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Training sessions will equip Kentuckians to defend pro-life constitutional amendment Kentucky TodayHankook Tire will supply the latest Audi electric vehicle (EV) models with tires specially developed for electric cars. The Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron will be equipped with the Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 ev tire, designed for the unique needs of EVs, such as low rolling resistance, low weight and high load capacity, the company says.
The latest Audi models – the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron – are now part of the growing portfolio of EVs for which Hankook supplies custom tires as original equipment. In addition to their attractive design, the two sporty yet compact new SUVs from Audi boast a wide range of technical refinements. At the same time, the purely electric drive requires a tire that can also transfer this technology confidently onto the road: the Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 ev tire is specially developed for EVs, the company says.
EV tires must deliver on three key properties that are particularly important for EVs: low rolling resistance, weight, and high load capacity, the company says. For the special requirements of electric mobility, Hankook engineers have equipped the Ventus S1 evo 3 ev with a double-layer carcass made of a specially developed high-performance fiber. It offers high stability and ensures a low tare weight of the tire relative to its size, Hankook says. The tread compound used in the Ventus S1 evo 3 ev has also been adapted to electric mobility needs. Its high drive torques ensure excellent grip in wet and dry conditions, while simultaneously optimizing rolling resistance, the company says.
In the 20- and 21-in. dimensions for the Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron, an additional steel-based reinforcement is used in the bead area due to the reduced flank height to further increase sidewall rigidity. In addition to ensuring that the tire fits the rim precisely, this also results in a sporty and immediate steering response, the company says.
The Hankook Seal Guard sealing material used inside the tires (standard on the Hankook 20- and 21-in. dimensions for the Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron) automatically seals any punctures of up to 3/16-in. in diameter in the tire tread surface. Seal Guard offers drivers the ability to continue the journey without delays, even in the event of a nail puncture, for example. For vehicles equipped with Seal Guard, carrying a spare wheel is no longer necessary, Hankook says. This provides extra space in the vehicle, saves weight and eliminates the need for a potentially dangerous roadside wheel change, the company says.
Heinz has become a restaurant and household staple for decades. Now, the beloved brand continues to work toward a greater cause by teaming up with Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to equip Black restaurant owners with the resources needed to win big.
Thanks to a partnership between Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice, Heinz, as well as a plethora of bakers, chefs, and restaurant owners to offer grants that range between $15,000 and $25,000 to Black-owned food establishments as they work to scale and grow their businesses, a blog post revealed.
“I really want to make sure that these Black-owned restaurants are seen, heard, and can build these legacy businesses,” said Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Founder Cheryl Day. “From the heart, I want to make sure they are sustainable and that we’re offering what they need.”
Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative is back for year 2 of championing and supporting Black-owned restaurants, eateries & food initiatives with our partners @leeinitiative & SRRJ to contribute $1MM+ in grants and other business resources. To apply & learn more: https://t.co/0QR9ksOssH pic.twitter.com/R4NooiZhVW
— H.J. Heinz & Co. (@HeinzTweets) July 7, 2022
Not only will recipients receive the funds but they will also be offered an educational component through seminars led by food industry veterans. The business owners will soak in knowledge on topics like commercial leases, small business accounting, as well as employee training and retention.
“Our collective intent is to ensure financial support and other resources to sustain long-term business health and success,” said the company in a statement. “Because this is about more than saving restaurants; it’s about preserving Black culinary culture today and into the future.”
Last year’s program provided 72 businesses with $1,136,000 and led to The Black Kitchen Initiative, which is an award-winning podcast series hosted by Adrian Miller.
The program is open to both new and existing businesses, and applications are open until Sunday, Aug. 7.
Click here for more on how to apply.
By Annika Schmidt
Thousands of students are getting back-to-school necessities for free at carnival-themed events across El Paso County this summer.
The third annual Backpack Bash is scheduled on two consecutive Saturdays, when students K-12 are eligible to receive a backpack and grade-appropriate school supplies including markers, pens, binders and notebooks, according to Molly Jacobs, a Backpack Bash administrator.
Most locations will allow students to walk down an assembly line and select which items they want to bring with them on their first day of school.
“The goal is that every student has the resources they need to start the school year off strong,” Jacobs said. Backpack Bash organizers hope to hand out 12,000 backpacks this year.
