-mind-controlled-robot-lets-you-weld-metal-without-using-your-hands/

In Asia and Africa, billions of people are without identity documents and are therefore “non-existent” in the eyes of society. Element seeks to address this problem and make society more inclusive. Created by Yann LeCun (one of the pioneers of Deep Learning) and Adam Perold, Element is a decentralised biometric identity platform for emerging countries. The software works offline on any device with a camera, and can identify a person by face, palm of the hand or fingerprints. The company has developed partnerships with hospitals, in Cambodia and Bangladesh for example, to record the identity of the newly born.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/11/element-identity/

http://fortune.com/longform/element-ai-startup-tech/

Introduced by the start-up Visits, Ideagram is a patented consensus algorithm that quantifies assets traditionally difficult to measure, namely human creativity and the relevance of hypotheses and of new ideas. Created by a former Goldman Sachs trader, the purpose of Ideagram is to enable a company to accurately assess the probability of success of an idea, taking “fuzzy assets” into consideration, and thus to make the innovation process measurable and assessable, and therefore potentially less risky.

Source:

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000010.000019054.html

Researchers at the University of Aalto, after creating a system that generates fake customer reviews on restaurants, designed a tool capable of detecting these more accurately than human readers could. As fake reviews are becoming more subtle and precise, it becomes increasingly difficult for Internet users to distinguish and know whether an online restaurant review is genuine or not. This AI provides the solution! Using the same approach as its counterpart which generates fake reviews, an automatic learning model based on a deep neural network, the developed classifier detects fake reviews quickly, and more successfully than humans. The battle of the AIs?

Sources:

https://phys.org/news/2018-09-online-restaurant-fakebut-ai.html

https://www.aalto.fi/news/you-cant-tell-whether-an-online-restaurant-review-is-fake-but-this-ai-can

US Army soldiers may soon be equipped with a communication system... in the mouth. The US Department of Defense has partnered with Sonitus Technologies to equip its soldiers with a new means of communication. Called Molar Mic, the small object consists of a mouthpiece equipped with a wireless rechargeable battery, a bone conduction speaker and a (fortunately) sealed microphone, which is attached to the user’s upper molar. Users can then activate it using the “push to talk” function on a small remote control. The message is transmitted via a small device worn around the neck. The system uses bone conduction to allow users to hear incoming communications: they feel that the sound is coming from inside the head. The promised advantage would be clarity of communication between soldiers, the oral environment being naturally protected from outside noises.

Sources:

https://newatlas.com/sonitus-in-mouth-two-way-radio-molar-mic/56302/

https://www.clubic.com/technologies-d-avenir/actualite-845367-molar-mic-permettra-soldats-appels-dents.html

How can collision with an asteroid be avoided? A team of researchers has developed a machine-learning algorithm to decide on the best technologies (nuclear missile, gravitational tractor, kinetic impactor...) to deal with the possibility of a deadly asteroid heading towards the Earth. This tool is intended to assist scientists to select the technologies on which research and funding should be focused to protect the planet from a possible disaster. Initial results show that a nuclear missile could stop 50% of the asteroids, whereas the other two technologies have lower scores.

Source:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2160828-we-should-use-nukes-to-deflect-asteroids-says-astro-algorithm/

Until now, exoskeletons intended to assist or rehabilitate hand movements were made up of rigid elements that patients were reluctant to accept because of their discomfort. Developed by Singapore University, Soft Robotic Glove offers an alternative: a flexible robotic glove made of fabric, Velcro strips, actuators and air pressure modulators. This glove is intended to allow patients to use it outside the medical environment and allow rehabilitation at home.

Sources:

https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/high-tech/robot/un-gant-robotise-pour-la-reeducation-de-la-main_92739

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298733807_Design_of_a_Soft_Robotic_Glove_for_Hand_Rehabilitation_of_Stroke_Patients_with_Clenched_Fist_Deformity_using_Inflatable_Plastic_Actuators

Chatbots are found in an increasing number of sectors, promising greater efficiency. Bash AI uses Artificial Intelligence and its automatic learning process to improve HR processes by considering employees as a source. Three modules are now being developed dealing with employee satisfaction, a HR helpdesk and post-hire orientation. The chat interface allows for real-time automation of conversations with employees within the intranet network but is also accessible via instant messaging platforms such as Messenger, Slack or Telegram. Developed by a young Indian entrepreneur, the innovation is based on the belief that AI can be used in a field where the human dimension is structurally meaningful.

