Emerging Tech

Tech-driven counties in California’s Silicon Valley and around Seattle, Wash., and Austin, Texas, boomed as the pandemic raged, according to new economic data released this month by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Technology capable of more thoroughly scanning cargo containers for contraband has not been put in place despite a 2021 offer to purchase and install the equipment from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

Mississippi’s Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport will be one of 16 airports around the United States testing facial recognition software to identify travelers at TSA security checkpoints.

A severe drought, skyrocketing temperatures and a global food crisis have transformed the fertile San Joaquin Valley into a haven for agricultural innovation, with tech aimed at reducing water and boosting crop yield.

Imagen Energy will partner with Volta Charging to develop DC fast-charging technology for electric vehicles to be deployed in more compact and easier-to-manage units. The work will be funded by $12 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Despite policy guardrails that would have only allowed police to use a robot to kill a suspect in extreme cases, San Francisco supervisors have walked back their approval amid significant public protest.

The Metro plan would use one-of-a-kind and much cheaper battery-powered light rail to connect West Chester Borough to downtown Philadelphia. Cutting-edge, fast-charging battery technology with a 60-mile range is envisioned.

The gunshot detection company has encountered another delay in trying to install equipment in a shooting-prone part of the city. Officials say the rollout of the system is nearly complete.

City officials have approved the purchase of 55 more license plate reading cameras for deployment throughout the city. The newest deployment will complement the 38 cameras already in use.

The Cleveland Department of Public Health and a host of community partners plan to improve air quality monitoring in disadvantaged areas and devise strategies for reducing their exposure to hazardous pollution.

San Francisco police will soon be allowed to use robots to kill people during rare and limited emergency situations under a controversial new policy that was approved by city supervisors on Tuesday.

The city has released its controversial policy that would allow police robots to use lethal force against a suspect as a last resort. A similar proposal in Oakland was withdrawn after public outcry.

The city of Boulder has announced the launch of a new web-based emergency mapping tool that will help first responders plan and coordinate evacuations. It will also provide the community with access to real-time updates.

Some 600 phones in the Bay Area recorded waveform data from the Seven Trees earthquake last October. That data is being used by researchers at the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory to better understand the effects of quakes.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network stores millions of pieces of ballistics intelligence to help law enforcement generate investigative leads in gun crimes.

Engineering professor Evgueni Filipov and his collaborators have developed a more efficient way to manufacture silicon robots that might be used for anything from plumbing to inspections to high-tech surveillance.

Nuclear power as a climate solution got a big boost when the Biden administration announced giving Pacific Gas and Electric Co. a $1.1 billion grant to help the company operate California's last nuclear plant.

Three companies were awarded a total of $260,000 from the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform to advance technology in the areas of bridge construction, electric vehicles and drone-operated deliveries.