The event is organized by COSILoveYou. The first event happened Saturday, July 30 and the second chance for students and their families is Saturday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at six locations across the county. The Backpack Bash is being coordinated by over 650 volunteers, with around 40 event partners and 12 sponsors, including Gazette news partner KKTV.
In addition to fun activities like face paint, bounce houses and snow cones at some locations, local vendors are at the Backpack Bash for families to take advantage of services like food drives, haircuts and immunizations.
A drive-thru is providing a quicker option for families just picking up backpacks and school supplies.
Jacobs said half of the supplies given out at the Backpack Bash will be purchased from event sponsor Walmart, using funding from churches, grants and for-profit partners. The other half will be sourced from school supply drives.
Donated supplies were accepted through mid-July at 32 drop-off locations in El Paso County.
COSILoveYou is also accepting monetary donations to support the cause.
Families do not have to register to attend the Backpack Bash, but students must be present to pick up a bag and school supplies at the location nearest to them.
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With nearly 100 days to go before its 2022 edition opens, EQUIP AUTO Paris, the trade event for innovation in automotive aftersales and services for connected mobility, has announced that 95 percent of its 80,000 sqm surface area, has been reserved by exhibitors.
At its mid-year press conference in France bringing together partners and the media to unveil its agenda, the tradeshow EQUIP AUTO Paris 2022 confirmed the sale of nearly all its available exhibition space and reiterated its forecast for around 1,000 exhibitors and brands on show and an expected 80,000 professionals in attendance at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from Oct. 18-22.
Event organizers say features such as major European forums, an experiential demonstrator, theme villages, awards and other highlights all played a key part in winning over a great many exhibitors, 35% of them first-timers and 25% from outside France.
Philippe Baudin, chairman of EQUIP AUTO, said, “We are delighted with the way this 26th edition of EQUIP AUTO Paris has been received. The feedback from exhibitors on the program is very encouraging and confirms the choices we have made with a view to bringing together a wide range of players, representative of what our automotive and mobility industry is today and will be tomorrow. While a GiPA survey confirms that recruitment is the main concern of repairers for the next two years, and another one by the FIEV, conducted for EQUIP AUTO Paris, underlines the resilience of the aftermarket with 14 billion euros sales expected between now and 2030, EQUIP AUTO Paris had to devise a rich, comprehensive program of content that would be conducive to the business of its professional audiences. Today, there is no doubt that this program has hit the mark, given the presence of historic players and new market entrants, thus confirming EQUIP AUTO Paris’ status as a 100% business exhibition and contributing to making it a structural pillar of Paris Automotive Week.”
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which is considered the barometer of market volatility, spiked to an almost record high of over 65 in March 2020, in sync with the pandemic outbreak. Although the index declined through the rest of 2020 and in 2021, it surged more than 87% in the first half of 2022. VIX is commonly known as the “fear index,” reflecting the fear of uncertainty among investors.
News of geopolitical tensions, economic slowdowns and changes in government policies can lead to fear of uncertainty, triggering volatility in the financial markets and making traders exit positions or remain on the side-lines till the volatility subsides. During such times, traders need to be motivated and reassured to continue trading. There are a few effective ways to do so.
Volatility Analysis: Even during long periods of high volatility, there are times when markets are calmer. A tool that offers traders a visual representation of expected volatility in various assets can help them plan their trades when volatility subsides.
Identify Trading Opportunities: Brokers can integrate tools on their site that present exciting trading opportunities, based on deep technical analysis. These can also be shared as trading alerts via email.
Risk Calculator: This enables traders to determine their risk exposure and modify their strategies based on their risk appetite and desired risk-reward ratio.
High Probability Trade Set-Ups: Providing high-probability trade set-ups can help traders easily identify recurring tradable situations in their chosen assets.
Trade Validation: A tool that can highlight the quality of the pricing and execution of a trade can prove highly useful when there is high uncertainty in the market.
Integrating the right set of tools into the website can enable brokers to inspire traders to continue trading during volatility or an overall market decline.
Education-Based Content: Sharing relevant and relatable content via email, social media posts and newsletters can reassure and inspire traders. They need to understand that volatility presents more exciting trading opportunities than a flat market, the different strategies for trading during high volatility, and the best risk management techniques to adopt.