Sources:

https://www.analyticsindiamag.com/women-in-new-tech-barkha-sharma-of-bash-ai-talks-about-challenges-of-founding-a-startup-in-patriarchy-driven-space/

https://in.pcmag.com/artificial-intelligence/114545/ai-startup-bash-introduces-bots-for-hr

Nudge theory argues that indirect suggestions can, without resorting to force, influence decision-making by groups and individuals, at least as effectively as direct instruction. Humu, a start-up co-founded by Google’s former HR director, offers a “Nudge Engine” to improve job satisfaction. AI analyses staff surveys to identify behavioural changes with the greatest potential to have an impact on the team’s happiness. Then the system automatically sends emails and messages to encourage good habits.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/31/technology/human-resources-artificial-intelligence-humu.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vickyvalet/2018/05/01/after-a-year-of-secrecy-laszlo-bock-and-wayne-crosby-break-their-silence-on-humu/#459c7b131c94

OrCam, which makes solutions for the visually impaired, offers MyMe, a facial recognition device for the general public. By taking one photo a second and thanks to machine learning, this small wearable camera can identify the people you meet. If a face appears on the photo, the person’s name and the last place where you met are sent to your smartphone or connected watch. MyMe also measures the time you spend with your family and colleagues and the time you spend in front of a screen, to help you better balance your social life.

Sources:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1070992105/orcam-myme1st-of-its-kind-wearable-ai-2nd-brain-3r?ref=8nrfag&token=51b05883

https://www.timesofisrael.com/mobileye-founders-unveil-a-wearable-camera-to-identify-everyone-you-meet/

Dactyl is a robotic hand that was able to learn how to handle a cube on its own with unprecedented dexterity. The secret? The hand is controlled by an AI that learned by reinforcement, to rotate the cube in many virtual universes with different physical laws. In total, the hand was subjected to the equivalent of 100 years of random simulations in only 50 hours. With this process, the hand can grab and manipulate all kinds of new objects by adapting its previous experience. An innovation that makes it possible to envisage much more versatile robots, capable of performing more varied tasks.

Sources:

https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/07/openai-musk-dactyl-robot-hand-unprecedented-dexterity-technology/

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/robotique-ia-cette-main-robotisee-apprend-toute-seule-62740/

With 26 billion emails sent every day, email has changed the world, but not for everyone. In areas where infrastructure is inadequate, email is unaffordable or inaccessible. This exclusion is combatted by Lokolé. A Congolese inventor, Nzola Swasia, claims he has developed a device that can make email 100 times cheaper than using cellular networks. The device works like a modem and 100 users can simultaneously connect to it. When connected to ordinary power supply, it creates a local Wi-Fi network. When a device connects to this network, the user is directed to the Lokolé application where he obtains an email address and access to various apps. He can start writing and sending an email which will be compressed and sent at the cheapest scheduled times on the market. Lokolé then drastically reduces the cost of sending each email, mainly due to reduced data consumption.

Sources:

https://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/congolese-inventor-solution-get-rural-africa-emailing/59256/

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/nzola-swasisa-lokole

There are no less than two aspects of innovation in this small object. On the one hand, there is the data textile, or connected textile, and on the other hand, research on antimicrobial agents with the ability to stimulate wound healing, as an alternative to antibiotic treatments. The combination of these two? A connected dressing capable of detecting the first signs of infection and of assisting with healing. The dressing contains an agent which, in the presence of pathogenic bacteria, emits a tiny light signal. The textile data sensor detects the signal and transmits it to the wearer or the caregiver. Changing the dressing as a preventive measure is no longer necessary! A valuable aid for chronic wound care or for those in crisis situations.

Sources:

https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/innovateurs/spinali-design-lance-son-pansement-connecte-a-un-smartphone-141892

https://www.objetconnecte.net/spinali-lance-pansement-connecte/

South Korean researchers have developed a prototype 3D printer that can “build” foods based on consumers’ physiological characteristics or preferences, starting from carbohydrate and protein powders. Beyond the personalisation that can provide health benefits or at least serve as a marketing argument, researchers also see this innovation as a way to fight against food waste and the costs of storage and transport, by developing food production in situ and on demand.

Sources:

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20180425-south-korean-researchers-working-on-3d-printed-food-for-personalized-nutrition.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180424160230.htm

The social pressure for total security is readily expressed in the obsession with surveillance. Eye in the Sky is a new surveillance drone that greatly increases the accuracy of current algorithms. Surveillance cameras are indeed increasingly effective but have a limited field of view. This autonomous drone remedies this flaw. The surveillance system embedded in the drone was trained to identify humans and then to recognise violent behaviour according to five criteria: hitting, punching, strangling and knife or gun attacks. The stated accuracy is 94%. Here we can sense the ethical issues raised by this technology because defining violent or reprehensible behaviour will be left to the decision of the final designer of the airborne AI.

