Previously, I looked at how Edinburgh's universities were leading the city's robotics and AI efforts, and in the process turning it into a destination for research and education in Europe. In this article I will be looking at the businesses side of the Scottish robotics landscape, and the ways that Scotland is embracing robotics and AI as an industry. One key area that Scottish robotics are thriving in is the maritime industry, specifically the development of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Scotland has a rich maritime history, and with the rise of a maritime robotics sector in Scotland, it looks like this tradition is still strong. In the manufacturing sector, Scottish companies are also increasingly eager to embrace robotics and automation, primarily as a way to cut costs, improve competitiveness, innovate new products and expand their global market share.

The sea and ocean environment has long been explored using some of the most sophisticated technology tools. Today's technologies make it child's play to explore natural environments under the sea. The American Goddard Space Flight Center, which belongs to NASA, relies on machine learning to track microscopic algal growth in oceans. The microalgae, which float on the water's surface, are largely responsible for producing oxygen, an element essential for supporting life. Many underwater observations rely on advanced detection technologies.

Yesterday, details about Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 were revealed by engineers who discovered clues in the code for the firm's HomePod speaker. Further details have been discovered today, suggesting the iPhone could have a tap to wake function and facial expression detection. The findings also confirm the long-rumoured removal of the home button, which is expected to be replaced with a virtual button. Because the HomePod speaker will have to work with Apple's new phone, it contains references to some of the upcoming features in its code. Apple revealed its HomePod speaker, which rivals Amazon's Echo and Google's Home, earlier this year.

German authorities have launched a six-month trial of automatic facial recognition technology at a Berlin railway station. More than 200 people volunteered to have their names and two photos stored for the project at Suedkreuz station, where three cameras film an entrance and an escalator. While German authorities are optimistic about the programme, security experts say that there is a high potential for errors, which could allow criminals to slip through the system. Three cameras have been installed at Suedkreuz station that will film an entrance and an escalator. Footage will automatically be scanned by a computer programme, which will compare it with photos stored in a database.

Hayden Capital letter for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017. Get the entire 4-part series on good management in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. In the second quarter of 2017, Hayden Capital gained 12.6% (net of fees). This brings our performance to 13.7% year-to-date. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and MSCI World were up 3.1% and 4.7% over the same period, respectively. The largest contributor to this outperformance was our recent investment in Zooplus, which I describe in more detail below. Since inception, we have returned 11.0% annually, versus 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 6.3% for the MSCI World, while keeping 25% of the portfolio in cash. It's a pretty simple formula, although one that's largely ignored by most investors.

Aida is the perfect employee: always courteous, always learning and, as she says, "always at work, 24/7, 365 days a year." Aida, of course, is not a person but a virtual customer service representative that SEB AB, one of Sweden's biggest banks, is rolling out. The goal is to give the actual humans more time to engage in more complex tasks. After blazing a trail in online and digital banking, Sweden's financial industry is now emerging as a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence. Besides Aida at SEB, there's Nova, which is a chatbot Nordea Bank AB is introducing at its life and pensions unit in Norway.

LogMeIn, the company that provides authentication and other connectivity solutions for those who connect remotely to networks and services, has made another acquisition to expand the products it offers to customers, specifically in its new Bold360 CRM platform, launched in June. The company has picked up Nanorep, a startup out of Israel that develops chatbots and other AI-based tools to help people navigate self-service apps. LogMeIn is paying $45 million plus up to $5 million more in earn-outs based on performance and employees staying put over the next two years. Nanorep had raised just under $7 million from investors that included Titanium out of Russia (which had also backed Cloudyn, recently acquired by Microsoft), Oryzn Capital and OurCrowd. The startup already had around 500 large customers, including big names like FedEx, Toys"R"Us and Vodafone.

The age of uncertainty and technological disruption is upon us. Like other sectors, the financial services industry too is struggling to deal with its impact. Geopolitical uncertainties with regard to North Korea, Brexit, the increase in protectionism, along with operational challenges that include increasing customer demands, new expectations from digital, the rise of the millennial consumer are contributing to the sense of unease. Fortunately, there is a silver lining. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to have a positive revenue and cost side impact for banks --from developing intelligent digital assistants, providing seamless services and building data models, acting on lending decisions and enhancing security with advanced recognition techniques.

Apple's home button is dead, according to hidden code. The little circle at the bottom of the phone has been the main way of identifying Apple's handsets, at least when they're turned off. But it's about to disappear in the iPhone 8. That's according to code that was accidentally released by Apple. Part of that includes a check on whether a device has a home button – something that was previously unrequired, since every iPhone had one. It's possible that the reference is to other devices that run some form of iOS and don't have a home button, like the Apple TV.

German authorities have launched a six-month test of automatic facial recognition technology at a Berlin railway station, which the country's top security official says could be used to improve security in the future.