Push Notifications: Market commentary and summaries of market analysis can be sent via SMS to traders directly on their smartphones. Enabling traders to monitor their assets and adjust their strategies with ease, anytime and from anywhere, can help them feel much more in control.
Market Reports: Sharing detailed market reports can help traders better understand the workings of the financial markets, choose the right assets and hone their trading skills. These reports can also provide details of major market indicators, upcoming market moving events and expectations for them.
While communication is essential, it needs to be multilingual to address a global clientele. Communicating in a trader’s preferred language can keep the conversation relatable and sensitive. This goes a long way in building trust, which is even more critical during periods of high market volatility.
The fear of uncertainty can make traders extremely nervous. Autochartist offers easy-to-integrate cutting-edge tools that help brokers earn trust and offer traders an edge in the financial markets to encourage them to continue trading. Contact us to learn more.
Virgin Atlantic's new A330neo fleet will feature Viasat in-flight connectivity. (Photo courtesy of Virgin Atlantic)
Virgin Atlantic's new fleet of Airbus A330-900neo aircraft will feature in-flight connectivity (IFC) services enabled by Viasat's Ka-band satellite network, according to a July 12 announcement from the two companies.
Under a new agreement, the 16 new Virgin Atlantic A330-900s awaiting delivery at the Airbus Center of Excellence production site in Toulouse, France, will be line fit with Viasat antennas, modems, and wireless access points. The new IFC selection by Virgin Atlantic makes Viasat the third IFC service provider to be added to an aircraft type operated by the airline, which also features Gogo 2Ku on its legacy Airbus A330s and A340s as well as its Boeing 747s.
Virgin's A350 fleet also features IFC provided by Inmarsat's Global Xpress (GX) network.
Don Buchman, Vice President and General Manager of Commercial Aviation for Viasat, commenting on the Virgin Atlantic selection, says the company looks forward to "bringing our technology and service capabilities to Virgin Atlantic and its customers."
Virgin Atlantic has become the third new airline customer added to Viasat's IFC roster this year with its selection, joining Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines as the other two latest airlines to choose Viasat. The IFC equipment being installed on Virgin's A330-900neo fleet will be forward-compatible with the next generation satellite constellation being rolled out by Viasat with ViaSat-3.
Virgin Atlantic revealed images of the cabin interior for its A330neo fleet today. (Photo, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic)
According to comments made by former Viasat President and CEO Rick Baldridge during an earnings call in May, Viasat expects to have its Viasat-3 satellite network ready to provide initial commercial services by January of next year. Mark Dankberg, who shifted to the company's executive chairman role last year, has returned to the company as CEO, taking over for Baldridge, who will take on the newly created vice chairman role of the company.
Other details released about Virgin’s new A330 fleet by the Heathrow-based airline include in-flight entertainment touchscreens, Bluetooth, and wireless charging with every seat onboard.
Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commenting on the new A330neo fleet, says the airline's desire to “create memorable experiences means we’ll continue to imagine with fresh ideas. We’re proud to unveil our state of the art A330neo and show the evolution of our customer experience, with each of our customers receiving a premium experience regardless of the cabin they travel in. They’ll be better connected with their fellow travellers and our amazing crew in the air, and with their friends and family on the ground.”
Virgin expects to begin operating its first passenger-carrying A330neo flights between London and Boston by early October. The airline will receive three new A330s from Airbus starting in September, with the remainder scheduled for delivery between 2023 and 2026.
The ghost knife isn’t meant to exist in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but savvy players can summon it for themselves.
The ghost knife is one of a few hidden knife skins in CSGO. Instead of a Steam inventory item that can be used in-game, this skin is actually hidden in the files and not meant to be used by players. However, by using a special set of console commands, players can get a hold of it in-game. Here’s how to equip the ghost knife and what makes it special in CSGO.
The ghost knife is formally named the Special Shiv in the game’s files. The weapon was added to the game in 2018 as part of that year’s special Halloween event. The ghastly dagger doesn’t appear in any weapon cases, but there’s still a way to use it.
Here’s a quick list of instructions for how to equip the ghost knife in a private CSGO server.
Open up the developer console and type in the following commands.
After putting in all these commands, you should notice that your normal knife is now replaced with a spectral version of the Flip Knife.
As far as usability goes, the item is exactly the same as the normal knife. It takes two left clicks and one right click to kill and it even works for backstabs on helpless bots.
