AI boosts safety by monitoring drivers’ cognitive state
CategoriesSustainable News

AI boosts safety by monitoring drivers’ cognitive state

Spotted: Each year, around 1.19 million people lose their lives in car accidents around the world. Recognising the severity of this issue, the United Nations General Assembly aims to cut road deaths in half by 2030. Israel-based startup CorrActions could play a pivotal role in achieving this target by helping to tackle the main cause of road accidents: human error. 

CorrActions has developed a software, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), that detects cognitive abnormalities in drivers and passengers. Using human-motion sensors in vehicles, such as those in the steering wheel, seats, and other devices, the software analyses micro muscle movements reflecting brain activity. These movements can indicate various cognitive states, including driver intoxication, fatigue, and distraction. 

As Volvo, a key investor, recognises, this technology has the potential to become a crucial and widespread feature in safety systems globally. The company has recently raised $7.25 million in its Series A funding round, led by Volvo Cars Tech Fund. CorrActions is currently engaged with multiple automakers to implement the solution into their vehicles.  

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations that have harnessed AI to make transport safer, from an assisted train driving system to a real-time AI feature for a rideshare system.

Written By: Georgia King

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Monitoring ecosystem restoration in high resolution 
CategoriesSustainable News

Monitoring ecosystem restoration in high resolution 

Spotted: The World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) new initiative, Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA), seeks to raise $3 trillion (around €2.7 trillion) every year to scale and replicate successful conservation and restoration projects around the world. Helping to connect people and organisations running the projects with funders and other supporters is the Restor network. 

Restor provides analytic support and a global network of individuals, agencies, and companies whose goal is to support restoration at scale through collaboration and sharing of best practices. Scientists provide insight and help project managers apply the latest research to each conservation or restoration site.  

Conservationists seeking information on a particular plot of land can use Restor’s expertise and access to satellite imagery to assess land cover, annual rainfall, levels of carbon in the soil, and biodiversity. Satellite imagery is available from up to 10 years in the past, and project teams can add data and photos to track the progression of a site’s restoration.  

The platform includes a searchable map of projects, divided into categories of tree nurseries, botanical gardens, seed banks, offices, suppliers, educational centres, and wells or pumps. There are more than 130,000 projects across 140 countries, and interested parties can set up a personal or organisation-level account to connect with the many others around the world – including funders and subject area experts – working towards healthier, sustainable environments. 

Fintech is providing a range of innovative solutions to the climate crisis, with innovations spotted in Springwise’s archive including a startup helping organisations assess the financial value of biodiversity and a platform supporting farmers through the transition to regenerative agriculture.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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An eye-tracking sleep mask for at-home sleep monitoring 
CategoriesSustainable News

An eye-tracking sleep mask for at-home sleep monitoring 

Spotted: In the United States, 70 per cent of adults report having at least one insufficient sleep per month, with 11 per cent having this problem nightly. With much of our sleep being a mystery to researchers, people often find themselves unsure how to doze off problem-free. Hoping to undercover these mysteries is Washington-based Somalytics with its SomaSleep sleep mask. The revolutionary mask uses eye-tracking movement in an in-home environment to detect what hurdles block someone from better sleep.  

Eye movements happen at every sleep stage, but they can be interrupted by stress, injury, disease, medications, and alcohol, resulting in tiredness. SomaSleep can track and classify all eye movements in both closed and open eyes, during sleep or whilst awake. The new technology, therefore, enables users to understand their sleep patterns and explain fatigue in ground-breaking ways.   

As Barbara Barclay, the CEO of Somalytics, explains: “sleep problems affect the lives of billions of people, and understanding the quality of sleep is at the heart of the solution. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is critical for learning and memory (…) until now, the only option to track REM was through sleep centres, where data is typically manually interpreted. With SomaSleep, we are enabling consumers to track all stages of sleep, including REM, in the comfort of and privacy of their own home through a lightweight, easy to use sleep mask.” 

By December 2023, SomaSleep is expected to be available for consumer purchase for $199 (around €183).  

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations aimed at bettering our sleep, including an app that helps you fall asleep, and a technology that makes beds automatically adjust to provide users with an optimal night’s sleep. 

Written By: Georgia King

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Monitoring biodiversity through soundscapes – Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Monitoring biodiversity through soundscapes – Springwise

Spotted: Nature soundscapes are often the preserve of meditation and wellbeing apps – used to make people feel more in touch with nature. But could they have a deeper scientific use? Dr. Sarab Sethi from the University of Cambridge thinks so. His groundbreaking work is based on the premise that soundscapes can tell us a lot about the health of an ecosystem. By monitoring a soundscape over time, we can get an early warning of changes in habitat health or the species present.

