TREND REPORTS
US Retail Sales Recovers at Record Pace
[Investing]
2020/06/17 09:07
Retail sales in the US jumped 17.7 percent from a month earlier in May of 2020, recovering from a record 14.7 percent fall in April, and much better than forecasts of an 8 percent increase. It is the biggest rise on record as Americans went back to work and many stores reopened after the coronavirus lockdown. Biggest increases were seen in stores with clothing (188 percent); furniture (89.7 per...
(Video) Exotic Self-Cooling Beetle Inspires Film to Cool Electronics, Buildings and More
[Tech]
2020/06/17 09:06
A roll of the new beetle-inspired material that can passively cool things.Heating and cooling systems are some of the biggest consumers of energy, so finding ways to passively cool buildings and electronics could be a huge saver of money and the environment. A new photonic film could be just the ticket, made with a micro-structure inspired by a beetle that likes it hot.The focus of the study wa...
Tesla is Now the World’s Most Valuable Automaker
[Investing]
2020/06/17 09:05
Even in the midst of a pandemic, Tesla continues to reach new heights.The company, which began as a problem-plagued upstart a little over 15 years ago, has now become the world’s most valuable automaker – surpassing industry giants such as Toyota and Volkswagen.This milestone comes after a year of steady growth, which only hit a speed bump earlier this year due to COVID-19’s negative impact...
24 Hour Fitness Files for Bankruptcy, Citing Coronavirus-Related Closings
[Investing]
2020/06/17 09:04
Gym chain 24 Hour Fitness filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday but expects to remain operating – and reopen most of its locations – during the process.The San Ramon, California, chain expects to get $250 million in financing to assist in the restructuring of its operations, the company announced Monday.24 Hour Fitness, which submitted its filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District...
(Video) A Pizza Vending Machine for a New Reality - Piestro Pizza Robot
[Business]
2020/06/17 09:03
Upheaval in the restaurant industry propels automation concepts.Will people really want to get their pizza from a robotic vending machine, as a new food automation company called Piestro is betting? Yes, yes they will, and here's why.The best telepresence hardware to go beyond video conferencing and make remote work truly collaborative.As anyone who pays attention to the food and beverage space...
(PDF) 2020 Annual Report on Children’s Digital Habits
[Consumer]
2020/06/16 09:10
Qustodio's 2020 report on apps and digital natives answers that question and gives parents expert tips to help their families thrive in a hyper-connected world.By the start of 2020, before the coronavirus lockdowns, children were spending more time online than ever before. Doctors, psychologists and even the creators of apps themselves, were sounding alarms about online privacy, safety and well...
Uniqlo Is Using Customers' Photos to Create Tailored Product Recs
[Business]
2020/06/16 09:09
Functioning as a shoppable social media platform, StyleHint not only allows users to easily recreate looks they love, but also share them with friends as well as shop directly in the appEver wanted to create that trendy outfit you saw on Instagram but weren’t quite sure where to start? Apparel retailer Uniqlo has a solution in the form of a mobile app that recommends clothing based on user-upl...
(Paper) Artificial Intelligence Makes Blurry Faces Look More Than 60 Times Sharper
[Tech]
2020/06/16 09:08
This AI turns blurry pixelated photos into hyperrealistic portraits that look like real people. The system automatically increases any image's resolution up to 64x, ‘imagining’ features such as pores and eyelashes that weren’t there in the first place. Duke University researchers have developed an AI tool that can turn blurry, unrecognizable pictures of people's faces into eerily convincing...
7.2 Million Electric Cars Hit the Roads in 2019
[Business]
2020/06/16 09:07
Despite 2019 being a sluggish year for the global automobile industry, electric car sales continued to grow, albeit at a slower pace than in the years before. According to the latest edition of the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook, electric passenger car sales climbed to 2.1 million last year, bringing the global stock to 7.2 million electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars.Ac...