Of course, since it requires the use of several console commands, it is not possible to equip the ghost knife in any public CSGO matches. It can only be done on private servers. While not the most useful thing to know in CSGO, it makes a good parlor trick during in-house games.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Patch 9.2 introduced the ability to equip two legendary items on your character. This change comes after players could only have one legendary equipped at a time since the launch of Shadowlands, often making players choose which legendary power they wanted to prioritize throughout the majority of the expansion’s duration.
However, with Patch 9.2, players can now equip two legendary items, granting their character even more strength and a burst of versatility when it comes to their legendary powers.
Here’s how to equip two legendary items in WoW: Shadowlands Patch 9.2.
To equip two legendary items, you must progress through the seventh chapter of the Patch 9.2 campaign. When you complete the quest “Souls Entwined” from the chapter “Starting Over,” you’ll be rewarded with a legendary belt appropriate for your character’s armor class. That belt will be item level 265 and have the Unity legendary power attached.
Every player’s second legendary power will be Unity, which boosts your chosen covenant power. You cannot mix and match two pre-existing legendary powers solely from previous Shadowlands patches. One must be the newly added Unity, and the other must be a legendary power that existed earlier in the Shadowlands expansion.
Unfortunately, you can’t upgrade the legendary belt awarded to you for completing the Zereth Mortis campaign. That item is hard-locked at item level 265. However, you can purchase a Memory of Unity from Vilo, the Enlightened Quartermaster. Vilo can be found in Haven, while the Memory of Unity is available to be purchased for 500 Cosmic Flux once your character reaches Revered with the Enlightened faction.
That Memory of Unity can be applied to any base legendary item and is available to be upgraded to level 291. The Memory of Unity can be runecarved onto an item from any armor slot.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, this week introduced H.R. 8253, the Fostering Innovation and Research to Strengthen Tomorrow (FIRST) Act, which would double the research and development (R&D) tax credit and allow more small business startups to access this credit.
“The American people’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit drives our nation’s success,” said Congresswoman Walorski. “Doubling the R&D tax credit will encourage American companies – especially small businesses and startups – to invest in innovation that will unleash economic growth and prosperity. The FIRST Act will take a strategic step toward ensuring that America will lead the world in scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, and cutting-edge manufacturing for the 21st century.”
“This bill is crucial to making America the world leader in innovation. With greater support for research and development, the U.S. can develop more cures, return drug manufacturing to the United States, and achieve medical independence. I want to thank Rep. Walorski for her leadership on this bill,” said Ways and Means GOP Leader Kevin Brady (R-Texas).
Congresswoman Walorski’s legislation has garnered the support of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
“The manufacturing industry is the backbone of American research and development and this bill would support jobs, boost innovation and help ensure America’s future competitiveness,” added David Eiselberg, Senior Director of Tax Policy, NAM.
To foster innovation, FIRST Act would double the rate for each of the options businesses have to access the research and development (R&D) tax credit. Specifically, it would:
The full text of the FIRST Act is available here.
Article provided by Representative Walorski’s office
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak just launched and the developers are giving players a head start with some high-rank gear that they can use to hunt new monsters. The new armor is automatically awarded, but it might be tricky to find if you’re not used to the game.
For those looking for the new set, head over to the Courier. It can be found in both the base game’s village and Sunbreak’s new village. Head over to the Palico standing on top of an item box and he’ll tell you that he’s got some new stuff for you. Scroll down where it says “Add-on Content” and it will bring up a huge list of things. Anything listed in white hasn’t been picked up yet. One of those things is the new armor.
The armor is called “Black Belt S.” In the list, it’ll be listed as the “Sunbreak Launch Celebration: “Black Belt S” Hunter armor set. It includes all of the armor pieces you’ll need to get started. There are also a few more things in there to pick up, so make sure you gather them all while you’re there.
To equip the armor, head over to the Smithy. Select “Manage Equipment,” then “Change Gear.” When you first get into the menu, it will show you low-rank gear. Hit RB on your controller and it will put you into the high-rank gear menu. There, you will see the Black Belt S set. Equip each piece and then you’ll be good to go.
