"Seven hundred years after glasses were invented there are still 2.5 billion people in the world with poor vision and no access to vision correction," says Hong Kong philanthropist James Chen. Chairman of his family's Nigeria-based manufacturing company, Wahum Group, Chen is funding a contest called the Clearly Vision Prize that will award a total of 250,000 to projects that improve eyesight, especially in poor countries. Thirty-six semifinalists were announced this week (the five winners will be awarded September 15). Among the contenders: 3D printed eyeglass frames, drones that deliver medical supplies, and several smartphone-based technologies. Some of the smartphones help nonexperts test vision, and one uses artificial intelligence to "see" for blind people. The Clearly Vision semifinalists represent just a sampling of the smartphone projects fighting vision loss, a growing field that is bringing critical care to remote regions far from hospitals and doctors offices.

We've all got bills to pay, fiscal responsibilities to meet, retirements to save for -- and we need help. As tens of thousands of chatbots proliferate across Slack, Facebook, and other platforms, you hear naysayers claim that bots might be useful someday but that today they're little more than a gimmick. It's hard to feel that way after you learn about a handful of chatbots that have saved people more than 10 million. Next time you hear someone make that argument, point them to this list, because perhaps nothing is more useful than putting (or keeping) money in your pocket. After its first month, about 100,000 people have interacted with PennyCat, according to maker Leo Kangin.

Drones are already capable of capturing stunning aerial images and videos that wouldn't be possible with grounded cameras. But combining the abilities of these airborne vehicles with 360-degree cameras produces new perspectives that are even more immersive and breathtaking. SkyPixel recently held a competition to calling for artists to submit their most impressive 360-degree aerial images. It honored six standout candidates, which includes three main winners and three recipients of its "Brilliant" prize. Photographer Stanislav Sedov's panorama of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is shown above, was named the third place winner.

The ride-sharing firm Uber will, for the first time, allow users to hail self-driving cars later this month, it has been reported. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick said the launch would take place in Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. At first, the vehicles will be supervised by a driver, who can take control if necessary, and an observer. Uber eventually hopes to replace its one million drivers, Bloomberg said. Customers in Pittsburgh will request rides as usual via the Uber app but trips in self-driving cars will initially be free, according to Bloomberg.

Prescriptive analysis is the best way to see how to make a sale or encourage a customer in the future. Recommendation systems are the another name for prescriptive analysis. Customer activity is used to recommend items and improve conversion in the digital store. The history of previous purchases and interests are used to recommend new products. To make the recommendation we employ both descriptive and predictive analysis several times.

Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are worldwide technology powerhouses, but when it comes to the adoption of virtual digital assistants (VDAs) like Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana, scale only takes you so far. In this particular business, players who successfully cater to the nuances of individual countries will conquer the global VDA market. The same principle will apply to enterprises looking to automate customer interactions like customer service and e-commerce with enterprise VDAs. The challenges facing VDA providers were brought to light recently by the plight of Jibo, the crowdfunded smart home VDA robot that received pre-orders from consumers in 47 countries. On August 9, the company announced that product rollouts would be limited to the United States and Canada only, and that all orders for Jibo outside those markets will be refunded.

Sometimes it feels like we're on a quest to amass more and more data, filling graphs and spreadsheets like there's no tomorrow. We know that it's increasingly possible to track people, and we're told that arranging and rearranging information might just help in the elusive hunt for killer insights. But, at Contagious, we're hearing far more people ask: 'What if data wasn't just used as a way to gain understanding of demographics or to more accurately target someone, but as a starting point for creativity?' Some of the major winners at this year's Cannes Lions festival, as well as a few other brands, have already put this approach into practice and are developing pieces of work that take data to the next level. We're seeing tangible projects that use ones and zeros as a creative spark to give people a way of grasping a complex idea in an emotional way, so that they can feel and experience as well as understand. From graphs to art One staggering way that data was brought to life recently was on behalf of Australia's Transport Accident Commission.

Whether you choose man or machine, it takes a lot of money to avoid mowing the lawn. I've spent the past six weeks reviewing the Robomow RS612, a robot lawnmower that can automatically cut your grass and rescue your summer afternoons. This model costs 1,600 (Robomow doesn't offer this model in Australia or the UK but that price works out to AU 2,079 and 1,226), and other Robomow models that can cover larger yards can cost as much as 2,100 (AU 2,729 and 1,610). A less-expensive option for bowing out of lawn care is to hire a professional, which can cost less than 1,000 a year. So why would you splurge on a robot lawnmower when a real-life person is so much cheaper?

Xbox and EA Sports are now offering Xbox One S FIFA 17 bundles packed with a bunch of special offers that will guarantee players with the ultimate football sports gaming experience. Plus, with the new bundles, players can actually get access to "FIFA 17" five days before the highly anticipated video game hits the market. Earlier today, Microsoft dropped a bombshell at Gamescom 2016 when it announced the new Xbox One S FIFA 17 bundles, which are going to be available starting Sept. 22, IGN has learned. On its official Twitter account, Xbox also shared the good news about the bundles, tweeting: "Own every moment on the pitch with the #XboxOneS #FIFA17 [E] 500GB Bundle." Xbox One S is Microsoft's upcoming gaming console, and what better way to purchase one than to buy a bundle that also includes a highly anticipated video game and other special offers?

The next industrial revolution Australian businesses will face won't be based on mechanisation, engineering or globalisation. Instead, it will be the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) systems that will power the next great business push. AI is fast becoming a necessity in the business world and organisations are increasingly adopting AI to solve long-standing issues within their industry. Just last month, KPMG revealed they would be using AI to complete audits in Australia, which they anticipate will enable them to analyse bigger batches of data rather than relying on traditional sampling techniques. Taking tasks which usually require human intelligence and delegating them to machines has significant impact on business activities, including productivity, efficiency and even the way job roles are defined. But what really is AI?