The FieldDock project, led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, looks to help scientists and farmers alike to breed and grow crops more efficiently and with less human labor. In mid-July, it received its first major dose of government funding, $1.4 million, from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.

Achin Bhowmik discusses how Starkey's Livio AI came to market and what it means for the future of amplification devices. All my life, I've been passionate about developing perceptual computing technologies, such as sensors and artificial intelligence. My focus at Intel was to use these technologies to make more intelligent machines. That was an incredible time in my career as the world is getting smarter and there is so much to explore and invent. But Starkey CEO, Mr Austin came to me and asked, "Do you want to use the same advanced technologies, but instead of focusing on making more intelligent machines, help people perceive and understand the world better?"

Researchers at the University of Toronto are using improved sensors and artificial intelligence to make electric wheelchairs self-driving. Researchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) in Canada have used sensors and artificial intelligence to create self-driving electric wheelchairs. Rather than designing a new autonomous wheelchair from scratch, the researchers focused on retrofitting existing wheelchairs using sensors, controllers, and a small computer. In addition, the team wrote software and developed algorithms to handle many common situations, including driving down narrow corridors and avoiding obstacles. The next step will be to test the wheelchair in controlled environments under the supervision of occupational therapists, according to U of T researcher Jonathan Kelly. The system could be a significant improvement over sip-and-puff (SNP) controllers, which control a wheelchair by having the user sip or puff air into a plastic straw that is connected to a computer.

Yves Béhar is a name that we have dropped before. We mentioned him as the talent behind the Jawbone UP2. Since then the Swiss designer, entrepreneur and founder of Fuseproject has been busy. His latest work is a collaboration with Superflex, a company that is all about defining the future of movement through Powered Clothing. Coming together in an innovative way, the twosome have designed a power suit that helps elderly people stand and walk more easily.