Don’t forget to upgrade your gear at the Smithy before you leave since it’s likely that you’ll already have the materials you need to upgrade it. To do that, head to the Forge/Upgrade Armor menu and then select “Upgrade Armor.” Make sure you upgrade all of your pieces and then you’ll be ready to head off into the Jungle and fight more monsters.
OMER, Israel, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScoutCam (OTCQB: SCTC), a leading provider of visualization and AI based solutions to the Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) and the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) markets, announced today a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with a global leading defense and aviation company. According to the JDA, the defense and aviation company will utilize ScoutCam's proprietary visualization technology for in-flight monitoring of various components of its fleet of aerial vehicles, as well as serve as a replacement for manual pre- and post-flight visualization inspections of the aerial platforms.
The multi-year partnership established by the JDA combines various technical aspects of the relationship between ScoutCam and the customer and ensures future supply of ScoutCam’s monitoring solutions to the aerial vehicles.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to provide our exceptional visualization monitoring solutions and expertise to the aviation market and to join forces with this global leader for the long term,” commented ScoutCam’s Chief Executive Officer, Yovav Sameah. “We see this opportunity as an important part of the ScoutCam’s growth strategy as we become a key player in the fast-growing Condition Based Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance markets, where the unmet need for visualization monitoring is increasing rapidly. The JDA provides a basis for future collaborations between the companies as it includes a target by the customer to expand deployments into all existing areal platforms. Following a successful JDA, Scoutcam plans to continue deploying this game-changing platform in other parts of the military and civilian aviation sector.”
Yovav Sameah continued, “Our collaboration with this large scale, global manufacturer combines a unique set of capabilities that we believe will significantly benefit the entire aviation industry, while providing significant growth potential to ScoutCam. While both companies are currently working on a proof-of-concept prototype as a basis for future expansion, we expect our joint activities to play a more significant role as the Condition Based Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance markets expand.”
About ScoutCam
ScoutCam is pioneering the Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring markets with its visualization and AI platform. Pioneering the use of its visualization and AI platform in Industry 4.0 markets such as aviation, energy, mobility and transportation, ScoutCam’s camera-as-a-sensor™ technology, accompanied by specialized trained AI models, is being deployed in hard to reach locations and harsh environments, across a variety of Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring use cases. ScoutCam’s platform allows maintenance and operations teams visibility into areas which are inaccessible under normal operation, or where the operating ambience is not suitable for continuous real-time monitoring.
Forward-Looking Statements –
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future events or our future performance. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the Company’s ability to maximize and generate revenues from its agreement with the defense and aviation company and the Company's future plans for its monitoring solutions, as discussed in this press release. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or our management’s current expectation and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect our results, performance, circumstances or achievements include, but are not limited to the following: (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, including those that utilize our micro ScoutCam™ technology or offer Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring applications, (ii) lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device and related industries from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, product malfunctions and the functionality of ScoutCam’s solutions under all environmental conditions, (vi) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on third-parties for assistance, (vii) an inability to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to commercialize our products, (viii) an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, (ix) our efforts obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, including for miniature video sensors which are suitable for our Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology products, (xi) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain, (xii) the impact of pandemics, such as COVID-19 (coronavirus) and (xiv) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical, global supply chain and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction. These and other important factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 30, 2022 and our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
For more information on ScoutCam and to view the updated site, please visit www.scoutcam.com.
Investor Relations Contact:
Miri Segal
MS-IR LLC
Tel: +917-607-8654
E-mail: msegal@ms-ir.com
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BRAINTREE, Mass. — Braintree police dog Kitt’s legacy lives on.
A year after Kitt’s death in the line of duty, his partner, Officer William Cushing, established the K9 Kitt Foundation to help train, equip and raise awareness for K9 teams nationwide.
Kitt died when he was shot three times while chasing a domestic violence suspect on June 4, 2021. Police say the dog diverted the suspect’s attention away from Cushing and two other officers.
“As the suspect repeatedly fired his weapon, K-9 Kitt heroically advanced toward the suspect, causing him to turn his attention away from the officers,” Braintree Police Chief Mark Dubois said at the time.
Cushing and one other officer were injured in the shootout. The suspect, 34-year-old Andrew Homan, was killed.
“I lost my partner and closest friend in that Braintree wood line that day, but I’ve been able to recover and move forward because of Kitt’s fearless bravery and sacrifice,” Cushing said in a statement.
