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IBM unveils solution for bias-detection in AI decision making

Technology giant IBM Wednesday said it is introducing a new solution that aims to provide increased transparency and "bias-detection" capabilities related to artificial intelligence processes deployed by companies. The cloud-based service will detect bias and also explain how the artificial intelligence (AI) made the decision, IBM Research Vice President India and Singapore and CTO IBM India/South Asia Sriram Raghavan said. In addition, IBM Research will also release into the open source community an AI bias detection and mitigation toolkit that will help developers design features to address bias in AI. Raghavan said two of the biggest barriers in adoption of AI was lack of trust and concerns around compliance. "With this service, we want to address both of these. It will bring in transparency as customers will know why the AI system took a certain decision. It will also detect bias that may come into decisions on account of multiple reasons," he said. IBM is giving new transparency .

Fujifilm launches X-T3 mirrorless digital camera in India

Japanese photography and imaging major Fujifilm Corp. on Wednesday launched its latest model in the X Series of mirrorless cameras, the X-T3, in India at a starting price of Rs 117,999.

Robotic, shape-changing room developed

Scientists have developed a robotic origami-style room that can change its shape and environment in response to human behaviour. The interactive Centaur Pod will adapt to external environmental and human stimuli by moving up and down and changing its shape, according Hank Haeusler, associate professor at University of New South Wales in Australia. "At the moment, a human can be in the same space as a robot and can interact in the space with the robot, but what we want to do is make space itself become the robot," said Haeusler. "Thus when a person in a building moves, behaves or operates in any way, the 'robot' will sense this behaviour and starts learning from this behaviour and other people's behaviour and will create knowledge from the behaviour and the knowledge will translate into the space to change," he said. "We're looking at how digital fabrication and robot fabrication could shape the way we build buildings," he added. The real-world research project explores three main ...

Australian students use robotics to design room that changes shape

Combining machine learning and kinetic architecture, a team of computational design students in Australia have developed a unique origami-style meeting room that can learn human behaviour and change shape in response to the behaviour of people.

NASA's new website shows how space tech impacts everyday lives

NASA has launched an interactive website that allows users to tour through buildings to discover common items that the space agency helped improve -- such as water purifiers and selfie cameras. The showcased spinoffs are commercial products that apply NASA technology originally developed for studying and exploring space. NASA Home & City features about 130 spinoff technologies in a virtual space, allowing users to tour through buildings and rooms to discover common items that NASA inspired or helped improve. These "Our space technology continues to improve life on Earth," said Jim Reuter, acting associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. "NASA Home & City is a place of discovery for people, and especially students, who have ever wondered why space exploration should matter to them," said Reuter. The website showcases only a small sample of NASA spinoff and dual-purpose technologies, NASA said in a statement. The spinoffs include water filtration ...

Jivi Mobiles launches affordable smartphones

Homegrown smartphone maker Jivi Mobiles on Wednesday launched three new smartphones under its new "XTREME Series" that come with a "Full View" display at an affordable range.

Focus: Norway's Aker bets on software engineers for its oil business

STAVANGER, Norway (Reuters) - When the owners of Norwegian oil firm Aker BP decided to digitise its assets and operations, they searched high and low for the right software company. But they failed to find a suitable one.

NASA's new website shows how space tech impacts people's day-to-day lives

NASA has launched a new interactive website that lets users explore how space technology impacts everyday life on Earth.

Transparent loudspeakers let your skin play music

Scientists have developed a transparent, ultrathin device that can turn your skin into a loudspeaker, paving the way for a new generation of wearable sensors and devices. Created in part to help the hearing and speech impaired, the technology can be further explored for various potential applications, such as Internet of Things sensors and conformal health care devices. Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea developed ultrathin, transparent, and conductive hybrid nanomembranes with nanoscale thickness, consisting of an orthogonal silver nanowire array embedded in a polymer matrix. They, then, demonstrated their nanomembrane by making it into a loudspeaker that can be attached to almost anything to produce sounds. The researchers also introduced a similar device, acting as a microphone, which can be connected to smartphones and computers to unlock voice-activated security systems. Nanomembranes (NMs) are molcularly thin seperation ...

Over 180 mn Windows threats detected in Q2 2018: Quick Heal

Global IT security firm Quick Heal Technologies on Wednesday said it detected more than 180 million threats on Windows devices of individual and enterprise users between April and June of this year.

Deb inaugurates ISRO's incubation centre in Agartala

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday inaugurated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Technology Incubation Centre here through video-conferencing from Bengaluru. The incubation centre at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala campus, was launched at the first edition of 'SPACETRONICS' organised by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA). Speaking at the inaugural session, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said that ISRO is looking to incubate start-ups which would build applications, offer services and products that can be used internally and exploit opportunities globally. "I am very excited about the tremendous opportunity we have to accelerate the space-related innovation and start-ups through this ISRO Space Technology Incubation Centre at NIT, Agartala," he said. Deb said the government is trying to develop Tripura so that it features in the Indian technology map, by nurturing innovation, entrepreneurship and ...

