COVID-19 has changed the world this year, with some industries affected more than others. As teleworking and spending more time at home become the norm, travel and transportation agencies have to adjust to fewer commuters and travelers while implementing additional safety protocols. In July 2020, Transit App showed a 58 percent national reduction in travelers since 2019, with even higher percentage declines in cities like Washington and New York.

During this time of declined ridership, transit agencies must optimize resources – and many are focused on modernizing systems in order to do so. For example, Columbus, Ohio, established its Smart Columbus initiative, transitioning away from gas-burning cars to electric and public transportation. San Francisco, Calif. committed to a 10 percent decrease in single-occupancy vehicle trips by switching to transit, shared, and active forms of transport modes, and is investing in smart technology to improve its public transport system.

Integrated systems make all the difference

Another example is VIA Metropolitan Transit, which enables nearly 40 million passenger trips yearly across San Antonio, Texas, and serves as the primary form of transportation for much of the community. Because of this vital role, VIA has invested heavily in technology in the past few years, which is helping to position San Antonio as a transit leader.

To keep buses and technology running smoothly, VIA has embraced smart data analysis and storage, leveraging Pure Storage’s FlashArray. Its platform tracks bus and van schedules through GPS, facilitates maintenance orders, and refreshes data every few minutes. This data in turn feeds into the VIA chatbot and third-party apps such as Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Transit, fueling programs and features that boost the rider experience for as many as 100,000 rides every day.

Integrated technologies enable riders to buy bus passes through a mobile app, view digital signs at bus stops that indicate when the next bus will arrive, track bus locations in near real-time, and interact with a new AI-powered chatbot on VIA’s website that answers questions and reports bus locations in both English and Spanish, 24 hours a day.

When COVID-19 hit, San Antonio saw almost a 50-percent decrease in bus ridership. Still, VIA saw the importance of keeping its buses running for the community, many of whom are essential and frontline workers. It continued to process and share accurate, up-to-date information that riders could depend on. VIA also suspended fares for almost three months during the first wave of the pandemic to avoid crowding while boarding as part of its extensive safety measures. And it launched its VIA Cares program to meet community needs, including Wi-Fi hotspot vans for students learning remotely, and food bank deliveries to homebound residents.

While keeping the city’s transportation systems running was critical, VIA’s commitment to its staff was equally important. It quickly adopted a work-from-home model in mid-March, outfitting its employees with remote capabilities and allowing data to process through a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). With Pure Storage’s Evergreen Storage subscription model, VIA was able to quickly scale and handle large amounts of data more seamlessly than before.

Embracing technology for future growth

Looking forward, VIA has established a plan called Keep SA Moving, with the goals of making bus services more frequent and reliable, creating rapid transit corridors throughout the city, and using technology to make services smarter and more convenient.

While the agency remains on track with its VIA Vision 2040, a long-range plan to continue to outfit San Antonio with the best technologies and service options for transportation accessibility, this year has underscored the importance for VIA to stay resilient and agile. With the amount of data increasing each day, storage continues to be at the forefront of its plans.

As cities like San Antonio continue to grow rapidly, accessible and user-friendly transportation is essential. Governments have invested $124 billion in smart cities globally, and it is only a matter of time before cities worldwide embrace technology to improve transit and connect people to economic opportunities and each other – safely.

Read the full article here: The future of transportation – leveraging smart solutions to boost user experience

The deployment of an optical broadband network in the Bolivian city of Potosí will open up an array of opportunities that the city, its people and businesses have not had before.

Residents of Potosí, Bolivia, the highest city in the world, are to benefit from fibre broadband connectivity following the roll-out of a GPON broadband network. Potosí is 4,090 metres above sea level, resting at the foot of the Cerro Rico mountain that rises to 4,800 metres.

Slovenia-based Iskratel is implementing the new, optical broadband network in the Bolivian city in collaboration with its Latin-American partner Teleserv Group Bolivia for the Potosí service provider Cotap.

Unified communications solutions

The deployment will see Iskratel’s SI3000 Lumia GPON (gigabit passive optical network) line terminals, along with Innbox G85 and Innbox G74 optical network terminals, deployed at customer premises. The deployment is ‘complemented’, Iskratel reports, by its virtual IMS and unified communications solutions.

“In Potosí, a city with such fascinating history, life has never been easy,” said Juan Francisco Flores, legal representative of Cotap Ltda.

“The deployment of an optical broadband network not only delivers new connectivity to our residents and businesses, but also opens up an array of business opportunities that the city and its people have not had possible before.”

