It takes massive amounts of data to train AI models. But sometimes, that data simply isn’t available from real-world sources, so data scientists use synthetic data to make up for that. In machine vision applications, that means creating different environments and objects to train robots or se…
All the tech that got our attention at F1 Miami Grand Prix
All eyes are on Miami this weekend as the international glitterati arrives for the city’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix. The European racing event has attracted American fans in droves, thanks to the “Netflix effect” of “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” — the successful franchise that’s…
ESPN+ debuts ‘McEnroe vs. McEnroe’, the first-ever tennis match between a real person and their virtual avatar
Premiering on May 7 at 10 PM ET on ESPN+, Michelob Ultra, in collaboration with tech and production company Unit 9, presents “McEnroe vs. McEnroe,” the world’s first tennis match to feature a real person versus a virtual player — both being a version of the entertaining, confrontational tenni…
Slingshot Aerospace scores $25M Space Force contract to build ‘digital twin’ space simulator
Space simulation and analytics company Slingshot Aerospace has been awarded a $25.2 million, 39-month contract by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to further develop and deliver two of its products: Digital Space Twin and Slingshot Laboratory. The contract was funded by Space Systems Command and the USS…
Walmart launches AI-powered virtual clothing try-on technology for online shoppers
Last May, Walmart announced its acquisition of the virtual clothing try-on startup Zeekit, which leveraged a combination of real-time image processing, computer vision, deep learning and other AI technologies to show shoppers how they would look in an item by way of a simulation that takes into acc…
Waabi’s new simulator could scale autonomous vehicle tech faster
Testing autonomous vehicles on public roads is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, and one that Raquel Urtasun, former chief scientist at Uber ATG, doesn’t think is the most expedient route to market. Waabi, Urtasun’s self-driving truck technology startup that launched last June, has co…
3D content collaboration startup Taichi Graphics closes $50M Series A
For years, open source software in China was only attracting developers and was poorly understood by returns-seeking investors. But they are finally having a moment like their Western counterparts. The latest open source project to get funded in China is Taichi Graphics, a 10-month-old startup that…
Sigfox, the French IoT startup that had raised more than $300M, files for bankruptcy protection as it seeks a buyer
We are continuing to see fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the tech industry, with one of the latest developments coming out from France. Sigfox — a high-profile IoT startup that had raised over $300 million in venture funding and had ambitions to build a global communicati…
Walmart is acquiring Memomi, an AR startup powering virtual try-on for eyewear
Walmart is expanding its array of virtual try-on services for shoppers with today’s news that it’s planning to acquire Memomi, an AR optical tech company and current Walmart partner offering virtual try-on experience for eyewear. Deal terms were not disclosed, but Memomi has enabled dig…