Emerging Tech

The New York State Office for the Aging has launched a new initiative to bring companion robots into seniors’ homes — and they go beyond the common virtual assistants to proactively support seniors’ needs.

The Chicago Quantum Exchange this week unveiled a network for sharing information between four universities and two national laboratories that could produce breakthroughs in cybersecurity, medicine and climate change.

These miniature nuclear power plants under development as a source of clean electricity for the United States — and for deployment in space — would be smaller than standard shipping containers.

The debate over a plan to buy a drone for the Worcester Police Department has come to an end with a 7 to 3 City Council vote in favor of the purchase. Opponents voiced concern about potential civil liberty implications.

Humboldt County, Calif.'s Redwood Coast Airport and the Coast Guard station now have a renewable energy microgrid to sustain operations in case of a power outage. The microgrid is the first of its kind in the state.

Residents of San Joaquin County farming towns will be able to order "thousands of everyday items" online and can expect a drone to drop them in their backyards in less than an hour, said an Amazon spokesperson.

Plus, a change in light bulb regulations that would drastically reduce carbon emissions, 3D-printed concrete and a record-setting year for zero-day cyber attacks.

The California Air Resources Board held the first of two hearings to consider a new requirement to transition the state to 100 percent electric vehicle sales by 2035. The board is expected to finalize the rule this year.

Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready program will cover most, if not all, of the costs of installing electric vehicle chargers in multifamily developments. This sort of charging is essential for EV growth, experts say.

In response to several mass shootings, the company announced that it was working on drones armed with Tasers to stop shooters. Now that work is paused after most of the company's ethics board resigned in protest.

With a permit issued this week by the California Public Utilities Commission, autonomous vehicle maker Cruise became the first commercial robotaxi business in the state and the second in the U.S.

As natural disasters grow more severe across the country, local governments are increasingly using predictive analytics to understand where and when an emergency will impact their communities.

A digital twin is to a computer model as live video is to a still photo. These virtual replicas can be used to understand and make predictions about a wide range of complex systems, including people.

General Electric is receiving a new $13 million grant from the federal government to go toward development of power equipment that burns hydrogen in addition to — or instead of — natural gas.

The Israel-based firm, expanding in North America, has joined a recent uptick in gov tech firms with valuations of $1B or more. The Optibus success provides signals about what’s next for transit software and other tools.

The merits and pitfalls of pursuing nuclear power in Montana were recently debated by experts on both sides of the spectrum, with some telling a committee it is too costly and renewable energy should be pursued.

It's not just the major metropolises. Small cities can also benefit from technology, but sometimes struggle with fitting the right tech for their needs, along with antiquated procurement processes.

Meta has shared its plans to make political ad targeting data available through its Ad Library and Facebook Open Research and Transparency project. The process would entail updates to both platforms.