“Bringing fibre connectivity to the people of Potosí, the highest city in the world, fills us with profound pride. We were able to achieve this together with the support and help from our partners and friends at Cotap and Teleserv,” added Svjetlana Kalaba, director of business unit broadband at Iskratel.

She continued: “We truly are taking reliable and ultra-fast connectivity to the summit.”

Potosí was once one of the richest cities in the world, with a population exceeding cities such as London, Seville, Madrid, Rome or Paris. Its economy, driven by silver mined from Cerro Rico, turned the city into the hub of world economy. Today, Potosí is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Iskratel is a European provider of communications solutions for the digital transformation of the telecommunications, transport, public safety, and energy industries. It has its own R&D and manufacturing centres, employs 900 employees, and has a presence in some 50 countries.

Read the full article here: Highest city in the world deploys fibre broadband

We were still getting over the bizarre reveal of the polarizing 2022 Tesla Cybertruck when 2020 crept up on us like a deranged clown at a birthday party that at first seems okay but then gets weirder and weirder as the day progresses. During the cavalcade of horrors that was 2020, the electrified march of progress continued, albeit a bit slowed by the global pandemic. Read on for some of the highlights of EV development in this crazy year:

Tesla Model Y Actually ahead of Schedule

While 2020 demolished timetables for unveilings and production, automakers new and old still managed to surprise us. First Tesla announced that it began production of the Model Y early. As a company known for its ever slipping delivery targets, this was big deal as the company started making an actual profit and almost acting like a traditional automaker.

Lucid Air Lets Fly a Challenge in the Range Wars

Meanwhile, Lucid, which is run by former Tesla engineers, announced a 517-mile-range battery pack, a shot straight at Tesla in the range wars. And the company also unveiled its 2021 Lucid Air sedan and completed the first phase of its factory in Arizona.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Is Much Hyped, Almost Here

Ford has been promoting its upcoming Mustang Mach-E like crazy ever since unveiling it at the Los Angeles auto show in 2019. So have others, including Vaughn Gittin Jr., who shoved seven motors into one. And we finally got the chance to drive a Mustang Mach-E ourselves. In the middle of all of this, Ford’s premium wing, Lincoln, announced and then canceled an EV that would have been powered by Rivian’s platform.

Rivian R1S/R1T Delayed, but Check Out This Delivery Van?

Rivian had to delay production of its electric R1T truck and R1S SUV, but showed the world the delivery van it built in partnership with Amazon, which should keep it financially secure for years to come. It also lent prototypes of the R1T to the motorcycle-adventure series Long Way Up starring Ewan McGregor securing a ton of screen time in front of an audience that might not even know the company exists.

GM Goes for EV SUVs with GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq

Not to be outdone by Ford, GM brought back the Hummer as an EV: it’s the gigantic gas guzzler from two decades back, redone in green. Or at least greenish; it takes a lot of raw materials to build something that large. The automaker also accelerated its electrification timeline, promising 30 EVs by 2025 via the bold Ultium battery platform it revealed earlier this year. That includes the Lyriq luxury electric SUV from Cadillac and a mystery electric truck it showed off during a news conference. Then of course Chevy has a new Bolt EV and Bolt EUV coming.

Honda e Not Coming Here, Sorry

GM’s battery platform even yielded a partnership with Honda. GM will supply the battery and motors, and Honda will engineer them to its liking. A big deal considering Honda killed its only U.S. EV, the Clarity, and still won’t bring the cute-as-a-button Honda e (pictured) to our shores.

The Mercedes EQS and Other EQs

The Mercedes-Benz EV stable grew a bit this year with the EQS being teased and expected to show up next year to replace the delayed EQC. The automaker intends to launch four new EVs on the EVA platform including the EQE and EQE SUV and the company intends to throw a battery in everything from the A-class to the S-class. Plus, were expecting an electric Maybach and G-Wagen. Oh, and expect an AMG EQS with 600 hp in 2022.

VW ID.4 Will Get Here Eventually

Volkswagen’s MEB platform is finally yielding results. The ID.3 has been launched in Europe and the ID.4 electric SUV destined for the U.S. market was unveiled. It was originally expected here by the end of the year, but like most things in the year of COVID-19, it’s been pushed, probably to January.

Volvo XC40 Recharge, Polestar 2 from Sweden

The Polestar 2 went into production and impressed us while the slightly less exciting (but based on the same platform) Volvo XC40 Recharge (pictured) gave the Swedish automaker its own EV to share with the world. The most exciting news out of Sweden is that the Polestar Precept concept will go into production and be available at some point in the future in the U.S.

