Israel-based equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd is launching a sector specific fund fully focused on digital health -- touting it as Israel's first fund with such a focus. The fund, called OurCrowd Qure, will invest in early stage startups at the seed and Series A level. Fundraising is starting now, with a target of $50 million for the first raise. Managing partner Dr Yossi Bahagon tells TechCrunch the team expects to make about 15 investments with the first fund. He says typical investments will start at $500,000 for the earliest stage startups, rising to up to about $3 million at the Series A level.

People who use Facebook live longer, according to a new study. Using the site to stay in touch with people appears to suggest that using the site is associated with living longer. Scientists have long known that people have stronger social networks and relationships also tend to live longer. The new study shows that the same is true of the online world. "Interacting online seems to be healthy when the online activity is moderate and complements interactions offline," said author William Hobbs in a statement.

Spending on cognitive systems and artificial intelligence (AI) across a broad range of industries will drive worldwide revenues from nearly $8.0 billion in 2016 to more than $47 billion in 2020. In its Worldwide Semiannual Cognitive/Artificial Intelligence Systems Spending Guide IDC said the market for cognitive/AI solutions will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 55.1 per cent over the 2016-2020 forecast period. According to David Schubmehl, research director, Cognitive Systems and Content Analytics at IDC, "Software developers and end user organizations have already begun the process of embedding and deploying cognitive/artificial intelligence into almost every kind of enterprise application or process" "Recent announcements by several large technology vendors and the booming venture capital market for AI startups illustrate the need for organizations to be planning and undertaking strategies that incorporate these wide-ranging technologies," he said. Schubmehl said identifying, understanding, and acting on the use cases, technologies, and growth opportunities for cognitive/AI systems will be a differentiating factor for most enterprises and the digital disruption caused by these technologies will be significant. The ability to recognize and respond to data flows using algorithms and rule-based logic enables cognitive/AI systems to automate a broad range of functions across many industries.

Developed by a Swiss startup called Eyra, Horus consists of a headband with stereo cameras on one end that can recognise text, faces and objects. Information from the cameras is fed via a 1m cable into a smartphone-sized box containing a battery and a NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor. This provides GPU-accelerated computer vision, deep learning and sensors that process, analyse and describe the images from the cameras. Feedback and instruction are delivered via bone conduction audio technology that allows the wearer to hear descriptions even in noisy environments. Similar technology has been developed by BAE Systems for the military and adapted for the Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) America's Cup team.

Jen-Hsun Huang says he wants to turn driverless cars into AIs that can act as personal assistants and co-pilots for driving. Few areas of technology are attracting as much interest as self-driving cars. Wall Street Journal Business Editor Jason Anders discussed the heart of that technology with Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive of Nvidia Corp., whose chips are used to power autonomous driving and other artificial-intelligence applications. HUANG: Well, the biggest problem is that the car has to be able to perceive the environment. Reasoning, planning and learning are a big part of artificial intelligence.

Head of SK Telecom----s Corporate R&D Center Choi Jin-sung (left in the picture) and Intel Korea----s Chief Executive Officer Kwon Myung-sook [Photo provided by SK Telecom Co.] South Korea----s top wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. said it will work with the world----s biggest chipmaker Intel Corp. to develop connected car system piloted by artificial intelligence. SK Telecom last Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel to cooperate on developing Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication and deep-learning based video recognition technologies, the telecommunication company said on Monday. The V2X communication refers to wireless technology transferring information from a vehicle to everything that may affect the vehicle. The Korean telecom company will provide vehicular communications and video recognition technologies while Intel contribute its expertise in 5G networks and deep-learning, or data-based machine learning, system to develop a platform for automated connected car. The two firms aim to demonstrate the new connected car technology as early as next year.

In the previous part of this series, we discussed how ARM Holdings (ARMH) designs chips that are used in almost all smartphones across the globe. Intel's (INTC) Atom processors could not compete with ARM's power-efficient, low-cost processors in the mobile space. Using ARM-based chips, Qualcomm (QCOM), Apple (AAPL), and Samsung (SSNLF) have dominated the mobile processor market. Now ARM is moving toward IoT (Internet of Things) and has already gained a 26% share in the IoT market. The company expects to gain a 50% market share by 2020, growing at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 7%.

According to Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, who heads up the automaker's research division, the move is expected to happen next year. Matsumoto said in an interview that it is hoped bringing the teams together will allow closer co-operation between Honda's scientists and engineers, leading to new AI-enabled products being made available to the public. AI is crucial in the development of autonomous cars, Matsumoto said, acting as the brain that combines elements of robotics, sensing, navigation, and connectivity. Japan has a strong track record developing new hardware, but has arguably lagged behind in software. Matsumoto feels basing its efforts in Japan will allow Honda to progress quicker.

Apple is trying to introduce wireless charging into the next iPhone, according to reports. Rumours have long swirled around the iPhone 8 – even before the iPhone 7 was released this year. Reports have suggested that Apple is planning a major redesign for the new handset, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, which might include an entirely glass body and a screen that takes up all of the front of the phone. And new reports suggest that Apple is currently exploring the possibility of adding wireless charging modules to the next phone, too. That would mean that it would just need to be set down on a special surface to charge it – in keeping with Apple's commitment to keep moving towards a wireless future, which it stressed when it dropped the headphone jack from the iPhone.

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