The foundation will provide relief for violently injured K9 teams across the country, raise awareness, continue the education and training of handlers and ensure teams are properly equipped. It will also connect community members interested in supporting K9 teams with those officers.
“Kitt was a one-of-a-kind warrior who gave his life defending me and my fellow officers. It [sic] in his memory and the warrior mentality he instinctively possessed that we are forming this foundation to aid other K9 teams nationwide,” Cushing said in a statement.
Follow @K9KittFoundation on Facebook and Instagram for more information. To donate to the K9 Kitt Foundation, log onto www.K9KittFoundation.com or Venmo at @K9KittFoundation.
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The headquarters for Axon Enterprise Inc, formerly Taser International, is seen in Scottsdale, Aizona, U.S., May 17, 2017. Picture taken May 17, 2017. To match Special Report USA-TASER/EXPERTS REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
June 6 (Reuters) - Taser-maker Axon Enterprise Inc (AXON.O) said it was halting a project to equip drones with stun guns to combat mass shootings, a reversal that did not stop most of its ethics advisory board members from announcing their resignation on Monday in protest over the original plans.
The May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two teachers, prompted Axon to announce last week it was working on a drone that first responders could operate remotely to fire a Taser at a target about 40 feet (12 m) away.
Nine of 12 members of the company's AI Ethics Board quit over concerns the drones would harm over-policed communities and that Axon publicized its ambitions without consulting the group. The resignations and Axon's scuttled plans were first reported by Reuters.
"In light of feedback, we are pausing work on this project and refocusing to further engage with key constituencies to fully explore the best path forward," Chief Executive Rick Smith said in a statement.
The action by ethics board members marked a rare public rebuke for one of the watchdog groups some companies have set up to gather feedback on emerging technologies, such as drones and artificial intelligence (AI) software.
Smith said it was unfortunate that members withdrew before Axon could address their technical questions, but the company "will continue to seek diverse perspectives to challenge our thinking."
Axon, which also sells body-worn cameras and policing software, has said its clients include about 17,000 out of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States.
It explored the idea of a Taser-equipped drone for police since at least 2016, and Smith depicted how one could stop an active shooter in a graphic novel he wrote. The novel shows a daycare center with what looks like an enlarged smoke alarm, which first recognizes the sound of gunfire and then ejects a drone, identifying and tasing the shooter in two seconds.
Axon first approached its ethics board more than a year ago about Taser-equipped drones, and the panel last month voted eight to four against running a limited police pilot of the technology.
The company announced the drone idea anyway, as it said it wanted to get past "fruitless debates" on guns after the Uvalde shooting, sending shares up nearly 6%. They were down 0.5% on Monday.
Ethics board members worried the drones could exacerbate racial injustice, undermine privacy through surveillance and become more lethal if other weapons were added, member Wael Abd-Almageed said in an interview.
"What we have right now is just dangerous and irresponsible," said Abd-Almageed, an engineering research associate professor at University of Southern California.
The board likewise had not evaluated use of the drones by first responders outside police, it said. And members questioned how a drone could navigate closed doors to stop a shooting.
The drone is "distracting society from real solutions to a tragic problem," resigning board members said in a Monday statement.
CEO Smith has said drones could be stationed in hallways and move into rooms through special vents. A drone system would cost a school about $1,000 annually, he said.
Formed in 2018, the ethics panel has guided Axon productively on sensitive technologies such as facial recognition in the past.
Giles Herdale, one of the remaining ethics board members, told Reuters he chose not to resign because he could have more influence "if I am in the tent than outside it."
For others, the company's drone announcement prior to a formal report by the board broke with practice, said member Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor.
"I’m not going to stay on an advisory board for a company that departs so far from expectation and protocol or, frankly, who believes ubiquitous surveillance coupled with remote non-lethal weapons is a viable response to school shootings," he said.
Barry Friedman, the board chairman, resigned as well.
Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif., and Paresh Dave in Oakland, Calif.; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel and Tomasz Janowski
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Forsee Power (FR0014005SB3 – FORSE), an expert in smart battery systems for sustainable electromobility, announces that Ballard Motive Solutions, a subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems, has placed an order to equip 20 zero-emission Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV) with Forsee Power battery systems.
This comes as a result of the strategic partnership that was announced last November, ahead of Forsee Power’s IPO, which Ballard Power Systems invested in.