Hyundai’s e-GMP Platform

Hyundai and Kia announced a dedicated EV platform with the unfortunate name E-GMP. It’ll power 23 global vehicles by 2025. The first of these vehicles will appear in 2021, while the companies plan to continue to produce the Kona Electric and Niro EV.

A Toyota EV Is Finally on the Way Here

After focusing on hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles for the U.S., Toyota is finally bringing an EV here even though Toyota president Akio Toyoda has said that EVs are overhyped. The EV platform is likely to be shared with Subaru, which so far has only shown off a show car that might be an EV crossover in the future.

No Nikola Badger After All . . .

The most 2020 of all the EV news was the Nikola Badger electric pickup. After announcing it in February and taking pre-orders, the startup known more for fuel-cell semis ended up canceling the truck in November after allegations of investor fraud forced the CEO and founder to resign and the company’s deal with GM to be scaled back. Oh Badger, we hardly knew ye.

. . . But Bollinger and Fisker Seem on Track

In better news, Bollinger showed off production-intent images of its truck and SUV that are slated to go into production in late 2021 for fans of boxes and Lego blocks. Meanwhile, Fisker plans to have three vehicles on the road by 2025 as the Ocean went from using Volkswagen’s battery platform to Magna’s.

Audi e-trons Multiply

Audi shared details about the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron going into production next year as it expands its electric lineup. But more important, we learned that the beautiful e-tron GT will get an RS version (pictured), will go into production looking nearly identical to the show car, and will be available in early 2021. We also got more information about the PPE system being developed by Audi and Porsche, which will be a premium EV platform, and the Project Artemis plan to take on Tesla.

BMW iX3 Will Be 1 of 25 EVs

BMW revealed that it will offer electric versions of the X1 and 5-series as part of its push to get 25 EVs on the road by 2023. By the end of 2021, the i3, i4, iX3, and iNext will be out.

Battery Day, and the Endless Promise of Solid-State Batteries

We also got some welcome news about the batteries powering these machines. Tesla’s Battery Day event included news of a $25,000 EV in three years’ time, and a whole slew of companies including Samsung and Toyota, announced they were close to cracking the solid-state-battery nut. Companies have been talking about figuring out solid-state batteries for years, so it’s probably best not to get our hopes up.

EVs’ Prices May Drop to Internal-Combustion Levels

But we should be excited about a BloombergNEF report that by 2023, average battery prices will hit $101 per kWh, down from the current average price of $137 per kWh. The $100-per-kWh mark is the point at which experts say the cost of an EV will be the same as a gasoline-powered car. So in 2023, it’s possible electric vehicles will be priced the same as their ICE counterparts. If there are still federal tax incentives, they’ll actually be cheaper.

Let’s Just Start 2021 Now, Shall We?

So, even in this weird year, EVs made an impact in a way they hadn’t in the years prior. Even the more traditional automakers are not only talking about electric vehicles but bringing them to market, and bold rollout plans seem to be on track. In the end, 2020, with all its flaws, was a good year for electrification, and 2021 should be better—even if we still won’t get the Honda e in the United States.

Read the full article here: The Electric Year: In 2020, We Charged toward Electric Vehicles

The course of technology-driven change has been diverted this year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. While the biggest drivers of change are still artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and other fourth industrial revolution fields, their impact was felt in different ways than we may have anticipated at the start of the year.

Nowhere is this more true than in healthcare. The focus of advanced research across medicine, vaccines, social care, and environmental health has shifted to tackling the ongoing crisis. And every key trend, from biotechnology and smart medicine to virtual and augmented reality, smart cities, digital twinning, and robotics, have had their part to play.

Here are my top five predictions for how this will continue to play out throughout 2021. As new vaccines and treatments provide a glimmer of hope that normality of some sort may resume, breakthroughs enabled by the accelerated pace of innovation we’ve seen this year will better equip us to face new challenges.

Healthcare a consideration in every aspect of life

In 2020, every company has had to become a tech company as data and computing have become essential to everything we do. In 2021, every company will learn to become a healthcare company, too, as safeguarding employees and customers becomes a core requirement of doing business.

This will include enhanced biosecurity measures from sanitization stations to on-premises screening technology and quarantine measures at locations where staff are required on-site and can’t work from home. Tech-driven innovation around this will bring us improved safety measures and early-warning systems to reduce the likelihood of contagious illnesses being passed around.

