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Sustainable computer chips set to supercharge AI
CategoriesSustainable News

Sustainable computer chips set to supercharge AI

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: It is clear that AI represents the future of computing, but today’s most popular AI chips (GPUs) are expensive and require huge amounts of energy, which is incompatible with both broader use outside data centres, and a low-carbon future. Now, EnCharge AI, which was spun out of the lab of Dr Naveen Verma at Princeton University, is building on new research outside of the GPU model to accelerate AI capabilities for a broader range of users.

To create chips that can handle modern AI in smaller and/or lower-energy environments, the researchers turned to analogue computing. The team designed capacitors to work with the analogue signal to switch on and off with extreme precision. By having this computation done directly in memory cells (in-memory computing), they created a chip that can run powerful AI systems using much less energy.

EnCharge’s PR Account Manager, Yhea Abdulla, explained to Springwise that, “It’s all geometry-based, aligning wires that come in a capacitor (no extra parts, costs, or special processing). They combined this with their research in in-memory computing (IMC) to enhance computing efficiency and data movement issues, bringing in the value of analogue without the historical limitations.”

EnCharge has recently been awarded an $18.6 million (around €17.2 million) grant by the US’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The funding will be used to further develop the chip technology as part of DARPA’s Optimum Processing Technology Inside Memory Arrays (OPTIMA) programme to unlock new possibilities for commercial and defense-relevant AI workloads not achievable with current technology.

From climate forecasting to food waste and cancer detection, AI has already grown to the point where it is becoming incorporated into many aspects of daily life. This makes it vital that we reduce the energy needed to run AI applications.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

How can computer vision boost business efficiency?
CategoriesSustainable News

How can computer vision boost business efficiency?

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Computer vision, a field of artificial intelligence (AI) in which computers derive information from images and video streams, has a range of applications in the real estate sector, whether that is for office-based or manufacturing businesses. 

Now, US startup Groundlight is speeding up the technology’s deployment. The company offers an accessible platform for developers, including those lacking data science expertise, to create robust computer vision solutions swiftly. Crucially, the technology eliminates time-consuming processes such as dataset gathering and model training, that typically take months to complete. 

Developers describe their visual task in natural language, and Groundlight instantly converts it into a tailored model. The platform then continuously refines this model based on expert human feedback, expediting development. 

Groundlight is designed for companies with large warehouse or retail footprints. Teams can apply the technology to create models that meet their business’s specific needs, whether that be providing warehouse teams with alerts when delivery trucks arrive or improving forklift routes for both efficiency and safety throughout a building. Groundlight’s platform can also be helpful in shops by providing managers of large retail spaces with models that alert staff when check-out queues form or when items are dropped or spilled on the floor.

There’s a lot of room for improvement when it comes to boosting the efficiency and sustainability of retailers, and Springwise has spotted innovators making an impact with hyper-local micro-factories and warehouse robots.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Computer vision to reduce crop losses from pests and disease
CategoriesSustainable News

Computer vision to reduce crop losses from pests and disease

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The global loss of crops due to untreatable pest damage and plant disease is estimated to be between 20 and 40 per cent. With extreme weather exacerbating difficult growing conditions, the recent emergence of a treatment-resistant wheat fungal disease is additional bad news for cereal farmers. Data science company Fermata has an artificial-intelligence-powered (AI) solution that helps growers spot disease early and track plant changes over time. 

Called Croptimus, the data platform is available as a subscription service that includes installation and management support. After the initial installation, the algorithms need two to three weeks to adjust and learn what the farm team wants to track, with data and imagery then available in real-time online.

As well as reducing labour costs, the system helps reduce pesticide use by up to 25 per cent. Automated alerts let growers know when a pest or change in growing conditions is identified. Chemical applications can be applied directly to the affected areas, with no guesswork needed to determine how far a disease has spread.  

The cameras use ethernet cables for power, and each camera visually covers 400 square metres of land, and Fermata provides custom quotes and designs for each plot’s specifications. Right now, the AI monitors problems that affect fruits, leafy greens, and medicinal crops. These include powdery mildew, spider mites, and aphids, and the technology is being trained on additional diseases and insects, as well as an increasing number of crops.  

The use of data in agriculture is constantly improving, with Springwise spotting innovations that include the use of weather data to speed up insurance payments in the event of drought or flooding, and a modelling system that predicts frost in microclimates where high value crops are growing. 

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Computer vision, automation, and machine learning boost insect farming
CategoriesSustainable News

Computer vision, automation, and machine learning boost insect farming

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Experts are becoming increasingly concerned about how the world’s growing population will be fed in an equitable and sustainable way. One solution is edible insects – both for human consumption, and as pet food in order to help free up land and resources. Insects require far less space and fewer resources to farm than other proteins like beef or chicken, but producing them en masse has proved challenging so far. Tech company Entocycle is using innovative technology to help. 

The London-based startup uses smart technology to help insect farms work efficiently and sustainably (and manage billions of insects at any one time). Its technology aims to help farms improve accuracy, efficiency, and enable less need for manual involvement, such as by measuring populations in a farm to automate food requirements and controlling the temperature to optimise insect health.

The company focuses on black soldier fly farms, an insect that grows very rapidly – and can survive on food waste. They contain all the nutrients humans need for good health, including more zinc and iron than lean meat, and more calcium than milk.  

Entocycle recently raised $5 million (around €4.7 million) in a recent Series A funding round, which the startup will use to expand the commercial roll-out of its products and services. 

Entocycle is not alone in developing technology to help make insect-growing a viable and sustainable operation. Springwise has also spotted vertical mealworm farms that produce plant and animal feed, and AI-powered insect microfarms.

Written By: Jessica Bradley

Reference

Using computer vision to monitor hospital wards
CategoriesSustainable News

Using computer vision to monitor hospital wards

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In countries such as the UK, health and social care workforce shortages are reaching crisis proportions. Each day brings a new report of staff shortages and their implications for patient care. While it can’t replace staff, a Danish health tech startup is developing technology to ensure staff are being deployed as efficiently as possible. The company, Teton.ai, has developed a system that uses computer vision to track patient movements and alert staff when patients are at risk of falling or need other types of assistance.

Teton’s system includes cameras and sensors that are easily installed in patient areas. The system then employs algorithms that can be integrated into existing platforms or supplied as a separate platform. The technology can operate independently of any personal information, and all video is processed offline by the hospital or care facility, preserving privacy. The platform alerts staff when an action needs to be taken so there is no need for staff to monitor or look at the video.

According to the company, the platform uses computer vision to understand different types of activity within a patients’ room, providing analytics and timely information to staff through integration into existing devices. Teton also points out that the platform can replace the use of a large number of “hyper-specific devices and sensors set up to measure all the different things that could happen in a room,” saving both time and money.

In 2019, the hospital services market size was estimated as being worth $8.22 trillion (around €8.28 trillion) and was expected to reach $15.45 trillion (around €15.6 trillion) by 2027. Given these figures, it is not surprising that Springwise is seeing an ever-increasing number of innovations in this space. Recent advances include the use of AI in diagnosing illness and apps that can connect doctors and patients. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

8th September 2022

Email: info@teton.ai

Website: teton.ai

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