Advancing technologies and boosting business opportunities
In November 2021, Forsee Power and Ballard announced a strategic partnership to develop a fully integrated solution combining a fuel cell and battery system, optimized to meet the needs of targeted medium and heavy-duty mobility markets of bus, truck, rail, marine, and off-road.
Since then, the two companies’ R&D teams have been working to co-design a solution to address the heavy vehicle segment.
With complementary technologies, customers, verticals and markets, the Ballard and Forsee Power partnership is expected to increase technological performance, optimize costs, extend service life, and reduce customer friction points by providing pre-integrated and optimized electric powertrain solutions.
Moreover, the two innovative companies will benefit from their mutual customer access in the medium and heavy vehicle market segments, accelerating business development opportunities in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Working towards a fully integrated solution for hydrogen mobility
This announcement with Ballard Motive Solutions is an important milestone in the Forsee Power and Ballard partnership to develop integrated solutions.
Formerly Arcola Energy, which was acquired by Ballard Power Systems in 2021, Ballard Motive Solutions (BMS) is a UK-based systems engineering company specializing in hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and vehicle systems integration. BMS has developed a RCV solution integrating a Ballard fuel cell and Forsee Power high-power PULSE 2.5 battery systems, optimizing efficiency for both technologies. The extra-thin battery packs will easily integrate the vehicle’s chassis, optimizing space aboard and allowing 160-km autonomy and a maximum speed of 90 km/h, meeting operators’ needs.
« The aim of our partnership with Ballard is not only to optimize the combination of fuel cell with batteries, but also to facilitate their integration into heavy vehicles, and thus significantly lowering the barriers to quickly transition to zero-emission technologies. Integrating fuel cell plus battery systems require deep proven expertise on both technologies; this is what we are offering to our customers, so they can focus on their core business of manufacturing and/or operating the vehicles » explains Sébastien Rembauville-Nicolle, Vice President Business Development of Forsee Power.
« We are a customer focused organization. Ballard’s partnership with Forsee Power allows us to provide customers with an integrated product to reduce their friction points for adoption of our zero-emission technology. Ballard’s expertise is PEM fuel cells and powertrain systems integration, and Forsee Power’s deep knowledge in smart battery systems enables us to provide our clients products with enhanced performance, optimized costs and extended service life. Our RCV collaboration is a great example of the pre-integrated and optimized electric powertrain solution we can provide to our customers. We are looking forward to continued collaboration with Forsee Power to enhance our customers’ experience with our solutions» explains Ben Todd, CEO of Ballard Motive Solutions.
About Forsee Power
Forsee Power is a French industrial group specializing in smart battery systems for sustainable electric transport (light vehicles, off-highway vehicles, buses, trains, and ships). A major player in Europe, Asia and North America, the Group designs, assembles, and supplies energy management systems based on cells that are among the most robust in the market and provides installation, commissioning, and maintenance on site and remotely. More than 1,200 buses and 100,000 LEV have been equipped with Forsee Power’s batteries. The Group also offers financing solutions (battery leasing) and second-life solutions for transport batteries. Forsee Power recorded revenue from sales of EUR 72.4 million in 2021 and has more than 600 employees. For more information: www.forseepower.com | @ForseePower
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems’ (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) vision is to deliver fuel cell power for a sustainable planet. Ballard zero-emission PEM fuel cells are enabling electrification of mobility, including buses, commercial trucks, trains, marine vessels, and stationary power. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — A couple of central Indiana entrepreneurs wants to be the AirBnB for adventure gear. Josh Roche and John Laughlin are co-founders of Quiptu, a sharing economy platform for outdoor equipment, such as kayaks, trail bikes and camping gear. Their business allows adventurers to rent gear from local owners.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Laughlin said they want people to enjoy the outdoors and make it affordable.
“We’re the conduit between the owner and the renter. The owner, who has the gear and the knowledge and expertise, is meeting the renter,” said Laughlin, chief operating officer of Quiptu. “The renter is often dabbling into that activity. So before taking the plunge and spending over $1,000 on gear, you can now ‘try it before you buy it.’”
The business partners, who are also brothers-in-law, launched the company launched last week, eight months after Quiptu Chief Executive Officer Josh Roche originally came up with the idea.
