Cutting-edge NASA imaging technology can detect early signs of a plant virus that, if unaddressed, often proves devastating for wineries and grape growers, new research has found. While the breakthrough is good news for the wine and grape industry, which loses billions of dollars a year to the crop-ruining disease, it could eventually help global agriculture as a whole. Using intricate infrared images captured by airplane over California's Central Valley, researchers were able to distinguish Cabernet Sauvignon grape vines that were infected but not showing symptoms -- before the point at which growers can spot the disease and respond. The technology, coupled with machine learning and on-the-ground analysis, successfully identified infected plants with almost 90% accuracy in some cases, according to two new research papers. "This is the first time we've ever shown the ability to do viral disease detection on the airborne scale," said Katie Gold, an assistant professor of grape pathology at Cornell University and a lead researcher on the project.

The Transform Technology Summits start October 13th with Low-Code/No Code: Enabling Enterprise Agility. As AI systems increasingly inform decision-making in health care, finance, law, and criminal justice, they need to provide justifications for their behavior that humans can understand. The field of "explainable AI" has gained momentum as regulators turn a critical eye toward black-box AI systems -- and their creators. But how a person's background can shape perceptions of AI explanations is a question that remains underexplored. A new study coauthored by researchers at Cornell University, IBM, and the Georgia Institute of Technology aims to shed light on the intersection of interpretability and explainable AI.

Buckfast honey bees fly near a beehive in Illinois, U.S. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg Beewise, a agtech startup, has created the first fully autonomous beehive called Beehome that comes complete with a beekeeping robot that acts as both medic and guardian to complement the natural intelligence of bees. Beehome utilizes artificial intelligence, (AI) machine learning and precision robotics to rescue and protect the hives bees. The modular commercial AI-powered robotic apiary also has 24/7 monitoring and smart technology that increases pollination capacity and honey production. Saar Safra, CEO of Beewise says that Beehome is poised to protect the global food supply chain, stem the impacts of climate change and increase sustainability. "If the bees are protected, entire ecosystems are too."

Humanity needs food for survival, and maintaining consistent crop yields is essential. Recently, the world of artificial intelligence (AI) entered the agricultural industry, providing farmers with sustainable solutions. Engineers developed an autonomous robot that eliminates weeds and increases food production. Weeds are difficult to manage because of their unpredictable growing patterns. Insect and disease management have designated tools and tactics where weed control differs.

The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, which began the year by urging the ethical development and application of artificial intelligence (AI), has announced an effort to use technology to fight world hunger, which has worsened during the pandemic. The Vatican institution, in collaboration with IBM, Microsoft and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, is encouraging governments, nonprofits and corporations to assure that technology is used to feed everyone, and to make farmers' lives more efficient and productive. In its quest to assure the transparent, responsible and inclusive use of AI, the Vatican and FAO are pushing for solutions in agriculture that will benefit not just the well off, but also the poor. "We need to face the biggest challenges on the planet," said John E. Kelly III, executive vice president of IBM. Kelly, who participated in the FAO and Pontifical Academy's Sept. 24 virtual conference announcing the effort against hunger, was one of the signers of the Vatican's call for AI ethics in February. The Vatican's effort to promote ethical AI for social good includes a new program to use digital technology to ensure a more sustainable and efficient global food supply.

This week, we talked to people trying to help stem the hurt of the Covid-19 pandemic--with mixed success. One company, Zipline, is using drones to help deliver virus testing supplies and personal protective equipment in Ghana. It has accelerated efforts to bring the approach to the US, though don't expect to see helper drones in the air before later this year. Farmers, packers, and processors want to get their produce, milk, and meat to consumers, but complex supply chains--and basic economics--are proving hard to hack. Let's get you caught up.

BANGKOK- As the coronavirus pandemic leads to anxiety over the strength of the world's food supply chains, everyone from governments to banks are turning to the skies for help. Orbital Insight, a California-based big data company that uses satellites, drones, balloons and mobile phone geolocation data to track what's happening on Earth, has seen inquiries about monitoring food supplies double in the past two months, according to James Crawford, founder and chief executive officer of the company. "We're helping supply chain managers, financial institutions, and government agencies answer questions they never thought they would have to ask," Crawford said in a phone interview. The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a fresh surge in demand for alternative data to shed light on how the pandemic is impacting industries and trade across the globe. That is especially important as multiple government lockdowns and tighter restrictions on the movement of people and goods upend supply chains and logistics everywhere from Asia to Europe and the Americas. Orbital customers have been asking for data such as when cargo ships leave ports, when plants close, and the number of passengers travelling through airports.

Recent MEMS and sensor leaps support more personalized user experiences in biomedical/healthcare, the food supply chain, and Internet of Things (IoT). MSEC is hosted by the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), a SEMI Strategic Association Partner. Registration is now open with early-bird pricing available until September 20, 2019. MSEC comes as manufacturers plan to embed more than 50 billion MEMS and sensors in thousands of applications by 2024 to meet consumer demand for more intelligence and interactivity in electronic products, according to Yole Développement.1 Featured speakers at MSEC will examine the enabling role of MEMS and sensors in diverse intelligent applications. MSEC will take place at Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa in Coronado, Calif.

Within the next five years, the world's population will hit the 8 billion mark, with one billion of them not having adequate access to the food supplies necessary for a healthy life. At the same time, some 45% of the world's food supply is currently lost to waste. So, does technology hold the key to solving the planet's food crisis? Here are five technological solutions being proposed, which will be discussed at IBM Think conference in San Francisco, which starts today. The concept of building digital twins to enable us to learn from simulations has taken hold in industry, and in agriculture too, it holds a great deal of promise.

Each year researchers at IBM list "5 in 5" – five ways in which technology will change the world in the next five years. This year, the overarching theme is on feeding the world by using technology to reduce hunger and waste. Within the next five years, the world's population will hit the 8 billion mark, with one billion of them not having adequate access to the food supplies necessary for a healthy life. At the same time, some 45% of the world's food supply is currently lost to waste. So, does technology hold the key to solving the planet's food crisis?