Sources:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/surveillance-drones-can-identify-violence-sky-it-happens

https://usbeketrica.com/article/un-drone-de-surveillance-autonome-identifie-les-actions-violentes-des-citoyens

At the new Alibaba restaurant in Shanghai, interactions with customers and table service are carried out by mobile phone and mobile robots. You can get a table with your HemaApp, you choose your fish and shellfish from a fish tank, and the ingredients are sent to the kitchen by an automated conveyor system. Then all you need to do is pay, still using your application. The table you sit at is equipped with a QR tracking code. Finally, a tray robot brings your ready-cooked dish, prepared...by a real cook! The stated objective is of course cost reduction. Labour is expensive and bots work every day without complaining. Customers approve the initiative as the saving is reflected in the bill, and there is no tip!

Sources:

https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/alibaba-shanghai-restaurant-robothe-robots-waiters-photos-2018-7

https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/au-restaurant-en-chine-le-serveur-est-un-robot-05-08-2018-2241499_24.php

A new facial recognition tool has been developed to tackle illegal trade in chimpanzees! Alexandra Russo, a conservation biologist, and Dr Colin McCormick, a specialist in computer-assisted vision, designed this new weapon to combat trafficking: An algorithm that could help recognise and track chimpanzees sold on social networks. Using a database of some 3,000 wild or captive chimpanzees in sanctuaries, they developed an algorithm able to identify and recognise the great apes in photos. The system could be used to scan social networks for photos showing chimpanzees for sale. The authorities will then be able to target the owners of the accounts that published the photos of the animal and request its return.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46945302

https://www.geo.fr/environnement/la-reconnaissance-faciale-nouvelle-arme-contre-le-trafic-de-chimpanzes-194339

In Bangladesh, 65 million people do not have access to the electricity grid and are using expensive and polluting alternatives such as diesel generators. Me Sol Share is a promising trial to create a peer-to-peer electricity exchange platform for the progressive electrification of off-grid rural areas. With centralised storage capacity, Me Sol Share offers access to reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity. Each meter is installed in a household with or without a solar system. The device measures energy inputs and outputs, contributes to network control and manages demand in buy/sell mode. The interconnected meters form a trading network based on blockchain technology. By reducing the initial investment to access clean energy, the Me Sol Share network allows not only for a transition led by the community itself but also easy access to many homes that cannot be equipped.

Sources:

https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/ict-solutions/solshare

https://energypedia.info/wiki/ME_SOLshare_Ltd

This connected object was created on the initiative of a young Indian woman in a country where sexual assaults on women are a real scourge. On the face of it the panties look like any other underwear, but they concentrate technology designed for protection and deterrence of potential aggressors. Equipped with a belt and an electronic box, the belt locks and can only be unlocked by means of a code. Fitted with a geolocation system and a mini-camera, it can, not only alert relatives and authorities in the event of an attack, but also take photos of the attackers to produce evidence if the police arrives too late. While waiting to solve the root of the problem through education, Seenu Kumari hopes that this innovation will help protect and assist women.

Sources:

https://www.globalcitizen.org/fr/content/rape-proof-underwear-india-sexual-violence-women/

https://www.aufeminin.com/news-societe/indienne-culotte-anti-viol-19-ans-viol-inde-fleau-s2469757.html

This mini-computer created by IBM, the world’s smallest computer to date, is a square with 1mm sides, the size of a grain of salt. It contains (nevertheless!) thousands of transistors, a photodetector, random access memory and a photovoltaic cell for the power supply. Costing only ten cents to produce, it has the same power as a personal computer from the 1990s. IBM wants to make this mini-computer a cryptographic anchor operating in blockchain. The company plans to use its invention to fight against counterfeiting: the computers could be incorporated into consumer products that are often counterfeit, such as perfume or medication, to ensure their traceability throughout the production process.

Sources:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/26/ibms-new-computer-is-the-size-of-a-grain-of-salt-and-costs-less-than-10-cents/

https://www.lesechos.fr/2018/03/ibm-lance-un-ordinateur-de-la-taille-dun-grain-de-sel-986987

The blockchain has found an unlikely use: To stop sales of counterfeit cannabis products in the USA. Based in Hawaii, Trutag is a technology platform that offers edible barcodes that can directly be incorporated into legally sold products without being part of the label or packaging. It provides a hidden way to directly mark cannabis products and edible derivatives thereof. In partnership with Tag-It Tech, which offers a blockchain-based supplier chain tracking system, Trutag offers a partnership that allows producers to directly mark their products and producers and regulators to track them.