Get ready to shop on Instagram

Shopping enthusiasts have a reason to rejoice, as Instagram is all set to add a shopping tab to the Explore page.The new development in the app will allow you to browse through a dedicated feed of retail merchandise from various sellers. Instagram will also allow the sellers to add stickers to their Stories, allowing the buyer to purchase the item by tapping on it.According to a report by The Verge, the chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, in a statement said that 90 million Instagrammers tap posts to reveal shopping tags on the app. More than 25 million businesses already have an account on Instagram, with about 2 million of them advertising with Facebook.Whit the latest changes, the photo and video-sharing social networking service app is undertaking a significant push into e-commerce.

Now, turn off your teen's phone with Google's 'Family Link'

With Google's Family Link, parents can now set limits, lock the device when they feel it's time for a break, and even approve or block apps from being downloaded from Google Play store. Family link also allows parents to locate the kids through their devices.According to The Verge, the Family link is available only for Android users and for anyone with an existing Google account. While it was originally meant for kids under 13, it can also be used for older people. However, if used for anyone over 13, both parties must give consent before using the technology.In case an account holder doesn't approve the monitoring, they can choose not to share their password with their parents and even opt out. However, if they choose to do so, it will put the phone on a 24-hour lockdown.Soon, parents will also be able to ask Google Assistant to lock the devices of their kids, instead of doing it themselves on their own device.

Novel AI technique can spot fake online review

Finding it hard to understand whether a review of a product or service on sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp and Amazon is genuine or fake? Take heart, a novel artificial intelligence (AI) technique can spot the difference between genuine and fake machine-generated reviews.

Making technology available in vernacular languages to help boost growth: Gadkari

Technology should be made available in vernacular languages that will help accelerate growth in areas like education and health, Union minister Nitin Gadkari Tuesday said. Speaking at an event here, Gadkari also said a consultative approach with stakeholders in this matter will ensure that fundamental rights of people are protected and that technology is not misused. The Union transport minister said he has urged IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to ensure that regulations are kept upto date. "Otherwise the thing which we have started for betterment of people, for knowledge, can get misused," he said citing example of spread of fake news. He further said, "Government should hold talks with stakeholders for this and come out with transparent rules and regulations. This will protect the fundamental rights of the people, and misuse (of technology) will also be checked," he said. He added that using technology in regional languages will not only help take governance services to the masses ..

Clarity needed on what comprises critical data: Nasscom

IT industry body Nasscom Tuesday said the government will have to offer clarity on what is categorised as "critical data" under the proposed data protection framework as such information is mandated to be stored locally. The trade association also called for a "balanced" approach for India's data protection framework, saying the rules should ensure that innovation is not "stifled" by the focus on driving localisation. Nasscom Chairman Rishad Premji said the draft stipulates that critical data has to be stored exclusively in India. However, the clarity on what comprises this category is yet to be provided, he added. Premji, who is also Wipro's chief strategy officer, stated that a balanced approach is required as localisation mandates can also stifle innovation for startups. The draft personal data protection bill, which was introduced recently, has drawn mixed response from the industry. While most have welcomed the overall framework, many have also raised concerns around provisions ..

Musk's SpaceX will fly Japanese billionaire to the Moon

Elon Musk-founded SpaceX has announced that the company's first private passenger to the Moon will be Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.

Digital trust in India not as high as businesses think: CA Technologies

Business leaders in India are overestimating consumer trust in their organisations as well as their ability to handle and protect consumer data, a new report on digital trust from software major CA Technologies suggests.

Nasscom accelerates efforts for deep-tech innovation in India

IT industry body Nasscom Tuesday unveiled its 'Accelerate 10X' programme that aims to strengthen India's position in the global ecosystem of deep-tech innovation around artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science. Part of its 10,000 startups initiative, Accelerate 10X will be a six-month programme for chosen startups to build deep-tech tech products from India. Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh said in the last few years, India has grown to become the world's third largest tech startup ecosystem with close to a dozen unicorns being created. "In future, the demand for advanced deep tech and AI-related technologies is expected to unlock a trillion-dollar opportunity... Deep-tech start-ups will drive this transformation as well as spearhead the broad structural transformation of the economy," she added. Through Accelerate 10X, Nasscom aims to mentor 100 mature stage startups every year with the six-month programme, focussing on three key aspects - Product (Global ...

CRON Systems, Global Giant Quanergy ink MoU to provide border security solutions in India

Defence technology startup CRON Systems has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic collaboration to upgrade detection features of its advanced 'Kavach' series for Indian armed forces and perimeter security, with Quanergy Systems Inc., a global leader in design and development of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors and smart sensing solutions.CRON Systems, which has been working with Indian armed forces for perimeter security, will now team up with Quanergy to provide cutting-edge perimeter security to Indian forces. This could become a game changer for dealing with insurgency and illegal immigration.CRON's disruptive push to develop state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems, at a fraction of the cost compared to other companies in this space, is just one of the reasons why global giant Quanergy is looking to join forces with this startup. Through this strategic tie-up, Quanergy will provide its LiDAR-based security platform which will be integrated into .