Dr Sethi has developed a device that records soundscapes over long time frames, with minimal human intervention. The technology, which is low-cost and open-source, consists of a network of sound recorders that are scattered across a landscape. These recorders collect audio data 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The data is then uploaded to the cloud, where it is automatically processed by a number of advanced machine learning algorithms.

The device is currently being used to monitor the biodiversity of different ecosystems under different human pressures as part of a trial of the technology. One of the places where the technology is being deployed is in Borneo. Here, the devices are being used to monitor sounds across a ‘landscape degradation gradient’ – from old growth forest, to logged forest and then to oil palm plantation. Scientists will then use the data to study how this gradient, and the different levels of environmental degradation, affects biodiversity. Another project is underway in the Arctic Circle, where researchers are listening to sounds in the soil and observing changes in the behaviour observed at anthills. The resesearch team is taking this approach because environmental pollutants could potentially be detected through the distressed noises of the ants.

Sethi’s soundscape-monitoring device could have a major impact on the field of ecology. By providing real-time data on changes in the soundscape, it would allow field ecologists to focus their efforts on areas where there are potentially significant changes taking place. This would save time and money, and ultimately result in better protection for delicate habitats. In addition, Sethi is working on making the device biodegradable which would reduce the impact of research projects on the environment. Overall, Sethi’s invention represents a potential breakthrough in the way field ecologists work, and it could have a profound impact on the conservation of endangered species and habitats.

In the future, such devices could play an important role in conservation efforts.  Other similar innovations spotted by Springwise include the recreation of healthy soundscapes to attract fish to damaged coral reefs, and an app that identifies animal and plant species through a phone camera. 

Written By: Katrina Lane

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A self-powered smart pillow for sleep monitoring
CategoriesSustainable News

A self-powered smart pillow for sleep monitoring

Spotted:  A good night’s sleep is essential for maintaining health and wellbeing. But for many, it can be hard to get much-needed shut-eye. In fact, sleep disorders affect up to 70 million Americans every year. 

While there are a variety of sleep-tracking devices on the market, most of them either lack accuracy or are too intrusive to be used on a regular basis. However, scientists in China have developed a smart pillow that strikes a balance between these two extremes.

The pillow is equipped with a series of sensors that track head movements to accurately monitor the quality of sleep. Crucially, the pillow is designed to be comfortable and unobtrusive, making it an ideal solution for those who want to track their sleep without disturbing their rest.

The pillow, which is outfitted with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and sets of flexible, porous polymer triboelectric layers, is self-powered, generating electricity from the sleeper’s head movements.

While the pillow is primarily designed to track sleep quality, the scientists imagine that it could find other uses, such as monitoring patients with neck conditions or acting as an early warning system for people with sleep apnea.

Other sleep innovations spotted by Springwise include an app that uses neurofeedback for better sleep, sleepwear that protects from insect bites, and a smart mattress that encourages a better night’s sleep.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Email: zhong.wang@mse.gatech.edu

Website: pubs.acs.org

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Beehive monitoring technology for healthier bees
CategoriesSustainable News

Beehive monitoring technology for healthier bees

Spotted: It has been over 170 years since the modern beehive was introduced, and beehive management hasn’t changed significantly since. And while apiculture has changed little, honeybee populations have been in decline in recent years. This is due to a variety of factors, including disease, pesticides, and habitat loss.

As a result, farmers are increasingly relying on other methods of pollination, such as mechanised pollen applicators or hand pollination. These methods may be effective in the short term, yet they are unlikely to be sustainable in the long run. Man-made devices simply cannot take on the vital role that bees and other insects play in crop pollination. This is why Tunis-based Iris Technologies is developing cutting-edge solutions to protect bee populations.

Since the company was launched in 2016, it has raised $380,000 (around €352,000) over three funding rounds. Its latest developments—SmartBee and SmartBee+— are both smart devices for beehive monitoring and tracking.

The sensors in the SmartBee+ device measure temperature and humidity. Every six hours, all the monitoring measurements are sent to the cloud for storage and data analysis. This number-crunching can be performed through a web interface or a mobile application. Beekeepers gain valuable insights into their hives, which allows them to optimise bee health and honey production. In addition, the SmartBee+ can be used to track the movements of bees and monitor their foraging patterns. This information can help beekeepers identify potential problems early on and take steps to mitigate them.

Other features include a theft alert that will trigger a GPS tracking system, and swarming alerts (still in beta version) where sound, temperature, and humidity sensors predict and detect swarming events. The interface also delivers weekly notifications related to the hive’s health and productivity, as well as tips from beekeeping professionals.

Bees are good for business and the planet and Springwise has spotted several bee-related innovations. These include bees that deliver organic fungicide, modular beehives that mimic the shape of trees, and sustainable beehives made from mushroom-based materials.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Website: smartbeekeeper.com

Contact: smartbeekeeper.com/assistance

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