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2175247-cracking-down-on-illegal-cannabis-with-edible-barcodes-and-blockchains/

https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/trutag-technologies-tag-it-tech-partner-cannabis-traceability/

An increasing number of companies and institutions, such as law enforcement agencies, are using facial recognition. However, these systems are not immune to bias. In addition to affecting the accuracy of the results, discriminatory biases can lead to poor decisions, such as arresting the wrong person. To avoid these biases, researchers at the CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) of MIT have developed an algorithm that corrects, without human intervention, 60% of the “categorical biases” in facial recognition systems, i.e. the bias of skin colours. The algorithm automatically analyses the database, identifies biases and resamples the database for better representation of people.

Sources:

https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/27/mit-automatically-reduces-racist-biases-in-face-detection/

https://www.ubergizmo.com/2019/01/mit-automatically-de-bias-face-detection/

A team from Minnesota University has customised a low-cost 3D printer to print electronic circuits on human skin. This opens the door to the possibility of printing a bio-compatible electronic circuit on demand and in real time. You’ll just need to start printing it on the hand! The printer uses a special ink based on silver flakes that cures at room temperature, while normal inks require a high temperature that would burn the hand. The researchers plan to extend the use of this innovation to the treatment of rare skin diseases, by printing cells directly on the skin.

Sources:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180425131914.htm

https://www.genieconception.ca/fabrication-additive/1727-une-impression-3d-sur-la-peau-humaine

Ford Italy and the start-up Aedon have developed a technology allowing the blind and visually impaired to get an impression of the landscape they are passing through when travelling by car. Feel the View is a device attached to the inside window, incorporating a photo sensor and an activation button. Once activated, it takes a black-and-white photo of the view and transcribes it using 255 levels of vibration intensity on a touch-sensitive surface. The blind person can “touch the scene with the fingertips” through haptic feedback, helped by a voice assistant that describes the landscape.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDfqPMmNmmk

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-feel-the-view-blind-visually-impaired-ai-tech-video/

The traditional pharmaceutical model is not economically viable for rare diseases. HealX is dedicated to revolutionising drug discovery with AI. This technological platform makes it possible to identify the best therapeutic strategies to be tested and, above all, to considerably reduce the time required for clinical trials. This algorithm is based on a knowledge database covering more than 7,000 diseases, as well as the expertise of doctors and pharmacologists. Its originality resides in the integration of information from patients themselves, who help take symptoms and side effects into account in real time. The patients are the real experts! The objective is to quickly find a treatment either by repurposing existing drugs for new indications or by finding combinations based on synergy. Each combination is analysed by experts for experimental validation. David Brown, a co-inventor of Viagra, drew inspiration from that experience to found HealX.

Sources: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasfearn/2018/11/02/how-one-startup-is-using-ai-to-find-cures-for-100-rare-diseases-by-2025/

https://labiotech.eu/medical/healx-ai-rare-disease-drugs/

Australian euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke has teamed up with Dutch designer Alexander Bannink to create a 3D printable wooden capsule that allows anyone to commit suicide painlessly. A virtual reality headset displays chosen images, before triggering the release of a nitrogen cartridge. For people with disabilities, Sarco’s fatal process can be triggered by a wink of the eye. Potential buyers of Sarco must be over the age of 50 and pass an online test beforehand to validate that they are “sane” and “know what they are doing”.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/15/nitschke-suicide-machine-amsterdam-euthanasia-funeral-fair

https://www.numerama.com/tech/312145-sarco-cette-machine-vous-invite-a-mourir-en-douceur-et-avec-poesie.html

Researchers at Kyoto University have created a neural network that seeks to decipher what a person sees, based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain. The researchers asked three people to look at different photos and then submitted the recording of their brain activity to artificial intelligence, to reconstruct the photos from these mental images. While the transcribed photos are not yet perfect, AI was still able to recognise and render the shapes and colours of the photo viewed by the subject.

Sources:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/01/14/this-neural-network-built-by-japanese-researchers-can-read-minds/#sm.0001cqou6gpm5eyzs9a2l8ogom5sc

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/japanese-scientists-use-artificial-intelligence-to-decode-thoughts.html

Developed at MIT Media Lab, AlterEgo promises to ask Google just by thinking. A fairly simple device, looking like a hands-free kit, it detects imperceptible neuromuscular signals from the face, generated by the mental evocation of a word. These signals are transmitted to AI which, after learning, is able to link a hundred words and numbers to these signals. A “silent OK Google” that reduces the interface to a minimum. The promise that tomorrow you will be able to interact discreetly with your device without interrupting what you are doing or even interrupting your interaction with other people. Browsing Netflix, saving a product price or accessing urgent information during a meeting... all just by thinking!

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731723-300-mind-reading-headset-lets-you-google-just-with-your-thoughts/

https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/alterego-le-casque-capable-de-vous-entendre-penser-131683