Laughlin says the business concept was born from a logistical problem. Roche, who lives in Bloomington, was invited to a bike packing trip along the Great Divide Mountain Biking Route in Montana. But there were no options to rent an off-road, gravel bike out there for that length of time. So, Roche borrowed a bike in Indiana.
“We had to go and take the bike apart, break it down into 51 pieces, and then ship it to Montana and put it together there. And the whole thing was just was just painful,” Laughlin said.
Once Roche completed the trip, he had to break down the bike, ship it back, and reassemble.
“The conclusion was if there was someone in Montana who would have owned an extra gravel bike, he would have paid double to not deal with that headache,” said Laughlin.
That pain point helped the entrepreneurs come up with a concept. But before developing the app, they conducted over 100 user interviews to examine other challenges for outdoor adventurers, such as storage space for equipment and retail cost of the gear.
The app makes the peer-to-peer introduction, but the owner sets the rental price. Laughlin says prices for a kayak or paddleboard could range from $20-$50 a day, while bikes could range from $30-$100 daily.
“Natural market forces there. We provide some guidelines, but the owner can charge whatever he or she like would like to for the gear,” explained Laughlin.
The team has already notched some big successes. In November, they won the Elevate Nexus Regional Pre-Seed Competition. The following month, they won the 2021 Crossroads Idea Competition hosted by Bloomington-based business incubator The Mill.
“I have been working with Josh and John since they were in the ideation stage. Elevate invested back in November through our Nexus Pitch Competition and it’s been impressive watching them build Quiptu around unlocking the untapped value of outdoor equipment that often goes unused,” said Cy Megnin, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Elevate Ventures.
Quiptu is launching in a total of eight markets in Indiana and Colorado. The locations are centered around college towns and metro areas, including Bloomington, Lafayette, South Bend and Indianapolis. The company’s head of marketing, Ben Kirby, is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he will work to boost Quiptu’s market share.
“Our research told us that college campuses and college towns are our ideal places for this to happen because undergraduate students tend to be adventurous but don’t have a big checking account for buying gear,” said Laughlin.
He says they want to build towards a network of lessors, so renters have regional options to obtain gear. Laughlin says there has been a surge in popularity in kayaking, biking and camping since the start of the pandemic. He says their app is helping first-time adventurers to seasoned explorers enjoy the outdoors.
“One of our values is ‘Green time over screen time’. We couldn’t be happier to allow the opportunity for people to live their adventure, to get outside and do something fun that would have normally been cost prohibitive,” said Laughlin. “This sort of positive force has us excited and willing to work as hard as we have been on this”
As far as the company name? Laughlin says they’re “looking to ‘equip you’” with the necessary gear to start an adventure.
UK-based Blighter Surveillance Systems will support Ukraine’s counter-uncrewed aerial system (UAS) capability requirements by delivering its A422 radars.
The company did not disclose the number of radars that will be supplied to the war-hit nation, but a significant number of Blighter counter-UAS radars will be handed over, starting this month.
The company did not reveal whether the equipment supply is a donation or a commercial sale to Ukraine. The A422 radars are part of the UK’s efforts to extend military support to Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
Since the onset of the Russian invasion, the UK has sent weapon systems including 5,000 next-generation light anti-tank weapons, Starstreak missiles, body armour, helmets, and communications equipment, among others.
Blighter CEO James Long said: “We are proud to be part of the broad package of military support that the UK is providing to Ukrainian forces.
“The versatility and reliability of Blighter’s A422 radar as part of a comprehensively proven counter-UAS capability is very well suited to sustaining and strengthening Ukraine’s battlefield operations.”
Blighter’s A422 is a military radar meant for drone detection and surveillance. The medium-range air security system is suited for use in remote areas, border security, and rapid response situations.
The technology enables the detection and reporting of airborne and ground targets, as well as coastline threats, at up to 20km. It also provides moving target detection and machine learning classification to facilitate 180° long-range vision.
The latest order comes just over a month after Blighter secured a contract to supply vehicle-mounted tactical radars on an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) for a Northern European Nato customer for border security. The contract includes the supply of Blighter B422 radars.
The radars designed by Blighter are deployed in over 35 countries.
In July 2021, Blighter won a contract from an undisclosed European defence company to initially provide 25 target acquisition radars for a fleet of Armoured Fighting Vehicles.
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