For some companies, it will still be safer for staff to remain remote going into 2021 and possibly throughout the year. Here, there will be other challenges, such as a need to support the mental health of workers as they juggle home and work responsibilities. Without daily face-to-face contact, it will be more difficult for managers to assess whether their teams are overworked or taking the right precautions to safeguard their health. Once again, technology will play its part in mitigating these dangers, from health apps that monitor our activity and remind us to take breaks and exercise, meditation and mindfulness apps, and remote therapeutic services.

Virtual care and remote medicine

If it’s possible to receive the same level of care at home as you would from a visit to a doctor’s surgery or outpatient clinic, then surely it makes sense to do so? Particularly for minor and routine appointments, the number of virtual visits have skyrocketed during the pandemic and is predicted by Forrester analysts to hit one billion by the end of 2020. It’s also thought that during 2021 one third of virtual care appointments will be related to mental health issues.

As well as reducing the risk of spreading contagion, remote medicine allows medical professionals to squeeze more patient consultations into their busy schedules. This is a particularly vital consideration in highly populated countries such as China and India, where doctors are in short supply.

Another facet of this trend will be the ongoing development of robotic and autonomous healthcare assistants capable of working in hospitals or right in people’s homes. These will reduce the likelihood of infection (a big problem in hospitals even before Covid). These also have mental health implications – companion robots are being introduced into care homes in the UK; they were found to be successful at reducing symptoms of loneliness and social isolation.

Genomics and gene editing lead to further breakthroughs

Gene editing enables us to influence specific traits that are inherited by new living cells, when new proteins are created by the division of existing cells. These traits, known as phenotypes, govern the cell’s longevity, its ability to survive against injury or illness, and many other factors. By manipulating these phenotypes through techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9, scientists have already made many advances in treatments of killer diseases, including Duchenne muscular Dystrophy, heart disease, and cancer.

Due to breakthroughs in this field, we’re likely to see accelerated development of forms of treatment known as “precision medicine,” where drugs can be customized to match the genetic profile of individual patients, making them more effective, as well as less likely to cause unwanted side-effects.

The technology has also been used to create a “lab on a chip,” designed for fast detection of coronavirus infection. A handheld device capable of detecting if people are infected, without having to rely on inaccurate indicators such as coughing or a temperature, could be hugely beneficial in returning a level of normality to our lives.

And looking beyond medical use cases, methods demonstrated by on UK startup, Tropic Biosciences, have been used to create caffeine-free coffee beans, reducing the cost and resources spent decaffeinating regular beans. They have also created disease-resistant bananas, which could transform an industry that currently spends a quarter of its production costs fighting disease.

Data and AI drives shift to fairer healthcare insurance and coverage

The growth in the amount of data collected on our health, from our interaction with health services as well as our own devices and online activities, means providers have an increasingly accurate picture of where and when intervention may be needed.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that there is a willingness to share our personal data when the benefits to our health are clearly communicated. This has been proven by track-and-trace systems that have reliably kept infection levels in check in some regions (though less so in others).

This will be particularly important from a financial point of view. The coronavirus pandemic has been costly for the healthcare industry, with revenues falling by 50% in the US due to patients avoiding hospitals and surgeries. This will lead to an increased reliance on AI-driven prediction tools to forecast where resources can be used most efficiently. Insurance providers will also step up their use of advanced predictive technology to better understand risk and more accurately set premiums.

AI, IoT, and Smart Cities improve our ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks

“Smart cities” is a term used to describe the concept of building digital connectivity and automated data-driven decisioning into the fabric of urban life, including planning public transport networks, refuse collection, energy distribution, and environmental health initiatives. AI and IoT are fundamental to many initiatives in this space.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the focus of smart city innovation has switched towards planning and managing the way growing numbers of people will live in ever-closer proximity to each other. This is a particular challenge in developing countries where urban populations continue to grow – the UN predicts 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.

Just as every company will have a focus on healthcare going into 2021 (see my first prediction in this post), so to will every city planner and municipal authority. A keyword is “resilience”, with increasing resources dedicated to developing technology to help avoid the catastrophic impact on lives and economies of pandemics and outbreaks. Environmental health is a major focus, too, with tech-driven initiatives aimed at reducing air pollution and building resilience to climate-driven change such as temperature and sea-level rises, likely to take center-stage as we move into the ‘20s.

Read the article here: The 5 Biggest Healthcare Trends In 2021 Everyone Should Be Ready For Today

A new report released by Black & Veatch examines key issues and trends impacting today’s power industry.

Black & Veatch’s new 2020 Strategic Directions: Electric Report details market drivers and provides insights into how the industry can address challenges.

