March 28, 2024

Web and Technology News

Tractable snaps up $65M led by SoftBank for car and property damage appraisals using AI

When it comes to transforming business operations, artificial intelligence holds a lot of promise across many industries. Today, a startup that has been an early mover in the area of applying AI, and specifically computer vision, to the world of insurance is announcing a round of growth funding to continue expanding its business. Tractable — […]

Wildfire detection startup Pano extends its $20M series A with another $17M

Not all use cases for AI make sense, but Pano AI makes a life-saving contribution in the “yes” column. Just last week, the company was able to send early warnings of the Kutch Fire, that broke out near Kutch Mountain in Yamhill County, Oregon. The company showed me how it was able to detect and […]

Wildfire detection startup Pano extends its $20M series A with another $17M by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

SnapCalorie taps AI to estimate the caloric content of food from photos

While working at Google, Wade Norris wanted to create a project that could positively impact people’s lives. He co-founded Google Lens, Google’s computer vision-powered app that brings up information related to the objects it identifies. But it didn’t quite scratch the itch. So several years ago, Norris teamed up with Scott Baron, a systems engineer […]

SnapCalorie taps AI to estimate the caloric content of food from photos by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Kibsi raises $9.3M for its no-code computer vision platform

Kibsi is an Irvine, California-based startup that is building a no-code computer vision platform that allows businesses to build and deploy computer vision applications. Among the things that set Kibsi apart from many other players in this space is that it lets businesses reuse their existing cameras to create insights into virtually anything they want […]

Kibsi raises $9.3M for its no-code computer vision platform by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch

SLAIT pivots from translating sign language to AI-powered interactive lessons

Millions of people use sign language, but methods of teaching this complex and subtle skill haven’t evolved as quickly those for written and spoken languages. SLAIT School aims to change that with an interactive tutor powered by computer vision, letting aspiring ASL speakers practice at their own rate like in any other language learning app. […]

SLAIT pivots from translating sign language to AI-powered interactive lessons by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

Everseen raises over $70M for AI tech to spot potential retail theft

In 2007, Alan O’Herlihy, who previously worked with large SAP installations as well as retail, set out to find a way to help retailers minimize “shrinkage,” or where a store has fewer items in stock than in its recorded inventory. He settled on computer vision as the solution to the problem, and founded a company, […]

Everseen raises over $70M for AI tech to spot potential retail theft by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Microsoft’s computer vision model will generate alt text for Reddit images

Two years ago, Microsoft announced Florence, an AI system that it pitched as a “complete rethinking” of modern computer vision models. Unlike most vision models at the time, Florence was both “unified” and “multimodal,” meaning it could (1) understand language as well as images and (2) handle a range of tasks rather than being limited […]

Microsoft’s computer vision model will generate alt text for Reddit images by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Guide dogs will be giving the side-eye to self-driving car tech coming for their jobs

The visually impaired are getting a helping hand (or a helping belt, as it were) from Korean startup AI Guided. At CES in Las Vegas, the company was showing off some pretty neat tech that incorporates optical and Lidar technology along with AI-powered on-device computing to identify obstacles and help with navigation. The company claims […]

Guide dogs will be giving the side-eye to self-driving car tech coming for their jobs by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

Computer vision technology startup Brodmann17 has shut down

Brodmann17, an Israeli computer vision technology startup that developed a novel approach to take on a marketplace dominated by Mobileye, shut down this week. Brodmann17’s co-founder and CEO Adi Pinhas posted a message on LinkedIn announcing the move, stating that while the company would not be able to bring its products to the mass market […]

Computer vision technology startup Brodmann17 has shut down by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch

WeWalk raises cash to bring computer vision to smart cane for visually-impaired people

WeWalk, a U.K.-based startup developing a “smart cane” for visually-impaired people, today announced it has raised £2 million ($2.4 million) in venture funding from several notable institutional and angel investors — this includes Manchester City and German international footballer İlkay Gündoğan. Founded out of London in 2019, WeWalk has developed a GPS-enabled smart cane and […]

WeWalk raises cash to bring computer vision to smart cane for visually-impaired people by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

V7 snaps up $33M to automate training data for computer vision AI models

Artificial intelligence promises to help, and maybe even replace, humans to carry out everyday tasks and solve problems that humans have been unable to tackle, yet ironically, building that AI faces a major scaling problem. It’s only as good as the models and data used to train it, so there is a need for sourcing […]

V7 snaps up $33M to automate training data for computer vision AI models by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch

Deepomatic wants to build the AI-based computer vision companion for field workers

French startup Deepomatic has raised a $10.5 million (€10 million) Series B funding round. While the founding round is relatively small, the startup has managed to convince some large-scale clients to use its visual automation platform. For instance, telecom companies use Deepomatic on the field to check that tasks have been completed successfully. EnBW New […]

Deepomatic wants to build the AI-based computer vision companion for field workers by Romain Dillet originally published on TechCrunch

Microsoft’s new Power Apps feature turns sketches into apps

Showcasing its investments in AI, Microsoft today announced Power Apps Express Design, a new feature in the company’s no-code/low-code Power Apps service that can convert an uploaded PDF, PowerPoint, Figma design files, screenshots, or hand-drawn sketch into a working app (after some fiddling). Unveiled at Build 2022, Microsoft said that Express Design employs “industry-leading” AI […]

AI-powered construction management platform Buildots lands $60M

In the construction industry, managers can become disconnected from what’s happening on-site — particularly when dealing with pandemic-related disruptions. Among the top hurdles are staying on top of costs, communicating with all stakeholders, and assessing risk related to aspects like contractor billing and performance. The disconnect can lead to delays and unanticipated expenses. One study […]