The study is based on a survey of more than 600 leaders in the industry and has found that:

• New regulations are creating new dynamics – traditional methods of operating a power utility with separate generation, transmission and distribution assets are giving way to more integrated approaches.
• Electric vehicles (EVs) and electrified fleets are gaining traction as vehicle production and delivery intensifies, requiring power providers to meet charging needs as increasingly empowered consumers – both citizens and commercial and industrial interests – test utilities’ business models.
• New power generation technologies harnessing green hydrogen produced through renewable power and more advanced battery storage show growing promise in the quest for decarbonization.
• Climate change, COVID-19 and shifting demographics highlight an industry where there’s no one-size-fits-all dynamic and management of the grid is becoming more targeted and localized.

Mario Azar, president of Black & Veatch’s power business, said: “After 130 years, the power industry is being repowered as sweeping changes are guiding more focus on a consistent, methodical adoption of innovative practices to ensure the sector’s relevance.

“Now more than ever, consumers expect their power providers to be progressive and proactive, further emphasising the need for reliable and resilient energy supplies.”

Other key study findings include:

• Aging infrastructure remains the chief concern among one-third of respondents, down 13% points from a year ago. But renewables remained the secondary focal point, relatively unchanged from 2019 at more than one-quarter of the survey-takers.
• More than three-quarters of respondents agree that they are devoting more of their capital spending to clean energy.
• Eight of 10 respondents forecast that over the next five years, more of their spending in new generation capacity will be directed at solar arrays on land, followed closely by energy storage and eventually microgrids and other distributed energy resources (DERs).
• Nearly one-quarter of respondents say they would consider hydrogen as a source of peak generation.
• When asked which elements of DER are most challenging, two-thirds of respondents cited the ability to forecast, monitor and manage utility-owned and third-party DER.
• 68% of respondents are working to redesign their regulated rate and pricing structures to accommodate increased penetration of DER.
• The percentage of respondents who consider electrified transportation as a big opportunity to gain future load and revenue spiked 74% over 2019, to 21% from just 12%.

Read the article here: Issues and trends impacting today’s power industry

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Focusing on the Army’s priority of taking care of its Soldiers, the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, recently awarded a $4.5 million contract to Spectrum Solutions, Inc. in support of the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s Smart Barracks Initiative.

The initiative will strive to modernize Soldier barracks by applying innovations and best practices in smart technology, cyber and physical security, energy systems, and quality-of-life improvements for the Soldiers who call these facilities their home.

In July, AMC reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Huntsville Center’s expertise to help execute this initiative after its leaders identified the program’s top five objectives:

• Provide increased security to prevent suicide, harassment and assault
• Provide increased water and power efficiencies to include sustainability
• Provide ease of maintenance to the facility and its systems to make it more efficient
• Provide a means of capturing the performance/status data association with all Army baseline systems and the analytics that allow the data to be shaped, assessed and used by decision makers
• Increase the appeal of barracks to young Soldiers, making the facilities a place they want to live in.

Responding to the request for support, Jelani Ingram, architecture branch chief with the Huntsville Center, established a product deliver team within days, and prepared a briefing to demonstrate his team’s technical and contracting ability to award the effort for fiscal year 2020.

Huntsville Center also outlined a phased approach to establish a prototype strategy that can be implemented across many installations. AMC has designated Fort Benning, Georgia, as the initial site.

The Utility Monitoring and Control Systems (UMCS) Mandatory Center of Expertise’s newest MATOC award, UMCS V, was identified as the best contract vehicle for the first phase of the project. The task order for Phase 1 provides utility monitoring and control system, heating ventilation and air conditioning, electrical retrofits, fire detection/protection modifications and wireless communications, maintenance and service, and plumbing enhancements at Fort Benning.

A virtual site visit was conducted Aug. 11. Phase 1 was awarded on Sept. 22 and is expected to be completed by April 22, 2023. Planning of Phase 2 of the Smart Barracks Initiative, which includes furnishing and electronic security systems, will begin in October with contracts awarded by the end of fiscal year 2021.

Read the article here: Huntsville Center supports Army’s Smart Barracks Initiative

The future of the way we live in and use our homes is set to be one thing: Smart. From the fridge to your toilet seat, your Smart Home will be one of the integrated appliances and furniture.

The following 11+ devices and innovations will likely change the way we live forever. This list is far from exhaustive and in no particular order.

1. Tunable lighting’s white lighting can change your mood

Studies have shown for a long time that lighting directly affects occupants’ moods. Bluish hues can boost your energy whilst reddish tones tend to calm you down.

Tunable lighting that changes automatically or on-demand could change the way we live and work. Whether in the workplace or at home this might be as effective as listening to different genres of music.

2. This smart home innovation is bringing “Minority Report” into reality

Many home gadgets and other tech rely heavily on voice command. But it’s not very useful whilst watching your favorite movie or listening to your favorite band’s new album on maximum volume.

Titanium Falcon’s Talon Smart Ring is one such device that combines smart home control with jewelry. It gives you command and control of devices by simply using hand gestures.

3. ‘Smarten up’ your bathroom (or kitchen) with this cool smart home device

At CES 2018, a company called Kohler unveiled its Kohler Konnect. This smart tech effectively acts like Alexa but for your bathroom appliances, as well as your kitchen.

You can, by voice command, make your bathroom effectively hands-free. You can warm up your toilet seat or be alerted when the bath water is at the perfect temperature.

Read the article here: Future of the Smart Home: 11+ Innovations That Could Change the Way We Live

What a time to start a business. Lab and university shutdowns, travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, nervous investors, and social distancing—the novel coronavirus has created a lot of uncertainty. How can scientific entrepreneurs plan and execute what may be the biggest move of their professional lives when no one even knows what next week is going to look like?

The monthly number of deals raising venture capital for young and start-up companies dropped 38% for the two months starting March 4, as compared with the four months before the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent Harvard Business School study from Sabrina Howell of New York University, Josh Lerner of Harvard University, and colleagues (SSRN 2020, DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3594239). The study has not been peer reviewed.

Most of that decline was in early-stage deals, and the deals that did happen were more cautious. “Venture groups fund less innovative firms during recessions,” the authors write.

That notion is corroborated by reports from companies participating in America’s Seed Fund, a program at the US National Science Foundation that provides grants to scientific start-ups. Senior program director Ben Schrag says a large number of firms in the seed fund’s portfolio have delayed or canceled fundraising rounds, and others have had them go poorly.

The Wall Street Journal reported in January that venture capital firms had a record $276 billion of “dry powder”—cash in hand that they were not investing. “It’s not that there’s not money out there,” Schrag says, it’s that investors are waiting for company values to drop so they can get a better deal.

Starting a company based on chemistry is a multiyear endeavor, and few such ventures have the luxury of waiting for the investment climate to thaw. For many firms, seed money is dwindling, but new investors want more data and progress than normal to feel secure putting up capital. It’s scary, with a silver lining. New firms that learn to run lean, develop discipline, and find the right partners can come out of the pandemic stronger than if they’d been born during more normal circumstances.

Ingrid Fung of the agriculture-focused venture capital firm Finistere Ventures says companies in Finistere’s portfolio that started during or just after the 2008 financial crisis are doing well today because they learned to be efficient with money, including by outsourcing some R&D. “They typically have lower burn; they can dial up or dial back,” she says.

C&EN spoke with three chemistry start-ups making big moves in the midst of the pandemic. The leaders at these firms have had to get creative to raise funds, build their teams, and move their products forward, all while keeping up staff morale at a time when it’s harder than ever to make a personal connection.

Read the article here: Starting a science business during a pandemic

Bioactive inks printed on wearable textiles can map conditions over the entire surface of the body

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (June 5, 2020)—Researchers at Tufts University’s School of Engineering have developed biomaterial-based inks that respond to and quantify chemicals released from the body (e.g. in sweat and potentially other biofluids) or in the surrounding environment by changing color. The inks can be screen printed onto textiles such as clothes, shoes, or even face masks in complex patterns and at high resolution, providing a detailed map of human response or exposure. The advance in wearable sensing, reported in Advanced Materials, could simultaneously detect and quantify a wide range of biological conditions, molecules and, possibly, pathogens over the surface of the body using conventional garments and uniforms.

“The use of novel bioactive inks with the very common method of screen printing opens up promising opportunities for the mass-production of soft, wearable fabrics with large numbers of sensors that could be applied to detect a range of conditions,” said Fiorenzo Omenetto, corresponding author and the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts’ School of Engineering. “The fabrics can end up in uniforms for the workplace, sports clothing, or even on furniture and architectural structures.”

Wearable sensing devices have attracted considerable interest in monitoring human performance and health. Many such devices have been invented incorporating electronics in wearable patches, wristbands, and other configurations that monitor either localized or overall physiological information such as heart rate or blood glucose. The research presented by the Tufts team takes a different, complementary approach – non-electronic, colorimetric detection of a theoretically very large number of analytes using sensing garments that can be distributed to cover very large areas: anything from a patch to the entire body, and beyond.

The components that make the sensing garments possible are biologically activated silk-based inks. The soluble silk substrate in these ink formulations can be modified by embedding various “reporter” molecules – such as pH sensitive indicators, or enzymes like lactate oxidase to indicate levels of lactate in sweat. The former could be an indicator of skin health or dehydration, while the latter could indicate levels of fatigue of the wearer. Many other derivatives of the inks can be created due to the versatility of the silk fibroin protein by modifying it with active molecules such as chemically sensitive dyes, enzymes, antibodies and more. While the reporter molecules could be unstable on their own, they can become shelf-stable when embedded within the silk fibroin in the ink formulation.

The inks are formulated for screen printing applications by combining with a thickener (sodium alginate) and a plasticizer (glycerol). The screen printable bio-inks can be used like any ink developed for screen printing, and so can be applied not just to clothing but also to various surfaces such as wood, plastics and paper to generate patterns ranging from hundreds of microns to tens of meters. While the changes in color presented by the inks can provide a visual cue to the presence or absence of an analyte, use of camera imaging analysis scanning the garments or other material can gather more precise information on both quantity and high resolution, sub-millimeter mapping.

The technology builds upon earlier work by the same researchers developing bioactive silk inks formulated for inkjet-printing to create petri dishes, paper sensors, and laboratory gloves that can indicate bacterial contamination by changing colors.

“The screen printing approach provides the equivalent of having a large, multiplexed arrangement of sensors covering extensive areas of the body, if worn as a garment, or even on large surfaces such as room interiors,” said Giusy Matzeu, research assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts School of Engineering and first author of the paper. “Coupled with image analysis, we can obtain a high resolution map of color reactions over a large area and gain more insight on overall physiological or environmental state. In theory, we could extend this method to track air quality, or support environmental monitoring for epidemiology.”

The fact that the method uses common printing techniques also opens up avenues in creative applications – something explored by Laia Mogas-Soldevila, architect and recent PhD graduate at Tufts in Omenetto’s SilkLab. Mogas-Soldevila has helped to create beautiful tapestries, displaying them in museums across the United States and Europe.  The displays are interactive, allowing visitors to spray different, non-toxic chemicals onto the fabric and watch the patterns transform. “This is really a great example of how art and engineering can gain from and inspire each other,” said Mogas-Soldevila. “The engineered inks open up a new dimension in responsive, interactive tapestries and surfaces, while the 1,000-year old art of screen printing has provided a foundation well suited to the need for a modern high resolution, wearable sensing surface.”

Read the article here: New smart fabrics with bioactive inks monitor body and environment by changing color

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fuse Technology Group Inc. recognized it would need a solution for monitoring symptoms of employees, many of whom work on software products for essential companies.

So the Ferndale, Mich.-based software developer made its own, and is rolling out that software to its clients and others plotting strategies for returning to work and figuring out how to best mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

As companies express interest in the product, Fuse looks at the regulations of the state and local governments where the business is located and tailors the software to those needs, said Kevin Gravier, director of programming services at Fuse Technology.

“It’s a very generic solution for small and medium-size businesses that were planning to launch with paper,” said Gravier, adding that it’s intended to offer “peace of mind” to businesses as they reengage their workforces.

Fuse Technology is one of many companies in a rush to create a digital solution as health screenings, in which questions are asked related to symptoms and interactions with sick people, become part of a new normal.

Using software aims to answer questions from employers when it comes to collection of workers’ health data and practical matters like who should be responsible for taking temperatures.

Beyond health screenings, new guidance drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday would give different organizations specifics about how to reopen while still limiting spread of the virus, including by spacing workers or students 6 feet apart and closing break rooms and cafeterias to limit gatherings. Many of the suggestions already appear on federal websites but haven’t been presented as reopening advice.

Fuse Technology has joined what has become a crowded marketplace of technology suppliers in just a matter of weeks.

Red Level Group, a Novi, Mich.-based IT services and application development company, this month launched COVID ClearPass, an app that requires employees to give health declarations.

Similarly, Quicken Loans Inc., the Detroit-based online mortgage company, has been developing an application for use by its employees. Should a Quicken Loans worker fail the screening questions, then the employee’s badge is turned off, denying them access to facilities.

Meanwhile, Detroit-based workplace application developer Andonix has its core product, called Smart Work Station, in use by manufacturers. The product aims to allow large manufacturers to move their training materials to an app installed on a new worker’s smartphone.

But with manufacturing having mostly ground to a halt in recent months, the company has pivoted toward a new health screening app called Safely. The company is offering the app for free and has interested clients in manufacturing, construction and professional services.

“We see that the pandemic is going to change our social and work habits in the same way that 9/11 changed the travel industry,” said Andonix CEO David Salazar Yanez.

Implementing new policies

From an employer’s standpoint, daily health screenings account for the first line of defense as the economy slowly reemerges and people head back to work sites.

The Small Business Association of Michigan has identified four so-called pillars around which it is encouraging employers to coalesce. Beyond daily symptom checks and screenings, the group is encouraging that businesses maintain social distancing; a sanitation and disinfecting schedule several times daily; and the use of personal protective equipment.

Each of those items is on the agenda as employees slowly start going back to the Livonia office of Flat Rate Funding Group LLC, a transportation invoicing company.

Because the company works with the trucking industry, it has been deemed essential, and a skeleton crew has been working onsite while most employees work remotely, COO Rob Trube said.

Beginning this week, however, workers will have the option to begin returning to the office, and one of the first things they’ll find is a daily health screening using Andonix’s Safely app. Once employees answer the screening questions, the app generates a QR code that Trube described as akin to a mobile boarding pass used to board an airplane.

Trube said he believed an app would be far more sanitary than using a pen and paper to track health matters.

Ultimately, Trube said that between the health screening and other mitigation steps, it all boils down to a balancing act as employees return to work.

“My challenge has been … how do I make (employees) feel safe and how do I operate the business?” Trube asked, noting that Flat Rate has invested between $1,500 and $2,000 in cleaning supplies and no-touch equipment.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services so far has no specific guidance of its own that it’s offering to employers regarding health screenings, and is instead deferring to the federal CDC guidelines.

The CDC guidance simply refers to health screenings as an “optional strategy” and generally encourages social and physical distancing.

The Marana Group, a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based data and document management firm with an office in South Bend, Ind., has been screening employees since mid-February, company President David Rhoa said.

Despite the months of testing, however, he said he continues to lack a clear sense of just who should be taking temperatures and where that should be done. If an employee shows up and the temperature is deemed excessive, leading to the worker being turned away, were federal privacy laws violated?

“The challenge we have as any small business would, we’re not doctors. Our policy has always been that if you don’t feel well, stay home,” Rhoa said.

“The challenge is that this whole process of screening is not cookie-cutter, and it can’t be. Every business is different and it comes down to the physical location, the number of employees, the shifts they’re trying to run, the nature of the business.”

The data these health checks generate also leads to questions for some, including how is it stored and who has access to it?

Gravier with Fuse Technology said the company’s program simply archives the health data in an encrypted format and provides limited access.

The Kent County Health Department in West Michigan last week announced a new public-private partnership to gather health screening data and use it in furthering efforts to prevent additional spread of the coronavirus, according to a report in MiBiz.

Others see the health screening and gathered data as a competitive advantage as consumers start to venture out more in public and are looking for assurance they’ll be safe.

Leelanau Cellars, a 150-acre vineyard on Northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, closed its tasting room in mid-March as mandated by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. But because the vineyard is in the agriculture sector, which was exempted from Whitmer’s shutdowns, Leelanau Cellars’ 25 employees who work in wine production and distribution have remained on the job, said Bob Jacobson, owner of Leelanau Wine Cellars Ltd.

For the past two months, Jacobson has been accumulating paperwork from employees answering a questionnaire about their current health status. Jacobson has purchased a digital service from Movista, a Bentonville, Ark.-based data company that has converted its employee task-management software into a mobile app-based platform for daily health screenings.

“It makes some sense to try to keep records of all of this stuff because who knows where it’s all going?” he said.

Customers may also want to know that a business is screening employees daily and keeping records, Jacobson said.

“We don’t know what our customers are going to become comfortable with,” he said.

Movista, which has an office in Grand Rapids, sells software primarily to retailers for tracking inventory, employee tasks, time and attendance.

Since the coronavirus outbreak hit, the company has developed a new app for health screenings that it’s marketing to retailers, restaurants, universities and government institutions, said Stan Zylowski, CEO and co-founder of the company.

One of the shortcomings in self-screening apps is a thermometer reading has to be manually added by employees.

“It’s a very ‘Scouts honor’ type system,” Zylowski said.

Movista recommends to customers that they use a “leader-led” system where a company representative takes the reading with a touchless thermometer and inputs the data into its system, which guards privacy by identifying individuals by employee number.

“The challenge with self-reporting is obvious, right?” Zylowski said. “If I as an employee want to make the thermometer hot, I clearly can do that. And if I want someone else to use the thermometer so I can get to go to work, I certainly can do that, too.”

Read the full article here: Beyond the thermometer: Tech companies rush to roll out health screening apps